Andrea's day in court had been productive, as she had been able to read the jury quite well as they listened to her opening statement and opposing counsel's. It seemed that they were more sympathetic to her, from the get go, which set her mind at ease as she hoped that this case would go a lot more smoothly than the previous one.

The first witness for her side had also made significant inroads for her case, and Andrea had breathed out a sigh of relief as they adjourned for the day. Getting to her feet, she felt her phone buzz against her hip and as she went into the hallway, she pulled it from her pocket and looked at the display. Lieutenant Provenza's name was on it, and Andrea frowned a little as she opened her phone and clicked through to her voicemail, listening to the message he'd left.

"I really do not want to go make a deal right now," she muttered, knowing that she wouldn't have any other choice in the matter, she was still attached to Major Crimes as their go to DDA. Shaking her head, Andrea slowly made her way down to her car and then drove over to the building, trying to keep her foot light so that she wouldn't get a ticket. Thankfully, there was an open spot near the door, and she parked before stalking into the building, waving to John as she made her way to the elevators.

The ride up to the murder room was long, as it seemed like everyone in her car was heading to a different floor, but she finally reached her destination, briskly walking over to the tech room and taking a seat next to Buzz, knowing that he would fill her in on everything she needed to know. And after hearing that information, she felt confident enough to make a decent enough deal, should the perp wish to take it. Whispering to Buzz to tell Mike she was coming in, Andrea got up and went into the interrogation room, smiling brittlely at the perp as she took a seat next to Tao.

It was clear, before she even opened her mouth, that the young man would be up for whatever she offered him, and Provenza nodded when she told him that she would recommend a sentence of twenty five to life, with a possibility of parole in fifteen years. The young man shakily started writing out his statement as she and Provenza rose to their feet, leaving Mike to deal with the rest. Before the lieutenant could escape from her, though, she reached out and took hold of his shoulder, squeezing it so that she would be certain to get his attention.

"What is it Hobbs?" he asked, giving her a cantankerous look.

"We need to talk about Rusty," she bit out as she gestured with her head towards Sharon's office. "In private?"

"There's nothing really to talk about," he muttered, though he did lead her into the still empty office. Andrea shuddered a little as she went over to the chair she normally sat in, feeling Sharon's presence surround her instantly. Letting out a deep sigh, she folded her hands over her stomach as she stared down at the floor, not wanting to catch any more reminders of the person she'd lost. "Well, Andrea? What do you have to say to me?"

Taking a deep breath, she finally looked up at him, trying to match the glower on his face. "I am having trouble reconciling what we did with how Sharon would have wanted everything to go. I can't help but feel that she would be so disappointed in us, for allowing her son to murder someone, and then covering up what happened. We should have allowed Rusty to face the consequences of his actions. Sharon would have."

"Yeah, well, Sharon would have made a deal with Stroh, which might have allowed him to escape once again. We couldn't risk that, and I think you know that full well. Look at what happened to Rios."

It was a low blow, and she flinched a little as she looked back down into her lap. "He would have been stopped before he could have hurt Sharon or Rusty. We didn't need to take the law into our hands like we did. It goes against everything that we stand for!"

Provenza shook his head as he let out a scoffing laugh. "You're getting soft, like her. I never expected that of you," he said as he got up from his chair. "If I were you, I would build a bridge and get over this guilt you feel. You can't carry it around like a millstone."

"Maybe you should try feeling a little guilt," Andrea shot back, a flicker of anger sparking up in her breast as her head shot up to meet his eyes.

Provenza shook his head as he rushed over to the window and pulled the blinds open. "Come here," he bit out, and she frowned deeply as she complied with his command. "Do you see that desk right there?" he asked as he pointed to the desk that Andy had taken over when Julio had transferred divisions.

"Yes, I see it," she said, not knowing where he was going with things.

"Well, that right there is the reason that I don't lose any sleep over Philip Stroh's death. He lost his wife, her life tragically cut short because she needlessly overtaxed her heart in an effort to track down and deal with Stroh for so long. If we had taken him out sooner, Sharon might still be here. And while we'll never know, because we can't change the past, I know damn well that I won't let an asshole like Stroh ruin the rest of my life. Or Rusty's. That kid deserved a fair shake in life, after everything he went through."

Andrea struggled to keep from rolling her eyes or reacting angrily. She still needed to keep up a working relationship with the man and his department, after all. "Be that as it may, I don't think that I can so easily brush it off my conscience," she finally said, measuring her words out cautiously, so as to keep an even, calm, tone. "Make certain that you deliver that statement to my office tomorrow morning so that I can get the ball rolling with it before I have to appear in court."

Provenza nodded and Andrea gave him a tight smile before leaving the room with an even gait. It wasn't until she found herself alone in the elevator that she allowed herself to give into the frustration that was coursing through her veins. A small part of her couldn't believe that Provenza carried no guilt over what they'd done. It made sense, for who Rusty was, that the boy didn't regret anything that happened. But the older man? That was a shock.

Andrea waved to John as she left the building, and once she was certain she was alone, she dropped the genial look from her face, instead allowing her features to settle into a deep frown as she stomped over to her car. And though she knew that she had to bury the feelings of frustration she was feeling towards Provenza and Rusty, she also knew it would be a long time before she could start to be even remotely okay with what they had allowed to happen.