A/N: I almost forgot posting this week, because I had a busy Harry Potter themed Friday that distracted me. Anyway, this chapter was really interesting to write, and where two relationships come to a clash.

I thank Blossom-of-snow for her help with this story.

Sharon pressed her lips to Andy's one last time before she rolled off his body and onto her back by his side, feeling content and sated. They were only able to disclose their relationship to Chief Taylor earlier that week, and they wasted no time taking the next step in their relationship. As far as Sharon was concerned, it wasn't a real step because the intimacy had been there long before she allowed herself to act upon her desire for Andy.

Her fingers found his, and she squeezed his hand softly.

"This might be the wrong time to talk about it, but do you need me to sneak out before Rainie notices I'm here?" he asked.

"No, she and I had a conversation about overnight guests a couple of weeks ago. She's aware of what is going on here."

"So she's okay with it?" Andy asked.

Sharon couldn't lie to him, and anyway, Rainie's feelings regarding Sharon's overnight guests stemmed from her past experiences rather than her relationship with Andy. "Not yet."

"She doesn't like that we're dating?" Andy asked, sweaty brow furrowed. "She seemed excited about it in the beginning."

"She's struggling with the idea of me bringing a man into her life," Sharon replied. "It's nothing against you. It's just that she's been hurt so badly by the men her mother used to bring home." She pushed aside the guilt that threatened to take over every time she brought Andy over.

"I'll never hurt her," Andy said defensively. "Doesn't she know that?"

"She does, but I think her fear is stronger than logic. She'll adjust eventually, and I don't want you to leave, so unless you have somewhere else you want to be…" Sharon let the rest of the sentence hang in the air.

"I am exactly where I want to be," Andy flirted back with her.

"Good, because you're exactly where I want you to be," she said and leaned to kiss him again.

Andy smiled against her lips, and his fingers traced her jaw. The warmth she found in his eyes made her cheeks turn crimson. Andy noticed it and cupped her cheek. "You look so different after lovemaking," he said softly.

Sharon's eyes widened. Love? She was aware of the fact that Andy was more emotionally involved than she was. And giving someone her heart has backfired at her in the past. Jack had used her love to squeeze everything he could out of her, and Alfie played with her heart and shattered it into pieces. Love? She could admit that she had strong feelings for Andy but didn't love him. She trusted him, she enjoyed his company, she was attracted to him, and she liked him a lot. But after having her heart broken so many times, she wasn't even sure what love was anymore, and the idea that Andy must've expected her to reciprocate his emotions was overwhelming.

"It was a compliment," Andy seemed to notice her discomfort. "I meant that your hair is messy, your cheeks are flushed, and your eyes shine brighter. Afterglow looks good on you."

"No one ever told me that," she replied, feeling her face heating even more than before. "Thank you, Andy."

"There's no need to thank me. I'm just stating the facts, very objectively, may I add."

"Very objectively, sure," Sharon teased. The smile he offered her melted her insides. That damn man could make her climax with that grin of his alone. Luckily she wasn't too tired for another round, and he didn't seem to be either.

Several hours later, they sat at the breakfast table, bleary-eyed from a night of lovemaking and pillow talk. Sharon was thankful that they weren't on call this weekend, which meant that they weren't in any hurry to be anywhere and could enjoy each other's company. She let Andy cook breakfast while she brewed the strongest coffee she knew how to make.

Just when Andy set their plates on the breakfast table, Rainie padded into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Sharon noticed Rainie stiffen as soon as the girl saw Andy.

"Good morning, Rainie," Andy said, trying desperately, but failing miserably at a casual tone. "Pancakes?"

"You're pathetic. You know that, right?" Rainie snapped, her eyes fixated on Sharon. "You're playing house again, and you know this will end badly, just like it did with Alfie."

Sharon swore her heart dropped into her stomach. "Rainie, we had an agreement."

"Alfie?" Andy looked at Sharon curiously.

"I'm not gonna pick up the pieces this time," Rainie continued. "After he's done fucking you, he'll dump you, and you're going to be alone again."

The tips of Sharon's ears felt as if they were going up in flames. She told herself that Rainie didn't really mean these things. Rainie felt the need to conjure all those painful memories and fears as a defense mechanism.

"Rainie, we spoke about this. I know this relationship is uncomfortable for you, but it's important to me, and I'd appreciate it if you don't try to sabotage it." As soon as she spoke, she regretted the words that came out of her mouth.

"You sounded just like my mother just now, do you know that?" Rainie went on. "She'd bring all those different men home, and she'd say she loved them and as soon as they came onto me, she'd blame me for trying to ruin her so-called relationships."

Sharon felt nausea rising inside her. She knew all of this, knew all the horrors Rainie had suffered at the hands of vile men, but Sharon's trust in Andy made her invalidate Rainie's feelings. How did this happen?

"You think Gary was the only one she dated? There were men in and out of the house all the time."

It seemed that Rainie knew just how much pain these stories were inflicting on Sharon, and even though it must have been more painful for her to recall the sexual abuse she endured, it appeared that she was willing to do it for the sake of making her point.

"Hey!" The sound of Andy's voice startled both women. They looked at him as he pushed his chair back and walked towards Rainie.

"The men who did this to you are lowlifes."

Sharon hoped that the way he looked into Rainie's eyes, without fear or animosity made Rainie feel as safe as he intended.

"What they did to you was depraved and evil. And I am sorry that it happened to you, Rainie. But I will never do anything to harm you," Andy promised. "I respect you, and it's important to me that you know that."

Rainie's mouth fell open as if she didn't expect this reaction from Andy. "I still don't trust you," she replied.

"That's your prerogative," Andy said. "Now, would you like to join us for breakfast, or would you prefer to continue sulking?"

It seemed that Andy's attitude towards her little tantrum convinced Rainie to behave herself throughout breakfast, even if her animosity towards him was still apparent. Somehow, he managed to appeal to her common sense, and Sharon hoped that her daughter would internalize Andy's promise sooner rather than later.

As soon as they finished breakfast, Rainie left the table and stormed off to her room, slamming the door behind her.

"I can't believe I blamed her for trying to ruin our relationship. That was a horrible thing to say to her," Sharon groaned, burying her face in her palms. "I'm so disappointed in myself."

"Both of you were emotional and said hurtful things to each other. Whoever that Alfie was, it sounded like you were invested in him, and it was not okay for her to bring it up and hurt you that way," Andy replied.

"Alfie was a man I was –" Sharon began, but Andy placed his index finger on her lips.

"You don't have to tell me about him just because Rainie brought him up," he said and cupped her cheek. "This is not the first relationship for either of us, and I'm sure both you and I made mistakes with our previous partners. All I care about is that we make sure not to repeat them in our relationship."

Sharon responded with a nod.

"And about Rainie – even the best mothers make mistakes. She knows you love her, and that's what counts. And in time, I hope she'll learn to trust me too. But I'll understand if she can't."

"Thank you for being willing to try with her," Sharon said and pressed her lips to his.

"That's not a problem, Sharon. The girl had a rough week. As if finding Alice Herrera's true identity wasn't emotional enough for her, she wakes up to find that her mother's boyfriend stayed the night. It can't be easy for her to deal with all this."

"I know," Sharon replied with a shrug. "Sometimes, I wish I could take all this pain away from her. It's a lot for such a young person to handle." And I only added to it, she thought.

"If I've learned anything, it's that Rainie is capable of dealing with a lot of crap. Once she sees past her initial reflex, I'm sure she will be fine about you and me."

Sharon couldn't deny that Andy's parenting insights helped calm her mind about Rainie's reaction to their relationship. And the fact that he referred to himself as her boyfriend made light blush appear on her face. They haven't spoken about labeling their relationship, and even though she preferred "partner" over "boyfriend", it was way too early in their relationship for that term to define them. Maybe someday they'll get to the point where they'll be able to describe themselves as partners. In the meantime, she would settle for "boyfriend". It had a nice ring to it.

-TBC-