A/N: This chapter takes place after episode 5x14, where Sharon was beaten by Jeffery Day in the interrogation room.

Many thanks go to blossom-of-snow for her help editing this story.

Sharon leaned back on the couch and sighed. Her head was aching, and even two Tylenol didn't relieve the pain from the swing that Jeffery Day took at her earlier that day. She has been hit by suspects before, but the last time it happened, she was still part of FID. It's been long enough for her to forget just how painful getting punched in the face was.

She hissed as Andy placed an ice pack on her face.

"You know what you did today was incredibly stupid, don't you?" he said.

Sharon rolled her eyes. She knew, yet it was the only way she could think of to get a warrant to search Jeffery Day's Tesla.

"Don't roll your eyes at me. You nearly gave me a second heart attack," Andy raged.

"Come on, Andy. We've all been attacked by suspects before," Sharon said. "I had to get us a search warrant somehow."

"Couldn't you let Julio do that instead?" Andy asked.

"What kind of leader would I be if I let my officers take the blow for me?" Sharon asked, arching her eyebrows. "Sometimes you have to take one for the team."

"Jeffery Day is twice your size and more forceful than you, Sharon. You could have suffered a concussion from that blow. It was irresponsible," Andy argued.

"Don't patronize me, Andy. I'm a trained officer, and two other trained officers were in the room with me." Sharon couldn't believe that even after all they've been through as colleagues and a couple, Andy still felt that she didn't have the right to take the same risks as he and his friends did.

"I am not patronizing you, Sharon. I'm just pointing out that you unnecessarily put yourself in a dangerous situation, which is against the rules and creates a liability issue."

"And that is not patronizing in what way, exactly?" Sharon put the ice pack aside and stood up. "I worked in IA for twenty years, so don't mansplain the rules I wrote."

Andy rose from the couch and paced the length of the living room. "Mansplain? Really, Sharon?"

Sharon felt her face heating, and her chest burned with anger. "Yes, mansplain. You are standing over me and beating your chest like a damn gorilla."

"Gorilla? Wow, Sharon. Just – wow." Andy turned around and walked toward their bedroom, ending the fight at once.

From the moment she stopped Andy from beating Jeffery Day earlier, Sharon knew that they'd most likely fight about that incident. Andy wasn't entirely wrong. She knew that putting herself in that situation would anger Andy, and she did it anyway, just so she could solve the case. Now Sharon wondered if the quick conviction was worth it.

As she sat back down, Sharon reflected on Andy's position in this argument. She still thought calling him out for treating her as if she was a damsel in distress was right, although she probably went too far with her remarks. Andy's doctor recently declined his request to clear him for regular duty, and Sharon knew that was hard for him. Even though in many ways, his life had returned to normal, Andy struggled with the limitations placed on him in the workplace. He felt like the odd one out in the team. He hated the paperwork and being chained to his desk. Having to stand back and watch Sharon get beaten by a suspect made something in him snap.

"Dammit," Sharon groaned when a splitting headache distracted her from her thoughts. She buried her face in her palms. The doctor that checked her after the incident ruled out a concussion or any other damage but mentioned that she would most likely suffer from headaches until her bruises healed.

Sharon closed her eyes as she laid back down on the couch, taking long and deep breaths to help her overcome the pain. When she opened her eyes again, Rainie was sitting at the end of the sofa with her mother's legs in her lap.

"Hi, Mom," Rainie said softly. "Are you feeling better?"

"A bit," Sharon said groggily and threw a glance at her watch. It had been several hours since she and Andy fought, but he was nowhere in sight. "Where's Andy?"

"He went to an AA meeting, but he told me what happened today," Rainie said.

Sharon sighed. She'd hoped she and Andy would be able to sit and talk about their fight, and now he was gone.

On the coffee table sat a folded piece of paper torn from a legal pad, and Rainie reached over Sharon's legs for it. "He asked me to give this to you."

Sharon's heart began racing in her chest. She was too familiar with getting a letter after a fight. It always ended in tears.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Rainie asked.

"Yes, honey. I'm fine," Sharon replied as she pulled herself up and began walking towards the bedroom.

"Should I call Andy and ask him to come home?" Rainie called after her.

"No, don't call him. I'm fine," Sharon replied a moment before shutting the door behind her.

She stared at the note for a few minutes before she dared to unfold it. She used to tear Jack's letters into pieces, but Andy deserved to be heard, and she couldn't treat his words the same way she did Jack's. Her hands shook as she unfolded the letter.

Sharon,

I'm not good at expressing myself in writing, but there are things that I need to tell you.

The first is I'm sorry. I am sorry for belittling you. You are one of the most courageous people I know. What you did today was brave, even though I still think it was unwarranted. I admire you for your ability to find creative ways to solve cases, although I would prefer it if the next time you chose a less dangerous way to do so.

Secondly, I want to tell you how much I value you. You are a strong and smart woman, and I know that my view about what happened today was sexist and narrow. Regardless of my motives, I did act like a damn gorilla today. Thank you for telling me that.

You're asleep right now, and every time I look at you, I'm amazed that I'm a part of your life. I'm the luckiest person in the world because I get to bask in your light every day. I love you, Sharon, so much that I can't even find the words to express it. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Andy

Sharon sniffled as she finished reading Andy's letter. Not good at writing? The man shattered her heart and put it back together with a single note. Even though some of the blame for their earlier argument was hers, Andy recognized his mistakes and asked for her forgiveness.

Fishing her phone out of her pocket, Sharon began typing Andy a quick text message.

A knock on the door distracted her. "Mom, are you sure everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Rainie. Don't worry," Sharon replied and turned to look at her phone again.

Thank you for your beautiful letter. We'll talk when you get home. I love you too.

-TBC-