A/N: First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a happy New Year. May 2021 be kinder to all of us.

In this chapter, Sharon works with an old colleague and examines her relationship with her in a new context as they both try to reach the same goal together.

Walking into the LAPD headquarters after almost three weeks of absence made Sharon realize how encapsulated she had been, and how unprepared she was to interact with her colleagues again.

Joining Fritz's task team meant that Rainie would be without a relative at her side. Patrice volunteered to spend some time with her during Sharon's first few days back at work, but Sharon could only infringe on Patrice's kindness for so long. There was a security detail guarding Rainie's room, but while they were meant to keep the danger out, they could not protect her from the threat within – the one that depended on nothing but Rainie's strength and resilience.

Before braving the SOB offices, Sharon stopped by on the 9th floor to see her team. They'd sent her flowers, chocolates, and cards, and they each visited Rainie at the hospital. Now they were happy to see her and curious about her presence at work. Sharon explained the assignment and reassured them that she would be back on the 9th floor soon.

After she was done at Major Crimes, she took the elevator to the SOB offices on the 6th floor. She had not expected to be greeted by no other than her Major Crimes predecessor, who was sitting on a desk and chewing a Twizzler.

"Good mornin', Commander," Brenda said.

"Chief Johnson, what a surprise!" Sharon said, using Brenda's former title out of habit. Seeing Brenda made her feel unexpected relief. Her familiar face and her dedication to the capture of Phillip Stroh gave Sharon more confidence in the team's mandate.

"Having worked on the Stroh case, I decided to join Fritzi's team and contribute my part," Brenda explained and offered Sharon a Twizzler.

Sharon shook her head. She was still full from the breakfast Andy made for her.

"How's your daughter doing?"

"Rainie is holding on." Answering this question so many times over the last few weeks grated her nerves. She reminded herself that the people around her only wanted to express their concern for a situation for which they can do nothing.

"You know, I admire you for taking her in. It must not have been easy to deal with a child who has such a complicated past." Brenda said.

"Having Rainie in my life is a gift." Sharon's voice was thick with emotion.

Undoubtedly seeing Sharon's gloomy expression, Brenda changed the subject. "So you're engaged to Lieutenant Flynn, huh? I have no idea how you managed to tame that bronco."

Sharon grinned at Brenda's description, one which had not applied for some time. "He's a gift, too."

"I'm happy for you," Brenda said with a smile. She hesitated before reaching for Sharon's hand. "And I hope Rainie will get better soon."

Their teammates' entrance intruded on the moment. Sharon recognized a couple of faces of more seasoned detectives from Robbery-Homicide and SIS, but most of them were young and part of SOB.

"I thought Chief Howard would have someone from the FBI joining the team," Sharon whispered to Brenda.

"You think I'd let him do that?"

Brenda's response made Sharon smirk. She never thought she'd be glad to work with Brenda again. Despite her questionable investigation techniques, there was no doubt that Brenda was a brilliant detective, and considering her past with Philip Stroh, she deserved to be there. Fritz including her in the investigation was a smart move, and even though Sharon knew that Brenda would never be able to legally take a shot at Stroh or even come near him should the chance arise, she still deserved to see him go down.

After an initial introductions to the other team members, Fritz invited both Brenda and Sharon to share the information they had about Stroh, his methods, his former allies, and his bold escape. Fritz briefed the group on the recent murders and assigned different tasks to the team members.

Sharon was not surprised that he assigned her to work with Brenda. Together they found two victims with a connection besides their association with Stroh. Shortly after Stroh's escape, Clyde Fowler and Elizabeth Dunn changed their financial habits, so Sharon and Brenda spent most of their allotted time looking into why.

Shortly before their lunch break, the team regrouped and shared the information they found. Despite Stroh's meticulous nature, there were some footprints that he could not erase, such as his recorded internet searches that the team traced back to two computers in downtown LA. Sharon and Brenda received their persons of interests' financial reports, which revealed that they had been transferring funds to a bank account in Cyprus. After Fritz contacted Interpol, they could only wait to receive the bank account information.

"Lunch?" Brenda offered. "My treat."

Sharon couldn't recall Brenda ever being so nice to her for no reason. It made sense now, as their disputes had always been about drawing the line between ethics and duty. Where Stroh was concerned, that line was even more blurry. This man had taken years off Sharon's life, and she wanted to see him gone for good. While Sharon did not pursue him with the objective to kill, she found it hard to imagine being upset if it came to that.

On that, she and Brenda could agree.

As they made their way towards the elevator, Sharon asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking Thai food," Brenda said.

"Oh, I know a great place, just a block away. We could walk there," Sharon said.

Brenda smiled at her as if Sharon's suggestion was the best thing she'd heard all day. It was odd to see the other woman so nice and welcoming, as she's never been particularly pleasant to anyone, as far as Sharon knew. Maybe the years in the DA's office changed her, or perhaps she'd always been kind to people she liked. During Brenda's time on the force, Sharon recalled several instances when Brenda referred to her as a friend, but it never quite felt genuine. Now, with knowledge of Brenda's struggles in both her personal life and career, Sharon surmised that merely getting along was Brenda's idea of friendship.

Sharon spent the next hour listening to Brenda talking about her job at the DA's office and the position she later took in Washington. Sharon felt happy that things were going well for Brenda after the way she departed from the LAPD.

"So, you wanna tell me how you and Lieutenant Flynn happened?" Brenda asked after she exhausted the topic of her job. "I've been curious about it since Fritz showed me the wedding invitation. He never mentioned it before that."

"It's one of those things you can't explain. We were colleagues and then we were friends, and then we became a couple. Are you coming to the wedding, by the way?"

"As long as you don't ask me to be your bridesmaid," Brenda teased.

"Oh, there's no risk of that," Sharon countered.

Both women smiled at each other. Maybe they could be friends after all, if not the traditional type. Stranger things have happened.

-TBC-