EIGHT

Of course, Sharon had been livid upon being told that she was to speak to Sergeant Elliot in an interview room that was outfitted with a live feed to Major Crimes' monitor room. Chief Johnson, however, was very good at turning a deaf ear to complaints and had unceremoniously pulled rank in the most blatant of ways. Sharon's eyes had narrowed and she had turned around on her heel with such force that Andy was amazed at how she did not lose her balance on her high stiletto heels. She had then marched into Interview One and sat down, arms crossed and expression dark. At least Chief Johnson let her talk with her subordinate without another officer present, Andy thought, or she might have lost it. Sharon did not enjoy having to adhere to someone else's decisions. Maybe that was what she liked in her job at FID, because regardless of the involved officer's rank, she was always firmly in charge of her own investigations. Even the brass kept out of it most of the time, because nobody wanted to be associated with the dealings of the rat squad.

When Andy walked into the monitor room, Provenza and Chief Johnson were already seated. Only Buzz nodded at him in greeting while the other two were busy observing Raydor despite the fact that she was still alone.

"Boy, the Wicked Witch is in a mood," Provenza commented and the Chief smirked, but - to her credit - didn't comment. Provenza swiveled around in his chair to look at Andy. It seemed that he could not let an opportunity to rile him up pass by these days and it drove Andy crazy.

"She looks drained. You been keeping her busy all night?"

Chief Johnson made a noise that indicated disgust. "Please, Lieutenant! Can you focus?" Her Southern accent was always more pronounced when she felt strongly about something and today was no exception.

Anger was boiling inside Andy. This was his friend. He and Sharon were in a shitty situation for a multitude of reasons and the only thing Provenza could think of doing was needling him about it.

"Listen, Provenza, cut it out, okay?" Only when Buzz winced, Andy realized the volume of his voice, but he found that he ultimately didn't care. Provenza turned his head towards him with deliberate nonchalance and it suddenly dawned on Andy: The old man was pissed that he, like everyone else, had been kept in the dark about his friend's affair. Therefore, he seemed to believe himself perfectly in the right in making comments like that. On another day, Flynn might have understood, maybe acted on it even, but not today. Not after yet another night with not enough sleep and wondering about the exact order in which he was to worry about the different issues he and Sharon were facing.

"Listen, I've had it with the comments, okay?" He was becoming breathless with anger. Not a good sign. Not even on a good day, and today was not one of those. "You're my friend, okay? I'm worried about her because there is some asshole who wants to hurt her and all you can do is whine because I didn't tell you I was seeing her?"

"Seeing her!" Provenza finally dropped his unfazed act and threw his hands in the air as well. "Is that what this is? You walking around making googly eyes at her makes me sick, Flynn, sick! And you couldn't ever be bothered to tell me? Who is the shitty friend here?"

Flynn couldn't believe it. That was really what Provenza was so hung up on? With everything else that was going on? Granted, he didn't know half of what else was going on, but still. He was about to wave Provenza off for lack of patience with his antics (and because the Chief was beginning to look annoyed), but his friend wasn't going to let him off the hook.

"And worried! What, you're in love with her now? Seriously? The Wicked Witch? Why her of all the women in Los Angeles?"

Andy could tell from the furtive look Buzz was directing at him and the deliberate disinterest the Chief was displaying that Provenza was only asking out loud what everyone else had been asking themselves as well. He couldn't help but look at the screens in front of them where Sharon could be seen sitting upright, hands folded on the table, giving the camera a defiant look over the rims of her glasses. Her eyebrow quirked slightly and she pushed a thick strand of hair away from her forehead. Her hair had gotten long, he realized, watching it tumble down her back. It was a force to be reckoned with, almost its own entity, he mused, almost amused now. When he held her in bed, it always tickled his nose.

"Hello, Flynn? I asked you a question." Andy felt his face grow hot. Sleep deprivation made it hard to concentrate, or so it seemed. Even though it was a tough act to uphold, he opted for cockiness.

"First of all, Provenza, look at her."

Provenza looked at the screen. So did the Chief and Buzz. All three heads turned back towards him expectantly. It was obvious that they were not seeing what he was seeing. With a sigh, Andy waved Provenza off.

"Do I need to spell it out for you? She is hot."

"Hot," the Chief sat and put her glasses on as if said hotness was something that needed to be looked for with a magnifying glass. She seemed flustered. Buzz was cocking his head as if he, too, took some effort to try and see what Andy was seeing in Sharon. If anything, the moment was awkward and for once, Andy was glad to see Sergeant Elliott being ushered into the interview room.

The young man sported a bruise on his cheek and held himself in a way that suggested pain somewhere in the general area around his ribs. Andy recognized it straight away because he had not only seen but also felt it before. Sharon rose to greet Elliott, but held on to the table with one hand. Slightly dizzy, Andy could tell. He had learned to read the signs well over the past few days. She sat down again and smiled at Elliott who seemed to losen up at the sight of her.

"Hello, Christian," she said. "How are you doing?"

Elliott adjusted his chair nervously, folding his long limbs around it in that awkward way that he had about him. When his eyes met Sharon's over the table, he seemed to relax and a small, hesitant smile appeared on his lips.

"I'm fine, Captain, thank you."

She began by asking him a few questions about day to day work issues. Nothing confidential, nothing complicated, just inquiries that were designed to put him at ease. Through her conversation with Elliott, Andy suddenly discovered yet another side to her. She was an attentive boss, knew what Elliott's issues were, even asked about his mother who was apparently suffering from some ailment or other. All through it, she addressed him by his first name and spoke softly, never digging too deeply because she was mindful of being watched. Gradually, Andy began to understand why her team was so fond of her. She was an entirely different person when dealing with her own team than she was when she was investigating the rest of them.

It was, however, perfectly clear when she meant business because she sat up straight where she had been leaning over the table before and her face hardened into a more professional expression.

"Now, Christian. Do you know why you're here today?" she asked him.

"Something to do with the threats against you, Captain", he replied. "It would be great if I could help though I don't see how."

He seemed absolutely genuine and apparently, Provenza thought so, too, because he snorted loudly, but said nothing.

"You got into an argument with Sergeant Martinez recently," Sharon elaborated. "I would like to know what that was about."

Elliott's face turned grey, then crimson within an impressively brief amount of time.

"Captain, that had nothing to do with... with the investigation Major Crimes is running," he hurried to say. "I really don't think it's relevant."

Sharon turned her face slightly, so the camera picked up her expression while Elliott could not and arched one eyebrow as if to say "I told you so". Regardless of her own resistance to this line of questioning, she continued apparently unfazed by his refusal.

"If that is the case, we will be able to finish up here quickly," she said and when Elliott looked pained, but didn't say anything, pressed on gently. "I am afraid you will have to tell me."

Elliott kneaded his long, skinny fingers together, which looked painful. His eyes were full of sorrow when he looked up at Sharon again, obviously trying to find the courage to speak. Sharon reached over and gently pried his hands apart where his thumb was digging into the flesh. Apparently, it was not something she was witnessing for the first time. The gesture seemed caring, a little maternal even.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Whatever it is."

Andy had seen Elliott at work a million times. Even though FID officers were, at least by his definition, not real cops, Andy found that Elliott had a good eye for detail and seemed usually unfazed by the open hostility that was displayed against him. He was, or so Andy knew from experience, not easy to rattle and definitely not shy. Therefore, why he was holding back now completely eluded him.

"Look, Captain. I really hate talking to you about this," Elliott said, leaning closer as if that would in any way make their conversation more confidential. "Especially with others listening in. I know you are a private person and I don't think that your privacy should be up for grabs due to this investigation."

He shot a furious look at the camera, making it clear that he knew that Sharon was not the one who had decided to press him on the issue.

"Sergeant Martinez and I were talking about those threats against you during a coffee break. And about how the investigation has such a strong focus on us. I mean, you're one of us and we are all really worried about you. And all the while, Lieutenants Flynn and Provenza keep treating us like suspects." He was working himself up to something now, Andy could tell, because his face was flushed and his hands were trembling on the table. He grabbed the glass of water in front of him and gulped half of it down in one go.

"It seems that even when it is you who is threatened, they are looking at us first, because we are the rat squad and while there are probably hundreds of officers who have an actual grudge against you, every single one of them is still more honorable and less likely to be a suspect to them than us."

He looked at the camera again. Sharon smiled at him and while she was very carefully controlling how much of her own state of mind she put on display, Andy could tell that there was sadness behind that cool facade.

"Anyway, that was what we were still in agreement about. We then went on to wondering who else it could be and Martinez said it was probably Lieutenant Flynn."

Provenza leaned back in his chair at that one and groaned, rubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes. For the first time today, Andy actually tended to agree with him.

"I didn't get it, you know. He used to be in and out of your office every other week and always grumbling about one thing or other, but he hasn't stepped out of line in a while. I didn't see why he should suddenly start hating you and also… he doesn't seem like the type."

Andy felt strangely validated even though the guy had said nothing more than that he didn't think he was a stalker and attempted murderer.

Elliott searched Sharon's face for clues as to what her take on things was, but she had retreated behind her perfect pokerface.

"Anyway," he continued. "I told him that I just couldn't see why Lieutenant Flynn of all people would want to hurt you and he said that you and Lieutenant Flynn…" He cleared his throat, clearly dreading what he had to say next. It reminded Andy of himself when a relative at a family gathering had inquired after his mother's new relationship when he had been fifteen. "He said you and Lieutenant Flynn were having, you know, an affair." He gulped down more water and then spoke very quickly, as if he was eager to get it all out now that he had gotten the worst out of the way.

"Ye Gods," Provenza muttered.

Sharon was not quite in control of her bearings any more, Andy could tell, even though he was quite sure that someone who didn't know her as well couldn't. Her hand came up to touch her forehead, a tell if he had ever seen one, but she lowered it before her fingertips came into contact with her skin.

"I told him that I didn't believe that because, I mean, it is ridiculous, right?" He looked at Sharon for confirmation that it indeed was, but was faced with the same stony expression that Andy had been on the receiving end of a million times before. It was quite apparent, however, that Elliott wasn't quite so accustomed to it. "Anyway, I told him to stop talking such nonsense about you, that you would never have an affair with another officer. He then said that you had asked Lieutenant Mackenzie to deal with some offense to do with one of those Flynn and Provenza incidents recently and that you asked to be kept out of it, but wouldn't say why."

Their fight momentarily forgotten, Provenza turned around in his chair and nodded proudly at Flynn. "Do you hear that? Our 'incidents' are a thing at FID!"

Chief Johnson glared at Provenza, but that did nothing to dampen his mood.

"Don't get me wrong, Captain, I really don't want to badmouth Sergeant Martinez when he is not here to defend himself." That sounded very much like something Sharon would enforce on her team as a rule. Or on her children. That last thought hurt a little in light of the recent developments, Andy found.

"But he wasn't quite as respectful as he should have been. He said that you'd been very adamant that interoffice relationships were off limits and that he was surprised you were upholding such a double standard for yourself. In fact, the way he phrased it was a little more… graphic than that." By now, even Andy was taking pity on Elliott. It was obvious that he was trying to spare Sharon's feelings and that having to recount these events was painful to him for that precise reason.

"He said that maybe Lieutenant Flynn was asking for more than you wanted to give him and that that would be understandable, because you were always trying to keep people in check to use them as you please. I'm sorry, Captain," Elliott shook his head regretfully. "I kind of lost it at that. I mean, you've been there for me with that thing with my mother and the way he was talking just didn't seem appropriate."

Sharon leaned forward again and touched Elliott's hand. "It's okay, Christian. I've heard worse." She gave him an encouraging smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Thank you for coming clean. Is there anything else he told you?"

"I don't think so. It is all a bit of a blur. Elliott shook his head. "To be honest, I don't even remember who threw the first punch."

Sharon said up straight and faced the camera, her gaze level. "Anything else from your side, Chief, or have you heard enough?"

Andy felt insanely grateful towards the rest of the team for foregoing displays of disgust or incredulousness at the news of his thing with Sharon, at least while she was around. Their thing, and he insisted on calling it that now, because 'affair' felt just as wrong as 'relationship', had become such an integral part of the investigation that there was no way of keeping it from the others anymore. At least, the Chief had referred to the images without elaborating too much on what was in them and, most importantly, without producing them. Sharon was leaning against Provenza's desk, her arms firmly crossed in front of her chest. Andy suspected that choosing his desk had been deliberate as she knew as well as everyone else that he hated having people near it. It seemed like a bit of a power move to assert her authority and, to Andy's eternal surprise, Provenza had accepted defeat without as much as a disgruntled stare.

"So, Lieutenant Provenza," Chief Johnson addressed him after having filled the rest of the team in on the parts of the investigation that had been kept confidential so far. "Did anything stand out about Martinez in your interview with him?"

Provenza shrugged. "He was being an obedient little minion like the rest of them. Just another flying monkey, eager as hell to do the Wicked Witch's bidding." He gave Sharon a cruel smile and she looked back at him over her shoulder, pursing her lips. His comment was payback and they both knew it. For the first time, Andy began to wonder whether Provenza and Sharon were actually enjoying that not so good natured banter. To Sharon, it seemed to him, it was a welcome distraction.

"Honestly, he seemed loyal and had nothing bad to say about Sharon," Andy filled in, his statement met with embarrassed stares from his teammates. With much delay he realized that he had just referred to Captain Raydor by her given name.

"And yet he knows about you and her, tells others about it and is upset by perceived double-standards," Chief Johnson mused. "Captain, could you tell us more about the situation he referred to?" she then added.

Sharon looked uncomfortable again, but she did seem to have expected the question. She took a deep breath before she continued. "A little while ago, Sergeant Martinez made it a habit to ask me out for lunch. I didn't think much of it, at first. I do have lunch with my people, even one on one, every now and then. So I agreed once or twice. That was then followed by invitations to coffee, which I declined, and finally, dinner."

The pencil Andy had been holding snapped loudly as he clenched his fist around it. Provenza rolled his eyes at him.

"It seemed to me, that he did not quite understand the professional boundaries of our relationship and I spoke to him about it."

Chief Johnson had a hard time hiding her amusement and adjusted her reading glasses to distract from it. "And how did he take it?"

"He did not like it." Sharon remained tight-lipped about the specifics and Andy was kind of glad. He was already fantasizing about snapping Martinez's neck just like the pencil.

"And?" Chief Johnson was clearly enjoying asking Captain Raydor intimate questions in front of everyone and the rest of the team seemed to agree. At least to the extent that they weren't terribly embarrassed. Sharon rolled her eyes.

"He asked me to reconsider, told me nobody needed to know and that he knew I was attracted to him as well." She snorted at the dirty look Provenza was shooting her.

"And?" Chief Johnson asked, a little too cheerfully.

"And I told him that I would not engage in affairs with other officers and that, while his interest was flattering, it was not mutual."

Provenza threw his hand in the air. "And why could you not tell Flynn here the exact same thing?"

Sharon took one step away from Provenza's desk and turned around to face him. Her back was now to Andy, but from the expression on Provenza's face and the way she held her body, he guessed that she did look quite menacing.

"Because, Lieutenant, in that case, the interest is quite mutual."

There was silence after that because no one, even Flynn, had expected that retort. Despite herself, Sharon looked almost pleased.

"Do you have any more embarrassing questions for me, Chief, or can you spare me for a second?" Sharon asked. The Chief had not yet recovered and just nodded silently. Without looking at anyone else, Sharon walked out of the room.

"Alright everyone. I suggest we start looking into Martinez!" The Chief clapped her hands, so no one would actually suspect her of have been in awe of Sharon Raydor's comeback. Tao mumbled something about pulling Martinez' file while Sanchez vanished behind his computer screen without comment. Unfazed by the sudden flurry of activity, Provenza got up from his desk and stood next to Flynn.

"What are you waiting for?" he gestured after Sharon with his head. Without even attempting to question where Provenza's sudden empathy came from, Andy walked out into the hallway.

He found Sharon in the break room, stirring sugar into a cup of coffee with so much vigor that the dark liquid was spilling over the sides of the cup. As he cleared his throat from the door, she jumped violently. Andy closed the door behind him, hoping that it would keep others out even though it did not lock. Now that Sharon was away from the team, her true feelings were slowly coming to the surface. I essence, she looked disappointed and slightly upset.

"You sure you'll be okay with more coffee?" he asked carefully. „You've had three cups today and haven't eaten a thing."

She shot him a dark look and then turned around to clean her mess up with a rag. Bringing the cup to her lips, she looked at him provocatively over its rim. "Are you keeping track now?" she asked. The sudden passive aggression seemed misplaced to Andy, but he understood that this was what was keeping her together for now and so he decided that he would indulge her.

Raising both of his hands in mock defeat, he shook his head. "Just saying, Sharon. You've had to lay so many things bare in front of the others today, didn't think you wanted to faint or throw up in front of them as well."

Sharon sighed and set the coffee down. "You're right, I don't."

In the grand scheme of things, it was just a small victory and he approached her slowly, taking only one step towards her.

"I know how much you value your privacy, Sharon. I'm sorry everything is getting dragged out like that." She softened at his words.

"That is all as well if at least we can keep one secret." For the first time, she looked truly shaken, almost afraid and Andy understood. She could deal with people knowing about her thing with Andy and the misplaced affections of her subordinate. She could even somehow live with those photos if they were being kept under wraps. But Martinez' indiscretion had shown her how easy it was for things to get out and if someone learned of her ill-fated pregnancy, that could actually break her. Andy took yet another step towards her and, with one last look at the mercifully still closed door and drawn blinds, cupped her cheek.

"Nobody will find out about that, Sharon. That's between us, okay?"

She nodded, her lip trembling. "I can't have that one getting out, okay, Andy? I just can't."

There was a bitter taste in his mouth when he imagined what he would have told her under different circumstances: That people were bound to find out eventually, because it was a thing that couldn't be hidden forever. Not in this case, though.

"Are you feeling okay, Sharon?" he asked, suddenly so worried for her. "You know, you need to take a little care of yourself in your condition, right?"

"Andy, you can't worry about me like that, okay?" she implored him emphatically. "It's not good for you if you get too attached."

Andy didn't answer her, because he felt caught. Ever since he had seen the little human being on the ultrasound image, he felt the need to protect it as well as Sharon. It was horrible to remember that he was neither in a position to do so nor was it possible to protect both of them at the same time.

"I know," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

She looked up at him with so much sorrow in her eyes that it took his breath away. "It is painful enough as it is, Andy. We can't allow ourselves to make it even worse."

He suddenly found her arms around him, bringing him close to her. The embrace didn't last long on account of its semi-public setting, but it felt comforting nonetheless. When they came apart, she was grimacing again and he realized that he had once again squeezed her too hard.

"Sorry," he said, running his hand down the lapel of her blazer, next to the hint of cleavage. "For the record, I know it hurts and all, but they do look spectacular like this."

Despite everything, Sharon started laughing at that, having to steady herself against Andy by means of a hand on his chest.

"You are impossible," she chuckled.

"Have someone file a report on me then. Maybe not Martinez though."

At that, she calmed down, but still looked up at him.

"You're funny," she said. "I always liked that about you. Even when I had you for something you couldn't wriggle out of, you made me laugh."

He furrowed his brow. "Really? I never noticed."

She smiled at him fondly. "Of course not. You weren't meant to." She exhaled, suddenly serious again. "I didn't think that whole thing with Martinez meant anything. It was uncomfortable and he did not take my rejection well, but I didn't think he might be the one who is doing this. I mean, he even drove me home after the accident and he was perfectly nice about it."

"Well, what do you think of it now?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. We've always been so careful. I wonder how he found out about us."

"He could have, if he was following us," Andy supplied. "Let's go about his work history, his history with your division and see if any red flags turn up."

He opened the door for her and let her go first, feeling at least a little invigorated by the prospect of maybe being able to resolve at least one of the many issues that made up the mess he had gotten himself into.