TWENTY-THREE

With what was looking more and more like a snowstorm building outside, Sharon's warm home felt like a safe haven, a cozy escape from the recent realities of Andy's life. It was just the two of them now with no threats looming over either of them. A comfortable heaviness was settling into his limbs and he understood that his entire body was relaxing now that he had her near him again. Having expected some awkwardness after having been apart for so long, he was surprised that he didn't feel any of it around Sharon. So when she stood at the stove, having insisted on fixing him at least a simple meal, he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her body. She felt a little different these days and he liked it. The hair situation, however, had clearly gotten completely out of hand and he needed to reach up and push it aside because it tickled him mercilessly.

Sharon chuckled.

"Pregnancy hair."

"What?" Andy was confused.

"It's common for a woman's hair to get fuller and thicker during pregnancy," Sharon explained, drawing a chuckle from him. Sharon's hair was always a force to be reckoned with, but its mass had indeed seemed to have multiplied.

"And yours took it to the extreme?"

She turned around to glare at him playfully. "Every time. So you don't like it?"

"I never said that," Andy replied. When she leaned back into his arms, he couldn't resist any longer and placed his hand on the side of her stomach, stroking it gently and admiring its fullness. He thought back to her looking so drawn and sick back in Los Angeles and to the look in her eyes when she had told him how small the chances of a successful pregnancy were. Yet here she was, already close to term and looking healthy and whole. Sharon put her hand on his and moved it up. Almost immediately, he could feel first a small twitch, then the surprisingly recognizable outline of a tiny foot pushing against his palm. For a moment, he was speechless. It had been so long that he had felt a baby move like that that he had forgotten all about it. He applied a little bit of pressure and the foot retreated just to kick against him again with more force this time. Sharon sighed and moved a little uncomfortably.

"You okay?" he asked her and she grimaced. "He likes to kick me in the ribs. That actually hurts."

Andy drew a small circle over the spot where the foot had appeared, hoping it would calm his son instead of inspiring him to kick back again. Sharon hummed her approval.

"That feels good." She turned her head and he captured her lips with his, kissing her gently. An angry hissing from the pan snapped them out of it and Sharon swore under her breath before attempting a rescue mission.

"Dinner is ready, I suppose," she announced sheepishly.

They sat at the dining table and she watched him eat, apologizing over for the fact that the omelette was slightly burned. Andy didn't mind. The taste of the food, it seemed, was amplified along with all of his other sensations. Or maybe, he thought, he was just back to normal when everything had faded away over the past six months.

When he was finished, they remained in their seats for a silent moment, holding hands over the table. Sharon smiled at him.

"It's so nice to have you here, Andy. I'm sorry I am such a bad cook."

He laughed at that. "It was my fault, Sharon. I distracted you."

She smiled. "Hmm… Yeah, you did."

Andy looked over at the papers she had pushed aside along with her laptop to make room for his plate and discovered a couple of tickets on top.

"You're going to the Nutcracker in New York?" he asked, picking up one of the beautifully designed tickets and turning it around in his hands. Sharon's face fell.

"I just got off the phone with Emily when you arrived. I can't go, as much as I want to." She elaborated when he furrowed his brow. "It's too late in this pregnancy to fly and my doctor is worried that I might go into labor alone in the car, so I can't drive to New York either." He could tell how sad it made her. "Emily will dance the part of the Sugarplum Fairy this year. I wouldn't miss it if I could help it."

Andy examined the ticket and found the date on it. "That is in three days. I could drive you, Sharon."

She looked up with a start, obviously surprised. "Can you stay that long?"

For a moment he was worried that he was imposing on her by just assuming that he could remain in Boston for as long as he pleased.

"Oh, I could get a hotel room, you know. I don't want to…"

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "It's fine, Andy. I was just wondering because of your work and all."

Andy shrugged. "Yeah, about that, it seems that Chief Johnson granted me indefinite sick leave and my ticket was one way, so…" Of course Provenza would budget like that, leaving him to foot the bill for the return ticket himself. He was startled when he saw the sudden concern in Sharon's face.

"Sick leave?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Are you okay?"

How was he to explain what the past six months had been like?

"I have been a bit of a zombie lately. Actually, Provenza sat me down and talked some sense into me, because ever since you left, I… well, I got pretty damn bad at my job and became a bit of recluse."

Sharon looked at him sadly, but there was also something else in her expression that he couldn't place. It looked curiously like relief. She placed her other hand on top of his as well and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I had no idea this would hurt you so much, Andy." She spoke softly, but there was a certain bit of wonder involved. Had she really believed that he would just forget about her and move on?

"You still have no idea how much you mean to me, right?" he asked her. "Would it help you understand if I told you that I barely ate or slept and that I haven't cracked a single joke in six months?" That last bit was true, but he still gave his voice an inflection that made it sound a bit lighter.

"That's why you've lost so much weight," she said and even though it had not been a question, he nodded. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, Sharon," he said, realizing only now that he was about to say it out loud that it was the truth: "I could have taken things into my own hands a lot earlier than I did, but I didn't. I didn't even think of replying to your notes."

He could see in her expression that this was something that had hurt her in turn. "Yet you never stopped sending them," he added with a smile. "Sometimes I think waiting for those envelopes to turn up in my mailbox was the only thing that kept me remotely sane. I would look at those pictures every time the urge to drink became too strong and I was okay."

"That must have been tough," Sharon said. "I mean, not giving in."

"Not a single time," Andy answered solemnly but not without pride. "It seems that I did learn a little bit from my past."

He forced a grin, because the conversation was becoming too heavy for his liking. His sobriety and past lack thereof were not what he wanted to discuss right now.

"So, are you going to let me take you to the Nutcracker?" he asked instead, struggling to keep his tone as light as he intended for it to be. Sharon seemed to understand that he was having difficulties discussing his addiction right now and while he thought she probably wanted to know more about his recent struggles, she retreated. For now, he thought, because he was almost sure she would circle back to it later.

"That would actually be great, Andy." She smiled at him. "Emily was so disappointed when I told her I couldn't make it. She and Ricky have enough issues with this new baby as it is, so I don't want him to be the reason that Emily feels let down."

Andy furrowed his brow. "Issues?"

Sharon shrugged, trying to make light of a situation that he could tell was weighing her down. "You know, they weren't especially excited when I told them and I don't think they have fully accepted it yet. It is strange, isn't it? That age difference and the fact that I just turned out to be pregnant out of the blue without the usual…" She cleared her throat, obviously unwilling to go down that road. "And I was already pretty far gone when I told them, too. For obvious reasons, of course, but they didn't like that either."

Andy nodded. He could imagine. With a pang, he was reminded of his own attempt to call Nicole for Thanksgiving. He had ended up listening to her voice telling him to leave a message on her mailbox, which he hadn't. His children had no idea that they would soon have a new sibling and he hadn't had the chance to tell them about it either.

"But they'll come around, I'm sure," Sharon said with forced lightness. "Emily will be glad that I can come to New York after all. It means a lot to her to have me there."

Later, he was waiting for her in her bed. The view from her bedroom had to be spectacular, but now that it was dark and cold outside, the glass wall was entirely covered by thick cream curtains, giving the room a cozy feeling. Andy already liked the house. Having been converted from its original style, it had all the charms of an old house combined with the comforts of a modern one. Sharon had chosen well and she had clearly settled in fully. He was happy for her, even though with the acquisition of the new house and the sale of her condo he felt like she was putting down roots here very quickly.

He looked around the room to take in the furniture. Her closet seemed to be a walk-in if the door at the back was any indication and even though the room was big, taking up almost the entire side of the house, she had only set up two white dressers and a comfortable looking armchair that would overlook the garden when the curtains weren't drawn. In the corner, tucked away almost out of sight, was a small baby bed that he thought was probably designed to be attached to the side of hers when the time came. He got up and walked over to it, running his hand over the wood, but then froze at what was inside.

When the bathroom door opened and Sharon walked out in her pajamas, he was already waiting for her with a dark expression. Lifting the tiny bear he had discovered in his son's bed, he glowered at her.

"The Red Sox, Sharon, really?"

Andy woke up before Sharon did. The wind was still howling outside and the thought of the cold winter day made the bed feel even more cozy. He turned towards Sharon who was on her side, asleep, and glowered at the teddy bear on the bedside table. Running off to Boston was one thing, but this was nothing short of treason. He put his arm around Sharon and inhaled her scent. She looked so beautiful and relaxed in her sleep. The memory of her struggling to find a comfortable position to sleep in the previous night made him smile despite himself. He had felt her shifting and turning several times during the night and he didn't envy her. Gently, Andy covered what he could of her stomach with his hand, but the baby didn't move. It seemed that he was the only one who was awake this early.

That assessment was false, as it turned out a moment later when the doorbell rang downstairs. Sharon drowsily lifted her head and groaned.

"Who is that at, oh!" With the time difference, Andy's sense of time was a bit impaired and he was surprised to find that it was already ten o'clock. Sharon climbed out of bed with a little difficulty and grabbed her robe from the armchair.

"I'll go downstairs and see who it is." Andy knew that it was uncalled for, maybe stupid even, but he didn't like the idea of her opening the door to god-knew-who all by herself, so he followed her down the curving staircase.

Sharon was surprisingly fast, so he was only half down and still out of sight when he heard someone yell "Snow day!". Taken aback, he peeked around the corner and found the foyer already crowded with people. There was a woman who was Sharon's spitting image, probably her sister, accompanied by a stunning blonde and an older couple. Andy's heart sank when he realized that those must be her parents. The man who had to be Sharon's father bent down and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Sorry, honey, did we wake you? You don't usually sleep that long."

Sharon sighed even though it was obvious that she was happy to see them despite everything. "You guys need to start calling ahead when you come over, you know?"

"But it's snow day!" Maggie quipped and lifted the basket she was carrying. "We brought wine!" Sharon rolled her eyes. "And a few light snacks!" the blond woman added with a winning smile.

"Get dressed and join us, sweetie, we'll set up in your living room." Andy peered at the woman who had to be Sharon's mother. At least that explained where all the hair came from. Glad that they hadn't spotted him, he slowly retreated back upstairs to give Sharon the chance to make a decision as to whether she was going to introduce him or not. Certainly, she wouldn't want him down there in his boxers and t-shirt. A moment later she was back upstairs, looking flustered.

"My entire family decided to just drop by and keep me company," she said weakly.

"Did you tell them you already had company?" he asked, equal parts terrified and amused. What he had seen of the bunch seemed loud and affectionate. He could even hear them talk downstairs while they were setting the table.

Sharon looked at him, obviously at a loss, and shook her head. "Oh God, I have a man in my bedroom and my parents are downstairs." She gave one of those breathless jolts of laughter he associated with her being completely unravelled. He couldn't help but find it very cute.

"I could sneak out and come back later," he offered.

"And go where, Andy?" she asked. "Everything is shut down due to the snow."

"Okay," he said. "Then I'll hide up here and leave you to it."

"Or," Sharon suggested, slowly recovering. "You could get dressed and meet them."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't want to be a bother."

"Well, they do know that this was not an immaculate conception," she indicated her stomach. "So we might as well get it over with."

"Sharon, we can't find your- Oh!" Sharon's sister, carrying a bottle of white wine in one hand, was already halfway into the room before she realized what she had stumbled into. Sharon touched her forehead and turned around.

"Who's that?" Maggies asked pointedly, looking Andy up and down.

"That's why I told you a million times to call ahead before you come over!" Sharon complained, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"Because you have guys over?" Maggie asked, cocking her head, then gave Andy a stare that reminded him almost eerily of Sharon. "Are you some weirdo who pries on lonely pregnant women? Because, not cool, man."

"Maggie!" Sharon admonished her, her eyes wide with embarrassment. "Please."

"I'm Andrew Flynn," Andy introduced himself carefully, feeling a little underdressed in his nightclothes and more than a little embarrassed to have been discovered by chance in Sharon's bedroom. Maggie looked from Sharon to Andy and back before she recovered, a look of recognition appearing on her face.

"As in Lieutenant Andy Flynn? The one with all the screw-ups with… What's his name again? Prenza?"

It was more than a little weird to discover that Maggie seemed to know the old stories about him, but was unaware of his deeper connection to Sharon at the same time.

"Andy is my, uh, you know, the one who I…" Sharon was doing awkward things with her hands while trying to explain to her sister what the matter was.

"Oh," Maggie said, apparently able to make sense of Sharon's ramblings despite everything. "That is your baby daddy!"

"You didn't even tell them my name?" Andy asked Sharon, shaking his head incredulously. Sharon looked up at him through her lashes, but said nothing, because apparently there was nothing to say to make this better.

"Well, how do we deal with this little spectacle?" Maggie had recovered incredibly fast and was smiling in undisguised amusement. "Do you want me to go downstairs and tell them?" She looked at Andy again. "I'm Maggie, by the way."

Sharon nodded numbly. "If you could? And please try and keep Dad from blowing a gasket, okay?"

"That same Dad that almost burned the house down when you announced that you and Jack would move to California? Good luck with that, Me!"

The sisters were locked in a battle of stares for a second that, surprisingly, was slightly reminiscent of Provenza and Flynn.

"And back then it wasn't even that obvious that you two had had premarital sex as it is with the two of you. Even though since I had the room next to yours I knew that-"

"Out, out, out!" Sharon grabbed her sister by the shoulder and shoved her into the hallway, then closed the door behind her, leaning against it and taking deep breaths. When she found Andy smiling, she rolled her eyes again.

"She is not always that impossible. She's just having entirely too much fun with this," she explained.

"I can see that," Andy said, chuckling. "Now let me go brush my teeth before I go meet the in-laws, okay?"

Sharon gasped at the term, but Andy didn't turn around again, seeking refuge in the bathroom.

It was twenty minutes later that he stepped into the living room and into the O'Dwyer family's impromptu snow day party. The gorgeous blonde, Maggie's wife Hannah, Andy had learned from Sharon on the way downstairs, was carrying a tray of cheeses towards the couch area. The coffee table, however, was already bending under a large assortment of cold cuts, bread, olives and spreads. Andy had no idea who was supposed to eat all that and why she had been able earlier to refer to this set-up as "a few light snacks" with a straight face. There was an open bottle of white wine, which seemed pretty early even for a snow day and, mercifully, a jug of cranberry juice as well.

Sharon approached the sitting area where her family members had already spread out over the two couches and armchairs that surrounded the coffee table. Maggie was smirking and Hannah was actually giving him an encouraging smile, but Sharon's parents looked weary. Andy's heart sank a little. It had been a while since he had met anyone's parents and he was suddenly more nervous than he would have ever expected to be.

"Um, this is Andy from Los Angeles," Sharon explained, putting her hand on his upper arm and squeezing it reassuringly. One look at her confirmed that she was actually blushing.

"Hi Andy!" Hannah called cheerfully. "Glass of wine for you as well?" She lifted an empty glass and the bottle and cocked her head inquisitively.

"No, thanks," he said automatically. "I don't drink."

"How nice, so Sharon isn't going to be the only one who won't be completely shit-faced come noon!" Maggie said lightly while filling a glass with juice for him.

"Language, Margaret," her mother admonished, but Maggie just rolled her eyes.

"I hope you like cranberry juice. We actually brought it for Sharon because she is suddenly totally into it."

He looked at Sharon who smiled back at him and leaned in close, still holding on to his arm. "Your DNA, I think," she whispered.

He would have very much liked to kiss her for that, even only on the cheek, but he was also very much aware of Sharon's father's eyes on him.

"We just got up, maybe we will have a cup of coffee before we stuff our faces with all that." Sharon gestured towards the abundance of food on the coffee table. "Andy, do you want to give me a hand in the kitchen?" She was clearly trying to avoid leaving him alone with her family, but said family seemed to have other plans.

"Oh, you can still make two cups of coffee by yourself, Sharon, can't you?" Maggie called, sipping her wine. "Sit down Andrew Flynn and let us tell you about this family's very old tradition of gathering on snow days to eat too much and drink too much."

Sharon gave Andy a long look that was clearly an offer to rescue him, but he shook his head almost imperceptibly. He was a grown man, he would be able to deal with these people by himself. (Or so he hoped.) Sharon walked off and Andy sat down where Maggie was indicating, which put him right opposite Sharon's parents. A firing squad, he had to admit, would have been more comfortable to face than these two. Sharon's father had bushy white eyebrows that made his frown even more impressive.

"William O'Dwyer and this is my wife Olivia. So, you're a cop," Sharon's father said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, Sir. Lieutenant with the Los Angeles Police Department," Andy said, feeling like a sixteen year old boy again.

"Hm. Homicide, yeah?" William asked, regarding him over the rim of his glass as he took a sip.

"Yes, Sir. For a while now."

"Bill here used to be chief of police for the Boston PD before he retired," Hannah explained. Sharon had never mentioned that and Andy was surprised. What else didn't he know about this family?

"Wow, that's impressive," Andy said, sipping his drink. His stomach gave a little growl at the sight of the cheese display. These O'Dwyers really meant business when it came to snow day subsistence.

"Have some!" Sharon's mother encouraged him. Her face still looked guarded, but she was obviously trying to make an effort. "Did you just arrive this morning?"

"More like last night," Andy said carefully, a little worried that it would prompt Sharon's dad to drive the cheese knife into his heart. Instead, the older man took great care in meticulously transferring an impressive amount of olive spread on to a slice of bread without pausing to look up at Andy.

"Sharon didn't mention expecting a guest," Olivia said. Andy opened his mouth to say something stupid without a doubt, but he didn't get far because Sharon was back and pushed a warm cup of coffee into his hand.

"Andy is going to take me to New York to see Emily," she said quickly. "I thought I would have to cancel on her, but it seems like I have a driver now." She smiled up at Andy and placed her hand on his knee, patting it reassuringly. It seemed that she was aware of the inquisitive nature of her parents and was doing her best to help him through the awkwardness of the situation.

"That's very nice of you, Andy," Hannah said cheerfully. "I wish we could go see the premiere this weekend, too, but at least we got tickets for closer to Christmas."

"Yes, very kind of you, Andy," Olivia said with an enigmatic smile.

Her husband snorted. "Least you can do, son, in my opinion."

"Dad, please," Sharon said softly and Andy saw Olivia furtively elbow him in the side. It seemed that his sudden appearance on the traditional O'Dwyer snow day was not exactly welcomed by everyone. He got it, though. If Sharon really hadn't told them anything about what had happened, they probably assumed that he had pulled a Jack Raydor on her and left her to fend for herself.

"Anyway." That was Hannah again whom he had already taken to. That easy, disarming way she had about her helped her manage to chase the tension out of every exchange.

"After seeing the forecast last night, Maggie and I made a list of snow day movies, we could watch today," she added.

The next fifteen minutes consisted of a heated debate which movie would be watched later and Sharon leaned into Andy with a conspiratorially little smile.

"How are you holding up so far?" she whispered, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"Okay, I think." He gestured around. "Irish temperament?" he asked to which she nodded emphatically. "I don't think your dad likes me."

"It's okay," Sharon said. "Jack is his only point of reference, so he was bound to be a little suspicious."

Andy wondered why she had ever moved to Los Angeles when snow days were such an integral part of her family life here in Boston. Or how she had stayed all alone on the other side of the country when she had a supportive group of people here. Given her easy interaction and obviously affectionate relationships with everyone around her, it was a small miracle that she hadn't returned earlier, at least once her children were grown. She looked so happy in their midst and his hope, though dwindling, that she might come back to LA with him suddenly seemed very egoistic. While he would have preferred to have Sharon to himself, he enjoyed discovering what she was like as a daughter, a sister and a sister-in-law. Having looked behind the Captain Raydor facade (and he realized for the first time as he thought about that, that she was now neither a Captain nor a Raydor anymore), he had seen Sharon guarded and very slowly coming out of her shell. Here she was at home among the people she loved and she had known all her life and the woman who emerged was warm and funny and sometimes a little awkward. He couldn't help but hope that he would get a chance to see her interact with her kids as well to see what she was like as a mother.

He did join into the conversation when asked, but also spent long stretches of time just observing them. Maggie was a firecracker, that much was obvious, but a softy at heart if the way she looked at her wife was any indication. Sharon's mother had the same knowing look in her eyes that he had seen in Sharon's before. Only her father seemed a little guarded, if obviously completely smitten with his daughters.

The movie debate was revived and got more heated after the second bottle of wine was opened, but in the end they finally managed to agree on one. Sharon's family begun to clear away some of the plates while Sharon and Andy were encouraged to stay put. He took advantage of their small moment alone to place a soft kiss to her lips. She smiled into it and caressed his cheek, guarding his hand to her stomach where it came to rest over their son. He liked how she did that, as if she was trying to help him make up for all that lost time.

"I'm glad you're here, Andy," she whispered. "I've missed you."

"And I've missed you," he said.

"Don't be fooled, they've seen that movie a million times and someone will speak the lines while someone else will complain about it. You can never know who will do which, but I just want you to be warned," Sharon said, chuckling now. "Oh, God, explaining our family traditions to someone who isn't familiar with them makes you realize the level of crazy around here."

He laughed, too.

"Yeah, but I can tell it's the good kind of crazy." They smiled at each other for a moment before he brought his hand up and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's good to see you so happy, Sharon. I'm glad you've settled in so well."

The smile she returned was a little sad, because they both knew that while he was here with her now, he could not stay indefinitely. Sharon snuggled into his side and covered her hand with his.

"Uh, oh. Dad is going to murder you, Andrew." That was Maggie who had suddenly turned up behind the couch and was now cackling like a madwoman.

"Cut the chardonnay supply, Bill!" Olivia called over her shoulder, approaching with a jar of cookies. "Your daughter has had enough!"

Maggie growled. "That's what you get for hanging out with your parents at fifty."

"Fifty and fabulous, my darling," Hannah said, dropping a kiss to the top of her head and handing her a bag of red licorice. How they would be able to eat another bite after everything they had devoured so far, Andy had no idea.

"Hey, Sharon," Maggie said. "How are you going to explain to Andy the thing you had with Roger?"

Even though he suspected that it would turn out to be a joke, Andy felt a little faint at the notion.

"Andy, Roger is our cat. He is unbelievably fat and started following Sharon around when she stayed with us," Hannah explained, apparently having taken pity on him.

Andy laughed, imagining the scene. It made him think of the Chief and even though he had last seen her and the rest of the squad a mere 24 hours ago, it felt much longer. The movie was started and Sharon lifted her feet up onto the couch, trying to find a comfortable position. Andy, aware of her predicament, offered his side to lean into and the pillow under his elbow and so she finally managed to settle down. Andy looked up and found William O'Dwyer watching him as he took a sip of his wine. There was a small smile playing at his lips. Maybe he wouldn't get murdered after all.

The movie played on and he felt Sharon become heavier against his shoulder, her eyelids drooping. It felt so good to have her near him again and he already dreaded the moment that he would have to board the plane back to Los Angeles.