TWENTY-FOUR

"Still out like a light, that one. Didn't she just wake up when we got here?" Over the course of the movie, Maggie had sobered up and was now grinning warmly at the sleeping form of her sister on the sofa. Andy, having carefully extracted himself from Sharon and placed a pillow under her head to keep her comfortable, followed her gaze and smiled, too. Sharon was indeed completely passed out and unaware of her family tidying up around her and getting ready to leave.

"I'm sorry we crashed your day," Maggie said with a genuine look in her eyes. For all her joking and bantering, he discovered that she was a caring and observant person at heart.

"It's fine," he said, still in some measure marveling at her uncanny resemblance to her sister. "I guess I crashed hers as well."

Maggie grinned and slapped his arm playfully. "But what took you so long, Andrew?" Why she insisted on calling him that, he couldn't quite figure out. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that. Sharon has just been flat-out refusing to tell us what has happened, so it has been pretty frustrating, you know."

Andy shrugged. "I guess if she didn't open up, I don't want to be the one spilling the beans behind her back."

Maggie pointed her finger at him. "Very good, Andrew. Indeed. After all that eery silence, I wouldn't have expected the two of you to be so in love, though."

Andy turned away, a little embarrassed. "We are?"

"Uh, yeah," Maggie said, winking at him. "I can tell even Dad saw how you were trying to make her comfortable on that sofa all the time. Even now you keep checking on her as if a pillow could suddenly suffocate her or something."

Andy looked over at Sharon's dad who was busy stacking the dishwasher with their glasses and plates while Olivia was wrapping up leftovers.

"You think? I am a little worried that he will tell his old buddies at the Boston PD to come by and arrest me for one thing or another to get rid of me."

"Not my Dad, no." Maggie laughed. "He is such a stickler for the rules, you have no idea. He would never abuse his power like that. You're one-hundred percent safe, trust me."

Andy chuckled at that, because he could imagine that very well. At least now he knew where Sharon got it from.

"Just keep it up and he will come around," Maggie said. "Are you familiar with my former brother in law?"

Andy nodded, choosing not to elaborate on the fact that they had been drinking buddies back in the day. The usage of the word "former" gave him more satisfaction that he had expected. Good for Sharon to have finally severed all her legal ties to her epic failure of a husband.

"Then you can imagine what my Dad watched my sister go through. That gives you the advantage of only having to be better than Jack and that should not be that difficult. Although…" She raised both eyebrows and indicated his half-empty glass of cranberry juice. "Is the not-drinking part in any way related to, you know, a drinking problem?"

Andy had long since learned to be open about his alcoholism. He had a lot to be proud of, after all, but faced with Maggie's inquisitive stare, his stomach was churning. She seemed to like him and he didn't think he could afford to lose an advocate in Sharon's family. Either way, he couldn't afford to lie either.

"If you're asking me whether I am an alcoholic, yes, but only in the sense that you never stop being one even if you stop drinking. I haven't had a drink in fifteen years and I intend to keep it that way."

Only when he saw the touched look in her eyes, he realized how heartfelt his statement had been. The very last thing on his mind was disappointing Sharon like that or abandoning his son.

"I think Jack's sobriety record was fifteen weeks at most, so that's good," Maggie said with a nod of approval. "Even though I didn't think she would go anywhere near someone with that particular problem again, to be honest."

Andy looked over at Sharon who was stirring in her sleep, but remained blissfully unaware of their conversation before he turned back to Maggie.

"Me, neither. I am overall surprised how she even looked at me twice in the first place." What had been meant as a joke, it dawned on him as soon as he said it, was the cold hard truth. The more he was seeing of Sharon, the more in awe he was of her. He had known her work persona which had been incredibly smart and put-together and sexy in its own right, but little had he known what she was like underneath all that. Sharon was so full of love for the people around her that it took his breath away. The way she hugged her parents, the way she looked at Maggie and Hannah, the way her eyes had lit up when she had told him about Emily's part in the Nutcracker so early in her career - it all showed so much warmth and affection. And then he had always known that she was funny and sarcastic, but now he was discovering that she could also be a bit of a dork when she let herself relax enough to be. All of it formed a person that was so very lovable that he was beginning to worry that he might not be good enough for her.

When he came out of his haze, Maggie was smiling warmly but not without amusement. "Oh my, lover boy. You are smitten."

Andy was beginning to think that, had she not been happily married and into women, she might have been a good match for Provenza.

"Well, don't let her sleep all day or she'll be up all night complaining about her legs hurting. She does that these days. And, Andrew, now that you're here." She placed her hand on his arm with a conspiratorial smile. "Try and get her to slow down a bit. She is not that far away from her due date now and while she works from home a lot, she works, well, a lot. She loves it, so I get it, but I feel like she should take it a little easy."

Andy nodded solemnly, somehow proud that she had tasked him with Sharon's wellbeing. "Will do."

"Very good," Maggie said, clapping her hands. "I like you, Andrew, but don't let it get to your head!"

When Andy had finally closed the door behind Sharon's relatives, he took a deep breath of relief. It hadn't gone so badly after all, but showing up as an unintended surprise guest and then having to see everyone off as if he lived here had felt more than a little strange to all parties involved. Saying goodbye, William O'Dwyer had squeezed his hand a little too hard and had fixed him with a stare that suggested that he saw everything and would kill him if he put as much as a toe out of line. Olivia had squeezed his arm without a word, but Hannah had given him a hug and had whispered "tough crowd" into his ear. So he supposed it could have gone worse.

Sharon was still asleep and the kitchen and living-room were as spotless as they had been before the arrival of the O'Dwyer clan, so he decided to check out the house. Sharon had promised to give him a tour the previous night, but somehow they hadn't gotten around to it. Assuming that she wouldn't mind if he looked around, he went upstairs and stuck his head through the door next to the stairs. Eerily, it held the very same furniture and decoration her guest room in the condo in Los Angeles had and he felt himself reminded of the morning he had found her there. So much time had passed since it had happened, but the memory was still fresh and raw. He quickly retreated and closed the door, then walked down the hallway to the room opposite Sharon's. Carefully looking inside, he discovered an empty room full of sealed boxes where he would have expected a nursery.

"I wanted to wait." He turned around at Sharon's voice, startled.

"Yeez, Sharon! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

She smiled, still looking sleepy. "Sorry. You should have woken me up, you know. I didn't mean to let you fend for yourself with my family."

Andy shrugged. "It was okay, really. I think I am growing on them a little bit."

Sharon chuckled. "I think so, too." She stepped towards him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Bending down to meet her halfway, he wrapped his arms around her. She felt so good in his arms. Solid and warm and yet so soft.

"What to do on such a snowy day?" he murmured into the kiss, not minding that he sounded rather suggestive.

"Do you happen to have an idea that does not involve drinking wine and eating too much?" Sharon whispered back a little breathlessly.

"I could come up with something." He kissed her more hungrily, hoping that he was not misreading the signs. Sharon moaned into the kiss and pulled him closer. He had always been keenly aware of how much he missed her wit and looking into her eyes, but only now he realized how bad that physical longing for her had been and, to some extent, still was. Gently steering her into the direction of the bedroom, he hoped that she would tell him if she didn't feel up to it, but received no such signs from her. Instead, Sharon pulled him towards the bed and began to tug at his clothes with little patience. Apparently he was not the only one who was starving for the feeling of her skin against his.

When they were done, she was snuggled into his side, her hair spread out on his chest. On his back and very, very content, Andy lazily looked at the one naked leg that was on top of the covers, sweeping his gaze from her slim ankle up her calve and thigh. Those legs were just as he remembered them and, if he was honest, they had been the first thing he had ever noticed about her. Sharon hummed and placed a kiss to his chest.

"That was great, Andy. I feel so relaxed." She gave one of those special little laughs that he associated with Sharon after sex. Her post-coital haze had been one of the very first things he had ever consciously labelled "cute" in her.

"Good, because your sister told me to make sure you do."

Sharon chuckled again. "That's probably not what she- oh, well, maybe it was what she meant."

They both laughed and then just lay there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of skin on skin as they were cooling down and catching their breath. Andy stroked her arm lazily, feeling the soft skin underneath his fingertips and rediscovering the light freckles on her forearms.

"You comfortable?" he murmured, his eyes beginning to close.

"Nope," she replied in an equally relaxed tone. "I will be comfortable again once I am not the size of a whale anymore." She was saying it lightly and even though he didn't think she looked heavy at all given her stage of pregnancy, he didn't object. It was obvious that she didn't need reassurances about the way she looked. Sharon had always been very comfortable with her own body and he could tell that this had not changed. He thought that sort of confidence was pretty sexy. It was what had first drawn him to her as well, that unapologetic way and those knowing looks, the way she wore a business suit, perfectly aware that it made her look not only powerful but also very, very attractive.

His phone began to buzz on the nightstand and, the instincts of a homicide cop who was always on call kicking in, he had already grabbed it before he remembered that for the first time in years, he was very much not on call. Sharon seemed to get it, because she chuckled even though his leaning over to grab the phone had caused her to slide off his chest. She was smiling at him from where she was now snuggled into her big fluffy pillow, leg retracted under the covers. He missed the view already.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Provenza," Andy replied. "And apparently he's tried to call me before."

"Go ahead," she pulled her hand from under the covers and gave a little wave. "Answer it." It came in very handy to have a girlfriend who understood the work ethics of a cop even though she was no longer police. Having heard about her father's profession, he now realized that her understanding of that was probably even older and deeper than he had known.

"Just don't tell him we're naked," she added, chuckling.

Andy grunted and pulled her close to him, letting his hand rest on where he thought the approximate location of her stomach was under all those covers.

"Hi, Provenza," he said by way of greeting. "This better be good."

"Let me guess," Provenza's sarcastic reply came over the phone. "You're snowed in and nakedly sharing body warmth. Oh, hell, now that image is in my head. Thank you very much."

Andy looked sidewards at Sharon whose palm was now covering her eyes.

"I didn't say anything like that!" he protested.

"Anyway," Provenza's desire to forget about the image seemed genuine. "I am calling because we're getting ready for Richardson's trial. I didn't tell you this before you left because you were being a zombie, but he has been trying to shift some blame in Elliott's direction."

Andy looked at Sharon who was clearly listening, a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"Anyway, we've been doing a little digging in order to sabotage that and we found the security footage of that day when he took the Captain."

Sharon sat up with a start, pulling the covers against her chest, revealing only her slim, naked shoulders.

"Oh no, don't tell me it's covers I hear rustling!" Provenza complained.

"Of course not!" Flynn growled. "Now, what is the point in telling me this?"

"I thought Raydor might want to see them. I've had Buzz e-mail them to you. Anyhoo, I have to go drown myself to get that image out of my head. Say hello to the Wicked Witch for me. And to the Spawn of Satan, too, while you're at it."

Andy shook his head in stunned disbelief. "Why are you even so sure I am with her?"

Provenza snorted. "Because you didn't call me, that's why. If things hadn't worked out you would have gnawed my ear off already blaming me for talking you into going." And with that, he hung up.

"Charming," Andy said. When Sharon didn't react, he turned towards her and rubbed her arm, sensing her distress. "That chapter is closed, Sharon. There is no doubt Richardson will not be convicted. You don't have to watch that video."

But Sharon was already shaking her head. "No. That's a few hours of my life missing that I would very much like back."

Andy thought of those terrible mornings when he had woken up some place or other with a splitting headache, a gross taste in his mouth and no recollection of the previous night. Even though at some point it had started happening so often that he should have gotten used to it, it had been terrifying again every time. He could only imagine what it was like for her.

"Okay," he said.

"I'll get my laptop," Sharon said and got out of bed naked to retrieve her robe from the bathroom before she ventured downstairs.

"I can get it for you," he offered, sitting up as well if only to admire the view of her naked backside.

"It's fine," she said, sounding a little choked-up. He sensed that she needed a moment alone to collect herself, so he leaned back into the pillows while she went downstairs. He wondered what was on the video that had prompted Provenza to send it to them. Whatever his intention, he passionately cursed him for ruining their afternoon.

Sharon climbed back into bed in her robe and he opened his arms to her, offering to hold her through it. Sharon kissed him softly on the lips and leaned into his side as he opened his e-mail account and downloaded the footage.

"You ready?" he asked, about to hit play.

"Yes," Sharon replied. "I am ready to close this last chapter and then move on for good."