So by now I imagine everyone has seen the latest episode, and if you haven't… Well, lucky you.

If there was anything Sharon Raydor was to me, it was inspiration. Regardless of what twists and turns Duff decided to take or not take with her, I could always rely on the fact that she still existed and I had enough imagination of my own to fix all the little gripes I had about Duff's writing along the way. But now? How do you fix this, without completely disregarding canon and blindly rewriting history? You don't. Or well, at least I won't. I can't believe it has come to this, because if there was one thing I always so loved about this show it was that it never ceased to inspire me to discuss it, to theorize about it, to write about it, to make gifsets about it, but not anymore. Everything that has ever driven the fangirl in me has effectively been killed right along with Sharon Raydor last night. This is all simply too painful, too senseless, too pointless. There is no Major Crimes show without Sharon Raydor. The complete and utter betrayal I feel because of Duff's latest lies cannot be put into words, and I am so incredibly livid with anger that I can't even take a moment to grieve the death of my favorite character or commiserate with the pain all the other characters who loved her must be going through, and mind you, if this storyline had any point other than to add drama that is just so unnecessary in order to move along the plot (or okay, maybe say "life's a bitch and then you die" because I guess that's a valid point), I would be latching onto these characters. I would be writing like crazy, because writing is my escape, my way of dealing with my beloved characters' troubles as well as their happy times. However, last night, just like that, James Duff has taken that away from me and I will not be writing for this fandom anymore. I wanna be optimistic and say that perhaps I will be hit by inspiration again at one point, so I won't say 'never', but right now everything is all so incredibly bleak and dark I just don't see how I can possibly continue to write anything any time soon, if ever.

I have written this add-on for 6x05 weeks ago. I just hate leaving things unfinished, but continuing this story seems as unlikely to me as Sharon's death making sense in any universe is. My imagination is simply way too stinted right now in light of Sharon's heartbreaking death to even bother trying. It has been a wonderful ride though. I have loved each and every second I spent writing not just these add-ons but my other stories, too. Sharing them with you has been marvelous and I want to thank you all for every kind word you've ever given me. Most of all, I wanna give a huge shoutout to my partner in crime, escapewithstories, who has accidentally, but quickly and surely become my favorite person in this fandom. Just in terms of writing, she has given me so much, but you should know, as should she, that I adore her for a lot more than that.

And speaking of escapewithstories… The two of us have started working on a huge story a few months ago. It was a prompt idea from maidenpride and we've finally started posting it under the name The Same, Yet Different on escapewithstories' account. It is a take on Rusty's life if Andy had taken him in instead of Sharon, and I suggest you go read our first chapter if you haven't already. We had big plans for this prompt, over a hundred of pages of notes on it alone, covering every episode of every season, that's how inspired and eager to write we were. And we actually practically finished writing our spin on the first season, and we will post all those chapters as fast as we can edit them, but beyond that... Our desire to write the remaining seasons has been quashed last night, so to all of you who were so incredibly enthusiastic and positive about our story, this is just a heads up－there will be only 8 more chapters and then we are both calling it quits. So, even though I just said I most likely won't be writing anymore, don't be surprised when/if you see those updates, because they were written before the 6x09 developments.

In the meantime, here's my add-on for 6x05 that is almost as long as these notes. I apologize for that, by the way, but I hope you have made it past them and to my actual additional scene.

As always, fingers crossed you like it.

Stepping through the door leading from the bathroom to her bedroom, Sharon stopped short when her eyes landed on the back of her daughter sitting at the foot of the bed. She sighed silently and leaned a shoulder against the doorway when she realized that Emily seemed so lost in thought that she didn't even notice her opening the door.

It was late and they had just returned from a successful rehearsal dinner. While Rusty and Andy ushered Ricky and Emily into the living room, Sharon had excused herself to the bathroom for a few minutes to change into something more casual before joining them. Emily, however, seemed to have other ideas.

Sharon quietly draped her discarded clothing over the bed, and finally pulled Emily out of her thoughts by brushing a hand against her shoulder on her way to take a seat beside her.

A short, startled sound escaped her, and she looked her mother's way, but then her shoulders slumped and a soft, feeble smile crossed her features. "Hey."

Sharon's return smile was a little more confident than Emily's and she ran the back of her fingers gently over her arm. "Hey, yourself." She sighed somewhat sadly and added, "I guess it's time to talk."

Emily chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah, I think so."

Sharon glanced at the bedroom door that must have been closed by Emily. "What about my middle child?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "I think we could both use a break from his enthusiastic brand of," she put up air quotation marks, "help."

"Ha," a short snort escaped Sharon, but her voice softened, took on a bit of a fond note, "I think it's rather endearing." Judging by the mischievous glint in her eyes, she was teasing, too.

Emily smirked. "Are we talking about Ricky or Andy?"

Before Sharon could stop it, a smile flickered over her features, in effect giving Emily her answer, but she eyed her daughter meaningfully and said, "I thought you wanted to talk about me." She wasn't particularly keen on it, but only she could provide her children with the reassurances they needed, and knowing the matter weighed on their minds heavily enough to confide in Father Stan made her all the more determined to try to give them that. Even if she found it hard to reassure herself at the moment.

Emily didn't need more prompting, giving Sharon the feeling that finally 'cornering' her like this was her children's plan all along. Angling her body sideways so that she faced her mother properly, Emily grabbed one her hands. "Mom," she started on a sigh, "we're worried. You tell us about this heart condition you have, all the possible turns it could take, and then," she shrugged and stared at her incredulously, "you go on like it's nothing. Mom," her voice turned pleading and her hold on Sharon's hand tightened, "it's not nothing, and I know you think you have everything under control," she rolled her eyes and Sharon smiled at her next words, "you probably even do, but, please," she squeezed her hand again, "let us help."

Sharon sighed again and turned sideways to face Emily fully as well. It was her turn to grab ahold of her daughter's hands, so she clasped them both between hers. "It's not nothing," she confirmed on a nod. She gave her a slightly admonishing look. "And I'm not acting like it is. I am following doctor's orders and nothing in them says I have to put everything else on hold. More importantly," there was suddenly an edge to her tone, and it was a familiar one because Emily's eyes briefly widened in familiar trepidation, "nobody is saying you or Ricky should either."

"Too late," Emily said defiantly, knowing what Sharon was really alluding to. "We've already delayed our flights and we're not changing them back, so you'll just have to deal with being stuck with us for a little while longer."

As if to cement her point, she nodded once, making her bangs fall into her eyes. Her almost petulant response made Sharon smile and for a moment she wasn't looking at the grown, independent woman her daughter had become, but at the curious, sweet, stubborn little girl she used to be not so long ago. An indulgent, exasperated, albeit soft, sigh escaped her and she lifted a hand to run it affectionately over Emily's cheek. "So stubborn." The words were hardly the reprimand they were intended to be, but squeezing her cheek lightly was reprimanding enough.

Emily smiled smugly, but her response wasn't as lighthearted as it was supposed to be when she dropped her gaze to her lap over it. "Seems to run in the family."

Sharon trailed her fingertips down Emily's cheek until they reached her chin, then gently nudged her to lift her eyes. What she saw in them made her decide to confess to her something she had only revealed to Andy thus far. She briefly lifted a single shoulder and tilted her head over a small, guilty smile. "I'm afraid, too, honey."

And just like that Emily's eyes filled with tears she had probably been holding back ever since finding out about her mother's condition, and neither knew who pulled whom into an embrace, but suddenly Emily's face was buried in Sharon's neck, and Sharon could only hold on to her, rubbing a soothing hand over her hair as she quietly cried.

For the first time since her diagnosis, Sharon's overwhelmed state did not lead her to tears of her own. Instead, her chest filled with a warm, if heavy, weight, and her voice was steady when she made her a promise. "I am not going anywhere yet." When Emily's hold on her tightened, and if possible, she furrowed further into her neck, she added jokingly, "You're stuck with me for a little while longer, too."

Emily pulled back at that, wiping the tears from her face. "A long while, mom, a long while."

Sharon smiled, grabbing her face, her thumbs taking over Emily's task. "I will do my best," she promised, and pressed her lips to her forehead.

Emily closed her eyes, indulging in the offered comfort, then warned, a bit of humor seeping into her tone, "We'll still fuss over you."

Sharon laughed. "I already have two guys that do," she shook her head, but more in affection than in annoyance, "what are two more?"

The mention of those guys seemed to remind Emily of the real reason she and Ricky were visiting, and she almost squealed before saying, "You're getting married tomorrow!"

Sharon smiled brightly, and in a combination of both bashfulness and confidence brushed her hair back before saying, "I am."

"Did you really consider cancelling the wedding?" Emily suddenly asked, eyes wide and a tad too curious for Sharon's liking.

Sharon had no recollection when or how that even reached her children's ears, but she answered anyway. "I suggested postponing it, yes."

"So much for not putting everything on hold," Emily said mockingly.

"Well," in hindsight, even though she didn't regret putting the option on the table, it was only fair to Andy to be honest with him, Sharon did perhaps feel a little silly about it, "that was before…" she trailed off on an open mouth when she failed to find the right words for Andy's powers of persuasion.

As if picking up on her thoughts, knowingly, Emily said, "I love it that he's almost as stubborn as you."

Sharon chuckled. "Yes," she said lightly, her eyes flickering to the door as if seeking out the man in question, "I believe I may have met my match."

Emily suddenly smiled as if she had discovered some carefully kept secret.

"What?" Sharon asked, narrowing her eyes.

Emily shrugged. "Nothing," she paused, inching her head to the side and considering her mother for a long moment, "I'm just glad he makes you happy. You deserve to be."

Sharon pulled her into her side and squeezed her tightly. Pressing a kiss to her hair, almost giddily she said, "Oh, I love you!"

Laughing, Emily said, "So you keep telling me."

"Oh," Sharon relaxed her hold and pulled back, placing her hands flat on her shoulders to give her a stern look, "and I will continue to for as long as I can, don't you worry."

Emily giggled and averted her eyes momentarily. "Why does that sound like a threat?"

"It's not a threat," Sharon told her seriously, her features softening, "it's a promise."

Emily couldn't do much more than shake her head at her mother's resolve, when a knock on the door interrupted them, and before either could give permission, it opened, Ricky's head popping around it immediately after. Without so much as an apology and certainly without any preamble he zeroed in on his sister. "You done hogging the mother?"

While Sharon started laughing, Emily frowned, protectively wrapping her arms around Sharon. "No, the mother and I are still busy." She waved a hand at him. "Go away please."

Recovering, Sharon freed herself from Emily's grip and grumbled, "The mother is here, you know."

Ricky stepped fully into the room, leaving the door ajar. "That she is," he agreed, then in two long strides reached the foot of the bed and flopped down on Sharon's other side. Kissing her cheek quickly, he grinned and added, "Hello, mother."

Caught off guard by her son's antics, Sharon's eyebrows shot up and a light laugh bubbled out of her. "Hello," she reached out a hand and ruffled his scruffy beard, "son."

"So," Ricky craned his neck to look behind Sharon at Emily, "you talk any sense into her yet?"

"Excuse me," Sharon started indignantly before Emily could even open her mouth, "talk sense into me?" She raised a single eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest, warning her son to tread very lightly now.

There was a time, when Ricky was much younger, when he would instantly retreat under as dangerous a look as his mother was aiming at him just then. It still made him recoil a little and swallow uncomfortably, but it was no longer enough to force him to completely back down. "You're sick, Mom. A heart condition," he shook his head, "you have a heart condition!"

"Of which I am very well aware, Ricky, and as I have just assured your sister," Sharon glanced toward Emily, "I am following my doctor's instructions to the letter. There is no need for either one of you to drop everything to take care of me. I am still the parent in this," she waved her hand between all three of them, "relationship. That has not changed."

Wide-eyed, Ricky started, "But, Mom-"

"No buts, Ricky," Sharon softened her sharp interruption by gently gripping his arm, "I understand your concerns," when Ricky opened his mouth to most likely argue that he didn't think she did, Sharon trailed her hand down his arm and clasped his hand, moving on quickly before he could speak, "and I wish so much that you weren't this worried," she turned toward Emily to grasp her hand as well before placing them both firmly in her lap, "certainly not on my account. It breaks my heart that you are," momentarily her gaze fell to their hands, trying to clamp down on the emotions that were threatening to bubble to the surface, "but," she lifted her eyes to meet her son's and smiled a little at her use of the conjunction she forbade just a few seconds earlier, and he rolled his eyes at her, "I am doing well so far. You don't need to-"

"So far," Ricky repeated, squeezing her hand. "What happens after 'so far', huh?" he asked, and the words sounded so accusatory all of a sudden that Emily glared at him warningly, but he ignored her and went on. "Parent or not, Mom, we're not little kids anymore who need protecting from the big bad world. Would you just let us return the favor?" His voice softened and he dropped his eyes to her hand as he added, "You gotta let us do something."

'Do something'. Therein lay the entire problem. Being desperate to act, but powerless to do so in a way they considered truly helpful, and therefore clinging to whatever little could pass as being remotely useful. It was a predicament Rusty and Andy found themselves in as well, only they had reached a stage of trying, and failing, to keep it from her. Being the center of their concern, Sharon was caught in the middle, struggling to not succumb to similar feelings of helplessness and despair. Struggling to alleviate their dread whichever way she could when she wasn't quite able to quell her own. Struggling to take away their pain for her and replace it with comfort and hope, when she in turn hurt for them, and when she herself could only seek comfort in them.

Perhaps she had unintentionally lied to her priest earlier that day. She wasn't almost overwhelmed.

She was beyond overwhelmed.

Which is why her voice trembled and it was almost too painful to speak when she responded. "You already are doing something. You came for my wedding and you are so," she took a thin breath, "oh so wonderful for wanting to stay even longer for my benefit, but," she turned to look at Emily, too, and her soft gaze became almost as caressing as the thumbs she was running soothingly over the backs of her children's hands, "all I need from you is to have a little faith and trust me when I say that you going back to your lives in a few days will help me more than you delaying it would. At any time you could have asked me to move back in here," she smiled feebly and looked toward Ricky again, "and I would have bought two beds and squeezed them in here somewhere in a heartbeat," her smile strengthened when it drew a couple of chuckles out of them, "but," she shook her head, and her smile receded while her tone grew more serious, "I would not and will not allow it just because I became sick."

"So that's it?" Ricky asked and Sharon could tell the fight had finally left him despite his incredulous-sounding question that followed. "End of discussion?"

Sharon sighed, but smiled and answered with a pointed note of finality. "Yes."

Ricky sought out his sister's eyes, and when she shrugged, already resigned to heeding their mother's wish to give her some space, he sighed. "Fine."

Sharon pulled him into a hug. "Fine," she repeated mockingly.

When she pulled back, Ricky was looking at her in exasperation, but took to his feet, officially letting go of the matter. "Andy must be crazy," he suddenly said, and Sharon's head snapped up to look at him in question. He merely grinned and muttered his explanation over an exaggerated shake of his head. "Actually wanting to spend the rest of his life with you and your infuriatingly stubborn ways."

Sharon smacked his forearm in mock indignation, but before she could offer a reprimand, the door opened and revealed the crazy man himself. "Careful," he started, the mischievous look on his face revealing he had heard the tail end of their conversation, "that's your mother you're talking about."

The wide-eyed, startled look on Ricky's face had Sharon and Emily burst into laughter. He slowly turned around and by the time he was face to face with his future step-father, he had found his wits again. "Actually, I believe I was talking about," he even pointed a finger at him, "you."

"That's alright," Andy said, placing his hand on Ricky's shoulder and leaning in a little, his obvious intention being to make the young man squirm, "I am crazy," he continued his torture by slowly and pointedly seeking out Sharon and giving her a dopey smile before adding, "crazy about your mom."

Shaking her head at him, Sharon smiled despite herself. Emily giggled, but Ricky all but flinched away from Andy. "Ugh," he grimaced, but judging by the smile that tugged at his mouth, more for show than out of actual disgust, "you're such a cliche, Andy."

Andy grinned, then looked Sharon and Emily's way again, shrugging his shoulders as if to say it wasn't the first time he had been accused of that and he was hardly bothered by it. It only set off the two women's laughter once more.

Continuing to shake his head, Ricky made his way to the door. "I don't know what you see in this guy, Mom," he grumbled, but the teasing glint in his eyes revealed that some things he could actually see himself.

"Well, for starters," Sharon started cheerfully, but her fading smile revealed she would continue with something more seriously, "I can see there's a reason he interrupted us." She was giving her future husband a pointedly questioning quirk of an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah," Andy grew serious, too, and looked back and forth between the three, "Rusty's calling it a night, and well, we do have a big day ahead of us tomorrow... " he trailed off on a tilt of his head, not needing to voice his request for Sharon to perhaps call it a night, too.

Sharon hummed in agreement. "I am tired," she admitted, then looked at her children. "We've had a long day today."

Not needing further convincing, Emily said, "Yes, get some rest you two." She pecked her mother on the cheek, then stood. "Good night, love you." She caught Andy a little off guard, when on her way to the door she stopped to kiss his cheek, too, while mumbling, "Night."

Ricky let his sister go through the door first, then threw a 'Good night' over his shoulder as he followed and closed the door behind them.

"Good night," Andy told the closed door awkwardly, then turned to Sharon. "So;" he inclined his head toward the dynamic duo's exit, "how stubborn were they?"

"Ah," Sharon leaned forward and grabbed his hand to get him to sit down next to her, "no more than usual."

Andy barked a sarcastic laugh. "Right." He suddenly frowned and jokingly asked, "Wait, they were grilling you on your health, right? Not trying to talk you out of walking down the aisle tomorrow?"

Sharon laughed and patted his thigh reassuringly. "They seemed to have expected to have to talk you into waiting for me at the end of that aisle rather than talk me out of walking down it."

Andy looked at Sharon in confusion, needing a second to actually comprehend her sentence. Then, in both understanding and surprise, he let out an "Oh," before smirking. "Were you that hard on them?"

She chuckled, but then smiled softly and shook her head. "No, they're just at a loss," she sighed sadly, "wanting to do everything for me, but having no clue what exactly."

Andy humphed and suddenly focused on the floor. His voice somewhat hollow, he said, "Sounds familiar." There was a slight pause, before he added, his tone revealing just how much understanding he had for her children's eagerness to take charge of the situation and help, "I wouldn't want to leave your side either now." He looked up, giving her a long, hard look. "And I won't."

Sharon took a breath, once again overwhelmed by his utter devotion to her. Clasping his hand, she laid her head against his shoulder, but lacked any more energy to discuss things further. A sadness swept over her instead and she said, "I'm sorry for putting a damper on our wedding." She started toying with the watch around his wrist and added regretfully, "We haven't really had time to be excited about it, now, have we?"

"Oh, I'm excited alright," Andy assured her, grinning at her suddenly, "at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if we had to have my cardiologist marry us tomorrow instead of Father Stan."

Sharon smacked his hand. "Don't even joke about it," she admonished even though she chuckled.

"So," Andy started in a tone that had Sharon prop her chin on his arm to look at him, "how are the kids really holding up?"

She shrugged. "Worried, terrified really, but," she smiled then, "they're okay. They'll be okay."

Andy nodded, not missing the fact that she sounded more hopeful than actually sure of it. "And you?" he asked quietly, not having properly had her to himself to ask since Ricky and Emily arrived.

Sharon lifted her head and straightened, but did not let go of his hand. For a moment, she merely stared into space, silently sifting through her thoughts and emotions.

Her body, that one thing that had never before failed her, had started to give out on her, had become the biggest threat to her. And as if that was not enough, her body's failure had in effect made her the sole source of pain and concern, not just for the man sitting beside her, but for her children. The reality of it made her in equal measures absolutely devastated and completely livid with anger. Yet, right then and there, she felt oddly calm and soothed. Ricky and Emily's worried faces would forever haunt her, just like Rusty's and Andy's already were, but they had also given her renewed resolve and strength to deal with this illness to the best of her ability regardless of the path it took. Doing it for them made it all somehow comparatively less difficult. She was as determined as ever.

And then there was Andy, who, next to Rusty, was probably the biggest miracle of her life recently. It had been an eternity since last, in the eyes of fear, she had felt so secure. It had been even longer since she allowed herself to feel secure on account of someone else, but she did with him. Her illness had forcibly stripped her of one thing she had always taken comfort in, control. It was a paralyzing concept in her universe, but once Andy entered her orbit, she also found herself slowly, but willingly letting go of it, and oddly enough, that did not feel paralyzing at all. Instead, it was calming and encouraging. Of course, she would have managed just fine without Andy Flynn. For the longest time she actually had, and there was no doubt in her mind that her children would have been more than enough to keep her head and spirits up this time, too, but she was so incredibly glad that they didn't have to be. Andy was there to support her, not because she needed and wanted him to or she had asked him to. He wanted to. It was as simple as that and doing anything less was completely out of the question, just like not doing the same for him was completely incomprehensible to her. For that alone, she would love him.

That he also refrained from interrupting what she knew must have been agonizingly long musings of hers, only further fueled her sentiment and finally, on somewhat of a cleansing sigh, she answered, "I'm better, and all things considered, just so," she offered him a small smile and shrugged, "so incredibly happy."

He searched her face for a few moments, looking for any trace of, not dishonesty, but insecurity. Finding none, he smiled back, and bumped his shoulder against hers. "Happy looks good on you."

Her smile widened and she hummed contentedly. "How are you?" she asked, squeezing his hand and realizing that it was a question aimed so many times at her in the last few days, but never once at him.

He either missed, or more likely, ignored the seriousness of her question and said jokingly, "Having heart palpitations and just about ready to jump out of my skin with excitement, but otherwise," he threw her a crooked smile, "excellent."

She huffed out a short puff of air, shooting him and his joke a bland look. Deciding to bring him down a notch, and making sure she also sounded unimpressed, she said, "Clearly I'm not marrying you for your sense of humor."

Her intentions completely backfired when he smiled roguishly, his expression alone nearly enough to make her straight facade falter. "Oh, yeah, you are," he said and grinned with glee when she finally crumbled and laughed, epically failing to deny that he had every right to be as confident as he looked.

"I really am okay," he told her seriously, once her laughter receded. He traced his fingers across her fingertips and added, "Don't worry about me."

She smiled, appreciating that he gave her a straight answer after all. He knew better than to ask her not to worry though, but by then it really was more of a platitude than an honest request, so she let it go and dropped her head back on his arm. "We should go to bed," she said. "It'll be morning before you know it, and I'm not sure Emily will refrain from kicking you out before we even wake up."

"Kick me out?" Andy asked, confused.

Sharon lifted her head again and looked at him blandly. "You didn't really expect to see me before the ceremony tomorrow?"

Andy frowned. "We did pass the usual 24-hour mark, didn't we?"

"Ha!" With how precious she discovered time to be recently, Sharon was more than happy to forego that particular tradition. She pressed her palm to his cheek in mock condescension. "True, but we would still like to make some things a surprise for you."

Andy grunted, leaning away from her touch. "Definitely," he grumbled, in protest trying the impossible task of biting the middle of her palm, "spending our wedding night in a hospital bed then."

Shaking her head, Sharon reached for his cheek again, this time her grip strong so she could lean in and kiss him. "Still not funny," she muttered, then took to her feet and stood in front of him. "Come on," she added, her hands finding his tie and starting to loosen the knot, "let's get ready for bed."

He smiled. "Let's, I need to get my beauty sleep anyway."

Pulling his tie out from around the collar of his shirt, she giggled and started walking to the bathroom, a sarcastic, "Of course you do," on her lips.

…

What exaggerations about his state of body and mind Andy offered the previous night, turned only too true the following day. There was no containing his excitement, and it started the second he woke up, the first coherent thought in his head, "We're getting married today."

His happiness only increased when he opened his eyes and found Sharon facing him, her own eyes still closed. It had been awhile since he had woken to find her still asleep, so as much as he itched to wake her with a kiss and start rambling about her becoming his wife in a few short hours, he kept himself in check and refrained.

He squeezed his arm underneath his pillow and snuggled into it, finding a comfortable position to simply watch her. He would be sent on his merry way with nothing but his tuxedo soon, so he had to make the best of what little time he had before that happened. She'd be spending God knew how long on getting ready for the ceremony, and there was no doubt that she'd take his breath away once she finally allowed him to see her, but his heart was so full, he was so utterly giddy with excitement that, if given the opportunity, he would have said "I do" right then and there, him in his plain pajamas, hair sticking every which way, and her in her cream nightgown, not a speck of makeup on her face, her hair wild and tousled from sleep.

"Beautiful."

His whispered word took him by surprise, and he held his breath for a moment, worried it would wake her, but thankfully, her chest continued to rise and fall in a steady relaxed rhythm, and he released the breath, relieved.

Suddenly, her lips twitched, once, twice, before spreading into a lazy line of a smile. But she had not woken still, and Andy found himself longing to step into her dream, see what caused the smile's appearance, and to figure out how to put it there himself. It lasted a mere second though, and when her features returned to their impassive state, he missed it instantly.

After all, he loved her smile. Loved to make her smile, too.

But he let go of it for the moment and let his eyes take in the rest of her features. A stray strand of hair had fallen over her face, covering one of her eyelids and the end of her nose, each breath disturbing its tips. Unable to contain himself anymore, he reached out a hand, and gently, careful to touch nothing but the disobedient tuft of hair, hooked his fingertip underneath it and lifted it to tuck it behind her ear. She frowned briefly, momentarily revealing creases on her brow she usually covered up with makeup. Her nose scrunched up, too, and there was a slight hitch in her breathing, and Andy stiffened, his hand remaining in the air just above her ear, waiting a beat to see if he had perhaps failed, woken her unintentionally after all.

He hadn't. Within another beat, her normal breathing resumed, her features softened and he was able to safely pull his hand back and revel in being able to take in her entire features without the pesky strand of hair in the way.

Although he did love that hair of hers, too. Instinctively, his hand made its way back to it. His fingers were just short of slipping into the soft tendrils when he came to his senses and he quickly pulled it back. As if to make absolutely sure he wasn't tempted again, he went on to silently stuff it into the pocket of his pajama bottoms. He would indulge in that particular part of her later, for now he really was content to just let, and watch, her sleep.

Suddenly, he found that his heart was beating hard and fast in his chest. He dipped his head, looking at himself, half expecting to see its outline appear in the fabric of his t-shirt with each beat. He had better not land in hospital today, he thought dryly. Sharon would kill him.

Or maybe not.

She'd worry.

Just like he had been worrying as of late.

The thought did not speed up his heartbeat, but suddenly made each current beat more palpable, to the point where it actually ached. Her collapse replayed in slow motion in his mind, and his throat closed up with the renewed realization that she could have been taken away from him before they ever got to today.

He really did understand why Ricky and Emily were hovering quite as much as they were. Neither was ready to even think about having to let her go.

He most certainly wasn't. Never would be.

In a few hours he'd officially promise not to, to God and the world, and the fact put a smile on his face, one not too dissimilar to the one crossing his soon-to-be-wife's features a few moments earlier.

For all his watching her, it had completely escaped his notice when her breathing finally did change to the tell-tale rhythm of her pulling out of sleep. In fact, he had been so immersed in his thoughts, that even though she spoke softly, the words somewhere in between a moan and a whisper, he startled when she did.

"You're staring."

Recovering, Andy grinned. "Can you blame me?"

She opened her eyes, and his heart actually skipped a beat this time. "Yes," she mumbled, still sleepy, "as a matter of fact," her voice steadied and she smiled, making her eyes twinkle playfully, "I can."

Andy laughed and finally did what he'd been refraining from for the last ten minutes. When they parted lips, flirty, and his fingers still tangled up in her hair, he said, "Good morning."

She hummed and scooted closer to him, tucking her head underneath his chin. "Morning." Her next words flooded Andy with warmth and, if possible, he grew even more infatuated with her. "Future husband."

In one fluid motion, he had his arms around her and was rolling over onto his back, bringing her flush up on top of him. He laughed at the surprised yelp she let out, and teasingly asked, "Still haven't changed your mind?"

She wiggled her hands out from between their bodies and clasped his cheeks. "Not yet," she said before kissing him.

Even though he was relatively sure she was only teasing back, when she released his face, Andy choked out, "Not yet?"

He was denied an answer because of a knock on the door. Sharon chuckled when he groaned even before Emily's voice instantly followed. "I hope you're decent!"

"The ways I could respond to that," Andy mumbled only half-jokingly as Sharon rolled off of him. The look she threw him said, 'Don't you dare,' and he smartly did not. Instead, he plastered a fake smile on his face, lifted his head from his pillow and looked at the door. "By all means, come on in, Emily."

The door flew open before he was even halfway through his sentence. Emily clapped her hands excitedly, but when her eyes landed on them still sprawled on their backs, she dropped them to her hips and ordered sternly, "Get up!"

Andy flopped his head back to the pillow. "Oh, my God," he groaned, "there are two of them." Sharon whacked a hand across his chest admonishingly and he rolled his head to glare at her. "Ow," he said indignantly.

Sharon just laughed and addressed her eldest child. "We were just about to actually."

Andy shot her an incredulous look. "No, we wer-"

Another smack of her hand promptly shut his mouth. "You first," Sharon ordered, poking him lightly, and this time Andy really did believe there were two of them.

Grunting and muttering something indiscernible under his breath, he dragged his body out of bed. The sweet agony of waiting was about to commence and he had no other choice but to endure it. "See you at two then?" he asked when he reached Sharon's bedside on his way to the bathroom.

He looked so utterly dejected at the prospect of not seeing her until the ceremony that both Emily and Sharon started giggling. They would of course see each other before he was officially shooed out of the condo, but Sharon nodded and said, "See you at two."

He shook his head at the both of them and opened the bathroom door. Before he could close it behind him, however, Sharon added a questioning, "Andy?" When he lifted an eyebrow at her, she tilted her head to the side and gave him an affectionate smile. "Not ever."

When her words sunk in, his entire face lit up and he quickly shuffled back toward their bed. "See you at two," he said, suddenly cheerful, then pecked her on the lips and finally disappeared into the bathroom.

Emily frowned at the closed door, confused. "What was that about?"

Laughing merrily at Andy's antics, Sharon got out of bed, too, and waved the question off. "Oh," the drawn out syllable sounded giddy, "nothing."

Emily narrowed her eyes at her, but did not prod further. There was a silly smile on her mother's face as she started making the bed, and she decided that alone was enough of an answer.

By all means, tell me what you thought of this! :)