A Little Snow Chapter 5

Almost an hour later they were finally able to get back on the road. It had taken a good half hour to get the car warmed up and the snow cleared off the hood and from around the area. Checking out of the hotel had been easy enough, and they had made sure to triple check that they had everything they needed if they got stuck en route. The snowploughs had been out, so the worst parts of the road were the turns and edges where the snow had piled and refrozen into thick rivets. The tires crunched through the iced over tire marks and walls of snow, but as they had hoped the main roads were not as bad; slow, but not treacherous.

"Well," Andy reasoned flipping on the blinker to merge onto the mostly deserted I-95. "That didn't take too terribly long to get out of there. Only a couple hundred miles to go."

Sharon nodded with her eyes staring out the front window. "Only," she sighed rubbing her hands together and rolling her head to the side. "I am glad we are at least moving. It would have been worse to wait it out. Especially if for some reason they were wrong and it didn't end up snowing more."

"True," he agreed with his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I mean they were a little off on the impact of this first one. Maybe the same will be the case this time. We could use a couple wrong predictions right now. Even on the best days this is not my favorite drive."

"Have you made this drive before?"

Andy turned his head in her direction and shrugged, "Once or twice." When Sharon raised an eyebrow in question he explained, "I think I mentioned I'm from this part of the world?"

"I think I had read that before, but not Virginia," she shrugged thinking back to her knowledge of his file. She pursed her lips together in thought, "Somewhere in New York though?"

Andy nodded, "Yes, not Virginia, but have you ever heard of a vacation?" He chuckled lightly, "We may not have had a lot, but we did travel to the nation's capital once or twice as kids. Even as an adult as well."

"But the drive recently? How would you have found the time to fly across the country and then make the drive all on your vacation time?" Sharon probed in an attempt to overshadow any unintended insult he could have heard in her comment. "Surely you don't usually drive. The distance is not that bad, but the time on the road would take away from the weekend. It always takes longer with traffic and construction areas."

Andy shrugged, "When we were kids the drive was easier, our parents loaded us up a couple time to head down the coast to the beach. We stopped in Washington a couple years as part of the road trip. Even now I'm not too keen on flying. If I can get away with driving, I will. When my sister was sick a couple summers ago we took some time to relive a few of our favorite childhood memories. The road trip to DC was one of them; cherry blossoms, museums, monuments, and all of that you know history stuff," he smirked lightheartedly.

"I see," Sharon hummed. She took a moment to process all of the information before asking, "Did you say your sister was ill? Is this the same one you are visiting this year?"

Andy drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel for a moment, "Yes, she was." He rolled his head in her direction, "Thyroid cancer. She recovered, but she has some other things going on now. I wanted to visit for the holidays. Family is important."

"Yes," Sharon gave him a sympathetic smile, "it is." Andy turned his head back to face the road. She studied him for a moment before continuing. "Is she doing all right now? I mean the other things, are they bad?"

Andy pressed his lips together for a moment to consider the question. "They aren't great, but she's doing all right. She's a very strong and tough woman, this setback won't hold her back for long."

"That's good," Sharon smiled in return. "So, you two are close?"

Still looking out the front window he smiled, "Yeah I mean it's just the two of us. Sure, I have my kids, but they don't always want me around." He paused for a moment before focusing again on his sister. "Liv and I were close growing up, but more so in the last few years. You know a little bit about my past from work… well Liv was there when things really hit rock bottom. She was there to yell at me to suck it up and grow up." He chuckled lightly at the memory, "Yeah, she's a bit terrifying when she wants to be, but the perfect mix I needed to look at my life – when I was ready to see it - and to make a change. I am lucky to have her, even if we still can argue like nobody's business, we're family."

"It's good you have her," Sharon hummed thoughtfully. "And it sounds like she is lucky to have you as well. I mean with any health issues and everything. I know if my sisters were sick I would be out there straight away, and they would as well. It's difficult when we get older and spread out across the country, but we are still there for one another. No matter what."

Andy nodded, "So, where is your family this Christmas? You said you were just spending it with your daughter?"

"Yes," Sharon smiled through the word. "I am spending it over here with Emily. My son is studying abroad, and the rest of my family is together at my parent's time-share in Utah. We usually go there, but this year Emily needed to stay in the city for holiday. You see she is a dancer and the season does not allow for her to have a long enough break to get away. Her roommates are out though, so I am staying with her there. A cozy little Christmas, or at least that was the plan."

"A dancer?" Andy drawled a little unsure if he had heard her correctly.

"Yes," Sharon turned to him still smiling, but the smile quickly dissolved into a laugh when she noticed his confused expression. She swatted him on the arm and stressed explained, "Ballet, Andy, my daughter is a ballet dancer."

He smiled and rubbed his arm where she had hit him, "Oh, well, that makes more sense. Not that I was going to judge or anything, I mean if it was her passion." He chuckled along with Sharon momentarily forgetting about the stress of anxiety of the last day, "Sorry."

Sharon calmed her breathing and shrugged, "Don't be. I mean like you said, if it was her passion I would support it... but in this case her passion is ballet and I have done and am doing everything in my power to help her achieve her goals. So, this year that entails spending Christmas in New York. Although, in all honesty it is not a bad place to be for Christmas.; the ice skating, the pop-up shops in Union Square and Bryant Square Park, the tree at Rockefeller Center, and then of course a peaceful evening walk through Central Park with the lights of the city giving it a Christmassy glow, the smell of vendors roasting chestnuts on their carts..." her voice trailed as her mind drifted to other holiday scenes in the city.

Andy turned his head to the side to see her smiling softly at nothing in particular. "So, you've spent a Christmas in the city before?"

Sharon jostled her head slightly to bring herself out back to the conversation. She turned her head in his direction and repeated his earlier sentiment, "Once or twice." She nodded as a clarification, "I'm from this part of the world as well."

"Really?" Andy eyed her with suspicion.

"Well, not New York City, but just a couple hours away. We used to come to the city every few years around Christmas time. It was a little different then, but still a pretty magical place. Especially when we were old enough to go to a show or the ballet." Sharon's eyes lit up as she continued to recall childhood memories. "The Nutcracker was probably my favorite tradition, whether it was seeing it here or back home. It does not matter how many times I have seen it, something about the bum b-b-b-bum bum bum bum bum, is just..." she turned to Andy and stopped short, slightly embarrassed at how she had allowed her story to wander. At his subtle smirk she sat back in her chair. "Sorry," she sighed, "that was a lot of information all at once."

Andy smiled, "No, go on. I mean I enjoy the holiday and that music? Iconic. But I maybe have never enjoyed Christmas to that extent. It sounds like it may possibly be your favorite." He shrugged playfully, "Possibly."

Sharon rolled her eyes, "You will definitely start believing in Christmas miracles after what I am about to say..."

"Why? What's wrong?" Andy wondered, unsure of her meaning.

She laughed lightly, "Because I am about to tell you that you are right, again. It may possibly be my favorite time of year. What is that three times in one day? Definitely a miracle."

"Ha-ha very funny, Raydor," Andy drawled before breaking his insulted facade and chuckling along with her. "But if we are keeping score then I will definitely take it. December 24, Sharon admits Andy is right about everything."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself on that one, Flynn. We still have a ways to go."

Andy dipped his head in her direction. "Indeed," before he lifted the left side of his mouth into a half grin. "But I think I'll take my chances with the assumption. Feeling lucky today." She gave him an, oh really look, that had him amending his statement, "Well, travel delays aside."

"We'll see," Sharon hummed.

The trip continued on in mostly comfortable silence. The drive was slow, but not especially hazardous, just light snow falling over the now icy roads. Sharon was about to ask how they were on gas when Andy's cell phone rang. He fumbled with it for a moment before he was able to flip it open and press talk. Placing the phone between his ear and shoulder he answered, "Flynn."

On the other side of the line Sharon could barely make out the gruff voice of his partner, "Oh he answers. My lord I was starting to wonder if you had driven into a ditch or something. I know the planes got rerouted from the storm, but -"

"Ah, that's nice Provenza," Andy interrupted the other man and tilted his eyes toward Sharon as he emphasized the name. She nodded silently in understanding as he continued, "I didn't know you were worried about me. Melts my heart to hear you care."

"Care?" The other man repeated. "I don't care, but I also don't want to have to break in a new partner. You're not perfect, but you'll do." Andy chuckled into the phone as Provenza continued, "No, Flynn, I heard about the delay. Then knowing you I had a feeling you would try to make it anyway. So, you probably rented a car and if you didn't end up in a ditch, you had to admit defeat and pull over somewhere for the evening."

Andy sighed, "We didn't end up in a ditch."

"We?" Provenza interjected skeptically, "Who is we? You didn't have your sister meet you in DC did you?"

Andy closed his eyes briefly and sighed, "No. I meant we as in me and, um, the car." He cut his eyes over to Sharon who was attempting to listen-in, "No I did not end up in a ditch. I stopped off at a hotel. Just got back on the road a little while ago. It's slow, but I should be in the city mid-afternoon."

"Good," Provenza drawled somewhat suspiciously, "like I said, would hate to have to train someone new."

Andy rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that would be tragic. I would hate for you to have to undergo that hardship."

"Well," Provenza continued as if his partner had not spoken, "Drive safe, don't be an idiot, and call me when you get in."

Andy smirked, "Okay, Mom, will do."

On the other side of the line Provenza huffed, "Not funny, Flynn. Talk to you soon."

"Yeah, I'll call you later," Andy acknowledged before he clicked off call.

When he placed the phone down on the console between them Sharon glanced over, "We? You've been a cop for how many years and you almost blow the whole 'we somehow got ourselves stuck together' right away." She leaned back in her chair, "We would never hear the end of this ridiculous thing. I can only imagine."

"Still, not the plan," Andy agreed. "It isn't worth the headache to explain that I thought it would be a nice gesture. Holiday spirit and all."

Sharon cut her eyes at him skeptically, "Of course. It's never too late to be kind, I suppose. Even though I would have been fine on my own."

"I know you would have been," he nodded. "It is nice though to not travel alone, since it has been rather slow."

Sharon's mouth formed into a soft smile, "I guess it could always be worse."

"Yeah," Andy smirked in return, "it could have been Provenza flying out to meet someone."

Sharon chuckled lightly at the thought, "Well, I am sure he would have avoided me at the airport, so this would never have had a chance to happen."

"Like you were going to avoid me?"

"I wasn't going to avoid you exactly," Sharon lamented. "I was really just trying to avoid an awkward situation. You are not exactly the most predictable person to run into, especially if your plans are interrupted."

"Yeah, I'm full of surprises," he joked. "How is that working out for you?"

She raised an eyebrow in his direction, "The jury is still out."

"Good to know," he teased with his eyes on the road. He leaned forward and squinted his eyes out ahead, "Does that look recent?" Andy nodded to a car on the side of the road about one hundred yards ahead.

Sharon leaned forward in her seat, "I think so, it looks like the lights may be on. It's hard to tell."

Andy slowly directed their vehicle to the side of the road, "Guess we can check it out."

She rubbed her hands together as a way to prepare for the interaction. Peering though the window she worried, "Hopefully it is not anything too serious. It is not that best place to wait out the weather, or to hope for someone to pass by." Sharon gestured her head toward the chunks of ice on the shoulder of the highway, "Be careful pulling over, we don't want to get stuck either."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, because that's exactly what I want to tell Provenza when I call him back, we got stuck in a ditch."

"Well," Sharon shrugged, "then you better be careful and pay attention then."

Andy pressed his lips together in frustration as he silently pulled their car up beside the other one.