A Little Snow Chapter 9

Once they were upstairs in the apartment Sharon took the opportunity to kick off her boots and remove some of her layers. Even though she and Andy had made it to the city at a decent hour she was still eager to change out of her travel attire. Plus, running some water over her face and taking a moment to decompress was a small act to prepare for the evening ahead; figuratively washing away the travel stress of the last twenty-four hours.

While her mother was settling in Emily deposited the cookies in her apartment's small kitchen area and plugged a phone into the charger in the living room. "So, Mom," she called to her mother who stood at the bathroom sink, "do you want to rest a little here or go ahead and head out? We missed the matinee, but could still do a few other holiday things around the city before it gets too late. There are a few different places we could go in addition to the ones we discussed."

Sharon emerged from the bathroom rubbing lotion into her hands. "That sounds lovely. I am ready for whatever you want to do. I am sorry we missed the ballet though, Em -."

"Don't worry, Mom," Emily interrupted walking toward her mother, "I am just happy you are here." She hugged her mother again, "I missed you." When she pulled back she smiled, "Besides, while it may be a Christmas tradition, we have seen the Nutcracker a time or two. It is even possible I have danced it so many times I could recreate the whole performance for you right here in my small living room."

Sharon returned her daughter's smile, "Indeed you could."

"We will just have to adapt. Perhaps we could start some new traditions," Emily shrugged, "or we could at least take the opportunity to do some things we rarely get the chance to do. Since my lovely baby brother is not here to moan about missing things we could go a little rogue." She paused for a moment and lifted her eyebrows teasingly, "After all, I am not the child who is prone to teeny meltdowns if the Christmas Village is not arranged perfectly, or if someone gets more cookies than someone else."

Sharon rolled her eyes playfully at the joke, "Now Emily, let's be kind. Your brother gets very excited about the holidays. I do not know where he gets it from." She smirked innocently and walked across the room to her bag. "I do wish he could have made it home this year. I know it is a really good opportunity for him to be studying and living abroad. The experiences are priceless and it is only one year, but still…" Sharon's voice trailed as she attempted to hide the hint of grief at not being able to see her son for Christmas this year.

"At least you were able to make it here though," Emily encouraged, "and we are going to Skype with him this evening. A benefit to the time difference is that he should be waking up after we get home from Mass. It will be perfect."

Sharon shook off her sudden flash of sadness and smiled, "Yes, that will be perfect. Sorry, I know it is all a good thing. You are both growing up and experiencing life. I am so proud of both of you, and very thankful I was able to make it here to you."

"Me too," her daughter nodded, "and I guess we could thank the Lieutenant for helping you get here on time? Or I guess, in time?" Sharon raised a skeptic eyebrow in her daughter's direction as Emily continued, "Even if you are about to point out that you would have been perfectly fine on your own, that you did not need his help, and that you did not purposely travel with him… I am glad you at least had someone to travel with, and to keep things interesting."

"Interesting is definitely a word for it. Surprising, no, refreshing are also words that could work." While Emily finished getting ready herself, Sharon sat on the futon couch to pull her boots back on. She sighed, "I do not have many friends in the department, and I would not have put Lieutenant Flynn on that list prior to this." Sharon paused for a moment to consider the situation, "Also, I don't really think many things will change once we get back to work. I will admit it was nice that we could move past our differences, and get along well enough to make it here in one piece." Sharon chuckled, "of course he may not have been so lucky if I had not been with him."

Across the room Emily looked out from her closet, "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing he fell on the ice, and dropped his phone. I am sure it was just the cold the caused the battery to die, or maybe he forgot to charge it overnight at the hotel. No matter what it was it was not working. He would not have had a way to communicate if I had not been with him. Also, his own stubbornness could have prevented him from stopping last night when the conditions were too dangerous to continue on. It is entirely possible his competitive nature would have spun him straight into a ditch."

Emily selected a coat from the closet and pulled it on. "You mean he thought it would be okay to drive last night? Why do people do that? You cannot outsmart the weather."

At the question Sharon paused for a moment. She considered what the two of them had discussed on the road, combined with what she had heard over the years. To the outside it may have looked as though he was being stubborn, or even foolish, to want to push on through a storm. However, she could not help but think there was something more motivating him to make it in time for Christmas. "Not wanting to let his family down was probably a factor." She sighed thoughtfully, "Andy really wanted to spend the holiday with his sister, since his children had other plans. Not wanting to disappoint those you love can play a role when you have spent the last few years trying to make amends for your past. You don't want to let anyone down, even if they would understand that you cannot control the weather, or air travel." Sharon shrugged and forced a laugh to lighten the mood, "Also the stubbornness thing I mentioned earlier, probably could have had something to do with it."

"Well, he seems like a decent guy," Emily shrugged pulling her hair into a low bun and wrapping her scarf around her neck. "Especially if he is trying to make things right with his family." Sharon pressed her lips into a cautious half smile, but Emily shook off that potentially sad train of thought. She forced her own smile, "So, what else happened on your trip? I mean besides him pushing on and breaking his phone."

Sharon shrugged unsure of what else to offer. Yes, the trip had been surprising and refreshing, but it was what it was. A series of coincidences that turned out to not be that bad of a trip, "Not really anything special. He dropped his phone while we were helping a couple of kids get back on the road for their Christmas plans. It was a slight delay, but in the grand scheme of the trip a good opportunity to help someone else. Other than that?" She paused as her mind went over the rest of the trip, "There really is not anything else to say, we survived."

Emily felt like there was something more, but she did not know if it was the appropriate time to push her mother for more information. "Well, maybe it was good for both of you to have someone to travel with," she suggested. "Your presence may have prevented him from getting into an accident, you helped some strangers, and you were not all alone on the highway. Maybe now you will have a new ally at work, or something."

Sharon sighed, "Perhaps. Although, like I said I doubt it will be brought up again. Especially because of work, I am not well liked and Andy is a bit of a wildcard. Besides, I do have an image to protect. I would hate for anyone in the department to hear that the wicked witch exists outside of the halls of the PAB, and that she shockingly bakes Christmas cookies for her children."

Emily laughed at her mother's joke, "Or that she flies commercial and not on her broom."

"Exactly," Sharon agreed standing up and pulling on her coat.

"I do not know how you put up with those people," her daughter continued to giggle. "However, after briefly meeting this Andy fellow, I do think you may have been exaggerating a tad. He was very nice, and not too bad to look at either…"

"Emily Eileen," Sharon sighed heavily dropping her head back. "We work together. By some strange coincidence we wound up on the same flight and traveling in the same direction. We survived 24 hours together on the road. It was surprisingly nice, but there is nothing more."

Emily smiled as she turned to put her gloves in her purse. "Nothing more," she repeated sarcastically. "Of course, I did not detect anything else. Nothing going on at all." She slid her camera into her bag as well and found her keys. As she walked toward the front door she called back to her mother, "Now, what about those plans for dinner?"

-x-x-

A few blocks uptown Andy had made it to the rental car return and turned over the keys. Instead of waiting in the lobby he opted to stand outside on the sidewalk to take in the sights and sounds of the city. The sun was setting over the river sending a few final rays bouncing off the snow. To his right he could hear the subway rumbling under the sidewalk vents, and see the steam rising slowly from the ground. With his bag beside him he stretched lightly. He stood tall, enjoying the crisp air and a moment to finally stand up and relax; he had made it, finally. As he rolled his neck, his eyes closed, he heard a sharp whistle from the east corner. With his head relaxed back he opened his eyes and smiled broadly into the sky. She was a small woman, but that whistle could be heard for miles. He rolled his head toward the sound.

"Hey old man!" Liv called striding toward him bundled in her coat and scarf, "I thought we agreed you would wait for me inside the building. It would have been incredibly embarrassing to have to report a missing LAPD detective on Christmas Eve. I am sure the NYPD would love to have a story like that to hold over your department."

Andy turned as she approached, his smile still wide, "Contrary to popular belief I am an adult and am perfectly capable of making decisions and of taking care of myself." He shrugged, "I didn't think it was too big of a risk to wait outside. Look here," he pointed to the sidewalk, "I didn't even wander too far."

Liv lifted an eyebrow in his direction, "Please excuse me for worrying. Risk assessment has not always been your strong suit."

"Perhaps, but today I did all right." He grinned stepping forward and wrapping his sister in a hug, "Merry Christmas, sis."

"Merry Christmas, kid," she smiled into his chest. "I am so glad you made it."

"Me too," he hummed pulling away from her. "It was touch and go there for a bit, but I was never going to let a little snow keep me away."

Liv stepped away from him his hold and readjusted her purse on her shoulder. "A little snow?" She echoed, "half of the eastern seaboard was shut down because of that storm. Travel was delayed for thousands of people. You were lucky to have landed as close as you did."

"I am thankful for that," Andy continued to grin. "Even if at the time I was a little perturbed." His sister gave him a doubting look at the word little, as he continued, "Still, I made the best of it. Here I am."

She shook her head in amusement, "Here you are." Liv smiled and looped her arm through his to walk together down the street. "All in one piece, minus a phone, and possibly injured due not respecting the elements, but –"

"Hey now," he interrupted, "I respect the elements. I'll have you know we were helping some stranded kids. I fell and broke my phone sure, but it was all in the line of duty."

She smirked, "The line of duty, really?" When he only nodded she quipped, "Well, try to stay upright for the rest of the trip, hm? We are down a day and I would hate to spend any of it in the hospital."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Andy dropped his head back in exaggeration. "You would think I should just give up now, wrap myself in bubble wrap and call it a day."

"Well," his sister considered.

Andy pulled away slightly, "I was joking."

Liv laughed out loud at his expression, "Maybe if you stop falling we will have something else to focus on. Until then you will just have to stay vertical and out of hospitals."

He rolled his eyes, "You're hilarious. I am surrounded by comedians."

"Speaking of being surrounded, everything go all right when you dropped Sharon off at her daughter's place?" Andy shrugged a yes, but did not offer any other information. Liv glanced up at his face before looking down to the watch on her wrist. "Okay, I guess that is a yes. We have about an hour before the reservation though. What is the plan with Sharon? Are we all meeting at the restaurant?"

Still walking along beside her Andy pressed his lips together. "Well," he sighed, "I don't know if they are joining us. It's -"

"Christmas," Liv completed his sentence removing her arm from his to stop him. "Andrew, I thought Sharon and her daughter were going to join us. What did you do?"

"Me?" Andy gasped. "I didn't do anything. It was a long trip. They have plans too. They were going to discuss it after I left."

Liv shook her head, "I wasn't suggesting we take over their evening. It would just be so lovely to meet them. How often do I get a chance to meet your friends? Your surly partner does not count… Did you at least give them the name of the restaurant?"

"Well, no," Andy sighed. "I'm sure she will let you know what they decide. She has your number." He took a step forward to continue their walk.

Live nodded and followed along beside him. "She does," Liv commented as she reached for her phone. "Just to be safe, I will text her the address and the time so they know for sure."

Andy moaned tiredly, "Okay, sis. Let them know, but don't be upset if it doesn't happen. I am sure she wants to spend some time apart. It was a long day, a strange day, and..."

As his voice trailed Liv peeked up from her phone screen. Her brother looked tired, but also in good spirits. "It won't hurt to ask Andy," she hummed. "Are you afraid of her knowing too much about you? Afraid I'll start spilling your secrets?"

Andy slowly exhaled, "Well, I wasn't, but now?"

His sister chuckled once and returned to her text. "Don't worry Andrew. It will be fine."

A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews and comments on this story and the others. I may sound like a broken record, but I really appreciate all of you so so much.