A Little Snow Chapter 14

The walk down to the corner did not take long. Luckily, the store was open and had a variety of medications in stock to hopefully help with his aches. While Sharon waited by the door Andy picked up a few other small items before checking out and following her back outside.

"Were you two planning on doing anything else today?" He asked strolling up beside Sharon at the street crossing.

They waited for traffic to slow and stepped away from the curb. "Well," she considered, "I guess plans are dependent on how we feel today. I am ready for anything Emily wants to do. I don't want to waste any of the trip if she has plans to get back out. She may want to stay in and catch up. Unfortunately, I fly out tomorrow afternoon, so we do not have a lot of time left. We lost out on some of our time together when the plans for yesterday, like going to the ballet, were missed. If Emily is up for it I was considering maybe a short walk around Central Park." She paused as they reached the other side of the street and turned to eye him playfully, "but not ice skating in the park. I think we are good on ice for the trip, maybe even the year." He smirked at her joke as she continued. "If we did that then we may also stop in at the Plaza in the afternoon for a bite to eat. We will just have to see how the day goes, I guess. There aren't as many options activity-wise on Christmas day." Sharon made the move to step around a melting puddle on the sidewalk, "What about -" but mid-question the heel of her boot skimmed a slick spot and slipped out from underneath her.

Andy swiftly reached out to help her balance and she wrapped both of her arms around his extended elbow to stay upright. When she was stable again, Andy chuckled still allowing her to hang on, "And what was the deal about falling?"

"Very funny," she sighed, standing taller. She let out a calming breath and tightened her arm around his as a response to his quick action and her wobbly leg. She jostled their bound arms and muttered, "Thanks." Sharon took a cautious step forward, a little worried the near wipe out could have reinjured her knee. When it did not seem to be any worse she turned toward him, "Apparently these shoes are not even practical for the city. I guess that is two strikes against fashionable riding boots and the winter elements."

Andy grinned, "I was not going to say anything, but since you brought it up." His voice trailed teasingly as she took another careful step forward. He stayed at her side, their linked arms not being addressed by either one of them, as they made sure she was okay to continue on with their walk.

Convinced her knee was fine, Sharon rolled her eyes at his comment. "You weren't going to say anything?" She stared up at him suspiciously, "You mean you weren't going to take advantage of this rare occasion to point out that you were once again right about my choice of footwear?" He pressed his lips together unsure of how to reply. Before he could worry about how to not say the wrong thing her face broke into a smile, "I was playing with you Andy. Although, pleasantly surprised that you were not quick to call me out. I guess sometimes people do change."

"Like I said," Andy smirked, "I'm full of surprises."

Staring out ahead, she smiled again, "So I hear." They continued to walk together along the sidewalk, "but really thanks for helping. I do think the whole falling bit has gotten a little tired. This would make for a very cheesy film if the writer continued to use the same clumsiness to push the plot along. Wouldn't you say?"

Andy chuckled, "I agree. Even if the snow and ice are apparently out to get us."

"At least I did not pull you down with me," Sharon laughed awkwardly, the conversation beginning to grow stale. She glanced down to their linked arms and stopped her laughter. She slowly pulled hers out of his space and tucked her hands into her pockets. Walking forward she let out another uncomfortable chuckle, "We do not need anymore opportunities for injuries, especially while we are on vacation." She shifted her gaze to the path ahead and mumbled wistfully, "No one wants to get hurt." With his arm free, he dropped it to his side, and continued to walk beside her. Her comment left hanging in the air between them.

Temporarily unsure of what to say to break the stilted silence, Sharon worried her teeth over her bottom lip. As she inhaled to offer a random comment on the change in the weather, Andy stepped to the side to turn the corner. He nodded down the next street. "This way," he offered, his arm outstretched to hover just behind her as a guide toward the shop entrance. He directed her two doors down, "It is right over here." He stepped to the door and opened it for her.

Sharon smiled softy as she walked ahead of him into the coffeehouse. There were a few people in the cafe area, but not the normal high-paced New York City morning crowd. Andy and Sharon queued at the back of the modest line to wait their turn to order.

As the line moved ahead, Andy turned to her. "Are you going straight back to Emily's, or were you going to sit and drink your own coffee first?" He asked before deciding what to order. The person ahead moved away and they stepped to the register.

She considered his question for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I had planned on taking a cab back with the drinks, and waking Emily up when I arrived at her place." She swiveled her head to survey the seating options, "but I guess I could stay. Emily would not mind an extra half hour or so. We could sit here and then I will just order her drink before we leave."

Andy dipped his head toward her, "You don't have to say yes if you don't want to. I just did not want to assume one way or the other. I could stay. Liv will also enjoy the extra sleep. She pushed herself pretty hard last night. I was considering sitting here for a little while, you know taking in the city." He grinned, "but you do not have to hang around just because I asked."

Sharon pressed her lips into a subtle smile and looked around the shop once again. "I could stay for a little while," she reasoned. "It is either sit here or sit at her place waiting for her to wake up enough to be ready for the rest of the day."

"Okay, works for me," Andy grinned and turned to the cashier. "Morning, I'll have a medium," he stopped to scan the menu board, "or you guys call it, um."

"A grande," the barista supplied pressing a button on the screen and taking a sixteen-ounce cup from the stacks to the left. The kid held the cup up in front of him to indicate the size.

Andy nodded, "Okay, a grande," he paused again and tried to search for a familiar drink, "coffee. Do you guys just have plain coffee?

"We do," the employee replied with a strained smile. "We have two different blends brewing today: Pike and our signature Christmas blend. If you want something a little richer, Americanos are always available. They are made with the espresso roast."

A little overwhelmed with the options Andy gestured toward the espresso bar, "Okay I will just be simple and have one of those, an Americano."

The kid pressed another button and picked up a sharpie to mark the cup. "Any room for cream? And what is the name for the cup?"

"Um, room for, maybe?" Andy responded, unprepared for the additional questions. The barista made a mark on the side of the cup, and looked expectantly at him for the rest of the information. "Oh, it's Flynn." Beside him Sharon held back a smile. He caught sight of her smirk and rolled his eyes. "I usually do coffee at home or at work, or Buzz makes the coffee run. There are too many options here."

She laughed lightly, but said nothing. The kid cut in, "Will that be all of you, Mr. Flynn?" He set the cup down on the line and returned his attention to the computer. The barista glanced toward Sharon, his movements asking if she was part of the order.

Andy pulled out his wallet and nodded to her, "Yes, that and whatever she is ordering."

Sharon shook her head, "It's okay, Andy. I can get my own."

"Don't worry about it," Andy waved her off, "It is on me. You brought my phone over early when you didn't have to. Plus, it is only a few dollars. It's my treat."

Sharon pursed her lips and shifted her eyes from Andy to the barista and back, "Okay." She stepped forward, "I will have a double tall, nonfat, light whip, Cinnamon Dolce latte, please." The barista entered in the information and began to fill in the boxes on the side of the cup. Sharon smiled softly and leaned in with her fingers pinched together, "Oh and could you add a smidge of caramel drizzle on top?"

Beside her Andy watched the kid nod and place the cup behind his on the to-be-made line. He turned his head to her, "Was that English? How did you do that? And actually, what did you do?" He chuckled, "I thought Provenza was fancy with his silly vanilla lattes."

Sharon smirked, "I normally drink their Joy tea this time of year, but I am still a little tired and," she shrugged nonchalantly, "it's Christmas. The sugar and caffeine should help for the day. Ricky usually orders these sweet things, but really it is pretty tasty."

He arched an eyebrow in her direction, "I'll take your word for it." He returned his attention to the register to pay. While he took care of their drinks Sharon nudged his shoulder and indicated with a nod that she was going to find a table for them. He nodded in return and watched her walk across the café. When he turned back to the register he glanced at the display case and added a couple pastries to the order to snack on for breakfast.

A few steps away, Sharon grabbed a couple napkins from the condiment bar and continued across the room. She secured a tall table by the window, looking out across an area that still had some white snow piled to the side. As she got situated in the chair, her back to the register, Andy appeared with two plates.

"I added a couple of extra things to the order," he explained setting the treats down on the table. "My sister said cranberry was festive."

Sharon smiled down to the items, "Indeed it is. These look delicious."

"This is, um, a cranberry bliss bar," he pointed to the red and white sprinkled brownie item, "and this is the cranberry orange scone. They were the only cranberry things. I figured we could eat something with the drinks. If you don't want either of them I will take them back to my sister's place with me." He nodded down to the plates as an offer for her to try one.

She smiled and broke a piece of the scone away, "These are perfect. I like cranberry. Thank you, Andy."

"You're welcome, Sharon," he hummed as he watched her take a bite.

"Flynn, I have your grande Americano and grande Cinnamon Dolce ready at the bar," a voice echoed through the room pulling his attention away from their table.

Sharon shifted to stand, but he quickly put his hand out and took a step back, "I'll get them." She nodded and took another bite of the scone. She watched him move across the room, once again struck by the odd circumstances they had found themselves in. The holiday had not gone as expected, but it had not been awful. The snowstorm could have ruined everything, but it had only delayed them a day. The road trip could have been treacherous, or even volatile, but on this side of things it had actually been enjoyable. Even the ridiculous sleeping arrangements had not ruined the trip, and now looking back she was actually kind of thankful for the situation. She truly had enjoyed meeting his sister and getting to know him outside of work.

For years she had kept her personal life separate from her professional life, but this trip had it all mingled together and the world had not ended. Andy was surprisingly considerate of the situation, and had gone out of his way at times to make sure everyone was comfortable. Being friends with a hot-tempered trouble-finder like Andy Flynn had seemed like the most ridiculous thing a few days ago, but now she felt like she may miss the friendship when they returned to their real lives. There was something about the holiday that was making it feel as though this was not just a random occurrence; or like she could-.

"Sharon. Um, Sharon?" Andy repeated a little louder, pulling her out of her thoughts. He smiled softly as she glanced up at him, her eyes still slightly vacant as she hummed in reply. "Here's your latte thing," he motioned handing it to her before taking his own seat.

She shook herself out of her thoughts one more time and reached for the cup, "Oh, sorry. Thank you." After she took the drink, she removed the lid to allow it to cool on the table.

Andy eyed the coffee with the whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and cinnamon dolce powder topping. "Wow, that is a Christmas treat. Looks like something Provenza would definitely order if he knew how." He glanced between the two different drinks, "Not going to lie, I wish I had ordered it too."

Sharon smirked at his somewhat jealous expression as his eyes stared longingly at her cup. She lifted the drink to her lips and casually shrugged, "That is unfortunate. You will just have to be smarter next time, or ask for help." She took a sip and made an exaggerated hum of contentment, "it's really good. You definitely missed out."

His mouth dropped slightly at the sarcastic response. "You're hilarious, Raydor."

"That is what I have been told, Flynn." She took another sip in an effort to hide her amusement. He rolled his eyes at the tease, and lifted his own drink to cover his smirk at the playful exchange.

The brief silence was interrupted once again, but this time by a buzz from his phone. Andy retrieved the device from his pocket and glanced at the screen. He sighed heavily as he flashed it in her direction, "Speak of the devil." Sharon leaned forward and let out a soft laugh as she read, The Idiot, scrolled across the screen. Andy flipped it back around and stared at the phone, unsure if he wanted to answer or to let it go to voicemail.

"You may want to answer it," Sharon recommended. "He was feisty this morning and will probably just keep calling back. I am surprised he was able to wait this long before waking you up to - what did he say?" Sharon thought back to the early morning conversation and smirked, "Harass your ass."

Andy sighed and rolled his eyes, "Such a pleasant old man."

"Old? Well, he is your friend," she laughed, "and he does seem to care."

He shook his head to the side and pressed the answer icon. Andy lifted the phone to his ear, "What do you want?"

"So, you have decided to grace the world with your presence today?" Came his partner's gruff voice over the line, "A Christmas miracle for us all."

Andy made an unimpressed face at Sharon who only smiled in amusement and took another sip of her drink. "Merry Christmas to you too, Provenza."

"Yeah, yeah, Merry Christmas," the other man huffed. "Why in the hell didn't you call me yesterday? You're the idiot who decided to drive on those roads, and then you didn't have the decency to let me know if I needed to put in for a new partner or not. I told you, Flynn, I do not have time to train anyone else."

He rolled his eyes and groaned, "Heaven forbid you would ever have to face that kind of hardship." Sharon arched an eyebrow in question, but Andy shrugged her off. She nodded, understanding his unspoken – Provenza being Provenza – gesture. Andy glanced out the window as he added, "I got in yesterday afternoon, but my phone wasn't working. It was -."

"Yesterday afternoon?" The Lieutenant interrupted. "I thought your sister said you did not get in until late last night?"

Andy looked back across the table at Sharon. She leaned forward in her chair trying to figure out what they were saying. He stared at her with a bit of confusion, "She said that? Well, she was right. I mean late yesterday afternoon your time. It was too late here to think about calling. I was beat."

"I see," Provenza hummed. "And yesterday the we – being you and the car?" The man recapped from their conversation on the road. "I feel like there is something else going on Flynn… and since when does your sister know my first name? That is privileged information and I have never even met the woman in person, only briefly on the phone for health updates. Come to think of it, she did sound like she was coming down with something. Didn't sound like a Fl-."

Andy furrowed his eyebrows and chimed in to interrupt his partner's thoughts, "She called you Louie?" He glanced across the table to see Sharon's eyes widen at her realization that she had misspoken earlier. "Well, I am sure I have mentioned your name in the past. It's not exactly a State Secret Louie, even if you want to pretend like it is," Andy stammered. "I am sure she was just being nice after you woke her up. That nice thing - being a foreign concept for you, I'm sure."

"That's not true, Flynn. I am nice," his partner bellowed into the phone. "What has got you so moody? You're acting stranger than usual."

Andy sat back in his seat, "Me? Moody? That's a little pot calling the kettle right there. Wouldn't you say?" He looked to Sharon again and rolled his eyes. "Look, Provenza. I am here today, and I will be there tomorrow evening. You know my itinerary and you know I am alive. Please let me enjoy my Christmas in peace, it's not like I go away all of the time. You can survive a little longer without me."

"Fine," he grumbled, "and did you just imply that I cannot survive without you? That is so far from the truth I am not even going to dignify it with a response. Besides, just so you know, Flynn, I am not being moody. You are the one who is not answering your phone and then making up bizarre stories to explain yourself. There is something going on out there. If I cared at all I would try to figure it out, but you're right it is Christmas and I have to go and see the grandkids. Just stay out of trouble."

Andy nodded, "Will do. Bye." He hung up the phone and set it down on the table in front of him. "Well," he shrugged running his hand over his face, "that went well. He is always so friendly."

Sharon smirked, "Glad to know it is not just me he likes to argue with. You two are quite the pair."

"Hey now," Andy grumbled, placing his hand over his chest with sincerity. "I only argue when I am wronged. He will moan and groan about anything and everything."

She hummed, "I see. Totally different," and took a sip of her drink.

He gave her a skeptical look over the rim of his own drink. "It is, you should know that -."

"It's always Provenza's fault," Sharon teased finishing the sentence for him. "I think I have picked up on that over the years. You're always completely innocent." She laughed, "even if you're the only one involved."

Andy sat across quietly considering what to say next as she continued to laugh at her joke and his sullen expression. When her breathing leveled out he slanted his head toward her, "Are you done?" She closed her mouth to fight off the last chuckle and nodded. "I was actually about to say something about the fact that you should know I only argue because it is fun. Not like him, who does it to be an ass."

"Oh really," she sighed, fighting a smile. "You think it's fun to call me names and to risk your job? Interesting."

Andy shrugged and lifted his cup to his mouth. "Well, not when you put it that way, but as a diversion, yes. Very few people get as riled up about regulations and proper procedure as you. It is much more entertaining to bother you than it is to sit and watch Provenza do a crossword... or to take bets on what the Chief will do when the Ding Dongs are gone."

"Entertaining to get me riled up?" Sharon mocked still trying to keep up the playful banter, "I feel like you may want to rethink that terminology. That makes it sound like twenty years of toeing the line was actually some strange version of schoolyard flirting..."

Andy sat back and sighed, "Not quite twenty years," and took a sip of his coffee.

She paused mid sentence and awkwardly watched him drink his coffee. Suddenly unsure of the direction of the conversation she glanced down to the watch on her wrist. "I think it's getting late," she mumbled. "I want to get back to Emily's before she wakes up and sees I've been gone for a while." Sharon pushed her chair back from underneath the table and shouldered her purse.

Across from her Andy moved to stand as well, "I'm sorry Sharon I was just -."

"It's not that, Andy. I need to get back to Emily." Sharon took a step toward the register, "I'll just order her Peppermint Mocha first. I will get Liv one too. That way you get the order right. It is pepperminty and chocolatey. I'll make sure they add the chocolate curls too." She offered him a soft smile and walked back to the register. He remained and the table bagged the remaining pieces of their unfinished treats. As he watched her walk away he began to go over the last parts of their exchange. It had been bits and pieces of their usual banter, minus the snark that generally described their work meetings, but still them. He sighed to himself and turned from the table. Sharon was picking up the drinks at the bar and motioned him toward the door. He nodded and joined her, hoping that the awkwardness would be gone by the time a cab arrived.

A/N: I am heading to the airport this morning and failed at moving this story along before I left. My travel plans have changed slightly though. I will still be in Florida, but I will more than likely have time to write most of the next chapter... I get back late Sunday, so fingers crossed it will not be too long of a wait xx.