"Liz and I are ready to get out of here. Flynn, you ready?" Provenza asked a few minutes later after they had rejoined the team. Andy had his eyes on Nicole, trying not to stare, but failing miserably. Andy waved off Provenza.
"No, you heard me tell Nicole I wanted to get a few pictures with her. We've been here now, what," Andy glanced down at his hand to check his watch, "less than an hour Provenza," he frowned. "As much as I would love to get out of here, we've barely been here long enough for anyone to see us. Let me give Nicole a little space and time to get back around to me. Let's just go stand at one of those little table things over there and have something to eat. I'm starving."
"Getting food in Liz is a good idea," Provenza nodded. He gestured to Liz, who was busy talking to Mike's wife. "Liz," he gestured, and she moved toward them.
"We're going to get Flynn some food. He's cranky," Provenza explained.
"Cranky!" Andy yelled, and he rolled his eyes at Provenza as the trio made their way to an empty table. A waiter was walking by with another tray of food. Andy stopped him and grabbed something that looked like a small quiche.
"What is that?" Provenza made a face and grimaced at Andy.
Andy shrugged, "Don't know. It's decent though."
"I'm getting more drinks for Louie and me. Andy, do you want anything?" Liz asked. Andy shook his head, but Provenza held up his hand before she walked away.
"Get him a cranberry juice, please, and Liz, bring me not one, but two beers," he gestured, holding up two fingers. "I'm going to need them."
Andy rested his hands on the table, looking bored, even frustrated while he scanned the room for Nicole. He didn't want to take his eyes off her, even though that was silly. He was somehow struck with just how beautiful she looked, even though it still shocked him to see her here tonight. He'd have to casually mention to Sandra that information like that would have been good to pass along, especially considering she'd helped Nicole find a dress. Typical behavior for his family-typical. Andy just sighed as he clasped his hands in front of him, his elbows on the table. The team had somewhat dispersed after he and Provenza had dragged Liz from the group. Well, some of the team was already mingling. Chief and Fritz were dancing. Julio, Mike, and Mike's wife were still talking. Gabriel and Buzz, Andy hadn't seen either of them, but as he started looking, he found them in line for something to drink, ahead of Liz. They'd probably make their way to his table when they had their drinks too. Taylor was nearby; Andy had seen him earlier talking to people. Taylor would do that all night. Andy's phone rang, bringing him out of his daze.
"Please, I'm almost hoping for a murder," Andy heard Provenza say as he dug his phone out of his pocket. He smiled as he started to answer it. "I'm going to go and get another beer. Whatever Liz is bringing me isn't enough," he grumbled and walked off as Andy answered his call.
"Nope, but definitely something to brighten my mood," he grinned at Provenza as he walked away from the table. Andy answered the phone, "Hi, Sweetheart. You know how to improve my mood."
"I hate seeing you frown," she told him. "You have such a wonderful smile; I'd much rather see that."
"Frowning," he frowned again as he listened to her. "I'm not frowning."
"Maybe not now as you are talking to me, but frowning and slouching, Andy Flynn, what has you so down?" Sharon asked him again. He stood up straight, now on guard.
"Wait, slouching," he started to look around the room. "Sharon are you here?"
"I know your demeanor, and the way you answered that phone, you are hunched over and feeling down. Now, tell me what is going on, please," she said.
"You will never guess," he chuckled, resting his elbow on the table to talk to her. "I miss you."
"I miss you too," she said. "I wanted to offer a peace offering."
"Peace offering?" Andy questioned. "Umm, did I miss something? Are we fighting? If we are, I don't remember the argument," he chuckled quietly.
"I need to meet you halfway," Sharon said, this time Andy heard a different echo to her voice. He spun around, and she was there. "You've been so wonderful, so supportive. You're right that it's time for this to just be out in the open. It's not fair to ask you to hide part of your life, a big part of your life. Hi," she smiled warmly at him as she hung up her phone and stepped up to the table next to him, bumping his shoulder as she did.
"What are you doing here? You were decorating your Christmas tree this afternoon!" Andy exclaimed. "You hated the idea of coming to this."
She nodded, "True, well, some of it," she gave a small shrug. Andy rested his elbow on the table and turned sideways to speak to her, the smile radiant on his face. She turned toward him to continue her explanation, "I didn't say I was decorating the tree right then. I said I wanted to decorate the tree this weekend, and I do-your tree, together," she smiled softly. "As for my being here, if it's a problem, I can go," she hooked her thumb toward the door. "Right," she nodded in a playful tone, "you probably have another date."
"I so want to take you in my arms and kiss you senseless right now, but this is neither the time nor the place. I can't believe you came. This is just the greatest surprise. What do you mean a peace offering though?" Andy asked.
She sighed and glanced around the room. She'd gotten a few raised eyebrows as she'd moved about the room, but honestly, she wasn't sure if it was the fact she was actually here or her dress. She knew it was a great dress. She'd spent more on it than she'd wanted, but she'd also wanted to see this look on Andy's face, pure joy, total excitement. She'd found this classic style all black dress with an off the shoulder cut. It had a bit of flair around the top, almost like a feathered look. She hadn't liked it on the rack, but on, the salesgirl had been right; it had an elegant look. The dress was slightly fitted with a mermaid style flare at the bottom too, all black, and it fit her perfectly. She'd really wanted to wear one of the dresses she had in her closet, but this really was perfect now that she was here.
"I owe you so much more than a peace offering," she explained. "I love you. I need to show you more that I do. You have done so much for me. You're always driving throughout the night to see us. Andy, you have been proving over and over again you would do anything for me, for us. All you want is to tell your friends and family about this, about me, about Hannah, and this is something I need to do. I need to accept things for what they are. You live here; I live there, and we have this crazy life, one that I'm glad to share with you," she reached out and squeezed his hand.
"Captain Raydor?" they heard, and both turned, their hands pulling apart as they did. Brenda and Fritz walked up to the table. Andy caught Provenza's eye as he was walking too, and Provenza raised his eyebrows at the sight. Andy looked back at Sharon as Brenda and Fritz approached. He leaned slightly toward her so she could hear him.
"You look absolutely beautiful, stunning," he said. "I really like your hair like that, to the side. Your dress," he shook his head. Sharon looked up and him, and he whistled. She smiled brightly.
"Hi Chief, Fritz," she smiled at them. "It's been awhile."
"Captain, that is you?" Brenda nodded to her as they stepped up to the table. "Andy," Brenda nodded. "I thought your daughter was here, and when I saw you here, at first, I thought it was your daughter. Fritzy thought it was Captain Raydor."
"Nicole is here?" Sharon's eyes widened as she turned to Andy. He waved it off, and Sharon quickly realized that she'd given away the fact she knew a good deal about Andy.
"Ahh, Captain, long time, no see," Provenza said walking up to them. "To what do we owe the pleasure tonight? I didn't expect you at all tonight," he eyed Andy. Andy returned the look with a shrug.
Sharon nodded, "I have my reasons to be back in town. Truthfully, I wasn't sure how I'd feel, but it's nice to see all of you, even you, Lieutenant Provenza," she gave him a smirk.
"Sharon," Fritz nodded at her. "You are looking well. It's been what, a year now? How is the baby?"
"Fritz," Sharon smiled back at him. "Thank you, and yes, it's been a year now, over a year. It almost feels like a lifetime, a different life. Hannah is doing well, very well. She's walking and talking. I didn't know what life would be like with her, and now, I can't imagine life without her," she smiled, turning slightly toward Andy.
"Ahh, Captain Raydor, a blast from the past," the group turned as Mike, his wife, and Julio all walked up to the group. "We wanted to see what everyone was gathered around here talking about, and I can see it's you, Captain."
"Hello everyone," Sharon nodded.
"Captain Raydor did I hear you were molding young minds as a college professor?" Brenda asked.
Sharon chuckled, as did Andy. Sharon nodded and hummed, "I am. I'm living in Flagstaff, Arizona, teaching at the university there. I love it, even more than I imagined."
"Flagstaff," Provenza eyed Andy, "Flynn and I have been there."
"Taylor and Pope conned you into this, Ma'am, even with you being retired?" Julio now asked.
"Well, not exactly," Sharon said, taking a deep breath. She gave Andy a slight nod, knowing this is what he wanted to do, to explain this to his team, his group of friends.
"Guys," Andy cleared his throat, and the team looked toward him. "Sharon came tonight because I asked her here as my date. She's with me."
"Andy, no offense, but have you been drinking?" Mike leaned in and asked quietly. "Raydor?"
"Hold on, hold on," Brenda held up her hand as she shook her head. "What?"
Andy just nodded at the group, "So, guys, everyone, Chief," he gave a bashful smile and looked to the group. He reached for Sharon's hand, and it was like without looking at her, she knew. Her hand found his, and he gave a small shrug, "Sharon's here with me. I invited her. We're together."
"Together?" Brenda started to chuckle and looked around at the team to gain support for her good laugh. "Now, why would you two come together? The only thing you two were good at doing together was arguing."
"True," Andy nodded and continued, "at least for awhile. I mean, you remember the cross-country case, Chief, right? We were stuck together that trip."
"Not exactly stuck," Sharon blurted out, but then, she groaned and shook her head. "We were stuck, at least to start, but we have come a very long way." Sharon looked at Andy and gave him a small smile.
"This is for real?" Julio gestured between them, "Like this isn't a joke-for real?"
"No joke, totally for real," Andy smiled. "Guys, one of the reasons I wanted Sharon to come tonight was so we could put this out in the open. We're really together."
"I'm confused," Julio frowned. "When did this happen? Captain, you moved away, and you have your baby."
"Hannah," Andy smiled warmly and looked at Sharon. "Her name is Hannah. Where is she tonight? I haven't had a moment to get any details. Nicole is here," he gestured behind him. "That's a story for later. Is Hannah in Phoenix with your dad?"
"She's with Gavin, here," Sharon squeezed his hand. "We drove over earlier today to surprise you."
"I thought you were here together," Mike gestured.
"I wasn't sure I could make it," Sharon said, stating the words clearly as she met Andy's gaze, hoping he would just leave it at that. "This needed to be a priority, is a priority, so she and I drove over this morning. I wanted to surprise Andy and here I am. Hannah is with Gavin, and he's on babysitting duty instead of reading legal briefs."
"Wait, Gavin, as in my lawyer, Gavin Baker? Fritzy was told I should use Gavin. You can't mean the same Gavin, do you?" Brenda asked, clearly confused.
"The one in the same, Chief," Sharon smiled and nodded. "He's one of my closest friends, and I am sure you are in good hands with him. As you can see, I trust him with my daughter. He's a wonderful friend, and even though he seems like he would not want to be within 100 feet of a child, he loves all of mine like they are part of his family."
"Gavin is definitely is a character," Fritz smiled. "It's nice to see you, Sharon, and you two," he just nodded at them both.
"So, when?" Mike gestured again. He was really trying to piece together the storyline.
"Ahh, that's complicated," Andy said to the group, making a face at Sharon. "It's been a process."
"Lieutenant how do you like being around a toddler?" Julio chuckled. "That has to be interesting."
"You have no idea," Andy dropped his head and chuckled. Sharon squeezed his hand, and he turned his head slightly to eye her. She gave him a small shrug, and he nodded. He looked back at the group, "Guys, it's great being around Hannah, Sharon too," he smiled warmly at her. "I can't tell you how many trips to Flagstaff I've made on long weekends, holidays, after crazy cases. They are my world. Mike," he looked to him, "you asked how long? Hannah's mine. This should have come out then, but we were working through a lot. Sharon's divorced, and yeah," he nodded and continued, "people assumed she, Hannah, belonged to Sharon's ex-husband. Things were complicated; we had our reasons, but Sharon and I have a daughter, Hannah," he nodded.
"I did not see that," Mike whistled and shook his head. As Andy and Sharon glanced around, they saw most of the team stunned. Provenza was just there, quietly supportive, even if he had been heard mumbling, "Idiots." The rest were just staring at them wide-eyed."
"Ahh, wow, Andy," Brenda let out a nervous chuckle. "Land sakes, you're one of my detectives, and I didn't see that. Fritzy can you believe this?"
"Shocking," Fritz said, although as he caught Andy's eye he gave him a small smile and a wink. Andy looked back at him slightly surprised, but he gave him an appreciative nod.
"Sorry to interrupt," they all heard and turned. "Dad, listen, Carlos and his friends are wanting to leave soon, or at least to step outside. Sharon!" Nicole said, also surprised to see her. "I had no idea you had come here. You just are stunning! What an amazing dress! Dad, she's here? You really are still seeing her?"
"Nicole, seriously! I love her! Why wouldn't we be still together?" Andy groaned, and the team raised their eyebrows. Sharon put her arm on Andy's arm to calm him, offering a small smile at Nicole.
"Lovely to see you, Nicole. We will have to catch up while I'm in town, and of course, if you would like to see your sister, I know your dad would love that. You look beautiful yourself. I'm here to support your dad. I realize just how important that is, to be supportive even when you have to push yourself a little."
"Andy," Brenda had her hand up to her mouth, trying to digest everything, "you really are a dad again?"
Sharon pulled her phone out of her clutch, nodding to the group, and she held it up. She rolled her eyes, "My phone has been alerting me to Gavin's evening with Hannah. Let's check in on them, shall we?"
She quickly pulled up a video chat with Gavin, and he answered quickly, "What did you do to this sweet thing, and what did you feed her on the drive today?" Gavin could be heard asking her that when he answered. Several started to laugh.
"Gavin," Sharon said, chuckling herself, "say hi to Andy's team. We wanted to show off Hannah for a moment."
"Hey Gavin," Andy stepped in behind Sharon and gave a small wave. "Thank you for watching her, for helping with this surprise."
"Andy, clearly you have done something with this sweet thing. Last I saw her she was cute and cuddly. She didn't talk or throw things. Now, that's all she does. She's a tiny terror, and I won't tell you what she's already done to my current brief. Let's say I've had to reprint it. Her diapers are another story."
Sharon covered her mouth and continued to laugh, while Gavin pulled Hannah to his lap. Sharon made sure the group could see Hannah, and after she allowed the group to see Hannah through her phone, she pulled it back to herself with Andy standing behind her.
"Mama!" Hannah yelled when she saw Sharon.
Sharon grinned at her, "Hi, Baby. Hannah," she grinned and pointed, "who is this?" Andy made a face at Hannah, which had her giggling.
"Mama, Dad-dee! Dad-dee!" Hannah yelled.
"My word!" Brenda exclaimed.
"She's talking, wow," Nicole said, shaking her head.
"Thanks again, Gavin," Sharon smiled.
"I'll send you the bill," he smirked. "Wine, a lot of wine would be an acceptable form of payment."
The call ended, and Sharon turned to Andy and both back to the group.
"There you have it," Andy gave a small shrug.
Julio gestured, "You live here," he said pointing at Andy. "You live in Arizona," he said pointing at Sharon.
"There you have it," Andy nodded, repeating himself. "Nic, maybe we could talk for a few minutes, yes?"
Nicole looked between Andy and Sharon and nodded slightly, "You wanted that picture, so sure. Sharon, ahh, nice to see you again."
"Nicole," Sharon smiled brightly at her. "I do hope you think about seeing your sister."
"Half," she said and gave a small shrug. "Enjoy your night."
Andy spoke briefly with Nicole, and Sharon was there to take a few pictures of the two of them. When they finished, they looked back to the tall tables where the team was still huddled around talking. The ball was odd. While many were dancing, departments and divisions were mainly sticking together in different corners of the ballroom. Major Crimes was no exception.
"Let's get out of here," Andy said after they spoke to Nicole again. "You, my dear, have exceeded my expectations."
"As you have done for mine, many, many times over," Sharon said, looping her arm through his. "I'm okay with this. It needed to be done."
"Thank you," he leaned in and kissed her quickly. "I don't care who sees that. I can't tell you how amazing you look. You take my breath away. I love your dress."
"This old thing?" Sharon grinned. "I do have a bone to pick with you, though. I had to buy a new dress."
He raised his eyebrows, "Sorry about that. I'll gladly pay for it because it's stunning."
"Oh," she swatted at him, "not about buying the dress for the event. I had other dresses, but none fit after having your daughter."
He flashed a huge grin, "My kid, huh? Well, I'm sorry my daughter did that to your figure, but your figure is fantastic, and the dress," he kissed his fingers to the sky. Sharon laughed.
"I'm convinced you're the only one who thinks so, but thank you," she grinned.
"Everyone is staring, not because Captain Raydor is back, but because you're the most gorgeous woman here," he leaned toward her to whisper. "Before we leave, do you want to dance?"
"I do," she gave a warm smile. "I want to dance with you, the man of my dreams, and then, I want to rescue Hannah or maybe we really need to rescue Gavin," she chuckled.
"You have the best ideas," he grinned. "Thank you for making my night. Let's enjoy the rest of it."