Author's Note: What up guys, I am back with another chapter. I had wanted to post this a lot sooner but I have been in a creative slump after I finished my exams so I took some time to chill and clear my mind.
-SHANDY-
A few days had passed since the Chief had left and Provenza was having a blast being in charge, boasting about moving into the office, that had once housed the Chief; Andy and the others were constantly rolling their eyes. The Friday had been busy as Provenza didn't do paperwork and had kindly delegated it to his team members, that was one thing they all missed and that was the chief's ability to balance out Provenza's bossiness with her own. Andy had been looking at his watch all day eager to leave.
At 5 he all but bounced out of the office towards the elevator and into the parking structure.
He dropped by his own place and selected his suit for the dinner, a traditional black one, he picked a purple shirt and tie as Sharon had hinted to him that was the colour of her dress for the night. Andy grabbed the envelope and the other wrapped gift. When Andy's sister had turned 13 his Ma had given her a ring with her initials engraved, it was a simple thing but Sophia had treasured it and still does. When Nicole turned 13 Andy had sent her a ring with her initials engraved on it, along with a letter explaining the family tradition, he had apologised and said he'd understand if she didn't want to wear but he only asked her to keep it safe. Nicole hadn't written back but he had recently found out that she had kept it and worn it to her prom.
He hoped Rose wouldn't mind, he had had quite the dilemma when picking out her initials because legally she was RQR but he couldn't quite bring himself to let the R on there. Of course, he didn't want to be presumptuous and place an F at the end so he left it RQ, Rose could decide for herself what to have engraved there.
He decided to leave early so he could practice what to say to Rose when he gave her the ring. He had no idea why he was nervous, he wanted to have a good relationship with at least one of his children and because he had been beyond crap when Nicole and Charlie were young he was paying for it now. Rose had been something he had never thought possible and he had already missed so much.
When he arrived at the door Sharon answered before he had time to knock. He grinned at Sharon in her skirt suit with a purple shirt.
"Just in time," She smiled kissing his cheek and pulling him inside "Rose our dinner date is here" Rose appeared in the living room doorway. She didn't wear dresses, except when she went to church with her grandmother, but tonight she was wearing a purple dress her black hair braided.
"What up pops" Rose greeted somewhat awkwardly, waving her hands around.
"You look beautiful" He hugged her and then back away giving each other awkward smirks. Maura appeared in an equally lovely dress with flowers around the hem. Rose grabbed her hand and they made their way to the car.
"She's growing up." Sharon put an arm around Andy's waist "I'm sorry you missed it." She whispered looking up at him.
"We can't change that babe, I'm here now and that's all I care about" He kissed her cheek and they made their way to the car.
The dinner went well and per Rose's decision, they would have main course and dessert. They were now sitting taking in the flavours of their main course before they began dessert.
"I really appreciate you taking me with you to dinner, Captain." Maura smiled.
"Of course, you are Rose's best friend." Sharon smiled.
"Yeah, I wasn't going to come without you" Rose added grinning at her friend, they began to talk amongst themselves. Sharon turned to Andy who was staring at the wall, laying a gentle hand on his arm he turned his head and smiled at her.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm so happy, you know that." She nodded and took his hand squeezing it tightly. After a few more minutes of small talk, their desserts arrived, Sharon and Andy opting to share a banoffee pie and ice cream while the girls had a brownie and an assortment of sorbets respectively.
"Are you looking forward to going back to Ireland?" Andy asked.
"Half and half, my granny is there and my cousins and stuff but I don't know how my friends will have changed, I try keeping up on social media and they seem…different" She answered twirling her spoon in the sorbet.
"Well I'm going to visit you at some point. I'd love to see where Granny grew up." Rose announced. Sharon had been on a tight budget when her children grew up, thanks to her ex-husband's gambling habits, so they would only have small holidays at Christmas and the occasional St Patrick's day celebration. When Rose came along the budget wasn't as tight but Sharon was not the kind of parent to treat her children unfairly and thus they had never left the country.
"I'd love that. I can show you all the best places" Maura grinned. Sharon and Andy asked the girls about school and Maura told them that Ireland's school system was a lot different and thus she would be taking tests at a different rate to Rose.
"My cousins over there are telling me all about, apparently there is no dress down Friday over there, so that's disappointing," Maura added.
"Are they that strict?" Rose asked.
"My cousin thinks our school is lowkey. Apparently, they have a prayer session 3 times a day. Also, there will be no skipping Sunday session, not on Granny's watch." Maura explained. Sharon nodded while Maura's eyes widened.
"My mother was the same when I was younger. Especially your Uncle Mark, he was the worst for trying to avoid it." Sharon smirked.
"Really after multiple affairs that doesn't surprise me" Rose rolled her eyes, Sharon glared at her.
"How do you…actually, I don't want to know" Sharon shook her head and looked at the last piece of pie on her and Andy's plate, they looked at each other and smiled Sharon stabbed the piece but Andy did too. Maura giggled at their playful food play whereas Rose gagged jokingly.
"I'm just gonna got to the bathroom" Maura stood halting Andy's attention so Sharon swooped up the pie into her mouth and stood heading for the bathroom. Rose also stood but Andy stopped her pointing to the seat her mother had just occupied.
"Listen, Rose. I want to give you something, it's sorta a tradition. My sister got one and I got Nicole one when she turned 13, so here" he took the gift out his pocket and handed it to her. She glanced at him and proceeded to open the gift.
"You got me a bike. Which I love, there's no need for extra stuff." Rose smiled.
"Actually, your mother got the bike she just put dad on the tag because of her sense of her occasion." He replied, she opened the box and shook her head.
"Dad, I can't take this…it's, it's too much" She stared at the simple ring.
"Yes, you can. It has more sentimental value over anything at all" he shrugged his hand covering hers as she tried to give it back.
"Thanks, dad, I love it and I love you" She leaned over and hugged him, which is what Sharon and Maura came back to. Sharon smiled as did Maura before they made their way over, Sharon putting a hand on her daughter's back.
"Mom, dad got me this" She showed her the gold signet ring, it was not as large as one a grown man might wear but it was very similar, the flat top was engraved with two letters "RQ" Sharon smiled, he was an amazing man.
"When you're old enough, you can add the final initial. You've had Raydor your whole life and I didn't want to make any assumption about using Flynn. I hope that you'll want to keep it forever." He explained, Sharon smiled an overwhelming sense of emotion and Rose hugged her dad.
"I love you, dad" She whispered
"I love you too" Andy grinned. Rose took the ring out and placed it on her right middle finger. With a new air of togetherness around the table, the young girls began to animatedly discuss how Rose would now be the talk of their year. Andy got up to sort the bill, Sharon got up too, off to argue about who should cover the bill.
"I'm gonna miss you so much" Maura announced sadly, putting her coat on.
"Same, I don't know how I'm going to navigate school without losing temper every twenty minutes without you." Rose chuckled a little sadly.
"I think I have a solution for that, every time you wanna be angry just imagine how angry your mom will be when she finds what you've done." She grinned cheekily.
"I guess that might work but it won't be the same." Rose told her best friend. "at least we have this weekend, right?" Rose and Maura looped arms and headed over to Sharon and Andy.
-SHANDY-
The girls had been eager to get into their pajamas and curl up on the sofa with a film when they got back and Sharon heard the bedroom and bathroom doors slam when she slumped onto the sofa slipping off her heels.
"What's the story behind the signet ring?" She asked Andy bringing her feet up onto his lap.
"When my sister was 13 Ma gave her a ring. Told her it would be the most precious item of jewelry until she got engaged. When Nicole turned 13 I sent her a ring, along with a letter explaining and that one day I could hope to tell her the story in person." He told her, his fingers running over her instep. Sharon hummed.
"Did she?"
"It was radio silence for years but when Nicole was 18 she sent me a letter, with a picture of her prom and she was wearing the ring. Rose is my daughter and therefore I'm including her in the tradition." Andy told her with pride in his voice. The noise of the girls told alerted them to move. Sharon told them to set up the film and she was going to change, Andy waited a minute before leaving the room and heading up to Sharon's room with his overnight bag. He slipped into the room and grinned, she just removed her blouse, she was looking in the mirror and could see him, but pretended she couldn't.
His strong arms came around her waist and she allowed herself to lean into his chest. His lips kissed shoulder lightly.
"What are you looking at here, beautiful?" He asked looking at their reflection. Sharon rolled her eyes but answered.
"Oh nothing," he looked at her reflection with a faux glare, "Sometimes, I just look and wonder, three children and I feel selfish for not being confident, I'm lucky for my age." She mused.
"It's your body, you can feel how you do but I for one, love it." He whispered nuzzling her neck.
"Thank You" She turned in his arms and pecked him on the lips. She backed up and unzipped her skirt padding over to her bed where she collected her pajamas from under her pillow. She pulled the shorts and oversized shirt on. Placing his own bag on the chair by her closet she watched as he dressed in his pajamas.
When they walked into the living room, the girls were patiently waiting in blankets. Rose on the plushie orange that she claimed not to like at all, while Maura was swaddled in the darker leather armchair that she usually sat, leaving the sofa clear for Sharon and Andy.
"You can start, I'm going to make popcorn." Sharon smiled on her way to the kitchen.
"Maybe later, I'm kinda full. Thank you though" Rose smiled and Maura agreed, with a shrug Sharon sat down on the sofa and happily sank into Andy's side. Rose pressed play.
To say Sharon regretted the film choice was an understatement. Since they began her daughter had taken pleasure in pointing her presence in the film every time the protagonist popped up.
"Oh, look there you are again, mom" She whispered as the tall all in black character strode into the scene. Andy was keeping his head back so Sharon couldn't see the smirk on his face when Rose pointed out 'her mother's appearance in the film'.
"Rose, I swear to god if you call me Darth Va…" She began
"It's Darth Raydor, geez get your nickname right" Rose interrupted rolling her eyes "anyone would think you didn't like your colleagues' creativity." She giggled while her mother just glared.
"I don't care if it's your birthday, I will ground you." Sharon glared and this seemed to shut the teen, at least for a while anyway.
When the film ended, the girls were basically asleep and Andy was tasked with guiding them gently up the stairs to bed while Sharon double-checked the house. When she entered her room Andy had turned down the bed and was plumping her pillow for her. He smiled and patted the soft bed. She crept over and sat down removing her glasses and bra she sighed heavily at the sense of relief.
"That really is the best part of the day" She murmured falling back onto the bed, Andy chuckled and walked to the other side of the bed. She rolled over and huddled herself over Andy's chest. She loved it.
-SHANDY-
Sharon arose at 7, slipping into the shower before Andy got up. As she stood under the shower rays she thought about what had happened at dinner. She was concerned for Rose; she didn't seem interested in anything other than sport and movies. Did Rose have other friends? It worried her.
"This is definitely a sight I like to wake up to." Andy grinned from the bed as Sharon appeared in the room in just her towel.
"Hardly that glamourous" She rolled her eyes and sat on a nearby chair opening a bottle of moisturiser. Andy watched her hands glide over her legs with a grin that really meant he had one thing on his mind.
"I'm going to leave this room before I do something that scars the terrible twosome." He rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
It was 9 in the morning when Andy knocked on Rose's bedroom door. He mumbles and poked his head in the door, Rose and Maura were sitting cross legged on the floor and pile of photos between them.
"What are you guys up to?" He asked suspiciously.
"Just making sure Maura has the best photos to take back to Ireland." Rose smiled innocently.
"Well, would you like a breakfast break?" He asked watching as the two leapt up and headed downstairs. He chuckled when he heard them gasp at the kitchen.
"Good morning honey, what do you want for breakfast?" Sharon asked holding up a plate of pancakes. Rose grinned and happily began plating up, trying to encourage Maura to be just as enthusiastic.
As they at around the table Sharon brought her camera, much to Rose's dislike and asked for some photos.
"Moooom, why are you like this? I'm eating" Rose protested stuffing pancake into her mouth. Maura Laughed at the sight.
"C'mon Rose I need photos for when I leave, you'll send me copies won't you Ca…Sharon" Maura smiled politely.
"Of course, I'll get Rose to do that" Sharon replied snapping a picture of the two girls, Maura grinning and Rose pulling a funny face, unsuccessfully with her mouth full of pancake. The group returned to eating. At one point Andy took the camera and started slyly taking badly timed photos of Sharon, that he knew Rose would appreciate in the future.
"Ok," Rose stood abruptly as Sharon snapped another photo, "I understand everyone has no faith in their memory," she tapped her head "but please stop taking photos, it's been an hour already, you'll run out of space" she huffed pointing to the camera.
"Ok fine, I'll stop, for now." Sharon turned the camera off and placed it on the table. Rose grabbed it.
"I am confiscating it until further notice. Which in this case is until you and Dad agree to have your photo taken together" She announced, smirking at the shocked look on her mom's face. Andy suddenly coming up behind her took her from her shock and gave Rose the perfect picture to capture of her parents.
After they had finished eating the girls dashed upstairs to get dressed leaving Sharon and Andy in the kitchen alone.
"Let's hope today continues to go well." Sharon sighed, already sounding a little worn out.
"Yeah, but this day has been pretty damn good so far." Andy chuckled leaning against the counter opposite Sharon sounding equally tired. The sound of heavy footsteps shattering the moment of silence.
-SHANDY-
At 11:50 Eileen arrived, she quietly made her way to the back garden where Rose and Maura were playing in the pool. Maura grinned up at the old women who waved and alerted her presence to Rose.
"So I hear there's a birthday girl around here." She smiled looking around the garden.
"Granny, how are you?" Rose smiled looking up.
"Oh no hug or kiss to my cheek, what kind of grandchild are you?" She joked turning away.
"I mean you live like 20 minutes away it would have been rude of you to not turn up to my birthday." Rose replied, pushing herself out of the pool and hugging her grandmother.
"You could have at least put a towel on so my clothes didn't get wet." Eileen scoffed.
"yeah but that would waste time." Rose shrugged, kissing her grandmother on the cheek. Eileen smiled and removed her small jacket onto a chair and sat down. Moments later Rosa appeared, she had been more tired lately, Eileen hadn't wanted her to come today but here she was.
"Rosa, you've been ill. You didn't have to come." Rose smiled going over and putting an arm around her. Rosa smiled.
"I wasn't about to miss this shindig." Rosa smiled at the young girl leaning into the half hug. Andy came out and guided his mother to a chair near Eileen and kissed her forehead lightly. Rose and Maura restarted their game until suddenly there was a stream of water drenching Rose's head. She looked up to find Ricky aiming a water gun at her head. The birthday girl leapt out of the water hugging her older brother and soaking him at the same time.
"That's cheating" he whined but he was still grinning, next through the back door was Maura's friends there were only two of them Mel and Laura. They smiled coming in and were squealing as they hugged Rose and waved enthusiastically at Maura.
"So nobody said this was a pool party." Laura laughed nervously.
"It's not, but I had no idea you guys were joining us. Maura and I usually play in the pool" Rose shrugged grabbing and towel and throwing one to Maura who was now approaching them.
"Hey guys" She smiled, "You mind if I shower and change?" She asked Rose.
"of course, you do that all the time here" Maura chuckled nodding as she headed inside, she had had so many sleepovers that she was used to their house.
As they Rose caught up with her friends Gavin appeared.
"Hello, Hello. Your best guest has arrived." He announced waving dramatically.
"Uncle Gavin! Geez, Mom, way to tell all my favourite people would be here." Rose shouted at the back door.
"You're welcome" came the reply.
The day continued with presents and cake appearing once everyone had arrived. Sharon made sure she took a bunch of pictures much to the everyone's chagrin, especially Rose's other friends, who found the entire situation 'corny'. Rose and Maura laughed it off and were soon winding Sharon up by posing ridiculously. The other two girls scoffed at this and with somewhat fake smiles hugged Rose and left.
"I can't wait to be stuck with them once you're gone." She sighed looking over at Maura squinting at the sun.
"I'll bet. I'm gonna miss the sun." Maura mused.
"will you miss our church?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, Father Stan is a good guy, he has helped me a few times," Maura admitted.
"Church is going to be absolutely insufferable now, you know that?" She groaned, looking over at her best friend.
"You probably won't survive very long but, you won't be able to come over to mine so you'll have to leave when your mom does" she pointed out causing Rose to chuckle.
"It won't be the same though" Rose replied going into the house.
Sharon and Andy were inside preparing some food for lunch while also taking more photos from the window. They giggled away as Ricky was quite popular with Rose's classmates. Sharon's phone suddenly started to ring bringing them out of their intimate moment.
"Raydor" She replied coolly
"Ah Captain, I need you in the office right away" Taylor demanded.
"Can it wait until Monday, or is it urgent?" She asked.
"Very Urgent" Chief Taylor replied
"Oh right, I'll be right in." She answered stoically.
"And Captain I'd prefer if you didn't tell anyone, this is a highly sensitive meeting," He told her then hung up.
"Mom, who was that?" Rose asked sitting up and looking at her mom.
"Oh just one of my lieutenants needs guidance with his paperwork, it's a sensitive case." She lied, smiling and trying to continue to look happy. She kissed Andy then Rose's cheek before dashing upstairs to get changed.
-SHANDY-
Sharon arrived at the office all pressed and dressed for work. She went straight to Pope's office.
"Chief, why did Taylor…" she trailed off seeing Taylor in the office behind the desk that Pope once sat.
"Ah Captain, Chief Pope will be along and we can begin this meeting" He informed her. Sharon sat down and waited for Pope. He appeared moments later.
"Captain as you know Chief Johnson has retired from the LAPD and over the last week we have been keeping a close eye on her division, it is deeply flawed," He began, "It needs changes and it has been agreed that you should head up the division." He explained.
"You want me to take over as Major Crimes' head of division. You are aware that whole division hates me." Sharon stood "How am I supposed to control them if they never listen?" She asked.
"Not all of them" Taylor murmured.
"There lies your challenge. Now you will be free to choose another detective since Gabriel has now left the division" Pope informed her, Sharon stood and prepared to leave. She shook Pope's hand and then Taylor's but he didn't let go.
"Your biggest challenge is going to be keeping your personal and home life separate. This is between us, any further leaks and who knows whose job could be at risk." He informed her with low voice.
"Is that a threat?" She asked one eyebrow raised.
"Just a warning, after all, Miss Mason could still be a threat," Taylor warned her. Sharon pulled her hand away and left she would be happy to risk her job but not Andy's, he was a quick-witted detective and she did not want to be the reason his hard work was demolished.
-SHANDY-
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed. Fingers crossed inspiration will hit me for a quick update.
Next Time: "You Okay, sweetheart?" He asked kneeling beside her, she smiled at him and nodded.
"Just not having the best day. Can you come over for dinner?" She asked, glancing at her mom.
"I…I don't mind but not tonight. Next week" Sharon suggested. There was a knock on the door, it was Buzz, Rusty trailing behind on his crutches.