Holiday Heart
by Kadi
Rated: M
Disclaimer: Not my sandbox, just my favorite place to play.
Chapter 2
The sun was already up when Sharon finally crept quietly into her apartment. She lay her purse and keys on the table near the door, and carefully eased open the hall closet to slide her jacket inside. The hour was still early and she had some hope that Rusty would still be in bed, enjoying the lack of anything to do before his college classes started in a couple of weeks. She intended to be home hours ago. Actually, her intent had been to only be gone as long as it took to clear up the situation with Andy.
They had cleared it up alright.
That was exactly why she was sneaking in well after sunrise and trying her best to not be heard. Still, a smile tugged at her lips as she stooped to pull at her boots so that the heels would not be heard in the hall. Sharon slipped them off while she replayed the events of the night and the morning. They finally slept at some point after midnight. That was not her intention, she planned to drive home. He wouldn't let her. He tucked her against him instead. He was warm and he was solid, and they were tired. So they dozed, for only a few hours, and then he caught her as she was trying to sneak out.
She was only half dressed when his arms snaked around her from behind. He pulled her back to the bed. They lay there, while the sun was rising, and watched the play of light as it chased away the shadows that hid in the blue and gray of early morning. There was little to discuss. They had said all they needed to the night before. She was not sneaking away from him, but rather, attempting to get home before Rusty realized that she had been gone all night. Those were not questions that she was ready to answer just yet.
Even still, as ever present as that thought was in her mind, she wasn't quite ready to leave yet. When he offered to make her breakfast, she let him. It was how she came to spend the last couple of hours in his presence, standing in his kitchen, tucked against his side, doing very little eating and quite a lot of other things.
"It's called the walk of shame for a reason." A voice cut into her thoughts. "I don't think you're supposed to be smiling like that."
Sharon looked up, eyes wide, and found Rusty seated at the table, a bowl of cereal in front of him. "Ah…" At a loss for what to say, exactly, she placed her boots aside and straightened. She swept a hand down over her sweater and jeans, smoothing out the wrinkles that must surely be showing. Her clothes hadn't exactly ended up neatly folded during the night. Sharon walked toward him. She stopped at the table and let her hands rest against the back of one of the dining chairs. "You're up early." It was a safe enough comment at least, and while her cheeks colored, she stared hard at him. There were parts of her life that she would not discuss, even with him. Especially with him.
"Sharon, it's almost nine." Rusty grinned at her. His eyes sparkled knowingly. She was wrinkled and a little mussed. Her hair was flat, tucked behind her ear, and it didn't matter how she was looking at him. She was wringing her fingers together a little guiltily. He picked up on that habit a long time ago, the way she would pick at her nails when she was nervous or bothered by something. Rusty's brows lifted. "Everything okay now? You seemed a little…" He wasn't sure how to describe it. His head tilted back and forth. "You know, bothered last night." She wasn't exactly upset, but she was pensive and lost in her own thoughts, hardly there at all. Then suddenly she announced that she was going out. She said that she would be back in a couple of hours. Rusty decided it was probably in his best interests not to comment on that.
"Everything is fine." His brow arched. She watched him look down at his cereal. He shoveled a spoonful into his mouth and she sighed. He was looking at her now, curious and knowing, and too damned amused about all of it. There was concern enough there, too, that she pulled at the chair in front of her. Sharon sat across from him and folded her hands in front of her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be gone so long. The situation has been resolved." She watched him look up at her, saw the gleam in his eyes. His mouth opened and then he obviously thought better of what he was about to say. Sharon rolled her eyes. "Rusty, some relationships are complicated. Others only become complicated because we make them that way." She looked at her hands. "The situation that arose just prior to the ballet, it… well, it complicated things that shouldn't be. It made something precious and simple awkward when it didn't need to be. Do you understand?"
She looked up at him, eyes gleaming at him through her lashes, concerned and beseeching. She was begging him to understand as much as she was asking him not to push too hard for answers that she was not prepared to give. Rusty understood that, but there was something else that he needed to know. Mainly that she was okay. She worried about him all of the time, but that kind of went both ways, even if she didn't want it to. "So…" He placed his spoon back in the bowl and studied her closely. "You really are just friends? You're really not dating?"
Sharon looked down again. A smile tugged at her lips. She could no more stop it than she could stop the warmth and flutter of her heart, or the way that emotion filled her at the thought of him. She thought of the way he kissed her this morning, standing beside her car. His hands gentle in her hair, his lips soft, a promise in his gaze that he would see her soon. They both had a couple of busy days ahead of them. Her children were arriving, and he was going to see his before Nicole went north with her husband and the boys to see her in-laws. She chewed on the corner of her lip while her mind wandered a bit. It was shaping up as though they might not see each other again until Christmas Day. The sound of Rusty shifting in his seat drew her back. Sharon looked at him. Her smile softened, warmed.
"I wouldn't call it dating." She folded her arms and leaned against the table. "I think we may both be a little old for that. We're still friends. If you're asking me if we're just friends, then the answer is no. We were never only just friends. If you're asking me if we're together, then the answer is yes. What that means, I don't exactly know yet." She shrugged and smiled as she watched him. "Andy is important to me, and has been for a little while now. I know you think we were completely unaware of everything, Rusty, and perhaps in a way we were. The thing is, relationships are always changing. They're always evolving. My relationship with Andy might change again, I don't know. What I do know is that I am not going to discuss it with my children. The only thing that the three of you need to be aware of is that he is an important part of my life, and I would appreciate some respect and censure where he is concerned." Sharon pushed out of her chair with a smile. "Do pass that along to your brother and sister, will you? Just as I'm sure you have already passed along the nature of my very amusing attempts at dating.
The smile, it was good to see. He felt relieved. She had been a little weird since the ballet. Rusty was glad to see that fading away. Just as much as she didn't want to discuss it, he really didn't want to know all the details either. He was good with just knowing that she had things figure out, more or less. He was still living in the middle of all this, and it could be a very amusing place to be. It could also be weird and awkward. For the moment, Rusty was going with amusing. "So…" He watched her walk toward the hall. When she stopped again and turned, his head inclined. "Then maybe Ricky and I need to sit down with him. You know, find out what his intentions are." He had to press his lips together to keep from laughing outright. Rusty bit the inside of her lip when her eyes narrowed.
"Hm." Sharon thought about that. She flipped her hair over one shoulder and shrugged. "Go ahead." She turned and started toward the hall again. She stopped to pick up her boots. "You and Ricky are more than happy to have any conversation with Andy that you feel is necessary." Sharon stopped as she reached the hall and looked back, a brow raised. "Just keep in mind, this isn't Jack. He isn't going to trade a few snarking comments and then runaway with his tail tucked between his legs. If you two get in trouble with Andy, then you are on your own. I am not bailing you out." She nodded once and turned on her heel to stride away.
Rusty thought about that. He shook his head and laughed. Oh yeah, not a guy he wanted to tangle with, for sure. He leaned sideways in his chair and gazed down the hall. When he didn't see Sharon, he dug his phone out of his pocket. Emily was already in the air, but Ricky only had a short flight down from San Francisco. Rusty doubted that he was even at the airport yet. He sent a quick text. "The ever so lonely heart has left the building. We have moved to Flynn-Con-2 and you owe me. I told you it would happen before the New Year."
"No way." His phone beeped with the response, only a second later. "So mom is seriously dating, and dad is really coming to Christmas. Dude. We are screwed."
"Except he's not my dad." Rusty grinned as he replied. "Our mother hatched me fully grown, remember? Anyway, she doesn't want to talk about it. Spread the word. Oh, and don't forget to cancel that online dating subscription that you got her for Christmas. I don't think she's going to need it."
This time the reply was a little longer in coming, but only by a few moments. "Don't worry. I'll give it to dad instead. Time he moved on. I've gotta finish packing. I'll call before I get on the plane."
"Sure." Rusty smirked. "Don't forget to stop and get a haircut."
"Bite me, little brother. Bite me."
Rusty laughed as he got up and took his bowl into the kitchen. His relationship with Ricky wasn't quite as weird as it used to be. Now that the adoption was all official, whatever looming doubts that everyone seemed to have were all in the past. He still didn't know them very well, but at least he and Ricky, and Emily, weren't all wary of each other anymore. They had a few things planned for Christmas too.
After rinsing his bowl and placing it in the dishwasher, Rusty made his way down the hall to his room. He had a few things to finish before he pulled out the camp beds and extra bedding. He and Ricky were going to be taking over the living room during holiday, and letting Emily have his room. At least that was the plan that he and Ricky had come up with. Emily was still arguing the fact that she would be perfectly content on the sofa and that the boys could camp out in Rusty's room.
They would see how things worked out when she got there. Rusty was starting to think that she was a lot like Sharon, only a little less of a force of nature. She seemed far more laid back and prone to compromise. He was looking forward to really meeting her. Video conferences and phone calls just didn't do the trick. Neither did emails and instant messaging. Rusty figured he would do what he did with Sharon. He'd stay firm until it was time to cave and give in, and let her have her way.
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Laughter rang out throughout the condo. Sharon smiled as she followed the sound. She carried bags of groceries through the condo and into the kitchen. As she emptied the bags, she glanced toward the dining table. The kids were gathered around it, all three of them. She would never tire of that, or the feeling that swept over her at seeing them together. She turned away from them and busied herself with tucking cream and milk into the fridge when moisture filled her eyes.
After Emily and Ricky arrived the day before, they went out for dinner and then drove out to the coast for the Light Festival. It was something that she used to do with her children every year, but it had been a long time since she had Ricky and Emily at home together. Now there was Rusty too. Afterward, at much pleading from the kids, they had gone to a movie. It made for a late night, but it was enjoyable and worth it.
They had all taken the opportunity to sleep in that morning. Upon rising, Sharon made breakfast for her little brood. Emily had risen from the sofa, pulled out of sleep by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon, only to join her mother in the kitchen. The boys were much slower to rise, but Emily had taken a great deal of pleasure in prancing down the hall to call them to breakfast.
Sharon smiled at that. Grown now, but put them together and Emily and Ricky were more like a pair of fifteen year olds rather than the mid and late twenty-somethings they really were. They were pulling Rusty into the chaos. It was good to see him and Ricky getting along better this visit than they had the last time. There was still some awkwardness, that was to be expected, but they were trying. Emily was smoothing out the boys' rough edges, just as she always did. She was accustomed to being the oldest, and so for her, to find herself with another brother, wasn't quite so upsetting as it had been for Ricky to lose his place as the youngest.
She returned to the counter where the groceries awaited while she listened to her children complaining and teasing one another. The afternoon was spent in easy and simple splendor. They finished decorating the tree, and then Emily had announced that she had some shopping to do. She convinced the boys to go along with her. While they were gone, Sharon decided to do the grocery shopping that needed to be completed prior to Christmas Dinner. That had included a phone call to a certain Lieutenant, who decided to join her for the shopping, and then they dropped the things by his house.
Heat and color had her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink as she thought about that. It was only the groceries that remained in her car that needed to be brought home with her that kept Sharon from getting too distracted. Not that making out with Andy like a teenager on his sofa wasn't going onto the top of her list of favorite things to do. It definitely was.
Her attention now was drawn back to the dining room. Her brow arched as she pulled cereal out of a canvas bag and placed it on a shelf in the pantry. The kids were gathered around a board game. It wasn't an unusual sight, not for Ricky and Emily. It was a way in which they usually amused themselves when they were home for the holidays, or even while they were in Park City with the cousins. The latter certainly tended to be some boisterous and loud occasions. It surprised her that they pulled Rusty into it, or that he was enjoying himself. He loved his chess board. Rusty never really struck her as the board game sort before. Sharon filed that fact away for another time and smiled as she watched them.
Rusty scowled at the game board as he was forced to stop his little red car token. "This game is sexist," he decided. He sniffed as, beside him, Emily giggled. "I don't want to get married."
"You didn't want to play Monopoly either," Ricky pointed out with a smirk. "We tossed a coin. Life won. Suck it up little brother. My vote was for Risk."
"Only because you always win." Emily made a face at him. "I know you cheat. I haven't figured out how yet, but I know that you always cheat. I'm not going to play a game that I know I'm going to lose."
"The part that disturbs me is the unhealthy obsession with world domination." Rusty grinned as he reached into the plastic tray nearby for a peg to add to his car. He smirked deviously as he placed a second blue peg in his car. "Okay. Done. Married. Let's move on."
Ricky squinted. "Um." He tilted his head, causing an unruly lock of dark hair to fall across his brow. "Didn't mom have the talk with you? You know that's not how it works right?"
"No." He placed his chin in his hand and leaned forward against the table. He was seated with a leg curled beneath him in the chair. Most of his weight was already on the table. "I had the talk with her. This is how it works for me. If I have to get married there aren't going to be any girls involved."
"Oh, well…" Emily was giggling happily. She leaned across the game board and plucked up her little, purple car. She pulled the blue peg out of it and gave it a toss into the box. She put a second pink peg in place and nodded. "Since men suck, and I'm giving up on them, this totally works for me."
"Right on." Rusty held up his hand.
Ricky shook his head as they high-fived. "You know the next step is kids right? How do you plan on having kids without the right spouse?" He smirked superiorly at the two of them. "Answer that one."
Rusty and Emily looked at each other. "Adoption," he shrugged.
"In vitro." She grinned crookedly.
Ricky lowered his head to the table with a groan. "Mom, they're not playing right."
She chuckled quietly as she finished putting away the groceries. She folded the grocery bags and placed them in a drawer. "I don't know, Ricky," she walked around the bar and came to stand near the table. She dropped an arm across Emily's shoulders and leaned into her side. "For a game that was created in the late 1800s and redesigned for popular distribution in the 1960s, I think they're adapting it to current events very well. If your brother and sister choose to play on their terms, then I think you should respect that."
He squinted up at her. The smile was all knowing and just a bit too amused for his liking. Ricky made a face at her, then at his siblings. "You call yourself a catholic." He shook his head and clucked his tongue at her. "What would Uncle Jamie say?"
Sharon giggled. "Your Uncle Jamie isn't going to say anything," she said of her brother, who had joined the priesthood upon graduating from college. "He's too busy praying for my soul. My son is gay, I'm divorced…"
"…and she's having the extra marital fun, according to the church," Emily pointed out with a wide smile.
"Pre-marital fun, according to some other religions in the world," Rusty added with a cheeky smile of his own.
"Be that as it may," Sharon gave them both a pointed look. Neither stopped smiling. She was beginning to realize that Emily and Rusty were a dangerous combination. Five minutes after arriving, the two of them were thicker than a pair of thieves. They were each the sibling that neither realized they always wanted. "If you cannot play the game without arguing about it, I will make you put it away."
Ricky's palm landed against his forehead. The gleam in her eyes, the twitching of her mouth. He shook his head. "You've been waiting weeks to be able to say that, haven't you?"
"You have no idea." Sharon smirked as she turned away. "Do we have any idea what we would like to do for dinner? I am not opposed to cooking for my cheeky, sarcastic, little darlings."
"You're cooking for us tomorrow." Emily turned in her chair, following her mother with her gaze. "Dinner is on us tonight, and then we're making cookies." Making Christmas cookies after dinner always helped to fill the time while they waited for Midnight Mass to begin. It was something that they had done, every year, for as far back as Emily could recall. It was a tradition which even followed them to Park City, on the occasions that they joined the rest of their family for the holidays.
"I tossed a chicken salad together," Rusty told her. "We thought we'd keep it light tonight. So…" His eyes sparkled. "How was Lieutenant Flynn?"
Sharon's eyes narrowed. She chose to ignore him. Her other children had perked up at the mention of the man. No doubt Rusty had more than filled them in. Neither had questioned her on it, they knew better. "I'm going to go and run a bath. Do try and behave yourselves. I still have Santa on speed dial."
Emily snickered after she was gone. "She knows that we know, right? I mean, we're having dinner at his place tomorrow. It's just a little bit obvious."
"She knows." Ricky took his turn at spinning the wheel on the game. "So, who is going to tell her about the anatomically correct gingerbread we made earlier."
"You mean the anatomically correct gingerbread that you made earlier." Rusty laughed. "I'm having no part of that."
"You're on your own." Emily laughed. "You do the crime, little brother, you get to face the Raydor."
Ricky just shrugged. "Accuracy is important in creation."
"Yeah, let us know how that works out for you." Rusty lowered his chin into his hand again. "Do we want to keep playing this? I'm starting to see the value in some world domination."
Emily sighed. "Fine." She sat back from the table. "But Rusty gets to set it up. I don't trust you," she pointed a finger at her other brother. "I know you cheat."
"What?" Ricky made a face at her. "I have never cheated at a game in my life."
"What about Monopoly?" She folded her arms over her chest and gave him a pointed look. "You totally cheat at Monopoly, and you know it."
"Everyone cheats at Monopoly." Ricky snorted. "Who doesn't cheat at that game?"
Rusty and Emily looked at each other. "Us," they both said.
Ricky sighed. "I swear, there is a normal family out there, somewhere, desperately trying to find me."
Emily leaned over and nudged Rusty with her elbow. "You know, I begged my mother for a puppy. I got him instead."
"You know something," Rusty smirked. "I begged your mother for an x-box, and I got him instead."
"Oh my god!" Ricky slapped his hand against the table. He threw his head back and laughed, loudly, boisterously, and without any real feeling. "You guys are so funny. Bite me." He stood up and went around to pull the other board game down off the shelf.
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The Cathedral at Saint Josephs was lit for Midnight Mass. Candles burned upon almost every surface, casting the interior in warm, glowing light. Sharon sat at a middle pew with her children beside her, Emily and then Rusty, with Ricky beside him. She studied the small, unlit candle in her hand. When Emily shifted beside her, she glanced at her girl and smiled. Sharon slipped an arm around her and sighed quietly, happily, when her girl snuggled close. She was a grown woman of almost thirty, but still Emily was her baby. No more or less than Rusty or Ricky, but she saw so little of her, that she indulged in the need to keep her close, this dancing, dreaming child of hers.
In years past, she would have had to drag her children to Mass with her. As they got older, they came willingly. Now it was another tradition, one among many that was rarely celebrated together as her children grew farther from the nest that they left some time ago.
She looked beyond her girl and saw Rusty and Ricky with their heads together. Sharon arched a brow at them. Ricky, taller than his brother, glanced her way. He grinned sheepishly and nudged his brother. Rusty looked at her and shrugged. She watched him slide his phone back into his pocket. Sharon shook her head at them. She turned her attention back toward the front of the church but not without a smile playing at her lips. It was not only Emily with whom Rusty was becoming close.
Her boys had enjoyed, quite thoroughly, the mess they created while making the Christmas cookies that evening. They giggled like a pair of five year olds as they decorated them, eating more frosting than they put on the cookies, and decorating a few in a fashion that still had her shaking her head at them. Sharon decided she didn't want to know why they felt the need to be able to tell the boy snow-cookies from the girl snow-cookies. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line when the urge to laugh rose up.
Movement on her other side drew her attention. Sharon looked over and up, eyes widening as another slid into the pew beside her. Warmth and emotion filled her as his hand wrapped around hers. She leaned toward him, brows lifted in question. "I thought you were going to a meeting," She whispered, barely heard over the sound of the choir.
"I did." He tipped his head close. His dark eyes sparkled as he drew her hand into his lap. Andy smiled down at her. "We wrapped up and I had a few minutes to spare." He always went to a meeting with his usual recovery group on Christmas Eve. It was the time of year when many relapsed, fell back to old habits, driven by loneliness or sadness. He went to be a help to others, especially this year, when he had more reason to celebrate than most. Once it was over, he hadn't wanted to go home right away. After thinking of her, this was where he ended up. It had been a long time since he stepped foot in a church for Christmas services, for any reason beyond a funeral or wedding, actually. Even longer since he sat a confession or took communion. He felt as though he might be struck by lightening at any minute, but he pushed it aside and let his thumb stroke the top of her hand. These things were important to her. She was important to him. When she tilted her head and smiled at him, eyes warm, he just shrugged at her.
His breath was warm against her ear and the side of her neck when he spoke. Sharon turned her hand in his and allowed their fingers to intertwine. She kept an arm around Emily, but she leaned toward him until their shoulders were touching. It was the little gestures, moments like this one, showing up at Mass and doing nothing besides holding her hand that made her heart flutter and fill. Beside her, she knew that they had drawn her children's attention. Sharon could almost feel Rusty rolling his eyes at them. She didn't care.
Sharon decided that she didn't even care that they drew looks from others who knew her, and knew that Jack had once filled that spot beside her. It was not so long ago that he accompanied her to Midnight Mass for the last time. Just a few years ago, actually. The last time that she took him back, the year that Ricky left for college. Sharon smiled again at the man beside her before she let her attention drift once again to the service that was already ongoing.
No, they weren't dating. Dating was for getting to know one another. It was for falling in love. She was already more than halfway there. They might not be ready to put name to it yet, but it was there. It was warmth and light. It was the sparkle in his eyes, and the joy she felt at having him beside her. It was the tingling spark of excitement that travelled along her nerve endings when he leaned closer to her and whispered a simple "Merry Christmas," against her ear.
Yes, she completely ignored the way that her children looked at each other and at them as the service progressed. When they rose and sat again after the prayer, his hand settled against her knee, thumb stroking the area just below the hem of her red, cashmere dress. Her hand curled around his wrist, but she did not move it. Instead, her fingers slid beneath the gold chain that circled his right wrist and gently stroked the inside of his arm.
Later, as their candles were lit, from the outside of their pew toward the inside, Sharon waited as Emily turned toward her. Her daughter looked up at her, eyes gleaming and a brow raised in question. Sharon simply smiled serenely and waited for the wick of her candle to ignite before turning away. As she held hers to Andy's, his hand curled around her wrist to hold it steady as their candles touched. When his lips touched the corner of her mouth, she smiled and leaned against his shoulder again. She held her candle carefully in one hand and wound her other arm through his. Sharon settled her chin against his shoulder. No, she didn't care what others thought. A smile curved her lips. She turned her face toward him and whispered a quiet, "I'm glad you came." His hand found her knee again as she recrossed her legs. It used to drive her mad when Jack did that, although if she was fair, his hand would usually slide a little higher than was necessarily appropriate. Andy's hand cupped her knee, his fingers gently stroked the skin just below. If his thumb swept beneath the hem of her dress, it was a promise, and not an attempt at pushing her farther than she was willing to go. Her thumb swept beneath the cuff of his shirt to again stroke the inside of his wrist. Rather than pull away from him, she settled as close as propriety would allow and enjoyed what remained of the service.
Afterward, as they stood out front mingling on the sidewalk in front of the church, Sharon turned as Andy helped her on with her coat. She smiled when his thumb lingered against her neck, as he swept her hair from beneath the collar. Her fingers stroked the length of his tie. He wore the gray shirt and the red and gray stripped tie. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, sparkled up at him. "I'm beginning to think you've bugged my closet," she teased.
"I'll never tell." His hand slid down her arm to capture her hand again. Andy grinned at her and pulled her a little closer. "If you wear the purple one tomorrow, I won't object," he mumbled against her ear.
Sharon tipped her head back and laughed happily. "I'll see what I can do." She leaned into his side and turned, looking for her children. Emily and Ricky stood talking to old friends, Rusty stood nearby, hands tucked into his pockets, waiting patiently. She caught Emily's eye and tilted her head.
Emily glanced at her brothers and led the way back to where their mother waited. As they neared, she stuck out a hand and stopped in front of Andy. "I'm Emily. You must be Andy. I've heard a lot about you." She cut a look at Rusty and grinned as she spoke.
"Yes." Andy took her hand. "So I've heard." He glanced at the boy and smirked. "It's nice to meet you, Emily. Your mother has been talking about nothing else for the last few weeks."
"She does that." Emily drew her hands back and stuffed them into the pockets of her jacket. "We try not to hold it against her."
"Thank you for that," Sharon shook her head at them. "I think."
"Rusty?"
He turned at the sound of a familiar voice. His stomach dropped and twisted a bit. Rusty's hands found their way back into his pockets. "Kris. Hi." He didn't know what else to say. He didn't expect to ever see her again. He certainly hadn't wanted to, but that was a year ago, and now he didn't know how he felt about it. A lot of things had happened since then, a lot of things had changed. "Um. How are you?"
Kris stood with her hands clasped in front of her. She looked beyond him to the others he was with. She recognized Sharon, and she thought she recognized the man standing beside her as one of the officers from the station, although his name escaped her at the moment. "I'm good." She looked up at Rusty again. "I thought that was you. I thought I should say hello. I only have a moment, I'm here with my parents." She waved a hand, idly, at where her parents stood speaking to friends of theirs. "You're still here," she said, her way of questioning that things had worked out for him. She read a little bit about it in the paper, Rusty's name was omitted of course, but she had known that the story was about him. He never returned any of her calls or emails and she still worried about what became of him.
"I am." It was on the tip of his tongue to say that it was no thanks to her, but given how all of that worked out, he supposed she had done him a favor. It was still hard to talk to her. Rusty had trusted her and a part of him still felt like she betray him. He shifted awkwardly where he stood, aware of the eyes on him. "So… how is school? Where did you go?"
"Columbia." Kris sighed quietly. "I'm only home for the holidays. I'll be going back in January. How about you? I guess you had to stay close to LA?"
"That's my fault." Sharon stepped up beside Rusty. Her hand brushed his arm. She looked down at him, concern in her eyes. Then she looked at Kris and smiled politely. "I wasn't ready to let him go yet. As my other children will tell you, I'm a little too good at the maternal guilt. After we finalized the adoption, I wanted to keep Rusty nearby for a little longer. He starts at Santa Monica in the spring. After he finishes his two-year degree, I suppose I can let him fly away."
"Maternal guilt? Is that what we're calling it now." Andy stood beside her. His hand brushed the small of her back. "I thought we were just calling it a Raydor thing." He looked beyond her and caught Rusty's eye. His head inclined. "We're talking about the same lady right? Yay high," he held his other hand up at Sharon's height. "Likes to get her way, stops at very little to make it happen. Nice lady but beware the Darth-Side."
Rusty grinned. Relief swept over him as they joined him. "I think so." He laughed at the look Sharon shot at the man beside her. "I mean, if she wants to call it maternal guilt, we can let her. It is Christmas."
"True." Andy cut a look at her. His brow arched. "Oh alright, maternal guilt it is."
Sharon hummed at them. "Thank you ever so much." She shook her head at them and turned her attention back on Kris. "You remember Lieutenant Flynn, Kris? He was kind enough to join us tonight."
Her added inflection on his rank and the word kind made him grin that much wider. "Kris." He nodded at the young lady, the reason they had learned about Rusty's letters when they had.
"Lieutenant." Her attention was back on Rusty. "So you were adopted. That's really great, Rusty. I'm glad for you." It surprised her that he would give up so easily on his mother, but she was happy that he finally found a home.
"Yeah." Rusty shrugged. "We're kind of happy about it too. I think. It depends on the day of the week, maybe." He grinned at Sharon beside him who laughed in response. "It's the sibling factor. They're unpredictable."
"I resemble that remark." Ricky called out. He and Emily decided to hang back, watch the situation. They didn't know the girl, not really, but they thought that they knew of her. So this was the one that had told Rusty's big secret.
"Yes you do." Sharon cast a look back at her older son. "Kris, I'm very sorry, but we're going to have to keep this short. I'm afraid we have plans tonight, something of a tradition. We usually stop at a little cafe on our way home for cider or cocoa after Mass." She made a show of glancing at her watch. "It's only going to be open for another hour, so we're really going to need to leave now." The cafe in question would actually be open until the last guest left, quite possibly another two or three hours, but Rusty was uncomfortable, and Kris didn't need to know that.
"Right, yes, of course." Kris nodded quickly. "I should be getting back to my parents. It was…" She hesitated. "It was really good to see you," she told Rusty. "I'm glad that things worked out."
He shifted where he stood, scuffed his foot against the concrete of the sidewalk. "Yeah, me too. I mean, it was good to see you." Rusty shrugged. "Merry Christmas Kris."
"Merry Christmas Rusty." She turned away then and walked purposefully back to where her parents waited.
Sharon touched Rusty's arm again as they turned to rejoin the others. "Okay?"
"I guess." Rusty shrugged again. "I don't know. I didn't think I would see her again. You know?"
"I do." She smiled at him. "Maybe we'll talk about it later?"
Rusty sighed because he knew there was no getting around that. "Yeah, maybe."
The group stood in a small circle after the others returned from their little interlude. Things were quiet for a moment. Then Ricky rocked back on his heels. "So, that was awkward."
Rusty groaned.
Sharon sighed. "Richard, really."
Emily just shook her head. "And she calls Rusty the adopted one."
Andy looked at Sharon, eyes sparkling. "I mean, seriously."
She snorted a soft giggle and turned into his shoulder. "Yeah, kinda."
"Hm." Emily nudged her brother. "Rusty, do we want to know?"
"No, probably not." He rolled his eyes when the Lieutenant wrapped an arm around her again.
"Okay, alright. Enough." Sharon tossed her keys to Rusty. "I'll meet the three of you at the car. Run along like the good little children that I like to pretend you are and give mother a moment."
Emily flashed a wide, cheeky grin as she backed away. "Just the one?"
When she turned to prance away with her brothers, Andy laughed. "I like her. I think you were right. She's a lot like you. In about five seconds she's going to toss her hair. Wait for it," he smirked. "Here it comes. Ah!" Emily did not disappoint. Andy shook his head. "There it was, the Raydor Maneuver."
"I do not do that." She poked his side. "You are trouble, I hope you know that." Sharon leaned in to him as they walked toward his car. He found a spot on the street across from the church. Her hand slipped into his again as they walked. "You can join us if you like," she said. "You're more than welcome. We're just going over to that little place on Pacific."
"I know it." When they reached his car, he leaned against it and pulled her to him. "Maybe next time. You should go, spend time with your kids." His arms circled her waist in a loose embrace. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"I am spending time with my kids." Her hands settled against his chest. They stroked down the lapels of his jacket. Then she toyed with his tie. "Maybe I don't mind spending time with you too." She would see him the next day, but it would be awkward and probably tense, no matter how hard they would both try to be on their best behavior with Jack present. Sharon wanted him with her tonight, while the mood was still happy and light. She looked up at him through her lashes and was not ashamed at the quietly pleading gleam in her eyes.
Andy chuckled quietly. "You call me trouble?" He bent and brushed a quick kiss across her lips. He found that, as per usual, he couldn't deny her. "Tell the kids we'll meet them there." He pushed away from the car, but still held her in the circle of his arms. "You can ride with me."
"Good." She reached into her purse for her phone. She sent the text to Rusty, telling him to go on ahead with Emily and Ricky, and get seats enough for five of them. As she rounded his car, he went with her. Sharon smiled as he opened and held the door for her. Her hand slid along his arm as she folded herself into the front seat. She waited until he slid behind the wheel on the other side, and then she leaned across the console between them. Her hand circled his wrist as she tipped her face toward him. Her lips found his, soft and lingering, kissing him as she would have liked to earlier, to show her pleasure at his decision to join them.
Her hand moved into his again as she settled back in her seat. As their fingers twined together she leaned her head back against the seat rest. Tonight they had the magic of the holiday. What came next would be another matter and anyone's guess. He had helped her recapture her joy at the season. It was more than their ever changing relationship. It was the simple peace of having everyone she loved with her during her favorite time of year.