A/N: This is not exactly what I had in mind for this piece, but I got swallowed by RL and I really wanted to post this before the start of S5. I might continue this in S5 if the mood strikes, but I have another MC WIP sitting in my notebook that I would like to type up and finish. Thank you for the lovely reviews!

This is set after Hindsight, pt.5

Rusty stared at the pajama pants in his hands. Blue and white checkers. He pondered them briefly, then picked a blue t-shirt from the drawer and stuffed the ensemble in his gym back, alongside a fresh toothbrush and razor. He slipped on a pair of socks, his eyes shifting every now and then to the bag, sitting half open on his chair. He ventured outside his room and found Sharon in her own. She was busy folding the suit she had been wearing at the wedding. She had traded the expensive for a plain t-shirt and a pair of drawstring sweatpants. A smart choice, he thought, after all they'd eaten at the reception lunch. He could hear Andy puttering around the kitchen; concocting some herbal tea of his, Rusty was sure.

"Sharon? Is this a bad moment?" He asked, poking his head in her bedroom.

Her face lit with a smile when she saw him. "Not at all, come in. I was just making sure this would not get wrinkled in the closet." She said, smoothing down the blazer lying neatly on the bed.

"It was a nice reception, wasn't it?" he stalled. "Very nice," she answered, "although I wish I hadn't had that second serving of salmon. I feel I might just explode." She winced, her hand going to her stomach.

"Yeah. I will probably skip dinner myself." He agreed. He fidgeted a bit. "On that subject…" he trailed of a bit, at a loss for words. Her eyes searched his, but he avoided eye contact.

"Anything wrong?" she asked, concern seeping immediately into her voice. "No." he said quickly, and saw relief easing the lines on her face. "It's just that…uh…Gus has suggested we go catch a movie or something tonight, and that maybe, if it gets too late, I could, you know…"

"sleep there?" she suggested, eyebrows arching into her forehead.

"Yeah."

"And you would like to say yes." She stated it matter-of-factly.

"Yes. I mean, it would be, like, a huge step in our relationship. And it's not like we have to do, you know, anything…" He felt his cheeks flush with heat. Sharon's eyes softened, her head tilting to the side. She reached out to touch his arm gently. "Of course you don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with, Rusty. You have all the time in the world." The act was nothing new to him, of course, but removing it from the disgusting experiences of his youth and reframing it in the context of an equal, loving relationship was going to take time and patience. "Do you trust him?" She asked, rubbing his upper arm.

"Yeah. Completely." He nodded, sure of his words. Gus was a good guy. He forgave him for being a total asshole to him during Slider's trial. He wouldn't pressure him into anything he wasn't ready for.

"Then I'm not going to hold you back. But, if you change your mind, or anything, know you can call me anytime, ok?" He nodded again, quietly. "Even if it's the middle of the night, I'll come and get you. Is it clear?"

"Yes Sharon," he said, and enveloped her into a hug. He felt her smile into his hair before she planted a kiss on his temple and released him.

"Was everything this smooth when you had this talk with Emily?" He asked as she resumed her task of clipping her skirt to a hanger.

"The hell it was." She blurted out, drawing a chuckle from him.

"That's a story I would like to hear someday."

"You should ask her next time she visits. I would tell you, but my account would be nothing without her dramatic flair." She rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, but her lips curled into a smile at the memories.

"See, after all, you get multiple perks with me. No need to worry about supporting an illegitimate grandchild *and* paying my tuition while I get through college." He smirked at her. Her chin quivered for a long second before she erupted in a loud, unladylike snort, followed by fits of laughter.

"I mean, I'm right, aren't I?" He laughed, too, not so much at his lame joke but at Sharon's amusement. It was a relief seeing her like that, after the strain the latest case had put on her.

"Yes," she said, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye, "But see, you get a pretty good deal with me as well."

Rusty narrowed his eyes. "And how is that?" He saw her chin tremble again, her lips pressed close in restrained laughter, and he knew he would regret his question.

She went to her closet to hang her suit, then turned back towards him. She cleared her throat to regain her composure. "At my age, you have no chance of getting any surprise siblings."

He took a step back, making a face. "Ew. Sharon, just ew." Making a joke out of his – possibly very near - future sex life was one thing, but he had no intentions of hearing about hers or thinking about the fact that she might have one. That he was leaving room for Flynn to spend the night almost made he rethink the whole sleepover at Gus'. Or maybe it was already a done deal. He'd been spending a lot of time studying at the library in the evenings. He didn't want to think about it.

"You know, I'm glad this has you in stitches. You've just shattered my fragile psyche and you're having a hearty laugh about it." He said sarcastically as she plopped on the bed, out of breath. She looked at him. Then snorted again, shaking her head.

His eyes rolled up to the ceiling. As serious as his mother was, there was no stopping the laughing fits. He sighed in resignation. "Oh, there she goes again."

"Oh no. No no no, I'm sorry." She dabbed at her eyes with the pads of her thumbs and took a shaky breath, trying to sober up. "I'm sorry, Rusty. You came to me with something very important, and here I am in hysterics. We're not the average mom and son, are we?" She cocked her head to the side, her eyes warm even as the corners of her mouth twitched with the remnant of her amusement.

"No, we are not" Rusty conceded, "but I wouldn't want it any other way."

Sharon smiled at him and pushed herself off the bed so she could hug him again. He wasn't normally very affectionate, but this big step made him both excited and scared, and it was in Sharon's arms that he felt that prickle of fear dissipate. He nuzzled her hair briefly before he released her.

"I'll put a change of clothes in my bag and then I'll get going. I'll text you, ok?"

She hummed in agreement. "I'll be here all night if we don't catch a murder, so if for any reason you should…"

He smiled. "If I change my mind I'll call you."

She seemed satisfied with his response. "Sure you don't want a cup of tea before you go? Andy should have it ready by now." He couldn't hear any more puttering from the kitchen, so he figured Flynn had hung back to give them a little privacy. For which he was grateful, because this was not a conversation he would have wanted to have with him, like, ever.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I'll grab a coke from the fridge when I leave."

He went back to his room while she joined Andy in the kitchen. He picked up his phone from the large desk and tapped a message to Gus.

I'll be there in an hour. Hope you have enough milk for breakfast.

He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and smiled.