AN: I'm so glad you all enjoyed the last chapter so much I hope this one won't disappoint either. So grateful for all your favs, follows and reviews, they light up my day!

A big thank you once again to my beta glisteningsun, all mistakes left are of course mine.

Rated M

Chapter thirteen.

Andy felt a stone weighing on his stomach. His hands were sweaty and he hoped his neck would not show any red blotches. He tended to get those, when he was nervous. And he was nervous. He could not recall ever being more nervous about something. He tried to ignore the sound of his own heartbeat that raced like mad in his chest. Trying to focus on his breathing, he also fought off the thought that he really was in need of a drink.

Sharon looked as beautiful as ever. In fact she seemed less nervous than any of the previous nights. She had this immense faith in him. He could only hope he wouldn't break that trust. What if he would lose himself? His mind desperately tried to hang on to the idea that they would be able to arrest Mario after five minutes. Maybe all he would have to do was touch her cheek , or something like that. He could do that. That wasn't anything big. It would be fine.

Sharon felt this strange fluttering in her abdomen. Was it nerves? It shouldn't be, tonight she wasn't on her own. Andy was right there to support her. She'd be fine. She always felt comfortable with him. She had even fallen asleep in his arms last night.

He was sitting just across the bar. Why were her eyes wandering off to him? Looking into his warm brown eyes made this warmth rush through her body. It filled her heart.

What was this feeling? Looking into his eyes made her heart swell. She could not tell when she had first felt like this. She only knew it had been a long time since she had felt this happy. Andy was the reason for that. Another butterfly fluttered in her stomach. There was more. He didn't only make her feel happy. He made her feel loved.

Loved.

She stared into space, while that realization dawned on her. Mario's hand touching her shoulder startling her.

"Bad conscience, doll? "

Her lips tightened. "I don't like people creeping up on me."

He dangled a room key in the air. "Why don't you go up. I've already spoken to our next little piggy bank. Be agreeable. I believe we'll be able to get a long lasting relationship out of him. The only thing you've got to do is make him want more."

"You've already talked to him?"

Sharon hadn't seen him anywhere near Andy. This wasn't going the way they had planned it. Her mind worked overtime trying to come up with some sort of solution, but she had none at the moment. Last thing she wanted was for Mario to become suspicious. She would just have to count on Andy to come up with something.

Andy saw Sharon's shoulders tense. She hadn't been nervous at all, so it must be something Mario said to her. He dangled room keys in front of her. Like they thought, Mario had arranged a room. From the corner of his eye he saw Sharon take the room key and head towards the hallway.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw a strange man approach Mario. No that would not be happening. It was time to start bluffing.

"Whatever he pays you, I'll pay you more." Andy played cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He tried so hard not to look like a cop all week. Had he already aroused suspicion? "I've been looking at that gorgeous lady all week."

Mario could recall that. He had been sitting in the corner every single night for the last week. He'd noticed him, because his eyes had been fixed on her the entire evening. At first he'd believed he could even pose a threat, but maybe he had just been studying her all week, waiting for the right moment.

"She doesn't come cheap."

Andy forced a cocky smile. He would have liked to wring the guy's neck, but he couldn't do that. He drew his wallet from the back pocket of his pants, opening it up, so Mario could see it was stuffed with banknotes. Mario eyed him, silently testing him out, probably trying to determine whether he was blackmail material. Good thing he put his old wedding ring in the leather wallet as well.

"Two thousand. One night."

Andy's eyes locked onto Mario, not reaching for the money just yet.

"Like I said she doesn't come cheap. If you're looking for a fast fuck you go outside to one of the women there."

Without moving his eyes, Andy took out the money. They would already have him there, enabling soliciting. They wanted him for murder though. They'd need more if they wanted to scare this guy into confessing. The tape would give them a search warrant to look for more tapes. Maybe there was still a tape connecting him to Andrea. That was exactly the pressure they needed.

Mario took the money with a cocky smile. "Room three sixteen."

That was indeed the room adjoining Mario's.

"And don't try anything weird. I'm nearby."

He should almost feel touched, if it wasn't that he knew he was only protecting Sharon for all the money she'd bring him. The 'just drinks' had been fine with him, as that gave him the opportunity to parade her around and put her on display. Any man interested had seen her, seen what she was worth. It didn't matter anymore. It would be over after tonight and she would come out of it alright. This time there would be no harm done.

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Sharon paced back and forth in front of the bed. Her eyes were wandering off to the bottle of Champagne each time she passed it. She could use a drink. She had to stay alert though. What if someone other than Andy came up? Her mind was working overtime. What should she do? Should she just go along with it then? Andy would kill her. He had told her not to go up with a stranger. So had the Commander. They had both warned her not to do this at any cost, but she was already in this room. What if a complete stranger would walk in within the next few minutes? Where was she supposed to go?

She should trust Andy. He'd do everything in his power to hold up his part of the deal. Somehow he would manage, he was resourceful, he wouldn't leave her alone with a stranger.

But what if it had been out of his hands? What if he hadn't been able to do anything? She couldn't do this. It was not only dangerous, it was insane. If a stranger came up, there was nothing she could do anymore. She couldn't let some guy touch her… she didn't want to think about what else could happen. Both Andy and the Commander had been right, she couldn't do this at any cost.

Swiftly she turned around, when she heard a hand touch the doorknob. She had waited too long. Her heart was in her throat. She did not know what she would do the next couple of seconds. She released an audible sigh of relief when she saw Andy in the doorway, grinning in his own particular way. She felt like hugging him, like wrapping her arms around his neck and throwing herself in his arms. They would have to keep up their act though. She did not know him, he did not know her. They needed Mario to tape this and he wouldn't, if he got suspicious. There was no way she would go through this again, the tension, the anxiety.

For a moment he felt relieved as he had managed to get in to the room. But what now? He could only hope Sharon would pull him through this, and he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Hey…"

"Hello there yourself…." She smiled with twinkling eyes.

"I was send up…."

"I was expecting you. Would you like something to drink?"

She was a far better actor than he was. That became clear to him in the last couple of seconds.

"How about I pour you a drink?" Andy walked over to the side table. He took his time to take the glass and the bottle of Champagne. The only sound in the room was that of liquid pouring into the glass.

Andy handed it over to her. His fingers briefly brushed hers, whether to reassure him or her, he wasn't sure. This was already beginning to feel awkward, neither of them knew how to handle themselves - all because they felt watched. Maybe if they could talk more freely, this would be easier.

His hand fumbled with the stereo, his fingers fine tuning the radio to find some good music. He soon found a classical music station.

He knew it was Sharon's favorite music, he didn't care too much about it, the only plus side was that it could be turned on really loud. Sharon smiled as he turned back around.

"Vivaldi."

"Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

She answered him with a smile. She knew he couldn't care less about classical music. The only thing he probably liked about it now was that it was loud. Loud enough that if they would stand near enough to each other, no one would be able to make out what they were whispering. Very smart of him. At least that way they could communicate. It made her feel more at ease. She took just a small sip of the Champagne. She didn't want to be intoxicated, because she planned to interrogate Mario herself. She needed to be level headed, have a clear mind. She walked over to the table to put the glass down.

"Spring."

"Very appropriate don't you think? Isn't spring when new love blossoms."

"Very romantic…"

Was she teasing him at a moment like this? Unbelievable. Andy closed the distance between them. He had to be close to her, if he wanted to be sure Mario wouldn't hear what they were saying to each other. He bend to whisper into her ear.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

His breath was warm on her skin. In a reflex she closed her eyes. His shoulder was so near, so was his cheek, she could almost feel his touch just by the warmth he radiated. Again that flutter in her stomach, his words ringing in her ear. It couldn't be the Champagne, she had only had one sip. It was Andy standing this close to her.

Andy noticed Sharon holding her breath for a moment. Something was bothering her. "You okay?"

His voice was low and warm, the concern so loving. This was not the moment to be suddenly overwhelmed by these complex and confusing feelings. They were supposed to finish this assignment and arrest Mario for murdering Andrea. She should not be having to deal with the fact that she now noticed how Andy made her heart beat faster, how Andy made her feel so vulnerable. This was not the moment to be vulnerable. She had to keep her act together and stay professional.

"Are you nervous? It's going to be okay."

Andy sounded so reassuring. His nose gently rubbed the side of her face. She had to resist the tremble that fought to take control over her limbs. Her breathing slowed. Nervous? No, she could not call herself nervous. In fact despite her heart racing in her chest, she felt awfully calm. It felt like time had slowed, everything around them disappearing. At the same time she felt weak in the knees.

'Concentrate Sharon.'

Her eyes had closed themselves, but she forced them to open.

"It's going to be okay."

His face turned towards her, his lips hovering over her skin. She could almost feel them move. She didn't concentrate on the words, just the movement they made. Why couldn't she concentrate? Why now? Why did this feeling intensify now? Had it been their close friendship? Them living together these last weeks? The situation this assignment caused? No, it was not that. Fact was that this, whatever it was, had seeped in slowly. Whatever it was. Sharon closed her eyes again. She knew exactly what it was. Her heart at least did.

"I don't understand why they're not in here yet." Andy began to sound frustrated.

"Maybe they'll let us sweat a bit, see how we handle the situation."

That was exactly what he was afraid of, the situation. This better not be some prank from their side.

"They better not. "

He counted on Cohen to keep control over the situation, be the adult.

As Andy pulled away from her she saw the stern look on his face.

"Smile."

Her voice was a mere whisper, before she stepped closer, her breasts almost touching his chest. He didn't want to think what was underneath the fabric of that dress. He didn't dare to think about how her creamy skin would shimmer through the lace of her negligee. They were on an assignment and he hoped he wouldn't even get near the point of her undressing herself.

How did he get into this mess? Sharon had pulled him into this assignment. He could not blame her for that though. She had because she trusted him, felt comfortable with him. She could not know he had feelings for her. Maybe if he hadn't kept his feelings to himself? It wasn't fair to Sharon to drop that bomb on her though. Not while he knew it had no chance of developing into a romantic relationship.

"You're supposed to like this."

Her voice was sweet. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, the whole point of him doing this was so that she would be more comfortable. He had to keep in mind that this was ten times worse for her than for him.

"Sorry, I don't really know what to do."

He knew there was no point in keeping this from her, she'd sense it.

Sharon closed the last distance between them. In the meantime she kept thinking of what to do. As soon as the guys saw Mario taping them, they would put a stop to it. The reason why they weren't in there yet must be because Mario wasn't taping. She entwined her fingers with his. She wasn't exactly sure what she should do either. Maybe they should have done some thinking about this, talk it over, now neither of them knew what to do. Andy squeezed her hand, his hold on it tightening. Before she knew it she leaned into his chest. She needed to be as close as she could possibly be, because she wanted to be sure Mario wouldn't be able to listen in or read their lips or something.

Andy bowed his head, as Sharon mumbled against his chest.

"They're not ending it, because he isn't taping.. Maybe we're not in his camera range."

"What would be?"

Sharon bit her lower lip, locking eyes with him before she looked over from him to the other side of the room. His body went rigid, as he followed her gaze towards the bed, the element in the room that suddenly seemed huge. The element he would love to avoid. That bed meant they neared a border he did not want to cross. It meant he would have to touch her. They could hardly sit down on the bed and read a book or something.

A bed meant a certain level of intimacy he'd only imagined having in his dreams. He could not think about his fantasies. Thoughts like that should not be in his head, especially not at a moment like this, because they made his blood run faster, flowing to his brain and to parts of his body he had no control over. A bit panicked he looked at Sharon turning away from him, never letting go off his hand, guiding him with her. Their eyes met brief before she turned. He didn't know what he was seeing in them. Resignation? Calm. How could she stay this calm? There wasn't a lot of time to over think the lead she was taking. His feet moved following her to where ever she was leading him.