Better or Worse

by Kadi

Rated T

Disclaimer: This is not my sandbox. I only visit it.

"You should have come to me before."

The first task on Sharon's agenda once she put in for her vacation time, was to schedule an afternoon of shopping. That meant an afternoon with Gavin. It really had been too long. They hardly saw each other since she transferred to Major Crimes and Rusty came into her life. They were both busy, but the last two years had proved inordinately busy. Now with everything that happened with Jack, it had been since just before his return that they had actually spoken.

Gavin cast a disapproving look at her as they sat at an outdoor cafe. "What were you thinking?"

Sharon started laughing. "You have no idea how many times I've asked myself that question."

"Oh my god," he flopped back in his seat. "You are impossible, you know that don't you? Why? Why do you get me into these messes?"

On the other side of Sharon, where she sat quietly coloring, Anna giggled at him. "Hm." Sharon's head tilted. "He is kind of funny, isn't he?"

Gavin made a face at her. "I suppose it doesn't matter. I know how it would have gone. I'm thinking of doing something really stupid, Gavin," he began, mocking her in a high-pitched tone. "What? You? Of course not. I don't believe it for a second. Oh yes, I'm going to be completely insane. I'm going to make a choice that's going to leave me spending the next fifteen years of my life doing laundry and setting curfews when I could be making hot sexy goo-eyes at passionate, good looking Lieutenants and shopping in Milan!" Gavin threw his hands in the air. "My god, how do I even know you."

"Shh!" Sharon shook her head at him. "Gavin." She cast a look at the child beside her and chastised him gently. "There are little ears at the table."

"Yes, of course there are." He looked heavenward. "I think you're a serial parent, Sharon." When he looked at her again, he leaned forward, despite the fact that she was rolling her eyes at him. "No, hear me out. You need a full a nest. That's the only explanation that I can think of. My god woman, you were this close."

"Gavin, I've had the empty nest." She leaned forward and lifted her coffee. When she sat back, she held it cradled in both hands. "I actually enjoyed it. I don't need a full nest, but apparently those in it need me. What am I going to do?"

"I can't believe I even know you." Gavin shook his head at her. "What even are you. You're not human."

"Oh, believe me, I am." Sharon snorted at him. "I'd rather be making, what was it? Hot sexy goo-eyes at—"

"Passionate, good looking Lieutenants," Gavin smirked at her. "Of course you would. Have you looked at him lately. Honey please." His lips pursed. "Since you've decided you don't want him, can I have a go?"

She snorted a laugh. Sharon's body shook with it. "Oh, I'm pretty sure you aren't his type, darling."

"Yes, I know." Gavin gave an exaggerated sigh. "Pity really, but not too much of one. I wouldn't want him now anyway. He's got Sharon-cooties."

She shook her head at him. "I do love you, you know that don't you?" Sharon lifted her cup to her lips. "As to that, no, he doesn't. I was waiting for the divorce, which didn't happen, and then it did, and now…" She waved a hand through the air and shrugged. Sharon hummed quietly and settled back in her chair once more, then cast a look at Anna to check on her.

"Oh my god. I really don't know you." He stared at her. "Okay, this is what we're going to do." Gavin leaned forward. "You're going to buy something not… mommish to wear, then we're going to get you a sitter, and you my darling are going to go over there and rip his—"

"Gavin!" Sharon's eyes widened. She cast a pointed look at Anna again. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. "Would you stop?" She drew a breath and let it out slowly. "It's much too late for that now anyway. I'm starting to think that maybe we had our chance and it's… moved on. Besides, I really need to be focusing on Anna now. That's what all of this is about. Remember?" Sharon leaned forward and rested her arms against the surface of the table. "It's why I did all of this. I can't be thinking about what might or might not have happened otherwise. We've hardly even spoken since all this started. But enough about that." Sharon glanced at Anna again and smiled. "I discovered something about this one that puts the other three to shame."

He wasn't quite so willing to let it go. Gavin's eyes narrowed while he studied her. She was going to be stubborn on the subject. If he pushed, she would clam up and that would be the end of it. He decided to bide his time instead. They would broach it again. Or he could let it happen as it would. Gavin's lips pursed and his head tilted. Alright, he would let Sharon win this round. He'd give her time to get her house back in order, and then all bets were off. "Do tell," he said instead, and cast a look at the little cherub.

"She likes to dress up." Sharon rested her chin in her hand. "Emily was only interested in dancing, and both of the boys are… well, boys. At least they know how to color coordinate their hoodies. I found Anna in my closet the other day. She had quite the field day with my shoes and a certain blue, Donna Karan."

"Really?" Gavin looked suitably impressed. "That is a change. We couldn't drag the others shopping, not until Emily turned sixteen and then it was all about teen trends and leotards." His lips pursed. He studied the child. "Anna," he drew her attention and leaned down, giving her a serious look. "Can you say Armani?"

She blinked at him. She glanced at Sharon before she turned her gaze back to the strange, funny man with the cute glasses. "Armani?"

"Okay," Gavin decided. "You can keep her."

"Oh thank you." Sharon laughed again. "I cannot tell you how much your approval means to me at this very moment." Her lips pursed. "So, are you going to pout all day, or are you coming with us?"

"She's a little young for Beverly Hills isn't she?" Gavin asked, a little skeptical.

"You're never too young for Beverly Hills." Sharon smirked at him. "Or… old as the case may be."

"Yes of course." His fingers bounced lightly off his head in an imitation of having smacked it. "What was I thinking. Why are we still sitting here then?"

Sharon's lips pursed. "Exactly my point."

"Well, at least you're still making some sense." Gavin waved a hand in the direction of the waitress to gain her attention. "We'll work on the rest later."

Sharon rolled her eyes at him. She cast a look at Anna and made a face that had the child laughing. While Gavin settled the check, she and Anna gathered the girl's coloring book and doll and returned it to her bag. Afterward, they left the cafe on foot. They weren't far from the shopping district, and for early December, it was a fairly mild day.

Gavin cast a sideways look at Sharon when she lifted Anna onto her hip. "Shouldn't she be in one of those… rolling things?" He cast a skeptical look at her and waved a hand in the general direction of the sidewalk in front of them.

"You mean a stroller?" Sharon managed to suppress a smile. "Gavin, do you really want to be seen walking through Beverly Hills with a stroller?"

"You make another very good point," he said. When she snorted a laugh, Gavin scowled at her. "Don't mock me, darling."

"You're absolutely right. That's so terrible of me." Sharon giggled again. She curled an arm through his and leaned into his side. "This is much better."

"Oh god." Gavin sighed and rolled his eyes. "The things that I do for you." When she only laughed at him again, Gavin shook his head and affected an aggrieved expression. "Only because I love you."

"Yes, I know." They walked arm in arm for only a block before Sharon drew away to shift Anna on her hip again. "We're not going to Park City this year, did I tell you? Emily and Ricky are coming here." Originally it had been so that she and Jack could finish working out the specifics in the change to their marriage. Now she was just drawing her children around her and wanted a more quiet holiday affair.

"You haven't been to Park City since you made that dreadful job change," Gavin pointed out. At the look she shot at him, he shook his head. "Yes I know, you always wanted to get back into the thick of things, but really… Sharon. Those people. They're so mean to you."

"They weren't supposed to like me, Gavin." She smiled warmly at him. She really did adore him. "Things are much better now, I promise. They can't be mean to me, I sign their time sheets."

"It's all about the small favors, I suppose." At the end of the block, as they made the turn to take them down the next street, he reached over and plucked Anna out of her arms. "Do not stain me and we will be fine," he told the child.

"I wouldn't stain." Anna ducked her head and then gazed up at him through her lashes. She fluttered them at him before smiling, just a bit too sweetly. She reached out and gingerly poked at the broach pinned to the lapel of his jacket. "That's pretty."

Gavin groaned. "My god. She's like a little mini-you. Are you sure you haven't been naughty in ways that you're refusing to tell me? I promise not to judge. You were married to the man after all…"

She shot a bland look at him. "Don't be crude." Sharon shook her head. "He would be so lucky. She's been with me for a few months now, Gavin. Children project what is in their environment."

"I don't know that I believe you." Gavin turned his attention back on Anna. "I'm going to tell you a story. It's about the first time I met your—uh—Sharon. You see, it was pouring down rain. I was on my way out of the office, this was before I had my lovely, high rise corner office downtown. No, no, back then I was just another of the lowly, poorly paid city employees upon whom the Police hated to rely to get them out of trouble. I digress…" He studiously ignored the way Sharon was rolling her eyes at him. "In any event, I was on my way out, and here comes this one all in a rush to get out of the rain and she barreled right over me. Knocked me down." Gavin made a face, pouting at her until Anna giggled. "Well I dropped my umbrella, I dropped my files, and there I was in the rain getting drenched with a drown rat bending over me."

"It was one file," Sharon pointed out, "and you ran into me." She stuffed her hands into her pockets as they strolled, but she had to smile at the memory.

"My story," Gavin told her. "Tell your stories how you want to." He turned his gaze back to Anna. "Then she tries to help me up and falls down on top of me. So now I'm injured and I'm drenched."

"He slipped," Sharon said, "and pulled me down with him. Gavin, really…" She smirked at him. "It wasn't nearly as bad as you're making it sound."

"It was horrible." He waved his free hand at her. "Now stop interrupting me. Where was I?" He asked of Anna.

The little girl looked between them. Finally she settled her wide-eyed, sparkling gaze on Gavin. "You slipped and she fell on top of you."

"Close enough," Gavin decided. "We finally both manage to get on our feet, only by now my files," he emphasized the plurality of it, "are completely ruined. As is my suit. The entire time, the only thing that I can think of is why is this odd woman standing there in the rain, without an umbrella? And my god, where did she get those horrible shoes. Then before I can even so much as think of complaining, she starts to cry…"

"I was laughing," Sharon interjected, while shaking her head. She continued to smile as they walked.

"Crying," Gavin stated. "Well of course I felt bad for her. So we went back inside, had a nice cup of tea—"

"It was the worst coffee I'd ever had in my life, I think it was at least a day old and scorched on top of it," she drawled with a smirk.

"…While I asked her to tell me what she was so upset about, and who was she looking for at that hour of the evening. Most of the attorneys had already gone home!" Gavin carried on and pretended that Sharon hadn't spoken at all.

"He was whining about the ruined file, the wet clothes, and that he was going to be late getting home to watch Melrose Place," Sharon corrected.

Gavin gasped at her. "I never." At her pointed look he sighed. "Well, maybe once or twice." He turned his attention back to Anna and stopped. "You're not understanding a word of this, are you?"

She was giggling at the pair of them. "You're funny," she decided.

"Well, I'll take it." Gavin shrugged. "So perhaps that story is best saved for Rusty. We'll just leave out the part about my unfortunate television habits of the 90s."

"Oh." Sharon cast a look at him, eyes wide. "Sorry." She blinked, then smiled sweetly. "I already told him that one." Her lashes fluttered, but she didn't look the least bit contrite when she added, "along with the part about the unfortunate actor obsession." She wriggled her fingers at him. "Oh it's fine, he thought its was cute."

"You call yourself my friend," he deadpanned.

"After you told him about the tequila shots in Monterrey it was only fair," She pointed out. "I told you that I'd get even, Gavin. Never doubt me."

"You really are quite wicked." Gavin sighed, but he smiled. "I do love that about you."

"Yes, I know." She stopped in front of the first boutique that was one of the shops they usually frequented and pulled the door open for him.

"You see, Anna," Gavin stated as he walked into the store. "Once upon a time, on a party yacht some miles north of here, there was a wicked, evil—"

"Gavin, don't even think about it." Sharon gave his shoulder a not so light nudge and raised her brows at him. "It was bad enough when you told Ricky and Emily, worse when you told Rusty. Let's not repeat past mistakes."

"At least not for another fifteen years or so," he decided with a smirk. "Don't worry, we'll talk later," He told the little girl.

Sharon sighed. His natural flare and enthusiasm for life were one of the things that she loved most about Gavin. Except when it was directed at her. She supposed she would need to distract him to find a way to curb his enthusiasm.

The remainder of the shopping trip passed in much the same way that it began. Gavin teased, and he gossiped, and in between he listened to the things that she found difficult to put voice to with anyone else. He also listened to what she wasn't saying and provided insight and advice, whether she wanted it or not. That was a two way street, of course, and Sharon did much the same for him as they got caught up on everything they had missed out on the last few months.

All the while they shopped, primarily for Anna, but for themselves as well. Gavin talked her into a vibrant blue, wrap dress that she was sure that she would never to work, but they both liked the way the material fell in soft folds to dance around her knees.

They sat down at their favorite bistro for lunch, and afterward, Sharon took Anna and headed back to Los Feliz. On the way, they made only one more stop. It had simply been too long since she was able to enjoy a leisurely afternoon, and so Sharon stopped at her favorite nail salon. Anna was mesmerized by the manicure, and so they both got one.

Sharon managed, only narrowly, to talk Anna out of the purple nail polish that she picked. Instead, they settled on a pale, hardly there lavender. Girls would be girls, she supposed. With Emily it was all shades of pink. Her daughter had enjoyed every shade, from pale carnation to deep fuscia. She indulged it, this color obsession of Anna's, just as she had with Emily, and began to feel a little better about their situation. Anna was reveling in the attention, so it was more than worth it. Even when Rusty often exclaimed that Anna's room looked as though a Barney toy had exploded in it.

Once they were back at the condo, Sharon pulled the boxes that Jack left behind out of storage. She found the one that had come to them with Anna, and sat down with the child as they sorted through it. Anything of importance, such as Anna's birth certificate and medical records, Sharon already had. What remained were a few mementos, scrap books, photos, and the like.

Samantha Novak was a beautiful woman. The blue eyes, Sharon learned, had definitely come from Jack. The woman was younger, obviously, but she hadn't realized how much younger she must be. The face that smiled back at them from several photos was easily in her early thirties, young and brunette, with deep brown eyes. She would like to say that she couldn't imagine what she must have seen in Jack, but Sharon knew all too well just how charming he could be. He would have made her believe that anything was possible, that no one else could love her more. Sharon smiled a bit sadly, she could be angry and resentful of a woman she had never even met, but she knew how the story ended, and all she could feel was sympathy for what she must have gone through at Jack's leaving. He had always been so very good at the leaving.

"Pretty." Anna sighed, sounding just a bit wistful as she pulled a framed photograph out of the box and held it. The wind was blowing through Samantha's long hair, the camera had caught her mid laugh, and her eyes were alight with it. Behind her was the burning scarlet of a desert sunset. She held it out for Sharon and sat back on the sofa. She managed to tuck herself against the woman's side as she did. "That one."

"This one?" Sharon held the photo in one hand and stroked the other over Anna's hair. Her fingers combed through the loose, soft curls that bounced around her shoulders. "She was very pretty," she said quietly, in deference to the shift in Anna's mood. "Do you want to keep looking?"

"No." She lay her head against Sharon's chest and reached out to touch her fingers to the photo's smooth, glass surface. "I like this one."

"I like it too." Sharon let her cheek rest against the top of the child's head. "Why don't we go find a place to put it in your room. Then you can help me make dinner. Would you like that?'

"Okay!" Anna pulled away and scrambled off the sofa and to her feet. She trotted down the hall toward her room.

Sharon chuckled quietly and reached over to begin placing the rest of the items they'd looked through back in the box. As she did, she opened one of the scrap books, just to see if it was something that Anna might like to have sooner rather than later. Her breath caught at the photo that greeted her, near the front of the book. Jack stood with Samantha, an arm around her. They were both smiling, and he looked more carefree than Sharon had seen him in a very long time.

Her smile melted away and she quickly closed the book and dropped it into the box. She placed the lid back on it and tucked the box beneath the coffee table. She would place it back in the storage closet in the utility room later. Why it should bother her to see Jack happy with someone else, she couldn't say. She was long over all of the disappointments and hurt that he had caused her. She could point out that it wasn't fair, but if life were fair a lot of things would be different for a good deal of people.

Sharon shook her head as she made her way down the hall. Anna was already hard at work moving the stuffed animals that adorned the bookshelf beside her bed. When Sharon joined her, she glanced over, eyes shining. "Right here!" She bounced in place, which had her dropping a small stuffed bear, which rolled across the floor.

"Okay, okay," she chuckled again, Jack forgotten for the moment. They were just so full of energy at this age. Sharon had forgotten what that was like. She placed the photo on the shelf and then turned it slightly, so that it was easily visible from the bed. "There you go," she stated, and stood back. Her lips twitched, threatened to curve toward a smile.

Anna rolled her eyes toward her. She dropped the stuffed animals in her arms and stepped forward to rearrange the frame. She straightened it out and then stepped back to nod. "There!"

Her lips pressed into a thin line. Sharon arched a brow at her. "But wouldn't you like to see it from the bed?"

"Hmm." Anna's lips pursed. "I like it straight. It's better." She bent and began picking up the stuffed toys, one at a time, and carrying them to her toy box.

Sharon pressed her fingers against her lips, but giggled quietly anyway. The child did have specific ideas about how she wanted things arranged. She would like to take credit for it, but it seemed that Jack definitely had a type. "Yes ma'am," she said instead and bent to help her with the mess she'd created in her rush to make room for the photograph.

They heard the door in the front room open and close. Anna's head popped up and her attention on cleaning was lost. "Rusty!" She ran from the room and disappeared down the hall.

"I wish a had a fourth of that energy." Sharon shook her head and followed.

Anna was bouncing around Rusty and talking a mile a minute as she told him all about the day that they had. He glanced over at Sharon as she joined them, a comical expression on his face. "What did you feed her?"

"We might have stopped for ice-cream after our manicures." Her lips pursed as she thought about it. "In hindsight, I really shouldn't have caved on the second scoop."

"Probably not." He laughed and managed to maneuver around Anna to drop his book bag on a chair.

"Nails. See!" Anna thrust her hands at him. "They're purple," she stated proudly.

"Of course they are." Rusty looked at Sharon and rolled his eyes at her. "You're getting soft. You never let me get purple nails."

She snorted a laugh at his earnest expression, belied only by the sparkling of his eyes. "You're absolutely right, Rusty. I have never considered allowing you to have purple nails," her voice shook with the barely constrained amusement.

"I'm jealous." Rusty looked down at Anna. He made a great show of inspecting her nails while she preened. "Definitely jealous. It's not fair. I want purple nails."

Anna's eyes lit up suddenly. "I can paint them!" She jumped up and down in front of him and sent her loose, brown curls to bouncing. "Just like mine!"

Sharon pressed the back of her hand against her mouth when she giggled. That probably wasn't the best tactic for Rusty to take. Anna could be tenacious when she really wanted something. "You know," she said haltingly, while trying not to laugh. "Maybe we can think about that after dinner. Right now, Rusty should go study and you promised to help me out."

The little girl sighed. "Okay. But later," she pointed a finger at Rusty, her mind obviously made up on the matter.

"You bet." Rusty waited for her to turn away before he shook his head. He reached for his bag again. As he walked past Sharon, he stopped to mutter. "You don't actually own any purple nail polish, right?"

"You know, I think I might," She smirked at him.

"Oh god." Rusty's hand smacked against his palm and he left to retreat to his room.

Sharon laughed outright and followed Anna into the kitchen. One day, he would learn, she thought. In the meantime, she was going to enjoy the process. A knock at the door had her turning back. Sharon called out to the over-exuberant child as she crossed the living room. "Anna, wait for me." She was still laughing as she pulled the door open. Sharon's brows lifted in surprise. "Oh… hi."

"Hi." Andy had almost talked himself out of knocking. They were only two days into the week of vacation that Sharon had scheduled, and he found himself missing her. It was more than being left to Provenza's tender administrative mercies. A week before, he might have found the absence of her presence a relief. That had changed, now that his head was firmly out of his ass. He thought of texting her a hundred times, but ended up deleting every one. Things were different now. The ease of what they'd had previously was missing. "I uh…" His thumb scraped across his forehead and he shrugged, then smiled sheepishly. "Hey."

She leaned against the open door and smiled at him. Her head tilted while she studied the ill-at-ease set of his shoulders and the way he fidgeted. "Hm." She hummed and stepped back to let him into the apartment. "Why do I think I should ask you what you've done?"

Andy shook his head as he stepped inside. "Historically we're not so good at following the rules and you've left us on our own for two whole days. That could have something to do with it." He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned, standing in front of her. "For the record, no one has been… caught doing anything wrong. Yet."

"Yet," she repeated. Sharon pushed the door closed and leaned back against it. "That's the part that worries me. Well, that and the fact that you preambled it with No one has been caught…" She clasped her hands in front of her and gazed up at him. "Andy, why are you here?"

He shrugged. "That seems to be the question." His brows drew together in a frown. "You've been gone two whole days," he repeated, and offered another small smile.

Their eyes met and she saw in his gaze the same regret that she had been feeling. She held his gaze for only a moment before letting hers drop. "Oh," she said quietly. Sharon exhaled quietly and stared at the floor between them. She was questioning now if she was ready to open herself back up to that again. She had missed him, and it was as she had told Rusty, it was how they resolved the relationships that caused them hurt that defined who they were as people, and who they were together.

Andy stepped closer and let his hands loosely circle her wrists. "I think maybe I missed you," he rumbled quietly. His thumbs stroked the insides of her wrists. He sought her gaze again, and while he did, he inhaled the scent of her perfume, barely there, and yet he could pick it out of a room full of women. "Actually," he said. "I know I missed you."

He wasn't only speaking of the last two days. Sharon tipped her head back and the beginnings of a smile tugged at her lips. "I think this could fall under the idiot classification." He was barely touching her at all, and yet, a warmth spread up her arms. "Andy," she spoke quietly and looked away again.

"Missed that too," he said, just as quietly. "You didn't tell me that Jack was gone." It needed to be said, but it wasn't an accusation. He was more curious about it. They had only agreed to part because of Jack in the first place.

"I'm not a switch." Sharon sighed. "I can't turn myself on and off like one, Andy. I didn't…" She trailed off and shrugged delicately. "I'm not that person, I'm available, I'm not available. This isn't a revolving door," She said, and nodded to the structure behind her. "He was here, and then he was gone. He didn't exactly tell me that he was planning to leave. He never does. Besides, you were pretty angry with me."

"Not at you," he corrected. That much, beyond anything else he did know for certain. "Maybe at myself a little, definitely at Jack, and this whole situation too. You were just conveniently present." Andy shook his head. "I was an ass," he said. "I'm sorry."

"No…" Sharon smiled again, this time sadly. "I'm so used to handling everything on my own, especially with Jack, that it never even occurred to me that there would be another solution. Or that I had other options. That isn't your fault. I stepped back, I chose to stay married to a man that… well…" They could discuss Jack's failings but there was no point in it, and she didn't want to do it while Anna was within hearing range. "I've been going through the motions of my life and that is on no one but me." She shook her head. "It's… well, it just is. I'm sorry," she added in a soft whisper.

"Hey." When she looked down, he tipped her face up. "Idiots love company, remember?"

"Hm." She hummed. Sharon wrapped her hand around his wrist and smiled up at him. "Indeed. Well, at least we've been able to recognize it." Movement at her hip drew her attention. Sharon looked down and found Anna looking up at them.

The little girl's eyes were wide. She leaned into Sharon's hip and wrapped her arms around her leg. Her eyes moved from Sharon to Andy, and back again. Sharon cupped her chin and winked at her. "Anna, you remember my friend Andy, don't you?"

Anna chose that moment to play shy and tucked her face into Sharon's hip, only to peek out at him again. It drew a chuckle from the adults. Andy knelt in front of her, and managed not to grimace when his knees creaked. "Hi there, Anna." He smiled gently. "You weren't so afraid of me the other night, when I brought you the spaghetti."

It drew a giggle from her and while she turned, she leaned back against Sharon's legs. She kept her head bowed and peeked out at him through thick lashes and from beneath her bangs. "Hi." Anna tipped her head all the way back and she looked up at Sharon. "Make dinner now?"

"Hm." Her fingers combed the child's bangs away from her forehead. "Yes, we probably should." Sharon stroked her cheek and then lifted the child onto her hip. "What do you think, Anna, should we ask Andy if he wants to stay for dinner?"

"Actually," he rose, and this time his knees popped. "I should go," Andy said. "I don't want to get in the way." He gave her a pointed a look. "It looks like it's going okay, so far."

"It is." Sharon looked at Anna and smiled. "I think we're going to be just fine. I think, perhaps, I just needed to… how do you usually put it," her eyes sparkled at him. "Pull my head out?"

Andy laughed. "Can I get that in writing? I want to frame it and put it on my desk. Sharon Raydor pulled her head out…"

Her eyes narrowed. He was enjoying it just a little too much. She sniffed. "Absolutely not, and if you ever mention it, I'll deny the entire conversation." Her chin lifted, but her eyes were still sparkling. "You should stay," she said. "It's only us and Rusty, and I think he could use the back up." Sharon's lips began to twitch again. "Anna is planning on painting his nails later."

"Purple!" She stuck her hand out so that he could see it. "Rusty wants purple nails too." With her blue eyes glittering, Anna considered him. "Stay," she decided. "I paint yours too."

Sharon snickered quietly. She had to look away to keep from laughing outright at the expression on his face. "Oh yes, please do," she managed. Sharon pressed her lips into a thin line, and began to laugh anyway. She couldn't help it, she was not only imagining him with the purple nail polish, but also the reaction of the others, and his partner in particular.

At her laughter, his eyes narrowed. Andy reached for Anna and plucked her out of Sharon's arms. "You think that bothers me?" He settled Anna in his own arms and walked with her toward the kitchen. "You've met Nicole. She's had that odd sense of humor her entire life… I should tell you about the time she gave me a facial."

"Oh god." Sharon giggled as she followed them. "I really hope there are pictures. Remind me to call her." He shot a dark look her way and she laughed again. Suddenly she was picturing him in bright shades of makeup. "Yes, I'm definitely calling her now. I may even grovel."

"Go right ahead," Andy said. "Just remember… Ricky likes me." He smirked. He was fairly certain that there was plenty of dirt to be had on Sharon too, and he could talk the boy into sharing it.

"We'll see," she drawled. Sharon stepped into the kitchen with them, and while Andy sat Anna on the counter, she walked to the pantry and opened it. "Anna, what are we having?"

The little girl looked up at Andy. When he winked at her, she giggled. "Sketti!"

"Yes of course. How silly of me," she said. Sharon pulled a package of noodles out of the pantry and circled the kitchen pulling out pans and other ingredients.

"Okay, no…" Andy took her by the shoulders and moved Sharon aside when she reached for canned sauce. "I can't let you do that.

"Andy." She shot a warning look at him. They'd discussed her kitchen before. Granted, it wasn't this kitchen, but the rules still applied. Her brows rose while her lips pursed.

"Sharon." He placed her in front of Anna and pointed a finger at her. "Stay put." Her eyes narrowed, but he stood his ground. "I can't let you feed this child canned sauce. It's worth facing the beanbag gun to stop that."

She folded her arms across her chest and continued to scowl at him. "I am most definitely calling Nicole now. Those pictures, if they exist, are going up on the murder board."

"You can try." Andy smirked at her. "Who's side do you think my daughter is going to take?"

Sharon grinned smugly at him. "Mine." She lifted Anna and walked over to take a seat at the bar, facing him, with the child in her lap. "But, do go right ahead and cook for me." She would just make sure that he was on his own.

Andy knew that look, only too well. There was a challenge in it. He drummed his fingers against the counter and studied her. He decided it was worth it, when Anna leaned back in her arms and Sharon lay her cheek against the top of the little girl's head. He wondered if she even realized that now that she wasn't overthinking the situation just how easy it all seemed to come to her. Anna seemed comfortable with her, although even the team had been witness to a tantrum or two in the very beginning. It wasn't easy for anyone to have their lives turned completely upside down, he imagined that was true for a child as young as Anna too.

"When I'm done," Andy said, pushing the thoughts aside, "you're going to be begging me to cook for you again."

"Am I?" Sharon hummed. "We'll see," she said again.

She held onto Anna while Andy moved around her kitchen, familiarizing himself with it and finding all that he needed to make a respectable pasta sauce. All too soon, the little girl began to fidget and wanted down. Sharon let her go and watched her wander back to the living room to play. "You've lost your audience." She rested her elbow on the surface of the bar and let her chin fall into her hand. "They are so fickle at this age."

"They're all fickle under thirty," he observed with a grin. "Just ask Provenza."

She laughed. The older Lieutenant's dating habits were just a bit legendary. Sharon shook her head at him. "I'd rather not think about it, thank you very much."

"You're not the only one." Andy chopped vegetables quickly and with practiced ease. "So how is she doing, you know, since Jack's been out of the picture." He nodded his head toward where Anna now sat, on the floor near the sofa, a tea set and doll in front of her.

"Since he's hardly been in the picture…" Sharon shrugged. "She seems to be okay. She still asks about her mother, but she's too young to really understand everything. She'll ask about Jack too, but she accepts that he's not around so easily. He wasn't really there to begin with. The concept of having a daddy is just so abstract for her, she can associate him with that, but it's a title. I don't think there's really much emotional involvement. It's her mother that she's missing, and that is always going to be with her to some degree." Sharon slipped off her stool and walked around to join him in the kitchen. She leaned her hip against the counter near where he worked. "We're muddling through. This situation is a lot different than Rusty's. I'm not sure if it's easier or more difficult. Her mother died, and his…" That went without saying. She didn't like to think about Sharon Beck too often, it just reminded her how much she truly disliked the woman. "Rusty was old enough to grasp much of the situation, but that meant he also understood the hurt that went with it. That will come in time with her too…"

His brows drew together. Andy watched her, and the way her gaze roamed back toward where Anna played. She seemed resigned again. He nudged her arm. "What are you thinking?"

"Just that I'm very familiar with this dance. A little too familiar," she said quietly, "and it's really very sad. He'll be out of the picture for a while," she said, speaking of Jack again. "Then when the guilt starts to set in, he'll call and check on her. There will be gifts and cards, he'll promise to visit, but he won't. He's going to break her heart again and again…" She trailed off and glanced at him, looking a bit sheepish. "I'm sorry. That's just a little bit maudlin isn't it?"

"I don't think you can really help that." Andy smiled sadly at her. "It is what it is. You can hope for the best, but you've got good reasons to know better. From where I'm standing, he hasn't given you any reasons to think otherwise." Andy shrugged. "You'll figure it out."

"You sound so sure of that." Sharon shook her head. "I'm not." She turned, so that she was leaning back against the edge of the counter. She folded her arms over her chest. Her head tilted and she smiled at him. "See, this is what I missed. Gavin wants to fix all my problems, and you'll just let me talk until I figure out all my crazy…. while silently plotting ways of planting your fist in my ex-husband's face."

"Yeah?" He arched a brow at her. "So what gave me away?" Andy smirked, he had been thinking exactly that. It wasn't much of a stretch though. There were a lot of people that would like to put their fists in Jackson Raydor's face, he was sure. He could name at least five off the top of his head.

Sharon cast a pointed look at where his grip on the knife had gone taut and white-knuckled. "I can't even imagine." She reached over and gently pried his fingers away from it and then nudged him aside. "I think you'd better let me do this before you lose something essential, and manage to ruin my favorite chopping board."

"Probably a good idea." He leaned against the counter nearby and watched her. Her hands were small, but quick and efficient. "It would be a shame too, but you just can't get blood out of bamboo." Andy pushed away from the counter and walked over to stand behind her. His hands rested against her upper arms, and he leaned closer. "For the record," he rumbled quietly. "I missed that too." When the knife thwacked loudly against the board, he peered over her shoulder to make sure all digits were still attached. "At this point, maybe we should just get Rusty to help…"

She laughed. "You might be right about that." The urge to lean back was strong, but she resisted it. They couldn't pick up where they'd left off, and they weren't ready to return to that level of familiarity yet. Instead, Sharon concentrated on the vegetables in front of her, and exhaled quietly when he stepped away from her.

Andy only moved away when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the screen. "Damn." He muttered quietly as he read the text. "I'm going to have to go." He met her gaze and smiled regretfully. "We caught a case."

She put the knife down and wiped her hands on a towel. "I'll walk you out." She didn't like that their night was cut short, but she understood it. Of all people she got it. Normally, she'd be waiting for them to call her in as well.

He stopped on his way through the living room to kneel in front of Anna. "We're going to take a raincheck on that manicure, right?" When she looked confused, he smiled. "I gotta go, sweetheart, but we'll do it next time, maybe. Okay?"

"Okay." She smiled brightly at him. "Bye."

"Bye." He chuckled as he tapped her nose and stood to join Sharon at the door. "Anna, you're in charge. No canned sauce. Got it?"

"I'm the boss," she chirped.

"That's the spirit." He took Sharon's hand, for just a moment, as he stepped through the door that she held for him. "I'll call you?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "When you can. Maybe we can try this again later in the week."

"Yeah," he said, and felt a little hopeful at that. "Or maybe we can go to Marcels…" It was the restaurant they had frequented before Jack's return.

"I would like that too." She watched him step away. "Good night, Andy."

"Sharon." He was reluctant to leave, but if he didn't arrive at the crime scene soon, his partner would ring his phone until the battery died. "Good night." Quietly, and feeling better than he had when he arrived, Andy made his way back to the elevator.

She waited until he was out of sight before she pushed the door closed behind him. She sighed when she turned to lean against it. Her eyes closed and she stood there for a few moments. A smile curved her lips.

Finally, she pushed away from it and made her way back to the kitchen. It seemed that after a brief interlude of time that she couldn't put a name to, things were finally getting back on track.