Better or Worse

by Kadi

Rated T

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

A low, throaty laugh sounded through the room. Andy had his jacket thrown over one arm, and the other was wrapped Sharon's waist. He turned his face into her neck and nuzzled. They stood in front of her door. The hour was very late, or very early, depending upon the outlook. It wasn't quite dawn yet, but it was well after midnight. He usually left her just after dawn, as the first light of morning was spreading across the sky. It made for some very long days running on too little sleep, but it was worth it. It would catch up to them soon, but for the present the change in their relationship was still very new.

Sharon had been sneaking him in and out of the condo for a week, with neither of the kids any the wiser for it. It was more complicated now that Sharon was back at work, and between both of their schedules and the time she set aside to spend with Anna and Rusty, they were doing a lot of juggling. It was working, in the crazy and chaotic way that all new relationships seemed to work in the beginning.

It wasn't necessarily that Sharon didn't want the children to know about them, but both of them were still getting used to life after Jack and while she didn't expect that Rusty would have an issue with it, Anna was very young and she didn't want to confuse her. She also didn't want to put Rusty in a position where he felt he needed to lie for her, and for the moment, she very much wanted to keep that relationship to herself. So much of her private life had been fodder for gossip lately that she didn't want to place anything else into the mill. At least for the time being. For now she wanted to enjoy it.

Enjoy it they were.

"You're going to be late." Sharon's head tilted to one side as his lips moved along her neck. They were only up at this hour because his phone had gone off. Sharon figured she had time enough to get into the shower after he was gone before she would be getting the call to join them. She would wait until the last minute to wake Rusty and let him know that he would need to get Anna to preschool. Andy didn't seem in any hurry to leave, however, but Sharon was trying to maneuver him out the door before they either managed to wake Rusty, or his partner had Tao track the GPS on his phone to find out where he was and what was keeping him.

"Yeah." He backed her into the wall beside the door and held her there. "There's no hurry for me to leave then, is there?" His hand slid down her side, beneath the hem of the short, blue robe she was wearing.

"Okay!" She placed her hands against his chest and gave him a firm push backward. "You really have to go now." Sharon reached beyond him to unlock and open the door. As she opened it, she began maneuvering him toward it. "Go, pretend to be a responsible Lieutenant," she said teasingly.

"I thought I was being responsible." Andy was pulling her with him as he backed through the door. "Keeping the boss happy is an essential part of my job," he rumbled. He dipped his head to capture her smiling mouth in a kiss.

A pair of hands landed against Andy's shoulders. "I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say this isn't how the LAPD intends you to do that. But big points for effort and sentiment!" Ricky Raydor had put his hands up, mainly to keep from being ploughed over as the Lieutenant backed out of his mother's apartment. Apparently with her in his arms and half dressed on top of it.

"Ricky!" The surprise was immediate. Sharon moved around Andy to stare wide-eyed at her son. Her eyes quickly took in the sight of Rusty standing beside him. "Rusty." A brow arched as she looked between the two of them. "What are you doing here, and what are you doing out at three in the morning?" The last was directed at the youngest.

"Well isn't that a fine greeting." Ricky shook his head and looked at his younger brother. "Rearrange my entire schedule to come down and help out for a few days and this is the thanks I get? How do you like that?"

"Harsh." Rusty shoved his hands into his pockets and smirked. "His plane got in late," he told Sharon. "We decided to go out after I got off work. I sent a text to your phone." His brows lifted. "I guess you were too busy to check it," he glanced at the Lieutenant and then gave her a pointed look. Rusty then made a point of looking at his watch. "It's a little early for you to be sneaking him out, isn't it? You usually wait until about five…"

"Wait." Ricky interrupted them, but his mother's mouth was moving while no sound was coming out. He figured it was just as well. The Lieutenant was looking entirely too uncomfortable for words. It was amusing. "You knew about this?" He gestured between the two of them. "You didn't tell me? Not cool, little brother. We talked about this. There's a code."

"I understand." Rusty's head inclined while he thought about it. "There's just a line. It's a fine one… between obeying the code and giving up any chance at future blackmail material. Besides, this moment?" He pointed at Sharon and Andy. "That is perfection."

Sharon turned to Andy. She said nothing as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the condo. Then she shut the door and leaned back against it. She buried her face in her hands and groaned. "Oh god."

Andy looked heavenward. He folded his lips together, but it didn't stop the shaking of his shoulders. "Look on the bright side," he managed, while chuckling, "they're getting along." When she moaned again, he shook his head. A blush was creeping up her neck. "I suppose this is a bad time to point out you've locked your sons out and us in… and I have somewhere to be."

Her hands dropped. She flashed a wide-eyed look at him. "Now you want to leave?" She was mortified, not necessarily at having been caught, but the manner in which it happened, and by whom. Both of them, at the same time. "You cannot leave me here alone with them," she hissed.

Andy's brows rose. He grinned crookedly at her. "There's just one problem with that. Crime scene." His dark eyes were sparkling at her. Andy reached out and tugged her forward. His hand slid behind her to wrap around the door knob. "Like you said, I'm going to be late."

"Andy," she spoke between her teeth. Her eyes narrowed. "Just remember, I will get even," Sharon promised.

His eyes swept down her form and he grinned again. "I really hope so." He winked as he pulled the door open and edged past her. It was going to cost him, he knew, but he dropped a kiss to her mouth, while her sons looked on and then walked past them. "Goodnight boys."

They exchanged amused looks. Rusty made a face, while Ricky's smirk was all mischief. "Night," they both said, and took it as their cue to make their way inside before the door could be closed on them again.

"So," Ricky said at length. "I guess you won't be moving Anna in with you so I can camp out in her room, huh?"

Her lips pursed. "Remind me to shoot him later." Her gaze swept to the boys and she turned away from them. "Go to bed, both of you. Don't wake your sister. Rusty, you'll have to be up in a couple of hours to take her to school."

Ricky held his arms up and watched her start down the hall. "What? I don't even get a hello, nice to see you? And you call yourself my mother…"

"Hello Ricky, lovely to see you. Now go to bed," she stated again, and shot a look at him from over her shoulder.

They waited for her to disappear, and then Ricky looked at his brother. "So, it's six in New York, who wants to call Emily." His brows bobbed while his eyes sparkled deviously.

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Emily Raydor had a ritual that she followed after wrapping a show. The hours following the final curtain call were usually spent at a party of some sort, whether organized by the company, or among the dancers themselves to celebrate a successful run. They even celebrated the not-so-successful runs. Then she would fall into bed and pull a pillow over her head, sleeping until her body simply could not stand the idea of sleeping any longer. Afterward she would catch up on all of the carbs and sweets that she denied herself during the run of the show, and she would spend at least two days being utterly lazy.

She would read or watch television, catch up on all of the social networking that she was behind on and then begin tracking down those friends that she saw so little of during the chaos of rehearsals, meetings, and showtimes. She would also call her mother, and her grandparents. She would speak to her brother, although lately she was amending that and speaking to her brothers. After a few days she would venture back out into the world again, to go shopping, visit all the trendy hotspots she loved, or catch up on the other shows that were running in the city.

Those that knew her were well versed in the Emily Ritual and knew better than to call before noon. When her phone rang at six in the morning following the wrap of her fall production, she groaned loudly and hugged the pillow tighter to her head. The irritating ringtone persisted, however, only to stop and begin again. Whoever was calling just wasn't satisfied with leaving a voicemail. Emily heaved an annoyed sigh and without opening her eyes, or removing her pillow, she reached over and blindly felt along the bedside table until her fingers closed around it.

She drew it beneath the pillow and muttered darkly, "This had better be an emergency."

"Mom's got a boyfriend." Ricky's voice filled her ear.

"What?" The pillow was tossed aside as Emily sat up in her bed. "Ricky, that's not funny. I just went to bed…" She squinted at the bedside clock. "Two hours ago. If you are waking me up with one of your wild—"

"Rusty and I just busted her making out with him." On his end of the line, he tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder while he made up the camp bed which was pushed into a corner of Rusty's bedroom. "That's not all, she was sneaking him out… at three in the morning."

"No…" Emily's eyes widened. "But Dad just left!" Her jaw dropped open and she shook her head slowly. "You had to misunderstand that. She wouldn't…"

"Oh she was." He grinned crookedly. "I'm telling you Emmy, she was seeing him to the door, and she wasn't exactly all dressed. Rusty said it isn't the first time. She's been sneaking him in and out for a little while now. He's not too sure how long, but yeah. It's happening."

"Okay, just… hang on." Her brain wasn't firing on all cylinders, Emily could recognize that. "How long has dad been gone this time?" She squeezed her eyes closed and reached up to rub at the ache that was building between them, caused from too little sleep.

"About a month," he said. "That's not a big deal. He comes, he goes, he stays, he doesn't stay…" Ricky rolled his eyes. "This time he'll be gone a while, I'm sure. Especially with the papers signed, sealed, and all but finalized. I'm not worried about that." He straightened and smirked. "Mom's got a boyfriend," he drawled, and let her hear the mischief in his tone.

"Yeah, well…" Emily yawned and lay back on the bed. "Even mom has to get laid at some point. Good for her. Who is it?"

"Some guy she works with." Ricky lowered himself onto the camp bed and looked up when Rusty came back into the room. "I've met him, he's alright. Rusty sent you a picture, check your email."

Emily groaned as she pulled herself up again. She crawled to the end of her bed and reached out to snag her iPad off the desk. Then she sat back and folded her legs beneath her. She tucked her phone against her shoulder and swept her hand across the tablet to bring the screen up. After it loaded, she pulled up the email app and yawned again as it loaded each of the messages that she was behind on. The most recent was from Rusty. She double tapped the attachment. Her eyes widened when the picture appeared. Her mother in full lip-lock, at her door, and looking just as disheveled as her brother said.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed. Emily hadn't fully believed him.

"Exactly." Ricky stretched out on the bed and got comfortable. "Now you see the conundrum with which we are faced. Did you think I would joke about that?"

"You are twisted and I'm fairly sure the milkman dropped you off, but hello Silver-Haired-Fox," her eyes were still wide. "Does mom know you have this?"

"Hello," Ricky rolled his eyes at her. "We're still alive to send it, aren't we? Of course not. What sort of amateur do you think I am, Emmy?"

Her head tilted and her lips pursed. "Do you really want me to answer that?" She closed the case on the iPad and set it aside. Then she fell back on the bed again, with yet another yawn. "Okay, this is what you do. Get rid of the evidence," she spoke through the yawn. "Under no circumstances is she to find out you've got it. Play it cool, don't overdo the teasing. I mean, you get some mileage out of busting her, but it's limited and expires by noon."

"Already done, twirling girl, we deleted it the second we sent it." Ricky stared at the ceiling. Really, who did she think they were dealing with? Like her, he'd had his whole life to learn how to run circles around Sharon Raydor - or at least, to try to run circles. "What's the next step?"

"You call the airline and bump my flight up. I'm going back to sleep. Text me the details, but I don't want to be awake before ten. I'll need an hour to pack, so don't put me on anything before about two. That's what, eleven your time? It's about a five hour flight, so that should put me in LA around…" Emily did the math quickly. "Around four, but as long as I'm not getting in any later than six, it should all work out okay." Despite the fact that her eyes were already closed again, Emily smirked. "Ricky, we're going to have an intervention."

"By intervention," he stated, "Do you mean…"

"Inquisition." She grinned sleepily. "The look on her face will be pure perfection, little brother. Now be a good boy and do as you're told. I need to crash."

"Yeah, sure," he grinned. "See you in a few." Rusty ended the call and dropped his phone beside him. "Hey, Rusty, Emmy needs you to change her flight. She wants to come in this evening…" Ricky slid further down in the camp bed and got comfortable. "Nothing before two Manhattan time, and she doesn't want to get in later than six local…" This having a younger sibling thing wasn't so bad, he'd learned.

Rusty opened his laptop to find the itinerary she had sent them a few days before. "We are all going to die," he said. "Just for the record. She's going to kill us."

"There's three of us now," he pointed out. "Four if we count the little pip. She's outnumbered."

Rusty stared at his brother as though he'd grown a second head. "Have you met her? This is Sharon we're talking about. We are so screwed…" He went about changing Emily's flight anyway, because at least they'd all go down together. "And the pip makes it three and a half."

"She'll learn." Ricky closed his eyes. "We'll teach her."

"Yeah," Rusty snorted. "If we're still alive." By the time that he finished making the flight reservations, Rusty glanced at his clock and realized that by now it would be smarter just to stay awake until after he dropped Anna at preschool. Then he could sleep for a few hours before picking her up. He would make Ricky do the airport run, he decided.

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Emily Raydor strode toward baggage claim at LAX at just after five thirty in the evening. She scanned the crowd of people standing nearby, some of them holding signs, others just waiting patiently for their arrivals to find them. Her eyes landed on a sign, brightly colored and standing out amongst the others. Pipsqueak. Her eyes narrowed and her gaze dropped. Ricky was grinning widely as he held the sign. She strode toward him. "Really? That's what you went with?"

"What?" He shrugged as he lowered it. "You spotted it didn't you? So it worked." Ricky folded the cardboard poster in half and tucked it under his arm. "So, how was the flight?"

"It was a flight." She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh shut up, punk." Emily nudged his shoulder, then leaned in to hug him. "Good grief, when did you get so tall?" Before he could answer, she leaned back and her nose wrinkled. "Do you even try to comb your hair anymore?"

Beside and slightly behind him, Rusty snickered. "That's what you get when you cut it yourself." Anna stood beside him, holding his hand, and he lifted her as he stepped forward to join them. "Dude, it's kind of bad."

"Everyone is a critic." Ricky reached up to smooth a hand over his hair. "What are you laughing at?" He made a face at Anna, who was giggling, and only set her to laughing harder. "I am so abused in my time." He shook his head. "Okay, so… Rusty," he gestured at Emily with both hands. "Emily. Emily, this is the little brother."

Rusty slanted a look at him. "I have actually spoken to her before."

"What?" Ricky's eyes widened. "You're sibling cheating on me?"

"I begged my mother for a puppy." Emily sighed, but for Rusty she was all smiles. She stepped forward and offered him a hand, having recalled what her mother said about his not liking to be touched a whole lot. "So you're the normal little brother I always wanted. Finally! At least now I know she has been listening all these years."

"You know," Rusty grinned. "I never really thought of myself as normal before, but compared to what you had before me, yeah… that's me." He shook her hand. She reminded him of Sharon a little, but the grin and her eyes reminded him of Jack. Now that he was seeing her in person, rather than in pictures and face-time, he realized that Anna really did look a lot like her too. Reminded of the little girl, he glanced at her. "Okay so, this is Anna… and I guess she is your little sister."

Emily hadn't known how she would feel about meeting this little girl. She had thought about it a lot during the flight. She had spoken to her, via face-time, but this in-person meeting was so much different than that. The video-conferences just made everything seem so abstract. She took a moment to really study her. Their dad had done a lot of things over the years, but this one… She didn't know that she really had the words for it, but it was directed mostly at him. When faced with the little girl, who ducked her face and turned shyly into Rusty's shoulder, Emily could only smile. She decided to stop questioning why her mother was doing all of this. It was done. Adopted by her mother or not, and whether Emily was close to her father or not, the little one was family.

That didn't make it any less awkward. They were still strangers to each other. But they could learn.

"Well hello Anna." Emily held out a hand and smiled kindly. "Sounds like I'm your big sister. Do you know what that means?"

Anna shook her head slowly, and watched the lady from beneath her lashes. "No," she said quietly. "What is it?"

"It means," Emily explained with a smile, "that you and I get to do all kinds of things to make these two guys look better. We can go shopping, and get manicures, and find someone who will fix Ricky's hair." Her blue eyes sparkled. "It also means that your new mom, Sharon, is my mom too, and your daddy, he's my daddy."

"Oh," Anna said slowly, while her eyes widened. "Is she your first mom or your now mom?"

The question threw Emily for surprise. She had to think about it for a moment to realize what was being asked. "I guess she's both. She's my first mom because she's the only one I've got, and she's my now mom too, because I've still got her." Her head tilted. "Does that make sense?"

Anna nodded. "She's Rusty's now mom too," she explained. "We both got 'dopted."

"That's what I hear." Emily said with a smile. "You know what, I had a friend once that was adopted. Someone made fun of her once, and you know what her now mom said?" When Anna shook her head, Emily leaned closer. "She said that all of our moms, and the little boy who was making fun of her, his mom didn't get to pick which kid she got. But now moms get to choose, and they only pick the best. And ya know what? I think she was right." She understood that her mother's choice hadn't exactly been that great, but she made it anyway, and Anna never needed to know all that.

While Anna only giggled and turned back into Rusty's shoulder, he grinned. "Well played." He tilted his head at her. "You know, she didn't exactly pick me, right?"

"Hm." Emily hummed. Her lips pursed. "Oh, I think she did." Emily looked around and noticed at that the bags were now circling. "Okay, let me grab my stuff and we can go."

Anna turned to Rusty. "He's not really going to put me on it is he?"

"No." Rusty laughed. "Ricky was only kidding." He shot a look at the older boy.

"What?" Emily looked between the two of them.

Ricky rolled his eyes. "I told Anna we'd let her ride the baggage carousel. Then Rusty got all freaked out that Mom would have a cat if we lost Anna at the airport, since she doesn't really know we're here…" He shrugged. "I thought it would be fun. You know, kind of like that time you put me in the dryer."

Rusty's eyes went wide. "You put him in the dryer?"

"I didn't turn it on." Emily grinned. "I mean, I couldn't reach the knobs, but still…" She folded her arms over her chest. "I know it sounds bad, but he's completely leaving out the part where he tried to stuff me in the dishwasher. Now that I think about it… It's kind of amazing that either of us survived."

"Wow." Rusty blinked. "I always wondered why Sharon is the way that she is. Now I get it. Also, I am the normal one."

"Oh please." Ricky reached over and ruffled his hair. "You are in no way normal. Come on," he bumped Emily with his shoulder. "Let's get your bags. How many of them are there? Twelve?"

She made a face at him as she turned. "There are three. Dork."

"You really were tired," he said. "Pipsqueak." Ricky caught her in a headlock and drew her toward the carousel with him.

"Hey, let go of me you big bully!" Emily dug her elbow into his side.

Rusty looked at Anna. "It's just us kid. We are the last bastion of normal in this family."

She nodded slowly, and said seriously, "Yeah."

After retrieving Emily's bags, the group climbed into Rusty's car. Los Angeles traffic at that hour of the day was horrible, and so the ride from the airport was prolonged. It gave them time to discuss their game plan, however. Rusty explained that with the team catching a case the previous night, Sharon would probably be working late. It was decided that they would stop for dinner, and then Emily would make her grand entrance at the Murder Room, rather than waiting for her mother to get home - which, Rusty told them, could be very late or very early the next morning.

At the restaurant, Emily took the opportunity to slip into a comfortable cashmere sweater of pale blue, and to freshen up her hair and makeup. She made the flight in jeans and a pair of heeled, brown, riding boots.

Traffic wasn't nearly so bad when they left the restaurant and made the trip downtown. As usual, Rusty had to park a few blocks away. Emily drew her purse over her shoulder and shook her hair back when they left the elevator on the ninth floor of the Divisional Headquarters where Major Crimes was housed. On the way up, Rusty had given her a brief rundown of the Murder Room's layout, since she had never been there.

They peaked in when they arrived and Rusty quickly scoped out the room. Most of the team was present and he could see Sharon working in her office. "Okay," he told her. "You're on."

"Watch and learn little brothers, watch and learn." Emily lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. Then she started her stride through the murder room. The heels of her boots clicked against the tile, drawing the attention of the officers present. She looked straight ahead, however, and moved through the room as though she had been doing it for years, rather than seconds.

Her hair fell in loose, dark curls around her shoulders. It swayed and bounced as she walked. Her blue-eyed gaze only dropped once, as she neared the office that Rusty indicated belonged to her mother. It located the detective from the photo that Ricky had shown her that morning. His curious gaze looked back at her, and while she watched, his eyes narrowed in speculation. One corner of Emily's mouth lifted in a half smirk, and then she winked at him.

"Ma'am, can we—"

The voice had come from behind her, but Emily ignored it. Instead, she caught the handle of her mother's door and gave it a turn. She swept inside, and with added flare, gave a flick of her wrist to send it shut again. It closed with a loud click that was not quite a slam. Emily knew she could push only so far. Her brows lifted when she turned and fixed the surprised woman behind the desk with a pointed look. "Really?" Emily took a step forward and dropped her purse on a chair. Her hands found her hips. "I cannot leave you unsupervised for even a minute, can I?"

Sharon looked up when her door opened. Her eyes widened at the identity of the visitor, and then while she was left in her surprised state, she blinked a few times. Slowly, a smile began to curve her lips. "Emily!" She wasn't expecting her daughter's arrival until early the following week. Sharon pushed up from the desk and rounded it. "You're early."

"I'm always early. Except when I'm not." The attitude she was giving off dissolved into a wide smile. She met her mother halfway and stepped into an embrace. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. There was always a moment, either in Park City or upon returning to Los Angeles when all the stress and the drama and the chaos of living in Manhattan faded away. This was it, this was the moment, and she had been missing it. Two years had passed since her mother managed to make the Park City trip for the Christmas Holidays and Emily's schedule just hadn't allowed for an extra trip west. She should have made the time, she knew, but her mom was big on them chasing their dreams and living their lives. Still, as she felt that sense of peace and home settle over her, she resolved to do better.

"Let me see you." Sharon pulled back and cupped her daughter's chin. Emily was only just taller than she was, but had the slight, lean build that leant itself to her talent and profession. She was thin, and beneath the makeup, she was pale. Sharon could see the dark smudges that her concealer didn't completely hide. She was so obviously tired but her blue eyes were sparkling happily and the smile lit her face. "Your brother called you."

It wasn't a question, so Emily just shrugged. "You had to know that he would." Her head tilted and she sighed. "Rick called at like six this morning. Of course I had to see it for myself. You know how he is… drama queen!" Her smile faltered a bit while she studied her mother. She looked tired, but there was a lightness about her that Emily hadn't seen in a very long time. "My turn." Emily stepped back and held her mother's arms out. "You're not human. I really hope the aging fairies are listening, and I was this blessed." The devious sparkle returned to her eyes. "Of course, I suppose regular sex wouldn't have anything to do with that at all."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sharon walked around her, she glanced back and there was a smirk planted firmly on her face. Beyond the glass that encased her office and the open blinds, she could see that her boys had arrived. She decided to put an end to the mischief before it could go too far.

Emily laughed. "Of course you don't." She picked up her purse again and followed her mother out of the office.

The moment they appeared, Anna wiggled away from Rusty and trotted over to Sharon. She threw her arms out when she neared in full expectation of being lifted. She was not disappointed. The moment that Anna was perched against her hip, she fixed Sharon with a very serious look. "Ricky tried to lose me at the airport."

"What?" He was standing, speaking with Lieutenant Tao, but upon hearing that, Ricky's head popped up and he whirled around. "No I didn't."

"Uh huh." Anna nodded. "He was going to put me on the bag machine and send me to China!"

"I see." Sharon's brow arched. She cast a pointed look at her eldest son. "Richard William Raydor."

Rusty snorted a laugh at the incredulous look on his face. "Well, you did joke that if you let her ride the bag carousel she might end up in China."

"But I wasn't really going to let her ride it," Ricky exclaimed. His mother was still staring hard at him. "Really!"

"Hm." Sharon hummed. "Where were you in all of this Rusty?" Her gaze fell on him as well and she included both of her sons in her glare.

"What? How come he doesn't get full-named." Ricky's jaw dropped. "That is not fair."

Rusty threw his hands up. "I was hanging onto Anna and not letting him do it."

"Yeah." Anna nodded. "Rusty was good. Ricky was bad."

Ricky's hand smacked against his forehead. "I don't believe this."

"Believe it." Emily smirked happily at his plight. It was one that he had gotten her into a number of times over the years. "Turn about is fair play little brother." She folded her arms over her chest and stood beside her mother.

"You." He pointed at her. "You put her up to this didn't you!" Ricky's eyes narrowed as he regarded his sister. "I will get even."

"You can try." Sharon continued to stare hard at him. Finally she averted her gaze to Anna. "Have you had dinner yet? We can check out the break room before your brother takes you home."

"No. I ate. We had burgers." Anna lay her head on Sharon's shoulder and sighed. She didn't like these long nights when it was just her and Rusty. "Are you coming home?" She asked plaintively.

"Soon, I hope," Sharon rubbed her back. "But it may be a while. Rusty, you know how I feel about the constant junk food."

"Oh, that one is on me." Emily admitted. "I really wanted a greasy cheeseburger. We stopped by that old cafe over by where your old office was. I've always loved that place. Sorry," she smiled sheepishly. "I just wrapped the show, so I'm still in my binge phase."

"I understand," Sharon stated, but before Rusty could protest, she continued, "let's try to keep it at a minimum with your sister, please?" By now they had more than drawn the curious looks of the others. Sharon realized that was not to be helped. "It seems that my oldest daughter has decided to surprise us with an early visit," she told the others. "Everyone, this is Emily." She went around the Murder Room, introducing those who were present. She came to Andy last, and realized that throughout the earlier exchange, he was watching with a smirk. There was just too much mischief in his eyes currently. Sharon reminded herself that she still needed to do something about his traitorous abandonment earlier that morning. His timing when it came to finally learning to appreciate the rules was just too fortuitous to let pass. Oh yes, Sharon thought, she would deal with Flynn later.

The way her look went just a little bland as it passed over him told Andy that she hadn't forgotten his grand escape. He would watch his back. That one was evil. They didn't call her Darth Raydor without very good cause. He stood, as had the others, and offered a hand to Emily when she was introduced to him. "It's good to finally meet you," He said.

Emily's brow arched. "You too." She took the opportunity to get a good look at him, now that they were up close and personal. The picture hadn't really done him justice. At least her mother's tastes were improving, she thought. "We won't keep you," Emily turned away from him, but not without flashing a knowing smile. Her attention shifted back to her mother. "We just wanted to stop by and say hello on the way home. Let you know that I was here…" Her head inclined. "In case there was some confusion coming in the door later. I understand there were issues when Ricky got here last night."

There was an almost imperceptible narrowing of Sharon's eyes. "Indeed. Well, thank you for that. I don't know when I'll be home, but with any luck, I'll see you all for breakfast," the last was directed at Anna. "Okay?"

The little girl sighed. "Okay."

Sharon started to carry her to Rusty, but Emily held out her hands. "I'll take her. She and I have some catching up to do." Emily lifted her new little sister onto her hip and adjusted the strap of her purse on the opposite shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll keep the boys in line."

"Just try not to destroy the place." Sharon rolled her eyes at them. "We will talk later," she pointed a finger at Ricky.

"But I—" He just closed his mouth and shook his head. There was no use arguing. "You are evil," he told his sister instead.

"Yes I am." Emily smirked. "You'll think twice at waking me up at six in the morning, won't you?" She winked at Anna and started walking toward the exit. "Come on, I have so very much to teach you."

Rusty shook his head, he tossed a look at Lieutenant Provenza. "It's moments like this that I really miss my cubicle."

The Lieutenant chuckled. "It's moments like this that I really don't blame you." He pushed up from behind his desk and looked around the room. "Okay, alright, if we're all finished enjoying the farce that is the Captain's family, can we all get back to work? Should I remind you all that there is not a one of us that is getting any younger?" Now more than ever, with the way that they were behaving and the silent, not so secret looks that were passing between the Captain and Flynn, and then her children, he was more convinced than ever that something was going on there. He might have told his partner to pull his head out of his ass and fix what he broke, he just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Lovesick fools, he decided. He hoped they didn't manage to screw it up again, or screw it up worse. Good god but he felt a headache coming on, he was really getting too old for these antics.

Sharon followed them only so far as the edge of the Murder Room. She watched the four of them move down the hall until they were out of sight. Only then did she turn back. Her gaze swept the room. She took in the progress so far, and mentally made note of all they needed to do. Her people knew their jobs, however, and didn't need her to micro manage. With a nod, she strode back toward her office. Andy was leaning back in his chair, still grinning crookedly. "That includes you, Lieutenant," she stated, with the same no-nonsense tone that she used to reserve for his FID encounters. "I'd like a report on that financial statement within the hour." She paused beside him and checked her watch. "Actually, half an hour. I'd suggest you get to it."

Andy suppressed the urge to groan. He hated doing financials and she knew it. "Yes Captain." He turned back to his desk and lifted the statement again. He wondered briefly if he could get back at her for getting back at him, and could this really be counted as such? Probably not… at least, not that Sharon would ever admit. That could only mean that he was still in for it. Andy drummed his fingers against the surface of his desk. Just maybe he was looking forward to it…