Thank you for all of your kind words and support! This prompt is from redredrobin. As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback.

PROMPT: In episode 3x15, what if the squad was actually able to wrap up the dead Santa case in time for Sharon's Christmas party? What would that party look like?

I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them.


She knew there was a good chance that their dead Santa case was going to derail her holiday party plans, but the reality still stung. And maybe it stung a bit more knowing that the case had wrapped up in plenty of time, but it had been the mound of paperwork it generated that had kept her at the office and away from hosting the party she had really been looking forward to this season.

Sharon and her team had come a long way over the last few years, and she was excited to have them over to spread some holiday cheer and celebrate their pending break. She had sent her team home as soon as they finished their reports, but stayed to finish her own since she was taking the next few days off to spend with her children.

As she watched the numbers ascend on the screen of her building's elevator, she thought about the plates of cookies she and Rusty had baked, the appetizers her kids had prepared all afternoon, and the festive decorations she had purchased (and truth be told, she had gone a bit overboard). All of it was for not now. She let out a sigh as she exited the elevator car and began the journey down her hallway.

When she got closer to her condo's door, she heard the faint sound of Christmas music spilling into the otherwise quiet hallway. She smiled. Her kids were still enjoying themselves it seemed. She put her key into the lock and let herself into her home. The music swelled as she crossed the threshold. She dropped her keys and bag on the table by the door and started to take off her shoes when she heard voices mingled within the soft tones of the festive notes. She walked further into her living room and found the members of her squad engaging in friendly conversations while sipping what appeared to be her family's famous egg nog from her favorite Christmas mugs. But how?

Suddenly, Mike Tao noticed her presence and greeted her fondly. She met him halfway and hoped that the surprise she felt wasn't too obvious. Emily instantly joined him and greeted her mother as well.

"Captain, good to see you," Mike said with a cheery smile.

"Yeah, Mom, nice of you to make it to your own party," Emily joked before leaning in and giving her a hug. Sharon was stunned. When she sat down to tackle the rather large pile of paperwork on her desk, she had assumed that her party plans had been waylaid. And when her team shuffled out for the evening, she assumed the party plans had also been forgotten. But here they all were, spouses included, celebrating the holidays with her and her family. It was exactly how she had planned it.

"Emily, but how?" She asked a bit bewildered. Emily gave her a coy smile.

"You didn't think we'd let you cancel your party just because of a little paperwork, did you?" She asked. Sharon gave her an appreciative smile. "Besides, we had some help".

Sharon made her way fully into her home and began greeting all of her guests. When she finally made it to the kitchen, she saw all of the food she had planned carefully prepared and displayed on her holiday platters. Her kids knew her too well, and she loved them even more for that. She grabbed a mug and filled it with some egg nog before turning and taking in the scene before her. Buzz was wearing that ridiculous Christmas sweater and asking anyone and everyone how to remove the green dye pack ink from his face while Ricky and Andy laughed about something she was sure she didn't want to know about. Emily and Patrice were engaged in conversation, and Amy was discreetly wiping a stray piece of food off of Cooper's cheek. The stereo was playing a jolly tune and the lights from her Christmas tree were casting a perfect glow. And then there was the small Christmas village adorning her coffee table. The pieces had been expertly assembled and dusted with fake snow just the way she had always done when her kids were little.

She was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed Provenza approaching. He refilled his mug and came to stand next to his captain.

"Is it everything and more?" He asked a bit sarcastically. She smiled and gave a small nod.

"It is," she affirmed. "I didn't think everyone would come after wrapping up all that paperwork," she admitted. He scoffed.

"You promised free food and booze. Where else would we be?" He asked around sips of his egg nog. "Besides, Flynn was running around like an excited school girl after Ricky texted him," he added with a tinge of annoyance. Andy. She should have known.

"What do you mean?" She replied, interest piqued. Provenza had to suppress the desire to roll his eyes. How these two idiots could dance around something so obvious, he'd never understand.

"He wanted to make sure we all knew that the party was still on," he said dismissively. Sharon nodded before allowing her eyes to scan the crowd to find the man responsible. She found him smiling with one of those grins that crinkled his eyes and caused butterflies to take flight in her stomach. He was talking to Rusty and Ricky, and Sharon could feel her heart swell with warmth at the sight. Provenza noticed the subtle way her face lit when her eyes landed on his annoying partner, and he shook his head as he walked away from her. At least Flynn's feelings weren't as one-sided as he had feared.

After the food had been mostly consumed and the egg nog bowl almost emptied, Sharon found herself in front of her village. She took in the small details and delicate snow. The buildings were lit, and the small people thoughtfully staged. She felt Andy's presence before she turned to see him.

"Great party," He said quietly. She smiled.

"Yes, the kids did a great job," she agreed. Andy nodded thoughtfully.

"They really did," he replied before taking a sip of coffee from his steaming mug.

"I heard that they may have had a little help," she baited. He shrugged.

"We just hung a few decorations when we got here. No big deal. The kids did most of the work," he said nonchalantly. She gave him a coy smile.

"Hmmm... I heard you had a lot more to do with it than that," she replied. A brief guilty look crossed his features before he schooled them.

"Nah, I didn't do much," he assured her. A beat past between them, and Sharon used it to collect her thoughts.

"Andy... if this is some sort of penance for what happened with Nicole and the ballet-" she began, but he interrupted her.

"Penance? Sharon, this has nothing to do with that," he insisted gently.

"Because I told you that I forgive you. And I know that things have been... awkward at times between us since then, but I do truly forgive you," she assured him. He placed his mug down on an open space in the village-covered coffee table and turned to face her completely.

"I didn't do much, but what I did do, I did because I know how much this party meant to you, and I didn't want you to miss out on it," he said sincerely. Sharon felt that same warmth from earlier spread throughout her at his charged words. His eyes were open and sincere, allowing her to see something in them that caused her breath to catch in her throat. Suddenly, the rest of the party faded away and it was only the two of them. She reached out and squeezed his hand with her own in thanks. She didn't trust her voice at the moment. It would give her away and she wasn't ready for that. Perhaps, she'd never be, she couldn't say. Her eyes darted to his lips and she could feel something pulling her towards them, something beyond her control.

"Mom!"

The sound snapped her out of her reverie and brought her back to the present, to her living room filled with the members of her squad. She gave Andy a small smile and excused herself to go find out what her daughter needed. She was thankful for the interruption into her momentary lapse in sanity. What was she about to do anyway? Had she leaned closer to Andy or was that in her head? Had he leaned closer to her? She decided to shake it off and chalk it up to too much egg nog.

Once the party had wound down and people began heading back to their homes, Sharon had told her kids to go out and have some fun. After all, they had been working hard all day trying to make everything perfect for her party. They deserved some time to themselves. Andy insisted on staying to help her clean up. She tried to protest, but truth be told, she was exhausted and thankful for the help.

They cleaned with easy camaraderie. Whatever had seemed to dance around them earlier in the evening was gone now, and Sharon found herself thankful for that. She wasn't ready to explore what this thing was between them. She knew that it had been growing more palpable ever since the Nutcracker incident, but she was in no hurry to dissect it just yet.

Andy was in her kitchen washing dishes and cleaning counters while Sharon straightened up her living room. As she finished, she extinguished the lights leaving only the soft glow from her Christmas tree and village behind. As she turned to make her way back to the kitchen, something gold caught the white light of her tree and shone into her peripheral vision. She walked towards her tree and instantly saw the ivory-wrapped package with the beautiful gold bow. It hadn't been there when she left for work that morning. She crouched down and studied it further. The delicate ivory paper had intricate snowflake inlays that wrapped the small box in warmth. The shimmery gold bow sparkled brilliantly in the white light.

She lifted the present and turned it in her hands until she found a small gift tag with familiar scroll. She recognized it instantly and felt the lump form in her throat at the sight. It was simple, but the gesture was huge.

To: Sharon
From: Andy

She stared at the gift for a few moments wondering if she should just put it back and pretend she hadn't found it. That seemed like an impossible task, but so did recognizing the feelings that were swirling inside of her. The decision was not hers to make, however.

"You weren't supposed to find that until Christmas morning," Andy rasped from behind her. She froze.

"Should I put it back then?" She asked quietly without turning around.

"Nah, go ahead. It's nothing really. Just a little thing," he said dismissively, but Sharon could hear the nerves betraying his words. She stood up and he joined her by the tree. She carefully untied the gold bow and let the ribbon fall away. Next, she ran her finger nail under the tape and gently pulled the paper back. She fleetingly wondered who had wrapped it. It was meticulous and she knew Andy's history with gift wrap.

As she peeled the paper away piece by piece, Andy tried to keep his features neutral and his breathing steady. The gift really wasn't anything big, but the fact that she was opening it in front of him left him feeling strangely vulnerable. He watched as she began to open the simple white box and then as she pulled back the tissue paper. Her face lit with happiness, a smile that reached all the way to her eyes.

Inside the box, Sharon saw a simple, beautiful porcelain angel. Its exterior painted in a crackling effect that gave it character. Its wings outlined in gold that caught the lights from her tree and gave off a shimmering glow. She carefully pulled it out of the box and inspected it fondly. It was the perfect addition to her collection.

"Andy, its beautiful," she beamed. "Thank you," she added softly. He smiled at her, and she could feel her heart speed up just a tad.

"It's nothing, really, but I'm glad you like it," he replied, and he could feel the last of the nervous tension leave him.

"We said weren't exchanging gifts, so I didn't-" she started before he quickly jumped in.

"I saw it and knew you needed it for your collection. That's all. Besides, your friendship is the only gift I need, Sharon," he assured her. She smiled at him seemingly at a loss for words. His words were weighty and exactly what she needed to hear. She needed Andy's friendship in her life. Anything else was more than she could handle at the current time.

"I'm glad to have your friendship as well, Andy," she replied around the lump in her throat. He gave her his trademark grin, and she returned it before moving to add the angel to the collection on the center of her dining room table. When she turned back, Andy was putting on his coat and getting ready to leave.

"It's late, so..." he said, allowing the thought to drop. Sharon walked over to him and stood in her entryway. They were facing each other and their close proximity wasn't lost on either of them.

"Thank you again, Andy, for everything," she said sincerely. He gave her a smile and she returned it. Then, he looked up and she allowed her eyes to follow his line of vision. There over their heads was a strategically placed piece of mistletoe. She was going to make sure her kids knew about her displeasure over that decorating decision. When she looked back at Andy, he was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Wouldn't want to break with tradition. Sense of occasion and all that," he said coyly. She pursed her lips at his clever ability to use her own love of the holidays against her.

"No, you can't fight tradition," she said, challenge evident. The ball was in his court, and she was both excited and terrified to see what he would do with it. He leaned in as if to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned at the last second and met his lips in a brief chaste, tender kiss. They both pulled back quickly to avoid any awkwardness, but Sharon could feel the sparks still tingling her lips and warming her throughout.

"Merry Christmas, Sharon," he whispered.

"Merry Christmas," she replied a bit breathless. And with that he turned and exited her apartment. She allowed her mind to dissect everything that just happened for a few moments before turning and going back into her living room. She looked around the room that had been teeming with people just an hour ago and one thing was abundantly clear.

Her home might be empty, but her heart suddenly felt very full.

THE END