Thank you so much for your kind reviews and support for the previous one-shots! This is a another great prompt from redredrobin who requested some baseball game fun.
Prompt: In episode 4x04, what if the squad made it to the Dodger game?
This story builds from the last one ("A Little Christmas Magic"), but it's not entirely necessary to read it first. As always, I welcome your feedback and thoughts. I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters.
Batter Up!
Strike One
This wasn't how this night was supposed to go, but he figured it could have been worse. They were supposed watch the entire game together, not enter the ballpark in the middle of the fourth. But thanks to a crazy bride and her equally crazy family, that is exactly what happened. Of course, they were this close to having to escort the murdering Stu Sloan to his own daughter's wedding, but thankfully, Taylor stepped in and assigned patrol to the task instead. So, yeah, it could have been worse.
Andy had been ecstatic when his daughter gifted him with the free tickets. His first thought was Sharon (of course), but he was never sure where things stood with them. Last winter, they had come so close to finally crossing the razor-thin line they danced along between friendship and something more. Christmas had been incredible, and their chaste kiss under the mistletoe held promise. But then, that dirtbag Stroh had to escape custody and put everyone on edge. None more than Sharon who was stressed out over Rusty's safety and suffering from sleep deprivation as a result.
In the months that followed, Andy worried about her. She wasn't herself, and their easy friendship and fun camaraderie was absent. They had barely seen each other outside of work, and when they did, it was simply to grab dinner on their way home. He missed her. But then, it seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and he could see the old Sharon returning.
He was hoping this baseball game could be the start of something exciting for them. Maybe it was finally their time. If only he could get up the nerve to ask her.
Strike Two
Andy had been the first to get to the stadium and had strategically handed out the tickets before he left the office so that Sharon would "accidentally" end up next to him. The others began filing in as they wrapped up their paperwork and finished changing out of work clothes. Julio was to his left in the seat assigned by his ticket. The seat next to Andy was the aisle, and it was reserved for Sharon's ticket. This way, he would get her all to himself (yeah, he was getting a bit pathetic, but he reasoned that his entire rouse was to be with her in the first place).
Provenza arrived next, and rather than crossing in front of everyone to reach his seat, he plopped down in the aisle seat reserved for Sharon. This would simply not do.
"Hey, I think your seat is down a little further," he said trying to sound casual.
"What does it matter? You have tickets for all these seats, right?" Provenza grumbled. Andy concentrated on keeping calm. It wouldn't do for him to have another blood pressure episode.
"Yeah, but everyone has an assigned seat. It's how it works," he replied, annoyance evident.
"And you're the seat police now? What the hell is the big-" Provenza started, but rolled his eyes when he saw their captain standing in the aisle comparing her ticket to his seat. "You're an idiot. You know that, Flynn," he said quietly as he began to get up.
"Oh, don't move on my account, Lieutenant. I can just take your seat. No big deal," Sharon said kindly. Provenza looked at his idiot partner and almost got up in spite of his better judgement, but Andy's indignant expression changed his mind.
"If you insist, Captain," Provenza replied and moved to allow her to pass. Andy watched as she scooted by them in her casual outfit and Dodgers' hat. He got a whiff of her perfume, and it took every ounce of control that he could muster to keep from killing his partner.
As it turned out, Provenza's real seat was all the way at the other end. It seemed he would be spending no time with her this evening. Just great.
Strike Three
Andy knew that Sharon really liked Dodger Dogs. He had seen her devour one or two during their previous experience together at a game. So during the traditional seventh inning stretch, he got up to get one for her, making sure to give Provenza the evil eye as he passed in front of him.
When he got back, the inning was almost over thanks to a ridiculously long line and incompetent stadium workers. He carefully balanced the tray of dogs and drinks as he returned to his seat. He was able to catch Sharon's eye and offer her one, and he was pleased by her enthusiastic nod in the affirmative. He turned to Julio and asked him to pass down the Dodger Dog and bottle of water. He watched as each member of the squad passed the items along with a short explanation to give it to the captain.
As fate would have it, a late inning go-ahead home run cracked off the bat of a hitter in the middle of a dry spell propelling the entire stadium into a raucous uproar. In the process, the Dodger Dog was knocked out of Amy's hand and sent up into the air before it landed back in her lap and then rolled onto the floor. Andy offered Sharon his, but she politely declined.
"That's what you get for being an idiot," Provenza scoffed.
"No, that's what I get for not insisting you get out of Sharon's seat," he barked back.
The whole evening was a disaster.
Three Strikes and You're Not Out?
After the game ended, Andy was feeling defeated despite the Dodgers' amazing comeback win. The game had been one for the history books, but his evening had been something he hoped to soon forget. The fireworks began, and he watched as his team members began heading out hoping to beat traffic. They thanked him as they passed by and he simply nodded. He was about to get up when he looked to his left and noticed one member still in her seat.
Sharon was sitting with her head angled toward the sky. The colorful bursts of lights illuminated her beautiful features, and he couldn't help but to be captivated by the curve of her jaw, the waves of her thick hair extending out from her cap, and the content look on her face. She took his breath away. He could feel his heart beating faster and the rest of the night fading away. This moment right here was what he had wanted since he planned the entire thing.
Suddenly, Sharon got up and began walking in his direction. Andy felt his heart sink at the thought that she, too, was heading out. She walked through the empty aisle until she got to the seat that had been occupied by Julio. She sat down next to him and resumed her gaze at the twinkling display of brilliant colors.
"Thought maybe you would head out as well," he said quietly. Her face a mere inches from his, but focused on the sky.
"And miss this? Not a chance," she whispered in return. Andy wasn't sure if she was referring to just the fireworks, but he hoped there was more to it than that.
"You do love fireworks," he replied with a smile that crinkled his eyes and lit his face. She hummed her affirmative reply. He took a chance and slipped his hand over hers on the divider between their seats. She turned her hand and threaded her fingers with his. Warmth spread throughout his body. He took another few moments to simply drink her in as she enjoyed the display lighting the night sky. When he returned his gaze to the fireworks, he noticed that the warmth he was feeling had chased away the chill in the evening air.
As they sat together, hand-in-hand and eyes locked on the sky, Andy decided that he was no longer going to let his fear of rejection get in the way of their future. He was going to take a chance and see where it led. No more gimmicks or manipulations.
He was ready. He only hoped she was as well.
THE END
