DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, except for Matthew and Moxie. The rest of them belong to James Duff and the Major Crimes franchise.

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews so far regarding this story. Things might get a little bumpy down the road for Sharon and Andy in this chapter. And, yes, we haven't seen the last of Bill Croelick. Okay, before I give away too much up here, on with the next chapter...

Chapter 5

Sharon arrived at Matthew's school and she walked inside to the after school care to pick him up. Sharon approached the area and smiled at the teacher who was standing at one of the tables. "Hello, I'm Sharon Flynn, I'm here to pick up Matthew Gomez" she said to the teacher. "Nice to meet you, your husband came yesterday to pick him up, right?" the teacher asked as she checked off Matthew's name. "Yes, that's right" Sharon said to her wondering where she was going with this. "Matthew is such a wonderful person to have here" she said as she checked Sharon's ID. "That's always a good thing to hear" Sharon said back to her. "I'll go get him" the teacher said and then went to go get Matthew.

Matthew came with his backpack and a goodie bag in his other hand. "It was Nicholas's birthday today so he was passing these bags out to the children" the teacher said to Sharon. "Thank you" Sharon said as she left with Matthew. "So, did you have a good day here?" Sharon asked him. "Yes, we learned about other reptiles today and what animals live in the desert" Matthew said with a smile as he walked with Sharon to her car. As he sat in the back seat, Sharon looked at the goodie bag he received. "Let's see what you received in here" Sharon said to Matthew as she looked. There was a pencil, a small pencil sharpener, and a small pad of paper, all Star Wars themed. Then there was a couple of fun size candy bars. "Can I have a piece of candy?" Matthew asked. "Sure, just one piece" Sharon said as Matthew put his seatbelt on. Sharon then drove them home to the condo. "Are we picking up Moxie?" Matthew asked her. "No sweetie, Andy is going to do that after he is done" Sharon said to him and continued to drive.

Sharon and Matthew arrived at the condo a short time later and Matthew went to the kitchen and started his homework. Sharon didn't have to tell him this time. Perhaps he was getting the routine down. Sharon was going to make them dinner and she decided after looking at the contents of the refrigerator that they were going to have baked pork chops and potatoes. She placed everything in the oven and set the timer for 45 minutes. She then sat down next to Matthew to see what kind of homework he had. "So what are you working on, Matthew?" Sharon asked him. "Some addition problems" Matthew said and showed her the worksheet he had to do. She glanced at her watch. Andy should be getting done with his meeting soon and then head over to pick up Moxie and come home. She then looked at Matthew's take home folder to see what else was inside. Rusty came home from his college classes. He walked in to the kitchen area. "Hi" he said to Sharon and Matthew. "Hello" they said back. Rusty grabbed a banana and headed over to the couch. "You are not seeing Gus tonight?" Sharon asked him. "No, he's working late tonight. Where's Andy?" Rusty said. "He went to a meeting and then he was going to pick up the dog" Sharon said to Rusty.

Andy told his story to the people at the AA meeting and he spoke to his sponsor afterwards as well. Andy felt better as the craving wasn't as bold as it was prior to his meeting. He headed over to pick up Moxie. Moxie came out of the Doggie Day Care place all tuckered out. The staff said that Moxie was such a nice dog and even gave Andy a report card on Moxie's behavior and what he did during the day. Andy had to laugh at that as he read it when Moxie and him got in the car. Andy sat there for a while before turning the engine on. He knew he should head home because Sharon, Rusty, and Matthew were waiting for him. He started the car and after a few minutes, drove home to the condo.

By the time Andy got home with the dog, dinner was almost ready. Rusty had set the table for them and Matthew was all done with his homework. Moxie came in to the condo and slept on the blanket that Andy had gotten him. Matthew went over to Moxie asking him about his day and telling Moxie about his school. Andy handed Sharon the report card he received from the Doggie Day Care place and Sharon laughed. "Wow, that is kind of neat" she said to him. Andy looked back at Sharon and everything else disappeared. He pulled her in close to him and held her in his arms. Sharon relaxed and closed her eyes for a couple of minutes as he held her. "Everything okay?" she asked him with a muffled voice. "It is now" he said whispering in her ear. Rusty groaned as he walked in the kitchen and saw them. They pulled apart when the timer went off. "Dinner's ready" Sharon said to the group.

They all sat down and ate dinner and Rusty talked about one of his classes he attended today at college. Then Matthew talked about all of the different reptiles that he learned about in science class today. Andy held Sharon's hand as the boys spoke and he smiled at her. She smiled back at him as she listened to them talk. After dinner, Matthew helped Andy clean up the table. He then went to the couch and joined Rusty who was watching some show on TV. "I hope that is kid approved" Sharon yelled out and Rusty changed the channel to something more appropriate.

Andy joined Sharon at the table. He needed to tell her about his craving and promised his sponsor that he would. "I have to tell you something, I'm not sure what brought it up, or why it was so strong today of all days" Andy said as he looked at her. She looked intently back at him. He looked down away from Sharon. Sharon placed her hand on his chin and moved his head so that he was looking back at her. "What is it?" Sharon said to him in a low voice so the boys didn't hear them. Andy took a deep breath. "I had a really strong craving for a drink tonight when I left work" Andy said to her.

"Did you have a drink?" Sharon quietly asked him, although she already knew the answer. "No" he said with a quiet voice. "Did you speak to your sponsor?" Sharon asked him as she rubbed his hand with her hand. "Yes, he met me at the meeting" Andy said. "It's been awhile since I have felt anything like that and I knew that I couldn't disappoint you, that there is more at stake this time than just me" Andy continued as Sharon listened to him. He had tears in his eyes at this point. "Oh Andy, you could never disappoint me" Sharon said to him as she cupped his chin with both of her hands. A tear fell from his eye and Sharon wiped it away with her finger. "I'm glad you told me about this and that you spoke with your sponsor at your meeting" Sharon said to him.

"Were you still thinking about moving some of your stuff tomorrow morning?" Sharon asked him as she stood up in the kitchen. "Yes" he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and peeked over to the couch to see if they would be interrupted. Both Rusty and Matthew were still watching TV. Andy slowly pulled Sharon in for a kiss. Sharon let out a moan as Andy broke their kiss. He smiled at her as she smiled back at him. Sharon's phone alerted to a text message. She moved back to the kitchen table and saw the message from Nicole. 'Are you free tomorrow afternoon/evening around 4?' it said. "Your daughter wants to know if we are free tomorrow around 4pm" Sharon said to Andy. "Um, sure I think so" Andy said back to her as he put away a few more things in the kitchen. Sharon replied to Nicole's message 'Yes, we are' and waited. 'Great, come over to our house, we will cook, can't wait to meet Matthew' Nicole replied back. "They want us to come over to their house tomorrow evening for dinner" Sharon said as she rejoined Andy in the kitchen. He was putting some pots away when she came up next to him.

Matthew and Rusty were watching TV when Matthew got up and went to the kitchen. Moxie looked up at the kid who walked past him and then placed his head back down as he was tired from all of the playing he did today. Matthew looked at the table first and then found Sharon and Andy in the kitchen by the sink. "Um, Sharon?" Matthew said in a small voice. Sharon turned around and saw Matthew behind them. "Yes, sweetie?" Sharon said to him. "Can I have dessert?" he asked. Andy smiled at the kid. "Sure, buddy" he answered before Sharon could answer him. "I think we have some ice cream in the freezer" Andy said as he opened the freezer door to look inside. "Chocolate or Vanilla?" he asked the boy as he took both containers out. "Chocolate!" Matthew said as he watched Andy get him a scoop of ice cream. "Here you go" Andy said as he handed him the bowl. "Thank you" Matthew said as he then sat down at the table and enjoyed the ice cream. "It's the simple things that he enjoys" Andy said to Sharon as she watched him. "Hmm, yes it is" Sharon said to him as he slipped a hand on her back.

Rusty came in from the living room and noticed them standing by the sink watching Matthew. He shook his head. 'Yep, they were definitely weird' he thought to himself. "Buzz texted me a couple of minutes ago, we are going to meet up and go see a movie tonight" Rusty told Sharon and Andy. Sharon nodded. "Okay, Rusty. Just be careful and have fun. What movie are you going to see?" Sharon said to Rusty. "Doctor Strange. Buzz really wants to see it" Rusty said as he made his way to the front door. "Hey, if you are around tomorrow morning, I might be going over to the new house to bring some things there, if you want to help" Andy said to Rusty before he left out the door. "Uh, sure. I'll see. Bye" Rusty said as he left. Andy looked back at Sharon who shrugged her shoulders. She then took out a bowl and gave herself a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Andy stole a spoonful of her ice cream for himself and then walked to the living room and sat on the couch.

When Matthew was done with his ice cream, he placed his bowl in the sink and joined Andy on the couch. Andy was flipping through the channels and stopped at an old western movie that was on. "What are you watching?" Matthew asked him. "It's a cowboy movie with John Wayne in it" Andy said to Matthew. Matthew was watching the movie intensely and seemed to be interested in it. Sharon joined them later and noticed that Matthew had fallen asleep. He had moved closer to Andy during the movie and was now sleeping snuggled into Andy's left side. Andy glanced over at Sharon who was sitting at the other end of the couch. "Somebody's out" she whispered to him. He smiled back at her and was surprised Matthew had been so comfortable opening up to them. "He's had a rough week" Andy whispered back to Sharon and started to move. He gently stood up and got Matthew up as well. He was a little groggy. "Buddy, time for bed" Andy said to Matthew who nodded and started to walk with Andy towards the hallway. "Good night Sharon" Matthew said half asleep to her. "Good night Matthew" she said back to him and smiled as Andy walked passed her with Matthew. "I'll be right back" Andy said to Sharon and gave her a wink. "I'll be waiting" she said back to him.

Andy helped Matthew get ready for bed as he was still half asleep. "Where's Moxie?" Matthew said as he climbed into bed. "I'll make sure he comes in here to sleep" Andy said to Matthew as he tucked him in. "Okay" Matthew said sleepily. "Good night, Andy" Matthew said as he drifted off to sleep. "Good night, kiddo" Andy said to Matthew as he got up and walked out of the room. Andy walked back down the hallway to where he had left Sharon in the living room. She was still sitting on the couch watching the western movie that was still on. He came up behind her and motioned her to scoot over. She did and he slipped in on the couch behind her and she rested herself against his body. He wrapped his arms around her as she settled back. They finished watching the movie together.

"I think it would be better if we just had the moving company move all of our things at once, that way we get everything done together" Andy said to Sharon as he nibbled on her ear. "So, are you not going to the house tomorrow morning?" Sharon asked him as he lowered his lips to her neck. "I'll see how the morning goes" Andy answered her as she shifted in his arms and was now face to face with her. He leaned in and kissed Sharon with complete desire and she kissed him back, the two of them only stopping when they needed some air. Sharon hummed. "Let's go to bed, it's getting late" Sharon whispered to him as she started to get up from the couch. Andy was content staying on the couch with her in his arms but didn't want his back to hurt later on. Andy got up from the couch. "Let me just take Moxie out one more time and I will be right there" Andy said to her as he went to grab the dog's leash. Sharon grabbed Andy's hand as he moved away from her. "Be careful" Sharon said to him as she let go of his hand and headed down the hallway. Andy grabbed his gun and brought it with him, just in case. He put his jacket on and then took the dog out. 'This would be much easier at the new house' he thought to himself as he and the dog rode the elevator down to the main floor.

Both him and Moxie stepped outside and Moxie found a piece of grass to sniff at. Andy was looking around at their surroundings. He was a little precautious now when Croelick told him that he had seen them walking into the condo together last night. Some cars were driving fast down the street as Andy watched them go by. Moxie looked back at Andy when he was finished. "Ready to head back in?" Andy asked the dog and the dog went back towards the door that they came out of. They both went back inside and up to the 11th floor. When Andy got back with the dog to the door of the condo, there was a note taped to the door. Andy didn't like this one bit as he approached the door. He jiggled the door knob and was relieved to find it still locked. He looked around the floor to see if anyone else was there. He took the note off the door and unlocked the door and walked inside with the dog. He then double locked the door behind him. "Sharon?" he called out to her. "Yeah?" she called out to him from down the hallway. "Did you notice anything while I was gone" Andy asked her as he handed the note to her. "No, why?" Sharon said to him. She looked at the note. It said Thank you so much Sharon. I truly enjoyed our time together. Till next time Andy. Bill. "The little creep signed it" Andy said to her as he pulled out his phone and was beginning to call Provenza. As Sharon read the note, the hairs on the back of her neck started to stand up.

"This better be good, Flynn" Provenza answered his phone. "Croelick left a note on our door" Andy told him. "When?" Provenza asked. "A couple of minutes ago. I took the dog outside and when I came back, the note was taped to the front door" Andy said to him. "How do you know it is him?" Provenza asked Andy. "Because the creep signed the note" Andy answered. "Is the note threatening?" he asked him. "No, not threatening" Andy said as he looked over at Sharon. She was placing the note in a zip lock bag. "Alright, I call Mike and tell him and we will head over to you. Meanwhile I will call patrol and have them drive over there to take a look" Provenza said to him and then hung up. "Him and Mike are coming over here, and he is also sending patrol over to take a look around" Andy said to Sharon as she walked over to him. She was trembling as he placed his arms around her. "You okay?" he asked her. "No" she whispered back to him. Just knowing that Croelick was in her building gave her the creeps. "He does this, did it to the Chief when she dealt with him" Andy said to her as he held her.

A half hour later, Provenza and Mike arrived at their condo. Sharon had changed into something a little less revealing than what she had put on when Andy took the dog out. "The kid is sleeping so keep your voices down" Andy said as he let them both in. Sharon handed the note in the zip lock bag to Mike. "Here it is, it has mine and Andy's fingerprints on it" Sharon said to Mike. "I'll have forensics run an analysis to see if his fingerprints pop up" Mike said as he took the bag from her. "Patrol didn't see anything" Provenza informed them. Sharon nodded. "He's probably long gone by now" Provenza added. "Well, that's what we thought before when he left the Murder Room" Andy said to Provenza. "If you want, Captain, I can put a patrol car outside your building" Provenza said to Sharon. Sharon thought about it and agreed to that. "Try to get some rest Captain" Provenza said to her as he headed for the front door. Andy was walking them both out. Mike went out to the hallway first and waited for Provenza. "Hey, thanks for coming guys" Andy said to them as they were leaving. Provenza turned around before he headed out. "We'll let you know if we hear anything" he said to Andy. Andy nodded to him. "Be safe, Flynn" Provenza added and then Andy locked the door behind them.

He walked back to where Sharon was standing in the living room and wrapped his arms around her. "I texted Rusty to let him know about the patrol car outside" Sharon said to Andy, her voice muffled as her head was buried against his neck. "He's spending the night at Buzz's place" she added. He knew Sharon was not going to be sleeping well. "Do you want some tea?" he asked her. "No" she said. He held her in his arms in the living room. "I'm sorry" he quietly said to her. She lifted her head up and looked at him. "For what?" she asked him. "Everything. For wanting a drink earlier. For that psycho Croelick. I don't want you to be burdened by my mistakes" Andy told her as he looked back at her. He could get lost in her green eyes for hours. "You're not a burden, Andy. And I want to share everything with you, including psychos like Croelick" she said, the last part getting a chuckle from Andy. "We've had our fair share of them, recently" she added. "Yeah, we have" Andy agreed with her on that. He kept holding her in his arms and she let him.

After a couple of minutes, she led him down the hallway to their bedroom. Sharon held up outside of the other room and opened the door slightly to let Moxie into the room and also checked on Matthew. He was sound asleep. Andy waited for her to join him again and they made their way into their room and he closed the door behind them. They changed their clothes and got into bed. He climbed in first and then she snuggled closer to him. Andy laid on his back with his arms around Sharon and she rested her head on his chest. Both of them too wound up to go to sleep just yet. "I don't think he's sticking around, he's not that stupid" Sharon said to Andy. "I agree, but let's not talk about him anymore" Andy said back to her. Sharon settled in against his chest. He began rubbing his hands over her arm and back. She was relaxing now and found herself drifting off to sleep. Andy could tell Sharon was sleeping now because of the change in her breathing and her body was more relaxed. Andy was still rubbing her back in a circle pattern, but as he was doing this he felt himself not able to fall asleep.

TBC