A/N- I LOST THIS WHOLE DOCUMENT AGAIN. I WAS OVER 2K AND TRYING TO SAVE WHEN WENT DOWN. FRAK ME, DUCKS IN BUCKET, FUCK! Okay, I'm good, I'm good. This finalé was fantastic. The funeral, the Rusty growing up, Rusty and Sharon, Morales, Hobbs, Hobbs' snark, Sharon's black dress, every fucking thing, Sharon's new friend, oh yeah, and NO CLIFFHANGER. (: Yay! Ooh….I just got on and it's fifty-one shades of screwed up…. Did we break it? Also, you can expect updates to be on-time from now on. I've lost three chapters of this story alone, and things come in threes, yeah? So we're good.

"Sharon?"

"Hmm?" She glanced over at her youngest son. He was taller that her now. When had that happened? She could remember the first time she'd seen him, in Brenda Leigh's interrogation room, dirty, bruised, and half-naked with a black beanie on his head. He stood before her now, tall, in a dapper black suit, eyes bright.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How much you've grown." She disentangled herself from Flynn's arm and wrapped hers around Rusty. "Oh, honey."

"Hi," he said into her shoulder. He looked at Flynn, clearly communicating what did you do?

Flynn shrugged. Nothing. You know her, he mouthed. She tended to get slightly emotional around kids, especially hers.

Rusty hugged her in return. "I'm not going anywhere, Sharon."

"Oh, but you could have." They both knew she was talking about the dark days before Brenda. "You could have ended up in so many other-"

"But I didn't. I'm here with you. And Flynn, I guess."

She pulled back. "Is it okay?"

"Sharon." He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "It's fine. You're taking it slower than a car in a school zone. It's okay. I mean, honestly, by the time you get to the point where I might walk in on something, I'll probably be moved out and married."

She gave him a watery smile. "Honey, we may be old, but-"

"Gross, Sharon. Not going there." He released her and stepped back, but bumped into her shoulder for good measure. "Can you tell everyone thanks from me?"

"For what?"

He frowned. "You know." He waved an arm back at the cemetery. Although most of the cost had been coved by DDA Hobbs' the State clause, he knew there were some extras that the team had chipped in for. There were flowers- bright ones, not the pasty lilies and while roses that everyone usually got- and a priest, not a police chaplain. And then there had been actual officers to carry Ali- Mariana's casket. "Everything."

"Why don't you tell them yourself?"

"Isn't everyone going home?"

"We were thinking of going out for a late lunch." It was nearly three.

"Oh." He thought about it. All the places Sharon like were small, quirky places that were probably on some Buzzfeed 'best local secrets' list. "Will we all fit?" Emphasis on small.

"I was thinking we could go to Springbok, so if we get a couple tables outside in the front, we should be fine."

"Okay." He paused again. "Isn't that all the way across town?" It was literally about as far away as they could get, if he was remembering the right place.

"It's past rush hour. I think we'll be alright."

"Okay. Can I see if Gus wants to come, though?"

When did he get so considerate? "Of course."

Rusty knew the man probably would want to be alone for awhile, but he wanted to do . . . well, something. It sucked losing family, and the least he could do was invite Gus along. It felt good to be included, even if it was only a gesture. He nodded and turned away from Sharon to return to the grave.

"When did he grow up?" Sharon leaned into Flynn's side and let him wrap his arm around her.

"He grew up a long time ago. We just didn't know it."

"When did he mature?" she rephrased.

"Now that, I can answer."

She looked up at her. . . what were they? It was past the point of friendship, but she didn't feel comfortable calling him a boyfriend at her age, and they certainly weren't lovers. Andy, she settled on. She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"He's matured with you. Remember all the kicking and screaming when he first got here?"

"Literally."

"Yeah. And look at him now. It's all on you, hon."

She rolled her eyes and looked away. "No."

"Yeah." He squeezed her side. "Okay, maybe some of it was Buzz and Provenza bossing him around-"

She snorted.

"-but it's mostly on you." He could see Rusty returning, without Gus, so he turned her back towards the squad and began walking. "Come on."

Rusty caught up a few steps later, jogging up to them. "Gus wants to stay here for a while."

Sharon nodded. "Alright." She glanced at her son. "Will you still come?"

"What's the alternative?" Rusty grinned. "Miss some free food? I don't think so."

She giggled and shook her head. "Some things never change."

He shot her an odd look as they caught up to the others. "What?"

She pulled away from Andy, slightly, but still holding hands. There was no need to rub their relationship in everyone's faces. "I'm very proud of you."

He relaxed. He wasn't sure what the correct response was, or if there was one, but he knew what he wanted to say. "I'm proud of you, too."

Rusty stared at the menu. He had forgotten that the entire menu was weird food. They had already ordered drinks, and he'd managed that alright. He'd just asked for Sprite. There was an assortment of glasses on the table now. White wine for Sharon and Andrea, black coffee for Provenza, cranberry juice for Flynn. The other table was the 'children's table,' as Provenza had so neatly titled it, with Sykes and Cooper, Buzz, Sanchez, and Tao. Rusty was fairly certain Amy and Cooper were the reason for the name. They had been not-so-subtley playing footsie until Coop's knee had bumped the table and set the whole thing rocking.

Sharon laughed and Rusty looked up.

"Having a hard time with the menu?"

He glanced down at it. "Sort of. I don't remember what I got last time."

Sharon shrugged. "I guess that means you have to try something new," she said innocently.

He rolled his eyes. "They have burgers, I'll be fine, Sharon."

She smiled again. "Did you read the description? There are two choices: it's buffalo or one topped with-" she looked down. "Monkey gland sauce."

There was a choking noise next to her and Rusty turned to find that Provenza had spit out a sip of coffee.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me just fine, Lieutenant."

He stared at her. "Where did you take us, woman? I'm starting to think we've ended up west of Oz again."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know. We might have gone east."

Provenza frowned. By this time, the others were listening in. "East?"

"The Wicked Witch of the East," Sharon clarified.

"Me," Andrea spoke up at the same time.

Tao barked out a laugh and Andrea smiled roguishly.

"Ye gods," Provenza muttered. "First we have to deal with the original Wicked Witch hooking up with the head monkey, and now her sister is back from the dead. What next?"

Sanchez tipped his chair back so he could reach the 'adult' table. "You know, sir, I think we still have a box of those stuffed monkeys in with the Halloween stuff in storage."

"I didn't realize we had Halloween decorations," Sharon said curiously.

Rusty glanced at Buzz and grinned. He had heard a story before Sharon did, for once.

Provenza shot Sanchez a dark look. "We just had some stuff left over from our days with the Chief. Several years old now, probably all out-of-date."

Sanchez shrugged. "I don't know, sir. We can at least check. Don't you have the key?"

Tao joined in, trying not to grin. "We've got monkeys, a miniature broomstick, some lights, and. . . Oh, there's something else in there. . . Buzz, help me out."

Buzz rolled his eyes, but finished the list nonetheless. "An Elphaba doll with the Captain's name-tag on it."

Sharon's jaw dropped. "Oh my God."

"I told you-!" Provenza started, but was cut off by Rusty's laughter.

"I lost a name-tag when I first started working with your division, back when Brenda Leigh was here." Sharon stared at the lieutenant. "Is that where it went?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"How-?"

"We told Flynn to act like he was pissed at some scumbag while you were in the murder room-"

"Not like that's hard," Amy muttered.

"-and then we just had Sanchez sneak down to your office."

"It was on your desk," the man supplied. "I just told Elliot and Ray that you'd forgotten your glasses and you trusted me the most out of any of us."

Sharon shrugged and nodded. "That's probably still true."

Provenza clutched his chest. "Captain, you wound me."

She snorted. "Just giving back what I get."

Sharon lay down on the floor of her condo and stretched luxuriously. She had gotten a new rug, an orange one to match the red sofa, and she appreciated every soft, fluffy fiber of it.

"Sharon?"

She raised her head. "Mm?"

"Did I do the right thing?"

Rusty had changed into his pajamas, a blue shark patterned set that Ricky had gotten him for his birthday. He flopped down on the sofa and watched her. She had changed, too, not into pajamas, but shorts and an overlarge sweater, contrary as it seemed.

"With what?"

"Gus and Mariana and Paloma."

She sighed, drawing one leg up to a horizontal passé and twisting her shoulders the opposite way to stretch her back. "I think so."

"Really?"

"Yes." She held her position for a minute, then switched sides, turning away from her youngest child. "Think about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you were Gus, wouldn't you want to know where your sisters were?"

She could practically hear Rusty frown and think it over.

"I guess, yeah."

"Think about it this way: you wanted to know where your mom was, after we picked you up, and even after the whole bus ticket debacle."

"Yeah," he said slowly.

"Why was that?" Sharon sat up and reached for her toes. A full day and night at the office always left her feeling like a crushed aluminum can. She clearly wasn't going to fit a swim or run into her evening, so she decided to stretch.

Rusty drew a pillow up under his chin. He might as well get comfortable; he was going to be there for a while. "I just wanted to know that she was okay."

She swung her arms over her head, bent one, and grabbed that elbow with her free hand. "And. . . you didn't particularly want to live with her again or anything."

"Yeah. So?"

"Think about how much you wanted to find her, and then think about Gus again."

Gus wanted to live with his sisters. He still loved- Rusty corrected himself. Loves them. He wants the best for them, and he was the best thing for them, at the time. "He wanted them to have the best he could provide for them, and he needed to leave home to get money and a place for them, and then they were gone, and he didn't know. . . anything, I guess."

"Exactly."

"He wanted to do right and help them. And now. . ."

"They're both in better places, as sad as that may be."

Rusty nodded. "At least he knows? Is that the moral of this?"

"Mmhm. He knows. He did everything he could for Mariana, and now she's at rest. We caught her killer and she has a place he can visit. As for Paloma-"

"She has a family again."

"Yes, and chances are Gus will get to visit her as much as he likes, really. I talked with Paloma's adoptive pa-"

"You talked to them?" Rusty sat bolt upright.

"I did." Sharon swung her arms in a circle, stood, touched her toes, and then sat on the sofa next to Rusty.

"Are they nice? Do they have a house? Do they have other kids? What ab-"

"Rein it in," she smiled. "You do realize this-"

"Off the record, yeah, Sharon, I know." He rolled his eyes. "Just because I joined a newspaper doesn't mean-"

"That you'll quote every word from my lips. I know they aren't all gold."

He snorted despite himself. "But Paloma's family?" he pressed.

"They seem very nice," she said slowly. "They obviously passed all the background checks for DCFS. They have two other children, a son in high school and a daughter a couple years younger than Paloma. The kids both seem nice, too. I think the boy was in the paper a while back. . ." she trailed off, thinking. "For a choir scholarship, if I remember correctly. And they have a dog."

"Oh." Rusty was a little surprised. It seemed like such a normal, nice family. "Cool."

"What?" She had clearly read his face.

"It's just so. . . ordinary."

She laughed. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, I mean. . . they're totally normal."

"And I'm not?"

He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Well, you live in a condo that cost easily half a million dollars-"

"LA is expensive."

"Your daughter is a professional dancer, and your son is a computer genius."

"Lots of people have talented kids."

"And you're a police captain. Tell me, Sharon, how many kids in social service get adopted by cops?"

She laughed then. "You got me there."

"And then there's your tea drawer. Don't even get me started there."

"Just because you don't like licorice-"

"Doesn't mean you're weird, yeah, but there are so many other even weirder teas in there." He leaned against her shoulder. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Gus and Paloma?"

"Yeah."

"Eventually, yes. Paloma is safe and happy. Gus has a job, and he'll have a place of his own soon, with any luck. They know where the other is, and I think that yes, they'll be okay one day."

"I'm glad."

"Me, too." She stood. "Hold on a minute." She disappeared into the kitchen and came back with two small bottles. In the semi-darkness, Rusty couldn't see what they were and he tensed for a moment before recognizing the bottles as Sharon got closer.

"Coffee? At this hour?" he teased.

She shrugged. "It's the only thing in the fridge right now, and it'll take more than one bottle of this to keep me up at night. I figure you're planning on being up for a while yet?"

"Yeah."

"What video game are you trying to beat tonight?" she asked as she lead him towards the balcony.

"Five Nights at Freddy's," he mumbled. He was fairly certain Sharon may have heard some swearing and shrieking the night before when she came home to change clothes.

"I'm guessing by your tone that it's some sort of horror game?"

"Yeah, sort of."

She sat down in one of the chairs on the patio, and passed him one of the bottles.

"Salted caramel latté? See? Weird."

She laughed. "The Perseid shower is tonight."

"Strike two. What is it anyways?"

"A meteor shower."

"Shooting stars?"

"Mmhmm. I thought we could watch for some." She reached over and ruffled his hair. "I'm glad you're here. We've had to make a lot of hard choices the past few years, but somehow they all ended up leading to the right end."

There was a long pause, and then Rusty finally spoke. "This is just the beginning."

Sharon smiled into the night. "I'm glad you agree, because I'm not going anywhere, mister."

"Hey, Mom?"

"Mm?"

"I love you."