Sharon POV
The aroma that hit me when I opened the door had my mouth watering and my stomach growling, and then as I hung up my purse and jacket, I was hit with a different alluring scent, something decidedly masculine.
"You're late," Andy murmured as he grabbed me from behind and eagerly kissed along the side of my neck.
"It smells like I'm here at exactly the right time," I replied, leaning into him and enjoying the attention.
I absolutely love how affectionate he is, like he can't get enough of me.
"So you piddled at the office to give me time to cook?" he asked, still moving his lips over me, and his body is pressed tightly against mine, and it makes it hard to think sometimes.
"If you can call getting stuck with Taylor piddling," I managed to say.
"Don't talk about Taylor right now," he rumbled, releasing his hold on me enough so that I could turn around and kiss him properly, which I did with great pleasure.
It's Tuesday evening, and while today was mostly a good day, it ended stressfully, and it makes me want to forget all about it, to just stand here and kiss Andy all evening.
It started out decently enough. The day, I mean. In fact, for a while there, it was looking pretty good.
After the incident yesterday, with the suspect bleeding out after being apprehended, we put our full focus on proving his guilt, to take the spin off the widow's claim that we harassed her innocent husband.
Of course, additionally, we wanted to show that Mike didn't use excessive force.
"Blunt force trauma to the head," Dr. Morales said when Andy and I showed up at the morgue this morning.
"Like from hitting the sidewalk?" I asked cautiously.
"Come on, Captain, he didn't hit it that hard. And really, his nose is what broke the fall," Andy insisted, and I believe him, I really do, but we have to figure out the cause. I held his gaze for a beat, making sure he knows we're on the same side before I continued.
"It's a question we have to ask, Lieutenant. Because when else would the blunt force trauma have occurred? Did he hit his head while getting in the vehicle?"
"No, we re-cuffed him so that his hands were in the front, and he kept his head hunched over, with his hands up to his face."
I nodded thoughtfully as I continued to look at him, trying to picture the scene in my mind, and it's possible I got a little distracted staring into Andy's eyes because after a minute, Dr. Morales cleared his throat and said, "Do you two want to keep trying to guess, or should I just tell you?"
I turned to look at him, and he was staring at the two of us with an amused expression, and then he shook his head and said, "Blunt force trauma to the back of the head. It was a brain bleed that killed him, not the nose."
"The back of the head?" Andy asked in confusion.
"With the amount of blood, even taking into account for his disease, it would've taken two hours, at least, for him to die."
"Two hours…" I mused.
"Which means, before me and Mike got there," Andy finished, and I broke into a relieved smile.
"Yes."
Andy and I headed back to Major Crimes to impart the good news with the rest of the division, and when we arrived, we found that they had some good news of their own.
"SID pulled a second set of prints from Anthony's van where the girls were held," Mike told us. "He had a partner."
It fell into place from there.
We went back through the known associates of Anthony Marquez, brought them in for questioning, and just as the day was ending, we interviewed James Hunt, who after steadfastly denying all knowledge of a crime, finally confessed to hitting Anthony in the back of the head with a pipe, during an altercation over where to hide the bodies of the two girls they killed together.
I headed for Taylor's office with the intent of offering my triumphant news that not only had we proven Marquez's guilt as a child killer, but we'd also definitively cleared Mike - thus, the LAPD - of any wrongdoing.
Which means that Captain Wright can go back downstairs.
And believe me, Captain Wright being anywhere other than in my murder room would make it a very good day.
I didn't tell Andy about what happened yesterday, in my office. It's not that I meant to keep a secret from him, but I just knew it would upset him, and I felt like there was no need to get into it.
"Let me take you for a drink," Wright said to me yesterday morning.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Come on, Sharon. I made a bad first impression on you, and I'd like to remedy that mistake. It's not who I am, I promise. I'm actually a pretty likeable guy."
As he said the words, he moved to stand next to me, coming much closer than was professional. And sure, Andy and I do it all the time, but that's different. Very different.
But I also wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of making me back away in my own office, so I stood my ground.
"I'm sure you must have some redeeming qualities, although I've yet to see any, and I have no interest in learning what they might be."
"Is that a no?" he asked in surprise. As if he truly thought I'd go for a drink with him.
"It's most definitely a no. Now was there a business reason for asking to talk with me in private? Because if not, I have a lot of work to do."
He eased even closer, his eyes shifting downwards for a moment before he said, "You can't possibly still be seeing Lieutenant Flynn. It's been three weeks, at least, and that's just when I caught you. Surely you've run out of things to say to each other in that time."
"Captain, this is a completely inappropriate discussion," I said firmly. "Now if you'll excuse me…"
I stepped past him, heading for the door, but then he caught up to me, with a hand on my arm.
"Sharon…"
"It's Captain Raydor," I insisted.
"For now, maybe," he conceded. "Look, I'm trying to help you. Your division is in a pinch. Again. But I can get you out of it."
"I don't need you to get us out of anything. Lieutenant Tao hasn't done anything wrong, and I'm sure your investigation will lead you to the same conclusion."
"Or you could have a drink with me, and I can wrap it up today."
"Are you seriously suggesting that I go on a date with you to clear my lieutenant?" I asked, and even though I was mostly keeping my cool, on the inside, my blood was boiling.
"No, I would never say that," he lied innocently, and then he reached past me and opened the door, going back into the murder room. I stood there silently fuming, shocked by his audacity, and then I purposefully strode out of my office.
But as angry as I was, when I finally got the chance to talk to Andy, he was even angrier. Another reason why I didn't share the conversation. He was clearly already jealous of Wright, and if I mentioned the conversation in my office, it would only make things worse.
And fortunately, the bottom line is that after today, we should be done with Wright, so the date invitation is basically moot. His blatant staring at my cleavage is, too. I could report him, but he's not even worth my time.
We're just on a bad run lately, but with three visits from IA in the past month, I think we're due to be back on track for a while, and with any luck, by the time we have to see Wright again, he'll have lost interest in me.
If it even is interest. I can't tell if it's just his personality, to come on hard and arrogant, or if he really has a thing for me, but I don't care either way. I just want him gone.
Of course, I still had to deal with him today. Because like I said, before leaving work, I had to go to Taylor's office to bring him up to speed, and when I arrived, I found Captain Wright already there.
"Oh, Sharon, we were just talking about you," Wright said as I entered the room. He was kicked back in a visitor's chair, and just the sight of him made me bristle. And then he did that eye thing again, where he drops his gaze all the way down to my feet and then spends about ten seconds making his way back up to my face. And trust me, ten seconds is a long time to get ogled.
Taylor raised an eyebrow at me, because even he very rarely calls me by my first name, and I just closed my eyes briefly, shaking my head in annoyance as I moved over to take a seat in the furthest possible chair from Wright.
"The case is closed," I said, ignoring Wright completely. "Cause of death exonerates Lieutenant Tao and we can prove Marquez was complicit in the deaths of Annaliese Barber and Hannah White. He, along with a partner, James Hunt, abducted the girls in Marquez's van, and took them into an alley where they raped and murdered them, and then Hunt drove them up to Elysian Fields, where he dumped the bodies "
"So who killed Marquez?"
"James Hunt. They got in an argument. The pressure from the police investigation was getting to them, I think, and they disagreed about a dump site, so Hunt hit him with a pipe. He said Marquez walked away, and he didn't realize how badly he was hurt until he heard about his death from the widow."
"Okay," Taylor said, nodding and taking a few notes as I spoke. "Excellent work, Captain. This should head off any potential lawsuit, as well as bring closure to the girls' families."
"Um, Chief, if I may interject, I'd like to say that I appreciate the open-door policy that Captain Raydor has extended to me. She offered me ample time to interview her detectives, as needed. But I do have to disclose that Lieutenant Flynn was particularly hostile with me, and I know you're in charge of his reprimands, but I think it should be noted that he was quite combative."
"Combative," Taylor repeated, looking over at me. "How so?"
"He got up to leave in the middle of the interview, sir," Wright said solemnly, and I couldn't stop the scoff.
"You have something to add?" Taylor asked me.
"Chief, Captain Wright was questioning him on the status of our relationship, which is completely unprofessional," I said. "And he made mention of personal information from his file. He asked him about AA."
And I know, I wasn't going to call him out on anything, but I'm also not going to sit back and let him get Andy into trouble.
"Is that true?" Taylor asked, turning to Wright.
"I was simply trying to be congenial. I had no idea that asking about his love life was going to get him so riled up. I guess maybe there are issues there…"
"Chief," I said in irritation, but he waved me off.
"Captain Wright, if you'll stick to the Internal Affairs business, that'll make everyone's life a whole lot easier, okay? And you need to remember that access to personal files doesn't mean a license to open your mouth about anything in them, is that understood?"
Taylor said that last part in a loud, sharp voice, and I was impressed with his outrage over the abuse of his position, and Wright sat up a little straighter in his chair as Taylor continued, "Now, did Lieutenant Flynn answer your questions in regards to the conduct of Lieutenant Tao?"
"Yes," he admitted begrudgingly.
"Good. No more talk about Flynn."
From that point, we spent our time discussing the press release, and that took much longer than it needed to, but we finally finished, and then Taylor dismissed Wright, so that it was just the two of us in his office.
"I need you to get along with him," he told me.
"With Wright? Why? He's done with Major Crimes for now."
"Yes, but he's not going away any time soon. I found out how he got hired."
"Please don't tell me he's related to someone high up," I said on a sigh.
"He's the mayor's nephew," he told me.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"It was bugging me that he had an interview with the chief, instead of someone a little lower ranking."
"You mean you wanted to know why you didn't conduct the interview," I said with a tired smile. Taylor smiled back as he nodded at me, and it's nice to feel a camaraderie with him. For a long time, it felt like he was the enemy, but it seems he's fully on my side now.
And it's apparently us against Wright.
Who has the chief and the mayor on his side.
"So I need you to play nice, okay, Captain?"
"He asked me out," I confided, trusting now that I could tell him without making an official report. "And he keeps trying to bait Andy."
"He wants you off balance, and he wants to create chaos in your division. He still thinks he can get Major Crimes."
"Over my dead body," I muttered, and as he chuckled, I had another realization. "That's why he doesn't mind coming at me so hard. Because he's got the mayor behind him."
"And he knows you're in a relationship with someone at work. That means you've opened the door, so…"
"But Chief, it's not the same thing," I interrupted.
"I know," he agreed quickly. "I'm just saying, walk through the scenario with me. You report him, he says it was you who came onto him, case in point - you're dating a subordinate, which would suggest that it was you who started the relationship with Flynn, since you're the one in the position of authority."
I sighed again, putting my hand up to my head, rubbing my temples. The creak of Taylor's chair had me looking back up, and I was surprised to see him come around the desk to put his hand on my shoulder.
"Hang in there, Sharon. Keep your detectives' noses clean, to keep him away, and as soon as I find a promotion for Wright that'll move him somewhere further away from us, I'll do it, okay?"
"I appreciate that," I said, still taken aback by his support.
"At the risk of having you yell at me for an inappropriate question, how are things with you and Flynn? I mean, do I still need to oversee his performance?"
"Yes," I said, smiling at his apprehension over asking the question, as well as simply because the thought of Andy makes me smile.
He nodded sharply and stepped away from me, and I can't be sure, but I think he actually approves. I know he and Andy go way back. They had a falling out at one point, but I think they're okay again, and like I said, he and I have come a long way since I took over Major Crimes.
"Good. Okay, well, hopefully it's not too late for you to salvage your evening. I'll see you in the morning."
"Thank you, Chief. Goodnight."
That was a little less than an hour ago, and now I'm home, kissing Andy, and like he suggested, I don't need to think about Taylor right now. Instead, I relaxed into the kiss, appreciating how easily he can make my stress go away.
So much so that when he pulled back, ready to let me go, I grabbed onto the front of his shirt and pulled him back to me, content to lose myself in the moment.
"Come on, guys, I'm leaving in thirty minutes," Rusty muttered as he passed through the living room. "Can't you do that later?"
"We'll do it later, too," Andy said with a grin as he stepped back and took my hand, tugging me towards the kitchen.
Rusty groaned in protest, but didn't actually look upset. He's already used to Andy being around, and if catching us in the occasional kiss were something that truly bothered him, I'd insist on us being more careful, but his only comment to me was that if I'm happy, he's happy. Well, that and a sarcastic just keep your clothes on, a remark which earned him a playful swat to the back of the head from Andy.
All in all, dating Andy has been a remarkably easy transition for all of us, and one that's made me incredibly happy.
"So you have a date tonight?" I asked Rusty, redirecting the conversation as we all sat down to dinner.
"We're catching a movie," he answered. "I'm not sure what time I'll be back, so don't get all crazy while I'm gone."
"You should invite Kevin over this weekend," Andy spoke up, and I love that he's just as interested to meet this guy as I am.
"Only if you two promise to keep your hands off each other."
"Uh…no," Andy said with a grin. "But we'll keep the PDA's to a respectable minimum. Deal?"
"Saturday night?" I suggested as Rusty nodded. "Assuming we're not working."
"That's a given," Rusty acknowledged. "Yeah, okay. Just…don't ask him a million questions or anything, okay? I don't want him to feel like he's in an interrogation room."
"Has he been in an interrogation room?" I asked with concern.
"Oh my God," he muttered. "No, Mom, he's never been a suspect in a crime. I'm just saying…I don't want you two tag-teaming him, and being all detective-like, and making him squirm."
Andy caught my eye, still grinning broadly, and said, "This is going to be so much fun."
We continued to tease each other for the rest of the meal, with Rusty giving as good as he got, and then he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
"Text me if you're going to be out past midnight!" I called after him.
He said that he would, and the door closed on his whirlwind exit, and as the silence fell over the house, I looked across the table at Andy.
"This was really good."
"Did I make up for my temper tantrum yesterday?"
"Is that what this was?" I asked, having long since forgotten about his brief loss of his cool the day before.
"Well, I figured it wouldn't hurt. I promised no more trouble at work, and then I made a scene, slamming the door like that. I planned to do something nice for you last night, but then we worked late, and…well, you know."
We didn't get home until after ten last night, and we found Chinese take-out in the refrigerator that Rusty had bought for us, so we ate it straight from the boxes while standing up in the kitchen, and then we went to bed.
"You kind of fell asleep on me," he finished.
Which is true, I did. But he was running his fingers through my hair in such a gentle, soothing manner that I'm not sure how I was supposed to stay awake.
"So you were going to make it up to me in the bedroom?" I asked, teasing but also interested to hear what he had in mind.
"Well, I was, but you know, I cooked dinner tonight instead, so I guess you'll have to wait for next time," he said with a grin.
"Are you keeping score, then?" I asked reaching across the table to take his hand. "Because I owe you, too. From assuming it was you who bloodied Marquez's nose."
"I was going to remind you about that," he said, smiling as he brought my hand to his lips.
"Hmm," I responded. "I suppose that means I'm doing the dishes."
"Not exactly what I had in mind," he said, waggling his eyebrows at me. Then he let go of my hand and stood up, starting to clear the dishes. "So how about we do them together. That way you'll still owe me."
"You like that, don't you?" I joked, picking up my plate and silverware and following him to the sink. "Me, owing you."
"I just like you. Owing me, not owing me…it's irrelevant."
He leaned down and snagged a quick kiss before going back to get the rest of the dishes, while I turned on the water to start rinsing them, but my focus was on him, and how I so much more than like him.
I never would've guessed at how seamlessly our lives would mesh, or how much I would enjoy having him around, not just occasionally, but all the time.
It's gotten to the point where I truly miss him when he's not here. I used to think I loved my alone time, but I suppose it was just something I was comfortable with, it was familiar, and I made it work for me, but being with Andy…it's so much better than not.
And okay, I can think it, even if I can't say it.
I'm in love with him.
I certainly never planned on falling in love at this stage in my life. In fact, I fought it for quite some time by pretending that Andy and I were just friends. But it's there all the same. Ignoring it didn't make it go away. And now that I've fully opened myself to the reality of a relationship, the feeling is stronger than ever.
"You okay?" Andy asked as we finished with the dishes. "You got quiet on me."
I went into his arms, loving the content and solid support I feel from being held by him. We stood there like that for several minutes, each of us relaxing into the other, and I was really close to just telling him. Not about Wright's flirtation, or his squealing to Taylor about Andy's temper, or even about Taylor's support of us.
No, what I was close to saying was I love you.
But then he pulled back, smiling at me as he tucked my hair behind my ears, and then he asked if he could fix me a glass of wine, and by that point, I was able to swallow the words, instead just smiling back at him and saying, "That would be nice."
We spent the evening on the couch, talking about little things that couples talk about. The Dodgers' upcoming spring training. The weather over the next few days. Rusty, and how easily he adapted to the knowledge that his mother will be in prison for the next twenty-one years.
She ended up getting fifteen for arranging the hit on Stroh, plus the six year tail of her original sentence. She'll likely only serve about eight or so, but it's still a long time. Rusty's main comment was that at least maybe this time her sobriety will stick.
"I'll keep having her tested," I remarked to Andy. "Every week. It's the least I can do, for Rusty. Besides, she already hates me, so this won't make any difference."
"How can anyone possibly hate you?" he questioned, his words soft and I can tell he's getting sleepy, and I'm right there with him. We're still snuggled together on the couch, and the television is on but there's no sound, and the lights in the condo are out, and it's just so comfortable.
"Hmm," I responded, continuing stroking my hands over his chest, using my nails lightly against the thin fabric of his t-shirt. "I seem to recall a certain surly lieutenant who didn't think too kindly of me."
"He was an idiot," he replied, and then he moved his hand under my chin, tipping my face up towards his. "And for the record, even when you irritated him, he still thought you were hot."
"Is that so?" I asked, and I might be amused by his comment if his eyes weren't suddenly so serious, and oh my God, the way he looks at me sometimes…I can feel it all the way down to my toes.
"How is it possible that you get more beautiful every day?" he rumbled as he brought his lips to mine. A sweet, gentle kiss that was every bit as stirring as the passionate ones. "And how did I get so lucky, to be here with you?"
He kissed me again, not giving me a chance to respond, because I wanted to say that I'm the lucky one, but then he drew me closer, deepening the kiss to the point where I'm no longer sleepy, and I'm pretty sure he isn't either, and I forgot about saying anything at all.
I did keep my head enough to suggest that we move into the bedroom. Having Rusty catching us kissing is one thing, but if he walked in to see us making love on the couch…I'm not sure which of us would be more embarrassed. Better to avoid that scenario altogether.
"Did you want to talk about your meeting with Taylor?" he asked me.
This was after, of course.
After we went down the hall, into my room, and after he slowly divested me of every stitch of clothing, and after he drew me down onto the bed with him. After he eased into me while kissing me with reverence and adoration, and after he overwhelmed me with a long drawn-out pace that was the very essence of making love, and after I slipped over the edge, letting the white heat and sparks overtake me, and after he murmured my name as he followed me into ecstasy.
And it was after he buried his face in my hair, his body heavily yet perfectly covering mine.
It was after he whispered, "I love you."
I was already so moved by the entire experience, that his words didn't truly sink in as being new until he started to move away.
"Andy," I said, holding onto him as tears stung my eyes and the words caught in my throat.
"It's okay," he said. "It's too soon."
"It's not that," I argued gently, and he pulled back so that he could look at me, and I'm sure he saw the tears, but I don't know if he knows that they're good tears.
"No, really. It's okay. I'm used to being ahead of you," he said, trying to play it off.
And I wanted to say it, I really did, but I just couldn't, so instead, I brought his lips to mine, and I kissed him fervently, hoping he would feel it from me, even if he doesn't get to hear it yet.
I think maybe he understood. Or maybe not, because I'm not sure I understand it.
I've never had trouble expressing my emotions in the past, so I don't know what it is about saying those three little words to him that terrifies me.
Especially when I now know first-hand how wonderful it is to hear them.
But the moment passed, and we got settled in for sleep, and he's holding me like he has most every night for the past three weeks.
That's when he asked about Taylor.
"No, I don't want to talk about it," I answered.
He was silent for a minute, and then he said, "Are we okay?"
Meaning, has he scared me off.
I turned over so that I was facing him, and ran my hand over his cheek.
"Andy, I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life."
He smiled in response, letting out a quiet breath of relief, and then he closed his eyes.
It wasn't long before he was asleep, his hold on me loosening as his muscles relaxed. I stroked my hand over his hair, and tried out the words.
"I love you."
It was said so softly that I could barely hear the words myself, but I would swear his lips twitched slightly, curving into a small smile.
I hope he did hear, so that at least he knows, in case it takes me awhile to say it in our waking hours.
The next morning was our new normal, coordinated showering and getting dressed and brushing teeth…we have a routine now, one that seems to suit us both.
Two hours after waking, I stepped off the elevator at work, on the ninth floor. Andy and I drove separately, as we do occasionally, and he decided to stop for the good coffee, so he's probably a few minutes behind me.
As I walked towards Major Crimes I let myself think back over last night, and his whispered statement of love, and I can't stop the smile.
I really need to tell him, with eyes open, in the light of day, I decided.
Maybe I'll even do it this morning, in my office.
If I tell him here, while we're at work, it'll erase any doubts he might have created in his mind, brought on by my reluctance to say it last night. And even though I'm committed to keeping our relationship out of the office, that doesn't mean we can't talk. It just means no physical displays of affection.
With my mind made up, I opened the door to Major Crimes and entered the room, surprised to find Lieutenant Provenza scowling at me.
"Captain," he said with a terse nod. "We have company."
His eyes flickered over towards my office where I can see Wright through the blinds.
He can't get the hang of waiting outside my office, I thought, my mood quickly going downhill.
And what can he possibly want from me today?
But as he saw me through the window, he exited my office, meeting me at the front of the murder room.
"Captain Raydor, good morning," he greeted cheerily, then he made a point of looking to the empty space behind me. "Where's Lieutenant Flynn? Did you forget to untie him before you got out of bed this morning?"
I can't begin to express the anger that rolled through me at his crass remark, not just because of what he said, but also because he said it in front of my entire division.
Andy and I haven't said anything to them yet - Taylor is the only one who knows about us.
Well, and Wright, who is presently grinning ear to ear, like he just said the funniest thing imaginable, and I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but my fury has me speechless.
"No big loss," he said with a dismissive wave. "I just wanted to let you know that since Major Crimes has undergone three separate IA investigations within the span of a month, you've triggered an audit. Documentation has to be taken, showing your day-to-day work methods, investigative structure and techniques, as well as your handling of your detectives. So lucky you, for the next two weeks, I'm going to be your shadow."
TBC...