Sharon and Andy had been walking for nearly two hours, stopping now and then so Andy could rest and to take a sip of water. One water bottle wasn't going to be enough for them. Soon the little water they have will be gone and they will have to worry about dehydration on top of everything else. Sharon could see that Andy was getting worse. He was putting on a strong front for her, but the wound has started bleeding again and she was sure that it was getting infected. The sun was setting and without a proper flashlight they won't be able to go very far in the dark.

Sharon spotted a good secluded place under a rock surrounded by some trees. She knew that Andy wasn't going to be the first one to suggested that they should stop, so she talked first. "Why don't we stop there for the night?" She pointed out to him.

"Okay." He said tiredly.

They slowly limped there and Andy sat on the ground nearly collapsing.

"Are you okay?" Sharon asked worriedly, dropping the bag on the ground. She ran a hand over his forehead. He was burning up.

"I'm okay." He moved his head away from her reach.

"No, you're not." She scolded him. "Lay down. Let me check your leg." She gently pushed on his shoulder. She folded her jacket so he could lay his head there. She took the now dirty bandages off and then her hands then went to his belt.

"Hey there." His hands suddenly stopped her and lifted his head. "What're you doing?"

"Andy, I need to check the wound and to do that I need to get your pants off. Now it's not the time to be embarrassed."

He removed his hands and she continued with her task. She slowly rolled his pants out and then checked his wound. It was bad. There was both fresh and dried blood. It was getting infected. She opened the medic kit and cleaned with peroxide and put new bandages on. She found a vial with antibiotics and filled a syringe.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Andy raised his eyebrow.

"Not really, no. I'm improvising." She said seriously, put her eyes sparkled mischievously. Without him noticing she gave him the injection.

"Here." She got his pair of clean trousers that she had found in his night bag.

"Thanks." He slowly got dressed and he also changed his shirt.

In the meanwhile Sharon had managed to build a fire and she already took a seat beside it trying to warm up. The night had fallen and the temperature was cooler.

"Well, look at Miss girl scout." Andy looked impressed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Sharon smiled and turned her head towards him with a reminiscence look. "My dad." She told him quietly. "He used to take my sister and me camping when we were little. He taught us everything we need to know to survive in the nature."

"What was he expecting? The end of the world?"

She chuckled. "I don't know. I guess he thought it was something that might have been helpful in the future. I guess he was right."

"Yeah."

They remained in silence both mesmerized by the flames. How a day could change in just a few hours. During her lunch break she was worried about losing him to another woman and now they were sitting together, lost in a forest and they had barely survived a crash.

"What are you thinking?" He asked her.

"Rusty. And the others."

"Provenza will take care of him, don't' worry."

"Yeah I know, it's just…"

"Yeah"

"What about you? Is anyone going to call Caroline?" It hurt to ask him this, but that's what friends do. They ask about each other lives.

"Caroline?" He frowned. "Why would anyone call Caroline?"

"Well, aren't you…"

"Who? Caroline and I?" He chuckled. "No. Caroline was my old partner's wife, Bobby. He died a few years ago from cancer. Recently Caroline got remarried and she is moving to another state. She had found some old photographs of the both us and wanted to give them to me. That's why we went out for lunch." He paused. "Why did you think we were together?" He asked curiously after a minute.

She looked down embarrassed. "Well, you two seems comfortable around each other."

She soon know from the look on his face when he started to connect the dots. "Is that why were angry with me earlier? You thought I was dating Caroline?"

"I wasn't angry."

"Sharon, I've been in this world long enough to recognize when a woman is angry with me."

"Are you sure?" She smirked. "You're ex-wife my think otherwise."

"Oh, I knew exactly when Meredith was pissed about something. That's why I made sure not to return home. I don't think for a second that I haven't realized that you're trying to change subject. Were you jealous?"

"Of course not. There was no reason for me to be jealous."

He smirked. "Like I said before: you are a terrible liar." He shifted in his seat moaning in pain.

"Is it still bad?"

"Now it's more like a throbbing pain than a shooting one."

"There's only one vial of antibiotics left and the water bottle is nearly finished."

Andy could hear the concern in her voice. "Sharon, it's going to be okay. We're going to make the water last as long as possible and maybe tomorrow we will find a water source. Even better, maybe tomorrow will be rescued and all this will be a distant memory. I'm sure that as soon as the first lights come, they will start searching for us."

She smiled. "When did you become the optimistic one?"

"Since you took my role. It's going to change every once in a while." He smiled back. "Now, let me take a look at that nasty cut."

"Andy, there's no need…"

"Sharon, let me take care of you for a change." He dampened some gauze with peroxide and carefully began cleaning her cut.

Their faces were only inches apart as Andy concentrated on what he was doing and Sharon's eyes followed every movement until they rested on his lips.

"You always take care of me." She whispered and Andy wondered if he had heard her right or if his mind was playing tricks on him.

They locked eyes and looked at each other for what seemed like ages. A sense of calm and electricity was flowing between them and Sharon suddenly realized what was happening.

"Hmm…" She slipped backwards putting some distance between them. "I think we should rest. We need all our energies for tomorrow." She walked closer to the rock and laid some clothes on the ground as she curled up on them and then covered herself with her jacket.

"Goodnight!" Andy heard as she gave him her back and went to sleep. He shook his head and wondered if she was ever going to let go and stop being afraid of what was clearly happening to them. He had told her once that he was going to wait for her. He wasn't sure if she had got his double meaning at the time. He was still going to wait for her. She had captured his heart a long time ago without even realizing it, but he sometimes questioned how long he should way for her. Was it just going to be a lost cause from the beginning? Should he gently push her?

With those questions in his mind he slowly laid down next to her. Even without touching they could feel the heat radiating from their bodies. The temperatures were going to drop even more during the night. If it was needed, he was going to put his arms around her to keep her warm. She could be as stubborn as she wanted but that didn't mean he was going to let her freeze to death.

But it wasn't the cold night that woke them suddenly. It was the burning inferno and the smoke coming closer.

"Sharon!" Andy coughed. "Sharon!"

The woman was curled up against his side her head on his shoulder.

"Sharon!" He shook her.

Finally she woke up. "What's…" but she soon felt the heat and quickly got up.

Meters from them the trees were on fire and black smoke was coming from everywhere.

"It's the fire caused by the explosion. The wind must have changed its course." Andy told her. "We need to get away from here, now!" He slowly got up. Sharon gathered their things and then helped him again walking.

They quickly went the fire opposite direction trying to gather some distance. They kept going, stumbling when Andy lost his weight on the leg from the pain. They tried not to look back, but it was impossible. It was like a siren calling them. Finally they reached a stream. They entered it wanting to cross it. They got wet and sometimes they fell, but they kept going. Once they had reached the other side, they could finally relax a little.

"I think we're safe for now." He panted trying to get his breath back.

"Yeah." Sharon knelt by the riverside and washed the face. She then filled their water bottler and passed it to Andy.

"Thanks." He took a long sip. "We'll rest for fifteen minutes but then we should move again."

She nodded and sat next to him. How much longer could they resist?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"We are still live from LA National Forest where I big fire had spread out throughout the night. The forest guard and firemen have been working to contain the flames. Authorities have confirmed that a police helicopter crashed late yesterday afternoon and that an explosion from the vehicle tank could be the cause of this raging inferno. Rescuers are working to find possible survivors…"

Provenza grumpily shut off the TV. He had had a difficult night. Telling Rusty about his missing mother hadn't been easy. The boy was clearly upset. He wanted to go to the station, try to look for her. Provenza had tried to calm him down. And of course, the teenager doesn't cry in front of people so he locked himself up in the bathroom until he was ready to come out. Together they had called Ricky Raydor, Sharon's eldest son. He lived in Palo Alto and he was just a couple of hours of flight away. He insisted that he had to come and booked the first flight he could find. Since it was the middle of the night in New York, where Sharon's daughter lived, Ricky told them that he was going to call his sister since it might have been better for her to hear his voice.

Ricky had called a few minutes ago saying that his plane had just landed and that he was going to meet them at the station. Emily didn't really know what to do. Her first instinct had been to do like her brother and catch their first flight. Ricky had told her not to. They still didn't know what they were dealing with. He was going to call her as soon as they had more news. Her second solution was to call their father which Ricky told her it was going to be a terrible idea. Their parents were divorced and Jack Raydor had no business in their mother's life.

So Provenza and Rusty were getting ready to leave his house. The old Lieutenant had made some coffee for their wat and they were going to have some breakfast in the break room.

"Do you think they are still alive?" Rusty asked after seeing those images from the news.

Provenza sighed. "I'm not going to sugar coat it for you, Rusty. The chance to find them alive will get slimmer with every minute that passes." He paused. "But your mother is a very stronger woman and I'm sure she will do anything to get back to you. And Andy…" He bitterly chuckled. "That old man is too stubborn to die."

Rusty nodded but he wasn't convinced. Sharon has been his first true family and he didn't know what he would do without her.

When they arrived to PAB everyone was already up and running. Sykes and Tao had arrived at the sheriff office early in the morning and sent photos and documents. Julio had arrived early and he was already checking out to evidence and find a connection. Chief Taylor had set up a small team who had the job to help rescuers to coordinate the research. They had set up a big map of the National Forest and were marking off every area that had been searched on where the fire had spread making it too dangerous to go there.

"Hey little brother!" Ricky gave a small hug to his little adopted brother. He knew the boy didn't really like contact but so he kept it brief and simple.

"Hi! Any news?"

He shook his head. "No, I've just got here."

Chief Taylor looked up from the fax he was reading and waved to Provenza. "It seems that they have found the helicopter. They have put out the fire in that area. They are still gathering all evidence, but it seems like there's only one burned body."

Provenza gulped.

"From where it was found, it is most likely the pilot."

Provenza sighed in relief. "So the Captain and Flynn are still out there?"

"Maybe. There's a lot of fire. I don't know if they have escaped in time or if they are injured…"

"No…." He shook his head. "They are out there! I know it!"

"Let's hope so."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Andy was completely exhausted, he couldn't continue any longer. Sharon was doing everything she could to keep him up straight, but they had been walking and stopping for hours and he just wanted to lay down and sleep and never wake up.

"Sharon, Sharon, stop… Just stop." He collapsed near the base of a tree.

Sharon sighed. "Okay. We'll rest for ten minutes and then…"

"And then you'll go and leave me here."

"Andy, we've already discussed this. I'm not leaving you behind, so…"

"I'm just slowing you down." He interrupted her again.

She looked at him. His face was pale wet for cold sweat and big contrast from the red bandage covering his leg. She couldn't change them again, she had used the last ones earlier and he had already had the last shot of antibiotics. They had finished their food and water and Andy was without his medicine. They both knew that he was slowly dying, but she didn't want to face it. She swallowed hard and tried to keep her tears at bay, but it was impossible. All at ones her walls crumbles and she collapsed next to him sobbing.

Andy tried to put an arm around her and drawn her to him. "It's okay…" he whispered, his lips to her head.

"No, it's not. You can't die on me, Andy. Promise me you won't die." She begged him.

Another helicopter flew past them. They had been hearing them all morning and they have been trying to get away from the thick vegetation so they could catch their attention.

"You need to go and find help. And you need it to do it without me." He told her raspingly, ignoring her plead.

"I'm sorry." She suddenly told him through her tears.

"About what?"

"That I had closed off after Stroh escaped. That I keep pushing you back. Where would we have been now if I had just let you in?"

"Don't…" he tiredly shook his head. "Don't think like this."

"But it's true, isn't it? After going to the Nutcracker with your family we should have talked about us. About our relationship. Instead we just ignored and let it split away and then everything else happened and…" She didn't know how to continue. Life sometimes seemed so unfair. This tragedy had to come into their lives, the idea of losing him forever, to finally make her open her eyes and gain the courage to talk to him.

"You needed time. I understand that. And I was happy to be in your life, I mean personal life, even if just as a friend."

"But…"

"There are no regrets, Sharon." He slowly smiled at her. "Not regarding us." And it was true. He liked that he had been by her side, but he did have regrets about his life. Oh, so many and big regrets. First of all the many years of strained relationship that he had had with his kids. He regretted losing everything because he was so occupied finding relief inside a bottle. It had cost him everything. His wife, his kids and nearly his job. But what he regretted most was not fighting for them when he had sobered up. He had let his ex-wife win because he had felt guilty for all the pain he had caused her. And I had cost him. He didn't get the chance to see his kids grow and built a relationship with them. Fortunately they were working on building something back. Nicole had let him completely into her life and his son was slowly getting there.

Hi eyes were getting heavy and he was slowly drifting away.

"Andy!"

He jumped and opened his eyes again. "Sharon…"

"I'm still here." She caressed his cheek. "So, where do you want to go?"

"Hmm…"

"For our first official date."

"I don't know… someone told him that Serve, a new restaurant, is very romantic."

"Okay."

"What makes you think I was going to ask you out?"

"Call it woman's intuition." She smiled.

Another helicopter passed by.

"You need to go." She was only delaying the inevitable.

She "I'm going to get help and I'll be back for you. You understand me?" She told him determinedly.

"Yeah…"

"Stay awake, Lieutenant!" She ordered.

"I will…" he head fell back, but he was still breathing.

Tears still falling from her eyes, Sharon bent her head down and kissed the corner of his mouth. With one final look, she started walking away leaving torn pieces of fabric behind as a trail to get back to him, hoping with all her heart that he would be still alive.

Andy heard her go away. He really hoped that she would find someone and get back home. He was having trouble breathing and the pain in his leg was so strong that sometimes it seemed like he had completely lost all sensibility on it. Tears formed into his eyes as he realized that that was it. He always thought that his job would have killed him. A flying bullet there or maybe someone going all cray on him. If he were lucky he might have retired without accidents and die of old age in his house. He never thought that it was going to be in the middle of nowhere because of a fluke accident. At least the last person he saw was Sharon. He wanted to remember as the beautiful and joyful woman he considered his best friend and then he slowly fell in love with.

Sharon kept running down the forest. She looked up in the sky and tried to understand where the helicopters were coming and going. It at took her nearly an hours but she suddenly heard voice coming from somewhere in front of her.

"Help!" She shouted. "Anyone there?"

She was so thirsty and hungry. She had nearly consumed all her energy. She hoped that she hadn't just imagined those voices. Then she heard a dog barking.

"Help!"

From behind some trees she saw some forest guards approaching her.

"Captain Raydor?" asked one of them.

"Yes, yes." She started laughing and crying at the same time. She had so different emotions inside her that she could no longer contain them. "My colleague." She told them between breaths. "He's behind. He's really hurt."

"We will find him." One of them reassured her. "You need to get take you to a hospital. There's an ambulance a few miles from here."

"No, I need to…" but then she collapsed from exhaustion and they barely caught before she hit the floor.