I don't know about you but the summer hiatus can not arrive here soon enough! Fan fiction is all there is to keep me going. I hope this new chapter helps you in the same way. Thanks for reading.

Ch. 6 The Drive

Andy paused for a split second before entering Sharon's office, both hands holding cups of coffee, his and hers.

"Here you go, Captain," Andy said plainly. Sharon had forgotten and was caught nibbling the last of her pink donut.

"Thank you, Andy." Sharon smiled as Andy entered. "You don't have to call me Captain, Andy, we're still friends, right?"

"Of course," Andy said quickly though his mind couldn't get passed her words a few weeks ago right here in this very office. It hurt when she told Andy to 'never do that again' after the unfortunately timed kiss in front of the team. If he could travel in time, he'd go back and undo the mistake.

"Are we okay?" Sharon asked as she took the coffee mug from Andy. He was smiling but not really listening.

"Uh, you've got…uh a little icing on your …" Andy gestured to his mouth.

"I do?" Sharon asked. Her tongue instantly darted out and licked the corner of her mouth. "Did I get it?"

"Uh…" Andy was struck numb at the sight of Sharon's tongue running along her upper lip. "Not quite." Andy gestured once more and without thinking, leaned forward and wiped the pink icing off the corner of her mouth before licking it off his thumb. Sharon's eyes widened. She stared in shock at the intimate gesture.

"What? We're friends, right?" Andy said with the tiniest bit of sarcasm and a shrug as if this rather intimate gesture was normal. He smiled and turned to leave but bumped into Assistant Deputy Chief Robert Taylor who was about to enter Sharon's office.

"We got a break on Stroh!" Taylor said excitedly. Sharon felt her heart race at the name of the escaped serial killer.

"Thank God. What happened?" Sharon demanded.

Taylor watched her face closely. "Palm Springs PD reported finding a car on a neighborhood street last night. The owner of that car, Michael Hren, was found dead inside, stabbed through the driver's seat. Hren's roommate reported him missing two days ago after he didn't return from an Uber run."

"How is this connected to Stroh?" Sharon asked. Andy was now standing in the office doorway hopeful to hear the killer was arrested or, better yet, dead.

"Stroh actually described himself to the Uber service. Even used his own first name," Taylor replied.

"What?" Andy commented. "He didn't actually …"

"No, Lieutenant. What I mean is the Uber customer described his own height, weight and hair-color and even gave the name, Phillip."

"That doesn't make sense," Andy murmured.

Sharon cocked her head and hummed to herself. "No, it does actually. Stroh wants us to know he got away with another murder." Sharon said softly. "He's taunting us that he's right under our nose and still killing."

"Whatever that psycho sonuvabitch is doing, he's going to get caught." Taylor snapped. "I'm sick of this bastard making us look like idiots. Captain, get your team on this right away and ….be careful, got it?"

Sharon nodded in response and got up to follow Taylor out of her office and to speak with her team. The day had potential to be life changing.

"But Captain, it's a 3-hour drive to Palm Springs," Provenza fussed.

"We don't have the budget to fly the team down there," Sharon reminded him. "Partner up and head out. I'll be right behind you. Make sure Buzz rides with one of you."

Andy lingered, "Why don't you ride with me and Provenza so we can discuss the case." Sharon hesitated but realized she could get some work done on the ride if she didn't have to drive.

"Fine. Give me a minute to pack some files. I'll meet you both in the garage.

"Great. See you in a few minutes," Andy smiled. He knew this would drive Provenza nuts. By the time Sharon arrived downstairs, the detectives were already gone except one.

"Where's your partner?" Sharon asked a sheepish Andy.

"He's coming," Andy said as he unlocked his car and opened the passenger's front door for Sharon.

"I can sit in the back," Sharon said quickly.

"No way, it's too tight back there. Louie's likely gonna nap the whole way down and he snores. I'd rather not have to listen to that for three hours.

"You sure?" Sharon conceded and sat in the front seat placing her leather tote bag on her lap. Andy nodded and waited for her to get in. Andy closed the door carefully and smiled to himself as he came around to the driver's seat. Provenza would just have to deal with the backseat assignment. Right on cue, Provenza walked up to Andy's car, noticed Sharon was in the front seat and cocked an eyebrow at his partner who had yet to get in. "What the hell?"

"Shut up, Louie, you know you're gonna be asleep before we even leave the garage."

"Why is she..." Provenza shot back.

"It's my car. Get in." Andy said as he opened the driver's door leaving Provenza muttering on the other side of the car.

Provenza got in the car noisily and sighing deeply to let everyone know he was not happy with the driving arrangements.

"Thank you, Lieutenants, for letting me ride with you."

"Yeah, yeah," Provenza muttered to himself before speaking up. "Our pleasure, Captain." Provenza eyes met Andy's in the rear view mirror and saw Andy frowning at him.

After a few minutes on the road, Andy navigated to the highway leading to Palm Springs. Sharon had already pulled out her ipad and a small keyboard that clipped to it. She set up a personal hotspot through her cellphone, plugging it into Andy's dash and was all set to begin working through paperwork and emails.

Provenza was still annoyed being relegated to the back seat but he knew where the Captain was concerned, he'd lose to her every time if Andy had to choose. Sliding down in his seat a little, the elderly detective adjusted his white cap over his eyes to block the light, and leaned against the seat, wasting no time getting comfortable for a nap.

Andy knew Sharon was using her paperwork as an excuse to bury her worries about Stroh. She had to be as nervous as cat leaving Rusty alone to follow Stroh's trail. Knowing how the serial killer worked, every member of Major Crimes knew this was an orchestrated move designed to draw them after him.

"You okay, Sharon?" Andy asked. He briefly wondered if his latest stunt with the donut sprinkle on her lip bad been over the line. She seemed rather taken aback when he touched her mouth with his forefinger. She just looked so cute, the impeccable Darth Raydor, unaware of the pink sprinkle on her upper lip. He enjoyed replaying the moment in his mind.

"I'm fine," Sharon said without looking up as she texted Rusty to let him know she would be out of town for the day on a case and to caution him to be careful.

"Will music bother your concentration?" Andy asked before touching the radio dial.

"No, not at all," Sharon said as she reached into her bag and pulled out three files.

"Can't be my file, it's too thin," Andy joked. Sharon smiled but her eyes never left the document. Andy turned on the radio and switched it to CD mode. Light jazz began playing softly. It took a few minutes but Sharon finally looked up and over at Andy. Recognizing the music genre, Sharon smiled as she took in Andy's relaxed state.

She closed the file on her lap and leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes and listening.

"This is nice."

"You like it?" Andy asked.

"I do." She smiled to herself.

"Sleeping Beauty back there always wants to listen to sports stations – not that I mind-but this is much better on a long drive."

"I can see why you like it. It's relaxing." Sharon opened her eyes and stared ahead at the bumper of the minivan ahead of them. The smile vanished from her face.

"You know, you can talk to me. About Stroh I mean." Andy said gently. Sharon's eyes closed for a few seconds.

"I know."

"Um…Rusty's got a protective detail so he'll be okay."

"Actually, he doesn't he told me he was tired of it. I couldn't get him to even listen…"

"Well then what he doesn't know, won't hurt him," Andy said smugly.

Sharon turned to look at Andy. "What do you mean?"

"Taylor. He sent two undercover cops to Rusty's campus before we left."

"Taylor? Seriously?"

"As a heart attack," Andy said solemnly. Sharon's face lit up as she sighed with relief.

"He didn't say anything to me about it…"

"Yeah, well, actually I called him while you were on your way down. I convinced him it was something that needed doing now that Stroh's surfaced. He didn't take much convincing."

Sharon reached over and squeezed Andy's lower arm in appreciation. "Thank you, Andy. I am so grateful to you. Really." Andy beamed at her with a big crooked smile. Sharon smiled back. She felt the nagging fear in her stomach dissipate in seconds.

"Now you don't have to use those files to distract yourself about Rusty. Just relax and put that stuff away."

"It's tempting." Sharon really didn't want to work on department budget cuts. It was too irritating.

"C'monnnnnn," Andy teased. She shot him a guilty look and found herself stuffing all files back into her tote.

Provenza's snort interrupted their conversation but was quickly followed with a low snore.

"Great," Andy said. "Mind if I turn this up a little?"

"I was just going to suggest that," Sharon replied.

The music volume went up and the pair fell into a comfortable silence as Provenza's rhythmic snore continued from the background. Andy checked the rearview mirror to see a slack-jawed Provenza slouching against the windown and was thankful to see the old man napping. Snoozing would make Provenza less crabby by the time they arrived in Palm Springs. Sharon kept her eyes forward glancing around the scenery generally unaware of Andy's occasional glances.

Sharon's hands were relaxed. A good sign. One hand sat alongside her thigh on the seat. The other rested on the closed ipad on her lap. Andy couldn't resist checking out her legs. Her skirt allowed stopped a few inches from her fine-boned knees. Perfect, slim calves and slender ankles with those hard-ass high heel pumps.

"Don't those shoes ever hurt your feet, Sharon?" Andy asked as he turned to stare straight ahead.

"I'm quite use to them."

"Well, feel free to kick them off if you want, we've got a couple of hours 'til we arrive."

"I'm fine but I could do without this jacket," Sharon leaned forward and began pulling her blazer off with some difficulty in the confined seat and seatbelt.

"Here," Andy said as he reached over and pulled her sleeve towards him making it easier for it to come off.

"Thank you," Sharon said as she folded her blazer carefully and stretched between their two seats to place the item on the backseat next to a sleeping Provenza. Andy felt a brief surge of excitement with her being so close to him for a second or two, her waist twisted, a whiff of her perfume, her skirt sliding up another couple of inches - all of which causing him to drift across the lanes. A sudden horn blast got his attention and Andy overcorrected the car jarring them back into the proper lane. Sharon quickly pulled back into her seat.

"What happened?" Sharon asked as Provenza's head just lolled away from the window and back with a small thud. It didn't seem to bother him as he stayed asleep.

"Dumb ass drivers!" Andy lied. Sharon pulled the hem of her skirt down a little and relaxed back into her seat. It was going to be a long drive and Andy needed to keep his eyes on the road instead of Sharon's slender legs.

The pair rode comfortably in silence listening to the light jazz music, separate thoughts occupying their mind. Sharon's concerns drifted to Stroh and the latest victim. The killer was an arrogant psychopath who enjoyed toying with the police, specifically her, more so than he did with the actual killing itself.

Andy noticed Sharon's hands were clasped tightly together. She was clearly worried about what she'd find in Palm Springs especially if this recent murder was confirmed as another Stroh kill. Andy waited for Sharon to speak when she was ready.

"If Michael Hren is another one of Stroh's victims, its likely Stroh has already left Palm Springs."

"Probably." Andy agreed. "We might even be driving right past him right now."

"You think he'd go back to LA?"

"Well, he gets off on screwing with police so you need to be careful, Sharon."

"He's after Rusty, not me."

"Stroh hates women. And you're a woman cop. Hurting you would kill Rusty," Andy pointed out. "I wouldn't put it past that psychopath to come after you as well." The last statement hung heavy in the air. Andy looked over at his silent boss and reached over to cover her hands with his and squeezing them gently.

Sharon looked down and then over at him. "I know."

Andy nodded at her and left his hand in place on hers. It felt right and she let him. Her mind drifted back to Andy's words.

He was right. Stroh was unpredictable and cruel. Coming after Sharon would terrify Rusty just as it terrified her that Stroh might be stalking Rusty right now.

"I didn't mean to scare you. Stroh's not stupid enough to try anything while you're with your whole team," Andy said carefully.

"I wish he would, it'd be a lot easier taking him down," Sharon murmured. She slid one hand out and covered his hand still resting on her other one. "I'm fine, really."

"Of course," Andy said encouragingly. He made no attempt to remove his hand from hers and she left her hand on top of his. Neither seemed to mind as they drove down the smooth California highway. Provenza was all but forgotten.

"We're okay, aren't we?" Andy said with a long look. Sharon could feel his eyes on her and she turned to look at him. "You know, running into you and Rusty at the movies this weekend, I got a little nervous."

"Me too," Sharon admitted. Andy's head snapped to look at her.

"Yeah? Why would you be nervous? I'm the one who crossed the line," Andy said. Sharon realized she had said too much.

"I guess I didn't know what you'd do."

"What, like kiss you again?" Andy said incredulously.

"No, that's not what I meant." Sharon sounded flustered and pulled her hand off Andy's. His hand remained on her other hand – he gave no hint of removing it.

"So what made you nervous, then?"

"I don't know," Sharon lied.

"Were you still mad at me?"

"A little …" Sharon admitted. "I knew you were avoiding me."

Andy sighed. "I was."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Andy said withdrawing his hand from hers. "I upset you and made an ass of myself."

"You're not an ass. You just …

"You were mad as hell," Andy said firmly. "And you told me never do it again."

"I was mad," Sharon admitted. "I mean you surprise me - and everybody else." She joked.

"So you're not mad anymore?" Andy asked softly? "I'm off the Raydor hit list?"

"We're friends, Andy. Friends make mistakes now and then." Sharon said kindly. "Some times they cross the line, the boundaries, but it's not unforgiveable. I value our friendship and wouldn't want to lose that."

"Yeah, me neither." Andy forced a smile. She had deftly skated around mentioning his admitted crush. On one hand, he was thankful for that. On the other hand, it hurt that she ignored it. Andy cleared his throat and went for the brass ring.

"It doesn't change the fact I still have a major crush on you, Sharon Raydor." Andy said as he stared over at her. Sharon looked over at him and quickly looked away, afraid to say anything that would encourage him or hurt him.

"Eyes on the road, Lover Boy!" Provenza interjected gruffly. Sharon instantly covered her mouth with one hand trying to hide an embarrassed laugh. Andy felt his face redden.

"Go back to sleep, old man!" Andy shot back.

"Shut up and leave the boss alone," Provenza snarked before closing his eyes and readjusting his cap to block the daylight. "You are flirting with danger, Flynn!" He murmured loud enough to be heard. Sharon was secretly relieved that Provenza interrupted their discussion. It curbed the conversation from going into territory she wasn't ready to discuss.

"Hear that? My partner thinks you're dangerous." Andy teased, wiggling one eyebrow at her. Sharon cocked an eyebrow with a sly smile.

"Maybe I am."

"No maybe about that," Andy smiled back. Sharon reached for the files and placed them back on her lap, a clear sign the conversation was over. Andy sighed. He realized Sharon wasn't going to discuss her feelings or his with Provenza sitting within earshot in the back seat. He knew she was burying herself in paperwork to avoid the topic and Andy resigned himself to a quiet drive for now.

Sharon tried to appear deep in thought as she stared at the large unfolded spreadsheet from the budget file. The numbers weren't adding up. Her brain refused to stay on task choosing instead to replay Andy's confession over and over. I have a major crush on you, Sharon Raydor. This time Andy wasn't stupefied by exhaustion. This time he meant it. That realization made her feel funny especially now that he was just a foot away and neither could run from the other.

A combination of alternating emotions rocked her mind and body: surprise, fear, excitement, dread, and joy. Sharon was reminded just how nice it was to be considered loveable. Sure, she'd had her share of men hitting on her, occasionally a woman too, now and then. But those situations were never directed at who she was but rather what she looked like. This was very different. Andy knew her for years and in that time he had behaved as if he despised her. Yet somehow, all of that had changed since she joined Major Crimes. She had grown use to being despised. It was just part of the job for those working in Internal Affairs. Sharon learned not to take it personally but it still hurt to be treated like a pariah for years. That's why hiring Amy Sykes had helped Sharon move forward. Having someone else around her who looked up to her with admiration rather than disgust was necessary until those around her would forget her IA history.

Sykes admiration had spread to others on her team. Andy's growing friendship proved that. Both Tao and Sanchez became increasingly supportive as did Provenza, most of the time. But this "crush" business was altogether new. And. Alarming.

Sharon's head jerked up at the thought. It was alarming because of what that thought did to her. It made her feel happy. She wasn't sure if what she felt was something beyond just friendship for Andy, or if it was just the feeling of being accepted and genuinely liked. She didn't want to know just yet. Andy had noticed her sudden movement but said nothing.

Sharon quickly looked back at the spreadsheet pretending to checkmark figures with her pen. She realized her feelings of dread just answered the question she was avoiding inspecting. Sharon's mind ricocheted back to an awkward conversation she had with Rusty last night, Sunday night, about Andy.

"What do you think is bothering Lt. Flynn?" Rusty asked as he was loading the dinner dishes into the dishwasher.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what's wrong with Lt. Flynn?" Rusty repeated with some sarcasm.

"Uh he's fine. Why?"

"Because he seemed preoccupied Saturday night," Rusty said knowingly. Sharon ignored his tone. "Do you think Flynn could be…I dunno know… maybe someone you might see yourself with?"

"Rusty!" Sharon admonished. "I'm his boss!"

"What? I'm just asking."

"Why would you ask that?" Sharon was agitated.

"Because it's so obvious he's really into you! Don't tell me you haven't noticed. I heard about him kissing you." Rusty sounded smug. Sharon squinted at him.

"And who told you that?"

"Lt. Provenza but you can't let him know I told you or he'll kick my butt into next week," Rusty said seriously. "To be totally fair though, I called him and interrogated him until he finally gave it up." Sharon looked furious.

"It's not something you need to kn…." Sharon began but Rusty cut her off.

"Yes, I do need to know about it. You're my mom now and ... Sharon, you're the nicest person I've ever known. You deserve to be happy. I want you to be happy."

"Rusty, I am happy." Sharon reminded him.

"If you say so. But you're also alone. Don't you think you deserve to be with someone who makes you happy? Someone who is crazy about you and who you can trust? He paused waiting for her to answer.

"I'm not alone. I have you in my life, Rusty," Sharon reminded him. "It's really nothing for you to worry about. I've been alone for the past few years since my kids grew up. I'm use to it."

"Yeah, well, when you're unhappy, I'm unhappy."

"Since when have I been unhappy?" Sharon demanded to know.

"Oh, please! For the past two weeks, you've looked like someone shot your dog. The only time you perked up was when we ran into Lt. Flynn and Provenza at the movies on yesterday.

Sharon's mouth hung open in surprise.

"I …"

"I think you should stop fighting it." Rusty said as he got up from the sofa and paused at the entrance of the hallway as she spoke out.

"Fighting what?"

"Fighting your feelings for Lt. Flynn!" Rusty stated firmly. "He's obviously crazy about you and it's like you're so clueless which is pretty sad, you being a detective and all." Rusty shot her a look of pity before picking up his backpack off the floor and heading down the hall to his bedroom

"I'm just sayin'" Rusty said in a raised voice as he strode down the hallway leaving Sharon to pause and reconsider Rusty's advice.

Sharon knew Andy couldn't know what she was thinking about but that did little to comfort her. She suddenly felt self-conscious. How was it that everyone seemed to be in on the fact that she was blind to - possibly on purpose? How did she not see this coming? Was Sharon so wary of being hurt that she just subconsciously refused to recognize when someone was genuinely interested in her?

She mentally kicked herself for being oblivious to Andy's intentions. He had been nothing but wonderful to her while she was getting to know and love Rusty. Was that it? Was she so concerned about Rusty she just didn't see what was developing between her and Andy?

No, Rusty was the key. Without Rusty, no one in Major Crimes would have gotten to know as much about her, the human, the woman, the anti-Darth. Rusty revealed her humanity and sensitivity to her team members. Sharon's concern for him, her fears and efforts to protect the boy from getting lost in the system revealed her for who she had always been. A kind-hearted, caring woman who'd been hurt by so frequently for so long that she was enigmatic. Between Jack, her callous shit for a husband and the day-to-day snubs of her fellow cops while she rose through the IA ranks, Sharon had hardened herself and excelled at keeping the hurt disguised by poise and polish.

The combination of moving to Major Crimes and saving Rusty had come along just in time together to change her and her life. Both gave her something to care about besides rules and regulations. In turn, these two entities allowed her to be herself, to show who she was underneath the tough exterior. And in turn the people around her grew to genuinely care about her and she felt the same way about each and everyone on her team.

She'd been so hungry for a close friend and confidant that it didn't occur to her that sexual attraction could develop. She realized she could no longer pretend or ignore what was developing between her and Andy. Now the fact was out there. Andy had real feelings for her and it was time to consider all the options and obstacles that might offer.

Realizing she had stared at the same spreadsheet for nearly an hour, Sharon finally closed the file an switched to a new one. The new contents gave her the cover she needed to continue her private thought carefully. She needed to consider Andy with all his strengths and weaknesses. She decided she'd use the one question he had to answer to uncover why he was interested in her and why now.

The drive wouldn't be nearly long enough.

Sorry for the delay in getting this update online. Now that everyone including Sharon knows about Andy's feelings – for real – its time Sharon deal with her own feelings. Please let me know if you liked this direction or if you have ideas of what you'd like to see next. I love your reviews and appreciate your time to read these chapters and comment. Thanks!