"What time is it?" Brenda asked grimacing and rubbing her eyes.
"It's just about 5, don't get up." Sharon whispered, pulling on her panty hose.
"I wasn't going to." Brenda scoffed. "Why are you?"
"There was an incident and I have to go in to work." Sharon held up two dresses. "Which one of these do you like better?"
"The blue one."
"Grey dress it is."
Brenda stuck her tongue out at Sharon, hugging Sharon's pillow against her.
"And I'm taking Rusty with me."
"Why?"
"Because he's my responsibility." Sharon slid her jacket on.
"I can get the kid to school." Brenda huffed.
"You can barely get from the house to the office on a good day, sweetie, and the last time you were totally unsupervised with a minor you consumed half a tray of pot brownies. Forgive me if that doesn't exactly instill a lot of confidence in me."
Brenda grumbled into the pillow.
"Besides, darling," Sharon climbed back onto the bed and covered Brenda's body with her own, "this way you get the whole house all to yourself for a whole morning. You don't have to help me make breakfast or make small talk before your coffee. You can sleep until ten minutes before you have to leave and I won't be here to nag you…"
Brenda smiled, "well, when you put it that way…"
Sharon kissed the back of Brenda's neck and started down her spine.
Brenda groaned, pushing her body against the mattress in response.
"Can I come over and visit?"
"Sure." Sharon said, twisting in her chair, "we're in the middle of a case but we're waiting on a few things before we can move forward – I've already eaten lunch though."
"Oh, me too. I was just getting back from eating, figured I'd come see you."
"Please do. I'm up in my office." And then added, "in Major Crimes, don't go to IA."
"I wasn't going to but now you jinxed me…" Brenda pouted.
About ten minutes later Brenda strode through the Major Crimes bullpen. "Hey boys."
They looked up from their work and smiled and greeted her. Brenda smiled back and let herself into Sharon's office. She shut the door and turned the lock. "Well, well, well. The tables have turned…"
Sharon grinned and Brenda strode around the side of the desk. Sharon turned her chair and Brenda took the invitation to hike her leg over Sharon's lap. Sharon slid her fingers into Brenda's hair and pulled her in for a kiss.
Outside in the bullpen, Andy entered stirring his coffee and looked over and noticed that Sharon's door was closed. "The Chief's here." Provenza said, not looking up from his crossword puzzle.
Andy chuckled, sitting down at his desk. "Well, it's nice to know that some things don't change."
Provenza scoffed. "Nothing ever changes."
"So, they're like…" Amy stuttered.
"God, Sykes." Provenza slammed down the puzzle. "Are you really that oblivious?"
"Yeah, no, but I mean… at work?"
Flynn shrugged, "nothing else to do right now."
Still flushed and slightly out of breath, Brenda smoothed down her skirt and opened up the candy drawer only to find it empty. "Where's the candy?" She demanded.
"I took it home. I don't eat candy."
"Woman!" Brenda closed the drawer in a playful huff.
"Hey, it's my office. You know what I'm going to fill that drawer with now?" Sharon grinned mischievously.
"What?" Brenda asked with skepticism.
"Fruit leather." She whispered and Brenda pretended that the words physically pained her. Sharon whispered again, "granola bars." Sharon leaned in close, her lips brushing the shell of Brenda's ear, "sweet potato chips."
Brenda put her hand over her heart, "you wouldn't!"
Sharon chuckled. "You'll live. I'm sure." She glanced at her watch, "oh, Rusty's mother is going to be here this evening, they're having dinner."
"Oh. That's nice…"
"And I think it's going to be a late night for me so you might be on your own for dinner."
"That's ok. Actually some people at work are doing dinner and drinks tonight so now I have no excuse not to go."
"That'll be nice to get to know your colleagues a little better."
"Yeah, yeah," Brenda smiled. "Speaking of… I should probably get going."
Everyone turned when Sharon's door opened and the Chief strode out. Sharon leaned against the doorframe with her coffee and watched her significant other's walk of shame through the bullpen. Sanchez let out a wolf whistle and pretended to be busy when Brenda turned.
Flynn chuckled and gave Brenda a little wave. "Hiya Chief."
Feeling good about herself after getting the boyfriend's confession, Sharon strode down the hallway standing tall and proud. Any feelings that she didn't belong in Major Crimes were gone. She was just considering how she was going to celebrate when her cell phone rang..
"Lieutenant Flynn, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to take your call earlier. We're in - What? What do you mean Rusty ran off? Ran off where?"
Sharon's heart was pounding in her chest as she caught up to Flynn. "Lieutenant, anything?"
Flynn looked at Sharon guiltily. "Yeah, we have multiple units searching the streets around the bus station. Sheriff's department of West Hollywood's got his picture and everyone we can spare is out looking for him."
"Okay. Okay." Sharon nodded, trying to keep calm and remain optimistic.
"Captain, look, I'm sorry. I turned my back for one second and he was gone. If I thought for one minute that he would run away, I - "
"Lieutenant, it's not your fault." Sharon insisted, looking him in the eye for a moment before she turned away again, feeling so many emotions swirling around inside her. "We'll keep looking. Good night, everyone."
She took a couple steps and took a deep breath and turned back around. "Great work all around. Everyone. Really. Great work."
"Captain?"
Sharon turned around again, facing Provenza. "Yes?"
"Flynn and I will stay here tonight till the kid turns up... and he will. He'll turn up."
Sharon bit the inside of her lip. She felt a sob rising in her chest but managed to mouth "thank you."
Once through the door she headed straight for the wine. She was just about to pour herself a tall glass when Rusty said from behind her, "you're home late."
Sharon startled, the glass and the bottle clinking together. She took a second to school her features before turning around. "I was wrapping up a case. Rusty, I'm sorry about - "
"I don't want to talk about it. She life to me; I believed her and that'll never happen again."
"I don't honestly think she - "
"I really don't want to talk about it. Please."
"Okay. But I have one question to ask you and I need you to answer truthfully. Why did you run away from Lieutenant Flynn?"
Rusty shrugged a little, "I don't cry in front of people. And I started to cry. So I left."
Sharon nodded, feeling her heart breaking for Rusty. "What's that?"
"Oh, I was behind on filling out these forms for school and you said you needed them tomorrow. You still want them?"
The feeling of elation at the prospect of sending Rusty to school filled Sharon up to the brim. "Yes, I do."
"Okay. Goodnight." Rusty handed her the papers and turned to go to bed.
"Rusty, your mother is the one who's losing out here." Sharon called after him. "Nothing she's done has a thing to do with you. I hope you know that."
Rusty nodded a little. "I thought she loved me. And letting go of that is what's hard."
"But holding on to someone when they're gone is even harder."
"Thanks for trying to bring her back." Rusty disappeared down the hall.
Sharon had heard the word "thanks" from him more times in the preceding 18 hours than she had in the entire time she'd known him. While she was saddened by the evening's turn of events she was surprised to also feel some relief.
She pulled her cell phone out, "Lieutenant Provenza. Thank you for picking up so quickly. [clears throat] You can tell the department to stand down when I came in the door Rusty was here so... yes. So I guess, Rusty is home. Thank you."