A/N: I know Gavine is the name of the Lawyer that was in The Closer, I forgot so there are two… Whoops…. On a side note, I miss the original Gavine… Maybe that's why I subconsciously made this one. But I am going to start referring to him as Gav, so it doesn't get confusing.

Also, I'm sorry for the delay in posting. I don't have internet right now, but on my phone.

Chapter 4

Rusty turned to Sharon as they kept walking to her office. "Hey Sharon, Gav was wondering if I could come over to his house today? He says that since I had such a shitty week he was invited me to go bowling with his family."

Sharon gently smiled, knowing that the facts were accurate. "I think after the week you've had, you deserve it. What time is he picking you up?"

"Eleven."

"That's fine."

"Thanks."

"Just get the rest of your homework done before then," she added a catch.

"Will do," he agreed, breaking off to the break room.

She turned into the murder room, seeing her squad sitting at their desk finishing their paper work on yesterdays case. She walked into her office just in time to feel her phone vibrating in her pocket. She fished it out, and could see a new message from Brenda.

'Can I see you today?' was all the text read, and she couldn't help but to read it in Brenda's voice. Sharon shrugged off her jacket, and placed it on her desk. She sunk into her chair, and starred at her phone. She rubbed her lips together, taking a deep inhale through her nose. She exhaled as she began typing.

'Lunch?' She replied. She set her phone down beside her jacket. She reached down into her drawer and pulled out the file she had been working on since last night before she left. If Brenda would agree to it see her at lunch at least she could be a bit calmer about the whole Rusty/Daniel situation then she had been the past week. Though Daniel had signed away his rights, she couldn't let go of what he had done. Her phone went off once again, and she lifted it to unlock it.

'Sounds great.'

'Meet me here, and we can stop at Oregano's.'

'I've never eaten there.'

'Well, it will be my treat then. Do you have today off?'

'I always have weekends off…'

Sharon laughed slightly. 'I envy you. I would kill for a weekend off.'

'… I see what you did there. But don't envy me, I hate being home alone.'

'You're home alone?'

'Fritz usually works weekends too, which I guess right now is more of a good thing considering….'

'Considering what?'

It took a while before Brenda replied, and Sharon had actually begun working on her report. She only got to the first suspects description when she got a reply.

'Nothing. I will meet you in the parking garage at noon.'

'Brenda, please tell me," she pressed, but she did not receive another text from Brenda. The fact that she didn't get a response only made Sharon more annoyed than she already was, but she was determined to get the answer from her at lunch.

.*.*.*.

Brenda looked down at her phone. She wanted to tell Sharon about the fight her and Fritz had last night, leaving out that it had led to angry sex she only agreed to so he didn't grow suspicious, which only made the agreement worse. The fight had continued on till this morning, but she hated talking about Fritz to Sharon. Anytime she spoke about Fritz around her Brenda could see the hurt in her eyes, even before they were together.

Fritz had screamed at her for being the cause of his drinking, telling her how she was to blame for all of it. She was crying, and had begged him to stop but he kept screaming. His drinking was only getting worse, and he was become more and more angry. He had gone so far from the man she loved, and it tore her to know that after this it would never be the same. They would never be the same. She was in a loving affair with a woman she never thought she would be with. He was an alcoholic who was angry all the time, and throwing things when she asked if she could help. She loved him so much, and to see him like this killed her. She wished she could go back, but at the same time she didn't. She had grown to know the person Sharon really was, gotten to know her taste and touch. She couldn't live without it. But she knew if Fritz found out it would destroy him, and she couldn't do that to him.

She didn't want Sharon to know how much her marriage had fallen apart. She knew Sharon knew that it wasn't the best marriage, or else she would have never insisted the affair, but she still needed a bit of control with the woman who seemed to have lost all of it in Brenda's arms.

She didn't understand Sharon. For so long Sharon was the ice queen, the woman who needed control. She needed rules, and boundaries. Now, Sharon had taken Rusty in, letting him cloud her judgment. She was having an affair with a married woman. Sharon was letting her walls down, and sharing things she never told anyone, letting Brenda in. These things just seemed so unlike Sharon, but Brenda was glad to have Sharon opening up. Brenda felt a little guilty for not being as open, but she didn't want Sharon to worry about her, or to upset, Sharon.

Brenda sighed, and let her legs fall off the couch. She pulled herself up to go to her bedroom. She wasn't about to see Sharon without getting out of her pajama's.

.*.*.*.

"I was afraid you weren't going to come," Sharon said, walking up to Brenda who was leaning against her car.

"What would make you think that?" Brenda questioned, and pushed off the grey car. Her head was tilted to the side, flirting lightly.

"You never replied to me," Sharon answered. She opened her car door, and set her bag down in the back seat.

"I'm just not ready to talk about it yet," she told Sharon. Sharon sighed, seeing the unhappiness in Brenda's eyes- unhappiness that Sharon was to determine to take away.

"Fine," Sharon said dropping the subject for now. "We should be going." She gestured her hands for Brenda to get into the car. Brenda got in and watched Sharon effortlessly start her car. They drove in silence to the dinner, both to lost in their own minds to say anything. It was a comforting silence, neither felt the need to talk. It was nice to have that silence.

Sharon pulled into the restaurant parking lot and got out of her car parked in the nearest parking garage. She waited for Brenda to follow her lead, and she locked the doors to her car as they walked to the entrance. They were greeted when they opened the door of a younger woman with a smiling face.

"Just two?" the girl asked.

"Just two," Sharon repeated with her generic courteous smile.

"Right this way," the girl said, and began leading them to a small table with a seat at each end. She handed them their menus as they sat. "Is there anything I can get for you to drink?"

"Sweet tea," Sharon answered.

"Same," Brenda seconded. The girl nodded, and walked off.

It was another five minutes before they were ready to order. Brenda ordered a Roasted Garlic Chicken Lasagna while Sharon order the Vino Bambino salad. It amazed Brenda slightly how Sharon pronounced the name with such ease.

"I didn't know you spoke Italian," Brenda told her. Sharon looked at her with a smug but embarrassed smile.

"I speak many languages, Brenda. Italian was always one of my favorites though," she said, taking a sip of her tea.

"What languages do you speak?"

"Italian, German, French, Irish Gaelic, Dutch, Swedish, Latin, and American Sign. Too bad I never learned Spanish, it would really help living out here," she told Brenda.

"Very impressive," Brenda admitted. "I agree, I don't know Spanish either and always felt it as a big disadvantage."

"How about you, what languages do you speak?"

"German, Russian, and Czech," Brenda answered. Sharon raised her eyebrow.

"It turns out we have a language other than English in common," Sharon told her in German.

"It would seem so," Brenda responded in German.

"Your husband doesn't know it, does he?"

"No, Fritz was never very good with learning languages."

"We should start texting in it then," Sharon said, reverting back to English because she did not know the German word for text.

"I second that," Brenda agreed.

Sharon reached out for her glass, and took another drink. She set down the glass and looked over to Brenda.

"I have a proposition for you," Sharon began.

"And what's that?" She asked with a sweet face. She placed her elbows on the table, entwined her fingers together, and rested her chin on them to gaze at Sharon.

"Before I ask, I need to tell you I am asking as a friend."

"Okay?"

"Rusty," she tried, but found herself falling into the reality of the situation with him. Picture the boys battered face, she shook her head to rid the memory to focus on her question. "Rusty and his friends are going to New York, and they invited me to supervise the trip. I can invite someone and I was wondering if you wanted to go. It's at the end of next month and we will be spending the time going to shows, and events. I've already gotten the time okayed off. I am going anyway, I just would prefer not to be the only adult."

Brenda nodded, listening. "I'll go. I need to get away from Fritz, and he needs time away too. Plus, how can I pass up a get away with you?"

Sharon smiled, and reached out for Brenda's hand. They carelessly held each other's hands on the table top.

When they finished eating, Sharon paid the bill and they made their way back to her car. They scooted into the chair seats. Brenda set her large black bag under her feet.

"To your house, or to the hotel?" Brenda asked her, turning slightly in Sharon's direction as she put on her seat belt.

Sharon looked at Brenda, and took Brenda's chin into her palm. Her lips crashed onto Brenda's, and Sharon was reaching over the center counsel to get closer to Brenda. Her hand moved down Brenda's torso down to the hem of her skirt. She lifted her skirt, running her hands on Brenda's inner thigh up to her hot core. She pushed her panties aside, and pushed her fingers inside of her. Brenda's restrained hips jerked forward as much as they could as she called out in almost a grunt into Sharon's mouth.

Sharon took the sound as encouragement, and continued moving inside her keeping her mouth attached to the other womans. She moved faster, and Brenda pulled back.

"Please stop," Brenda begged. "You're hurting me."

Sharon's hand stopped moving, and she looked into Brenda's eyes. She could see the pain in them. Figuring it was from the angel she was going at she pulled her hands away from Brenda and carefully climbed over the center counsel. She was now straddling the other woman. She took off Brenda's seat belt, and lifted Brenda's leg so it would bend while placing her thigh between Brenda's legs. She pushed Brenda's skirt up to her hips, and followed the same steps with her dress. She reached around to the seat behind Brenda's head, slowly and carefully she began rocking side, making sure to rub both womans centers with each move.

She closely examined the younger woman's face to make sure she wasn't still hurting her, but she could see she was. She pulled back slowly.

"Brenda, are you okay?" She asked, knowing she was being gentle and should not have been hurting her.

"I'm fine," Brenda insisted. "Don't stop," she said, moving her thigh along Sharon's tender spot and causing it to move across her own.

"Are you- uh- are you sure?" Sharon managed to get out as she tried not to moan.

"Yes, I need this," Brenda now begged, her accent now thicker than normal.

"But it's hurting you," Sharon fought, lifting herself from Brenda. "I don't want to hurt you."

Brenda sighed, but had a soft look on her face. A tear rolled down her face, only to be caught in Sharon's palm. Then replaced by a soft kiss on her cheek. She pulled back.

"Thank yew," Brenda said.

"You don't have to thank me, Brenda. Who would want to hurt you?" Sharon wondered. She took a deep breath in, realizing what was going on. She sat down on Brenda's now rested leg, and her jaw quivered. "No," was all she could say.

She started tugging Brenda's underpants downward. She gasped as she saw a bruise on her hips in the shape of hands and just around the top of her clean shaven region. Her hand covered her mouth just as it had when she had seen Rusty's beaten face. She looked up to Brenda, who was apparently in shock at the bruises herself.

"What happened?" Sharon demanded her blood now boiling.

"Nothing," Brenda told her, turning her head away from Sharon.

"Brenda, this is not nothing. Someone hurt you!" She tilted her head, grabbing Brenda's face to make her look at her. "I don't want it to happen again."

"Why do you care? I don't need your protection, Sharon. You're just someone I fuck once a week."

The words slapped Sharon harshly, and she dropped her hands and her head pulled back slighly. She started to push herself back over to her seat, but Brenda could see how her words cut into Sharon's heart and instantly regretted her words. She grabbed her hips, slamming her back onto her leg.

"I'm sorry," Brenda began apologizing. "I shouldn't have that. I am just so worried, and scared, and confused."

Though she had gotten Sharon to stay, Sharon's eyes were averted to the window focusing on nothing in particular. Sharon made her lips thin.

"About what?" Sharon tested. Brenda bit her lip, not wanting to confess the things she pent up. Not wanting to worry Sharon more. "Brenda, tell me." She looked back to the large chocolate eyes.

"I am worried about my marriage, how after everythin' it will never be the loving commitment we had," she told her. She felt Sharon shift uneasily and knew that mentioning Fritz had caused an uneasy feeling. She also knew she needed to continue on. "Scared by the man Fritz has become the past few months… How much he's changed… We had planned to sex last night." This confession gained another uneasy stir from Sharon. "I didn't want him getting suspicious about you and I. But we got into this huge argument, and we were screaming at each other. I hoped that sex would just at least calm him down, but it only made it worse. He was so rough, and I tried to ask him to stop but I couldn't get it out because it hurt so bad. So I just let him finish so he could get off, and then we starting yelling even more," she said explaining the bruises. "I know he didn't mean to hurt me, he doesn't even know he did. I won't tell him because I don't want him to feel bad for something he didn't mean to do. I don't want him feeling guilty for something he wouldn't have done if he had known."

"You need to tell him, he can't-" she cut herself off as her voice wavered. "He can't hurt you like that."

"Don't worry, he won't. I can't sleep with him again, not after that… I mean, I love him but he's changed. Plus, I know you now. Your skin, your touch… I couldn't turn back." Brenda's rested her head on Sharon's. "A part of me hoped that by sleeping with him I may have been able to forget you, to try and go back, because I do love him. I never meant for this affair to happen. I would have never cheated on him because he is a great man who is going through a difficult time. I shouldn't have insisted on seeing you again, I should have left alone like you wanted but I couldn't. It's not fair to any party in this situation what I am doing. But I couldn't get you out of my mind. Every thrust I thought of your soft touch, and when it started hurting I thought of how you would never do that to me. It's like your drug that I wish could stop, but the more I am with you the less I can." She paused for a moment, trying to keep her tears in. "A part of me wants to leave, but the other part knows I can't. Not yet."

"Why?"

"He needs my help, and I can't leave him until I know he is okay. I can't let him know about us because he is a mess it would ruin him more. I couldn't do that to him, not now."

Sharon leaned down onto Brenda's shoulder, letting out a small breath. "I don't want him to hurt you again," she told Brenda.

She wanted Brenda to explain what she meant by him being a mess, because the last time she had seen Agent Howard he seemed more than fine. She placed a soft kiss on her neck, and nuzzled herself into the younger woman. Brenda's hands ran up Sharon's back to her shoulders, moving closer to her as well.

"I know. I won't let him, I promise."

They stayed silent for a few moments, just needing the others warm embrace. Sharon knew she was late, but she didn't really care. She didn't understand how the people closest to her were being hurt by those they should be able to trust. Although she could force Rusty away from his father, she couldn't do the same to Brenda and Fritz no matter how much after this episode she wanted to. She knew that if she attempted to tell Brenda to leave that either Brenda would see to much into it, which she rightly would because it would just a perk for Sharon, or that Brenda would just fight her and Sharon would end up losing her. It was something she couldn't risk.

"Perhaps we should be getting you back to work," Brenda suggested.

"I don't want to, not yet," Sharon told her, pulling away. "I just want you to know that I am always here. That if it ever gets like that again, you can come over my house. I don't want you put in that position again. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Brenda agreed. Sharon tilted Brenda's head upwards and kissed her gently.

"Maybe now we should get back." She kissed Brenda once more, and pulled herself off Brenda. She fixed her skirt, and she let Brenda do the same. As she drove away Brenda grabbed Sharon's hand as she drove.

When they reached the police parking garage Brenda said goodbye with a swift peck of the lips and a sweet "bye". And with that Sharon headed back to work, knowing she would be interrogated by her fellow co-workers.