More Than Luck
By: Kadi
Rated: M
Chapter 17
Sharon was released from the hospital on Saturday, and with her condo still a closed scene pending the conclusion of the investigation, Andy insisted on taking her, and Rusty, home with him. His house was more than big enough, and easier for Rusty's security to keep an eye on than the hotel that Sharon suggested they stay in. Until the SIS investigation was closed, Rusty still had two officers monitoring his safety, but it looked like very soon he might be without his shadows.
With Sharon out of the hospital and on the mend, his house arrest almost at an end, the boy was brimming with energy. He didn't even mind that he couldn't go back to the condo for any of his things. It also helped that he had spoken to Doctor Joe, just as he promised Sharon that he would. He didn't even mind that the trial was still months away. He could deal with all of that, and Emma too, if it meant they were done with the letters and the threats, and that Sharon was going to be okay.
Andy carried Sharon into the house, while Rusty trailed behind them with their bags. Her knee was still in the brace, badly bruised and painful to walk on, but otherwise healing. The cut in her side had taken more than thirty stitches to close, and given how it wrapped around her thin form, they were not allowing her to use crutches to get around. When he stepped over the threshold with her, Andy stopped and waggled his brows at her.
Sharon snorted. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts." She slapped his shoulder. "Hurry up and put me down, Andy, before you end up throwing out your back."
"You're kidding right? Babe, you weigh about as much as a sack of potatoes." He carried her in to his living room and settled her carefully on the dark, leather sofa. He pulled a soft throw pillow over and tucked it beneath her knee when she turned and settled comfortably in the corner of the large sectional. Then he pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa and draped it over her.
"Did you really just compare me to a sack of root vegetables?" Her brows lifted. There was amusement in her green eyes.
"Of course not. You're way prettier than root vegetables." He kissed the top of her head before he straightened. "Hey kid, you can just drop the bags by the stairs. So… I suppose you need the tour. You," he pointed at Sharon. "Stay put."
"Hm. Who is being bossy now?" Sharon leaned her head back.
"Who just strong-armed her way out of a hospital two days before she probably should?" Andy smirked.
"Go, tour," she waved them away. "I'm not moving." She was exhausted and aching. It had taken more out of her than she thought, but Sharon had abhorred the idea of staying in the hospital over the weekend. Two days was more than enough. She waited for Andy to pick up the bags and show Rusty up the stairs before she looked around.
It was the first time that she had been there. Necessity had meant spending their time at her condo, where Rusty was. The house was located in a nice neighborhood, it was one of the older ranch style homes, but well kept. Open and airy, not nearly as dark as she might have expected - save the furniture. He did like dark furniture, and all of it in matching leather, dark brown. It matched the deep cherry wood furniture, the dark hardwood flooring and the entertainment center that appeared to have been built around the large flat screen television.
It was tastefully decorated, but so very masculine. The walls were beige, as was the carpet. The furniture and the drapes, a deep red, were all dark, masculine, and she decided very Andy. So were the sports magazines on the coffee table, and the memorabilia mixed in with family photos and paintings. Sharon tipped her head back and closed her eyes. She was fond of dark colors as well, so it suited.
Rusty followed Andy up the stairs and noted the short hallway. "Okay," Andy said, "you've got my room down there," he pointed. "The bathroom is right here, there's a guest room over there, and I was thinking I'd put you up here by the stairs. There are two guest rooms, so if you don't like it…"
"No, it's good." Rusty stepped into the room and looked around. It had the same light, beige colored carpet as the rest of the house, but the walls were a dark blue. "It's cool. I like the blue and it's close to the bathroom. I won't have to wonder about falling down the stairs on my head in the middle of the night. It works."
"Not the thought I had in mind," Andy chuckled. "Good. Drop your stuff there, give me a second, and I'll show you the rest of the place." He walked down the hall with quick, long strides and pushed open his own door. He tossed Sharon's bag inside onto the bed and returned to take Rusty back downstairs. "Kitchen, dining room," he pointed out each of them. "There's a laundry room off the kitchen. The door there opens into the garage, but it's full of crap. Actually, I've been thinking about hiring you to help me clean it out. This might be a good time for that."
"Pizza is not appropriate payment for manual labor," Sharon called from the sofa. "Rusty, I expect you to negotiate a decent wage."
"Hey." Flynn tossed a playful frown at her. "Whose side are you on, babe?"
Sharon smiled and pointed at Rusty. "The seventeen year old whom you are attempting to maneuver into manual child labor for personal gain." Her head tilted. "Although a little hard work wouldn't hurt him."
It was Rusty's turn to frown. "Hey."
"Never mind, consider me Switzerland." Sharon leaned back got comfortable again. She waved a hand at them. "Carry on."
Rusty's lips pursed. "I thought they took her off the morphine."
"They did." Andy was grinning. "But they gave her vicodin before we left the hospital, and called in a prescription for more."
"So she's…"
"High as a kite, again." Andy laughed at the face she made at them. "What they gave her at the hospital is a lot stronger than anything they prescribed. They wanted it to last long enough to get her home and settled. Don't worry, Kid. She'll be back to her usually bossy self soon enough."
"Really." Rusty shoved his hands into his pockets and flashed a devious little grin. "Bummer. I was hoping for a new laptop."
"If you're going to take advantage of the fact that I am under the influence of narcotic pain relievers," Sharon stated from where she lay, eyes still closed. "The least you could do is aim big. Like Andy did." She waggled her brows at them.
"I'm going to the pharmacy." Andy walked over and picked up his car keys. "I'll grab something to eat on the way back, any preferences? No burgers."
"What if I want a burger." Sharon smiled when she felt the shift in the air and looked up to find him bending over her.
"You don't want a burger." He caught her lips, kissing her quickly, once and then twice. "Soup and sandwiches?"
"Maybe a salad," She decided. "I'm not really hungry. Something light, definitely." She stroked his cheek. "Go. I'm going to sleep this off before I give you boys something more to laugh about."
"Want me to take you upstairs?" He swept her hair back and stroked the side of her neck.
"No," she said quietly. "I'm fine here. It's okay, Andy. You can go. I'm right here, and I'm okay." She hummed when he kissed her again.
"You guys get that I'm standing right here, right?" Rusty waited until Flynn stood up before he said it. "New place, but same rules. I mean, come on. I'm very impressionable."
"You're a pain in the backside," Andy tossed out playfully. "I'll be back soon." He walked toward the door but stopped with his hand on the knob. "Hey, kid…" He pointed toward the living room. "Keep an eye on her?"
"Yeah," Rusty shrugged. "I can do that. I'll make sure she behaves."
"She is sitting right here and can hear you," Sharon muttered.
"Sharon, I'm having a moment here." Rusty grinned as Flynn left. "I'm the babysitter for once. Don't rain on this parade."
"Yes, yes, a red letter event." Sharon pulled the blanket up beneath her chin. "Enjoy."
Rusty watched her sink into the soft leather, saw her relax and her breathing slow and even out. The lines on her face softened and he realized she was asleep. He smiled. He was going to enjoy it. He enjoyed knowing she was okay, that they were all okay now. Rusty walked over and lowered himself, quietly, into the other end of the sectional. He settled back, watching her. Flynn's place wasn't so bad. He wondered if Sharon would want to leave, once all this was over. If she would want to even go back to the condo after what happened. No matter what though, at least life was going to start getting back to normal soon, or whatever passed as normal for them.
Andy returned a couple of hours later carrying several bags. He really hoped that Sharon had napped, so he let himself back into the house as quietly as possible. Along with what she needed for the pharmacy, he had picked up lunch, as well as groceries for several days. He didn't cook much for himself, and when he did, they were simple meals for one, or two if Provenza was around. He had also been spending a few nights a week at Sharon's condo for over a month, so he really didn't have much food in the place. Since he had hardly left Sharon's side at the hospital, he shopped while he had the chance.
He carried the bags into the kitchen and set them on the bar which separated it from the living room. It was then that he got the chance to glance out and check on Sharon. He shook his head and chuckled quietly. They were both asleep on the sofa. He supposed they were all exhausted. It had been a long few days.
Andy put everything away and carried Sharon's pills and a glass of water into the living room. There was an antibiotic as well as the pain pill, he put both bottles beside the glass on the coffee table and then dropped into the leather recliner nearby. He kicked it back and sighed. Yes, they were all exhausted. He felt like he could breathe for the first time in days. Andy let his head fall back and his eyes close. Now that he had her there, he had to figure out how to keep her from leaving. As much as he'd like to not let her out of his sight again, that wasn't going to be possible. They had dangerous jobs, and she was a strong, capable, officer. Hell, surviving the attack as she had was evidence of that.
No, he wasn't macho enough to think that he could lock her away and protect her. He could try, but she'd kick his ass. Sharon was good at taking care of herself, as well as everyone around her. She had enough practice at it. Andy wanted to know that she was safe, but more than that, he wanted to know that she felt safe, and as easily as that dirtbag managed to get into the condo… well, he didn't know that she would feel safe there again. Sharon wouldn't talk about it yet, wasn't ready. She gave her statement to FID and SIS, but he knew that she wasn't going to talk about anything beyond that until she could stand in her home and deal with the fallout first hand. That's who Sharon was. She would face it. He would just have to be around to offer whatever support she needed.
Packing her up and moving her in seemed like great support to him.
When Sharon woke sometime later it was to a house filled with silence and the unsettling sense of disorientation at not knowing where she was or how she had come to be there. The feeling only lasted a few moments, long enough for the hazy, pain-reliever induced fog to clear, allowing her to sort through her memories and recall how it was that she came to be sleeping on the sofa in Andy Flynn's living room.
Moving drew a gasp from her, as the stitches in her side pulled, leading her to the conclusion that it was the sharp ache there which had awakened her. Sharon hummed quietly as she sat up. The keen pain in her side was far more intense than the deeply bruised knee. There was a definite catch in it when she eased her legs around and moved herself into a sitting position. Sharon concentrated on breathing while she sat there, slow, even breaths until the sharp pain in her side faded enough that she was no longer seeing spots behind her eyes.
When her vision cleared, Sharon saw the glass and the pill bottles, easily within reach. She managed a small smile as she reached for both of them. After the pills were taken, and the water glass half drained, she replaced both onto the coffee table and took a moment to rest and study her surroundings. She found Rusty curled and sleeping nearby, on the other end of the large sectional sofa. Her smile softened at once. He was exhausted, he had left her side only when forced to do so, and it had taken both Lieutenant Provenza and Buzz to make him leave the hospital. She couldn't imagine he had been sleeping well, if at all, and it was certainly understandable.
Familiar soft snoring drew her attention to the recliner. Andy's legs were crossed at his ankles, and with his arms folded behind his head, he was more relaxed than she could recall seeing him in recent memory, even before the attack. The lines on his face seem to have faded, leaving her to realize just how many new ones had appeared since the letter left at his door. They had surely managed to shave a few years off his life this week, or so he had told her. She would never quite remember the look of abject terror in his eyes. Like Rusty he hadn't left her side, only to come home long enough to shower and change, or to report to the station and check in with the current case as needed. The rest of the squad had covered for him, and the constant moving between hospital and office had taken its toll. He was exhausted, she knew, and part of the reason she had negotiated so strenuously for him to take her to a hotel. Andy wouldn't hear of it, and the simple desperation in his gaze when he insisted on bringing her home was the reason she finally relented. She loved him, and she hated that he had gone through so much these last few days. If it made it easier for him for her to be here, it was no great hardship to let him take care of her.
Even if she honestly could manage. They were both so dear, to worry as they did, but it wasn't the first time she had been injured on the job and while she might be a good deal older now, how difficult could it be? It wasn't as though she also had two small children to care for.
It was with that thought in mind that Sharon steeled herself against what needed to come next. She had heard Andy telling Rusty that there was a bathroom on this level, and really, Sharon knew she must look as terrible as she felt. She craned her head around, and spying the short hallway beyond the kitchen, which lead to a den that he used as an office, she was able to identify the direction of the bathroom. She drew a deep breath and held it as she pushed herself up. It was more difficult in practice than it had seemed when she originally considered it. She tried to keep as much weight as possible on her good leg, and somehow that led to putting more strain on the muscles of her stomach and sides.
A soft whimper was drawn from her, but Sharon made it to her feet and only teetered a bit while she found her balance. She wisely didn't move until she was certain that she could without falling over. Then it was a matter of shuffling, at least until she made it far enough to the end of the sofa that she could use it for extra balance. It was a matter of shuffle and limp at that point, each movement a jolt of pain that made her grit her teeth and force air in and out of her lungs through her nose. She glanced at her sleeping son and lover, hoping that she wouldn't wake them as she made the long, arduous journey toward the bathroom.
She made it, after what felt like walking miles rather than just a few yards, and it left her feeling far more exhausted than she thought it should. Although, in hindsight, perhaps trying to go that far on her own wasn't an entirely bright idea. Certainly not the smartest thing she had ever done. She found she was right about one thing, she definitely looked terrible. Pale, with dark circles under her eyes, and probably looking every bit of her age. She sighed quietly. There was little she could do about that at the moment, and took the added time in the bathroom to smooth out her hair and wash her face. That at least gave her a little more color and feeling better, she felt she looked a little more decent as well.
Once she was finished in the bathroom, hobbled back toward the living room. The trek back seemed to take far more effort than the original walk to the bathroom. Sharon wound up hunched over the bar, breathing deeply and trying to stay on her feet. Two arms closed around her and she startled, humming quietly. Her body was aching so badly that she hadn't heard Andy leave the recliner over the sound of her own heart beating wildly.
"You must be the single, most stubborn woman I have ever met." Andy's voice was soft, and his lips moved against her hair as he drew her up against him. Waking to find her not where she had been, only a short while before, gave him a few bad minutes. That was until he had heard her moving down the hall. "Okay?"
"Mmhm." Sharon could only manage to nod. She leaned more heavily against him than she would like, and didn't even argue when he lifted her this time. Her arms moved around his neck. She let her head fall against his shoulder with a sigh.
He held her for just a moment before moving. His cheek rested against the top of her head. "Couch or bed?" As much as he wanted to continue holding her, she couldn't be comfortable. The stiffness in her body, the way she was trembling, he knew she must be in pain.
"The couch is fine," she said softly. "I just need to rest a minute. I'll be fine."
Andy carried her back to the sectional and settled her down there, only this time he sat with her and let her lean against his body. His hand moved into her hair, stroking gently. "Did you take your pills?"
"Yes, Andy." Sharon smiled, but slanted a look up at him. He and tucked a pillow between them and she was able to lean against it and him, supporting her side and easing the discomfort. Her head settled back against his shoulder. "I'm sorry that I'm worrying you. It really didn't seem that far."
Andy sighed. He turned his lips into her hair again. "Too much?"
"No," she laid her hand on his thigh and gave it a light pat. "Not at all… maybe a little." Sharon lifted her head and smiled at him. "I understand how you feel. This hasn't been easy on any of us." She felt his body stiffen beneath her and her brows drew together. "What?"
"I don't think you do know." Andy fought the sudden swell of agitation her words evoked. It wasn't her fault, she couldn't know the bad moments he'd had reliving that moment. "I don't think you can really understand what it felt like to find you laying there like that. I didn't know if you were alive or dead. All I could see was you, not moving, bleeding out on the floor. I couldn't tell if you had been shot or…" His jaw clenched and he shook his head. "I've had some bad moments, Sharon. I'm probably going to have a few more before it's over. I'm sure I'm going to end up being a real bastard about it. I'll be sorry as hell about it, but I keep thinking about how close we came to losing you."
"Then on top of it I'm being a rather difficult patient." She smiled gently at him and leaned up to kiss the corner of his mouth. "I am sorry, Andy. I'm just not used to… I'm afraid it's not going to get any better." She gave him an apologetic smile. "By the time I'm moving around on my own again, I'm afraid you're going to have to deal with me being a real bitch."
"Sharon." Andy grinned down at her. "I hate to be the one to have to tell you this but… I'm sort of used to you being a real bitch."
Her lips pursed. "Is that a fact?" The amusement in his eyes had her head tilting, and rather than bristle and take offense, her brows lifted. "Care to elaborate?"
"You've only sent me to anger management how many times?" He shook his head at her. "Busted my chops every time, gave me hell, and then there was that trip to sensitivity training… that was fun."
Her lips pressed together. She snorted quietly. "Hmm. Yes. I was so mean to the poor, hotheaded homicide detective."
"That's what I've been saying." He grinned at her. "Hey… My point is, I've seen your mean side, and you know, I've been right where you are now. I get it. There isn't a lot you can do that is going to chase me off. So if you need to be… you know, whatever. Go ahead. I think we're both just going to have to deal with this. Get it off our chests and just handle it."
"Try to not take it personally when it happens, but I have a feeling that's easier said than done." She laid her head against his shoulder again. "So we'll fight, and you'll just have to wait so we can make up."
"That's the best part of fighting." He started combing his fingers through her hair again. "It's my favorite part of getting you all wound up."
"I hadn't noticed," she drawled in a dry tone. Sharon relaxed against him with a sigh. The pain medicine was beginning to take effect. Her body continued to ache, but not with the same sharp throbbing that had left her breathless. "We're going to be okay. It isn't like we aren't old hats at most of this."
"It's the word old that I object to," he said lightly.
"Shhh…" Sharon's hand stroked his thigh when Rusty shifted next to them. "Don't wake him, he's exhausted."
"Yeah… kid had it rough." Andy sighed again. "He managed to skirt Sanchez, he got into the apartment. He saw you, Sharon. Before Julio got him out of there, and let me tell you, it wasn't a great sight."
"Damn." Her eyes closed. "I was hoping maybe that wasn't the case. It was inevitable, I suppose, given the scene of the attack. He's handling it, though. A year, even six months ago, he wouldn't be. He'd have closed himself off to everyone and turned sullen again."
"Yeah." His fingers rubbed her scalp until her heard her hum again. "He's doing alright, overall. It's over. I think that's the part that's pulling him through it. He's come pretty far, but knowing that it's done and his life is going to get better helps."
"He can hear you." Rusty muttered against the back of the sofa. "Do you guys always talk about me like that when you think I can't hear you, or I'm not around? It's kind of creepy."
"This is nothing." Andy smirked. "When you're not around it gets a lot more detailed."
"Andy." Sharon shook her head at him.
"Yeah, figures." Rusty rolled off the sofa and stretched. "Okay?"
"I'm fine, honey." Sharon smiled warmly at him. "Thank you."
"Food?" Rusty cast a hopeful glance at Andy.
"Kitchen. I grabbed some stuff from that little bistro that Sharon likes. There are some of their baked sandwiches in the oven, a couple of bowls of soup. There are a couple of salads too, in the fridge. Sharon?"
She wasn't really all that hungry, but she shrugged. "You know, some soup would be good. I'm not sure I'm really up for anything else right now."
"Come on, Kid. I'll help." Andy shifted carefully out from under Sharon and helped her reposition on the sofa before he followed the teenager into the kitchen. "Hey babe, do you want the tomato bisque or the vegetable?"
"Hmm." Her head was tipped back against the sofa again. "Surprise me."
In the kitchen, Andy and Rusty exchanged a look. The teenager shrugged and pulled two sandwiches out of the oven. He put both of them on a plate, one for Andy and one for himself. "She gets like that sometimes," Rusty said. "She isn't hungry, but she'll eat so you don't worry. I wouldn't, like… push her on it though, because she will get upset." Rusty gave him a look. "That isn't fun."
"Really." Andy flashed a grin. "Yeah, I've seen upset. I'll tell you some stories some day." He spooned up soup in a bowl and heated it in the microwave before placing it on a tray. He knew she might prefer tea, but he got her juice instead, it would be better for her. He lifted the tray and started back toward the living room. "There's this really funny one involving me, Sharon, and this hook—er, suspect that said I felt her up."
"Andy!" Sharon glared at him. "You will not."
"It was years ago," he continued without heeding her warning. "Way back before Major Crimes was even a mild annoyance. She was still with Internal Affairs at the time. You see, my partner and I caught this murder, this dirtbag, some wannabe pimp was robbing prostitutes down near the boulevard. Well, he tried to collar the wrong one and she let him have it."
"Allegedly," Sharon cut in. "And why are you still telling him this? That is not a story that is appropriate for anyone, much less a teenage boy."
"Oh no, it's good, trust me." Andy set the tray across her lap. "He needs to hear this one."
"Yeah, Sharon." Rusty brought his plate to the living room side of the bar and slipped onto one of the stools, facing Andy, who had put his own plate on the coffee table. "Everyone is always saying I don't take enough interest in people other than myself, so… and I want to hear it. What happened," he asked Flynn.
"Okay so, this guy gets popped, and we're liking the hooker for the murder. There were witnesses that saw them arguing. Saw him try to rough her up, and she basically kicked his ass," Andy gestured as he spoke. "So we haul her in, put her in interrogation, and in the process, the bi—"
"Andy." Sharon groaned.
"Suspect," he amended with a smile. "Goes nuts. She's kicking, she's screaming, she's got nails like a freaking bobcat and she's basically scratching the shi—crap out of my partner and me." He was trying to curb the language in deference to Sharon, but it was hard. He heard her huff a loud sigh and his eyes sparkled. "Well, we're standing there, bleeding. I'm pretty sure my partner will never be able to have kids, because she knocked him a good one, he's practically throwing up in the corner. Meanwhile, a couple of uniforms helped us get her cuffed. Well now she's screaming sexual harassment claiming someone grabbed her chest." Andy screwed the lid off his orange juice and lifted it, drinking quickly. "So, what happens? Our Captain has to call down and report it. Internal Affairs sends someone up to deal with the situation. We're thinking, okay, no problem. It's going to be a pain in the ass, no one likes dealing with IA, but obviously, we're bleeding, my partner is hurting, and it's going to be a slam dunk."
"Oh no…" Rusty could see where this was going, especially with the way that Sharon had rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.
"Oh yes." Andy shot a playful look at her. "So, here comes this little brunette, all business and typical IA bullshit. I think to myself, okay, I'll be helpful. I try to tell her what happened… she sits me in a corner and tells me to zip it. Which, obviously, pisses me off. Then she asks for someone to bring up a doctor, so that the victim can be examined… Which is a little annoying, so I'm like, Lady I don't need a doctor. What I need is for someone to wrap this up so I can question my suspect on why she popped her pimp. At which point, the little brunette," he hooked a thumb at Sharon, "proceeds to inform me that the doctor is for the young lady in interrogation that has been manhandled. Well, I'm steadily getting more pissed off by the moment… but my Captain is telling me to cool it. So I bite my tongue, and I just wait… and wait… and finally, the Doc finishes looking at my suspect, and IA finishes questioning her. So now it's our turn. Finally, the guys who got the crap kicked out of them can have a little medical attention, and oh by the way, at what point did I think it was okay to grab the suspect's breast." Andy scratched his upper lip. "So then I start laughing. It's been a hell of a day, and that was just too much. I am practically rolling in the floor. My partner thinks I'm drunk, my Captain thinks I've lost it. The little brunette is just getting more irritated by the second… and she's all like," he pitched his voice higher to mimic her, "would you like to tell me what is so amusing, Detective?"
Rusty had to lean against the bar as he laughed. "Oh my god, that sounds just like her. What did you do?"
"I told the Lieutenant from IA that if I was going to be copping a feel, brunettes with attitude were more to my liking, and by the way… had she really gotten a good look at the suspect? She was so flat, she was probably a guy, and oh by the way, if I wasn't covered in blood I might demonstrate what copping a feel looked like so there could be no question if I had done it or not."
"You did not." Rusty's eyes went wide. He glanced at Sharon and then back. "What happened? That could not have been cool."
"It wasn't," Sharon stated, glaring at her storytelling lover.
"She wrote my ass up, sent me to sensitivity training, but…" Andy shrugged. "It was worth it. The look on her face was priceless."
"Yeah, but what did she say," that was what Rusty wanted to know.
"I believe," Sharon interrupted before Andy could reply "That what I said was something along the lines of… I was quite aware that the suspect was in fact, a male, and that regardless of that until proven otherwise, the allegation had to be treated seriously. I was sorry that he was so upset, but his attitude was not appreciated, and perhaps a week in sensitivity training would help clear things up for him in case of future incidents…"
Andy arched a brow at her. "And…"
Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "And that if he touched me he would be joining his partner in the corner with the waste basket."
"Oh my god." Rusty's eyes went wide. He started laughing. "You really threatened to hurt him?"
"Oh yes," Sharon said seriously. "More than once." She opened her juice and took a sip. "Eat your sandwich, Rusty." She lifted her own spoon, as if to make her point clear. "What you don't understand, Rusty, is that Lieutenant Flynn used to be a belligerent pain in the backside."
Andy shrugged. "Used to be? This one gave back as good as she got, made it a challenge. Getting in trouble was never so much fun as when she was on call."
"For you," she said pointedly. "You were not the one getting pulled out of bed in the middle of the night because some trouble making homicide detective was always asking for you, by name."
"Uh huh, but who kept doing it after she was in charge," Andy remarked with a grin. "Face it, you liked me."
Sharon snorted. "No one else in my division would deal with you."
"Yeah, until you got that new kid, and started giving all my stuff to him." Andy pouted at her. "That hurt."
"In case you hadn't noticed," she reminded him. "By then, you were Priority Homicide, and I had your entire division to deal with. You people have been thorns in my side since almost day one."
"Yeah," his grin was slow. "Now we're your thorns, so… you have to like us."
"Hmm." She said nothing and sipped gingerly at her soup.
"Okay, okay," Rusty waved a hand at them. "No arguing kiddies." He smirked at them.
"Face it," Andy reached over and rubbed her leg. "No one threatens me with anger management quite like you did. Made being an asshole boring when you stopped."
"Exactly my point," Sharon grinned widely at him. "Take away your favorite toy and you finally decide to straighten up."
He started to open his mouth and stopped. Andy frowned at her. "Hey."
Sharon gave him a delicate shrug. "Sorry honey."
"Wicked." Andy decided. "Just… wicked." He leaned over and kissed her.
"That's my cue." Rusty stood up with his plate and took it back into the kitchen. He had devoured his sandwich while Andy told his story. "Hey, I'm going to go, like, get my stuff settled. Sharon, do you need anything?"
"No, Rusty. I'm good, but thank you." She shared a smile with Andy. "You don't have to run off, we can control ourselves, you know."
"It's not that." He walked back into the living room, hands in his pockets. "I really do want to see if I can get some stuff settled in, maybe take a shower."
"Alright. If you're sure?" She gave him a pointed look.
"Sharon." Rusty smiled back at her. "I'm sure. You guys don't bother me. Seriously."
"Go on." She leaned back on the sofa, letting her head rest against the cushion.
"Thanks." Rusty started up the stairs. "Besides, it's not like that's the worst thing I've caught you two doing…"
"Oh god." Sharon moaned. She had hoped he would forget about that first date eventually. It seemed he still had a little mileage left in it.