A/N: This is the eighth chapter! Special thanks to my amazing beta CMemlovr for beta reading! I hope you like it!

Sharon and Andy froze, staring at Rusty as he waited for an explanation. They didn't know what to say – how to even begin explaining. Sharon was petrified that if she told him about his mother, he'd blame himself. The resounding silence infuriated Rusty to the point of speaking first.

"What's going on, Mom? Andy? Please tell me." Sharon sighed as Andy took her hand as a sign of support. Glancing sadly at her son, Sharon tried to speak but couldn't.

"We can't hide it anymore, Sharon. It's going to hurt you both, but we have to tell him."

Sharon nodded in agreement before standing and moving closer to Rusty.

"Rusty, we need to talk. Sit with me," she offered, fearful of her son's reaction but understanding of the fact that he needed to know. Andy stood beside them for support. "I don't really know where to start," she confessed, sighing.

"Just start from the beginning, you can trust me enough to tell me, mom," he replied, taking his mother's hand.

. "It's not you I don't trust," she murmured, clearing her throat to talk, "A few days ago I started to receive strange phone calls. At first I assumed it was a mistake or a prank, but yesterday morning-" She felt her throat closing at the thought.

"Sharon?" prompted Andy concernedly.

"I'm fine," she breathed, inhaling deeply to dispel her tension. "When I fainted yesterday, it was because the calls had escalated to a text message that threatened to remove you from my custody. The shock caused by blood pressure to rise. She called you 'the most precious thing in her life'. I realised then that it was most likely Sharon," she finished softly, sighing.

Rusty's face fell. "So, my mother is the reason you fainted?" Stunned, Rusty stood from the sofa and went to his room, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Rusty!" she called after him, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"It's going to be alright, Sharon," murmured Andy soothingly.

"I need to talk to him – I knew he wouldn't take it well," replied Sharon, leaving Andy to make her way to Rusty's room.

Sitting beside her son, she placed a hand on his knee, "Rusty, look at me," she instructed softly.

His guilt was plain in his features, and Sharon's heart hurt for him.

"I can't believe you hid this from me, mom."

"I didn't want you to blame yourself, like you're doing now," she replied gently.

"But I do blame myself, mom. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even know my mother, much less have to deal with her. You never gave up on me, even when I didn't want your help, and all I've managed to do is give you more trouble," replied Rusty miserably.

"It's not your fault, Rusty. You can't think that any of this is your fault, honey."

"She's treating you this way because of me – I'm the reason you've had so much stress lately – and you could lose the baby because of me; because of my mother." Tears streamed down his cheeks as he spoke, prompting Sharon to reach for his face to wipe away his tears.

"You're my son now, Rusty. And you always will be."

"Wouldn't it be easier to let me go back to her?"

Sharon's eyes widened, "How could you think that? Do you know how many sleepless nights I've had at the thought of losing you?" she hugged her son tightly.

"I don't want to lose you either, mom."

"You'll never lose me, Rusty. You're my son for the rest of your life."

"I'm so sorry, mom. If anything had happened to you or the baby-"

"But nothing did happen," she interjected firmly, "the baby and I are fine, and you have nothing to worry about," she finished kindly, smiling softly at him.

"I love you, Mom," said Rusty softly.

"I love you too, honey."

They hugged again, holding each other tightly.

By the time Sharon had returned to the living room, Andy was reading a magazine he'd found lying around.

"Is everything alright with Rusty?" he asked on seeing Sharon.

Taking a deep breath, Sharon sat beside him before replying, "Better, but still tough. He blames himself for everything – it took a while to calm him down."

Hugging Sharon, Andy pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Don't worry, Sharon. It'll all work out in the end, he just needs some time."

Sharon snuggled deeper into Andy's embrace, "I hope so," she muttered.

Andy wanted so desperately to make everything right for her. He couldn't think of anything he could do, other than-

"You hungry, Sharon?"

"I am quite hungry," she admitted, "why?"

"I'm going to prepare a special lunch for you," he claimed proudly. Sharon laughed heartily in response. "What?!"

"You're going to cook?" she asked sceptically.

"Why not? My grandmother taught me to cook, God rest her."

"Alright Andy, let's see what you've got," teased Sharon.

"You'll see, Captain," he joked, gently kissing her lips.

"If you need any help, Lieutenant, just let me know," she giggled.

Smiling, Andy left for the kitchen as Sharon pulled out a magazine and began to read. She desperately wanted to get away from her problems, at least for a little while

An hour or so later, Rusty made his way to the door of the apartment without a word to his mother.

"Rusty, where are you going?" asked Sharon, stopping him at the door.

"I'm meeting some friends," replied Rusty.

"That sounds nice," she smiled, "don't be late back, okay?"

Rusty doubled back to kiss his mother before leaving the apartment.

"Hey, Sharon, are you ready for an amazing lunch?" called Andy as he moved towards the living room from the kitchen.

"Oh, yes," replied Sharon, anticipating something less than amazing. On seeing him, she couldn't help but stare before bursting into laughter.

"What? What did I do this time?"

"You're covered in flour, Andy," she chortled, laughing harder when Andy looked down at himself and noticed his appearance.

"You're right…can you see the lengths I go to for you?" he teased, grinning when Sharon's face broke into a smile.

********...********

Sharon and Andy sat down to the meal he had prepared. Taking a bite of the "amazing lunch", Sharon looked up to find Andy watching her expectantly.

"Well, how is it?" he asked. Sharon smiled.

"It's great, Andy. I didn't know you were so skilled."

"I have several other skills that you're not aware of," he replied slyly.

"And what would those be?" she asked.

Leaning over, Andy kissed her gently, smiling when they broke apart.

"Is that it?" she teased.

"That's just one of them, honey."

******** ... ********

Sharon and Andy spent the evening looking at the parenting magazines Sharon had amassed.

"Just look at how adorable they are," she said softly, pointing at the babies in the magazine. "I still can't believe that I ever considered abortion," she shook her head sadly.

"We don't have to think about that anymore, Sharon," replied Andy gently, directing her attention instead to the other page of the magazine, "look at these little clothes! They're so tiny!"

"I hope that everything works out."

Andy placed the magazine on the table, sensing the shift in conversation.

"What are you thinking, Sharon?"

"They've repeatedly told us that the first three months are important, but-"

"Sharon?" prompted Andy.

"Nobody's told us anything about the months afterwards. I'm scared…"

"I don't understand, Sharon."

"I just mean – with the likelihood of complications, I want to be prepared."

"We've talked about this, Sharon!" replied Andy, frustrated.

"I know we have, but I can't stop thinking about it, Andy. You have to accept that the baby and I are at risk, and this pregnancy has the potential to be very difficult."

"You have to think positively, Sharon. I'm sure it will all be fine."

"I'm being realistic, Andy. I know you don't want to think about it, but we have to prepare for every eventuality. Don't you think I want to be there for this baby as much as you do?"

"No!" Andy stopped her. "Please don't talk like that, Sharon," he whispered, hugging her tightly. "Look at me, Sharon. Everything will be alright – you can't keep worrying like this or you really will harm yourself and the baby. Let's just stop this talk, now."

Moving away from him, Sharon nodded slightly. "I can stop talking, but it won't stop me worrying, Andy. For our sake, I'm going to try to control my thoughts, but it's just not that easy."

Andy kissed her forehead lightly, "I know it'll be hard, Sharon, but I'll be with you every step of the way." He embraced her again, knowing all the while that he wouldn't be able to sleep with the thoughts she'd roused floating in his mind. Still, Sharon and the baby were his priority, so he worked to calm Sharon down.

********...********

The next morning, opened her eyes blearily, noting that Andy was getting ready to go to work without her.

"Why didn't you wake me, Andy?" she asked softly, her voice rasping.

He sat beside her and pressed his lips to her forehead gently, "you need to rest, Sharon."

"So you're going to work without me?"

"We discussed this yesterday, Sharon. You need to recover fully before you can come back to work."

After a moment of discomfort, she asked, "Have you seen Rusty this morning?"

"He's having breakfast right now."

"How did he seem? I'm worried about him."

"He didn't mention yesterday at all, and he seems fine. Don't worry, darling."

Sharon needed convincing, and she said as much: "Well, I want to see for myself."

Getting out of bed, Sharon made her way to the living room, where she saw Rusty.

"Morning, Rusty," she smiled.

"Good morning, mom," he replied, smiling.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I'm good," he shrugged, and Sharon smiled.

"I've got to go, honey," interrupted Andy as he made his way to the front door.

"I'm coming with you, Andy."

"But, Sharon -"

"I am rested and able to work," insisted Sharon.

Andy knew Sharon was stubborn, but this was a new type of resistance.

********...********

An hour later, Sharon sat in her office examining the file for a murder case. She'd been unable to do so with the team, as she'd felt crowded. Sighing, she flipped a page as a knock sounded at her door.

"Can I come in?" Andrea stood in the doorway smiling.

Nodding with an easy smirk, Sharon gestured to her office, "Of course."

"Andy told me you'd come in this morning – I didn't think you'd be at work so soon."

"You know me, Andrea; work is how I manage myself. I wouldn't know what to do at home if I'd done as Andy insisted."

"I know, but are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. A few lingering concerns, but otherwise fine."

"What's bothering you?"

"I don't really know where to start, Andrea. Everything worries me these days-"

"Tell me," pressed Andrea delicately.

"I don't know – mostly I worry about the baby."

"The baby? Why?" she asked.

"I've already been told that mine is a high risk pregnancy. I've been trying to talk to Andy about it - to prepare ourselves, just in case. But he doesn't want to hear it! So many things can go wrong, and not just in the first three months, but nobody's even talking about what might happen after the first trimester. I told Andy that if anything did happen, he should choose the baby, but-"

Andrea took her friend's hand comfortingly, listening to her carefully.

"I understand, Sharon. But it doesn't do you any good to dwell on these things right now. For now, you have to assume the best. I'm sure Andy's just trying to do the same. You can't think about this pregnancy as a possible death sentence when so many people still need and love you, Sharon." Andrea smiled lightly when Sharon nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Andrea. I hope everything will work out."

A knock on the door signalled Andy's arrival in Sharon's office.

"Am I interrupting?"

"No, Andy, I think we're done," replied Andrea.

Nodding, Andy turned to Sharon and asked, "do you want to grab some lunch?"

"Sure," she agreed.

As she, Andrea and Andy were leaving her office, they were stopped by Provenza.

"I'm sorry, Captain, lunch is going to have to wait. We need you in the interview room, now."

"What's going on, Lieutenant?"

"Julio's lost his temper again and Amy can't stop him. We need you to talk him down as his boss."

"Oh, God -" breathed Sharon, ire rising inside of her.

"Provenza, Sharon is pregnant – how is she going to calm Julio down?" asked Andrea rationally

"I'll tell you later, Hobbs. For now we have to get a hold of Julio."

"Let me do it," interjected Andy.

"No, no, Andy. Wait for me here, I'll be back shortly," replied Sharon as she headed for the interview room with Provenza.

Andy took the opportunity to talk to Andrea about her conversation with Sharon.

"So, what was that about with Sharon, if you don't mind my asking?"

Andrea smiled lightly, "You've no need to worry. We were just talking about her concerns about the pregnancy. I tried to convince her that it wouldn't help any to think the way she has been."

"Thanks, Andrea. She listens to you."

Looking up, they saw Sharon coming towards them and ended their conversation.

"So, have you managed to tame him?" asked Andrea teasingly.

"Finally, yes. Sometimes Julio loses his temper during interrogations and takes a bit of work to calm him down."

"Sometimes? I think you mean always," remarked Andy. Sharon laughed lightly.

"I'm going to head off – have a good lunch, you two," interjected Andrea, leaving Sharon and Andy together.

"Why do you always have to go? They know you're pregnant," commented Andy, irritated.

"Calm down, Andy. Everything's fine – except for the fact that I'm extremely hungry. So, let's go to lunch."

Taking her hand, Andy led Sharon to a restaurant nearby.

~~~ TBC ~~~