Brenda was happy to be done with work on Friday afternoon, rushing home to get her bags that were packed and waiting for her. For the last couple of months, Flynn and her had grown ever closer, and even managed to keep the watchful Provenza at bay. If he knew they were having a relationship, he never said anything, despite having voiced his protests on that day. Andy and her had managed to keep things professional at work, and not very professional in their after work life. And as a couple, they were going to take their first trip together, a couple of nights at a place not an hour or so away from Los Angeles, a hotel on the beach with an ocean view.
They had spent so much time hiding from the world, only rarely going out that they had decided to go somewhere they could walk hand in hand, escape from being discovered. That was the hope, anyhow. It was the off-season, so to speak, they'd gotten a great rate on the place and hoped to be able to just relax, if that was possible for Brenda. Andy knew she hated being away from the job, so a place close but not to close was the best option. And he was looking forward to it, probably moreso than she was.
Brenda threw a few last things in her suitcase, not knowing exactly what she would need. She found she always overpacked for these things, but she'd rather be prepared and have something with her than discover she was without an item later. She'd taken Joel to the vet's before work, boarding him for the weekend, she didn't feel right leaving him alone for so long. He was well taken care of there, and one less thing she'd have to worry about while she was gone.
She slipped into the shower, getting ready quickly for Flynn to come pick her up. They were taking his car. She felt excited about this, as if they were taking a step forward in their relationship. It was more than just a fling, and Brenda knew the time was coming where, even if she told no one else, she was going to have to tell her mother. And then there was the challenge of telling her father. They hadn't taken the news of her separation from Fritz really well. They'd liked him, and thought they might get grandchildren out of the deal, but Brenda couldn't be swayed on that point. Telling them that Fritz had left for Washington and that they weren't getting back together had left Brenda devastated once again, but she'd had to do it. Her mother had been making rumblings about another trip to California to visit, and Brenda couldn't very well hide the fact that her husband was no longer with her.
She shook thoughts of this from her head, conjuring up images of the nice beachfront hotel that her and Andy would be staying at. They'd booked a suite, with a private balcony with an ocean view. For all her time in California, Brenda had spent surprisingly little of it near a beach, so this was a nice change of pace, going with a man she had strong feelings for. Fritz and her had never done these little getaways very much, they'd tried, but work for one or both of them always interfered. The only thing Brenda feared was being called back early, this attempt at a normal relationship for her and Andy aborted.
Andy arrived not long after, he'd gone home to do what Brenda had done, get ready to go. He let himself into her place, and Brenda smiled when she saw him. She'd given him a key to her place about three weeks previously, another sign that their relationship was growing stronger. She looked him up and down, admiring the black leather jacket and jeans he'd chosen for the trip. He came up to her, giving her a hug, before reaching in for a kiss.
"You ready? I can't wait to get there." Andy said.
"Ready as I'll ever be. I think I packed too much." Brenda replied.
"You could go the whole weekend wearing nothing and I wouldn't mind." he said suggestively.
"I intend to walk on the beach, Lt. Flynn, and would rather not do so naked. I'm not an exhibitionist." she teased him.
In response, he kissed her again, before letting go, and grabbing her suitcase. It was heavy, but he had no problem with it. Brenda grabbed her purse and keys, opened the door for Flynn and locked it. He put her bag in the trunk alongside his and opened the door for her to get in. Settled in, they left their everyday worries behind, at least for a little while.
It didn't take very long to get there, traffic wasn't that heavy, and by 7:30 they were being shown to their suite. Flynn tipped the bellman, while Brenda wandered into the room, loving what she was looking at. The view of the ocean was magnificent, and she opened the balcony doors, going out. She breathed in the ocean air, listening to the waves crashing against the beach. Andy followed her out, wrapping his arms around her waist and they stood there like that for a long while.
"Do you want to go down for dinner? I'm starving, I don't know about you." Brenda finally broke the silence.
"You know, I could stay with you like this and never have to eat again." he whispered against her ear. A shiver coursed through her body, he had this affect on her all the time.
"I promise you, if we go for dinner, it will be worth your while afterwards. What do you say?" Brenda bargained.
"That sounds like something I can't refuse." Neither of them moved yet, Brenda leaning back against him, him resting his head on hers. They only relinquished their positions when Brenda's stomach growled, causing them both to laugh.
"I guess I have to feed you, don't I? Let's go then." Andy took her hand, leading her back into the bedroom. They unpacked a few things, before retreating to the bathroom and freshening up to go down to the hotel restaurant. They wandered down, hand in hand, and were quickly given a window seat that looked out upon the ocean. The place really was magnificent, and just what the two needed to forget everything.
Afterwards, they headed outdoors, taking a walk around the hotel grounds, heading down to the beachfront. The wind coming in from the ocean was refreshing, if a little on the cool side, and when Brenda shivered, Andy pulled her close to him, hoping to give her some warmth. They headed back inside shortly afterwards, where Brenda proceeded to make taking her to dinner very worthwhile for Andy. They lay in the darkness, except for the flames of the fireplace. The suite was worth it, between the ocean views and the well-appointed room.
"Do all of our activities revolve around being in bed?" Brenda asked,laying there listening to his heartbeat.
"Well, it is something we're good at. And I haven't heard any complaints from you about me regarding this." Andy chuckled.
"There is nothing to complain about. You're very good at what you do." Brenda smiled, playing with his chest hair.
Andy kissed her then, pleased with her response to him. They remained like that, drifting off to sleep. They awakened early the next day, having a lazy morning, relieved they hadn't been called into work. That was actually a fear of Andy's, that the weekend would be over before it began. So far, it was working just fine. They had a buffet breakfast and decided to walk around once again, heading for the beach. Andy had brought his camera, and as they walked along the shore, he'd stop every so often to take pictures of Brenda.
"Why are you doing that? Why would you want to take a picture of me? I'm nothing special to look at!" Brenda objected.
"I'm taking a picture of a beautiful woman. No one would ever believe that she's mine. I need photographic proof. Ever here of that saying "pictures or it didn't happen?" he joked.
Brenda looked at him, amusement in her eyes, and something else. Andy felt that something was finally clicking between them, and the thought ran through his mind that he had fallen in love with her. This wasn't just sex, this was something else, and he continued taking her picture, hoping to catch that look in her eye again. He succeeded, and was happy with the pictures. They met an older couple walking down the beach, who offered to take a picture of the two of them together. Flynn wrapped his arms around Brenda, holding her close. She rested her head on his chest, and the woman took several pictures. Afterwards, Brenda excused herself to run up to the room and grab her sweater, leaving Flynn to talk with the couple on the beach.
"It's nice to see a couple so in love. Are you here on your honeymoon?" the lady asked him
Flynn didn't know what to say, how could the woman say that they were in love? They hadn't admitted anything to one another, but a complete stranger could see it? He finally answered, "No, not a honeymoon. But I do intend to ask her to marry me." It was a little white lie, but the woman was a stranger.
"Well, she loves you very much, you can see it when she looks at you. You're a very lucky man to have a woman who loves him. I wish you as much happiness as my husband and I have had." She clutched her husband's hand.
"Thanks for taking our picture. It's nice to have a souvenir of our trip."
The couple took leave of him, keeping up their walk along the surf, and Brenda returned shortly thereafter, wrapped in her favourite beige sweater that she'd had for years. Andy took her hand and they continued walking in the surf, just like Brenda wanted to do. He occasionally looked at her, wondering about the feelings that he'd finally realized for her. It wasn't just feeling strongly towards her, he loved her. The realization scared him. He hadn't loved anyone in years. He wasn't even sure if he had really loved his last ex-wife, or whether he'd been afraid of being alone and convinced himself he'd loved her. It didn't matter, the marriage hadn't lasted long, and Flynn hid behind his sarcasm and bravado, not getting close to anyone again. And then Brenda had come along and burrowed into his heart.
Brenda caught the glances that Andy was giving her every once in awhile, and wondered why he looked at her that way. He definitely had a look in his eye that she couldn't quite place, but it made her feel very warm inside. Things were definitely changing between them. She really hoped it was for the better. They could have spent the whole day on the beach, puttering around, and for the most part, that is what they did. All in all, they relaxed and got to know each other even more than they already did. He discovered she really didn't like her picture being taken, but tolerated it for him. She discovered that he was a softie at heart, buying her flowers and loving taking pictures, not something she'd ever thought he'd like to do. He discovered that when relaxed, she really wasn't as intense as she always seemed. He'd just never had the opportunity to see her totally relaxed. She discovered that he was a romantic at heart, kissing her whenever the opportunity arose, which was often. All in all, he fell a little bit more in love all weekend, while she was starting to realize that her strong feelings for him were more than just feelings.
As they day wound down, they found themselves back in their room, making love once again. They'd ordered room service this time, holing up as their weekend together had went quickly. When they'd finished, she'd practically jumped him, eager to be with him after being so close to him all day. This time though, as they drifted off to sleep, Andy whispered to her.
"I love you, Brenda Leigh Johnson." he said it softly, needing to say the words, give voice to his recent discovery that he had indeed fallen in love with her. He didn't need to hear it back, not yet, but he needed to get it out. He'd fallen in love with this impossible woman and couldn't imagine being without her. He only hoped that one day, she'd be able to say it back to him, that she had fallen for him as hard as he'd fallen for her.