Chapter 10 - Epilogue

A/N: So, this is it. The story has been in my WIP folder for so many years, but now it's finally done. Many, many thanks to all of you who stuck around, left kudos or comments. I appreciate every one of you, and I hope you know that!

Kadi219 gets an extra big hug for nudging me to write this epilogue and for helping me brainstorm ideas for it. 💙💙

The condo was filled with the sound of laughter and chatter. It had been a while since Rusty had seen it this lively, and he remembered a time when it would have made him uncomfortable. These days, however, he had gotten used to this family, to the siblings he had never asked for, to the mother he loved just as much as the one who had given birth to him, and to the man who had been more of a father to him than his sperm donor had ever even tried. And now there was another sister and a niece, and possibly a sister-in-law at some point.

Rusty observed them, his oldest sister and her very good friend, as they entertained the baby Catherine held in her arms while talking to Emily. He had to admit that the tiny human was kind of cute, but he had balked at the idea of holding her. He would wait until she was a little bigger, maybe when she started walking.

Martha. Catherine had named her after her mother. What she hadn't mentioned before tonight, however, was that she had been named after both Catherine's mothers—Martha Sharon Keagan. It had surprised no one that Sharon had cried at the news. There had been a rather awkward hug that had reminded him of the beginning of his and Sharon's relationship. She had been so careful and deliberate about when and how she touched him. It had taken him a while to realize how much that went against her nature, and he appreciated that she had been so sensitive to his needs. She was doing the same with Catherine now, carefully reading her moods and body language to figure out how much touch she was ready to accept at any given moment. It wasn't a habit he had thought of as unusual until he'd seen her interact with Ricky and Emily—the way she hugged them at the drop of a hat, or how her hands tended to seek them out for an encouraging pat, a calming squeeze of an arm, or a loving caress. She had long ago given up on her reluctance when it came to touching him, and Rusty was sure that the same would be true for Catherine, given a little more time. He knew what it felt like to be loved by Sharon, and he doubted that his oldest sister would be able to resist for long.

Rusty briefly tore his eyes away from the scene in front of him when Ricky and Nicole appeared on either side of him.

"So," Nicole drawled, an arm slung around her stepbrother, "they're just friends… Why does that sound familiar?"

On his other side, Ricky snorted a laugh while Rusty grinned. "I have no idea," he replied, feigning innocence.

"How long do we think it's gonna take them to see the obvious? Do we start another pool?" Ricky's eyes were sparkling as he hoped for another chance to best his little brother after his mother and Andy had failed to bring him a win.

"I don't know about you," Rusty cautioned, "but my ears are still ringing from the last lecture about the evils of betting after Sharon got wind of that particular wager. I'm not too keen on a repeat performance."

Nicole nodded enthusiastically. "Same. Although…" Her tone took on a conspiratorial note. "I don't recall anything about meddling in that lecture." She looked at the boys with a raised eyebrow and a crooked grin. "I mean, if she's anything like her mother, it'll take them years to figure it out on their own. Maybe we should give them a little shove in the right direction?"

"You will do no such thing," came the decidedly unamused voice of reason from behind them, making all three jump and turn towards Sharon, giving her remarkably similar innocent looks. Pointing a finger at Nicole, she shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. "You are entirely too much like your father, so don't think for a second that I don't see right through that lost puppy look." When her sons snickered, she turned on them with a glare. "And you two better watch out, too," she hissed. "I won't have either one of you make Catherine or Nina feel uncomfortable here. The nature of their relationship is none of your business. If they say they're just friends, then we will all accept that. Is that understood?"

They looked down in a decent show of contrition. It was Ricky who was brave enough to peer up at her—an astounding feat that he had perfected shortly after he had begun to tower over her—and attempt to make their case.

"But you have to admit that they'd make a great couple."

Sharon rolled her eyes, praying for patience. "That may be so, but sometimes you need a good friend more than you need a lover." It wasn't that the kids were wrong. She, too, had noticed the way those two looked at one another, how they interacted, and she wasn't unaware of the possible parallels between them and her own relationship with Andy. But things were often much more complicated than they appeared from the outside. When Rusty had explained their relationship to Nicole the way he saw it, she hadn't been ready. Her divorce and Rusty's adoption had only just happened, and she had still been reeling a little from those changes, as welcome as they might have been. She remembered how awkward things had been between them once the word "dating" had been thrown out there. She had questioned every word, every touch, every smile, wondering if her son had been right, wondering if that was what Andy wanted, if it was what she wanted.

Before she had been able to come to any kind of conclusion, Stroh had escaped, and romance had been the last thing on her mind for a long time. So yes, she thought that maybe Catherine and Nina had a future as more than friends, but she would not allow her other children to pressure them into something they weren't ready to face.

"And sometimes good friends make even better lovers. Doesn't mean they can't still be your best friend," Nicole added with a shrug.

It was difficult to argue against that when her stomach did a little flip every time she caught her own best friend smiling at her. "Possibly," she admitted grudgingly, feeling the corners of her mouth respond to the happiness on Andy's face as she caught him looking at her from the kitchen. "However," she warned, her smile vanishing and her voice lowering in warning, "you will allow them to discover that on their own. There will be no interference of any kind from you."

With that, she walked towards the two women in question, leaving her younger children to chew on her words—or, more likely, to plot a way around them.

They were quiet for a long moment as they watched Sharon join Emily, Catherine, and her friend, peering over the young mother's shoulder to coo at the baby. From where they stood, they couldn't hear their words, but the exchange between mother and daughter still seemed a little stilted and cautious, speaking of the trust they had yet to build between them.

It was Nicole who eventually broke the silence, her tone pensive. "You know, I always thought she was perfect. Does it make me a bad person that I'm kinda relieved that she isn't?"

"Nobody is perfect," Ricky replied. "Mom would be the first to tell you so. Most people wouldn't miss their father's wedding or spring a grown child on their family that they never told anyone about, but we all have our failings."

"Like your hair?" Nicole shot back with a straight face and serious tone that was only betrayed by the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Next to her, Rusty laughed out loud, meeting the palm she held out to him for a high five while she still held Ricky's eyes. After a few seconds, they all dissolved into laughter as Ricky gently shoved his stepsister, earning himself a light punch in the arm.

"Do I want to know what you're up to?"

They all stopped laughing and turned to face Andy at the same time, the same looks of innocence on their faces that hadn't fooled Sharon moments earlier.

"Oh, nothing," Rusty replied, his tone cheerful as he grinned at Andy. "Ricky was just told again that he should really stop cutting his own hair."

A slow grin lit up Andy's face as he took a good look at the dark, unruly mop of hair. He didn't even have to say anything before Ricky rolled his eyes and relented. "Yeah, I know, I know. Let a professional deal with it," he repeated the advice his mother, sister, and little brother had repeatedly given him. "It just takes so much time," he whined. "And do they have to charge so damn much money?"

Andy had to agree with that. It was ridiculous what they charged for a haircut these days. But it wasn't as if the kid was struggling to get by. He had done well for himself with those IT ventures Andy could never quite figure out. A decent haircut every other month shouldn't be a problem.

"I get it, kid. But once you hit thirty, that disheveled look stops being cute."

"So what are you suggesting? That I start wearing three-piece suits?"

"I'm not saying that, but it did work for me," Andy said with a shrug and a goofy smile as he let his gaze wander to his wife, who was holding Martha.

"Yeah, you should put in a little more effort if you don't want to be a sad little nerd boy all your life," Nicole teased, earning herself another push.

"Hey," Rusty protested, "nothing wrong with nerd boys. You know, as long as they've got some sense of style."

"And who says I'm sad?" Ricky objected. "Maybe being a boyishly handsome nerd is exactly what I want to be? Not everyone has to pair off and procreate."

"Fair enough," Andy relented. "But you should still get a decent haircut." To prove his point, he ruffled the thick, brown curls as he walked past him on his way to join Sharon, ignoring the indignant hey that followed in his wake.

"What is this? Pick on Ricky Day?" He asked, frowning as he threw his arms up in exasperation.

"Isn't that every day," Rusty deadpanned, giving Nicole a wink.

"Watch it, little brother. Your time will come."

"Yeah? I'm waiting," he teased, completely unbothered by the threat.

It took the brothers a moment to realize that Nicole had gone silent and was no longer paying attention to their shenanigans. Instead, her eyes had found their parents, who stood by the patio doors with Catherine, Nina, and Emily. Andy had walked up behind Sharon, his arms slipping around her middle, hands on her stomach and his chin resting on her shoulder as he peeked at the baby sleeping peacefully in her arms. He whispered something into her ear that made her chuckle before she turned her head to give him a soft, lingering kiss.

"I wish Charlie was here. If he could pull his head out of his butt for a minute, he'd see how much dad has changed. But he might be even more stubborn than our old man, if that's possible."

It was infuriating. She thought that after Sharon's letter, he would reconsider his attitude, and her words actually had gotten through to him. They'd had long talks on the phone about their dad, about his past mistakes, and about his relationship with their mother. They had discussed how much they regretted not going to the wedding, and she had hoped that Charlie would make an effort to reconnect with their dad. There had been a few awkward phone calls between the two, but her brother seemed to always find a reason why he couldn't make it to LA for family gatherings. She suspected that he didn't know how to apologize for his actions, especially to Sharon. He still seemed to be on the fence about their stepmother, despite having met her a few times already, but at least he no longer changed the subject every time she mentioned Sharon. She had decided to call that progress.

"It's his loss," Ricky said, his tone serious. "We all know what it's like to have an addict as a parent. It sucks, and it messes you up in ways you won't understand for a long time, if ever." Beside him, Rusty nodded enthusiastically. "Thing is, your dad changed. He put in the work, and he's trying to do better every day. From where I'm standing, he's doing a pretty good job of it, too. In the last few years, he's been more of a father to Emily and I than Jack has ever been. We didn't ask him to, and neither did our mom. But he was there when things were tough, when mom was sick and we couldn't be here, when Emily's jerk of a boyfriend broke her heart and took off with half her stuff, when Rusty was in danger and mom was about to go crazy with fear." Ricky swallowed hard to keep the emotions out of his voice. He took a deep breath, calming down enough to keep going without sounding like he was berating her. He knew that their mom and Andy had forgiven his kids, but Ricky was still a little pissed at them for hurting their feelings by refusing to be at their wedding. He might understand where they were coming from, but he also felt rather protective of his family.

"Don't get me wrong. I get how hard it is to trust someone who's let you down once too often. I've been there. So have Emily and Rusty, and for the most part, we have been disappointed whenever we tried. I think it's different with your dad, though. He's been solid for a long time, and he keeps trying even when it's not easy, and he will continue to try to reconnect with Charlie." He looked at their parents for a long moment, marveling at the tenderness between them, their effortless communication. He couldn't remember it being like that with Jack, but then his father had been gone for most of his life. It was great to see his mom be loved like this, to know that there was someone who would walk through fire for her, and who looked at her as if she was the center of his universe.

"The truth is," he continued, his voice choked as he kept looking at them, "they won't be around forever. One day, it'll be too late to mend those bridges, and Charlie will have no one to blame but himself. Maybe you should remind him of that."

Nicole had tears in her eyes when he finally turned his head towards her. "You're right. It's hard to imagine, but they're not immortal, are they?"

Rusty cleared his throat and glared at them. "Can we please not talk about the parentals' mortality? I for one am still not over seeing mom lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of machines, looking like death warmed over. And finding Andy unconscious on the bathroom floor wasn't all that much fun, either." He shuddered at the memories. It had all turned out okay. Sharon had never been in any serious danger, and even Andy had been fine in the end, but things could have gone much worse, and considering their line of work, the possibilities for things going seriously wrong were infinite. He would much rather live in denial for as long as possible.

"Yeah, let's change the subject," Ricky agreed, his devious grin warning Rusty that he wouldn't like what his big brother had in mind. "How about we talk about mom's favorite son-in-law? How's Gus doing?"

Rusty rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, not you, too," he whined. "Isn't it enough that mom keeps asking about him? We're friends. He doesn't even live in LA right now, and I don't have time for a relationship."

"You know, I think if you won't marry him, mom might adopt him, too," Ricky teased.

"Please don't give her any ideas. She might actually do it." Both brothers stared at one another wide-eyed, realizing that neither would consider it to be completely outside the realm of possibility. Nicole giggled at their antics. She had heard about the meals Gus had cooked for Rusty and their parents, so she wouldn't blame Sharon if she wanted to make that talented young man part of her family.

#

On the other side of the room, Sharon was completely oblivious of their teasing. Her attention was captured by little Martha, who was blinking slowly, her sleepy eyes focusing on Sharon before she stretched her fists towards her, waving them around in excitement. Martha was such a happy baby, always grinning and cooing.

"She looks so much like you," Sharon said, smiling up at Catherine, who beamed proudly.

Andy planted a quick kiss against her cheek, his arms tightening around her. "Those O'Dwyer genes are strong," he agreed, hinting at the similarity between Sharon and Catherine.

Sharon hummed, shaking her head. "Those are the McHale genes, actually. Ricky and Emily take after the O'Dwyer side of the family." She didn't mention that neither of her children much resembled their father, which she didn't find too regrettable, especially in Catherine's case.

"Either way, you all turned out exceptionally good looking," Nina supplied, grunting when an elbow hit her in the side. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, glaring at Catherine. "What? I said good looking, not—" Whatever she said next was muffled under her friend's hand, the glare growing in intensity.

"Oh wow! I know that look," Emily said, taking a step away from her older sister. "I'd tread very lightly if I were you, Nina." Sharon and Andy both laughed when the latter raised her hands in surrender, but her eyes sparkled merrily, and the broad grin she aimed at Catherine once she was released spoke of neither fear nor remorse. The two women stared at one another for a long moment, locked in a silent conversation. At some point, Catherine raised an eyebrow and Nina rolled her eyes, conceding some point that the others could only guess at.

As she watched them, Sharon leaned into Andy, turning her head to kiss the side of his neck, lingering a little longer to inhale the woodsy scent of the cologne that she loved so much.

"Speaking of genetics," Nina went on despite the warning in her friend's gaze, "Cathy told me you took care of the sperm donor, but she won't give me the details and I didn't have a chance to ask you the last time we met."

That last time, Sharon recalled, was when Martha was born. Sharon had flown to Philadelphia to be there for her daughter and had remained for a little over a week, until they had settled into something resembling a routine. Afterwards, there had been many phone conversations, a lot of them consisting of Sharon talking her daughter off one ledge or the other. She had wanted to visit again, but work had been exceptionally busy. Then the girls had planned a trip to LA over Christmas, but Martha had developed an ear infection, which had forced them to push the trip to mid-January.

With a sigh, Sharon resettled the baby in her arms before she recounted the story once more. All her children had insisted on hearing it, so it was only fair that Nina would get to hear it, too.

"There's not much to tell. I called his office and told him to back off or else."

#

The assistant sounded nice and when Sharon introduced herself, she was connected to the senator without much delay. His voice was different from what she recalled, but still familiar, sending a shudder through her body. She had not stopped to think about what she would feel as she spoke to him after all those years.

"This is Commander Sharon Raydor of the Los Angeles Police Department." She paused a moment to allow the words to sink in and let him speculate on her intentions.

"What may I do for you, Commander?" He sounded polite but apprehensive, a reaction she was used to.

"You might not remember, but we knew each other when I went by Sharon McHale." She let those words linger, too, smiling as she heard him stifle a gasp. So he did remember. Good.

"What do you want?" There was no politeness in his tone this time.

"It has come to my attention that you met our daughter, and that you had her threatened and assaulted, so this is a courtesy call to warn you that you won't like what will happen if you continue bothering her." To an outsider, her voice would sound pleasant, almost cheerful, but those who knew her feared that tone.

"Do you have any idea to whom you are talking?" he practically yelled into the phone, proving that he did not, in fact, know her at all.

"Oh, I know perfectly well who you are. There are several names I could call you, rapist being one of them. But so far, I have chosen to keep that to myself, and I will continue to do so as long as you and your people stay away from my daughter." This time, even Elias Stanton could not miss the warning in her tone. "I have a lot of contacts on the East Coast, and should I ever hear even just a rumor about you so much as looking at a woman against her will, rest assured that I will dedicate every minute of my life as well as the considerable resources at my disposal to the destruction of your reputation. I hope I have made myself clear."

There was a drawn-out silence at the other end of the line. For a moment, Sharon feared that he had hung up, that he was calling her bluff. There wasn't really much she could do to him from a legal point of view, and he probably knew that. The success of her plan rode on him believing that she would make their past public, and that the public would believe her. If he decided to risk it, confronting him might put Catherine in even more danger. When he finally responded with a grudging crystal before he hung up, Sharon almost collapsed in relief. One more abusive father taken care of. This was turning into a habit. One that she wasn't too keen on.

#

"Damn, your mom is a boss ass bitch!"

Both Emily and Andy burst out laughing at Nina's exclamation, while her friend's bluntness caused Catherine's pale cheeks to turn beet red. Meanwhile, Sharon gaped at Nina in utter shock, eyes wide and her mouth opening and closing as she struggled for words.

"Uhm," she eventually croaked, " I guess…I'll take that as a compliment?"

She had gotten to know the young woman a little after Martha's birth. She was intelligent, well-spoken, and polite. Catherine had always claimed that she had a bit of a loose tongue and a terrible potty mouth, but Sharon had never witnessed that before. To say she was surprised would be an understatement. The blatant awe in Nina's expression gave her a pleasant rush of satisfaction, however, and the way she struggled to meet her eyes made Sharon smile.

"Oh, it definitely is," Nina confirmed, nodding enthusiastically.

"Well," Andy added, "she ain't wrong."

Before he could land in the doghouse for endorsing the use of bitch in connection to his wife, he planted a trail of kisses up her neck, ending behind her ear, where she was particularly sensitive. "And it's hot as hell," he whispered quietly enough that only she could hear it, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. Maybe she would show him how much of a boss ass bitch she really was. Later. When they were alone.

"You are horrible," Catherine chastised as she finally regained the ability to speak. "I think you spend too much time among teenagers."

Nina shrugged, unconcerned. "Can't help it. It's my job. And you'd better get used to it. Soon enough, you'll have one of those at home." She nodded towards Martha, who had spotted Andy and was grabbing at his face, giggling when he gently caught her fingers between his teeth.

Catherine groaned at the image Nina invoked. She didn't want to imagine her baby girl growing into one of those foul-mouthed little monsters.

"Look at the bright side," Emily piped in. "When she's a teenager, you can leave her alone for an evening and go out for a drink again."

"Hmm, that's true," she mused. "It's not all bad, after all."

"You know," Sharon pondered out loud, "while you're here, Andy and I would be happy to look after Martha for the night."

Andy nodded. "Yeah. You could let those hooligans take you for a tour around town or go out for dinner."

Emily stared at him wide-eyed. "Hey, I hope you're not calling me a hooligan."

He gave her a sweet smile and a wink. "Of course not. I was talking about your brothers."

Catherine snorted a laugh and leaned into Sharon's side to look at her daughter. "What do you think, Martha? Want to spend an evening with grandma and grandpa?"

She slowly raised her gaze to meet her mother's tear-filled eyes, giving her a shy smile. Catherine had previously referred to Sharon as her mother and Martha's grandmother, but only in a biological sense. This was different. It was significant in a way that few would understand.

Resting her chin on Sharon's free shoulder, Catherine looked at Nina with a mischievous grin. "So, wanna take me on a date tomorrow?"

The smile that slowly spread over Nina's face could have lit the entire room, and Sharon had to suppress a happy sigh when she nodded.

Sharon was glad to have Andy's solid body behind her when Catherine threw her arms around her neck and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you, mom."

Three words. Simple. And yet, they meant the world. Her heart was so full she thought it would burst. As she looked around the room, filled with those she loved, she felt like the luckiest person alive.

~FIN~