Everything We Are

by Kadi219

Raydor/Flynn - Third in a small series of stories. Follows "Everything She Does" & "Everything He Is". In life there are twists and turns. Many of them are unexpected, and even unlikely. There are those which are entirely unrealistic. It's how we approach the curves that life throws in our path that define us. With this family, it's no different. Rated M for content of later parts.

2. Chapter 2

Everything We Are - Chapter 2

by Kadi

Rated: M

Disclaimer: It's not my sandbox, I'm only visiting for a time.

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The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when a sharp little knee landed in the center of Andy's back. He groaned loudly, and the muffled, high pitched giggle gave away its owner. Andy lifted his head and squinted in the dim lighting of the room at his wriggling son. The boy was scooting down beneath the covers. He smiled impishly at his father when a slender arm curled around him. Ian had one arm around the neck of an old, floppy, stuffed monkey as he snuggled down beneath the covers and against his mother's chest.

"Shh." She drew him closer, without opening her eyes or waking fully and settled her chin atop his little head.

Andy just shook his head and slipped onto his side. Ian's eyes were already closed again, but there was a smile playing at his lips. If he missed the days when his wife would fall asleep, sated and naked in his arms, this reminded him why he appreciated her sliding into one of his old t-shirts just as much. Inevitably, at some point before breakfast, Ian always ended up climbing into their bed. Andy let his eyes drift closed again, but smiled when he felt a little hand touch his. Ian would do little more than doze for the next hour, but would not be contained for longer than that. Early morning was Ian's time with his mother, and he dared anyone to try and interrupt it. He was not pleased if he didn't get his cuddle time, and could make an entire day suffer for it. Andy could understand the sentiment, that was his boy.

Just shy of an hour later, the wiggling beside him woke Andy again. His eyes opened to find the room cast in lighter shades of grey and blue early morning light. Ian had begun to fidget, indicating that he was ready to be up. Andy tapped his hand to get his attention and held a finger to his lips before indicating the still sleeping Sharon. With practiced ease they extracted him from his mother, and Andy scooped him into his own arms as he got up. This little window between waking and breakfast was their time. Sharon's alarm would go off soon, waking her. By the time she finished her shower and ventured downstairs, Andy would have breakfast ready. Ian would help, more or less, by keeping him company.

Ian was installed in his high chair where he could watch his father, a small sippy cup of milk in hand while Andy brewed coffee and started chopping vegetables for omelets. His rummaging of the fridge found a package of turkey bacon and he started that to cooking as well, for Sharon and Ian.

When Sharon joined them, breakfast was laid out on the table in the corner of the kitchen. Andy was standing at the counter with a cup of coffee, while Ian sat playing in his high chair. He had the police car in hand, and it was being chased by a small, matchbox truck. "Broom-broom!" He exclaimed, pushing them around on the tray of his high chair. The police car flipped over the edge of the tray and clattered to the floor. "Oops." He peered over the edge of the tray at it, then looked up with laughing eyes at his mother. "Crashed!"

"I see that." She scooped it up for him and lay it back on the tray. "You execute police chases like your Uncle Louie, my love." She kissed the top of his head and his giggles made her smile that much brighter. "Strictly speaking, it's supposed to be the other way around. The car is meant to chase the truck."

"No." Ian giggled as the truck began chasing the squad car again. "Better!"

"So he'll never work in patrol or traffic," Andy pointed out. "I'm okay with that." He grinned as he held out a cup of coffee for his wife. She was clad in only her robe, and her hair was still damp from the shower. When she reached for it, his other hand curled around her arm and he drew her closer. "Morning," he rumbled, and pressed a kiss against her lips.

"Morning." She smiled against his mouth. Sharon leaned into him. She curled an arm around his waist, but took the coffee with her other. "So he'll have an excellent career in Internal Affairs instead. I can live with that."

"Funny." Andy kissed her again before letting her go. He smirked while she took a sip of her coffee before placing it on the table. "No son of mine is going to work with the rat squad."

"Is that a fact?" Her head tipped back. Amusement danced in her green eyes. "What if I'd like my son to follow in my footsteps, hm?"

"I thought we agreed that it was better that our children not repeat our mistakes?" Andy flashed a crooked grin at her.

"Ian, your father is pushing it again." Sharon turned away from him to retrieve her son. She sat her coffee on the table before reaching for him.

"Ah oh!" Ian cackled on cue. When his mother slipped his tray back, he lifted his arms.

"Exactly." She lifted him into her arms before seating herself. With Ian in her lap, she curled an arm around him and began filling a plate for them to share.

Andy chuckled quietly. "Well, I can see when I'm outnumbered." He drained his coffee and placed the mug on the counter beside the pot. "I'm going to hop into the shower. Ian, keep an eye on her."

"Yep, yep, yep." Ian reached for a piece of the bacon his mother was tearing into small pieces for him. "Bite!" He leaned back against her chest while he chewed. "Mmm."

"That's right," She laid her cheek against the top of his head. "Daddy did good, hm?" When he nodded, she kissed his cheek.

Ian turned and pressed a piece of bacon against her lips. "Mama bite."

She nipped at his fingers, making him giggle, and cuddled him close to her as they went through their morning breakfast routine. He was such a joy to her, this child. She tore toast into small pieces for him as well, and while he was occupied with feeding himself, she began to enjoy her own breakfast.

Andy watched them from the kitchen entryway. It was the same every morning, when they weren't called away by a case. The high chair sat less than a foot away, but she would hold the baby in her lap while they both ate. He could hear them speaking quietly, and a conversation with a two-year-old might be filled with mostly nonsense, but it was as though they were debating the finest in philosophies as far as Sharon and Ian were concerned. He would ramble on and on, throwing in words he knew with toddler gibberish, and he would have her utmost attention. Andy leaned against the frame of the entryway for just a moment longer. It filled him with such warmth, watching his wife with their child. As a woman she was breathtaking, but it never failed to stop his heart at just how beautiful she was as a mother.

A short while later, when Andy stepped out of the shower, Sharon was at the dressing table in their room applying her makeup. Ian was seated on the floor nearby, stacking blocks and knocking them over with his dinosaur toys. The open bathroom door was invitation, and the toddler quickly abandoned his game of stack and destroy to join his father. It was a familiar routine, he was lifted onto the vanity and sat there while Andy smoothed cream onto his face and began to shave.

Sharon watched them from the corner of her mirror. Ian was always mesmerized by it. It was one of the few times he would sit patiently for anything. He watched with wide eyes, and remained both still and quiet. A smile tugged at her lips as she leaned forward to smooth liner around her eyes. When she leaned back, she glanced into the mirror again. Ian was standing on the vanity now, a towel in hand, helping to wipe away excess shaving cream. She heard her son's quiet, "that one," and knew they'd reached the aftershave portion of the routine.

"Think mom'll like it?" Sharon chuckled quietly at her husband's low, conspiratorial rumble.

"Mama like," was the very serious reply.

Sharon glanced over when Andy left the bathroom, a giggling Ian thrown over his shoulder. He was still only wearing a towel draped around his waist. She leaned her chin in her hand as she watched him drop the squealing, laughing boy on the bed. The man was sexier than sin, but there was nothing more attractive, in her opinion, than the way he interacted with his son. With her make up complete she began straightening her hair. "I need you to sign the papers for Gavin," she reminded him, and glanced over to see him contemplating ties.

"Yeah," Andy sighed. "It's just damned morbid, Sharon." But necessary, he knew. They had finally worked up their will, and a large part of it included a section on guardianship of Ian if anything ever happened to the both of them. They had debated that for quite some time. They didn't want anyone to feel slighted for not being chosen, but it was Ian that came first. "Hell, what's the likelihood of anything ever happening to both of us at the same time anyway? I can probably count on one hand the number of times we've partnered up at work since we got married, and to top that off, we're bad for the environment. We take separate cars to work."

Sharon smiled at him and turned back to her task. She knew that he was only grumbling about it because he didn't like to think about it. They weren't exactly young. Making sure that Ian was taken care of was simply the right and responsible thing to do. "Just the same, I need you to sign them, Andy. We didn't spend all this time hashing it out so that you can sit on the final product."

"I hear you." Andy shook his head at Ian. "Do you hear that? Nag, nag, nag," he made a face at his son. "Can't a guy get a break?"

He screwed his face up and then shook his head. "No. Bad." He giggled as he shook his finger at his father.

"You're always taking her side aren't you?" Andy sighed and settled on a tie. He'd wear the green shirt that she liked so much, with the lighter green, matching tie. "Yeah, I can't blame you." He heard his wife laugh and rolled his eyes. "See, it's all about keeping the women in our lives happy, son. Remember that."

Sharon finished her hair while Andy dressed. Afterward, she stood and retrieved her son. "Come on, young Mister Flynn. We need to get you dressed too." Her son was lifted on to her hip and she carried him back to his own room. A pair of khaki shorts and a green and white striped polo shirt completed his outfit. While she was at it, Sharon packed a change of clothes into his day bag, and carried both it and the toddler back across the hall. Andy had finished dressing by that point, and had his gun and badged clipped to his belt. With his suit jacket in hand, he took Ian and the bag from her and headed downstairs so that she could finish. She admired him as he walked past her. The dark, three-piece suit and green shirt were her favorites. Sharon shook her head. He would get extra points for that.

It was a familiar morning routine. Andy ate while Sharon dressed, and kept an eye on Ian during the process. When she came back downstairs, he kissed his wife and son goodbye and headed into HQ ahead of them. Sharon would clean the kitchen and pack Ian's lunch for the day before following him. That was, when one or both of them wasn't called out in the middle of the night for a case, or very early in the morning.

As she gathered her computer bag and purse, while juggling Ian and his things, Sharon found that Andy had tucked the now signed Will into the side pocket of her computer bag. She smiled. He groused about it, but understood it's importance.

She managed to get Ian strapped into his car seat with little incident, and made sure that he had toys in hand before sliding into the driver's seat. She glanced back at him, where he sat in the center of the backseat of her car and laughed. He had his cars again, only this time he was smashing the police car and the truck together. "Definitely not patrol or traffic for you, my little man."

Ian cackled and slammed them together again. "Bam!"

Early morning traffic made Sharon reconsider dropping by Gavin's office on the way to work. She decided she would walk them over at lunch instead, or stop by on the way home. Upon reaching the office, she managed to get Ian and all of their things out of the car without dropping anything, and juggled the lot of it as she made the trek from the parking garage to the inside of the divisional headquarters.

"Captain!" Julio spotted her as she strode toward the elevator and jogged to catch up. "Let me help, ma'am." He held out his arms for Ian and grinned. "Hey my man!" The detective settled the boy into his own arms. "So, what do you say mi hombre, let's ditch your madre and go scoping for hotties yeah? Bet I find a cute one with you on my arm. The girls can't say no to both of these faces."

Sharon shot a bland look at him and reached out to hit the button for the elevator when they reached it. "Really?"

Julio glanced at her and then nodded at Ian. "Or maybe we'll just go to daycare and save that idea for your dad. He'd understand."

"I think that is a very wise choice, Detective." Sharon shook her head, while smiling in mild amusement, and redistributed her things. When they reached the second floor, they both left the elevator and crossed the lobby to enter a second set of elevators. This was taken to the fifth floor. Upon reaching that destination, Sharon reached for Ian again. "I can make it from here, Detective, but thank you."

"Are you sure?" At her nod, Julio gave him up. "Stay cool, man. We'll talk later when she's not around," he whispered loudly. He held up his hand once the boy was back in his mother's arms, and smiled when Ian slapped it.

From over Sharon's shoulder, Ian waved as they walked away. "Bye-bye."

After Ian was dropped off at daycare, Sharon joined the rest of her team in the Murder Room. "Good morning, everyone." She strode through the room to her office where she deposited her purse and computer bag. After the bag was unloaded and the computer set up, she rejoined the team. "Okay, someone tell me that we have something? SIS reports?"

"It rained after the body was dumped," Julio stated, glancing up from his computer. "There was little evidence on the body, and it looks like most of the dumpsite was compromised too."

"If we had prints in the dirt, those are long gone too," Andy added. "Morales did the autopsy last night, COD was a gunshot wound through the neck here," he pointed the spot on his own neck, just below his adam's apple. "Not an easy way to die. It was a through and through, no casings at the scene."

"In other words, no." Provenza drawled, not even bothering to look up from his morning paper. "We've got absolutely nothing. Squat. Zilch."

"So I gather," Sharon tilted her head at them. Her lips pursed and she thought it through. "Okay, our victim is a fairly well known movie producer, someone like that doesn't end up dead in Griffith park without someone knowing or seeing something." Sharon shook her head. "Looks like we're back to basics. Let's talk to the wife again, and the assistant. Lieutenant," She turned to Provenza. "I'd like you to go down to the studio and speak to the assistant. See what you can find out. Take Detective Sykes with you," she smiled sweetly at him. "Julio, Mike, take the wife. See if she'll come down." Sharon walked toward the white board, eyes narrowing. "I find it hard to believe that there was nothing at the scene. I'd like to take another look at the dumpsite."

"What do you expect to find," Andy asked, unconvinced.

"Probably nothing," she replied. "It wouldn't hurt to look again." None of it really made sense, and perhaps she was looking for a way to wrap her mind around the very little that they had to go on.

"Yeah, alright." She wasn't going by herself. "I'll go with you." Andy shrugged, after all, just that morning he pointed out that they hardly got to work together anymore.

At his desk, Provenza snorted. "Because that is a good idea." When the Captain glowered down at him, he shrugged. "Call 'em how I see 'em, Captain." He stood up and took his jacket off the back of his chair, as he slipped it on, he smirked at them. "Lots of nice places to park up at Griffith park. Do us a favor, don't come home with anymore babies. Come on, Sykes."

Sharon looked skyward, lips pursed. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. At his desk, Andy was pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's your partner," she finally muttered.

"He's your second in command," he shot back. Andy slipped his own jacket back on. "Let's go, sooner we get up there, the sooner we can get back."

"Well, with an offer like that," she drawled sarcastically, "how can a girl resist?"

"Yeah, I know," Andy smirked. "I still got it."

Sharon snorted a laugh and walked toward her office. "You've got something, Lieutenant. I haven't quite figured out what."

"Really?" He grinned crookedly when she reappeared. "Maybe I'll demonstrate for you later, Captain."

"I'm not sure that my husband would like that, Lieutenant," she said, with a pointed look.

Andy nodded, duly chastised, and followed her from the murder room.

They drove up to Griffith Park and took a look around. There was nothing there, but they hadn't really expected there would be. It was worth a try, at the very least. While they were on their way back to the office, Provenza called them with a possible lead. An aspiring actor had gotten into it with their victim a few days prior to the murder. Threats had been issued, and everyone who knew the young man said that he had a temper.

Their possible suspect had an apartment in Los Feliz, and since the Captain and Lieutenant Flynn would be driving near there on their way back to the station, it seemed the most efficient for them to drop in on the young man.

As they entered the apartment building and headed upstairs. They came to realize that sometimes, efficiency just didn't pay.

There was a sound that every California resident knew; a deep, low rumble, mistaken by some for the subway in the initial seconds. Then the ground would pitch, it wasn't a vibration. It was a roll. As though mother Earth herself was attempting to break apart and swallow you whole, and in a way, that might very well be the case. It came without warning, and once it began, there was no stopping it. It was simply a matter of praying for the very best, and hoping that this time wasn't the last time.

Tectonic pressure had its own ideas. The apartment building was old, not quite dilapidated, but it had seen better days. It certainly wasn't up to code for the shaking that went on beneath their feet. The experienced resident could estimate magnitude. It was only of moderate strength, but the stairwell they were in when it began collapsed just the same. A wall gave in as they fell and the stairwell pitched, throwing them into the old, abandoned elevator shaft. The car was long since gone, but the shaft remained. It was fortuitous they were only just reaching the second floor, their witness was supposed to be on the fifth, that might have been a tad more troublesome.

Sharon Flynn decided, just for this once, and just in that moment, that efficiency could kiss her ass.

Dust filled the air. It was thick, almost oppressive. It tickled her throat, and the clean air in her lungs was forced out when she coughed, only to cough harder as she sucked in the thick, dirty gasps. The ground had already stopped shaking, these things never lasted long. It could feel like forever, but only minutes would pass. The shaft was dusty and damp; it smelled of decaying brick and wood. When the dust began to settle, falling all around them in uncomfortable and itchy layers, her coughing became less frequent. Which was good, her throat already felt raw.

She tried to take stock, felt a hand on her arm and leaned toward its owner. "I'm okay," she rasped. "Andy?"

"Yeah." He'd had better days, that was for damned sure. He dug his phone out of his suit pocket and although the display was cracked, he was pleased to see it still working. "No signal. But we've got light." He had a flashlight app. He keyed it on and pointed the bright, LED light around them. They were well and truly hemmed in. "Hell."

"Yes, that sums it up." Sharon was checking her own phone. It was in only slightly better shape than Andy's. "It's the brick and the elevator shaft, it's blocking our signal. Or there's a tower down, it didn't feel strong enough for that."

"No," he agreed. "It's where we are." Andy gained his feet, carefully, and checked the small space. The last thing they needed was the rest of the building to come tumbling down on them. "Remind me to write a complaint." He heaved a sigh, coughed, and returned to the Captain.

"Remind me to sign it for you." She grimaced as she moved to her feet. Sharon had landed hard on a large section of wall and her hip was aching. She felt the beginnings of stinging cuts, aches and pains all over. At least she had thought to wear a pantsuit that morning, even if one of her heels was broken, it was better than being tossed about in a skirt. She shined her phone at Andy and found he was in similar shape. The knuckles of one hand were scraped, his suit was filthy, and likely ruined, and to top it off he had a cut above his eyebrow. "Sit," She tugged his arm. "Let me see that cut."

"It's fine." Like her, he was taking stock, and of more than just their current surroundings. There was a shallow cut across her cheek, dust had settled in her hair, and while she was holding herself a bit stiffly - as though she was injured, she appeared otherwise fine. Andy reached for her face, he cupped her chin and tilted it slightly. "Just a scratch. Flynn 1, Mother Nature 0."

She snorted at him. "I could say the same. Now sit, Lieutenant." Sharon made it an order and coupled it with a very pointed look.

Andy rolled his eyes at her and did as he was ordered. "I said it was fine." He eased down with a grimace. He was getting too damned old to be thrown around like this. "Hey!" He protested with the light of her phone shined in his eyes.

"Sorry," she muttered. She held the phone higher and shined the edge of the light across his brow. Her fingers were gentle as they probed the wound. She sucked in a breath when he winced and murmured another apology. It wasn't bad, not overly deep. Just filled with dust and who knew what else. It made her shudder.

The ground lurched beneath them again. Sharon wobbled where she knelt in front of Andy. His hands came up to steady her, gripped her sides just beneath her arms. Her phone was dropped between them when her hands fell to grip his shoulders to keep her balance. "That was quick." He placed her beside him and passed her phone back into her hands. His was shone around the small enclosure again. The pile of brick, wood, and steel between them and the outer world had not shifted.

"It didn't feel strong enough for aftershocks," Sharon sat back on her heels and decided to save the battery on her phone.

"Let's hope they weren't both foreshocks." Andy sighed. He moved to his feet again, and continued shining the narrow beam of his phone's camera light toward the pile of rock and steel blocking them in. He allowed the beam to wonder upward, but it wasn't very powerful. Near the top of the pile there was darkness, and he couldn't tell if it was an opening, or just the limit of his phone's reach. "Hey, come here in a minute."

Sharon rose, with a grimace, and moved to stand beside him. Her eyes narrowed in the darkness, following the path of his phone's light. "An opening maybe?"

"Hell if I know." Andy slipped the light off and reached for her. "Let's try this." He put the phone in her pocket and turned her.

"What are you doing?" Her brows lifted. "This is probably a very bad idea, you know that don't you?"

Andy sighed and gave her a sour look, which now that their little space was practically pitch black, she couldn't see. "You have any better ideas? We don't know if it's a way out or not, but standing around here isn't going to do us any good."

"It's not going to do us any good if you throw your damned back out either," she groused back at him. It wasn't as though she liked the idea of being stuck there any better than he did.

"Well we can sit here twiddling our thumbs or we can try to get out. Pick one," he snapped.

"Fine." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "You don't have to be an ass about it." When he lifted her, she drew a quick breath, which was a mistake as she began coughing again. His hands stilled until she stopped. "Okay," she squeezed his shoulders and she was hoisted upward.

With some maneuvering, and quite a bit of grumbling from Andy, he managed to get her on his shoulders. They stumbled a few times, almost falling more than once. Back aching, and teeth clenched tightly together, Andy waited for her to get the phone out of her pocket and flip the light back on. "You know, this would work better for me if you were in a skirt," he ground out.

"Andy." Sharon tapped the top of his head. "Focus."

"Believe me, baby, I am." His hands squeezed her thighs.

Sharon rolled her eyes at him and turned the narrow beam of light toward the previous darkness. "No joy," she reported. "It's an opening, but it's completely closed in on the other side."

"Great." He grunted when he felt her moving again, and then the shaft was cast back into darkness. "Okay, bringing you down."

"Oh god," She groaned. "Do not drop me, Andy Flynn."

"Never." He backed into the wall and they used that to steady her as he brought her down, and right into his embrace. "Okay?"

"Yes." They were both breathing heavily. Her hands moved up and down his back and she leaned into him for a moment. The darkness was unsettling, however, and she reached into her pocket for the phone again.

"We're probably going to be here a while," Andy said quietly.

"Unfortunately." She sighed. Andy reclaimed his phone and shined the beam at the floor. They found a relatively level, debris free spot and sank down to wait it out. Sharon's nose wrinkled, she didn't want to think about what was growing on the walls. She sat, with a wince, and stretched her legs in front of her.

"You're hurt." Andy aimed the light at her and reached out, hand moving up and down her sides, looking for injuries.

"I'm fine." She reached for his hand, stilling it. "The problem is that I'm not twenty-one anymore. Nothing is broken, Andy."

His eyes narrowed speculatively before he drew back and leaned against the wall. "Yes, but you don't look a day over twenty-five," he flashed a wide, crooked grin.

Sharon snorted at him. "Flattery won't get us out of here any faster, and neither will your poor eyesight." She cleared her throat in deference to not coughing again. "Emergency services will be implemented until damage is confirmed. At some point they'll realize we're missing."

Andy chuckled. "Could be worse."

"I fail to see how." She arched a brow at him. "Aside from the obvious of not being crushed beneath a falling wall."

"Well, yeah." Andy shook his head. "I meant, you could be trapped with Provenza. Or Sykes."

"Hm." Her lips pursed. "Good point." Sharon tipped her head back and closed her eyes. "I've made a study of ignoring you."

Andy grunted. He slanted a look at her. "Funny. Good to know the kid comes by it naturally," he said drily.

"Yes." She spoke quietly, her tone drifting. Rusty would have been on campus, but he had grown up in California. This wouldn't be his first earthquake. Still, he would worry. Especially when he couldn't reach them, and more still when they were not easily located. That was not where her worry lay. Rusty was more than capable of taking care of himself.

Beside her, Andy lay his phone face down on his other side and allowed the light to continue illuminating the shaft. "He's okay," he spoke, just as quietly. "It wasn't anywhere near downtown. They would have barely gotten rattled." As he said it, he reached for her hand and curled his tightly around it.

"I know," Sharon said softly. "But it scares him when the ground shakes, and we don't know how long we'll be here. He isn't used to not seeing at least one of us during the day."

"Yeah." He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "Someone will check on him. Sharon, you don't have to worry about Ian, the team is there."

"Of course I worry about Ian," she stared at him in the darkness. "I'm worried about him every minute of every day."

"I know," he pulled her closer, against his shoulder and dropped his head to rest against hers. "Me too."

"You had to say it," she whispered. "You just had to voice it, the thing about nothing happening to the two of us. For the record, this is all your fault."

Andy's lips pursed. He looked skyward and sighed. "Yes," he deadpanned. "Because I am so powerful that the earth even moves…" He paused, slanted a look at her. "Well, that's what you said last night too."

"Oh my god," she moaned. Sharon slapped his arm. "How did I end up married to such an arrogant, sarcastic, completely insan—"

"Easy." Andy smirked. "The earth moved, baby."

She slapped a hand over her face and laughed. "Lunatic."

"Neurotic," he shot back.

"Jack ass."

"Witch."

"Now, now," she poked his side. "I thought you liked that part of my personality."

"Only when you wear that low cut red blouse and the short black skirt," he drawled.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, eyes closed again and smiling. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Andy turned his face into her hair. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

His voice pitched low, growing serious. Sharon steeled herself against the direction he could possibly take now. They were trapped. She drew a breath. "Yes?"

Andy moved his lips against her ear and whispered, "Do you think Taylor dyes his hair?"

She blinked. Her brows lifted in surprise. Sharon looked forward again and pressed her lips together. She cleared her throat and shook her head. "Andy." She laughed quietly. He really was something else. Oh how she loved this man. She lay her head against his shoulder. "I honestly hadn't noticed, but I'm a little concerned that you have."

"Oh, I didn't," he assured her. "Someone asked me. I'm usually too busy looking elsewhere, but after it was mentioned, I had to look. It's damned disturbing."

"I don't know," she replied. "There is something to be said for having a talented hair dresser once you reach a certain age."

"Talented," he said. "Yes, but have you seen his hair?"

"Hm." She chuckled again. "It is a bit disturbing."

"Someone should do something," Andy said. "Tell the man, refer him to another salon, get him a lighter shade of Just For Men. Something. It's just awful."

"Let me know how that turns out for you, Lieutenant." Sharon smirked happily.

"Ah," he pointed a finger at her. "I think this definitely falls in line with things to be moved up the chain of command. I have reported the situation, Captain. It must be handled."

"I see." Her lips pursed. "That was well engineered, Lieutenant. However…" Sharon's head tilted and she grinned in the darkness. "I'm going to enforce my authoritative right to delegate. Good luck."

"I take back everything I ever said to your face," Andy drawled. "I'm putting back into effect everything I ever said behind your back. Yep. You're mean."

Sharon chortled. "Oh Andy. Nothing you ever said behind my back could be even remotely as bad as any of the arguments we've had over the years."

"Considering I've seen you shoot," he reached over and gave her knee a light pat. "It's good that you believe that, Sharon."

"Really?" Her brows lifted. She was interested now. She had known Andy to become quite colorful when engaged in a fit of temper. "Do tell."

"Take off your gun and hand it to me first," He hedged with a grin. "For the record, past transgressions do not get me put to the sofa."

She laughed. "That bad?"

"Hm." He grunted. "Think about some of the things you've said about me over the course of our very long association, and then ask me that again."

"Okay." She stared straight ahead. "Point taken."

Andy shot an incredulous look at her. "No."

"Hmm? Was there something you needed?" She smiled sweetly at him, despite the fact he could hardly discern it in the faint light from his cell phone.

"Yeah, I've been maligned. I'm hurt." He poked her shoulder. "Bully."

"Well, I've learned from the best," she drawled.

"You're welcome," he chirped.

Sharon shook her head. "You're in fine form suddenly."

"I'm bored." Andy sighed. "This whole, sitting still and being cooped up in small, dark, stinking places doesn't work well for me. That, and I'm pretty sure I've been hearing the distinct scratch and squeak of rats. We're well ventilated," He pointed up, to the thin slits of light overhead where the elevator shaft's air vents were located. "Which means we won't suffocate. But damn, I don't want to get eaten alive either."

A shudder went through her. "I was attempting to ignore them. Thank you, honey, for pointing out the truly gruesome." Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "They'll leave us alone. If they don't, my clip is fully loaded. I'll protect you."

"Would you?" He wriggled closer. "That would be great. I can't tell you how much it means to me. Defended by the great—"

"Oh hush." She elbowed him. "I'd forgotten how adolescent you can really be when properly motivated."

"Keeps me young," he quipped.

"Mmhm." Sharon shook her head. "Well, I suppose that's all that really matters in the end."

"We all have to be good at something." Andy leaned his head back and let his eyes close.

Sharon leaned back and did likewise. That had only managed to eat up a good ten minutes of their time. It was going to be a long day.

He wasn't the most patient person on the planet, Andy was painfully aware of that. Sitting trapped in the dark with no way of communicating with the outside world was definitely going to the bottom of his list of favorite activities. He tapped his fingers rhythmically against his leg while he tried to think of something that might make the time pass more quickly. Andy slanted a look at his wife beside him, a single eye cracking open to make that possible. He watched her shift and wince and his brows drew together. "How bad is it?"

"How bad is what," she sighed. Sharon was leaning slightly to one side, trying to keep the weight off her hip. It was definitely bruised, and sitting on the cold concrete wasn't helping it any. A steady, dull throb was shooting down her leg from the effect of the hard surface.

"Sharon." He scowled at her in the darkness.

"I'm fine," she repeated. "Nothing is broken, but I'm not twenty-five anymore, and getting tossed around like a rag doll isn't my favorite activity. Honestly, Andy, there's nothing to worry about."

He snorted. "Of course not. I'm trapped with the single most stubborn woman on the planet." Andy shook his head at her.

Sharon returned his gaze for a moment, and then she laughed. "Pot meet kettle," she shot back with a wry grin. "You are one to talk, Andy Flynn. I've written entire documents with the sole thesis aimed at your stubbornness."

"I never proclaimed not to be. I made your career, admit it. You have me to thank." Andy smirked at her. "Come here." He held out a hand.

"More than that, I've lived with you for over two years," she winced when he drew her toward him. "I know just exactly how stubborn you can be. Our son inherited a good portion of it."

"Oh yeah, he got it all from me," Andy rolled his eyes. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."

"I will," she chirped with a grin. "That boy is all Flynn, and you can't deny it."

"Oh, I'm not about to deny he's mostly Flynn." Andy tugged her over to sit between his legs. He bent one knee and settled her against it, providing a cushion for her injured hip and giving her something more comfortable to lean against. When he had her tucked against his chest, he let a hand rest comfortably at her waist while the other was draped across his bent knee. "Better?"

He was solid, warm behind her. She relaxed and let herself settle fully against him. "Yes," she said softly, "thank you." Her hip still ached, but it was no longer throbbing. Sharon leaned her head back against his shoulder with a soft sigh. When she felt the press of his lips against her forehead, she smiled. "Well," She said finally, "we wanted some time alone together."

Andy chuckled. "Not what I had in mind. We should be careful what we wish for." He felt a shudder run through her and his arms closed more tightly around her. "I know, sweetheart," he murmured. "I'm worried about him too." Ian was safe at headquarters, but he might be frightened, and he might become upset when his routine was thrown off. They knew that their team would take care of the boy, but it wasn't the same thing. It never would be.