Author's Note: This chapter was nearly, not posted today, skipping through the long story of my busy schedule I will say a HUGE thanks to Roni for the super quick-wonderful Beta and wanting to get this out for all of you on-time. To lonstanissima for tag teaming with her to get it done. I hope you all enjoy the penultimate chapter and thank you for the continued support.

Chapter 14

Never Let Me Go

Andy smiled when he sat down next to Sharon and noticed she was holding his hand tightly, almost as if she was afraid of letting go. He had no complaints, but wondered where she thought he would escape to? After all those months and especially the past few days, there was nowhere else in the world he would rather be. Sitting thigh-to-thigh, in the limited space that the couch offered. He lifted his arm and rested it on the back of the sofa, she instantly leaned into him. He smiled and brought their joined hands up to his lips and kissed her knuckles in a soft reverence. They both knew they had a lot to discuss, but they weren't ready to interrupt the moment they were enjoying. Sharon hummed kissing his jaw, her eyes closing when his arm came around her back and pulled her snugly into his side. Then she ducked her head and rested her forehead against his chin. She felt immensely comfortable in his arms. His hand ran up her back soothingly. Yes, she could get used to it.

"Is this really happening?" He asked as he tightened his hold on her. He had imagined moments like it so many times, embracing her after a long day at work, maybe while watching a movie or simply enjoying each other's company. "I don't think I could take it, if…"

Her hand landed on his chest and she whispered into his ear. "It's happening."

The sound of the pouring rain continued with the crackling of the fire as they both fell silent. Her breath warm against his neck had him closing his eyes, basking in the feeling of her pressed against him. Sharon understood what he was thinking and feeling. Abby's setup, both of them falling for it, building up the courage to talk, it seemed like it could only be a dream. However, his heartbeat under her palm, the sound of his breathing and the heat he emitted made it so real. They were together after so much fighting against it. It was not just a made up fantasy in their minds.

When he turned to face her, Andy was immediately concerned. Her eyes were filled with tears. His hand landed on her cheek as he looked over her carefully. Despite hating to see the tears, he couldn't deny that she was absolutely breathtaking, especially when she allowed herself to be so open. The glimmer of need in the gold flecks in her eyes, the way she pursed her lips - it all made his heart beat a bit quicker.

"Why are you crying?" He spoke with so much tenderness. She could hear the concern in his voice while his eyes were scanning over her with so much softness and admiration. When the first tear rolled down her cheek, he caught it with the tip of his thumb. "Hey," his voice shook. She wondered what exactly he imagined was crossing her mind. He tightened the hold around her waist as if she was going to run away from him again.

Sharon tried to smile, but when she failed, she leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss to his lips. Her hand on his cheek, she needed him to know she wasn't pulling away, there were no regrets, and she wouldn't have him wait anymore. She pulled back and caressed his cheek. Her eyes looked over his face almost as if she was trying to memorize every line.

"I almost spoiled this for us." Her voice cracked and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment trying to compose herself. "None of my reasons seem to make sense now." Andy smiled weakly at her words, he hated seeing her beat herself up, but was glad to hear those words leave her lips. She was all in, they both were. "I hurt you." She voiced regretfully and pressed her forehead to his.

His hand ran through her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "And I hurt you." He made her think he was ready to call it quits, that walking away would be easier than fighting for them. "We were both foolish, but all that matters now is that we fixed it before it was too late." She nodded still feeling heavy. "And I have one question." A small noise escaped her, letting him know she was ready. "Will you go out with me?" He smiled when her eyes lit up despite the tears. Her fingers drummed against his chest before fisting the soft cloth. "On a date, I mean. There is this restaurant I've been dying to take you to. They say it's the most romantic place…"

She shook her head, clearing her throat. It was still shaky when she spoke, both from excitement and tearfulness. "You don't need to sell the idea, I'd love to go out on a date with you." She leaned forward and captured his lips. He could taste the saltiness of her tears now. But the curve of them made him feel easier and brought a smile to his lips, too.

A low hum turned into something much needier in Sharon's throat. It was soft and quick, a few brushes from Andy's tender lips before Sharon broke the kiss and tucked herself into the crook of his neck for a brief moment. How could he make her lose all rational thought? When he touched her or kissed her, everything else blurred. She placed several warm kisses to his shoulder and neck, hoping he wouldn't worry about the breaking of the connection.

She tilted her head up, breathing out softly. He noticed the flush of pink on her cheeks and understood she was shy about how she responded. So he encouraged her to tilt her head by a soft pinch of her chin and kissed her properly. Their lips met with a slow brush and Andy guided his hand to the back of her head and held her close. A delicious warmth filled her body instantly. The sound of the rain faded as Sharon released a deep moan, he didn't allow her to pull back this time, sucking on her bottom lip. A pure, innocent hum escaped her as he felt her fingers slide into his hair and curl into the back of his neck.

The hand that was pressed to her waist shifted to her hip, but moved back quickly. She turned her head just enough so their noses brushed. Her fingers opened and closed on the back of his neck, her breath was being released in quick bursts against his mouth. He was tempted to capture her lips again, but could see she was processing a thought.

Then he felt her fingers wrap around his wrist and move his hand down to her hip where her shirt had ridden up slightly and her jeans had moved down. His thumb rubbed against the soft skin, their eyes never breaking contact. His hand moved farther up, sneaking under her black t-shirt and splaying out. Her muscles fluttered beneath his touch. Heat shooting up and down every inch of her body.

Their lips met again with more fury. This time two separate sounds blended in the small cabin. Kissing Sharon was an indescribable experience for Andy, he could feel her holding back, but at the same time giving so much of herself. She was confident, but also a bit timid. They broke apart trying to catch their breath, but Andy couldn't resist and moved his lips to her neck, nipping and sucking on the way down. His heavy breaths teased the skin he wet with his mouth. Sharon responded by tilting her head back and releasing a chain of soft satisfying noises while fisting Andy's shirt in her hand and trying to control her breathing. It was a matter of seconds before she realized she was feeling things she hadn't in years. Her face flushed red like the burning within her. It was pure desire that she was feeling for him.

He had to restrain himself from moving his hand too high. His mind flashed with how badly he wanted to touch her. He felt himself aching with the need to know what the rest of her felt like. He had been admiring her for so long that actually being allowed to touch her was overwhelming. His lips moved from her neck to her chest and pressed one single hot kiss between her breasts. She ran her fingers encouragingly through his hair. Trembling in his arms, unable to motivate him with words. Her mouth gone dry.

She shivered as his lips moved up again to the point in her neck he had already discovered made her release a breathy noise. His hand caressed down her side and along her abdomen. The small pouch that had come with life, bearing children and her age had once been a concern, but it seemed like Andy didn't mind it at all.

Lightning illuminated the sky, then a clap of thunder roared. Andy's hand drifted up her shirt and her back arched, encouraging his touch when his fingertips grazed the wiring of her bra. Sharon opened her eyes when a second rumble came, it felt like it was right outside their window. Andy stilled and broke the contact, concerned when he felt her stiffen. Then the cabin's lights flickered and turned off. They both looked around themselves and back at each other. Their chests rising and falling at a dangerous pace. The only light that continued to brighten the room was coming from the fireplace. His hand ran up and down her arm before he pressed a soft kiss to her swollen lips and then returned for a second one. He was unable to let her go. Sharon released a long breath as she watched him stand up and walk to the door. She took a moment to compose herself and straightened out her shirt before following him. Then peeked out the window.

"Looks like the entire hotel was affected." Sharon voiced quietly, still breathless.

"Their generators should start up soon." She heard Andy's voice shake with worry and when she looked over, her head tilted curiously, he bolted the door. A small smile reached her lips. "What?" He asked a bit defensively.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" She bit her bottom lip.

"No." He responded too quickly.

Sharon grinned and hummed, her hands slipping into her pockets. "You sure about that?" She voiced playfully, rocking on her feet from heel to toe.

"It's not the dark," he cleared his throat. She gave him a disbelieving look, but he turned away from her and looked out the window one more time. It was pitch dark. Then he moved closer to her, but she took a step back with a wide smile. His eyebrows shot up.

She bit the corner of her lip. "Not until you tell me."

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head. He loved this playful side of her. "It's not the dark, but the outage." He stepped closer, relieved when she didn't move back again. His hands landed on her wrists, pulling them out of her pockets and intertwining their fingers. "My son was born in an outage, almost lost him and my ex-wife during it. And my dad," he cleared his throat. "Let's just say they haven't been very kind to me." He didn't want to begin adding to the list now. Not after what they just enjoyed. After starting to be honest with one another. "And yeah, I may not like the dark." He shrugged.

She noticed his attempt to lighten the mood and looked around the cabin. "We have the fire." She smiled at him. It had dimmed slightly, but still flickered with the red and orange ambers. They stared longingly into one another's eyes. "I promise you this one won't end in a disaster." She pushed up on her toes and then moved back down.

He liked having her that way, a few inches shorter. She fit into him more perfectly, he could look at her more clearly. Plus, it was just Sharon, no part of the Captain mingled between them in that moment.

He let her hands go and pulled her closer by her hips. The hum that escaped her when he pressed his lips to hers made him forget the thunder and the blackout, all of it. Her hands landed on his chest and ran up around his neck.

It was hard to stop now. She hadn't been a fan of making out during her marriage, she wondered what had changed. Was it all the time she had suppressed the urge? Fought the temptation? That it was Andy? That he showed her everything he was feeling by pressing his lips to her? Maybe an accumulation of it all? He pulled back and looked down at her. She blushed, realizing she must have been thinking and not responding to his kiss. An apology was at the tip of her tongue, but when he smiled at her, she lost all thought.

He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "I'd like to know what has you so pensive." He whispered into her ear.

"Kissing," she breathed out. She was happy to see that she caught him off guard. "I don't remember it being…" she hummed, running her fingers through his hair. Andy knew it had been a few years, but with the way she responded, he couldn't imagine either of them were too rusty. So he smiled, hoping she would explain.

Instead she surprised him again as she placed her lips, soft and supple, against his. He could feel her letting go and understood she was hoping to show him instead of explaining. It was incredible, exhilarating, he always considered her a sensual woman, but feeling her so receptive to the smallest touch blew him away. He felt more than heard the noises she swallowed and looked forward to uncovering them. He ran his tongue over her lip, slowly, teasingly. Sharon's breath hitched, she took a step back as Andy moved forward. Her lips parted and she felt heat between her legs when his tongue met hers. He allowed one of his hands to drift down her hip along her the side of her thigh and back up. Another step back, his other hand moved up under her shirt and rested there. Sharon's own palm moved beneath Andy's t-shirt and trembled at feeling his bare skin.

One last step back and she found herself pushed gently against the wall. She let out a little noise, tugging Andy closer. He pressed his body flush against hers, the two of them breaking the kiss. Her head resting against the wall, her eyes soft and peaceful. The two of them sharing the same air with the smallest amount of space left between them.

"So hot!" He grumbled.

An eyebrow curved, looking at him utterly confused. He chuckled at himself making her smile. Her hand still moving up and down his back. "Kissing was never so enjoyable, or so hot." He finished what she never did so many minutes ago.

She grinned and squinted when he shifted against her. Then another wave of heat washed over her body as his knee parted her legs. When he heard the moan form in the back of her throat, he felt something inside of him awaken. It was becoming physically hard to hide his desire.

As he demanded entrance into her mouth, she quickly gave it to him, her arms wrapping around his neck. They enjoyed the easiness of finally responding to the pleading of their bodies and hearts. Wanting him so badly made a tension coil in the pit of her belly. She nipped at his lip and they groaned with equal fervor. His fingers tangled in her hair and he thought he felt her hips seeking contact with his. It made his body flood with desire for more than being pressed against a wall.

There was faint knock that they both missed or purposefully ignored, neither of them knew.

The way Andy had been holding her to him and kissing her with so much longing had her suppressing sudden urges. She swallowed slowly as she pulled back, breaking the kiss. Her pulse quickened when he looked down at her. He said everything with a single gaze. They were pressed firmly against one another, stomach, chests and legs tangled. He chose to ignore the way her hips and breasts were pressed further into him with every breath or else he knew he would end up embarrassing himself.

When she hummed, he had to take in a sharp breath. The past hour or so had left him feeling heated, just the stroke of her hand against his back made his heart race. He wanted her, but also wanted to do things the right way. However, the look she was giving him was making him remember each confident kiss that had left his breath labored.

He let his hand fall away - untangled it from her hair and joined the other one under her shirt along her waist.

"You'll have to stop looking at me like that." She whispered, making him wonder if he heard her right. Was she insinuating, was she having as much trouble controlling herself as he was?

They turned towards the entrance when another knock and a soft call with both their names sounded at the door.

Andy grumbled, Sharon looked up at him tenderly and smirked. Both her hands landed on his cheeks and she pressed a sweet kiss to his lips before moving to answer the door. Andy's hands involuntarily slipped from the soft skin of her waist and he watched her walk. Her hips swaying in that way that always mesmerized him.

"Ma'am, we apologize for the delay in the generators. Are you both alright?" Andy was pulled out of his thoughts by a male voice.

Sharon felt him come up behind her and run his hand across her back, landing on her bottom for only a moment before returning her waist. All she could do was nod. Her throat had gone dry. She had felt his eyes linger on her behind every time she had walked away, but was sure it wasn't as alluring to him as she thought. He had kept his hand far away as they made out.

"Yes," she finally said as she took the box from the hotel attendant's hands. "We're alright." She added.

"The kit has a flashlight and anything else you may need until we get the power back on. Again we apologize for the inconvenience."

"Thank you." Both stated in unison. Andy put a hand on her hip before shutting the door. She opened the kit; when he turned around, he squinted at the light in his eyes, Sharon brought the flashlight down and handed it to him.

"For the scary darkness." She teased.

He waved it across the cabin and then moved it from her red painted toes up her body. She was beaming. The lipstick she had on earlier was now completely gone from her lips. Her hair was tousled and he suddenly felt proud of himself. He switched it off, stepping closer to her and placing it back in the box. He was beginning to like the dark, if it meant he could hold her and make out the way they just had. He also knew he should be more considerate about the pace they were going at.

"Second topic." He said as he closed the box and set it down. His hand landed on her arm.

"Taylor." She voiced weakly, practically reading his mind. Even in the dark he could see the concern in her eyes.

"We just need to report this, right, and anyone who lives with us?" Her smile grew immediately. A suspicious glint in her eyes. "Yes, I read your rule book." Her hand landed on his cheek, he turned and pressed a kiss to her palm, his fingers curling around her wrist. "I needed to know if… well…"

"If it was the reason I kept pushing you away." She stated, not having to ask the question. When he was about to say something, she ran her thumb across his lips. "The toothpick." Her voice trembled remembering the sight.

He swallowed nervously. The last thing he wanted was her to worry about his drinking. "Nothing happened."

"I know that Andy. But I drove you to that."

"Stop," he shook his head and rested his forehead against hers. "Please, stop. Look, my sobriety is mine to handle. All I care about is us being like this now." When he saw the wrinkle form on her forehead, he knew exactly what she was thinking. "I mean, being tested will happen often. Only I can keep myself from wanting to go back. But you can ask me anything you want, tell me your concerns without worrying about my temper. I know it's important for you to know what's going on, if I'm making it to meetings and seeing my sponsor. You'll know everything you want and more importantly need to know." She whispered a soft thank you. He was letting her know that if he was struggling, she'd be the first to know. But not only that - he was trying to tell her that he trusted her, wanted her to be part of everything in his life. "I mean it, you can ask anything."

He was sure she must have considered committing herself to another alcoholic, maybe gone over pros and cons, but he also knew Sharon. She would have never taken the complete step over the line without being completely sure. Which meant the line between her ex-husband and him was so thick that she trusted him. He needed her to know that it would never be a weight between them. She was allowed to question him, to discuss her concerns - if not now, then whenever they happened, without him becoming defensive. He trusted her with his sobriety.

"It was my concern that I would lose you indefinitely." Andy looked down at her confused. "I'm afraid I was forgetting who we were. Stubborn. Neither of us would ever allow our personal lives to interfere at work." She was making very little sense, but he could see this was important to her.

Then it hit him.

"Or vice versa." Andy spoke softly. "That's what worries you, truly, isn't it? Us bringing work differences into our personal lives?" Sharon breathed in deeply and looked away, breaking eye contact. He knew what was going through her mind, they were both professional. He would never overstep at work and he was sure she knew it. She was afraid of him leaving her as Andy her friend, her partner. The way she had once told him so many of the people in her past had disappeared. "I can promise you one thing, I will never, do you hear me, never, treat you indifferently at home because of circumstances at work or because of some argument we may have. I'll talk it through until we've both had enough. And I will not bring our personal life to work. You have to trust me Sharon. I won't blow it. I've made some stupid mistakes in the past, but please believe me." When she met his brown eyes, he continued. "Believe me that I won't screw this up." He said each word clearly and with a plead that made her feel guilty.

"I do believe you, I've always had. You were never the problem." She stepped back from his touch and cleared her throat. She looked at the couch and whispered. "Can we sit?" She pointed in that direction.

She was grateful to him when he closed the space between them again and kissed her forehead. His hand running up and down her arms. "Let's sit in front of the fire, so I can see you clearly" he hummed and smiled down at her, then walked over to the small coffee table, pushing it aside. She looked at him curiously as she watched him walk to the bed and yank the comforter off it.

She gasped and then giggled. "What are you doing?"

He looked at the pillows from the bed scattered on the floor and shrugged with a lopsided grin. It was clumsy and light but mostly sweet. He wanted them to enjoy the fire on the floor. She watched him with a smitten smile as he set the pillows against the sofa and motioned her over with a tilt of his head. She walked over to him as he settled down, his legs extended forward towards the fire, Sharon rolled her eyes at him when he patted the space beside him. Where else did he expect her to go? But the smile never left her face.

She found her place easily, tucked into his side, legs extended beside his. One of her arms draped over his chest, his around her back and pulling her closer.

"This is very romantic of you." She whispered.

"I can be sometimes." He puffed up proudly. She laughed into his chest. He loved the sound.

He kissed the top of her head. His fingers playing underneath the sleeve of her shirt and then stopping. He turned to kiss her, but she stopped him when she started speaking.

"I was jealous of Abby." He looked at her, but she avoided his gaze by turning to look at the fire. "I realize how insane I was now but I also know everything that she is." She closed her eyes, hating she ever doubted either of them. "She is outgoing, beautiful, intelligent, funny…"

His hand landed on top of hers where it rubbed his chest nervously. She looked up and met his eyes. "You are outgoing, beautiful, intelligent, funny," She let out a long breath, hating that he felt he needed to make her feel comfortable, then was surprised when he continued "…kind, sexy," he tugged her by her hip, so she would have to wrap her legs around his, then kissed her lips softly, "absolutely gorgeous." His hand landed on the now familiar skin along her hip. "Abby is everything you say, but I was crazy about you. Since the moment you invited yourself to Nicole's wedding. Sharon, no one could take your place after that night." He had dated many women, but they all fell flat against everything she was. He even tried dating someone older than he tended to and realized it wasn't a matter of experience or age. It was the exact woman. "Abby was some link to you, she was easy to talk to, you were shutting me out and…" he struggled completing his thought.

"It was nice to have someone who was willing to let you in." She helped him.

He hummed and nodded.

"She may have thought of it as a challenge or a fling, whatever it is you call it, but something shifted at that baseball game, she was interested in me as a friend. And that is the only thing we ever were. Friends."

"I know that now. And I had no right." She shook her head and sighed, resting her cheek against his shoulder. Maybe if it had been another time, he would have liked to tease her about the possibility of her being jealous, but he could see how much it had affected her.

He tilted her chin up, so she would look at him, "You don't ever have to be jealous." She tried offering a smile, but knew it was unconvincing. He placed her hand to his chest keeping his eyes on hers. "One reason, and one reason only. I'm in love with you." She held her breath watching his eyes mist over. As if he had been choking on the words, holding onto them for too long. "I'm madly in love with you." He brought his lips down to hers and pulled back, seeing the moisture return to her eyes. "Have been for some time now."

Her fingertips landed on her lips and she cleared her throat. She allowed the tear to flow freely down her cheek. "You were wearing those purple suspenders that Nicole's boys got you for your birthday," He didn't expect an I love you back, but her words were confusing him, "and you were standing right behind me in the murder room. We were there at some ungodly hour, you had Maria send over some of her sweet bread." Andy nodded, remembering it very well now, it had to have been over four months ago. "I gave out my orders and turned to look at you, you were smiling at me just as I had become so accustomed to." He smiled gently at her and she returned it. "Yes, just like that." Her fingertips moved from her lips to his. "And I knew in that moment that I was in love with you." His eyes widened, she could see he was not expecting that. "I may have been behind in realizing what you and the rest of the world already knew, but... I do love you." He cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to hers.

He felt the need to shout or scream. To hear those words from her lips over and over. It was music to his ears. Neither one pulled back, but held each other tighter.

Sharon's heart raced as Andy kissed her with so much passion. Her eyes fell shut and she soaked up the feeling of joy and happiness she was experiencing. The same emotions she could feel vibrating through Andy. She bent her knees, so her legs would tangle with his some more, her foot stroked up his jeans. He used her movement to pull her closer. He always thought they'd fit well, match well when they laid side by side, but it was nothing like the real thing. The closeness proved that their bodies blended well, but the shared heat was intoxicating. He was beginning to learn that her body responded to not only his touch, but what she did to him, too.

Andy's hand drifted to her hip and down to the back of her thigh; when it slid back up, it didn't stop and moved relentlessly over every part he could touch in that position. She clenched her thighs tightly and let out a soft moan into his mouth when his hand landed on her bottom and squeezed. Her mind felt like jelly, just like the rest of her. It was somehow too much and not nearly enough. Then it stopped. He pulled back and his hands moved to her back.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"You have no idea how much I want you right now," Andy whispered against her lips. She realized he was shaking just like his voice. She was searching for her own voice for an appropriate response. I have some idea. Then why'd you stop? But Andy continued. "I want to do this right." Sharon frowned, confused when he eased out of their hold. She noticed they had slid down and she was practically laying on top of him. They both pushed to sit upright.

Andy kept their legs wrapped as they sat, with her resting against his chest and his arms around her. She focused on the dimming fire. She swallowed, suddenly feeling very confused and conflicted.

"So what are you saying?" She let out, tilting her head up to look at him.

"You deserve being taken out on a date, tell Rusty and Taylor." She looked away from him and at the fire.

"Oh," she said softly. She wasn't sure what her mind was doing, but she suddenly felt like her head was spinning the heat of the fire and being pressed to Andy was becoming too much. Without thinking twice she pulled out of his arms and sat up, resting her own back against the couch. "None of that is going to change this." She said quietly, looking over at him, knowing she was missing something Andy was trying to say or do, but she didn't understand.

He turned and let his hand land on her waist, and tugged so she would also turn. She folded her legs underneath her and moved closer to him. He ran his knuckles across her cheek and could see she was overthinking things. She took his hand in hers, brought it back to her waist and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"The rain stopped." Andy stated.

Sharon looked out the window and then back at him. "Stay," she told him, biting her bottom lip in a way that made Andy want to kiss her senseless.

"I had no plans on leaving," he voiced seriously.

There was a long pause before Sharon couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"You may say that's what I deserve, Andy." She offered one of those beautiful smiles that always left him willing to do anything she asked. She licked her lips and put a hand on his cheek. He nodded, as she ran her fingers through his hair. "But what about what I want." He did everything he possibly could to push away the cloud of desire, the overwhelming need to touch her.

"What do you want, Sharon?"

The response was simple, "You."