Brenda/Sharon (4)

Sharon's Daughter Midnight Cravings

It was either the smell of bacon or the sound of voices that woke Sharon from her slumber. She rolled over in the bed, finding the other side empty and cool. She groaned as the voices came from down the hall again. She stayed in bed for another minute or so before deciding to get up. She searched for a pair of yoga pants and pulled them on before she padded down the hall on bare feet, going towards the noise.

A pair of big, brown eyes and a pair of blue-green eyes met her own, both women smiling at her. She looked down at the table, seeing the bacon that she smelt when she had been woken earlier. She went over to the table and took the seat beside Brenda's, taking note that they both had big sandwiches in front of them.

"Did we wake you?" Sharon's daughter asked as she rubbed the swell of her belly.

Sharon smiled as she nodded. "Yes, but it's okay. Let me guess, baby's craving bacon tonight?"

Lauren laughed softly and opened her sandwich, showcasing everything inside it. "He's craving more than bacon."

Sharon scrunched up her nose. "Is that pickles and cream cheese? And peppers?" Lauren hummed happily, closing the sandwich and taking a big bite from it. "That's..."

"Really good," Brenda says as she bites her own sandwich.

"Don't tell me you're..."

Lauren laughed at the disgusted look on her mother's face. "I think she's having secondary cravings," Lauren joked, scooting down in her seat as her hand went under her nightshirt to rub her stomach. "She came in here while I was making the bacon and decided she wanted to try what I was eating."

"You should give it a try, Shar," she said as she licked her lips, sliding her plate over to Sharon.

Sharon pushed the plate back. "I think I'll let you have it, honey. As much as I love this new connection you have with my daughter and her pregnancy, I don't think I can join in on certain things."

Brenda shrugged, biting into the sandwich, making Sharon internally cringe. Lauren yawned from across the table and then took the last bite of her sandwich before she stood, groaning a little. Sharon was going to get up and help her, but she'd been chastised enough about that.

"I'm going back to sleep. I'm sorry for waking you guys up."

Brenda smiled. "Oh, honey, it's not a problem at all. You need anythin' else before you go back to bed?"

"No, I'll be fine." Lauren turned to her mother. "You'll be ready to come with me to my class in the morning, right?"

"Of course," she responded simply. "Night."

Lauren left and then Sharon went back to her bedroom, leaving Brenda when she said she would clean up quickly. Sharon pulled her pants back off and got in the bed and waited for Brenda to join her. Brenda came within minutes, smiling at her as she closed the door and came to the bed. She shimmied out of her shorts and got in the bed.

Brenda went to kiss her and Sharon pulled away. "Honey," she whispered as a warning.

"What?"

"You just ate... I don't even know what you just ate. I'm not kissing you."

"Baby," Brenda whined with starry eyes.

Sharon sighed and gave in far too easily, pulling Brenda's mouth to her own. The soft caress of Brenda's lips and tongue made her forget what she had just eaten. It wasn't that bad, anyway.

Dancing

Sharon swirled the drink in her glass. It was only supposed to be punch, but from the taste of it, she was sure someone had spiked it – Provenza, she decided. She also decided not to say anything about it. They were celebrating and they weren't at work any longer. She was also enjoying herself around the members of the Major Crimes Division – her team. It was nice having a team again; she had been worried that they wouldn't warm up to her. But being invited to this little celebration at Andy's house showed that they now considered her one of them.

The music turned up a little louder and Sharon watched Julio lead Amy to the makeshift dance floor in the middle of Andy's backyard. She smiled into her glass, catching Andy looking at her before she looked away. She was fine sitting on the sideline and watching the others. She didn't plan on staying much longer; Rusty was at a friend's house, and the idea of having a little time to herself didn't sound too bad. She would just enjoy the mood that surrounded her and then she would say her goodnights.

When that time came and she was sliding her purse over her shoulder, she felt a finger tap her. "Leavin' already?" the person said. She instantly smiled, slowly turning around, recognizing that southern drawl anywhere.

Her eyes met familiar brown eyes that were gleaming. "What are you doing here?" was all Sharon could think to say. She was elated. She hadn't seen the other woman in a few months and she had missed her. There was always something stopping her from picking up the phone, though.

"Andy told me you were here," she said with a wide smile, looking over Sharon. "If I had known you were leavin' so early, I would've gotten here sooner." Brenda ran her fingers through her hair, tilting her head. "The main reason I came was because I wanted to see you."

"Oh," Sharon said, surprised. She looked at the time even though she didn't really have to be anywhere. "I can stay longer."

"You sure?" Brenda asked as she put her big bag down on one of the chairs. Sharon nodded. "I just wanna say hi to the guys and..."

Sharon nodded again and took one of the seats and waited for her to return. Sharon watched Brenda, catching herself smiling. She looked away, running her finger around the rim of the glass she still had. A few minutes later Brenda came back and sat down, taking the seat directly next to Sharon's instead of the one across from her. They caught up on everything until a song that Brenda liked came on.

"Dance with me," Brenda said with a wide smile.

Sharon looked around them and then at the hopeful brown eyes. "I don't know."

"Please," Brenda tried. "I really like this song."

Sharon ended up letting Brenda pull her to the dance floor. She danced with her, not completely comfortable at first. But she looked around her, watching the other members of her team and the people she had just been meeting for the first time earlier, and all of them (except Provenza, who was drinking as Flynn sat beside him) were allowing themselves to dance freely and enjoy themselves. So she did as well.

Brenda smiled and came closer to her, putting her hands on her hips as they swayed. "You're a good dancer," Brenda said into her ear as she leaned in closer. "I knew you would be."

Sharon smiled, feeling a rush of heat move across her face at the feeling of her breath. "And you're still as good at getting what you want as you were before. I don't usually enjoy dancing around people."

Brenda laughed softly. "I'm glad I still have it in me." Sharon hummed in her throat as the song ended, but Brenda didn't move away. "Now that I've got you out here, you might as well just dance with me."

"I knew there was a catch," Sharon said with a smile. The song was a little slower than the last. Brenda was a little closer and Sharon's hands moved to Brenda's hips as well. Neither of them noticed the smirk on Andy's lips as he sat down from changing the song.

"If you wanna stop, then we can," Brenda said while licking her lips.

The way Brenda's grip on her hips got a little tighter showed she didn't really want to stop. Sharon smiled and shook her head. "That's okay."

Brenda smiled widely, dancing a little closer to her. They danced in silence for a moment. They let the music lead their hips and their feet, laughing when they saw Julio dancing to a beat that was so far from the one of the song that it must have been playing in his head. Sharon and Brenda were both enjoying dancing together. They enjoyed it so much that when the night came to an end, Sharon and Brenda ended up at Sharon's condo instead of parting at Flynn's house.

Brenda put her wine glass down, leaning back against the sofa, her finger drawing circles on her thigh as she watched Sharon switched through songs. "Why don't you just randomly pick a song?"

Sharon looked over her shoulder. "I might not be able to dance to it."

Brenda got up and walked over to Sharon and pulled her towards her. "I'm sure you'll be fine," she whispered as she her hands slid under the hem of Sharon's shirt, resting on her bare hips.

Sharon's breath caught in her throat and she licked her lips. She looked into Brenda's eyes as she stepped closer and ran her hands up Brenda's small torso. She leaned in, her lips a few centimeters from Brenda's. "Just lead the way," she whispered and Brenda leaned in and kissed her lips, letting their bodies move to the music as their lips and tongues danced a dance of their own.

Luck Be a Lady

The sound of the casino was loud in Sharon's ears as she walked in. People throwing out numbers, people making bets, slot machines running, and the familiar sounds that she honestly never really wanted to hear again. Casinos brought up memories she didn't like, but she knew Brenda didn't know that. There were a lot of things she hadn't told Brenda yet; as she started looking for the other woman, she realized the reasons it would be a good idea to let her in on some of the things she hadn't yet.

Sharon spotted her girlfriend at the craps table. Brenda was standing next to an older gentleman in a suit; she was in that black dress Sharon liked on her. Sharon worked her way over to the craps table she was at and heard the man say: "Blow on them for luck," to Brenda as he held out the dice to her. Brenda blew on the dice before the man rolled them, throwing them down. The bright smile and cheers coming from Brenda was something she would be able to enjoy if she wasn't so uncomfortable inside the casino.

Sharon tapped Brenda on the shoulder and she turned, still in the middle of a celebratory clap. "Hey!" she exclaimed when she saw Sharon. "I didn't think you'd get here so fast." She threw her arms around Sharon, barely noticing Sharon's mood because she was too caught up in her excitement.

"You ready to go?" Sharon asked as she pulled back, looking from the craps table to Brenda. "I'd like to get out of here."

"Leavin' so soon, sugar?" the man asked, his glazed over blue eyes going from Brenda to Sharon.

"'Fraid so," Brenda said, patting him on the shoulder.

"What am I gonna do without my lady luck?"

Brenda blushed lightly. "I'm sure you'll do just fine, Frank. And I wasn't that lucky most of the night."

"Luckiest gal I've had by side all week. Maybe I'll see you here again." He turned to Sharon. "And maybe you could bring your friend along. You know, double the luck, double the winnings."

Sharon pressed her lips together, not responding. Brenda noticed that subtle shift and then put a hand on Sharon's arm for a second. "We'll see. But we need to get out of here now. It was nice playin' with y'all," she told him honestly.

"One more before the road?" he asked, holding out the dice.

Brenda looked at Sharon, silently asking her if it was okay. "Go ahead," she said. "I'll let you finish up in here. I'm going to go ahead and walk out."

Brenda was going to ask her what was wrong, but Sharon turned and left as soon as she said it. Brenda furrowed her brow and then apologized to Frank, unable to stay when she could tell something was bothering Sharon. As much as she had enjoyed her night, she was glad Sharon had come to pick her up like had asked. And knowing something was wrong with Sharon made her forget all the fun she had. Instead, Brenda was concerned.

Brenda caught up to Sharon as she was unlocking the car door. Sharon looked at her before she got in, closing the door behind her. Brenda walked around and got in as well, turning so she was facing Sharon. She took Sharon's hand in her own, running her thumb over the back of her hand.

"What's up? You seem..." she trailed off, not finding the word she was looking for.

Sharon shook her head. "Nothing important. I just want to get home."

"Shar," Brenda warned, not buying it for a moment.

Sharon sighed, looking up at the casino. "I just, uh..."

"Come on, you can tell me."

Sharon smiled. "I know. I don't like casinos."

"Oh," Brenda said, not fully understanding.

Sharon wasn't going to say anything else, but changed her mind. "It's not just that I don't like casinos. My husband is-was a gambler, and- I guess..."

Brenda squeezed Sharon's hand. "Hey, we can talk about this at home. This doesn't sound like the type of conversation we should have in a parking lot of a casino. And maybe we can pick up some of that wine you like."

Sharon smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss to her lips quickly. "Thanks," she whispered, turning in the seat, knowing they would be able to talk about this in the comfort of their house.

See you in Hell

When Sharon opened the door, she hadn't been expecting to find Brenda in the living room with her grandson. Brenda said she was going to pick him up for her, but he wasn't supposed to be coming until the next day. Neither of them heard her when she came in. They were playing one of those video games she really didn't like him playing too much, but Tyler had Brenda wrapped around his finger and could get Brenda to let him do just about anything. He also had her playing with him, which was hilarious to watch; she was just learning which buttons do what properly.

Sharon put her keys down and they both quickly looked over their shoulders, but their attention was back on the video game within a second. Sharon walked into the living room, dropping her things down on the sofa. She looked at the game they were playing, watching them for a second. Brenda was losing. She waited until they reached a checkpoint before she cleared her throat, getting their attention as she came to stand behind Tyler.

"Did you put all your things up when you got here?" Sharon asked, ruffling his dark hair a little.

Tyler shook his head, looking up at Sharon. "I'll do it when we finish." Sharon only had to lift an eyebrow at him before he paused the game. "I'll do it right now," he corrected, groaning for effects. "Don't touch anything while I'm gone," Tyler warned Brenda as he got up.

Brenda laughed and put the controller down, holding her hands up. "I won't." Brenda smiled at Sharon. "Hey, you."

Sharon leaned down and kissed Brenda quickly. "Hey. What happened? You missed him so much that you picked him up a day early?"

"I was over there already and decided to call and see if I could just pick him up. Hope you don't mind."

Sharon smiled. "Of course I don't. I guess it's a good thing I didn't pick up anything for dinner yet. Maybe we can order in pizza," Sharon said as she made her way into the kitchen to find a menu.

"Sounds great."

When Sharon came back, Brenda was playing the game without Tyler. "Couldn't stand losing to a little kid, so you decided to cheat." Sharon shook her head with disbelief. "There's a special place in Hell for people like you," Sharon murmured as she sat down beside her.

Brenda smirked and put the controller down again. Sharon reached forward and took the bowl of pretzels Tyler had been eating and a few. "Stealing food from your grandson," she said in the same tone Sharon used. "I guess I'll be seeing you in Hell then," she smirked, nudging Sharon's knee with her own, also taking a pretzel.