Weeks had passed and things had improved.

Everyone had settled back into their job's including Sharon who had been cleared by the resident psychiatrist. They could all see how the last few weeks had affected her. When she visited Major Crimes she no longer had some of the swagger she used to have. They could still hear her heels clicking as she strolled into the Murder Room but she no longer carried herself the same.

She tended to stick to reviewing files in her office and sending her lackeys out in the field. They could all see how her hands shook when she had to deal with certain officers.

"Andy you need to do something"

"What?"

"I don't know, just something, it's not right seeing her like this"

Provenza had finally had enough of her quiet hellos, and no longer receiving death glares every time they passed each other in the corridors.

"I've tried talking to her"

"Well try harder"

"She was fine to start with, but she over heard someone saying something about her scar and it really knocked her back"

"Since when has she been so self conscious?"

"She never used to be, but it's been difficult for her"

"Well fix it, I'm tired of her meekness, it disturbs me"

"I'm sure she doesn't mean to offend you, you old fart"

Andy stood and brushed himself down, grabbing his jacket as he stepped away from his desk.

"I'm going to go take her to lunch, don't touch my stuff"

"Would I ever?"

…

He still enjoyed the looks he received when he walked through FID. They had been open in their relationship since the hospital, knowing Louie wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for much longer.

He nodded at the young detective sat outside her office.

"She in?"

"Yeah"

He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door lightly before he pushed it open.

"Sharon"

He was surprised to see her sat on the couch at the end of the room.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head, bringing a hand up to wipe away the tears that trickled down her cheek.

"What happened?"

"Nothing new"

He sat himself next to her and forced himself to relax as she curled herself into him.

"Talk to me, who was it this time?"

"Do you remember that detective we both worked with in Narcotics in the early 90's?"

"Who, Roxwell?"

"Yes, well it turns out he has been accepting bribes from several prominent Mob leaders for the past 20 years"

"Always knew he was a slimy bastard"

"Yes well, this time he took a young lieutenant with him, obviously in the hope of gaining his trust but it ended with him the shooting the lieutenant after the deal went bad"

"What an arse"

"Yes well, when Pope found out he called me up to his office to start a formal investigation into his career"

"That can't have been fun"

"No it wasn't, I had to interview him today"

"Why didn't you call me, I would have sat in with you"

"I know but I kind of felt like I had to be able to do this by myself"

"So how did it go?"

"Dreadful, he denied everything like you would imagine but then he decided to start insulting me"

"WHAT?"

"I knew you would react like this"

"Well what do you expect, just to be okay with some slimy arsehole insult my girl"

"Your girl am I?"

"Yes and I am seriously tempted to shoot him in the head"

"That would be lovely but pointless; he is already in lock up"

"What did he say?"

"Just the usual; that I am a cold hearted bitch, a back stabber, that I slept my way to where I am, how it was no wonder Jackson left me, and that no one would ever look twice at me again looking the way I do now"

"I'm going to kill him"

"No, you're better than that"

"Well I hope you know that I enjoy looking at you"

"I know you do"

"I want you to remember that if you ever need me to shoot someone for you, then all you have to do is ask"

"I know"

She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around her waist. He looked down at her, the scar just visible from where he was sitting. He placed a kiss on her hair and drew her closer to him.

"Something I have been meaning to ask for a while now, were you ever going to tell me that you served in the Army"

"Maybe, eventually"

"It is something I would have liked to have known"

"It was a long time ago, between retiring from the Army and separating from Jackson, I really don't have many fond memories of those years"

"You retired?"

"I have always had a knack for climbing for the career ladder"

"Tell me about it, I still can't believe they chose you over me for that sergeant's position in Robbery before you transferred"

"Just because I was better at paperwork than you"

"Trust me that was never something I was jealous off"

She smiled, wiping away the last of the tears. She sat up against him and rested her head against his.

"I enlisted in the early 80's, I had always wanted to serve as child, I mean what good little catholic girl doesn't want to be a soldier"

"I wish I had know you properly back then, not just as occasional partners"

"So do I, anyway, when I enlisted women were primarily training as medics and assistants so I applied for a training position as an Intelligence Officer"

"What made you retire?"

"Just before I retired I made Captain, the youngest ever female Captain in the Intelligence Corp, and I was being fast-tracked to take over from the current Lieutenant Colonel who was retiring at the time"

She sighed and sank closer to him.

"I had taken some leave a few weeks after I was promoted to see my parents and Jackson, when I got back I found out I was pregnant"

"I thought you had only 2 kids"

"I do, when I found out I informed my superior who then told me that they couldn't have a pregnant Captain as a figure head"

"You have got to be kidding me"

"Andy you have to remember that this was nearly 30 years ago, pregnant women were expected to be at home, well catholic ones anyway"

"So what happened?"

"I retired, I served out my notice and took my captains retirement, I went home to have the baby only to lose it a few weeks later, they offered my position back but I couldn't go back so I joined the LAPD"

"Sharon, why didn't you tell me?"

"The only other person who knows is Jackson and I'm not even sure he remembers it, he started drinking and gambling after that, I just couldn't take it anymore so I asked him to leave and we separated"

"Do you want me to talk to Pope and take you home?"

"Why, just so I can sit and cry there, no I think I will head up to Major Crimes with you and help you fill out your service review"

"What service review?"

"I swear you wouldn't get anything done if it wasn't for me, the review I put on your desk last week which needs to be filled out and added to your jacket"

"There is so much paperwork on my desk to be done that you are more than welcome to come and help"

"Well let's go then"

They both stood and straightened out their clothes. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards the door.

"Do you want to know what I think?"

"What?"

They ignored the looks they were getting and walked through the LAPD corridors, oblivious to everything but themselves.

"I would do anything to see you in a military uniform"

"I think I still have it in a box somewhere, my combats and my dress uniform"

"Later, when we're home, I'll put my uniform on if you put yours on"

They were both laughing as they walked into the Murder Room.

"What are you two laughing at?"

"Nothing that concerns you"

"Nice to see you to Captain"

She smiled at the sour lieutenant, their relationship having improved greatly in the last few weeks. She sat on Andy's chair and watched as he grabbed a spare from one of the other desks. He swung down next to her and started searching through the piles of paperwork that he had "accidently" let build up.

"Here we go"

The next few hours were spent with the two of them giggling over questions and answers that none of the rest of the Major Crimes team could hear. Provenza lent back in his chair and looked over at his partner. Currently Sharon had her head on Andy's right shoulder and he had one arm around her back, the other resting on the table next to the finally finished paperwork.

"Why don't you two go home, your sickly giggly cuddles are making me feel ill"

"Because neither of our shifts end for a good couple of hours and we wouldn't want you to be lonely seeing as Julio and Mike have gone out on patrol and Buzz left hours ago"

He huffed and swung his chair round so that he was facing the board.

"Wouldn't be lonely, just don't want to see you two sucking face"

The pair laughed as he grumbled to himself, fiddling with his bobble head.

Sharon pushed away the paperwork and stood, dragging him behind her.

"I'm going to go get my stuff, and then we're leaving"

She could feel his eyes on her as she strolled out of the nearly abandoned room.

"What did she say earlier then?"

"What?"

"When you went to take her for lunch, I know for a fact that neither of you left the building, I checked with Sian at reception"

"You have got to get a life Lou"

"That's irrelevant, what happened?"

"We ended up just sitting in her office"

"Well that can't have been much fun"

"Turned out Roxwell had been taking bribes for years, he killed a cop that wanted to turn him in"

"I have been saying for years he was a crooked bastard"

"Well she had to interview him because Delk wanted a full investigation done"

The older lieutenant huffed and leant further back in his seat. He could only imagine how much fun that interview had to have been, he could still remember what Samuel Roxwell had been like back then let alone now-a-days.

"What did he say?"

"She didn't tell me much, just that there seemed to be a lot in there about Jackson and her scar"

"You can't ever tell her I told you this, but the scar suits her, she just needs to get some of her Darth personality back"

Andy laughed; it was funny how caring and considerate the grouchy lieutenant could be when he wanted to.

"I think she knows that, it's just going to take her sometime"

"Well tell her to hurry up, I used to use her name to hurry things up because no one wanted her snooping through their files and it doesn't work anymore"

"You are soooo…"

"So what?"

They both turned as she walked back, bag in hand, wearing his favourite her of her trench coats. He grabbed his jacket, the chair spinning off from where it had been resting and walked over to her.

"Nothing, you ready to go?"

"Yes, I've decided my officer reviews can wait till tomorrow"

"Good, let's go then"

Provenza followed the couple's movements as they headed for the door, his arm coming round her shoulders, hers around his waist. As much as he wanted to be able to find fault in their relationship he couldn't, they just worked.

Later that evening Andy walked into his lounge to find Sharon leaning against his balcony, the doors flung open behind her. He tiptoed behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist, his chin resting on her hair.

It was one of the things he loved about her.

Her hair.

You hear stories of people's hair going gray or falling out after stressful or distressing situations but hers had stay the same.

It fell down her back in graceful waves, the red and gold highlights glinting thought the slightly darker brown.

He loved it when she wore it down, when he could admire the way it rippled when she moved but he loved it more when she made an effort with it, a simple twist when tidying, a strong ponytail when they went running together, a French plait when they went out for dinner, but he would never tell her that he loved it when she put it up just so that he could be the one to let it all out.

"Provenza's worried about you, we are all worried about you"

He felt her nod her head.

"I know, I can see it when they look at me, as if they are trying to guess when I'm going to break"

"Too bad for them you already have done"

It had happened a few days after she had been released. Her doctor had told him that it might take her a while before she felt normal again, before she wanted to do anything again. He had said that she might be emotional; head trauma is a tricky thing he had said.

She had been wondering around the apartment for about an hour before she snapped. She had come across a compliant report for the officer who had assaulted and kidnapped her. She had picked it up and walked out of the study. He had followed her eventually, thinking she was just going to bin it, shocked into movement when he heard crashing.

He had run into the lounge to find her throwing anything and everything she could possibly get her hands on. Her favourite mug lay against the wall in tiny pieces, two of their holiday pictures were hanging out their frames, she had over turned the small couch she had brought to the apartment with her, and the lamps were sprawled on the floor.

It had taken him only minutes to get her to calm down; she had sunk to the floor in tears, her arms wrapped around herself. He had picked her up off the floor and supported her through to their bedroom, laying her on the bed and covering her with a blanket before heading back to the lounge to clean everything up.

She had slept for the rest of the day, feeling marginally better when she woke. She had started to apologise but he had stopped her, just saying that they needed to move on.

"I'm sure Provenza would have loved to have seen me break everything in our home"

"He would probably have filmed it just so that he could watch it again"

They both laughed, comfortable on the balcony, watching the world go by.