Spoilers: Mainly from season 1, but there might be an odd reference to season 2 here and there…
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters below – I am only borrowing them – and will not be financially benefitting from the story in anyway. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author Notes: In this story, you basically have to ignore season 2. When I started writing this, Rusty hadn't received any threatening letters and Andy and Sharon didn't attend a wedding!
Cheers to Mellow Mel again for the beta read and for putting up with me e-mailing every day to ask 'are you done yet? Can I post it?'
You'll Get Yours – Chapter 5
Sharon drove the vehicle into her allocated space and Andy, who had been following them, proceeded to visitors parking.
She wasn't quite sure how she felt about being railroaded into having him over for dinner. Being head of FID had made Sharon somewhat of a social pariah – and even though she now felt accepted by the team at Major Crimes, she still felt the need to keep some professional distance…especially from Andy Flynn.
They had known each other for many years; even back when they were working homicide and she was happily married, they had flirted a little - though it was always harmless and never with intent. But Sharon wasn't blind; she'd seen the way that her lieutenant had been looking at her lately – something had changed. Though what bothered Sharon wasn't the fact that Andy was looking…it was that she liked it.
"Has he been to the apartment before?"
"Lieutenant Flynn?" She put the car into park and unbuckled her seatbelt, "No. No he hasn't, Rusty. Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Rusty undid his own seatbelt and shrugged it off of his shoulder before continuing, "have any of your team been here before?"
"No, I erm…" Sharon mumbled as she stretched to grab her purse out from behind his seat, "I tend not to socialise with the people that I work with..."
"You tend not to socialise with anybody."
Sharon removed her keys from the ignition and stared at Rusty – her mouth agape.
"I'm sorry!" He chuckled at her reaction, "but aren't cops supposed to like, go to cop bars for beers after work and stuff?"
"And miss out on the pleasure of your company?" Sharon retorted with a smirk as she opened her door, but before she exited the vehicle something occurred to her and she turned back sharply to face him. "Rusty," she said his name slowly, narrowing her eyes.
He looked at her expectantly, bobbing his head and matching her tone; "yes, Sharon?"
"You didn't…you didn't invite Lieutenant Flynn over tonight for that reason did you?"
"What? Like a play date?" Now it was Rusty's turn to smirk.
"Rusty," she warned.
"No! I swear - I was being totally selfish," he held his hands up in mock surrender. "This way I get to play computer games AND I get to eat take-out."
"Good." She said with finality as she placed her bag strap over her shoulder and exited the vehicle.
"These are nice apartments," Andy said by way of a greeting as he approached them. "A buddy of mine used to rent one – great views."
Sharon smiled and closing the door, she walked around vehicle to meet him, "you're right, lovely views; that's what sold it to me."
"You own?"
"I do," she nodded and pressed the button to lock her car, seeing that Rusty had gotten out. "I bought it when my youngest went to college. I didn't much like rattling around in the family home by myself."
"Empty nest?"
"Something like that," she smiled thinly.
"So, can we order from that City Wok place?" Rusty asked as he joined them in a slow stroll towards the building. "They do an awesome kung-po and you always get like a ton of fortune cookies."
Andy held the door open for them both, "Whatever you want, kid. It's your birthday party."
xXx
As Andy had suspected, the foyer to Sharon's apartment building had a security desk, although the Lieutenant was beginning to understand why it wouldn't take a criminal mastermind to bypass the guard to hand deliver a letter.
"That's Ronnie." Rusty identified the sleeping security guard. "I swear he's got narcolepsy or something. Hey Ronnie!"
At Rusty's raised voice, the aging security guards head snapped up and he instantly began sorting paperwork on his desk. "Good evening young man, Mrs Raydor."
"Good evening, Ronnie." Sharon smiled politely as the elevator doors opened. "How are you today?"
"Oh, can't complain." He pushed a hand through his silver-grey hair and slumped back into his chair, "you all have a good evening now."
"Thank you," Sharon responded as they boarded the elevator and at Flynn's confused look she leant towards him and spoke softly so Ronnie couldn't hear. "He retires in a couple of weeks," she shrugged, "he could lose his pension if they find out he sleeps on the job."
"So…" a lopsided smile graced Andy's lips, "you not always such a stickler for the rules, Captain?"
Sharon simply smiled enigmatically and pressed the button for the tenth floor.
It had occurred to her earlier in the day, that if Ronnie was on shift last night – whoever delivered the card to her door could easily have slipped past him undetected. With Andy at her side however, that question would have to wait – the last thing Sharon wanted to do was alert the ever attentive Lieutenant to her plight.
'Doors Closing' the automated voice on the elevator alerted the passengers to its ascension and as the doors closed on the foyer, Rusty waved to the watching security guard.
"Sweet dreams, Ronnie!"
Sharon playfully swatted his shoulder and they all shared a smile.
xXx
'Tenth Floor.'
The elevator announced its arrival at their destination, and they all filed out into the corridor.
As Andy followed them to their home - listening to the Captain ask Rusty about his day at school, he wondered how a person as warm hearted as Sharon could ever have such a formidable reputation at work.
But then - he recalled - she'd never had it easy.
In the late 70's, the LAPD was most definitely still a 'boys club' and, as young beat cop, Sharon would have started as an outsider. Never one to conform- she had filed complaints of misogyny against her peers and climbed the ladder the hard way; with nothing at her back but knives.
Andy sighed; he hoped she at least felt like part of the team now – because she truly was.
"I'll get the menu!" Rusty called over his shoulder as he moved through the apartment flicking on lights as he went.
Sharon dropped her keys on the phone table and turned on her heel to face Andy, "Welcome to our home."
He closed the door behind him and stepped further into the apartment, his hands in his pockets. "You have a lovely home, Captain."
"Sharon." She corrected him with a sharp shake of her head and a smile. "Let's leave the formalities at the office, shall we?"
"Alright," he smiled back. "You have a lovely home, Sharon."
"Thank you, Andy." She said with a smirk, "can I get you something to drink?" She placed her bag on the couch and headed into the kitchen where Rusty was rifling through a drawer for the menu. "We've got some soda, grape juice…" she opened the refrigerator door, "or would you prefer coffee – or tea perhaps?"
"Erm…" Andy wasn't really listening; the red envelope poking out through the open zipper on her purse had distracted him.
'She took the card with her to the office…'
"Andy?"
"Huh?" He snapped his gaze back to meet hers, to find that she was narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. "Oh, tea's fine – thanks."
Sharon looked to her couch, then back to Andy - wondering just what he had found that was so interesting, but before she could ask, Rusty bound into the space between them – menu in hand.
"Got it!" He wandered over to Andy as Sharon turned to fill the kettle with water and place it on the stove. "I know what I want already and Sharon always has the same so..." he waved the menu under the Lieutenants nose, "choose."
"I'll have the tofu with mixed vegetables and a side of egg fried rice," at Rusty's look of disgust he continued, "I always have the same from City Wok too – I know that it's good."
"I'll take your word for it." Rusty grumbled as he grabbed the phone from the table and proceeded to dial the number.
Sharon breezed back into the sitting room past Andy and bent to collect her bag from the couch, "please, have a seat Andy; I just need to get changed out of these clothes."
Andy tried not picture Sharon changing her clothes, and struggled to articulate a response as she moved down the hall to the bedrooms.
"Thanks, erm Sharon?" he eventually called after her, following her down the hall and she stopped, turning to face him with her hand on the handle of the door to her bedroom.
"Can I use your bathroom please?"
"Of course," she swung the bedroom door open and flicked on the light switch as she nodded her head in the direction of the bathroom, "it's just down the…"
When Sharon's gaze left Andy's and shifted into her bedroom, she fell silent.
The colour drained from her face and she dropped her purse to the floor - bringing a shaking hand to cover her mouth.
"Sharon?" Andy took a step towards her as she moved tentatively into the room. "What is it? What's wrong?
"My God." He heard her say, as he came to stand behind her – taking in the chilling display before them.
Sharon's clothes were strewn across the floor and the cabinets; underwear hung from the lampshade and decorated the mirror - more personal items were displayed for view on the chest at the bottom of her bed.
Yet what was most disturbing was the message that was crudely written in black paint, across her white cotton bed sheets.
'You'll get yours, bitch.'
"Captain,"
Andy needn't have said anything; Sharon was already reaching for her gun. "Rusty, stay in the kitchen!"
TBC
Thanks for reading! I'd LOVE to know your thoughts so far ;O)