Rolling her shoulders stiffly, Sharon lifts herself from the sofa, knowing that she has to look slightly more presentable for Andy than she does for Rusty at home. Sighing almost imperceptibly, she shakes her hand through her cherry tresses, returning a modicum of order to the messy (yet somehow still gorgeous) waves. Then, she reaches and pulls her jumper down from where it had bunched up around her waist as she'd curled on the sofa. It wouldn't do to be so exposed when Andy – Flynn, she corrects herself grimly – arrived than is strictly necessary. Briefly she wonders why she'd ever agreed to allow him to come over, especially since she, admitting this very hesitantly to herself, felt quite vulnerable after Stroh's escape. She has no concerns for herself, of course. But preoccupation for Rusty consumes her thoughts, and she had been unable to choke down the dinner she'd prepared for herself and Rusty earlier that evening. Glancing at her reflection once more, Sharon is satisfied that she looks presentable enough to impress Flynn, but convincing enough that this was just how she looked naturally. Hearing a triple knock on her apartment door, Sharon glides swiftly to the door, checking the peephole to ensure that it is Andy before pulling it open.
"You got here quickly," Sharon notes perceptively, a smile flashing to her features as she teases him with the implications of what she has just said.
"Ah, well, truth be told I was already out when I got your call," mumbles Andy only half-heartedly pretending embarrassment.
"I see, so you thought you'd kill two birds with one stone?" she teases him.
"Not quite," grins Andy, flashing her one of his renowned smirks as he asks, "now, am I just going to stand out here on your doorstep, waiting for Rusty's patrol guard to come by, or are you going to let me in?"
"I think I'll leave you there, if that's how you intend to behave," smirks Sharon, a laugh rising in her throat.
"Well in that case, I hope you won't mind, but I'm not sharing any of what I've got here," he teases, holding up a white carrier bag that Sharon had only just noticed.
"Ah, why didn't you say you'd brought something? You're definitely welcome now," she chuckles, moving from the doorway to hold open the front door for him.
Andy brushes past her swiftly, enjoying the feel of her body so close to his in the narrow doorway. Although he is sure that she doesn't feel the same way for him, he is content to enjoy the relationship they've already succeeded in building together.
"So, where's Rusty?"
"Sleeping off today's excitement, I'd expect. The marvellous thing about teenage boys: they can literally sleep through anything."
"Oh to be young-er – again," chuckles Andy fondly. Smiling at his lame joke, Sharon shakes her head slightly, leading him to the kitchen all the while. "I thought you might need some good, old-fashioned comfort in a carton, but that you probably wouldn't have any on hand, being as disciplined as you are," remarks Andy quietly, a teasing lilt in his tone. Holding out his arm, he waits until Sharon accepts the proffered bag and laughs at the sight of (possibly) the largest tub of vanilla ice-cream that had been available at the grocery store before grinning widely.
"Oh, I don't think it's enough, Andy," she laughs giddily, the sight of the massive tub bringing back memories of ice-cream binges with her kids when they'd been younger.
"Well damn, I'd have gotten two, but I didn't think you'd need that much carton-contained comfort with me around as a supplement," retorts Andy, mock-indignant at Sharon's suggestion that he'd skimped on treating her.
"I suppose I'll just have to suffer in silence," she smirks, barely able to stifle the grin threatening to rise to her lips.
"You'd better," he replies effortlessly, "or I might be tempted not to visit again." Muttering under his breath cheekily about the ungratefulness of some people, Andy seats himself comfortably at Sharon's kitchen table, laughing as she dishes up the ice-cream evenly into two bowls.
Quiet falls between them as they companionably enjoy the silence and ice-cream. Slowly, a look of concern creeps over Andy's features, and before he can stop himself, he asks, "So, how are you holding up?"
"Honestly, I don't know," she replies, instantly and with a look of surprise at how unguarded her behaviour around Andy has become. Sighing, she returns to her ice-cream pensively before expanding on her response: "I'm overwhelmed. We had him, Andy. We had him and then he just – he's a sick bastard that I want nowhere near my son," she finishes firmly. "I'm scared for Rusty – I want to protect him like I did before, but he's older now. He's grown into a wonderfully confident and independent young man, and I can't take that freedom away from him for much longer," her eyes move downwards as she attempts to conceal her emotions, knowing that it is futile to do so around Andy, anyway. "I'm just scared," she admits quietly.
"I'd say don't be – but that would be pointless," smirks Andy, and Sharon chuckles wetly, slapping his shoulder for being such a smart-ass. "But you know now that you've got all of our support in keeping him safe. He's more than just that pain-in-the-ass material witness you looked after – he is literally your son and to the department, that means protecting him at all costs. We all care about him, and we all care about you," reassures Andy quietly, carefully using 'we' to avoid making Sharon uncomfortable, which she would be, if he'd declared his undying loyalty to just her.
Sharon smiles at him gratefully, the faintest hint of tears still lingering at the corners of her eyes. A comfortable silence lapses between them, and Sharon gazes at Andy appreciatively. She doesn't know what she'd do without him now, despite the fact that he'd been an irritating asshole for the majority of her time with FID. Giggling quietly, she remembers all of the times she'd had to pull him up for questionable behaviour – and all the times she and Gavin had moaned about how many times she'd had to reinforce the rules with him. Smiling as though he knows the path her thoughts have taken, Andy shrugs lightly, content to see her smiling again.
Not long after midnight, Andy excuses himself from Sharon's apartment, sensing her tiredness. With the excuse of an early morning the next day, Andy stands from his seat at Sharon's table – one he's occupied for about four hours – stretches, and reaches for his coat. Sharon follows his movements, reaching for his shoulder before he can wrangle his coat onto his shoulders. Gazing at him quietly, she reaches up and hugs him tightly, pressing a chaste kiss against his cheek.
"Thank you," she murmurs, "for everything."
Grinning, Andy salutes her, reassuring her that it was nothing – that he'd have done it for anyone. As he turns on his heel to leave, he gives her a lingering look, one that leaves her content and yet oddly questioning. She is conflicted about her feelings for Andy, but she hadn't hesitated when the thought to kiss him had crossed her mind. She loved him, and she was aware of it, despite all attempts to suppress it. For now, though, she wasn't willing to analyse why she didn't want to admit it just yet. She was too tired, and she knew that sleeping now with Andy's warm presence fresh on her mind would be easier than attempting sleep whilst battling concerns over Stroh's escape. So, for now, she contents herself with the thought of Andy, and the good he does for her.
Hey guys! Thank you so much for the overwhelming positive feedback - it means so much to me! To the two guests, Maggles and Deb57, I'll thank you here since I'm unable to in a PM. I hope you've enjoyed the second chapter, and if you have, please leave a review!