It takes less than five minutes for Sharon and Andy to reach Taylor's office, yet it seems like an age. Despite the fact that they've already cleared their relationship with HR this step seems more official – less of a request for permission and more of a judgement of their relationship and its potential. Clearing her throat nervously, Sharon raises her hand to knock on the door, but is stopped at the last minute by Andy, who shakes his head slightly and pulls her to the side.
"I just want you to know, Sharon, that whatever he says – whatever he might imply about our professionalism – you are one of the best officers on this force, and he's kidding himself if he thinks that he could've done any better by hiring anyone else to take over Major Crimes."
Sharon smiles lightly at Andy's loyalty and protectiveness towards her, but feels all the same that this is exactly the sort of attitude she'd prefer remained outside of their shared working environment. Squeezing his hand gently, she lets him know that she appreciates the gesture, reminding him subtly that their relationship still has to remain professional whilst at work. Nodding in agreement, Andy raises his shoulders slightly with embarrassment, as if to say 'it won't happen again'. Grinning reassuringly back at Sharon, he turns back so that they are facing Taylor's office once more.
Inhaling deeply, Sharon raises her hand and knocks gently on his door, allowing herself to exhale once the action is complete. Hearing a muffled "Come in!" from the other side of the door, Andy holds the door open for Sharon, allowing her to enter the office first and make the best impression.
"Ah, Captain, I had been informed that you'd requested a meeting this morning – but nobody told me that you'd be bringing Flynn along."
"As the matter I'd like to discuss with you concerns both Lieutenant Flynn and I, I thought it best that he be present for this conversation, sir."
"And what exactly is the matter that you'd like to discuss, Captain? You've not given very many details as to why you've called this meeting." His tone is disapproving; almost surprised that Sharon would be so vague when she is normally so concise.
At this, Andy steps in, allowing Sharon a brief moment to gather her thoughts, "Ah, well, you see, sir, Captain Raydor and I – we're in a relationship. We've formally declared it to HR, but we thought that, as our direct superior, you should also be informed."
"Is that so? Why am I only hearing of this now?" asks Taylor, his tone light and almost…teasing.
"I'm sorry?" responds Sharon, taken aback by Taylor's reaction.
"Good God, Captain, I've been expecting this for months!"
Flabbergasted, Andy regards Taylor closely, unsure of whether or not he is joking. "You mean to tell me that you suspected our relationship-?"
"Suspected? I've got CCTV footage dating back about three months before your leave, Captain, that clearly shows you and the Lieutenant entering the elevator holding hands," replies Taylor smugly.
Sharon blanches at his words, chastising herself internally for forgetting the security cameras in the lift even after checking that their floor had been completely empty. It was a fool's mistake, really. Meanwhile, Andy grins suddenly, remembering something else that had baffled him a few nights ago. Rusty's comment about photographic proof all made sense, now. Chuckling with relief, Andy turns to Taylor with a smirk.
"Well, I guess you've got us. Can I assume that, since you didn't say anything prior to this meeting, you have no concerns about our relationship?" asks Andy, a cheeky smile lighting his previously anxious features.
"Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't come forward sooner, but who am I to judge?" laughs Taylor, still tickled pink by the shocked expression gracing the normally unflappable Captain's face. "Have you informed your team yet?"
"No, sir," replies Sharon shortly, "we were going to do so after this meeting."
"I think you'll find that some – if not all, by now – of your team are already aware, as I needed Buzz and Tao to help me go through the footage."
Internally, Sharon is screaming. Two of her team members had known for months – two of them! And after they'd been so careful, too. Still, she is entirely pleased that despite the fact that two of her team members have known for a while, they (along with the rest of the team) have not treated her or Andy any differently. The thought gives her some relief, as well as pride, as she can recognise that she truly does have their loyalty, trust, and discretion.
Smiling graciously at Taylor, Sharon intones quietly, "Incidentally, why where you going through footage of the elevator on our floor?"
"There'd been an incident earlier in the day, and Professional Standards required the exact footage for their report," replies Taylor offhandedly.
Smiling lightly in a manner that does not quite reach her eyes, Sharon nods briefly at Taylor. "Well, then, as you already seem to know and don't appear to be opposed to our relationship, we should probably make our way back upstairs to inform the team."
"That would be wise, Captain," replies Taylor, nodding in her direction.
"Thank you for your time, sir," intones Andy.
Together, Andy and Sharon leave Taylor's office feeling as though a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. Still, something nags at Sharon's thoughts, and she turns to Andy to address it.
"Can you believe that he already knew?" It is Andy, however, who voices her thoughts first.
"It's probably why our meeting with HR went so well," smiles Sharon tightly.
"That makes sense," replies Andy with a low whistle. "Still, at least it will make telling the team a bit easier."
"Or harder," replies Sharon with concern, "they might think that we've been purposely hiding our relationship from them because we don't trust them," she points out.
"Nah, it's more likely that we were hiding our relationship from everyone because we didn't want Professional Standards sniffing around," chuckles Andy, noting the somewhat miffed look that crosses the Sharon's features.
They make their way to Major Crimes in relative silence, content to remain in their little bubble a little while longer. They walk side-by-side to the Murder room, their hands not touching, but close enough to be comforting. Smiling quietly at Andy, Sharon waits for him to nod his assent before clearing her throat to call for her team's attention. As their eyes find hers, her heart skips a beat in her chest. This really is the final hurdle, and if Taylor was right in that most of the team already knows, it shouldn't be the most difficult.
"Lieutenant – Andy and I would like to – I-" for possibly the first time in her life, words fail Sharon as she meets the expectant gazes of her team. Looking towards Andy for support, she finds instead that he is wearing the most ridiculous grin – he's actually enjoying her nervousness! Smirking lightly, Sharon gestures for Andy to take the reins, and takes pleasure in the momentary look of panic that crosses his features.
"Er, right. Uh, well guys – Sharon and I are in a relationship. We have been for a while now. Anyway, we wanted you to know that this doesn't change anything – Sharon's still my boss, and I'm still going to be a pain in her ass. But we thought that you all should know."
Sykes exchanges a glance with Sanchez, whose face breaks into a smug grin as he claps Andy on the back in congratulations. Meanwhile, Tao and Buzz smirk knowingly, laughing at the rest of the team's reaction to their utter lack of a reaction. Provenza side-eyes the pair of them, wondering whether Andy had short-changed him and told the two techies before he'd told his best friend. However, he waves the thought away and shelves it for a future conversation with Buzz and Tao, choosing instead to congratulate his friend and boss as though it were the first time he's hearing the news this morning.
Amidst the laughter and cheers, Sharon clears her throat pointedly before continuing, "it's still a work day, people, and Andy and I are under probation for a month, which means that we have to watch our step very carefully," she glances at Andy briefly, "but there will be plenty of time for this after work," she smiles widely, content that the team seems to be happy for her and Andy.
A few half-hearted groans fill the air after her pronouncement, but still more laughter chases them as the team remember who their Captain is – even if she has been somewhat less-than-professional in recent months.
The rest of the workday passes without a blip, and after buying the team a few rounds in the bar close to their workplace, Sharon and Andy are glad to head back home to Rusty for the evening.
Sitting comfortably entwined on the sofa, Sharon shudders slightly as Andy drags a hand through her hair casually, fiddling with the tips of each strand and allowing them to slide between his gentle fingertips. Rusty sits on the armchair beside them, doing his best to avoid looking at his adoptive mother and her – lover? Partner? – he's not really sure what to call Andy these days, so to him, he's still just Andy.
"It was good of Mike and Buzz to keep it to themselves before we'd informed the team, wasn't it?" murmurs Sharon, still pondering just how considerate the two members of her team had been.
"Oh, Tao showed Buzz the photo too?" Rusty chimes in curiously.
"Photo?" asks Sharon with confusion, "It was CCTV footage, wasn't it? Or, at least, that's what Taylor said."
In turn, Rusty looks up with confusion, "CCTV footage?"
Sharon hums in the affirmative before explaining, "Apparently a few months before my leave, Andy and I were caught on CCTV holding hands in the elevator." Attempting to school her features into nonchalance, Rusty doesn't miss the slight blush that colours Sharon's cheeks.
"And Tao and Buzz saw this footage?" asks Rusty.
"Yeah, kid. But we got lucky that it was just Tao and Buzz, 'cos they didn't say anything." intones Andy.
Rusty laughs quietly to himself, enjoying the puzzled look on Sharon and Andy's faces at his reaction. Of course they'd think that only Tao and Buzz knew – they didn't know about the photo of them on the couch together that he'd shown to Morales a few months ago.
"What's so funny, Rusty? You mentioned a photo earlier…" Sharon freezes, a sudden realisation just hitting her. "You're the reason Andrea kept watching my interactions with Andy so closely when she visited me on leave."
Suddenly, Rusty's laughter stops. "I didn't mean for Hobbs to see it, but Morales thought it was cute enough to share with her –"
"And who else did he share it with?" asks Sharon, now positively mortified, even without knowing what the photo looks like.
"Uh, well, they're not great with technology, so every time the photo got sent to a new person, I'd get a copy again…"
"Andrea shared it with Brenda, didn't she?" Sharon's tone has moved past mortification to horror – how many people had Brenda accidentally shared the photo with because of her technologically incapable hands?
"Well, yeah. And Brenda shared it with Fritz, who shared it with Tao. But then the chain stopped there, and I thought, because it's Tao he'd know how to stop sending me a copy each time. Or, y'know, that he didn't pass the photo on to anyone," replies Rusty quietly, internally enjoying the look of exasperation crossing Sharon's features. He chances a sideways glance at Andy, who has so far remained entirely silent in this exchange, and is surprised to see him shaking with silent fits of laughter.
"What's so funny, Andy?" asks Sharon, seething.
"I just remembered when Brenda had first started seeing Fritz, and I thought that they were probably the worst kept secret in the Major Crimes Division, back then. Well, I'm pretty sure we've just given them a run for their money, don't you think?" He collapses again into laughter, this time joined by Sharon, who can appreciate the irony of the situation.
In trying so hard to remain a secret, they had inadvertently outed themselves twice – and to two different groups of people.
"Bless Mike Tao, though, for not breathing a word," chuckles Sharon, her sides aching from her quasi hysterical laughter.
This only serves to set Andy off again, the relief of finally being a known and accepted couple in their workplace making him feel lightheaded with happiness. Glancing down at him, Sharon can't help but smirk and stifle her own laughter. Love for him swells within her, and pretty soon she's silencing his raucous laughter with her lips, happy to receive an immediate and heated response.
Hey guys! Sorry for the massive lag - between packing up my place and finals, I've not had much time to write . Luckily, this is the final chapter - so I hope you've enjoyed reading Momentum as much as I've enjoyed writing it. If you have, please leave one, last review!
I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter: EvilRegalShandyLvr21, ProfTweety, Guest, Maxi97, CapricaM1983 and Chadleigh - I really appreciate the feedback!
As a small side note, if you would've liked to have seen something in this fic (or you'd like to request something altogether different) I accept requests and prompts, and am generally quite speedy in responding to them :)
As always, thanks for reading!
CMEmLovr