AN:thank you so much for the great reviews and messages, they all made my day! also thank you for the guest reviews, I can't respond to you by message, so I will do it like this.. I love reading what you think of my chapters.
I hope you enjoy!
just playing with these characters they are not mine.
Chapter three
Andy appeared in the doorway, looking at his Commander, hovering over a stack of paperwork. The slight slump of his shoulders, made Hamilton look tired. Andy knew he'd never be caught in a desk job. In thirty years from now he would still be chasing the criminals of Los Angeles on the streets.
"You wanted to talk to me, Commander?"
Hamilton looked up, as if only now aware of Andy in the doorway.
"Yes, Flynn, come in, have a seat. Close the door behind you."
Andy did as he was told, wondering whether he was in trouble. He sat down in the chair , his knees falling apart , as he took on a comfortable pose.
"Do you know your partner already passed her Detective's exam?"
Flynn's eyes twinkled, looking so damn proud. That man was still madly in love. Hamilton couldn't really blame Andy either. Sharon Elliot was a classic beauty on top of being smart and extremely loving.
"Yeah, proves she's damn good at her job."
"You say without being biased at all…."
A small smile curled on Hamilton's lips, while Andy's face turned dead serious.
"I'm not just saying that, because she's my girlfriend, and…"
"Hold your horses, Flynn…"
"We're always nothing but professional at the station."
"Well, there will be some changes…"
"Changes?"
"Now she's passed the Detective's exam…"
"No way, she's not transferring...You waited for this, so you could have a good reason to transfer her to some other division."
"Flynn, what are you talking about?"
"She can't be a Detective here, so she'll be promoted once she transfers.. that's just. It's not going to happen. We work together just fine and you said it was okay…"
"Will you stop rambling on."
"If she goes, I will too."
"Flynn, stop it. Good God, no one is going anywhere. I've decided to give Elliot her promotion. I'll promote her to Detective, right here, within our division."
Andy frowned. "Is that possible with those two new guys from Narc?"
"Took me some persuading, but her track record speaks for her."
"Okay.. So what's the problem?"
"Well, you're not going to be her superior officer anymore."
"So?"
"And she's probably the youngest Detective ever. That could be intimidating."
"I'm very proud of Sharon. We've always worked on a level of equality. I don't believe it will be a problem at all."
"Good, because I see her being your superior officer one day."
"And I'm sure when she does, she will deserve it."
Hamilton smiled, he'd never thought of Flynn being the modern type. Not before he partnered up with Elliot. Just look at him now.
"If that was all…"
"One more thing. It looks like we'll all have a day off tomorrow, so could you make sure Elliot comes to Grady's tonight? I thought it would be nice to surprise her with a small promotion celebration there."
It was a tradition for the division to celebrate someone's promotion. Andy was sure it would mean a lot to Sharon to have the same kind of celebration.
"She'll love that. Sure I'll get her there. Seven?"
"That's fine."
Andy nodded and left. Hoping Sharon wouldn't be able to figure out the surprise. He was terrible at keeping things a secret for her.
SASASASASASASASASASA
Sharon giggled as Andy took her by the hand, guiding her through the small alley. All she'd gotten out of him was that it was a surprise.
"Andy where are you taking me?"
Her voice was light and bubbly. A sparkle in her eyes, a smile on her lips. His Sharon.
"We're almost there."
'Grady's' Sharon, recognized the sign. It was a well known cops bar. She'd been there once in her academy days. Like everywhere around cops, she'd been frowned upon. Finding a friend there, had been quickly discarded.
She had also picked up Andy once, bringing him to her place, when he was back in his drinking days.
"Andy honey, what are we doing here?"
Andy was sober for quite a while now. She was so proud of him. There must be days when he struggled, but he had kept his promise to her. No matter how well he was doing, she wasn't sure whether it was a good idea for him to enter a bar.
"Small celebration."
Sharon looked confused.
"Hamilton arranged something."
It must be for the new guys. "I don't know. I don't want this to be awkward for you. Honey, we don't even like those new guys. Can't we skip this one?"
Andy stroke her back. "Come on just for a little while, or we'd be the only ones not there.. Come on." He smiled before he kissing the side of her face, gently guiding her towards the door.
Hamilton smiled as they came in. "There they are. Congratulations, Elliot! Here, here for the new Detective in our midst!"
Sharon stared trying to register the words, they only sinked in as Andy pulled her back against his chest. His lips on her skin, right after he whispered 'Congratulations, Detective', in her ear. This party was for her. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She didn't like to be in the center of attention. It made her feel awkward. Andy wrapped his arms around her waist though, holding her tight. They were always very discrete at the station, but they weren't there now. He knew she felt awkward, so he kept kissing her and murmuring words in her ear.
"You did it."
As he squeezed her tight against him, she smiled. His hands were keeping her possessive against him. Normally they wouldn't, but this was sort of a private affair. It wasn't like no one knew. They knew they were home together every evening.
They were all there. Even Sanders, Dixon and the new guys. Probably under pressure by the Commander, but she couldn't care much about that. She was touched to see the genuine smiles on some of the faces, like their Commander, Cohen and Zygerski.
Sharon hoped she didn't blush like some shy schoolgirl when Commander Hamilton walked over to congratulate her.
"Congratulations, Elliot. You deserve it."
She shook his hand, casting her eyes down, her voice soft as she thanked him.
Zygerski gave her a pad on the shoulder. "Well done, kid."
She wasn't sure whether she should be happy by being called a 'kid', but at least it was something. She smiled as Cohen was his usual self.
"Congratulations, guess I finally have an excuse to kiss you."
Andy narrowed his eyes.
"Or give you a lovely hand shake."
Sharon laughed, offering her hand to Cohen, giggling as he brought it to his lips and gave it a quick kiss, being his ever cheeky self. Andy pursed his lips.
"Hey it was only a small hand kiss. No need to be all possessive. You've got the rest of her already."
Andy wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, but she didn't mind. She had never liked it when Jack showed everyone she was his girlfriend, but with Andy it was all different. He knew when to give her the space she needed. When she could handle things on her own. He could be worried and overprotective, but he never smothered her. Andy knew which battles were worth fighting for. Their relationship wasn't ruled by compromises. It came natural to them, as they were willing to make certain sacrifices for their love.
Her hand reached out to stroke his nape. They were so relaxed. It was a novice for them , to be this intimate with one another in front of their colleagues. He hadn't imagined Sharon would feel this at ease.
She only stopped, when Hamilton offered him a beer. Andy knew that was the reason for her to be hesitant about coming here. Sharon probably didn't want to expose him to the temptation. She was very mindful of him. No matter how many times he told her it was okay for her to drink alcohol in front of him, she only drank wine, when he bought her a bottle and brought it home.
He declined with a smile, asking for some cranberry juice instead. Sharon was very fast to decline as well, opting for his choice of drink.
"You don't have to. This is your party."
With a smile on her face, she turned towards him. "I know I don't have to, but I want to."
Looking into her eyes he was still amazed by the amount of love he saw in them.
"I love you…"
Sharon smiled huge.
"Do you know how proud I am of you, Sharon? About who you are in life. About how good you are at your job."
She couldn't help, blushing. Andy Flynn was pretty amazing. He loved her so much that he actually took joy in her succeeding, in what her dreams were. She came first. He'd been willing to transfer, so she could keep her job. For their relationship. Even in his decision to stay here, he'd been thinking about her. She would have to start over in New York. She'd been just as willing to do just that. Their love was what was most important, everything else came second.
"I love you too, Andy." Sharon wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. All of a sudden forgetting their colleagues around them.
Zygerski slapped Cohen's hand away, as he wanted to whistle. Hamilton turned around, a smile on his face. It looked like Flynn and Elliot were celebrating their own private party. They were right together. If anyone would have predicted this when he first partnered them up together, he'd said they were crazy. Somehow this blossomed, right under their noses. Although they were probably aware of what was going on even before them. They were a good team on every level possible. He was still smiling at the thought of Elliot taming Flynn, when the distinctive sound of a gunshot rang through the room.
For everyone present time slowed down. The windows rattled because of the sound. Andy's hands on her waist tightened. The second before, they'd been drowning in each other's eyes. Now they were on high alert.
Andy's first instinct was to push Sharon towards the bar, away from the windows, the glass in the door. The gunshot had been outside, nearby.
Andy had a death grip on her waist. She let him handle on instinct. As long as they didn't know what was going on. Everyone was on high alert by the time they heard the second shot. Hamilton was the first with his hand on his gun. Zygerski and Cohen right beside him with Andy.
One hand was still keeping her behind him. For a moment he turned around. Andy wanted to tell her to stay there, just as he remembered she wasn't only his girlfriend, but also one of them. There was no way Sharon would stay behind and wait for them to return.
The alley was lit by the lights beside the door, but it was hard to see anything from inside. Sharon looked behind her, catching a glimpse of Sanders and Keegan going around back, Dixon and Phelps choosing the other route along aback. Hamilton was at the door. Zygerski and Cohen to the left, while they were closer to the window. The shooting had stopped, but Andy had her still pinned behind him.
They exchanged glances. Nods indicating the order in which they'd go outside. Hamilton's fingers counting down from three. Once outside they'd follow procedure. They were trained for situations like these, already from the first day they set foot on the Academy.
As they spread out in the alley. It all went fast. Checking left, right, weapons drawn. Their hearts beating louder with every shadow their eyes fell upon. Sharon had been the last one out, already hearing the 'all clear' from Cohen and Zygerski. She stared at the two bodies on the floor. There was no mistaking, two young patrol men. She'd worn the well known black uniform herself. It seemed like a lifetime ago, although it could only be two years. Crimson red, starting to spread underneath the bodies, filling her nose with the stealth odor of blood. It had you feel this metal taste in your mouth, that was hard to get rid off.
The others joined them from around the corner, Hamilton looking up at them.
"Anything?"
"No. No one in sight."
Andy and Cohen were kneeling down at the bodies. Their fingers gently applying pressure on the skin of their necks. Focusing to feel the pulsing vein underneath. A small flutter, the slightest indication there was still a breath of life in these young men's bodies.
Sharon pictured them smiling, talking about whatever they'd encountered at their job today. Something exciting or someone they'd met. Ready to wind down with a beer. Relax, end a long day. Fueling up for another one ahead of them, or celebrating having the next days off. She pictured them happy, before one dreadful gunshot ended it all. It made her feel sick to her stomach. This was so senseless. She would never be able to grasp why people killed absolute strangers in cold blood.
"He's still got a pulse."
Andy went over to Cohen, beginning chest compressions.
"We should have seen someone. We were out right away."
Hamilton was right. They could still smell the gun powder from the bullet wounds. Hamilton turned back to Sanders and Dixon.
"You sure you didn't see anyone around back? These are two of your own."
"Yes, Sir, there was no one."
There was no one out there either. Just the shadows making silhouettes in the dark. Whoever did this was fast and bold. Shooting at two officers in front of a cops bar. Not everyone would take that chance. Even the biggest moron would know he'd be hunted down instantly. Maybe that's why he chose for a fast get away, maybe a shooter on a motor.
Had they heard the engine of a motor? It had been so loud in the bar. No, there were no tire marks.
They were all still trying to figure out things in their mind, when they already heard the sirens in the distance. The bar owner probably had called 911. Maybe it would come in time for the officer Andy and Cohen were doing CPR on. Sharon heard Andy talking to him, encouraging him to hold on just a little while longer. He sounded so gentle and comforting. The Andy she knew so well, and how different from the hot head, so many others knew. He told her earlier he was proud of her, but she couldn't be more proud of him either.
Zygerski knelt down at the second victim. Or maybe the first. They couldn't tell by the posture of the bodies.
"Careful, this is not our crime scene."
They were cops, so this wasn't their crime scene, no matter how bad they wanted it to be. Now they could only stand there, holding the perimeter and doing nothing more.
Still Zygerski squinted his eyes, beckoning Sharon to come over. "Bit large, huh?"
Sharon crouched down through her knees, looking a the puncture wound of the bullet. She frowned. "That's a rifle wound."
She sounded certain. If anyone knew her facts it was Sharon Elliot. A riffle meant more distance. There was no way to predict the angle, not with this not being their crime scene.
While everyone looked around to see the flashing orange and blue lights of the approaching ambulance, Sharon looked up. What if the shooter had been on the roof? It would explain why he got away so fast. She looked back at the bullet wound, before she turned around. The opposite of the alley, that's why they hadn't seen it coming. Too far up to hear the clicking of the riffle when the shooter loaded it. Even if they hadn't been with their back to it, it was too dark to see anything happen before it was too late.
For a moment she stared, as she saw the small round orange flicker. A frown between her eyebrows. The seconds before it dawned on her seemed to take minutes. The guy was still up there. Just as that thought passed her lips, gunshots followed.
"Andy, get down!"
Simultaneously she pulled on Zygerski's sleeve, getting themselves as flat on the ground as possible. Phelps and Keegan took cover, drawing their guns, while their eyes scanned the dark.
"Up on the roof!"
Sanders and Dixon were the first to return fire from behind a container. It was useless, their guns not a match for the riffle up on the roof. They better try to get away, as right now they were all like a bunch of sitting ducks, but was moving the best option? Sharon's heart was beating in her throat, while she heard the gunshots erupt. Another gunshot, a hiss, a curse and then silence, only the sound of her own heartbeat.