Just like Sharon had suspected, the meeting was totally pointless. Captain Riggs had taken over Robbery-Homicide and was always looking for ways to improve on stats, turnover, and improve the division as a whole. He often sought out her advice, which she had no problem with, but she always suspected that there was something else he had been seeking. At first she thought he was after her job. It wasn't until Andy had pointed out that he was going after her. Unfortunately, today was the day where he was bold enough to actually ask her out. He had stopped Sharon in the hallway and flat out asked her on a date. Told her that he heard that her divorce was all but final and he wanted to take her out to celebrate. Turning him down took a little longer than she had wanted, but Sharon was trying to be as kind as possible. It was what he said before he went back down to his office that had her lost in thought as she made her way back to the murder room. "It's perfectly fine, Sharon. I knew it was a long shot. Someone warned me that you were already seeing someone anyway. Tell Fl…the other guy, that he's lucky as hell and to not screw it up again." She had forgotten that Riggs has been around just as long as her and Andy and he knew a lot of what had gone on before. Great. Just another person pointing out the glaringly obvious. This day needed to end and end fast.
Sharon was shocked when she walked back into the murder room to still find everyone there. It was Amy that gave her a look indicating that they had stayed to babysit Andy and Provenza. Clearly things had not improved between them in her absence. She still had plenty of things she needed to accomplish, but no one else needed to be there, so she decided to send everyone home. "Okay, guys. You've done enough. The paperwork can wait. Go and salvage what you can of this semi-early evening, and I'll see you all tomorrow." As everyone started packing up, she noticed that Andy hadn't really made any motion to leave. She should've known he wouldn't. What did shock her was the fact that the lieutenant didn't seem all that eager to leave either. "I should order you both out of here, but I won't. Not a single word to each other, got it?" Both Andy and Provenza mumbled something totally incoherent, but she didn't care. She was only giving things another hour, then she was heading home.
As she sat down to finish her ever growing pile of work, she saw the envelope Jack had given her. She debated, again, on whether or not she should open it at work, but decided against it. Whatever was in there wasn't going to be good, and being in the confines of her own home when she opened it was the safest option.
The hour she had given herself had passed, and Sharon found herself grateful that Andy and Provenza had kept their heads down and mouths shut for the remainder of the day. As she began to pack up, she received a text from Rusty. "Hey, if it's alright with you, can I hang with Buzz tonight? He got a new computer and it came with a chess app that he said is pretty cool."
"Yes, honey, that's fine. Thank you for checking in. Call me if you need me." Just as she was about to put her phone in her purse to leave, her phone rang. Figuring it was Rusty, Sharon automatically picked it up. "There's no way you could've needed me that fast!"
"Nah, I haven't needed you in ages. I was just calling to find out if you've looked at the present I left you in the envelope."
"Jack," she grumbled. She reminded herself that her phone has caller ID for a reason. "I've been working, so, no I haven't opened anything yet. I was actually just going to send it to Gavin to deal with."
"Oh, no need. I sent him a copy, too. He should already have it by now. Aside from the counter offer, which you'll have no choice but to accept, there's another little present in there. Something that I've been holding on to for a while just in case I needed to cash it in. It's time to pay up, Sharon. I'm sure it'll be a small price to pay for your reputation."
"My reputation? What are you even going on about? The games stop here, Jack. Whatever you're up to needs to end. Or have you forgotten that you have two children that will also be hurt by this?"
"They're mine in DNA only. They've always been your kids, you made sure of that. I'm sure their shiny new brother and step-father will be there to pick up the pieces. Give Andy my best, will ya? He'll need it if he's putting up with you."
Sharon tried to respond, but Jack hung up before she could get in another word. The things he said had her a little frightened. There was no way she was going to be able to wait until she got home, so she leaned on her desk to open the envelope. She gasped when she saw what Jack had given her. Attached to Jack's counter-suit was, what some may call, a rather intimate picture of her and Andy back when they were on patrol. Anyone that would see it would take it completely out of context, but she knew that trying to explain what had actually happened would've been futile as the rumors about them had already started to swirl by the time the pictured been taken.
She and Andy had been chasing down a suspect that robbed a store and Sharon had been the one that actually pinned him down. As she was getting her cuffs out of their holster, the suspect had gotten one hand free and was able to swing around to punch her in the face. Andy was quick to cuff the guy and toss him in the back of their squad car to take him downtown. When they dropped him off at booking, they were standing in the lobby waiting for the elevator and all Andy had done was grab the sides of her face to tilt her head into the light to see how bad the damage was. Sharon had held on to his wrists just to make sure he didn't grab her too hard. What the picture also showed was them laughing at each other. Andy had joked that if she wasn't so small, her body weight would've been enough to hold the guy down and then he promised to buy her a double bacon cheeseburger before they started their next tour. Somehow, Jack had gotten a picture of that moment and was now using it to "prove" her infidelity.
The picture, the rumors of them from years ago, plus whatever was going on now was what Jack had been talking about. Throwing the picture on her desk, she further inspected the counter offer that Jack had sent. It wasn't an offer, it was a straight up insult. He was going after her for everything. Her pension, her savings, the condo, and alimony. He was claiming that because she was so driven by her career, she neglected him and their marriage, and that's what caused him to leave. Remembering that Jack told her that he had sent everything to Gavin, she picked up her phone to call him. "Please pick up, please pick up…"
"I was just going to call you. I've been out all day and just saw the lovely package left on my desk."
"Please tell me that he cannot do this. Tell me that no judge in their right mind is going to agree to this."
Gavin scoffed straight into the phone as if she didn't know him at all. "Oh, honey. This isn't making it to a judge. While that waste of space has been holding on to a twenty-year old picture and twenty -year old rumors, I've been gathering a collection of my own that stretches from here to Vegas. Jack's got nothing, he will get nothing, and he'll be lucky to keep whatever nothing he does have when I'm done with him. Even if this does go before a judge, by the time I'm done with him, he'll be crawling back down to the depths of hell where he belongs."
"Gavin, it's not just everything from back then, it's everything happening now. Jack says he's heard things about Andy and I that I can't exactly deny."
"You're right, you can't. But you don't need to. Jack left you, he left the kids, and he cleaned you out without you knowing. That's child abandonment and I can spin the rest into theft. You really need to trust me on this. He can come up with all the bullshit counter offers and grainy pictures he wants, you have me, and that's really all you need."
"You know I trust you. Just with all of this and the timing of other things, I'm feeling very overwhelmed. I adore you for staying on top of this and I owe you, big time."
"You can pay me back in Mickey Mouse shaped treats and a ride on the Incredicoaster from the front row. Do remember the custom Minnie ears I had made for you this time. It took forever to convince the woman that I needed 'Darth Raydor' instead of 'Darth Vader' on the mini LAPD badge. I adore the ground you walk on and the heels you click in!" Placing her phone down, Sharon couldn't help but smile at Gavin's silliness, but would forever worry about his overwhelming obsession with all things Disney. Although, she'd never admit to anyone, let alone Gavin, that she really likes her Minnie ears.
Sharon had been all set to go home, but now she was full of all of this nervous energy and didn't really know where to put it. While she knew the condo would be quiet without Rusty there, that wasn't the kind of quiet she needed. So she decided to head up to the terrace for the second time in as many days. It had become a favorite spot of hers, especially at night. As loud as downtown can be, it had a sense of peace and quiet that she hadn't really found anywhere else, so she often snuck up there to clear her mind. Looking out of her office door, Sharon noticed that Andy and Provenza were no longer at their desks, so she assumed that they had gone home. But seeing Andy's jacket draped over the back of his chair had her wondering where he'd gone off to. Glancing over at the lieutenant's desk, she saw that it was reset, so she just assumed that he'd left. Him not saying goodbye to her had her a little curious, but after spending the day bickering with Andy, she figured he'd want to get out of the PAB as fast as possible.
When she got to the terrace, she was relieved that no one else was up there, so she head straight over to her favorite spot to get lost in thought for a bit. Even though the conversation with Gavin had ended on a positive note, she still couldn't let go of just how hard Jack had rattled her. It had been a while since he's gotten this far under her skin, and most of the time she could brush him off and not give him a second thought, but this time was different and she knew that it had everything to do with Andy. All of this could put a dent in his reputation as well, and that's something that he's worked so very hard to fix and maintain. Just another reason why she couldn't risk anything with him.
Andy.
It all seems to keep coming back to him. They really did need to sit and talk about everything, but she wouldn't even know how to start that conversation. "Hey, so I know we were friends once, then we hated each other for years, and I'm really sorry that my idiot almost ex-husband ruined your life, but now we're friends again, and that's great, but I'd really like it if we were more than that, like you could totally kiss me and I wouldn't even mind, but remember that I'm your boss, so you have to be the one to ask me out." Right, she could totally have that conversation. Not even her high school relationships were this complicated. She really thought about screaming out loud, but decided against it when she heard footsteps.
"Ah, Captain, fancy meeting you here," Provenza said as he walked over to her. "Didn't think anyone else escaped up here."
"Good evening, lieutenant. Neither did I. What brings you up here?"
He could tell her that he was just talking with her best friend and plotting on how to cuff her and Andy together until they figured everything out, but decided against it. "Just thinking about that case I'm working on. It's proving to be a little more difficult than I imagined. Both parties are being incredibly stubborn," he shrugged as he sat down next to her.
"I'm sure it'll all work out in time. Maybe lock them somewhere together to see if they can figure things out on their own. Sometimes forcing people together to see the obvious can work out in the end." Sharon paused as she realized that may very well happen with Jack if he continued on with his attack on her. "Well, sometimes. Other times making sure that both parties are nowhere near each other is the best course of action."
"Jack?" asked Provenza. He laughed with her as she snort-laughed at the sound of her soon-to-be ex-husband's name. That was one situation he could never understand. "You know, sometimes right after a divorce is the best time to maybe take a chance on some things that seem to be inevitable. Something, well, like a new relationship for example. I've heard that, if based on a deep friendship, they can grow into something more. But what do I know."
"Hmm," she nodded. Now she gets it. She still needs to figure out how Andrea got involved, but, for now, she'll play along pretending she has no idea what he's talking about. "A new relationship? And why, lieutenant, would I even think of that? And where would I even start? Wait…" Oh, she was about to have some fun with him just because she could. "Do you want…is this…are you asking me out?" Trying to hold back her laugh when she saw the look on his face was proving to be very difficult.
"Good God, woman, are you out of your mind?! No, I'm not asking you out!" He sputtered as he stood to put some distance between them. She really was positively insane sometimes. "I've only just begun to tolerate you again! Why on earth would you even go there?"
"Well," Sharon drew out, "you're the one standing here talking about relationships and taking chances, I just assumed you meant between us. I didn't even know you felt that way. I'm touched, really," she smirked as she placed a hand over her heart.
"Oh, you're touched alright. Touched in the damn head! Egads, I will never figure out what that man sees in you." He didn't mean to let that last part slip out loud, but he was grateful when Sharon didn't acknowledge it, even if he knew that she heard it.
That makes two of us, she thought to herself. She'd never understand what Andy saw in her either. In an instant, the light-hearted mood changed and Sharon found herself back in the somber mood she had been in when she first arrived on the roof. The air around them was thick and the subterfuge of their conversation was staring to wane. She truly did appreciate what Provenza was trying to do, but this was still something that she and Andy needed to figure out on their own. "As far as your case goes, I think, that if left to figure things out on their own without too much outside interference, your suspects may surprise you. But, then again, if it's gone on this long, maybe things aren't as cut and dry as they seem. Sometimes, lieutenant, the things people want to happen, simply," she shrugged, "can't."
"Or maybe they simply can if you let them."
She hesitated, but as she stared out into the LA skyline, she asked her question into the air hoping Provenza had an answer for her. "And if it's too late?"
"It's not," Provenza said while looking down at her. He knew she wouldn't let her emotions get the best of her while he was still there, so he took a few steps to leave her in peace, but not without giving her one last thought. "Sharon?" He paused waiting for her to look at him. "It's not." And when she nodded and turned her head away, Provenza knew what he needed to do next. Whipping out his phone as he waited for the elevator, he sent a quick text off to Andrea letting know what he had done. "Just left your best friend on the terrace alone in her thoughts. I'm sending mine up to fix this and locking the door behind them until they figure it out. Care to join me to watch how this all plays out?"
"I'll be there in ten. You do realize that if she tries to kill you, I'm defending her, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll see you in a bit." As Provenza rode down in the elevator, he smirked to himself. He'd already locked the terrace door behind him when he left, grateful that the Allen-key was always left close by. It was getting Andy up there that may be difficult. Then it dawned on him. Three simple words would be all it took to send Andy on his way.
Other than bickering back and forth all day, Andy and Provenza hadn't said a word to each other. So when the lieutenant came back to the murder room after his talk with Sharon, he went straight to Andy's desk. "She needs you," he said. Provenza was fully prepared to get yelled at by Andy, but it never came.
"Where?" Andy said as he stood up to put his jacket on. Not going to her wasn't an option for him.
"The terrace," was all Provenza muttered. He was fully prepared for Andy to brush right by him, but when he felt Andy give him a playful punch in the arm, he knew they'd be fine. Provenza still thought he was an idiot, but Andy was his idiot, and he just wants to see him happy.