Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated this fic! I was experiencing some serious writers block for a bit and then life got in the way as it tends to do sometimes. Anyways, I'm back now and plan on doing my best to update this fic more regularly. This chapter is a missing scene from, I'm gonna say, around October 2014. Right before they all head to The Nutcracker, when trying to clarify things for Nicole about Sharon and Andy and their "not dating" relationship, Rusty mentions, "…and the charity banquet at the Japanese American Museum…" It never really specifies when that charity banquet that Sharon and Andy went to took place, but I'm putting it around the middle of October. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 7: Enough

Lately, it felt like the line between friendship and something more between them was getting even more blurred. Nothing necessarily romantic had happened between them, but it certainly had the potential of happening. They were spending more of their off time together, whether it was having dinner together or going to a movie or meeting for coffee or any other excuse for them to spend time together outside of work. That's how they'd arrived at the present situation.

The whole thing had kind of been last minute. It had been a long week with a tough case and Sharon was more than ready to unwind and have some fun. Except she had almost forgotten that she'd already committed to attending a charity event at the Japanese American Museum the following evening. It wasn't that she didn't want to go. She was always willing to support the arts in any way she could. She just didn't feel like going alone this time. She always went to these things alone and while there were usually plenty of people to talk with, something about going alone this time bothered her and made her feel slightly insecure in a way that made her feel ridiculous. As she was sitting in her office lost in these ridiculous thoughts, she heard a knock on her door. As she told whoever it was to come in, the door opened and Andy walked in.

"Hey. Here's my paperwork," Andy told her as he set the stack of papers in the inbox on Sharon's desk.

"Thanks," said Sharon as she smiled up at him.

"So, what are your plans for the weekend now that we're finally done with this case? Cause let's face it, we all could use a little fun after this case," said Andy.

"I was thinking the same thing. Except…" Sharon trailed off as she sighed.

"Except what?" Andy asked Sharon curiously.

"This is gonna sound really stupid," Sharon told him.

"I doubt it. Try me," said Andy.

"I'm supposed to go to this charity event tomorrow night at the Japanese American Museum and for some stupid reason, this time I'm feeling a little insecure about going alone. It's not like I haven't gone alone to these things a thousand times before. Stupid, I know," said Sharon.

"I don't think that's stupid, Sharon. When you're on your own, it can be hard going to social events like this where almost everyone else has a plus one. You feel weird. Like you don't fit in with everyone else or something. I get it," replied Andy.

"Yeah. I honestly don't get why I'm feeling this way about the whole thing though. Just forget I ever said anything," said Sharon.

"You know…I don't have anything going on tomorrow night. So, if it would make you feel better about it…I could go with you to this thing," suggested Andy.

"Andy, I can't ask you to give up your Saturday night just because I'm feeling insecure," said Sharon.

"It's not a big deal, Sharon. I didn't have plans tomorrow night anyways. Plus, it gives me the chance to return the favor you did me by being my buffer at Nicole's wedding," explained Andy.

"Are you sure, Andy? You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Sharon told him.

"I'm sure, Sharon. I promise. It's totally fine. What time should I pick you up tomorrow?" Andy asked her.

"It starts around eight. So, around 7:15pm?" Sharon asked.

"Sounds good. Black tie?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah. Andy, thank you. I really appreciate you doing this for me," Sharon told him.

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow night," said Andy as he turned to walk out of Sharon's office.

"Okay. Goodnight," said Sharon.

"Goodnight," replied Andy as he exited Sharon's office and made his way back over to his desk in the murder room.

The following evening, as Sharon was finishing getting ready, she heard a knock on her front door.

"Rusty, can you get the door? It's probably Andy," said Sharon.

"Sure," replied Rusty as he went to answer the door.

Once Rusty opened the door, he saw Andy standing there nervously. Rusty swore Sharon and Andy were dating and just didn't know it yet. The two of them were always hanging out outside of work and now they were getting all dressed up to go to a charity event together. As just friends of course. At least that's what Sharon had told him. The simple fact that Sharon felt the need to clarify that point when he hadn't even asked about it proved to Rusty that there was definitely something going on between them. He chose to keep his mouth shut about that though and let the two of them figure that out for themselves.

"Hey Andy," said Rusty.

"Hey, Rusty. Is she almost ready?" Andy asked him.

"It might be a few minutes. You wanna come in?" Rusty asked him.

"Sure," replied Andy as Rusty moved to the side to let him enter the condo before he closed the door.

"So, big night, huh?" Rusty asked him.

"Yeah…" Andy trailed off as he looked past Rusty towards Sharon entering the living room.

Sharon was wearing a full length, dark green dress with lace cap sleeves. Her makeup was elegant yet understated and her hair was up in an elegant yet simple updo. This was something new for Andy. He wasn't used to seeing her all dressed up like this and if he was being honest, he was speechless when he saw her walk into the room. She looked stunning and Andy wasn't quite sure what to say or what would be appropriate to say given the situation. They were currently in this place where they were just friends, yet the line between friendship and the possibility of something more was becoming more blurred by the day. Nothing had happened, but the potential for it was sure as hell there.

Andy decided fairly neutral wording would be best in this situation and said to Sharon, "You look beautiful."

Sharon smiled and blushed slightly as she turned her head away for a moment before she turned her gaze back to Andy and smiled as she said, "You don't clean up half bad yourself."

At that point, Rusty felt like he was intruding on a moment between them or something. They were staring at each other like he wasn't even in the room.

Rusty politely cleared his throat before he said, "Well, you two have a good time. I've got some studying to do."

In that moment, Sharon snapped out of the daze she'd been in since she'd walked into the room and saw Andy. The way she was acting was ridiculous.

"Bye, Rusty. I'll see you in the morning," Sharon told him.

Rusty turned around and began walking down the hallway and replied, "Yeah. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," replied Sharon before Rusty shut his bedroom door.

Once she turned back towards Andy, he asked her, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," replied Sharon as they left the condo and headed for the elevator.

Once they got to the Japanese American Museum, they made small talk with a few people Sharon had met at past events before Gavin spotted Sharon from across the room. When he noticed Sharon wasn't alone, he gave Sharon a look before he made his way over to them.

"Lieutenant Flynn, what a surprise," said Gavin with a hint of sarcasm directed at Sharon as he gave her a knowing look.

"Good to see you again, Gavin," Andy told him.

"You as well. Sharon didn't tell me she was bringing you tonight," said Gavin.

"That's because it was all a little last minute Gavin," Sharon told him as she gave him a somewhat pointed look.

Andy, sensing Sharon needed to speak with Gavin, offered to go get himself and Sharon something to drink.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sharon asked Gavin.

"What am I doing? Oh, honey. You're the one that brought a date with you tonight," said Gavin.

"It's not a date," replied Sharon.

"Sharon, you can't be serious. I mean look at you," Gavin pointed out.

"What about me?" Sharon asked him.

"You're wearing a beautiful dress. Your makeup and hair are flawless. You were so dressing for that man tonight," Gavin told her.

"I was not. I've had this dress for two weeks. Plus, like I told you, all of this was last minute. I didn't even know he was coming with me until last night," Sharon told him.

"How did that happen?" Gavin asked curiously.

"I am so not getting into this with you right now," Sharon told him.

"Let's see. I think it went a little something like this. You guys were talking and you casually mentioned that you were coming here tonight and then you casually asked him if he'd like to come with you and he said yes because neither of you can stay away from each other for too long. Oh, and there's the small fact that the two of you like each other. A lot. So much in fact that you seem to be spending a lot of your free time hanging out together lately. Come on, Sharon. This is me you're talking to. You can't honestly tell me that I'm wrong here. The signs are pretty clear," said Gavin.

"First of all, you're wrong about that first part. I didn't ask him to come with me tonight. He offered," Sharon told Gavin proudly.

"Oh, honey. Your face right now just told me everything. This is how it always begins. You basically invited yourself to his daughter's wedding. He basically invited himself here tonight because he wants to spend time with you. There's a pretty clear pattern here," Gavin pointed out.

"First off, neither of those is true. Nobody basically invited themselves anywhere. Andy's here as a friend. That's all," Sharon explained.

"I noticed you didn't bother to deny that second part," Gavin pointed out.

Sharon sighed and rolled her eyes at Gavin before she said, "It's complicated. On so many levels."

"Like?" Gavin asked Sharon.

"Well, for starters, I'm still technically married," Sharon told him.

"Oh, you mean to that deadbeat who you've been legally separated from for over 20 years and who you're nearly divorced from. That jackass has so much bad karma coming his way it would serve him right if you found someone else before you were even divorced," said Gavin.

"Yes, but unlike some people I actually have a moral compass. Even if my soon to be ex-husband is a deadbeat. Plus, Andy respects me enough not to try anything while I'm still married and that's if he even wants to in the first place," said Sharon.

"Oh, he wants to, honey. That much is pretty clear," replied Gavin.

"Well, whatever the case may be, we're done talking about it because he's on his way back over here," Sharon told Gavin.

"Okay. I'll see you later. Have fun with your lieutenant," Gavin told Sharon as he kissed her cheek before heading off to mingle with other people at the event.

Sharon rolled her eyes at Gavin's back as Andy made his back over to her. He handed her a glass of white wine as he sipped on his club soda.

"Everything, okay?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Yeah. Just Gavin being Gavin. That's all," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

Later on in the evening, many of the couples in attendance began making their way onto the dance floor as the music began playing. Andy looked over at Sharon, nervously trying to decide what to do. Asking her to dance shouldn't be this awkward, but it was and he knew exactly why it was awkward. He had feelings for his best friend. Feelings that definitely went beyond friendship. It also didn't help that she looked absolutely stunning tonight. Not that she didn't look beautiful to him every other day he saw her. If he was being honest, Sharon's beauty intimidated him a little bit. Despite all these thoughts running through his head, Andy decided to put all that aside and ask her.

"Would you like to dance?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Sure. If I remember correctly, you're not too bad of a dancer," Sharon told Andy as she smiled at him.

"I'm just grateful it's all classical this time. That way I don't have to worry about awkward timing," replied Andy as he extended his arm for Sharon to loop her arm around as he escorted her to the dance floor.

As they arrived in the middle of the dance floor, Andy placed one of his hands against Sharon's side and took her hand with his other hand as they began dancing. If Sharon was being honest, her breath had hitched slightly when she felt Andy rest his hand against her side. The contact felt nice and it surprised Sharon that the simple touch of Andy's hand against her side could affect her this much. As they continued dancing, Sharon's mind began to drift slightly as she began to think of what else Andy's hands were capable of making her feel. She quickly chased those thoughts away when she realized Andy was talking to her.

"What?" Sharon asked him.

"I said so much for no awkward timing," replied Andy.

"Why?" Sharon asked him.

"Look around. Everybody's staring at us," Andy told her.

Rather than have the moment feel awkward, Sharon said, "They're probably admiring your excellent dancing skills."

Andy laughed at that before he said, "Nah. My dancing skills aren't that impressive. They're probably admiring the beautiful dress you're wearing."

Sharon blushed slightly before she asked, "Are they still staring?"

"Yeah. If any of this is making you feel uncomfortable, we can always-" began Andy before Sharon cut him off.

Sharon looked at Andy as she said, "No. Let them stare. I was promised a dance and I intend to finish it."

Andy smiled at Sharon's boldness and said, "Okay."

After Sharon and Andy finished their dance and stepped off the dance floor, Andy said, "It's getting late. I should probably get you home."

"Yeah. These things never have good desserts anyway," Sharon told him.

Andy, knowing how much Sharon loved dessert, said, "Well, there aren't very many options at almost 11 o'clock at night, but I happen to know a place that serves the best chocolate milkshakes around. So, if you want, we could…"

"You know how much I love chocolate. Let's go," Sharon told him.

When they arrived at the diner, Sharon sat there smiling for a moment before she started laughing.

"What? It's a diner," said Andy.

"It's not that. It's just…" Sharon trailed off before she burst into another fit of laughter.

"I don't get what's so funny about this," Andy told her.

Once Sharon regained her composure, she said, "Look at us, Andy. We're in black tie attire and we're going to a diner. Don't you find that the least bit ironic?"

"Okay, I'll admit that's a little strange, but it's almost midnight in LA. I doubt two people dressed up in fancy clothes are the strangest thing they've ever seen. Besides, I know the owner. He's been running this place for over almost forty years and has told me way weirder stories than this," replied Andy.

"Let's go, then. I believe I was promised the best chocolate milkshake around. Gotta see if it lives up to the hype," said Sharon as she got out of the car.

Andy followed her and held the door open for her as they entered the diner.

As the owner saw Andy enter the diner, he exclaimed, "Andy! Long time no see!"

"Yeah, the dirtbags of LA have been keeping me pretty busy lately. How it going, Pat?" Andy asked him.

"Can't complain. Business is going good, family's great. How about you?" Pat asked.

"The kids are good. Working hard. Especially Nicole. She's got two stepsons now to keep her on her toes," replied Andy.

"That's great. Are you gonna introduce me to your friend here or do I have to introduce myself?" Pat asked him.

"Oh, sorry. Pat, this is Captain Sharon Raydor. Sharon, this is Pat, the owner of this place," said Andy.

"Nice to meet you, Pat," said Sharon as she extended her hand out to him.

"You too. Captain, huh? Does that mean you're in charge of keeping this guy outta trouble?" Pat asked as he shook Sharon's hand.

"Afraid so. At least for the past few years. Not sure how much good it does sometimes," replied Sharon.

"Well, this guy needs someone to keep him on the straight and narrow sometimes. So, you just keep doing whatever you're doing to keep him in line," said Pat.

"Duly noted," replied Sharon as she looked over at Andy.

"So, what brings you guys in here tonight?" Pat asked them.

"Well, Sharon here has a penchant for chocolate and I told her you serve the best chocolate milkshake around. So, don't make me look like a fool," Andy joked.

"I got you covered. Two?" Pat asked Andy.

"Yeah. Thanks, Pat," replied Andy as Pat walked away to begin making their chocolate milkshakes.

Meanwhile, Andy and Sharon made their way over to a table and sat down.

"I gotta take these heels off. My feet are killing me," said Sharon as she removed her shoes and set her feet on the side of the bench Andy wasn't occupying across from her.

"I honestly don't get how you walk in those things all day," Andy commented.

"I don't wear them all day," Sharon told him.

"Practically," replied Andy.

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret since you're insisting I wear them all day," Sharon told him.

"And what would that be?" Andy asked.

"I usually take them off when I'm sitting at my desk," Sharon admitted.

Andy smiled at that.

"What?" Sharon asked him.

"Nothing. Just funny. That's all," replied Andy.

In reality, he thought the whole thing was really cute, but it's not like he could just say that to her.

"Well then, funny guy, since you find this so amusing, what's your best kept secret?" Sharon asked him.

"I think you know pretty much all of my secrets," replied Andy.

"Come on, Andy. There's gotta be something I don't know about you," said Sharon.

"Okay. Umm… I still have that bean bag in my desk drawer," Andy told her.

Sharon was silent for a moment and her expression was virtually unreadable.

Andy was afraid he's said the wrong thing and told Sharon, "Sharon, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No. Don't apologize, Andy. It's fine. In fact, it's kind of sweet that you've kept it all these years," Sharon told Andy as she rested her hand on top of his to reassure him.

"Really?" asked Andy surprisingly.

"Yeah. Doesn't really surprise me though. That totally sounds like something you'd do," replied Sharon.

"What do you mean?" Andy asked her.

"You're a good guy, Andy. You may have a bit of a temper sometimes, but underneath all of that, you're a big teddy bear," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy and patted the top of his hand before realizing she should probably remove her hand from his now.

Just then, Pat walked over to their table with two chocolate milkshakes.

He set them down in front of them before he said, "Two chocolate milkshakes. Hey, Andy. I forgot to ask you. What's with the penguin suit? Are you some big shot down at the LAPD now?"

"Nah. Too much paperwork. Just escorting this beautiful woman to a charity event earlier," Andy told Pat as he looked across the table at Sharon.

Sharon smiled at Andy's compliment before she heard Pat tell him, "You better hold on to this one, Andy. She keeps you in line and she's a beauty. That doesn't come along every day. Especially in LA."

"Oh no-" Andy stuttered.

"We're not-" Sharon gestured.

"A couple," Andy finished for her.

"Just very good friends," Sharon added for good measure as she smiled up at Pat.

"Uh huh. You guys keep telling yourselves that. Shakes are on me," Pat told them as he started to walk away.

"Pat, wait," Andy told him.

"Andy, what do I tell you every time you come in here?" Pat asked him.

Good cops never pay in your restaurant," replied Andy.

"That's right. You two have a good night," Pat told them as he walked away from them and went behind the counter to tend to another customer.

"Andy…" Sharon trailed off.

"Sharon, look at me," Andy told her.

As Sharon made eye contact with Andy, he motioned between them and said, "This. It's not an issue for me right now. There's obviously something else going on here, but I also realize that the timing is pretty crappy. I completely respect the fact that you're still technically married to that jackass and I totally get that none of whatever this is between us can even be acknowledged, let alone acted upon, until after your divorce is final. I wouldn't want it to happen before then anyway. I don't mind waiting."

"Andy…I can't ask you to do that. It's not fair to you to have to wait for something that may or may not happen right after my divorce is final. I'm not sure when I'll be ready to take that step forward," Sharon told him.

"You're not asking me to do anything, Sharon. Like I said. I don't mind waiting. Whether that means 5 days or 5 years. You're worth it. Which is something I have a feeling you don't hear nearly enough," said Andy as he ran his thumb along the top of Sharon's hand.

"Okay," replied Sharon as she patted the top of Andy's hand.

"Oh, and one more thing. If anything like me touching the top of your hand or holding your gaze a little too long or the flirting we've been doing lately makes you feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. Don't worry about hurting my feelings. I can take it. My goal isn't to make you feel uncomfortable in any way," Andy told her.

"Same goes for you. If at any point you decide this is too much for you, I want you to be honest with me about it. Don't worry about hurting me. I'll be alright. I always am. Currently though, I'm enjoying spending time with you. Even if the situation isn't ideal at the moment," Sharon told Andy.

"I enjoy spending time with you, too. So, for now, let's keep enjoying spending time together and see where that takes us," said Andy.

"Okay," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

Andy smiled back at Sharon before they each took a sip of their chocolate milkshakes. Neither of them knew what the future would hold, but just acknowledging that there was in fact something going on between them seemed to put both of them a little more at ease with each other. For now, simply spending time together would have to be enough.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, please leave a review to let me know what you thought of it. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of this story as well as my other fics! Your support truly means a lot to me. So, thank you!