DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters except Matthew and Moxie. The rest belongs to James Duff and the Major Crimes Franchise.
Chapter 17
Later that night, Emily was in the guest room and Matthew walked in with Moxie. "Hey kiddo" she greeted him. "I see you're finally awake" she said to him as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Moxie sat next to him. "Yeh, mom and dad woke me up not too long ago and I forgot you were here so I looked for you" Matthew told her. "Did you eat dinner?" she asked as she put away her clothes from her duffle bag to the dresser drawer. "I did" Matthew said as he watched her. "Are you moving back in?" he asked. "No" Emily giggled. "I'm just going to stay here for a few days until my apartment building stops smelling like smoke. "Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked her as he stood up from the bed, Moxie stood up wagging his tail. "Sure kiddo, I'll be down in a couple of minutes" she told him and he ran out of her room, Moxie chasing after him.
As Emily made her way back downstairs, Matthew was in the family room picking out a movie. Andy was in the den, looking over some bills that came in the mail. Sharon saw Emily coming down the stairs as she walked from the kitchen towards the den. "Matthew wants to watch a movie" Emily told her mom as she stopped her. "Ok, it will probably be Lego Batman again, just to let you know" Sharon smiled at her daughter. "Maybe I should introduce him to some other movies besides that one" Emily suggested. "Good luck trying" Sharon warned her as she entered the den to join Andy.
"So, what are you doing in here?" Sharon asked as she stepped inside the den. "Oh, ah, just looking at some of the bills that came in the mail today" Andy glanced up at her and smiled. "You've been very domestic today" she smiled as she walked over to him and he moved his chair so she could sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and she settled her head on his shoulder. "I enjoyed being home today, and working around the house, planting flowers for you and welcoming you home from work" he muttered in between kisses. "Hmm, does that mean you want to stay home permanently?" she asked him as he kissed down her neck. He moved his head to look at her. "No, but I like doing things for you around the house, and it seems like I haven't had a chance to do that in a while" he explained to her. She hummed as she placed her head back on his shoulder and he held her to him. She relaxed in his embrace.
Andy held her close to him for a while, not realizing how much time has passed. He heard the TV was still on in the family room. "Sharon?" he whispered into her ear. "Hmm?" Sharon muttered into his neck as she shifted her body, placing her left hand on his right shoulder. "It's time for bed and plus, my leg fell asleep" he whispered. "I'm sorry" she said as she started to stand up. "Oh, it's after ten already?" she saw the clock on the wall as she stood. Andy then stood up from his chair and stretched. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" she asked him as she held her hand out to him. Andy shrugged his shoulders, grinning at her. She narrowed her eyes at him and smiled. "I'm going to check on the kids and see what's going on in the family room" Sharon told him as they parted, she going to the family room and Andy went towards the kitchen.
Sharon stepped in and saw the movie had stopped playing and now some tv show was on. She glanced at her kids and saw they were both asleep on the couch. She woke Emily first. Emily opened her eyes and saw her mom looking back at her. "Guess I fell asleep watching that movie" Emily whispered as she moved to stand up. Sharon gave her a hug and a kiss on her head. "Good night" Emily said, leaving her mom and heading towards the stairs. Sharon turned to Matthew, who was sprawled out on the other end of the couch. "Matthew" she sweetly called his name and gently touched his shoulder but he just turned over so that his face was now facing the cushion. She looked over to Moxie, who was now sitting up watching her. "Go wake up Matthew" she told Moxie and Moxie walked over to where Matthew was, jumped on the couch, and started to lick his face. Matthew started giggling and opened his eyes.
"Matthew, sweetie, it's time to go to bed now" Sharon told him as he sat up on the couch, with Moxie looking at him. "Ok" he muttered, stretching his arms over his head before standing up. "Come on, go upstairs and I'll tuck you in" Sharon said and Matthew started slowly walking to the stairs with Moxie. Sharon turned around and went to see what Andy was doing in the kitchen. She walked in to the room and saw that he was standing by the sink, rinsing the pots and grilling tools he had put in their earlier that night. A smile came to her face as she watched him. Andy could feel he was being watched. He turned around and looked at her. "The kids were sleeping on the couch so I woke them up and they went upstairs" she said as she walked closer to him. He turned off the water and wiped his hands on the dish towel that was next to the sink. "Good" he muttered as he turned around and she wrapped her arms around his waist. He brought his hands to cup her face, leaning down, and kissed her on her lips.
Before they could get carried away, Sharon broke their kiss and leaned her forehead against his chest. "I promised Matthew I would tuck him in" she whispered as she caught her breath. "I'll lock up down here and meet you upstairs then" Andy told her and watched her walk away from him. He ran his hand over his face and walked to the back door, making sure it was locked before he made his way to the front door, shutting some lights off on the first floor as he went. Making his way upstairs, he stopped just outside Matthew's room and saw Sharon was talking to the boy. She kissed him good night, tucking the blanket over him, and left the side table lamp on. She turned around and saw Andy standing at the door, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes as she stepped closer to him. He moved so that she was able to close Matthew's door behind her. "Have I told you how great a mother you are?" he whispered to her. "Hmm, once or twice" she smiled at him and ran her hand down his right arm, her fingers lingering on his gold chain on his wrist.
"I have one more child to tuck in and then I'm all yours" she said to him in a sultry voice and left him standing there in the hallway as she walked towards the guest room that Emily had taken over. Andy sighed and walked into their bedroom. As he got ready for bed, and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, he couldn't help but wonder if Jack truly did have something up his sleeve when he was at the PAB today. Meanwhile, Sharon was leaning up against the old dresser that was in the guest room as she listened to Emily talk about the choreography of the new show. "Oh, mom, it's so modern and sophisticated, I'm not sure if the cast is going to be ready for when the show debuts" she told her. "Well, you are one of the best, sweetie, I'm sure everything will work out" Sharon said and stepped towards her daughter, leaning in and kissing the top of her head. "Remember to flow with the music and everything else will come with it" she reminded Emily and then walked towards the door. "Good night" Emily called out. "Night" Sharon smiled and then closed the door as she stepped into the hallway.
Sharon walked back towards their room and closed the door behind her. She was then met with strong hands wrapping around her body, kisses running down her neck to her collar bone, and felt the door on her back. "Andy" she whispered as she ran her hands up his bare chest. "I'll let you get ready for bed in a few minutes" he mumbled in between kissing her neck and lips. Sharon closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations that Andy was bringing to her. "Cara Mia" he whispered into her ear. But before they could get carried away, Sharon maneuvered them so that Andy was now against the door. They looked at each other. Sharon smiled and ran her right index finger down his nose to his mouth, circling his lips, and then moved her finger down his bare chest, but before he could react, she turned and walked towards their bathroom.
Andy stood there, watching the bathroom door close behind her. He took a deep breath as he ran his right hand through his short hair. He then walked over to their bed, puling the covers back and settled in to wait for her. Sharon went through her nightly routine and got ready for bed. She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered how lucky she was to have Andy love her as much as he did. When she was done, she stepped out of the bathroom and saw the sight before her. Andy was already in bed, and had fallen asleep. She smiled as she turned off the lights, only leaving the room in a soft glow from the bed side lamps. She settled into her side of their bed, pulling the covers up around both of them and settling into Andy's side. He stirred and moved his arms so that he was now holding her close to him. "I love you" she told him as she kissed his neck, on his scar. "I love you too" he mumbled to her as they both settled in for the night.
The next morning, the house was busy as usual. Matthew was getting ready for his camp, while Emily was already up and heading out the door to her rehearsals. "The group is having a little get together tonight, around 8, so I'll come here in between" she told her mom as she was walking towards the back door. "Be safe sweetie!" Sharon told her daughter and then continued to make breakfast for herself, Andy, and Matthew. Matthew came running down the stairs with Moxie chasing him. "What's the rush?" Sharon asked him as he sat down at the table. Matthew just shrugged his shoulders as Sharon placed some scrambled eggs on his plate. Andy then joined them in the kitchen. He was wearing his grey, pin-striped suit with a purple tie to match Sharon's purple blouse.
Matthew looked up at his dad and then over at his mom. "You both are matching" he pointed out to them. "Yes, we are" Sharon simply said as she placed some scrambled eggs on Andy's plate and the rest on her plate. "Are you and mommy taking me to my game tomorrow?" Matthew asked as he stuffed his face with some toast. "That's the plan kid" Andy smiled at him and then winked at Sharon. They were not on call this weekend but that hadn't stopped them before from missing one of Matthew's games. Matthew was done eating and pushed out of his chair, heading towards the back door. "Where are you going?" Sharon called out to him. "I'm taking Moxie out to the backyard!" Matthew called back as they heard the back door open. Sharon glanced over at Andy. "Matthew! Come back here and put your plate away!" Andy called out. They heard the back door close and then Matthew ran back into the kitchen, grabbing his plate and placed it in the sink. He then ran to the back door and opened it again.
Sharon looked at Andy who just shrugged his shoulders. "Mom!" they both heard Matthew call out and Sharon ran over to the back door, opening it and stepped outside. Andy followed behind her. She saw Matthew standing in the middle of the yard and Moxie looking at something in the grass, she could feel her heart beating fast. Sharon stepped from the patio to the grass and joined the pair. "What is it, sweetheart?" she softly asked Matthew. The boy just pointed to the pile of fur in the grass. Sharon knelt down to take a closer look. "Oh" she said as she saw a bunny in the grass, but it wasn't moving. She stood up and took a deep breath. "Sweetie come over here and daddy will take care of that" she placed her hand on Matthew's shoulder, guiding the boy away from the dead animal. Andy walked up behind them and saw the issue. "Moxie didn't do it" Matthew muttered to Sharon as they walked away. "I know" she softly told him.
Andy looked at the bunny, who was laying there, dead, and scratched the back of his head. He walked to the garage, getting a shovel out, and brought it back to the scene. He placed the shovel underneath the bunny and lifted it on to the shovel, and walked with it towards the gate. He looked at the bunny but didn't see any teeth marks or blood. He walked it to the front of their house, and placed it underneath a bush on the right side of the driveway. He figured by doing this, some wild animal will gladly take it and have a nice meal. He placed the shovel back in the garage and re-joined Sharon and Matthew, along with Moxie in the backyard. Sharon looked up as Andy walked towards them. They were sitting on the couch and she was consoling their kid. Matthew wiped his nose on his arm as they stood up. Sharon shook her head. "You are going to go wash your arm now when you get inside" she told him and patted his back as he ran back inside the house, with Moxie following him.
She turned and looked at Andy. "I didn't see any teeth marks or blood, maybe the bunny just" he started but didn't finish as he placed his hand at the small of her back, guiding her back into the house. Matthew walked out of the bathroom as he was wiping his arm with a towel. "Do you have everything you need for camp today?" Sharon asked as she looked down the hallway to him. "Everything is in my backpack, and I have my phone" he answered her as he brought the towel into the kitchen and placed it on the table. Sharon cleared her throat as she watched him. "And it's charged" Matthew looked at his mom. "Good, now go place that towel back where you got it" Andy told him as he walked into the kitchen. Matthew grabbed the towel from the table and trudged back towards the bathroom. "Are you all set to go?" she asked him. "Yes" mumbled Andy as he walked towards her and kissed her. Matthew joined them again in the kitchen. He grabbed his backpack from the floor next to his chair and placed it on his shoulder. "Ready" he said, looking at his parents. "Ok, let's go!" Andy pointed to the back door as he grabbed his keys, looking at Sharon and giving her his smile. Sharon smiled as she grabbed her bag and purse, walking behind Matthew as they all exited the house.
TBC
