Chapter Text
I started this story with words written to a friend.
"For Kait. I hope it's everything you want it to be."
I end it with words to my future wife.
"For Kait. It turned out to be everything I didn't know it would be.
Thank you for being the Sharon to my Brenda.
I love you.
Always"
One year later
It was the perfect day for a wedding. The sun was shining but it wasn't too hot. The scent of the hundreds of fresh flowers had filled the vineyard where the ceremony took place and all day long there had been the sounds of laughter and music. The vows had been perfect and sitting on the front row, Sharon had had the perfect view of Amy as she promised to spend the rest of her life together with the man she loved. And now, as the sun began to set and the strings of fairy lights in the trees surrounding them were switched on, Sharon's breath was taken away by the perfection of today.
She looked at Brenda sitting beside her. She looked truly stunning with her blonde hair bound into the nape of her neck, a few lose stray curls falling down the sides of her face. Her off the shoulder navy dress complimented Sharon's light blue bridesmaids dress and they wore matching silver necklaces. She continued to watch Brenda as the blonde's brown eyes were focused on the group of people on the dancefloor just a few feet away.
The last year had been a road full of discoveries. They were taking their relationship slow but somehow it still seemed to go faster than Sharon could have anticipated. Brenda spent most of her time at the condo but there were nights where she still went back to her own apartment. And on those nights Sharon both cherished her space, which had grown a little quieter since Rusty moved in with Gus a few weeks ago, but at the same time she longed for Brenda's constant presence.
Coming out late in life had proven to be both a challenge as well as an eye opening and heart-warming experience. Those closest to her were most welcoming and in general, she had found she faced very little extra scurrility because of her position within the LAPD. She had no doubt there were whispers and rumours behind her back but she had never been one to really listen to them, even if these days she did sometimes take an extra moment to think about it. It was as if opening this part of herself up to the wider world had made her feel more vulnerable. Whether people were accepting because they still remembered Brenda or just because of the reputation Sharon had built for herself, she didn't know. But there had been people who had struggled more.
Jack certainly had but recently he had been more accepting and they'd been able to talk openly. He no longer treated Brenda like an outcast and during their last meeting he had even brought a bottle of her favourite wine. A couple of friends Sharon had known since the academy had seemed more reluctant and neither had returned her calls. She had since stopped calling them because she'd eventually realised there was no point chasing those who couldn't share in her happiness. Andy had been angry at first but then, one day, he had found her in an empty meeting room at work after a combined task force had been set up for a case, and they'd talked.
"I never could explain what it was I could see happening between the two of you when you first walked into that Murder Room," he said. "There was something… even if nobody knew what it was. And it doesn't matter anymore." He had taken a step towards her and took her hand. Then he had looked into her eyes and said, "I wasn't the one to make you happy, Sharon. But that doesn't mean you don't deserve it. Does Brenda make you happy?"
"Yes," Sharon had smiled. "She does."
"Then I am happy too."
The only person who had really struggled to look at Sharon the same way was Fritz and when Brenda told her the story behind their divorce, Sharon understood. It wasn't long after her relationship with Brenda became public that Fritz transferred out of the LAPD altogether. He never said it directly and Sharon never asked, but she knew it was because he couldn't stand working with the woman who now shared her life with his ex-wife. She couldn't compare him to Jack or even Andy because their relationships had been so different. He still loved Brenda, in his own personal flawed way, and seeing her love someone else and seeing someone else love Brenda, was more than he could handle. Sharon didn't blame him.
Brenda's father Clay had been more of a surprise. Brenda had always feared disclosing her sexuality to him and with a little help from her niece Charlie, she eventually told him she and Sharon were dating when they visited Atlanta for a long weekend. Clay had looked at them for the longest of moments and then he had spoken the words that had reduced Brenda to a sobbing mess. "I wish your Mama was here to see your happiness, Brenda Leigh. She would have been so happy to see you happy."
To add to the changes in their life, Emily had announced that after her tour in Europe, she was going to quit dancing and would open her ballet studio in New York. Ricky had returned to Los Angeles ten months ago and Sharon had finally gotten to meet the girl he had been dating for almost two years. Just two weeks ago, he had told Sharon that she was going to become a grandmother and she'd cried tears of happiness she had never cried before.
Sharon snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Brenda's hand on her arm.
"Daydreamin' again?" the blonde whispered as she leaned in so she could put her head on Sharon's shoulder.
Sharon didn't know what came over her but she turned in her seat, forcing Brenda to sit back up, and took the younger woman's hands in her own. Green eyes found brown and a wide smile broke through on Sharon's face. "Move in with me."
Brenda blinked in confusion. "What?"
"Move in with me," Sharon repeated.
It felt like such a natural progression. Everything between her and Brenda just seemed to happen. She didn't have to think about it. She didn't even have to worry about it. Somehow they just worked. From their first time sleeping together to how they worked through the ways of making their relationship known to the world to how they shared living and existing in the same space. It was as if Brenda had always been a part of her life and Sharon could no longer imagine her life before Brenda.
"Sharon…"
"I mean it," Sharon urged. "Brenda, I want you to move in with me."
Brenda's face lit up and she wrapped her arms around Sharon's neck. "Of course."
"Hey, what's going on here?" Rusty asked as he fell down on a chair to Sharon's right. "Giving out free hugs?"
Sharon turned to look at her son. He looked incredibly handsome in his suit and she'd felt proud watching him be the ring bearer earlier today. He had grown up a lot in the last year. With Andrea's help he had started Law school, was interning at the DA's office and he had Gus had moved in together.
"Brenda is going to move in," Sharon told him.
"No way!" Rusty exclaimed and then he turned to Gus who had just joined the table to put two glasses of champagne down in front of Rusty. "You owe me twenty bucks!"
Sharon looked at them in confusion. "What?"
"Gus and I had a bet that Brenda would move in within two years. Gus thought you'd take longer, I disagreed," Rusty beamed and next to him, Gus shook his head in some mild embarrassment.
"Does anyone know what the stakes are on Provenza retiring this year?" Brenda asked and Rusty laughed.
"I don't think he's changed his mind about dying at his desk."
Sharon's eyes wandered across the vineyard and found Louie Provenza sitting at one of the tables. He was still her trusted second in command and he had been the one to stand up for her and speak out when she first made her relationship with Brenda public. He had been Brenda's fiercest critic when she first came to LA and then when Sharon took over, he became her fiercest critic too, but now he was perhaps her most trusted and loyal friend and Sharon treasured him with all her heart. She watched as he spoke softly to Patrice, watched the way his hand covered hers and then the way his eyes drifted around the same vineyard before eventually finding hers. Almost as If he knew she was looking. He did not need words. And neither did Sharon.
"I don't know," she said quietly, feeing something settle in her chest. "I think he may have changed his mind."
This last year had changed a lot of things for everyone, including Louie Provenza.
When she saw him stand up and walk towards her, Sharon excused herself and met him half way. He extended his hand and after a moment's pause, Sharon accepted and allowed the Lieutenant to lead her to the dancefloor. The music switched to a slightly slower number and Sharon needed only a couple of seconds to adapt before falling into the familiar pattern of the slow foxtrot.
"Captain," Provenza said and he held her gaze for a moment. "I think on Monday, you and I need to talk."
"About that thing we said we'd never talk about?" Sharon asked, having sensed the change in him.
Provenza studied the brunette captain's face for a moment and saw the recognition in her eyes. He jerked his head only slightly. "Yes, to talk about the thing we said we'd never talk about."
"Alright, Lieutenant," Sharon promised him.
They fell into a comfortable silence as the music swelled and around them, other people danced too. Rusty had led Brenda down to the dancefloor and Sharon watched from the corner of her eye as he struggled to lead before admitting defeat and letting Brenda take charge. She sighed contently as across the other side of the dancefloor, Amy rested her head against Cooper's chest, her golden wedding band glistening slightly underneath the fairy lights. Then she turned back to look at Provenza. He shared that same deep, thoughtful expression and Sharon looked up at her friend.
"Some year, right?" she asked softly, squeezing his hand a little tighter and Provenza looked at her before nodding slightly.
"Some year, Sharon. Some year indeed…"