Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He didn't know what to expect when he pulled up outside the ballet studio, his grandsons chattering eagerly in the backseat. He parked his car and climbed out, the boys quickly following him as he adjusted his suit jacket.

"Where's the entrance?" He looked at the simple, one story brick building with no obvious entrance. A few windows lined the walls below a white sign bearing the words, "O'Dwyer Dance Co."

"It's on the side," his eldest grandson, Tommy, told him as he led his brother toward the building.

Andy rolled his eyes and locked the car before he followed after them, their bags slung over his shoulder. They found the entrance and the boys took off inside, leaving Andy to hurry along after them. A few mothers shot him curious glances as they finally reached what looked like a locked room, filled with girls of various ages. He cleared his throat and handed the boys their bags, biting down on the toothpick in his mouth a little harder than he meant to.

"So, uh... Where does your mom usually wait?" He asked them, removing the toothpick briefly to speak.

"There's a room on the other side of the studio. Just follow the other moms and they'll show you where it is," Tommy said, shrugging as he dug through his bag for his dance clothes.

"Oh-kay," he responded, glancing at the closest mom out of the corner of his eye. She was staring shamelessly and didn't look away. "Are you guys good?"

"Yeah. See you after, Grandpa Andy." His younger grandson, Harry, smiled up at him. "We need to hurry and change."

He nodded and watched the boys hurry off through a doorway. He awkwardly cleared his throat again, eyes scanning for a doorway that could possibly lead him to the room Tommy mentioned. The girls and their mothers continued talking quietly, but several still glanced his way.

"You must be Nicole's father," the woman close to him finally said.

He looked up and nodded. "Uh, yeah. She's out of town this week so I've got the boys."

"How wonderful. They're marvelous kids and great dancers." She paused and smiled widely. "Honestly, I think they're some of Sharon's favorites. Not that she'll admit that, of course."

"Sharon?" He fiddled with his toothpick between his fingers, deciding it was probably time to toss that one out.

"The ballet teacher. You'll see her. If you want to sit down, just go through that door and make a right. You'll know if you're in the right place or not." As she spoke, she continued braiding a girl's hair back, the girl wiggling excitedly.

"Right. Thanks." He nodded and glanced at the boys' bags.

"Just leave them there. This room's always a mess." The woman laughed and he nodded again before he followed her instructions.

He found himself in a decent sized room filled with uncomfortable looking chairs. A large window faced an almost empty ballet studio with light wood floors, white and red walls, and occupied by only one woman. She stood off to the side, opposite the door, with her arms crossed. She wore a simple tan jacket over a black tank top and black, fitting pants. She was attractive and he couldn't pinpoint her age. As her students started to file into the room, he was awestruck by how gracefully she moved.

Mothers soon filled the room he was in, talking eagerly. He gathered they had all known each other for a while and he could easily see Nicole fitting in among them. As the only male in the room--and considerably taller than anyone else--he couldn't help but stand out. He was all too eager when the hour long session finally ended and he could leave.

He was the first out of the room and the kids were already changing by the time he reached them; Tommy and Harry weren't there and a girl told him they were still with Miss Sharon. He let out a breath and leaned against the wall to wait. A part of him regretted agreeing to take the boys to ballet because he had never felt so out of his element, but he wanted to spend time with his grandsons too.

The door opened and the boys finally walked in, their ballet teacher following them into the room. She smiled and ruffled Tommy's hair as the boys led the way over to where Andy stood.

"Did you see me, Grandpa Andy! I landed over the... the..." Harry stumbled over a phrase that meant absolutely nothing to Andy, but their teacher smiled proudly.

"You both did great today," she told them, her arms crossing lightly over her chest. A girl tugged on her sleeve and she turned to smile at her.

"Yeah, I saw." Andy smiled at his grandsons and helped them pile their things back into their bags. "Are you getting hungry?"

"Pizza! Pizza!" Harry cheered and Andy nodded.

"Pizza it is, buddy." He stuffed his hands in his pockets while the boys dropped to the ground to tie their shoes.

"Help, please?" Harry asked.

Andy started to kneel to help, but their teacher beat him to it. When Harry's shoes were securely tied, she smiled up at the boy and Andy noticed just how green her eyes were behind her glasses.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met." She wiped her hands off on her legs once she stood before she offered it to him, the smile directed at him this time.

"Uh, no. I'm Nicole's father, Andy Flynn." He took her hand and shook it gently, momentarily distracted by how beautiful she was up close. "She's out of town so I have the boys for the week."

"Sharon Raydor. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Flynn." She dropped her hand and he shook his head.

"Andy, please. And the pleasure is mine." He returned his hand to his pocket, fingers absently stroking along his keys.

"You have two talented grandsons there, Andy. They've come far in the time I've been teaching them and I know they're going to get better from here." She nodded at the boys and they beamed happily. "As long as they keep working hard and practicing, that is." She gave them a pointed look and the boys shifted back a few steps.

"We practiced, Miss Sharon!" Harry immediately defended and she laughed.

"I know, Harry. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine. Remember, we have a competition next week, so you two need to be working on your solo."

"Yes, Miss Sharon," they both said and Andy was surprised by how well behaved they were around the woman.

His grandsons weren't badly behaved, but they were still young boys and he had never seen them act like this before.

They each handed their bags to him and he slung them over his shoulder, wondering how the bags could be heavier than when he had carried them in. He decided he didn't want to know and probably wouldn't understand.

"Miss Sharon, come have pizza with us!" Tommy looked at Andy and then back to his teacher; Andy couldn't help but let out a surprised huff.

"Oh, I'd hate to impose. And I'm sure you should ask your grandpa first." He couldn't tell if her face was flushed because her hair had fallen to cover the side he could see while she looked at the boys.

"But you come with Mommy and us sometimes," Harry added.

Nicole definitely hadn't mentioned that, Andy thought. "It's no problem. We'd love to have you," he found himself saying to her.

She looked up at him with an eyebrow slightly raised above her glasses. "No, I'd hate to intrude on your time with your grandchildren. Thank you for the invitation, though."

"Please, Miss Sharon." Harry's lower lip stuck out a little as he looked up at the two adults.

Andy couldn't help but sigh quietly. His boys may not be biologically related to him and his daughter, but damn were they just as stubborn. "Really, it's not problem. It sounds like they'd love to have you." He had no idea what he would talk to this woman about for an hour, but he didn't want to be rude after the boys had extended the invitation. Though he would mention that to them later.

"Oh, well. If you insist." She smiled a little and the boys cheered happily. "Let me just grab my things. I'll meet you boys out front?"

"Yes!" Tommy grinned and started for the door, his brother training after him. Andy paused a moment to smile at Sharon before he followed them out the door.

Chapter Text

Andy sat across the table from Sharon, the remains of the boys’ pizza scattered between them. The boys were across the room playing with a large wheel for tickets, close enough that he could keep an eye on them in the busy restaurant. Somehow he had lasted the past half an hour in small talk with the ballet teacher, but he felt himself starting to wish he’d get a call from his partner.

“Do you have somewhere to be? I don’t want to keep you.” Sharon’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned his head from his grandsons to look at her.

“Hm? No, I don’t. Unless it’s an emergency, I’m off to spend time with the boys.” He shrugged and tossed some of the dirty napkins onto the pizza tray.

“Emergency? Are you a doctor?” She leaned forward and rested her folded arms on the table, her vibrant eyes focused on him.

He shook his head and leaned forward too. “I’m a cop,” he answered. “Lieutenant with the LAPD.”

Surprise flickered across her face before she nodded. “Oh. Wow. What exactly do you do?” She paused a moment. “I’m sorry if I’m being too nosy?”

He couldn’t help but laugh a little and shake his head again. “No, you’re fine. I work with the Major Crimes division. Homicides, high profile cases. Things like that.” He shrugged and a smile crossed his face.

“I know the boys certainly look up to you. I can see why.” She smiled and brushed her hair back from her face.

“Thank you.” She couldn’t know how much her words meant after dealing with his past and his gaze wandered to his grandsons again—they had moved onto skeeball and were arguing over the balls. “How long have you taught ballet?”

“Years,” she answered simply. “I’ve been teaching for almost four decades and I’ve been dancing since I was little.” He looked at her and he noticed how her face and eyes lit up as she talked about her work.

“That’s… incredible,” he admitted. “I don’t know anything about ballet—or dance—but you seem like a good teacher.”

A light flush covered her cheeks and she smiled. “Thank you, Andy. It’s nice to do something you love. I never dread going to work and when you’re your own boss…” She shrugged and pulled her cardigan closer as she leaned back.

“I can understand that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You never dread going to work? Dealing with… bodies and murders…”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t. Sometimes it’s difficult, but wanting to get justice for the victims always makes it worth it. Knowing that I can make a difference in someone’s life. And it’s all I’ve done for as long as you’ve been teaching.”

A knowing smile crossed her lips. “And you never get tired of it?”

“Do you get tired of dance?” He raised an eyebrow and watched her.

“I’ve been dancing for almost 60 years and I’ve yet to get bored of it. Granted, when you’re not able to dance as much as you used to, it’s harder to get tired of it.” She laughed a little and a look of longing crossed her face—but it was gone before he could process it.

“I couldn’t sit in retirement knowing there are dirtbags on the streets. Eventually, I know it’ll happen. But that day isn’t today.” He cleared his throat and fiddled with the toothpick he had discarded at the start of lunch. “So, O’Dwyer Dance Company. How’d you come up with the name?”

She raised an eyebrow at the subject change and he watched as her eyes moved back and forth before finally settling on him. “It’s my maiden name,” she finally answered, just as he was starting to worry he had pushed too far. “My parents helped me open it right after I graduated college and after I got married, it didn’t make sense to change the name.”

An odd feeling filled his chest at the news that Sharon was married and he tried not to think about it. He’d had several flings here and there since his divorce ages ago, but none of them compared to Sharon, a successful, beautiful woman in his age group. He quickly pushed those thoughts away. The last thing he needed to be doing was crushing on his grandsons’ married ballet teacher.

“It’s catchy,” he finally said, forcing a slight laugh.

She shrugged and smiled. “I made a name for myself and it didn’t make sense to change that.”

“No, that does make sense. And like I said, it’s catchy.”

“Grandpa Andy! Look! Look!” Harry’s shouting drew his attention back to his boys as they came running up to the table, wide grins on their faces. A long string of tickets followed them and his eyebrow rose in surprise. “Look!”

“What’s this?” He moved the food out of the way as the boys piled the tickets on the table, their grins filling their faces and brightening their eyes.

“I won the jackpot!” Tommy declared happily, his eyes roaming over the large pile of tickets. The papers tried to slide off the table but Andy reached out and fixed the pile. Across the table, Sharon starting folding them into a neat pile. “I don’t know how, but I did and look at all these tickets!”

“He took the last tokens,” Harry added, but Andy couldn’t detect even a hint of disappointment in his younger grandson’s voice. “Can we go get something now?”

Andy could foresee a problem arising with dividing the tickets and he hesitated as he watched Sharon continue folding them up. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go see what you guys can get.” He moved to stand up and glanced at Sharon who was standing as well. “We’ll be right back.”

“I’ve got some of the tickets, I don’t mind tagging along.” She smiled and held up the large portion of tickets she had folded so far, the boys scurrying to gather the rest.

“They have a lightsaber, Grandpa Andy! I want the lightsaber!” Harry chanted as they walked through the gaming area to the prize counter in the corner. “That one!” He pointed to the hanging blue lightsaber Tommy cheered his approval.

“Okay, okay. Let’s see how many tickets you have first.” He turned to the ticket counter behind them, but Sharon was already feeding them into the machine.

She looked up and smiled again, her slender fingers holding the tickets straight while the machine sucked them in. The boys moved closer, craning up on their tiptoes to watch the numbers climb higher and higher. In Sharon’s distraction, Andy allowed his eyes to roam over her slender form. She was in shape, that much was obvious, and she looked nowhere near the 60 years she had mentioned earlier. He cleared his throat and forced himself to look away from her, noticing that an employee had appeared behind the counter.

Before he could turn back to Sharon and the boys, they were beside him. The boys pressed against the glass displays and Tommy passed the paper for their tickets to the employee.The both beamed happily and Sharon loosely crossed her arms as she stood behind them, her eyes locking with Andy’s briefly. He smiled and rolled his eyes a bit, a laugh slipping out before he could stop it.

“Can we get two lightsabers?” Tommy asked, his lower lip sticking out as he looked between the employee and the hanging toy.

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” The guy fiddled with a calculator for a moment. “What colors?”

“Green!” Harry cheered immediately. “Green like Luke’s!”

“I want blue like Obi-Wan’s,” Tommy added.

The employee grabbed the lightsabers down and handed them to the boys who immediately hurried back to the table. Andy laughed again and fiddled with his shirt as he looked at the employee.

“Are they good?” he asked.

“Yeah, that finished off their tickets,” the employee answered before he slipped through the double doors to the back room.

Andy shook his head before he and Sharon followed after his grandsons to the table. “Are you boys ready to go?”

“Yeah, we wanna play! Do we have to go back home?” Tommy held his lightsaber with both hands as he looked up at Andy.

“No, you guys are staying with me the rest of the week, remember?” He smiled at his grandsons and watched out of the corner of his eye as Sharon grabbed her purse.

“I should get going,” she said, slinging her purse onto her shoulder. “Thank you for lunch, Andy.”

“It’s no problem. Thank you for accompanying us.” He smiled, trying to ignore the part of himself that wanted to see her again. He knew it was a bad idea and his daughter would give him a few warnings if she knew where his thoughts were.

“I’ll see you two in a few days, okay? Make sure to work on your solos.” She smiled and the boys lowered their lightsabers long enough to hug her tightly.

“Yes, Ms. Sharon. Thank you!” They murmured, beaming up at her.

Sharon smiled once more and offered a wave to Andy before she made her way through the restaurant to the door. Andy watched her leave, trying to keep his eyes on her head even as they wandered down to her backside. He knew this couldn’t end well and even the mantra of, Christ, she’s married, couldn’t keep him focused.

Chapter Text

He saw Sharon two more times when he took the boys to ballet, but he spent most of the time with his eyes glued to her. When she demonstrated a few moves for her students, he couldn’t even force his eyes away. He didn’t want to. His infatuation with her did little for his understanding of what was going on or why the boys were so excited. It took Sharon entering the dressing room on his last day taking his grandsons to ballet and resting her hand on his arm for him to focus.

“You all look incredible,” she told her students, smiling proudly. “You’ve done some incredible work and you’re going to do amazing this weekend. Now,” she paused and rested her hands on her hips. “We’ll meet here tomorrow morning at 6:30. The bus is leaving promptly at 7am, so come prepared.”

Andy’s brow furrowed and he glanced at Tommy and Harry, cursing himself for whatever he had missed. Nicole had said they didn’t have ballet over the weekend; not that he had other plans regardless.

“We won’t be back late, but it will be a long day,” Sharon continued and Andy shook his head a little. “Get some rest and I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

Her students cheered and immediately grabbed their things to follow their parents out the door. Andy remained, still more than a little confused, despite Tommy tugging on his sleeve and whining about hunger.

“I’m starving!” Tommy dragged the word out and pouted pitifully up at Andy.

“Me too! Grandpa Andy, please can we go?” Harry added.

Andy looked down at them. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll get going soon. What’s this about tomorrow?” He directed the question at the boys, not realizing that Sharon had approached them with Harry’s costume.

“We have a competition tomorrow,” she answered, raising an eyebrow as she handed the costume to Harry. He looked apologetic as he took it and squished it into his bag.

“Oh. A competition?” Andy repeated dumbly.

“Mhmm.” She hummed and smiled. “We’re driving up to Hollywood; I want to be sure they have time to practice before, and with check-in and traffic, we need to leave early.”

“Oh.”

Sharon looked at him and tilted her head. “Nicole didn’t mention this, did she?” Andy managed to shake his head. “It’s no problem, is it? I can watch over the boys tomorrow if you can’t make it.”

He laughed to himself. A chance to spend an entire day with Sharon? Everything in him told him that was exactly what he shouldn’t do—his previous mantra returned to his mind—but she was too good of company for him to say no, and he still wanted to spend the time with his grandsons.

“Uh, no. No problem at all, Sharon.” He forced a smile to hide the direction his thoughts had taken and cleared his throat. “We’ll be here at 6:30.”

“I’m glad. I think you both have a great shot tomorrow.” She held her hands up and the boys both jumped up to high five her. She laughed and stepped back.

“Goodbye, Ms. Sharon.” Tommy beamed and grabbed hold of his bag, Harry following suit.

“Goodbye, boys. Goodbye, Andy.” She smiled and her hand rested on his arm again briefly.

“See you tomorrow,” he murmured as he guided his grandsons outside.

The next morning passed in a blur of sparkly costumes, singing, and dancing children. Andy barely saw Sharon as she hurried between students, trying to make sure everyone had what they needed. He barely saw his own grandsons as the scurried off with friends or found empty space to rehearse. He was impressed with how dedicated they were, but with a teacher like Sharon, he shouldn’t have been too surprised.

No one got a break until halfway through the competition. His grandsons hadn’t done their solos yet and he could tell they were starting to get nervous; they both went on not long after break, along with two of their fellow students. He hadn’t seen Sharon since the awards were announced for the last category, but he didn’t want to go asking around for her. Instead, he ducked out of the room dedicated to her dance studio in search of something resembling food or drink. The boys were fine, but his stomach was rumbling.

As he rounded a quiet corner, he nearly ran into Sharon. She looked up and took a step back, her hand holding her phone to her ear. He stopped immediately, an unspoken apology on his lips as he watched her.

“I told you what the deal was, Jack.” She huffed and held a finger up to Andy before she turned around. “If you want to see Emily for her birthday, you’ll have to call her yourself. And you damn well better be sober. Goodbye.” She hung up without another word and slipped her phone into her pocket as she faced him again. “I’m sorry about that. My husband seems to call at the most inconvenient of times.”

Andy tried not to let his confusion show on his face. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he apologized, pausing to clear his throat. “I was just going in search of food or a soda. Something. Do you want anything?”

She was silent for a moment, her eyes on the wall behind him before she met his gaze. “Why not?” She shrugged and gestured for him to lead the way.

“Probably a better idea if I follow you. You know where you’re going.” He let out a short laugh and she laughed too before she started walking.

She led him to a small cafe where he insisted on buying their drinks and snacks. They took a seat at a table by the window, Sharon mostly picking at her muffin. Not wanting to pry, but still curious, Andy remained silent as he took a few bites.

“Is Emily your daughter?” he finally asked.

“She is,” Sharon answered after she finished chewing. “My eldest of three. Ricky is my youngest, but then I adopted Rusty a few months ago.”

“Adoption?” He raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. He knew so little about the woman in front of him, but he knew she had to have a big heart to consider adoption. “How did that come about?”

“It’s… complicated,” she sighed, her head shaking a little. “My husband is a lawyer when he actually manages to get to work and he ended up with the boy’s case; he was a witness in a murder trial. I’m registered for foster care and he needed a friendly face, so I took him in. That was two years ago.”

“That’s incredible.” He smiled and found himself reaching across the table to take her hand. His mind protested but she didn’t; her fingers curled around his. “Really, it is. Taking in a stranger like that isn’t something many people would do.”

She shrugged and pushed her muffin around some more. “I suppose. He’s a great kid, going to school for journalism now. I’m so proud of how far he’s come.”

“I bet. So, he’s your youngest now?”

She nodded. “Emily will be 29 the end of the month, Ricky is 26, and Rusty is only 18.”

“Emily is just a few years younger than Nicole, then,” he commented.

They lapsed into silence while he finished his food and she drained the last of her tea, pulling her hand back from his. He missed the contact. After tossing their trash away, she returned to the table and adjusted her glasses.

“We should probably get back. The solos start in fifteen minutes and I want to make sure they’re ready.” She adjusted her glasses again and he nodded as he stood up.

“I’m sure Tommy and Harry could use some encouragement. They were nervous before I left.” He cleared his throat and they started away from the cafe.

It took two turns before Andy was well and truly lost, but Sharon still seemed to know where she was going. He easily kept up with her until a door suddenly opened in front of them. He reached around and grabbed her arm to stop her from running into it, but her momentum caused her to stumble in her heels and she fell back into him. He caught her easily and they found themselves against the wall, the door that caused their predicament in the first place forgotten.

She looked up at Andy and he met her gaze, one arm wrapped around her and the other still holding on to her. Her lips parted open and her tongue darted out to wet her lips as they watched each other. After several long moments, she pressed against him and closed the distance between them. Her lips brushed against his and he kissed her back despite the warning bells in his head, getting lost in how soft her lips were and how enticing she smelled this close.

“Sharon…” he managed to breathe, the lack of personal space between them starting to affect him. She was already breathless in his arms. “You’re married…”

Her brow furrowed and she leaned back just enough to look at him but still keep their contact. “I’m not,” she answered simply. “Divorced. Recently. Just before I adopted Rusty.”

“You’re divorced?” he repeated, every complaint his mind had suddenly going silent. She nodded, her dark green eyes slowly scanning his face.

He didn’t wait another moment before he kissed her again, his movements firmer and surer. She gasped and tangled her fingers in his hair; he slid his hand down her side to grip her hip and hold him close.

“Oh my god,” she whispered when they finally parted for air again.

“Yeah,” he agreed, smiling at the sight of her well-kissed lips. He resisted the urge to kiss her again.

“We… We really need to get back.” She rested her hand on his chest, fingers lightly stroking the fabric.

“I know,” he agreed, but neither made a move.

He bent and kissed her again before he took a step away to compose himself. She ran her fingers through her hair and then over her lips while he tried to adjust his pants as subtly as possible. She looked up at him and offered him a small but sly smile. He raised an eyebrow.

“Would you like to have dinner Monday night,” he asked on a whim.

“Monday?” she repeated, her confusion obvious on her face.

“Nicole gets back tomorrow, so it’s my first night without my grandsons,” he explained, a hopeful smile resting on his lips.

“I’d love to have dinner with you Monday night, Andy.” She messed with her hair again and his smile widened.

“You look great,” he reassured her, “and I’ll pick you up around six?”

“I’ll be ready.” She kissed him again and then resumed walking. He stared after her until she turned around and laughed. “Well, come on.”

He shook his head and quickly caught up to her, trying to stop himself from grinning like an idiot. He had a date with Sharon Raydor and he had kissed her.

Chapter Text

Andy drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and alternated between staring at the clock and the front door to Sharon's condo. He was early and nervous about admitting how early he was. Finally, he turned the car off and stepped out, tucking his keys into his pocket as he walked inside.

"Can I help you?" The man at the front desk smiled cordially and Andy nodded.

"I'm picking up Sharon Raydor. She's in 1109." He absently adjusted his tie and cleared his throat, glancing down the hallway that he guessed led to the elevator.

"Right, go on up." Andy nodded his thanks and followed the man's gesture down the hallway. He found the elevators on his right and stepped inside, pressing the button for the eleventh floor.

He felt his nerves increasing as the floors ticked up. When he walked out of the elevator, he paused for a moment to try to shove his nerves under control. He still felt overwhelmingly nervous when he found her door and knocked twice.

The sight he found on the other side of the door took his breath away. Sharon wore a dark purple dress with a neckline that was revealing and still modest. Her hair curled softly around her face and shoulders, partly pulled back to reveal her bright eyes behind her glasses.

"Wow... You look stunning," he managed, unable to stop his eyes from roaming over her. He smiled as a deep blush covered her cheeks.

"Oh, um. Thank you. Come on in, I'll be ready in a few minutes." She stepped back and pulled the door open more to allow Andy inside.

"Take your time," he said quickly. "I know I'm early."

She waved her hand and led the way into her living room. He was surprised to see how perfect everything looked, though he didn't expect anything less from Sharon. A blond-haired boy sat on the couch with a laptop and didn't glance up when they entered the room.

"I'll just be a few minutes," she repeated. "Rusty... Rusty, this is Andy. Andy, my youngest son, Rusty," she added, before disappearing around a corner.

Andy stepped further into the room as the boy, Rusty, looked up and raised an eyebrow. Neither said anything for several moments and Andy shifted where he stood, hands shoved into his pockets. He fiddled with the edge of his car key and listened to the distant sounds of Sharon getting ready until Rusty stole his attention.

"So, you're Andy." Rusty was still looking at Andy and he finally met his gaze, his own eyebrow arching up briefly.

"Yeah. And you're Rusty," he replied after a moment.

"Mom's talked about you. She teaches your grandsons?" Andy couldn't tell if Rusty was curious, protective, or if he was just attempting small talk; Andy was grateful for the distraction regardless.

"Step-grandsons, and she does. My daughter was out of town last week and I watched them." He shrugged and pulled his hands from his pocket.

"Oh. Okay. You're a cop?" Rusty slid his laptop off his lap and looked up at Andy.

"Uh, yeah. I'm a Lieutenant with the LAPD." He shifted again as he watched Sharon's son, trying to stop himself from glancing after Sharon again.

The sound of heels on hardwood saved either of them from having to respond and Sharon smiled when she walked into view. A jacket was draped over her arm and she stood closer to his height with the black heels.

"Sorry about that," she apologized, her head shaking a little.

"It's no problem, my fault for being early." He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Are you ready, then?"

"I am. Rusty's there's money on the counter for dinner. If you need anything, just text me." Her gaze turned to her son and Andy watched how her smile changed as she interacted with him.

"I'll be fine, Sharon, go have fun." Rusty waved his hand and Sharon laughed softly. "Have a good night. Uh, nice to meet you, Andy."

"Nice to meet you too, kid," he responded, eagerly following Sharon back to the front door and into the hallway.

She locked the door behind them and Andy offered his arm, she took it with a smile and a gentle squeeze.

"Where are we going to dinner?" she asked as they stepped into the elevator and started down to the lobby.

"There's a little Italian place not far from here. It's nothing like my grandmother's cooking, but it's good." He smiled at her and she leaned into him a little.

"It sounds lovely," she murmured, smiling as well.

She kept her hand on his arm as they walked through the lobby, pausing only to wave at the doorman. He led her to his car and held the door open, helping her in before he climbed in beside her.

"Do you need to be back by a certain time?" He looked at her as he started the car, worried about Rusty.

"Oh, no. Rusty will be fine. I just worry about him." She smiled and rested her hand on his arm until he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Okay. I just... haven't done this dating thing in a while." He laughed nervously and glanced at her. "And I've never done it with kids..."

"Don't worry about Rusty, Andy. We can just enjoy dinner." She smiled and crossed one leg over the other as Andy drove.

Their conversation followed easily--much easier than the last time they had shared a meal--as they reached the restaurant and sat at a table. Andy noticed how amazing Sharon looked beneath the candlelight of the restaurant and he stared at her over his menu.

She looked up and caught him, again blushing vividly. "Andy?"

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "You're beautiful."

Her blush darkened. "Thank you..." She smiled and lowered her menu to the table, Andy did the same. "And you don't have to apologize. I'm just not used to the compliments."

"You should be. You are beautiful." He smiled and reached across the table to take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"And you're an awfully good sweet-talker, Andy Flynn." A small smile crossed her lips and she squeezed his hand. "Thank you."

It was a quiet dinner and Andy managed to convince Sharon to go for a walk on the beach before he took her home. He walked her up to her door and they stopped outside, her purse dangling from her fingertips and her other hand wrapped around her arm.

"Thank you for tonight," she murmured, her fingers running up and down a small expanse of her arm. "I really enjoyed myself."

"I'm glad," he replied, stepping closer to her. Their closeness reminded him of their last kisses and he had to make sure he kept himself under control. "It was one of the best evenings I've had in a while. Thank you for going with me."

She swayed a little where she stood, neither making a move to leave. "Do you want to come in?" she finally asked and Andy felt his heart stop briefly.

"Sure." He smiled and watched as she unlocked the door and then followed her into the darkness of her entryway.

He heard the clatter of her keys against the table and then the light turned on. Andy glanced around quickly and then Sharon was pressed against him, her lips claiming his. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss, drawing a soft moan from her.

She stepped back as quickly as she had kissed him, a breathless laugh slipping out. "Thank you again, Andy."

"My pleasure." He paused a moment, still tasting the bit of her that lingered behind on his lips. "I'd love to take you out again."

"I'm free this weekend." A sly smile crossed her lips as she swayed again.

"I'm back to work now that Nicole is home, but I should be free Saturday. I'll call you after I'm sure." He smiled and stepped forward to kiss her again, his hand lightly cupping her cheek.

"Goodnight," she whispered when they parted, her hands resting against his chest.

"Goodnight, Sharon," he hummed in response, forcing himself to step back and open the door.

"Text me when you're home?"

"Of course. Goodnight." He smiled and made sure she shut the door behind him before he started down the hallway.

Saturday couldn't come soon enough.

Chapter Text

Andy’s phone rested on his desk, the screen lit up with the latest message from Sharon. She had a class to teach and he had a case to help solve, but he only wanted to see her again. Half a dozen dinners and hours spent together only made him want to see her more and he hoped this case would be over in time so he could drive over and bring her lunch. A glance at Provenza’s frustrated face told him otherwise.

“Where the hell is your mind at, Flynn?” Provenza grumbled as he dropped a stack of files on Andy’s desk, covering his phone. “Chief wants us to interview the victim’s brother when he gets here.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Andy grumbled in response, pushing the papers to the other side of his desk so he could grab his phone and realize Sharon was still teaching.

He stood up and forced himself to concentrate as he followed his partner into Electronics. He was somehow able to stay focused throughout the interview and was all too eager to arrest the dirtbag and return to his desk.

“Uh, Lieutenant?” Andy looked up to see Buzz lingering near his desk and he raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Your phone has been ringing nonstop since you went into the interview,” Buzz answered, gesturing to Andy’s phone as it started ringing once more.

“Thanks,” he murmured as he grabbed his phone. He saw Sharon was calling and his brow furrowed as he hurried out into the hallway. “Hello?”

Andy? This is Andy, right?” He was surprised to hear Rusty’s voice instead of Sharon and it only caused his concern to grow.

“It’s me, kid. What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.

“I don’t… I’m not sure. I just know Sharon’s hurt and I’m meeting her at the hospital,” Rusty explained quickly and Andy could hear the fear in his voice.

“Shit. Shit, okay. Which hospital? I’ll meet you both there.” As he spoke, he returned to his desk and gathered his things, ignoring Provenza’s curious glances.

He slipped his phone into his pocket once he hung up with Rusty and pulled his jacket on. “I gotta go,” he quickly told his partner. “Sharon’s hurt and on her way to the hospital.”

“Your girlfriend, Sharon?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Andy retorted, shooting Provenza a look. “I’ll be back later.” He hurried down to the car, trying to quash his increasing worry as he drove to the hospital.

He found Sharon’s room in the emergency room easily and knocked on the door. The curtain moved aside and then Rusty slid the door open to allow Andy inside. He stepped in and smiled reassuringly at Sharon who was settled in the bed.

“Hey, kid,” Andy told Rusty before approaching Sharon’s bed. “What happened, Sharon?”

She wrinkled her nose and shot a look at her son. “You called Andy?”

“I was just worried about you, Mom. And I knew Andy would want to know.” Rusty shifted his weight and crossed his arms. “I’m gonna grab something to drink, want anything?”

Both Sharon and Andy shook their heads and Rusty nodded before leaving the room, the door and curtain shutting behind him. Sharon sighed and shifted in her bed with a wince. “We’re waiting for the x-rays to come back.”

“For what? What happened?” he repeated, taking a seat beside her bed and taking her hand in his.

“I demonstrated a move for my students and I landed wrong,” she answered, rubbing her free hand over her face. “It’s just a broken ankle and I don’t know why Rusty called you.”

“Because he didn’t know what was wrong and he was worried,” he answered softly, gently squeezing his hand. “I was worried too.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. It’s just a broken ankle. The worst part will be staying off it for work,” she muttered, her eyes sliding closed. He could tell she was in a lot of pain.

“You’re injured, Sharon!” He leaned forward to look at her. “And I am going to worry about you because I care about you. The same for Rusty.”

She shook her head and sighed, opening her eyes to look at him. “I’m okay.”

“I’m sure you are, but you’re still injured.” He squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.

He stayed by her side while the doctor went over her x-rays and then put the cast on her right leg and foot. When she was cleared to go home, he helped her up and onto the crutches, gathering her things while Rusty got the door.

“Are you okay driving her home?” Andy asked Rusty, walking close by Sharon’s side in case she needed help.

“I think we’ll be fine,” Rusty answered, glancing at Sharon.

“Okay. I’ll grab your prescription and meet you at your place, if you want.” He smiled at Sharon and kissed her cheek.

“You don’t have to do any of that, Andy. I’m just going to go home and rest, honestly.” She smiled a little at the kiss and slowly followed them out to Rusty’s car.

“I want to do it. Besides, Rusty has class this afternoon and we wrapped up our case before I came down,” he explained, matching her smile.

“You should go to class, honey,” Sharon told Rusty when he started to protest. “I’ll be fine, even if Andy doesn’t stay.”

“If you’re sure…” Rusty sighed and opened the door so Andy could take Sharon’s crutches and help her into the car.

“I am,” Andy answered for her. “I’ll be over in half an hour.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, squeezing his hand before she let go and shut the door.

Andy made sure Sharon and Rusty were okay before he retreated to his own car. He stopped and filled Sharon’s prescription before he grabbed lunch for them both and made his way to her condo. The doorman waved him up with a smile and Andy sighed to himself as he knocked on her door.

“Sharon was just saying something about lunch.” Rusty smiled and Andy walked in, setting the food and prescription on the kitchen table.

“I think there’s some leftover spaghetti. I can just heat that up,” Sharon piped up from the couch and Andy shot her a smile.

“I actually brought sandwiches from that place down the street. Or rather, your favorite salad and sandwiches for Rusty and me.” He pulled the food out as he talked and Rusty approached the table.

“You didn’t have to get me anything…” he murmured.

Andy shrugged. “I figured you’d be hungry. If you don’t have time to eat it now, I can put it in the fridge or you can eat it on the way.”

“Thanks, Andy.” Rusty grabbed the sandwich offered to him and then slung his bag over his shoulder. “I do have to get going. Mom, are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I’m sure, honey. Stop fretting.” She leaned her head back and smiled at her son. “I’ll see you after class.”

He nodded and waved, unwrapping the sandwich as he left. Andy brought Sharon a glass of water and a pill before he returned with their food and sat beside her. She swallowed her medication and set the glass aside, a soft sigh slipping out as she accepted the salad and fork.

“How are you feeling?” he asked after watching her for a moment.

“It’s sore,” she admitted, “and the cast isn’t exactly comfortable.”

“I’m sorry.” He kissed her temple and settled into the couch with a reassuring smile. “Hopefully the painkillers will help.”

“They’ll probably just knock me out.” She laughed a little and started eating her salad.

They settled into comfortable silence as they ate, the noise from the television filling the space. Andy noticed how comfortable they seemed to be together and he wondered where they stood together. Were they dating or just occasionally enjoying time together?

Sharon set her finished salad and empty glass on the coffee table before she curled up against Andy’s side, her foot resting on a pillow to keep in elevated. He wrapped his arm around her to gently pull her close, her head turning so she could kiss him softly.

“Thank you for being here,” she murmured and he could tell the pain medication was starting to kick in.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he admitted, kissing her again.

“You’re a good boyfriend, you know.” She shifted her leg a little and rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes sliding closed.

“Boyfriend?” he repeated softly.

“Mhmm.”

He smiled and kissed her head, his arm tightening a little around her. “You’re a wonderful girlfriend.” He liked how the word sounded on his lips as he held her, his head coming to rest against hers. “Get some rest.”

She nodded slowly and carefully shifted so her head rested in his lap. He adjusted the pillow to keep her ankle propped up and ran his fingers through her hair as she fell asleep. He smiled down at her, rolling the words ‘girlfriend’ and ‘boyfriend’ around in his head as he held her.

He gradually spent more time at her place during her recovery, stopping by on his lunch breaks and even spending the night when Sharon was sure Rusty would be okay with it. They spent long hours talking and exploring, testing the boundaries on their relationship. By the time she had her cast off and was free to walk around, they started discovering the physical aspect of their relationship. Within another month, he spent more nights at her condo instead of his house. She was all too happy to have him there each night. 

Chapter Text

Loud, obnoxious ringing woke Andy from one of the deepest slumbers he could remember. An irritated groan slipped from his lips as he fumbled for his phone on the nightstand, not even bothering to open his eyes before he answered it.

“Flynn.”

“Good morning to you too, Dad.” His daughter’s voice broke through the haze of sleep over his mind, sounding entirely too cheery for whatever time in the morning it was.

“Oh, Nicole. Hi.” He sat up in bed, stretching with another soft groan. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry, did I wake you? That’s why you sound so grumpy,” she teased. He could hear Tommy and Harry playing in the background and realized that was how Nicole sounded so chipper.

“I just had a late night, it’s fine. But is everything okay?” He ran his fingers through his hair and looked over at Sharon who was somehow still sleeping soundly beside him.

“Everything’s great. Just, Dean and I have a thing tonight and our babysitter canceled. I hate asking you last minute, especially because you probably work, but there’s really no one else to call and they’re insisting we ask you.” She started rambling and he held back a sleepy laugh. It was enough to disturb Sharon who started shifting and yawned.

“Tonight? I’m off but—“

“Andy? Is it work?” Sharon reached her arms out toward him and shifted so her head rested in his lap and she could look up at him.

He tilted the phone away from his ear, missing Nicole’s response as he looked at Sharon. “No, it’s Nicole. Something about babysitting the boys tonight.”

“Dad, is someone there with you? Oh. Oh, shoot. I’m sorry. Late night, woman with you early in the morning. I’m so sorry I bothered you.” Nicole started rambling again and Andy flushed, delaying any response.

“Nicole, hey. It’s okay. Really, it’s fine. What time are your plans tonight?” He needed to get the subject changed.

“The dinner is at seven, so we’ll have to leave by a quarter to six,” his daughter answered after a moment. He could barely make out her muffled laughter.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Could you drop the boys off at home? I don’t mind them staying the night. Even if you have to drop them off earlier.” He glanced at Sharon, offering her an apologetic smile and a look that he would explain soon.

“Let me check with Dean, but I’m sure that’ll be fine. I’ll call you back in a bit.” He could hear the boys start to argue loudly in the background and smiled knowingly.

“That’s fine. Talk to you later, honey.”

“Bye, Dad.”

He hung up and tossed his phone back onto the nightstand before he shifted Sharon and laid beside her with a tired groan. “You kept me up late,” he grumbled.

She laughed sleepily and gently slapped his chest, her hand lingering where it landed. “No, it was already late when you came over. What did you expect?” She smiled and leaned up to kiss him softly. “So what was that about?”

“Nicole and her husband have some big thing going on tonight and their babysitter canceled. I said she could bring the boys over and I’d watch them.” He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

“But we were spending all day together,” she pouted, moving her hand along his chest.

“I thought you loved my grandsons.” He kissed her head and raised an eyebrow.

“I do, but some of my plans for tonight won’t work with others around.” She continued pouting and he squeezed her side gently.

“We’ll have to wait until after Nicole picks them up, then.” He smiled and kissed her nose. “I’m sorry about tonight.”

“You love your grandsons. I wouldn’t come between the three of you.” She smiled too and rolled onto her stomach to better see him.

“You’re welcome to stay with us, you know. The boys love you. We can order pizza and watch movies. You can ask them about all the rehearsing they’re doing.” He looked at her, raising an eyebrow to question why she wouldn’t say yes.

“Andy…” she hesitated and looked away.

He furrowed his brow and sat up a little to look at her. “What? It’s just a quiet night in. Not too different from what we planned.”

“I-I know…” She stopped and bit her lip. “Andy, your daughter and grandsons would see us together… Me. Not Miss Sharon, not the boys’ ballet teacher. Me. Us. Together.” Her brow furrowed and she shook her head a little.

“What’s wrong with that? We’re not hiding our relationship, our we?” He was genuinely confused as he watched her.

“Well, no… But we haven’t said anything…” She pushed herself up so she was sitting and ran her fingers through her hair.

“We haven’t said anything because it hasn’t come up, not because we’re hiding it.” He sat up fully too and watched her. “If Nicole and the boys see us together tonight, so what?”

“You don’t mind them knowing?” Her voice softened as she looked at him and he immediately shook his head.

“I don’t mind anyone knowing. I don’t mind if your kids know or if my kids know. I don’t want to hide our relationship.” He rubbed her arm and then pulled her closer.

“I think some of the mothers at the studio are gossiping anyway,” she murmured after a moment.

He laughed a little and kissed her softly. “We’re okay? You’ll stick around tonight?”

“I suppose,” she hummed. He rolled his eyes and pulled her closer, tangling the blankets between them.

Several hours later, they were curled up on Andy’s couch together with a movie playing in the background. The doorbell rang and he patted her thigh, smiling as he stood up. She paused the movie and stood up with him, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“There goes our peace and quiet,” he joked, leading her toward the front door.

“Oh, you’ve been waiting on edge for an hour for them to get here,” she teased him in return.

He smiled and opened the door; the boys were inside in a minute and then stopped just as quickly as they started. “Miss Sharon?” Harry looked up at her with such confusion in his face. Tommy’s face matched.

“Hi, boys.” Sharon smiled, ruffling their hair and causing them to giggle.

“Why are you here with Grandpa Andy?” Tommy asked, crossing his arm as he looked at them.

“Well, we were watching a movie together and when your grandpa said you two were coming over, he thought I might want to see you two.” She pulled her hand back and continued smiling at them.

“Oh. Okay.” Tommy shrugged and hugged Andy’s legs.

“Hi, guys. I pulled out your favorite movies and Miss Sharon ordered the pizza so it’ll be here soon.” He bent and picked Harry up, hugging him before he set him back down.

“Yay! Bye, Mom!” Harry waved to Nicole and darted into the living room, his brother following right behind him.

Andy laughed and turned to face his daughter standing by the door with an arched eyebrow. “This must be the woman from this morning.” The conspiring tone of voice wasn’t lost on him. “It’s nice to see you, Sharon.”

“It’s lovely to see you too, Nicole. You don’t mind my presence tonight, do you?” Sharon shook Nicole’s hand and glanced into the living room where the boys were already waiting for the movies to start.

“No, of course not. You’ve spent enough time out to lunch with us and all the recitals. I don’t mind.” She smiled and looked between her dad and Sharon. “And thanks for watching the boys tonight.”

“It’s no problem, honey.” Andy smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Call me when your dinner is over, okay?”

“I will. You sure you don’t mind if they have to stay the night?” She shifted her purse further onto her shoulder and looked at Andy.

“I don’t mind at all. They still have stuff here and it would be better than waking them up. Now get going before you guys are late. We’re good here.” He nudged her toward the door and she laughed before quickly hugging him.

“Thanks again, Dad. I’ll call you. Thank you too, Sharon. And we’re so discussing this all later.” She waved and then hurried out to the car where her husband was waiting.

Andy shook his head and shut the door, flipping the lock before he turned to Sharon. “Well…”

She laughed too and kissed him softly. “Well. We have two children to occupy until food gets here,” she reminded him.

“Oh, right.” He grinned and wrapped his arm around her, leading the way into the living room where the boys excitedly waiting.

After the pizza arrived and they settled down to the movie, Andy was surprised to see how welcoming his grandsons were with Sharon there. They acted like it was completely normal for her to be there and it made both him and Sharon beam happily.

“And you were worried about this,” she told him softly as the credits started to roll for the last movie.

“Hey, you were the worried one.” He laughed quietly and kissed her quickly before looking at the boys sprawled across their laps. “And they’re sound asleep.”

“Have you heard from Nicole?”

He shook his head and ran his fingers through Tommy’s hair. “Not yet, but I’ll text her that they’re asleep. I’ll just move them into the guest room.”

“I’ll help.” She smiled down at Harry in her lap and rubbed his back.

“Oh, I’ve got them.” He shifted Tommy and slowly stood up with him. The boy shifted a little and wrapped his arms around Andy’s neck.

“And you’re incredibly stubborn.” Before he could argue, she stood up with Harry and followed Andy down the hall to the guest room.

They settled the boys into bed and tucked them in, both pressing kisses to their heads. Andy turned the nightlight on and closed the door partially, his arm wrapping around Sharon as soon as they were out of the room. He smiled and kissed her slowly, his hand rubbing her side.

“Thank you for being here tonight,” he murmured.

“Oh, I enjoyed it. Your grandsons are amazing and you know what I think of you.” A sly smile crossed her lips and she kissed him again.

“I do, but I always enjoy hearing it again.” He grinned to match her smile and pulled her closer. “We’ll have to wait a night for that though.” He rubbed her side and added, at her pout, “I’m sorry.”

“Why don’t we finish our movie from earlier then?” She rested her hand on his chest and looked up at him.

“That sounds wonderful.” He smiled and kissed her again before they returned to the living room.

She settled against him with a blanket thrown over their laps, but they spent the remainder of the movie engrossed in each other. Only when Nicole texted Andy and confirmed that the boys would stay the night did they retreat to the bedroom, Sharon once again settling into Andy’s side beneath the blankets.

Chapter Text

Andy leaned against the tour bus with his arms crossed over his chest, a toothpick resting idly between his lips. He watched mothers and dancers rush around in front of him, his gaze always going back to Sharon and then to his grandsons. A small smile curved his lips as he watched, his arms tightening a little. She caught his eye and smiled, a little wave following before a mother stole her attention.

He watched for several more minutes as the crowd finally thinned out, leaving one family talking with Sharon and then his grandsons. When they were finally alone, he pushed off the bus and walked over to her, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips while his grandsons ran around them.

“Sorry we didn’t get much time together,” she murmured, smiling apologetically.

He shrugged. “I figured you’d be busy. Besides, that’s why we have plans for dinner after we drop the boys off.” He reached out and grabbed Harry’s arm before he ran into them, glancing down at the boys with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry, Grandpa Andy,” Harry mumbled, staring down at his shoes.

Andy shook his head and smiled. “Go grab your stuff out of the bus and we’ll get going. Your mom is excited to see the ribbons you both won.”

That distracted the boys and they both darted off to the bus, leaving Sharon alone with Andy again. “So, dinner?” she asked.

“Right. It’s a new place I thought we’d try out. I figured you’d already be dressed up from the competition and we haven’t had dinner together in a while.” He smiled and took her hand.

“We had dinner at your house last night.” She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

“I meant dinner out in public, and like I said, it’s a nice place. I think you’ll like it.” He laced their fingers together and squeezed her hand.

“I’m sure I will, honey. Let me just close up the studio and I’ll be out.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.

“I’ll get those two hooligans in the car. It’ll take as long as you.” He smiled too and squeezed her hand again before dropping it and turning to the boys. He turned back after a moment. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Andy.” She turned and walked inside.

It didn’t take long to get the boys bundled into the car with their trophies and ballet bags. Andy climbed into the driver’s seat and called Nicole, casting a smile to his grandsons in the rearview mirror. They smiled back and immediately returned to their excited conversation.

“Hey, Dad. Everything okay?” Nicole answered. She sounded busy and he furrowed his brow in concern.

“Yeah, it’s great. We got back to the studio after the competition and I wanted to let you know I was bringing the boys home.” He shifted in his seat and started the car, glancing toward the entrance to see if Sharon was coming out yet.

“Shoot! Shoot, shoot, shoot. I didn’t call you, did I?” He shook his head a little, his brow furrowing more.

“No….”

“I was going to ask you if you could keep the boys a little longer. I’m stuck at work and Dean’s out of town and Dad, I’m so sorry.” He stifled a groan and closed his eyes briefly. “Dad?”

“Nicole, I’d love to watch the boys. You know I love spending time with them, but I have plans tonight. With Sharon.” He looked for Sharon again, a little relieved she was still inside.

“The boys love her. I’m sure she won’t mind spending more time with them.” He shook his head, a sigh slipping out.

“I-I know… But I’m taking her out to dinner. I made reservations a week ago, honey.” He sighed again and rested his head against the steering wheel.

“Dad, please?” She didn’t beg often and his barely withheld groan slipped out anyway.

He didn’t respond for a moment, too busy staring at the unlit dials on the dashboard. “I’m going to propose,” he finally said, his voice soft enough so the boys wouldn’t hear. “This dinner is really important, honey.”

“Propose? Dad, why didn’t you say so?! Wow, that’s incredible. I.. I’ll figure something out. Why don’t you drop the boys off at my office and it’ll be okay. Good luck tonight!” The busyness in her voice was outmatched by the excitement now and it brought a small smile to his lips.

“Thanks, honey. I’ll drop the boys off and I’ll call you tomorrow.” His smile widened when he sat up and saw Sharon approaching the car with her handful of bags.

“Love you, Dad.”

“Love you too.” He hung up and shifted to shove his phone in his pocket, settling back into his seat by the time Sharon reached the car and threw her stuff in the trunk.

Once she was settled into the car and the boys were buckled, Andy drove to Nicole’s office and made sure she was okay with Tommy and Harry. She tried to ask him all sorts of questions before work pulled her under and he escaped quickly, returning to the car where Sharon was wrapping up a conversation with Rusty.

“All good?” he asked as he climbed back into the car and pulled out of the parking spot.

“All good.” She smiled and dropped her phone into her purse. “I was reminding him we’re having dinner and to make sure he’d be okay tonight.”

“I’m guessing he’ll be okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” she confirmed.

He smiled and drove them west toward the beach, finally arriving at a small but elegant beachside restaurant. He pulled up to the valet parking and quickly moved to the other side of the car to help Sharon out.

“Wow, Andy…” She looked at the restaurant and then at Andy as he handed the keys over.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s… stunning. What are we celebrating?” She looped her arm through his and followed him inside.

“Well, your studio and students are doing wonderful. You had an amazing competition today. I love you.” He shrugged and stepped up to the hostess with a small smile. “Reservation for two under Flynn.”

“Welcome, Mr. Flynn. If you’ll follow me to your table.”

Andy flashed Sharon a small grin and squeezed her arm as they walked back to their table. It was on the patio overlooking the water. At high tide, the water reached close to the patio, giving them an amazing view with the moon reflecting off the water. Sharon stared at the view, oblivious to the fact that Andy had pulled her chair out.

“Honey?” She turned her head and blushed, a wide smile crossing her lips.

“This is amazing,” she gasped as she finally took her seat.

Andy laughed and took his seat across from her, glancing out at the ocean to smile and nod. “I’m glad you like it. Nicole told me about it.”

“She must have good taste.” She laughed and picked up the menu, glancing at him over the top of it. He watched her for a moment before he turned to his own menu, still looking at her often because he couldn’t look away for long.

They enjoyed a quiet dinner and then Andy tugged her down to the beach. In low tide, following the waterline took them further from the restaurant and gave them more privacy. She shivered in the night air and Andy started to pull his jacket off, but stopped and instead reached out to grab her arm.

“Andy?” She stopped walking and looked at him, her arms wrapping around herself.

He looked at her for a few moments and then glanced around. He hesitated a moment more and took her hand as he slowly got to the ground on one knee.

“Andy?” she repeated, her other hand coming to rest over his.

“Sharon.” He smiled nervously up at her and squeezed her hand. “The first time I saw you when I took my grandsons to ballet, I thought you were amazing. Then we started dating and I fell absolutely head over heels in love with you.” She laughed softly and his smile gained confidence. “And now… I would love to spend the rest of my life with you, Sharon. And I would love if you would agree to marry me.”

“Andy…”

“Can we try something other than my name?” His smile faded a little as he watched her, his thumb stroking along her hand.

“Sorry.” She squeezed his hand and managed a weak laugh. “I would love to marry you, Andy. I would be so happy to marry you.”

“Really? God, you had me scared for a moment there.” He fumbled around in his jacket pocket to pull out the ring box. “I should have done this a few minutes ago.” He laughed a little and pulled the ring out, kissing her after he slid it on her finger.

She immediately tugged him up and kissed him deeply, her arms wrapping around his neck. “I can’t wait to marry you and the ring is absolutely beautiful.” She tilted her head to see the ring on her finger, smiling widely.

“I’m glad you like it. I had some long distance help from Emily.” He smiled sheepishly and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“I can’t believe you talked to my kids!” She pulled back to look at him, her surprise reflected in her wide eyes.

“Of course I did. They’re you’re kids and while it might not affect Ricky and Emily as much, Rusty still lives with you for now. I thought they would like some input.” He smiled and kissed her softly.

“I knew I picked out the right guy.” She smiled and returned the kiss. “Speaking of children, Rusty’s out for the night if you wanted to… celebrate.”

“I’ll take you up on that, future Mrs. Flynn.” He grinned and tucked the ring box back into his jacket.

He took her hand and pulled her back to the parking lot, exchanging the ticket for his car keys. Sharon lingered by his side, her arm looped through his again. When they finally climbed into his car, she leaned over and kissed him again, a small but content smile on her lips.

“I love you,” she murmured against his lips.

“I love you too.” He smiled and stroked her cheek before nudging her back into her seat and driving to her condo.

Chapter Text

One Year Later

Andy smiled at Sharon’s receptionist as he stepped into the studio, his head shaking when she started to stand. He held up the bag of food and she smiled in return before returning to her work, leaving Andy to walk down the hallway. When he saw the mess in the locker room, he realized he was earlier than anticipated. He smiled and walked down the last hallway to peek into the dance room to judge how close she was to finishing with her class. He saw the kids sitting on the floor at her feet and smiled before he returned to the front area and stepped into Sharon’s office.

He left the food on her desk and smiled at the pictures adorning the walls and her desk. He smiled at the pictures of her with her kids and a picture of her with her parents, and then turned his attention to the newer pictures. A picture of them on their wedding day sat right next to her phone and there were even a few pictures of them hanging on her wall. There was a small picture of them with his grandsons on her bookshelf.

He heard the noise outside her office suddenly increase and stepped out of her office, nodding a greeting to the few mothers who recognized him. He eased past them and returned to the dance room, smiling when he found Sharon surprisingly alone.

“Hey, honey.” He let the door close behind him and glanced up at the waiting room to make sure none of the mothers were lingering behind.

“Andy!” She turned around and smiled, her hands smoothing out her dress. She crossed the room and kissed him softly, her hand resting on his bicep.

“Lunch is waiting in your office if you have a few spare moments.” He rubbed her side and smiled at the faint sheen of sweat on her brow. “Though if you’ve been dancing, you’re probably just ready for a nap.”

“Oh, a nap can wait.” She smiled and kissed him again. “What’s for lunch?”

“Your favorite sandwich shop. Even though you always get a salad and ruin the point of a sandwich,” he teased before pulling back.

“Oh, hush.” She swatted his arm and followed him out of the room, lingering to say goodbye to her few remaining students.

When she finally caught up to him, he followed her into her office and locked the door behind them. “What time is your next class?”

“Not for twenty minutes. Why? Plan to monopolize my time today?” She sat down and he pulled a chair around to sit on the same side of the desk.

“Considering I might not get to see you tonight, I’d like to see you as much as I can right now.” He started pulling their food out of the bag and glanced at her.

“Andy,” She pouted and crossed her arms. “I didn’t see you this morning and now I won’t get to see you tonight?”

“I know, I’m sorry.” He sighed and passed her salad to her, a fork and napkin following. “I had Provenza cover for me just so I could get out to bring you lunch.”

“I’m glad you did that.” She popped open her salad and leaned over to kiss him softly. “Why are we so busy?”

“Because I’m a cop and you took on thirty new students last month,” he pointed out, his nose wrinkling.

“I knew that was a stupid idea.” She huffed and started stabbing at her salad.

“It wasn’t a stupid idea, honey. You wanted more students and they’re great kids. Great dancers. You said it yourself.” He unwrapped his sandwich and looked at her, watching as she shook her head.

“But this is an entirely new class. More dances to choreograph, students to deal with.” She sighed and pulled her glasses off before she resumed stabbing at her salad.

“Sharon, your extra class is during the day when I’m working anyway. It’s not taking any time away from us.” He took a few bites of his sandwich and continued watching her.

“I know,” she sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I just miss you.”

“I miss you too.” He set his sandwich down and leaned back in his seat too, his arms crossing over his chest. “We’ll figure it out. You know I’ll have a few days off once this case is over. Maybe we could take a weekend or something and get away.”

“Not until after the competition. Once it’s over, I can be away from them without regret and Samantha can continue classes.” She shook her head and her pout returned. “We could just retire and have all the time to ourselves.”

“You’d be bored within a week.”

“So would you.” She laughed a little and ran her fingers through her hair, glancing at the time.

“Retirement is out then. We’ll just have to figure things out as they are.” He moved his chair closer to hers and pulled her practically into his lap.

“We’ve been married a year, Andy. You think we would have this stuff figured out by now.” She settled against him, her head resting against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

“Because my job is just as unpredictable as it was when I started too many decades ago. Besides, the case could be solved by the time I get back and I’ll be home in time for dinner.” He shrugged and rubbed her arm.

“But I shouldn’t keep my hopes up,” she murmured.

“You can always do that. Leave a light on for me,” he teased, squeezing her against his chest.

“Always. You’re lucky I love you.” She kissed his cheek.

“Yes, I’m very lucky. I love you too.” He turned his head to kiss her on the lips.

A knock on the door broke them apart. Sharon jumped from his lap and closed her salad container before she unlocked the door and pulled it open. Andy leaned in his seat so he could see what was going on.

“Mrs. Samson is here and she’s complaining about her bill,” Samantha sighed, her head shaking. “I’m sorry to bother you. I know Andy’s here.”

“No, it’s fine. I had a feeling we’d hear from Mrs. Samson this week.” Sharon sighed as well and rested her hands on her hips. “I’ll deal with her. Tell her I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Thank you.” Samantha bowed her head grateful and then disappeared.

“I’ll let you get back to business.” Andy stood up and wrapped up his sandwich before he stuck Sharon’s salad in her little fridge under her desk. “I should get back to work anyway before the Chief misses me.”

“I’m sorry, honey. But call me whether you’ll be home tonight or not.” She took a quick sip of her tea before she kissed him and smiled a little.

“Of course. Good luck with Mrs. Samson. I’ll sneak out before that confrontation starts.” He rubbed her arm and smiled a little too. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” He followed her out of her office and squeezed her hand before he waved to Samantha and left.

The house was quiet and dark when he finally made it home, earlier than he expected but still later than Sharon would be up. He found the kitchen light on and smiled at the note she left him on the table.

I left a light on, just like you asked. If you find your way home tonight, there’s a prize waiting for you upstairs. Love you.

He shook his head and left his gun and badge in the downstairs safe, his shoes abandoned by the door. He made sure the doors were locked and then went upstairs, surprised to find the light in the bedroom on. Rusty’s door was shut and the light off, so he assumed the kid was either asleep or out. He shook his head and walked into the bedroom, smiling when he found Sharon upright in bed and reading.

“I heard there’s a prize waiting for me up here,” he murmured, already shrugging his jacket and suspenders off.

“Oh? Who told you that?” She set her book aside and gave him a sly smile.

“Someone left a note downstairs. Didn’t even sign their name.” He tiled his head. “Oh, god. It wasn’t left by Rusty, was it?” He gave a mock horrified gasp and looked at her.

“Oh, I left the note.” She rolled her eyes and sat up in bed. “You’re silly.”

“And you love me for it.” Without undressing all the way, he flopped on the bed beside her and smiled. “So, where is this prize of mine?”

“Mhmm, nothing physical. I hope I didn’t get your hopes up.” She smiled and leaned down to kiss him softly.

“But?”

“After you left today, I talked to Samantha. She’s been subtly asking for more work around the studio and I got to thinking.” She shifted onto her side to see him better and he raised an eyebrow. “There’s no way I can abandon the students at a competition, but I could… leave early. She also convinced me that she could handle a week of classes.”

“You’re saying…” He paused, wanting her to confirm what he was thinking.

“I’m saying that if you could get some time off work, we could spend a week together. Here or we could take a vacation.” She shrugged and looked at him. “What do you think?”

“Sharon, I think that’s amazing.” He stretched his arms out and wrapped them around her, pulling her against him.

“Oh, I haven’t told you the best part.” She kissed him and ran her fingers through his hair. “I think I’m going to let Samantha take over a class. If it’s one of my later ones, it’ll give us more time together in the long run.”

“Are you sure?” He took her hand and laced their fingers together, pointedly looking at her. “You’d willingly give up one of your classes?”

She let out a breath and looked at the ceiling. “I won’t be able to run the studio forever, Andy. I don’t want to just shut it down and if I had to pick someone to take over, it would be Samantha. Which means I should start giving her more responsibilities and starting while I’m still there sounds like a good idea.”

“You’ve put some thought into this, haven’t you? Why didn’t you say anything?” He pushed himself up and she did the same with a small shrug.

“It’s crossed my mind occasionally, even before we got married. It’s only recently that I’ve really thought about it.” She smiled wistfully and looked at him.

“I think if that’s what you want to do, then I’ll support you. Especially if it means we get to spend more time together.” He smiled and leaned over to cup her face, his thumb stroking across her cheek.

“I love you,” she murmured after a moment.

“I love you too. So, this vacation of ours?” He laid back down and pulled her close again.

“It’s not even definite yet. You have to get the time off work and then we’ll plan things.” She settled against him with her head on his chest and he smiled.

“I’ll get the time off. We’ll make this all work, honey.” He held her close, ignoring that he still had to finish changing.

“I know. It’s frustrating until we get there, though. Now go change so we can go to sleep.” She pushed away from him and pulled the blankets over herself.

“If you insist.” He grinned and stood up, quickly changing into his pajamas.

Once he tossed his clothes into the hamper, he settled into bed beside her, pulling her close once again. She curled up beside him, her arm draped over his chest. He held her close, thanking whoever was listening that he could fall asleep every night with his wife beside him.