This is a fluffy little one-shot for week 3 of the MC Hiatus Challenge on Tumblr (Platonic/Familial Relationships). It's Provenza's thoughts on his best friend's relationship with their captain. As always, I welcome any and all feedback!

I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them!

Ever since Andy started dating Sharon, Provenza had found the couple an odd match. It wasn't that he didn't like either of them, on the contrary, he was rather fond of both of them in spite of himself. In fact, he still wasn't exactly sure how he had let "that woman" slip past his defenses and become a true friend. It had to be the kid and the way she took him in and really loved him like her own. He found himself admiring her, for crying out loud! And then there was Flynn. He had had about enough of listening to the fool go on and on about "Sharon" this and "Sharon" that as if she wasn't their commanding officer. He really did try to keep his partner from pursuing her, but as it turned out, his puppy dog routine and singularly-focused looks weren't going anywhere. And for some reason he'll never understand, she actually liked him back. First as a friend and then as something more. At some point, he was done advising the two idiots out of it and just wanted Flynn to grow a pair and ask her out already.

And now, well now, they were two love sick idiots who couldn't control their heart eyes and goofy smiles. He really wasn't sure what was worse: "Puppy Dog Flynn" or "So in Love Flynn". Either way, Provenza just didn't get it. He wasn't against his good friend being in love or in a serious, committed relationship. Hell, he'd just gotten married for the umpteenth time himself. In fact, he found it amusing that they were both at this point at the same time after spending so many years sowing a lot of wild oats. No, for Provenza, it was about his partner's choice for this serious, committed relationship. As much as he liked the Captain, he couldn't see her as "girlfriend material", especially for Flynn. She was certainly beautiful, no doubt. And Flynn was absolutely right about those legs! But she was a stickler for routine, order, discipline, and of course, the rules while Flynn was all about fun, sarcasm, and pushing the limits.

All of this was weighing on Provenza's mind since he received a simple text thirty minutes ago from his best friend:

On my way now. Sharon's coming too

Provenza had invited him to watch the Dodgers' game at his house with him and a few of the guys from the "old days". Patrice was visiting a friend for the weekend, so Andy wasn't bringing Sharon to spend time with her. No, he was bringing her to hang out with them. Suddenly, he realized that he probably shouldn't have had that last beer or two or three... ye gads he hoped she wasn't in "captain" mode. On the plus side, if she was, at least those beers would help him deal with it. He inwardly chuckled at that thought. Before he could dwell on it further, he heard a knock on his door.

"It's open," he called with an air of annoyance. Andy and Sharon walked through the entrance, and Provenza couldn't help but notice that she was carrying something. As they stepped fully into the living room, everyone turned to greet them.

"Flynn, Captain... You remember Gann, Bosco, and Lazaar from the old squad," he said before turning to the other three guests. "And you guys know Flynn, and I'm sure you remember Captain Raydor," he finished. They all seemed to eye him and Andy suspiciously. Provenza knew they were curious as to why the former head of FID was standing in his living room.

"Yeah, we've met," Lazaar spat looking at Sharon, and you could cut the tension with a knife. Provenza briefly wondered what he had done to get on the Captain's radar. "Gotta say, never thought I'd run into you again... especially here," he added. Provenza felt that he needed to explain, but before he got the chance, Sharon spoke up.

"Oh, I can assure you that the Lieutenant didn't either," she deadpanned.

"You're in Major Crimes now, right? I heard something about that," said Bosco.

"Yes, well, I think we can all agree things change," Provenza added hoping to end the discussion and move past the awkwardness. "Why don't you two grab a seat and we can all enjoy the game without the gabbing," he added annoyed.

"Where should I put these?" Sharon asked indicating the foil covered platter in her hands.

"What is it?" He asked suspiciously.

"Brownies," she answered with an arch of her eyebrow.

"And they're the homemade-from-scratch kind," Andy added with a proud smile. Provenza inwardly rolled his eyes at his partner's excitement.

"Uh, right here will be fine," Provenza said indicating the coffee table in front of them. She placed them down and removed the foil. They smelled delicious. The guys wasted no time diving into the chocolatey goodness.

"These are very good. You made them for us?" Provenza asked a bit surprised.

"Well, I couldn't come here empty handed now could I lieutenant?" She teased with a smile. Ok, so she knew how to bake and she definitely had her own breed of sarcasm. So maybe his partner wasn't completely crazy.

"I'm getting up, so if anyone needs anything, speak now or go thirsty," he announced. He walked towards the kitchen and then held up one of the bottles of beer from his refrigerator. He looked a his guests with a question on his face.

"I'll take one, Lieutenant, if you don't mind," Sharon answered and Provenza was surprised. He had seen her drink before, even beer, but that was at her condo during an event she was hosting. He didn't figure her for the regular beer drinking type, and in fact, was holding a bottle of water in his other hand with all intentions of giving it to her. When he got back to the living room, he handed her the beer and his partner the bottle of water before sinking back down into his couch. Comfortable silence fell over the group as they watched the game.

Provenza knew that Sharon was a baseball fan because he had watched the game at her place last summer, but it still surprised him just how into the game she got. She wasn't one of those annoying "fans" who asked too many questions or talked through the game. She genuinely enjoyed watching, joined in on their baseball-related discussions, and even laughed along with them at their stupid jokes and musings. She cheered, but not obnoxiously. And, perhaps most importantly, she wasn't all touchy-feely with his partner. In fact, if he didn't already know, he would have no idea she was here with him aside from a few chaste touches and mildly flirty looks.

The same could not be said about Flynn, however. Whereas Sharon was controlled and methodical with her subtle displays of affection, his partner couldn't seem to keep his hands or eyes off of his girlfriend. Provenza wasn't even sure Flynn had seen a moment of the game. Maybe the Captain's penchant for the rules and order wasn't so bad after all, he thought. He tried not to notice the way his partner's hand constantly caressed her leg while the other would periodically squeeze the shoulder his arm was wrapped around or the way his eyes seemed to be trained on her. Stupid idiot in love!

Somewhere between the 7th and 8th inning, Sharon excused herself to use the restroom. When she got up, Provenza noticed that she was dressed very casually in jeans and a simple v-neck t-shirt. The outfit seemed to soften her, and he couldn't help but think that she looked a lot less threatening without the power suit and heels.

After she had been gone a few minutes, Andy got up to go make sure she was Ok. Provenza just rolled his eyes, and got up to grab some more snacks. As he passed the hallway his idiot partner had just headed down, he couldn't help but notice the scene in front of him. He pulled back a little as not to be seen. Halfway down the hallway, he saw the Captain leaning up against the wall with Flynn standing in front of her. She was running her hands over his shirt on his chest smoothing out imaginary wrinkles. Her eyes seemed to be focused on the task or his chest, but Provenza didn't want to think about the latter. Flynn had his arms loosely wrapped around her waist, and his eyes fully focused on her. They were talking quietly and Provenza couldn't make out what they were saying. He saw Sharon smile and then her gaze moved up to match Andy's. A small smile crossed her face. She looked... happy, content. Flynn was sporting his usual goofy grin that he reserved for her, and that's when it hit him. His idiot partner wasn't just an idiot in love. He was a happy idiot in love. And no matter how odd of a match they might seem, they sure seemed to make a lot of sense together. Sharon was a lot more than "the Captain", and this relationship was a lot more than two idiots in love. It was happiness, and who was he to question that?

After seeing his partner in a lot of different ways, Provenza was finally seeing him truly happy. As he continued his trek to the kitchen, he couldn't help but think that after all of these months, he finally "got it". The thought brought a small smile to his face. He would be sure to wipe it off before he rejoined the group. Couldn't have his best friend knowing that he was on board. No, that was something he was going to keep to himself.

THE END