Here I am with another story. Hiatus has lasted far too long already, so I thought I'd keep myself and hopefully, you, occupied with a bit of writing.

Before you start reading, I would like to take a moment to thank MajorCFan. She is simply amazing for getting my wheels turning, letting me incorporate her crazy dreams into this story, reading through my even crazier ramblings as I outlined everything, offering great suggestions, and, last but not least, for being my beta on this.

Enjoy, and do tell me what you think of it! There's more to come. 😊

TAKE THE PLUNGE - CHAPTER 1

"You're quiet."

In response, Sharon just hummed.

They were on their way home from Provenza's wedding. While the affair at City Hall was a quiet one, Patrice added some noise to it in the end by surprising both Provenza and their guests with a little gathering at a nearby restaurant. They had fun. The food was great, the company even better, and Andy and Sharon couldn't remember the last time they danced so much. The entire afternoon had been wonderful, a welcome reprieve from the draining case they had just closed. To top it all off, Gus and Rusty had other plans. Andy and Sharon could look forward to ending the day by indulging in each other's company alone at the condo.

However, Sharon had been quiet ever since they entered his car, and that worried Andy slightly.

"You okay?" Andy inquired, chancing a glance at her.

She was looking out the window, hands clasped in her lap, one of her thumbs stroking gently over another. She seemed a million miles away.

She sighed again, but tore her gaze away from the window to give him a sideways look. "Yes." She even smiled.

Throwing a quick, narrow-eyed look at her, Andy said, "Seems to me like you have something on your mind." His words sounded more like a question than an observation.

She leaned back into her seat, relaxing against it. "I do have something on my mind," she confirmed softly. "But," there was a soft expression on her face when she looked at him again, "it's nothing that can't wait until we get home."

Andy smiled a little. She did this often, and he sometimes wondered whether she was even aware of it; talk of her condo as home, and include him in it. He liked that. A lot. He found himself calling it home more often than not, too. "Nothing bad, I hope?" he asked, only half-jokingly.

She ran a hand down the side of his arm. On a smile, she nodded. "Nothing bad." She paused, and awkwardly added, "I think."

He chuckled. "That sounds reassuring."

She laughed. "Sorry." She sounded anything but, and he could only shake his head at her.

...

"So something's on your mind?" Andy asked as they made themselves comfortable on her couch, armed with cups of teas. Her silence on the rest of their drive home made him a little apprehensive, but when she leaned into him as he draped an arm over the back of the couch, he relaxed a little.

"I'm rescheduling that interview," she informed him, taking a sip of her tea.

Andy was mid-sip, too, and his eyebrows shot up at her announcement. He had thought her mind was made up the other day. She didn't want the job, and that was it. "For the NFL job?" he asked, a touch of awe tinting his words as he removed the cup from his lips.

She shrugged, and looked at him. He detected a touch of a reprimand when she said, "That doesn't mean I'm taking the job." Her look turned pointed and she added, "Besides, I am not the only one who is being offered this interview."

Andy tilted his head over a bland look. "I know that, I'm just surprised you've decided to finally even consider it." Whenever they had talked about it so far, in terms of job description, she would always get stuck on how much she liked where she was right now. What he was hoping to achieve is have her consider what she might like about the position the NFL was offering.

"I'm still not sold on it," she warned as if Andy couldn't tell.

Andy thought it was coming, so he prompted her with a "But?"

She shifted on the couch, straightening a little and turning to the side to have a better look at him. "My earlier qualms about it are still there, Andy. I can't just upend my life like that without considering the division," she shrugged, "Rusty," a small smile quirked her lips upward, "and us."

"And without considering what you really want," Andy added, and leaned forward to put his cup of tea down on the coffee table. Leaning back and looking at her, he found her pursing her lips at him in slight disdain. It wasn't the first time he had told her that. "Look, the only reason why I'm," he rolled his eyes over the next word, "pushing you to do that interview is so you make absolutely sure it's something you don't want to do, Sharon." He reached for her free hand. "You love your current job, I know. You're worried about Rusty, and," he smiled, "us." He squeezed her hand. "But you and I both know that so far you haven't been stalling because the job sounded unappealing, too. You've just been reluctant to admit it."

She smiled somewhat guiltily. "You're right."

He grinned and shrugged. "It was bound to happen any day now."

She chuckled, then quirked an eyebrow at him. "Don't let it go to your head."

He grinned again. "Too late," he quipped.

She shook her head at him in amusement. "Anyway," she said pointedly, "you don't have to try talking me into it anymore."

Andy doubted anyone could talk Sharon Raydor into anything, but smiled nonetheless. "So what made you change your mind?"

"I love football," she said on a shrug.

Andy chuckled. "And you are a bit curious, aren't you?"

Her eyebrows briefly went up and down. "I am," she admitted.

"Ah," he sounded positively smug, "right again!" He pointed a finger at her.

She laughed, letting go of his other hand to smack his finger out of the way, but went on more seriously. "If, after this interview, I decide to pursue this job, there'll be more interviews. Meetings, travels, background checks." She sighed. "Just getting the job could take months."

"Well, consider that time apart a trial run for us," Andy said, not really kidding about that.

She made a non-committal hum, and shifted on the couch to settle into his side again. "I do worry," she reiterated quietly.

Andy squeezed her further into his embrace. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't be Sharon if you didn't."

She took a breath. "There's so much more to consider if this interview goes well, and I decide to really go for it. And then," she shook her head, "if by some miracle I do get the job... Oh," she sighed again, "then there's a whole other host of things to think about."

"Sure, but it's not all bad stuff," Andy argued. When she hummed, not too convinced of that, he added, "For example, if you get the job you'll be in New York a lot more often. And I know a certain someone, well," he cleared his throat, "two certain someones, who'd just love to reap the benefits of that."

"Oh," she let out happily. "I would get to see Emily more."

Andy nodded. "You'll also see more football than you ever have before."

Amused now, Sharon just said, "I will." Getting more technical, she added, "I like the idea of touching up the NFL's image somewhere along the way, too."

"You got Major Crimes to clean up their act," Andy said matter-of-factly. "Taking on the NFL seems like the logical next step," he added like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of course it does," she mumbled sarcastically, but there was still amusement in her voice.

Serious again, Andy said, "The rest doesn't really matter right now. That, we'll deal with if and when we get to it."

She abruptly pulled back to look at him. "You make it all sound so easy when it's anything but."

"I'm not saying it's easy," Andy said defensively. "I just want you to," he tugged on her arm, and waited a beat for her to lean into him again, "give yourself the chance to really see if this is something you want or not. Decide on that first, okay? Then worry about everything else all you want." He dropped a kiss to her temple. "I'll even worry with you, I promise."

She laughed quietly, and he couldn't help but join her.

Suddenly she said, "This is still so novel for me."

Andy frowned, and looked at the top of her head. "What is?"

She snaked her arms around him. "Support," she said simply, tightening her hold on him.

He smiled a bit ruefully. He hated that that was the case. "Well, get used to it," he said resolutely.

She chuckled. "So," she started as she slowly sobered again, "I'm scheduling an interview with the NFL for their Chief of Security position." She sounded a bit wondrous.

"Looks like it," he confirmed. "NFL's Chief of Security," Andy then repeated, impressed. "Sounds fancy. And a woman at that."

She lifted her head, propping her chin on the inside of his shoulder to look at him. "It does, doesn't it?"

He only smiled and kissed her in answer.

"You sure about this?" she asked in concern when he pulled back.

"Not that it should matter," Andy said pointedly, making her roll her eyes at him, "but yes, I am."

She considered him for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright," she took a breath. "I'll do this interview, and we'll take it from there."

"Deal." He sealed it with another kiss.

...

On the day of her re-scheduled NFL interview, Sharon took the morning off. She had promised not to make any additional postponing should they catch a case, sure the NFL would probably not have that much patience for another delay anyway. Still, Andy was glad that once the day finally arrived, they were in for a paper pushing workday. There were no active cases to split Sharon's attention or tempt her to postpone her meeting yet again.

They hadn't told the team anything. There wasn't much to tell anyway. Should the NFL truly be interested in hiring Sharon, there was still the final decision to be made of whether she was truly interested in the job, and if she was, it would take a while for her to know if she'd get it or not. They decided the team did not need to know anything until she was possibly ready to put in her retirement papers.

Provenza seemed suspicious though. It probably did not help that Andy was slightly fidgety as well. Thankfully, his partner made no inquiries beyond asking if everything was alright.

Sharon finally got into work around lunch time. The murder room was empty, the squad using the rather uneventful day to indulge in a proper lunch break for a change. Andy stayed back. Nobody argued when he said he was waiting up on Sharon, and that she was bringing lunch for him anyway.

He was on his feet the moment he heard the familiar sound of her heeled footsteps. He refrained, however, from pouncing on her instantly. "Hey," he said in greeting instead.

She glanced over the room, then settled her gaze on him with a smile. "Hi." She waved the take-out bag in front of her and tilted her head toward her office. "Hungry?"

He nodded. "Starving," he said, following her when she walked into her office. "What took you so long?" He had expected her to be done by noon, after all the meeting was scheduled at 8.

She gave him a wide-eyed look. "They are thorough!" She sounded both impressed and exasperated.

Andy relieved her of her bag and started taking out the boxes of Chinese food, as she took her seat behind her desk. "That a good or bad thing?"

"I'm not sure," she said on a lighthearted laugh, and Andy lifted an amused eyebrow at her rather chipper mood. She had been much more tense when he left for work that morning, so he took it as a good sign. "But," she went on more seriously, "they are definitely interested, and," she shrugged, "I think I am, too."

Andy stopped mid-movement as he was handing her a box of food to stare at her. "You are?"

She drew her shoulders together and offered a small smile. "I am," she confirmed, sounding slightly insecure.

He finally plopped the box in front of her, and started working on his own as he took a seat opposite of her. Grinning, and a bit impatiently, he prodded, "Well?"

She relaxed into her chair, focused on picking at the noodles in her box, and said, "Well, there's a lot do to." She looked up at him. "Definitely a lot of responsibility, and as expected, I still have to go to a bunch of interviews, meetings and background checks," she waved her plastic fork through the air, trailing off. "But it's also a challenge." She shrugged. "And I like challenges."

Andy crossed his legs and made himself comfortable as he dug into his own box of food. "What kind of challenges?"

"Aside from, obviously, being in charge of security at games, there's a lot of coordinating to do," she paused to get another bite, "with different security agencies, local law enforcement. I was surprised to learn how often they even work with the federal law enforcement."

"That's not a good surprise," Andy mumbled.

She chuckled, but otherwise ignored his interjection. "Some of the work will involve dealing with the NFL's internal affairs and-"

"Internal affairs?" Andy nearly choked on a piece of chicken.

She pursed her lips and shot him a bland look. "Yes," she said pointedly, "internal affairs." Teasingly, she added, "Something wrong with that, Lieutenant?"

Andy shook his head. "Not at all, Ma'am," he said quickly, then waved his fork at her. "Carry on."

She smiled, rather smugly at that, but did as asked. "I'd be in a more administrative position, of course, but I would have to deal with internal incidents between teams, players, managers, even fans."

Andy's brow furrowed together. "How's that a challenge? You can do that with your eyes closed."

Flattered, she smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Maybe," she somewhat singsonged, "but the challenge lies in making sure none of the incidents are being swept under the rug, and that the investigations are pursued as thoroughly as possible."

Andy nodded knowingly. "Well, the NFL is known for wanting to make incidents disappear rather than deal with them." He gave her a wide-eyed look. "I mean, they have bounty funds set up to pay for bail bonds or whatever when their players get into trouble."

"Exactly," Sharon agreed. "While none of that is hurting the popularity of football, it is hurting the NFL's image. They're looking for someone who's adamant about not cutting corners. And if I may say so myself," she grinned, "that's right up my alley."

He grinned, too, and nodded. "So you're pretty sold on this now, huh?"

She sighed. "Not yet," she said cautiously. "I am intrigued. Interested for sure, and helping them clean up their image is definitely appealing, but," she shook her head and cut herself off. "Well, you know my 'buts'," she said resigned as she leaned over the desk to look for something in her bag of take out.

Andy sighed. "Yeah," he said, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "They talk to you about schedules and stuff already?"

She fished out a bottle of water. "I'd be all over the place during football season," she raised an eyebrow and added, "not for every game though." Unscrewing the top of the bottle, she said, "In between there are conferences, making sure to minimize the trouble the players get into, or," she tilted the bottle toward him, "minimize the fallout from those troubles."

"And," Andy nodded, "did you mention your ties here even after you retire?"

"Yes," Sharon said on a smile. "They were very forthcoming. They're big on delegating apparently," she rolled her eyes, "so I'd always be able to rely on someone else to hold down the fort when I needed to be here. The rest of my schedule I would also always be free to adjust according to any court appearances I'd still be obligated to make."

"Sounds to me like they really want you for the job," Andy pointed out, digging out a bottle of water out of the bag as well, while she took a sip out of her own.

Sharon shrugged. "Me or a Commander from Washington, D.C."

Andy drank some water, then closed the bottle and put it back down on her desk. "Alright then," he leaned back in his chair and tilted his box of food to the side, oblivious to the fact that its contents were precariously close to falling out, "I really only need to know one thing."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"You're interested, you're intrigued," he listed off, "but do you want the job?"

She put down both her water and her box, and took a breath before meeting his eyes again. "I'd like to give it a try," she said. She swallowed before adding, "So yes, I do want the job."

"Well," Andy got momentarily distracted when he heard voices approaching, and he turned around to see his team slowly filing back into the murder room, "I take it you'll want to talk," he returned his focus on Sharon, "to Rusty first?"

She rolled her eyes. "He's already sold on the job, but yes," she nodded, "before I agree to any more interviews, I'd like to make sure he's absolutely fine with this."

"And if he is?" Andy asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Then," she met his eyebrow with the raise of her own, "we'll work out my 'buts' along the way." Her answer sounded a lot like a question.

"Alright then." Andy suddenly got to his feet, clearly ending the discussion. "Finish lunch," he eyed her discarded box, "and I'll be back in a few to bury you in," he tilted his head toward the team, "our paperwork."

"Thank you very much," she said sarcastically.

Andy grinned and grabbed his bottle of water, tucking it safely under an arm to head toward her door. "My pleasure," he said, walking out of her office.

...

They were curled up on the couch engrossed in a movie by the time Rusty came home. He had inquired about Sharon's interview via text earlier, and although Sharon told him it went well, she also let him know she wanted to talk to him about it when he got home. So when he stepped into the condo, he merely shrugged out of his shoes, flopped his backpack on the floor next to the door and went straight for the chair next to the couch.

"Hi," he said in greeting, taking a seat.

Andy and Sharon had sat up by the time he joined them. Andy reached for the remote to pause the movie while mumbling in unison with Sharon a, "Hey," in return.

"There's dinner in the oven if you're hungry." Sharon waved a hand in the direction of the kitchen.

"No, thanks," Rusty waved her off. "I'm meeting Gus for dinner in about an hour, so," he trailed off on a shrug.

"Oh," Sharon said in surprise, straightening a little on the couch. "Well," she glanced at Andy, who just shrugged, "we can talk about the interview tomorrow then," she offered.

Rusty frowned. "Why? Something wrong?"

"No, no, everything's fine," she waved a hand through the air, "I just hoped to talk to you about something."

Rusty shifted in the chair, making himself more comfortable. "Well, shoot, mom."

She smiled. She was still getting used to the title that he had now taken to calling her more often, rather than her given name. Before she could respond, however, Andy interjected.

"Oh, you don't want her to shoot," he gave Rusty a wide-eyed look, "Sharon's got a mean aim."

Rusty gave Andy a bland look, although a small, amused smile tugged at his lips, then looked pointedly at his mother. "You're not passing on the job because of me, are you?" He started fidgeting with his hands over his next words. "I already owe you so much, you can't just pass on something as awesome as the NFL." He paused and his eyes widened. "The NFL, mom!"

Sharon reached over to still his hands. "You don't owe me anything, Rusty," she told him sternly. "And if I were to pass on this job opportunity, a lot more factors would play into my decision, not just you."

Rusty instantly looked at Andy, frowning again.

Andy raised his palms up in surrender. "I'm with you on this, kid."

He narrowed his eyes at him for a second, then turned to Sharon. "So what do you want to talk about then?"

Sharon took a breath and leaned back into the couch. "About whether you feel ready to spend a lot more time alone in this condo?"

"Does that mean you're taking the job?" Rusty asked instead, leaning forward in his chair, eager to hear her response.

When Sharon sighed, Andy interjected again. "Just answer the question, Rusty."

If Rusty picked up on Andy's slight exasperation, he ignored it. Instead, he actually leaned back into the chair and settled his gaze on the coffee table in front of him, obviously needing a moment to find an answer. "How much time?" he said after a few moments, looking back at Sharon.

"I don't know yet," Sharon admitted. "But during football season, I guess I might be out of town for a few days around each game."

"And off season?" Rusty asked.

"Not as much," Sharon said, shaking her head.

Rusty sighed and set his eyes on Andy. When he didn't look away for a few moments, Andy shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "Look, if you'd rather discuss this alone," he told Rusty, already getting ready to stand up, "I can leave you two to it."

That seemed to snap Rusty out his staring. "No, sit," he instructed with a wave of his hand. "No, it's not you. I'm just thinking." He looked at Sharon again. "Would I really be alone that much?"

Sharon shrugged. "Well, that is part of my job description I'm afra-"

"Oh, no!" Rusty suddenly laughed, making both Sharon and Andy jump slightly in their seats. "I mean, would I really," his tone dipped over the word, "be alone that much? I mean, I have Gus, the team," he looked at Andy, "you." He returned his focus on Sharon and smiled. "Mom, it's not like you plan on dumping me at the zoo."

Andy chuckled, but a rueful smile crossed Sharon's features, and she leaned forward again, this time to tap her son's knee. "I'd never dump you anywhere," she said softly, "you know that."

Rusty smiled, too. "I know." He looked around the condo. "Look," he said seriously, "I'm not," he glanced somewhat shyly at Andy, "ready to move out and be out and about on my own just yet, but I think I can handle you not being here all the time."

Andy nodded. "And Rusty's right," he addressed Sharon, who turned her head to look at him, "he won't be alone while you're out of town." He shrugged. "You're not his only family, you know."

She smiled, looking at him appreciatively over a tilt of her head. Reaching out for his hand, she nodded and said, "I know."

"So you won't pass on the job opportunity because of me?" Rusty asked. He looked at his mother's boyfriend and added, "Or Andy?"

She turned her attention back to him. "No, I won't," she confirmed. "I'll try to beat that Commander to the job then," she added, looking at Andy.

At Rusty's puzzled look, Andy explained. "That's the other guy contending for the spot."

"Ah." Rusty nodded. "You telling the team yet?" he asked.

"Oh, no." Sharon shook her head. "It'll be weeks, if not months, before we know who gets the position. We're not exactly keeping it a secret," she rolled her eyes, "but until I know more, there's no need to mention anything."

"Because there's not much to mention to begin with," Andy added on a shrug.

"Well, okay then," Rusty said somewhat awkwardly as he got to his feet. "Uh," he looked behind himself, "I should start getting ready..."

Sharon stopped him by standing up as well, and taking a step closer to him, making sure she had his undivided attention. "Are you absolutely sure you're okay with this?"

He rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Yes, mooom!"

She put a palm to his cheek, giving it an affectionate caress. Smiling at him, she took a long moment to consider him. "Alright," she abruptly dropped her hand, "don't let me keep you then."

He chuckled, but said seriously, "You really don't have to worry about me, okay?"

She shook her head. "I'll always worry about you." When he huffed, she quirked an eyebrow at him. "Parent's prerogative, Rusty."

He groaned, but turned around to finally head to his room. "I know," he mumbled.

When she heard his door close behind him, taking a deep breath, Sharon finally turned around to face Andy again and slowly let go of the breath. He tugged on her hand. "He'll be fine. Besides, it's not like you're starting the job right now."

She followed his tug and settled into his side once she sat down. "I know," she said confidently. When she looked at him, a bright, relieved smile was playing at her lips. "I'm actually excited about this now."

Andy grinned. "Well, you had better be after all this trouble Rusty and I are willing to go through for you."

"Oh, you," she smacked his thigh playfully.

He just grinned again. "Yes, me," he quipped and pecked her on the lips.

"So our trial run starts in three weeks then," Sharon announced.

Andy's eyebrows shot up. "Three weeks?"

"Yeah, that's when the next interview is scheduled." Sharon frowned a little. "Didn't I tell you?"

"What do you think?" Andy said in answer.

Sharon chuckled. "Well, I'm telling you now. The next interview is scheduled in three weeks, at 9 am, at NFL's New York office on Park Avenue." She reached for the remote. "All I have to do now is confirm I'm coming." She pointed the remote at the TV, but looked at Andy quizzically.

He smiled. "Confirm away, my dear," he told her, pulling her down with him as he lay down on the couch again.

"I will," she confirmed merrily. Finding a comfortable position next to him, she hit the play button to continue their movie.

TBC