Hi everyone! While waiting to come up with a longer fic idea, here's a one-shot that I wrote after reading a prompt line that said, "Why can't the pirate get the princess for once?". Just a little Halloween treat...

I hope you'll enjoy it! Feel free to tell me what you thought about it!

Special thanks to my super amazing Beta, eelise187, who proofread my work and supported me.

I don't own the show or its characters.

A PIRATE'S TREASURE

Andy was staring at the reports on his desk, trying to prepare for the interview. It seemed as though they were finally catching a break in the case, so he was checking over the last details before joining the dirtbag in Interview One. He heard Provenza clear his throat, but before he could look up from the files, the older Lieutenant called, "Flynn, seems like you have a visitor."

Andy looked up and saw Nicole quickly crossing through the Murder Room. His daughter greeted the team before joining her father with a smile on her face, "Hey Dad, ready to go?" Andy stood up to hug his daughter. As they broke apart she handed him a paper bag and smiled, "Here, I brought you your costume..."

"Costume?" Provenza exclaimed, suddenly interested in the scene that was playing in front of him. He put down the file he was reading and looked expectantly at his partner.

"Oh, Dad is coming trick-or-treating with me and my two stepsons." She explained. "I figured that since we're all dressed up, he would have to be too…and the cop costume wasn't an option." She added grinning at her father.

Andy forced a smile and looked discreetly inside the bag to check his costume. He could feel Nicole's excitement, making him feel even worse that the case was going to prevent him from being able to go along with them.

"Oh come on, Lieutenant! You're not showing us your costume?" Julio teased him, barely holding back a laugh.

"Shut up, Sanchez." Andy answered harshly. Before Nicole could say something more, he grabbed her gently by the arm and led her away from the Murder Room and his curious coworkers. Andy was about to walk her to the break room when Nicole stopped in the middle of the hallway and shot him a questioning look, "Dad, what's wrong?" Nicole paused and motioned for the paper bag before asking, "Is it the costume? Because it's okay, you can totally not wear it. I was joking about the cop costume…"

"No, no, Nicole, the costume looks great." He interrupted her with a reassuring tone, putting a hand on her shoulder. He saw a smile reappearing on his daughter's face and he paused. He suddenly felt uneasy and rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing how to tell her the truth. "It's not that…" he finally whispered.

Then Andy saw it. He saw the quick change in Nicole's features: how her lips abruptly turned downward and her eyes darkened. He knew that she had understood it all and her next words confirmed it, "Oh please, no." She paused as she took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest as she said coldly, "Say it."

His daughter's cold tone sent shivers down his spine as he answered, searching for the right words, if there were any, "Nic, I'm sorry… I hate to cancel on you at the last moment, but we got caught in a case and…"

"Oh no, I don't want to hear any of it!" She interrupted him, anger obvious in her voice. "Doesn't it sound familiar, Dad? Nic, I'm sorry…" she mimicked, "How many times did you start a sentence this way before not showing up at God knows whatever event you had promised me you would attend?"

Andy noticed tears glistening in his daughter's eyes and he felt his heart twitch. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint Nicole and to let her down once again. He wanted to prove to her that he was better than when she was a kid, but work was getting in the way and not helping him with his mission. He reached for her arm, but she quickly jerked away from his touch.

"There are two kids, two kids who couldn't wait to spend an evening with their grandpa." Nicole said, her voice shaking with hurt and anger. "They've been talking about this trick-or-treating for weeks. You didn't see the excitement in their eyes, I did, and I will be the one now to read the disappointment and sadness in their eyes as soon as they hear that you won't be coming with us." Nicole paused as she ran a hand through her hair and added with a shaky and strained tone, "I won't let you break their hearts just like you broke mine and Matthew's back then. I won't allow you to do that and I will do anything to protect them. This is serious, Dad." She told him, looking at him in the eyes, forcing her voice to sound strong and steady, "You are either in and make an effort to be there for them, or you're out."

"Nicole, please wait…" he pleaded.

"Noah and Aiden are waiting for me." She shot back and turned her back to him.

Andy stood motionless, watching her walk away, still holding the bag with the costume in his hand.

Sharon had just gotten out of a meeting with Chief Taylor, informing him of the last updates on the case. They had their suspect, the evidence was strong, and a confession would be the cherry on top. Sharon was hopeful they would get one soon. She trusted her Lieutenants to lead the interview and break the case.

The elevator doors opened and Sharon stepped out, nearly getting knocked over by a woman who hurriedly headed for the elevator. She managed to keep the folder secured in her arms when she heard, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry."

Sharon immediately recognized the voice and looked up from her files with a smile on her face, "Nicole." However, the smile quickly faded away when she noticed Nicole's tense features and her glistening eyes.

"Oh Sharon, good afternoon. I'm sorry, I didn't see you." She excused herself with a shaky voice.

"Don't worry, dear." She reassured her with a light smile. "Is everything okay?" She asked, concern showing in her voice, as she put a hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"Yeah, sure. I'm in a hurry, if you'll excuse me." Nicole said as she passed by Sharon and stepped into the elevator. "It was good to see you, Sharon." She added forcing a smile just before the elevator doors closed.

"Same here…" Sharon whispered with a frown after the doors had already closed.

Sharon shrugged and walked to the Murder Room where she found the members of her team, everyone except Andy. She frowned for the second time and scanned the room before asking, "Where's Andy?"

"Must be around somewhere." Provenza mumbled without looking up from the file he was reading. He pulled away the pen he was holding in his mouth and added, "He's with Nicole. She dropped by a few minutes ago…"

And already left, Sharon thought. She thanked the Lieutenant and after leaving the folder on her desk in her office, she quickly walked away from the Murder Room, looking for Andy. She could tell something was off, but she couldn't quite figure out what had happened. Nicole was visibly upset and Andy was nowhere to be seen. She walked the Major Crimes division hallways, but didn't find him until she passed by the break room and noticed someone was inside. She slowly opened the door and closed it behind her.

Here he was, his back turned to the door, sitting on one of the stools. Sharon slowly joined Andy and sat on a stool next to him. She noticed a bag on the counter and took a glance through it before saying with a smile, "So, a pirate costume?"

"If you came over here to make fun of me, now is not a good time." He whispered tiredly.

Her attempt at lighten the mood hadn't work as expected. Sharon rolled her eyes and leaned in to take a look at his face. Andy was looking down, staring at some invisible point on the counter. His features were tense and he was biting his lower lip. He was fidgeting with his hands and she wasn't used to seeing him so quietly upset. She was used to hearing him yell and insult people, but right now he looked defeated and it worried her even more.

"I've run into Nicole. She seemed upset…" Sharon started hesitantly. "What happened? Are you alright?" she softly asked.

Andy sighed as his hands covered his face. He stayed silent for a few seconds before he finally answered, hands still covering his face, "I've screwed up."

Sharon tilted her head, a questioning look on her face as she waited for him to say more. Andy let his hands fall to the counter and sighed heavily, "I was supposed to go trick-or-treating with Nicole and the kids, but I had to let them down. I tried to explain myself to Nicole, but she was so disappointed and angry with me… I've screwed up once again…"

Sharon frowned at the missing pieces in Andy's story and wondered why he had changed his mind this time. She could sense he was withholding some details, but she couldn't understand why he would be so reticent to share them with her. She pressed her lips together before telling him, "We all make mistakes, Andy." She then paused and made eye contact, "Now, you've got two choices: you live with it, or you fix it. It seemed to me that lately you've opted for the second option. Things are going great with Nicole…so why should this time be different?"

Andy didn't answer and stared at her before shrugging and looking down. Sharon leaned closer to him as she whispered encouragingly, "All you have to do is to join them…"

"What about the case?" he asked with a serious look.

Sharon rolled her eyes at him. The case. Work was the problem; work was the reason why he had cancelled his plans, just because he didn't have the guts to ask her if he could leave early. That idiot. If he wasn't already biting off his own head, she would have told him what a fool he was, and maybe she would have even smacked his arm. Sharon covered his hand with hers and once she understood she had his attention, she answered, "Andy, the case is practically solved. The Lieutenant can take care of the interview; the evidence is strong. You don't have to worry about it. We got the guy."

"Not sure Nicole wants me there though…" he whispered defeated.

"Don't be silly, I'm sure she is hoping for you to show up." Sharon corrected him. "Come on, let's go." She ordered standing up from her stool and nudging his shoulder with a light smile.

Andy looked up to meet her gaze and asked her, surprised, "You're coming too?"

"Of course, as a buffer in case they decide to immolate you at the stake." She joked and her smile grew wider when she noticed her words had brought a lopsided grin to his face, "The Lieutenant can handle the interview and call if there are any issues. We can join Nicole and the kids, then return in time to close the deal." She paused before adding with a smile, "And I have a feeling that you may need some encouragement to show up there…"

"Kind of reminds me of a particular day a year ago…" he smirked as he stood up from the stool and took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair.

Sharon crossed her arms on her chest and answered, rolling her eyes at him and grinning, "And how did that day go, despite all your fears and negativity?"

Andy snorted and finally admitted, a smile appearing on his face as the memories of his daughter's wedding came to his mind, "It went perfectly."

"See?" she exclaimed smiling. "What are we waiting for? Come on." She added, pushing him gently toward the door.

"Here, Nicole told me they would go around the neighborhood." Andy said as he looked out of the window at the Halloween decorated houses of Silver Lake.

Sharon stopped the car and they took a glance at the crowds of children walking with their parents from house to house. The street was ringing with laughter and excited squeals. Andy was about to get out of the car when she stopped him by putting a hand on his arm, "Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked him grinning.

Sharon reached for the bag she had put in the backseat and handed it to him. Andy rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "Really?"

"Come on, this will make them happy." Sharon encouraged him.

Andy sighed and took the items out of the bag. There was a hat, a waistcoat, an eye patch, and a sword. Sharon laughed softly and he threw her a deadly glare as he threatened her, "If you tell anyone at work about all this…"

Sharon covered her mouth with a hand as she held back her laugh. She then patted his shoulder and said, "Come on, let's get you ready. Take off your vest and tie…" she ordered him.

"I bet you've always dreamed of saying something like that to me." He teased her with a goofy smile.

Sharon rolled her eyes at him and finished her sentence with a scolding look, "And put on the waistcoat."

Andy did as instructed and Sharon handed him the eye patch. He pouted, and she smiled at him before telling him, "The eye patch too, Andy. What kind of pirate are you without one?"

"I look like an idiot." He complained as he adjusted the eye patch and checked his appearance in the mirror.

"It's a costume, Andy, and it's Halloween." Sharon reminded him as she rolled her eyes. "Here don't forget your hat and your sword."

Sharon handed him the items and put his vest and tie on the backseat before getting out of the car. Andy got out too and Sharon quickly joined him. She looked at him, rubbing her chin in deep thought, before taking a step closer to him and saying, "You look great…but you will look even better if you unbutton the top of your shirt…" she proposed, reaching for his white shirt and unbuttoning the first two top buttons. He smiled goofily at their sudden proximity. Her task complete, she took a step back, studying him again before saying with a triumphant smile, "There, you're perfect. Put your hat on and let's go."

"I'm going to get cold…" he whined as he looked down at his shirt.

"You're a big boy, Flynn. Come on, don't be silly." Sharon nudged his shoulder and linked her arm with his as they started walking around the neighborhood, their eyes searching for Nicole and her stepsons.

They passed by several crowds of disguised excited children, running around and eating candies. Sharon smiled at Andy as she thought of how many times she had gone trick-or-treating with Emily and Ricky when her children were little. The evening reminded her of Ricky's first time trick-or-treating and how excited he and Emily were despite the fact that Jack had let them down by not showing up. Emily had dressed as a wicked princess, while Ricky had insisted on picking out a ghost costume. Prior to going out, Emily had instructed her younger brother on how the afternoon would go and Ricky had silently listened to almost everything his sister said. Almost everything, because even though he had been told by both his mother and his sister to not eat all the candies, he had been too excited to comply, and had eaten way too many during their house-to-house walk. Still not fully satisfied, little Ricky had gotten up in the middle of the night to keep eating his bucket of candies and had ended up with indigestion, waking his mother, crying and holding his tummy.

Sharon smiled softly at the memory while she kept walking, still arm in arm with Andy. After another few blocks, they finally spotted Nicole in a princess midnight dress and her stepsons in their costumes walking away from a house. Sharon felt Andy tense and she let go of his arm to reach for his hand, "It's going to be alright, Andy." She soothingly whispered to him before squeezing his hand as they walked toward Andy's daughter.

Nicole caught a glimpse of her father and stopped in her tracks, surprised at finding him there, dressed in the pirate costume with Sharon by his side. She saw him hesitantly come nearer and she could tell it wasn't easy for him to be there after the things she had said to him. When Noah and Aiden finally noticed him too, they ran to him, calling cheerfully, "Grandpa! You came, you came!"

Andy crouched and they both wrapped their arms around him as Aiden told him, "Your pirate costume is awesome!"

"Thank you, kid." He answered ruffling the oldest boy's hair before standing up.

Nicole joined them with a light smile. Sharon offered her a bright smile as Andy looked hesitantly at her and whispered, "Nicole…"

His daughter nodded and Andy rubbed the back of his neck before gesturing toward Sharon, "Hey kiddos, you remember Sharon, right?"

"Hi Noah, hi Aiden…" Sharon greeted the boys. "You both look amazing in your costumes."

"I'm a vampire." Aiden exclaimed, putting on his scariest expression.

"And I'm a dinosaur!" The five-year-old Noah added as he roared, trying to sound threatening.

"Wow, you both are very scary!" Sharon answered with a smile as she patted the boys' shoulders.

The kids smiled back, happy with the compliments they had just received. Sharon smiled at Nicole and then looked at Andy. She could feel they needed to talk, so she crouched in front of the children and proposed, "What do you say kids if we go together to the next house while Nicole and Grandpa talk?"

Aiden and Noah agreed cheerfully and Nicole silently thanked Sharon with a smile. Sharon took the two boys' hands, and they were about to walk to the house when Aiden stopped to look at Sharon with a dissatisfied pout, "But you don't have a costume!"

"Oh, we're going to fix this." Nicole reassured the boys, taking off the white cape she was wearing over her dress and her tiara.

Sharon frowned and stopped her with a hand gesture as she said, "Oh Nicole, it's not necessary, really."

"Please Sharon, these two monsters won't let you walk them to the house if you don't wear a costume." Nicole answered with a laugh as she handed the items to her father's friend.

"Okay then." Sharon accepted with a smile. She gave the tiara to Andy to hold while she put on the cape. She then asked for the tiara, but Andy smiled at her and stepped closer to her to put it on her head himself. He adjusted it carefully, making sure her hair wasn't out of place, and he got lost for a few seconds in the green mesmerizing eyes staring back at him. As he took away his hands, he lightly brushed her arm, causing Sharon to blush slightly as she thanked him softly.

Andy took a step back to study her with a lopsided grin. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked in her purple dress, white cape, and tiara. Her natural grace and elegance made her look regal. He wasn't the only one thinking that because Noah looked up and told Sharon dreamingly, "Aww you look like a princess…"

Nicole and Andy exchanged a look and smiled while Sharon stroked Noah's cheek and then took the two boys' hands as they headed together to the house. Nicole watched them walking away and said with a smile, "I really do like Sharon a lot."

"Yeah, she's amazing." Andy agreed, speaking his mind without thinking any further. He realized what he had just said only when the words had already left his mouth and it was obviously too late to take them back.

"She is…" Nicole nodded. She paused, feeling a little uneasy and turning to look at her father, "Thank you for coming, Dad. Aiden and Noah are thrilled that you're here… and I am happy too." She admitted.

"Look Nicole…" Andy started, unsure of what to say next.

"No, Dad I'm sorry." She interrupted him, putting a hand on his upper arm, "I've overreacted. I get very protective of Aiden and Noah just as if they are mine, because they are… but I know you're nothing like the man you were before…"

"I'm sorry if I was not the father that you wanted me to be, that I wasn't the hero that you wanted me to be..." Andy interrupted her as he looked down, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Dad, you've always been my hero. Always." Nicole repeated seriously. "Yes, you weren't around much back then, but I was so proud of having a Dad who was a cop. When you weren't with me and Matthew I would imagine it was because you were busy out saving the world." She added with a smirk.

"Nic, this wasn't always…" he fumbled, uneasy.

Nicole gestured for him to stop talking. She shook her head and interrupted him, "That was how I liked to think of you, Dad, it doesn't matter if it wasn't always this way. You were my hero, you still are. I'm sorry if anything I said made you think any less…"

"Don't worry Nicole, it's okay…" He whispered, moved by his daughter's words. He wasn't sure he deserved her admiration and when he met Nicole's eyes, his face softened in a warm smile, "Come here." He opened his arms for Nicole and she immediately wrapped her arms around her father. Andy hugged her tight as he whispered in her ear, "I'm so proud of you, Nic. You're an amazing mother."

He released her in time to see Sharon and the kids coming back. Nicole's eyes were glistening as she slid an arm around her father's side. The kids excitedly showed Nicole the candies they had gathered and she reluctantly let go of her father as she softly stroked the boys' cheeks. Sharon joined Andy and when their eyes met, she offered him a soft smile. He smiled back at her and put a hand on her shoulder as a silent thank you. She covered his hand with her and gently stroked his knuckles before he took his hand away.

Noah and Aiden eagerly grabbed Nicole by the hand and pulled her as they started walking quickly toward the next house. Andy's daughter turned eyes in search of her father and Sharon, he told her with a smile, "Go ahead, we're right behind you."

Nicole nodded and Andy watched her walk away with Noah and Aiden. A smile appeared on his face and he felt Sharon put a hand on his arm. He turned to face her and she asked him, concerned, "You're okay?"

"More than okay, actually." He answered happily. "Thank you, Sharon." He added truthfully.

Sharon looked at him questioningly and shook her head, "For what?"

"For being right." He admitted. "Once again." He emphasized, rolling his eyes at her as he put his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"I'm always right." Sharon answered proudly, a hand on her hip. "Don't you know that by now?" she teased him with a mysterious smile.

Andy rolled his eyes at her once again before turning to see Nicole and her stepsons knocking at the door of one of the houses. He knew he and Sharon should join them, so he gestured for her to go first as he said, "Please, your Highness, you may go first."

Sharon raised an eyebrow, "Always." She walked past him, slightly brushing his arm in the process as she told him with a smile, "What a gentleman." She adjusted her cape and added, "As far as I remember, pirates and princesses don't usually get along."

Andy was following her and he smirked when he wondered, "Well, why can't it be different this time?"

Sharon stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him, intrigued. Andy just shrugged and put his hands in his pockets as he added, teasingly but yet with a genuine smile, "Why can't the pirate get the princess for once?"

Sharon tilted her head and looked questioningly at him as a mysterious smirk crossed her features. Andy simply grinned foolishly back at her. They continued to stare at each other in silence until Nicole's stepsons interrupted them, running up to show the candies they had just received. Aiden pulled on Andy's hand while Noah wrapped his arms around Sharon's legs. She didn't see it coming and slightly lost her balance in the process. Andy was quick to react and before she could fall, he caught her in his arms.

"NOAH! AIDEN!" Nicole yelled as she rejoined the group – as quickly as her princess dress allowed her – and threw a deadly glare at the kids. "How many times do I have to repeat to you to behave and to stay calm?"

The children looked down, feeling uncomfortable after Nicole scolded them. Andy's daughter then asked worriedly, "Sharon, are you okay?"

At the question Sharon suddenly realized Andy still had his arm wrapped around her. The two were standing close, her head resting on his chest where she could practically hear his heart pounding. She felt a little lightheaded and taken aback by their sudden proximity and straightened up, breaking away from Andy's embrace. She could still feel his hand on her back when she turned to meet Nicole's eyes and reassured her with a smile, "I'm okay, don't worry, Nicole." She turned to Noah and Aiden, crouching lightly and ruffling their hair as she added, "What's with the sad faces? Nothing happened, kids. Hey, let me see your smiles."

They both smiled at her and Sharon softly told them, "Now that's better. Next house?" she proposed, smirking.

The kids nodded cheerfully and Nicole took them by the hand as they all headed to the next house. As they walked, Andy leaned in to whisper for only Sharon to hear, "See? The princess literally fell into my arms. You have to admit it, this pirate has an irresistible charm." He added offering her one of his best Andy Flynn smiles.

"You're an idiot." She shot back, keeping her voice low as she shook her head at him and smacked his arm playfully.

They all stopped in front of a house whose garden was full of decorated pumpkins and Aiden turned to look at Andy cheerily, "Come on, Grandpa. Come up and knock with us!"

"Go ahead, Casanova." Sharon told him, challenging him with a look. "I'm curious to see if your irresistible charm works to get us more candies."

"Well, if I have the princess by my side," he answered with a foolish grin, linking his arm with hers, "all the candies will be ours!"

THE END

I hope you enjoyed this piece!

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