"Dammit," Andrea muttered as she violently shook her hand, splashing hot coffee all over the counter.

She reached for the roll of paper towel next to the sink and dabbed at the steaming liquid that stained the off-white marble counter. After tossing the soiled paper towel in the trash bin she rolled her sleeve up to asses the damage. Thankfully the rich brown liquid had missed her blouse completely, instead it had scorched the delicate skin of her palm, causing the pale skin to shine a bright pink.

"The more coffee you spill, the less you can actually enjoy."

Andrea turned around to observe Sharon casually leaning against the doorframe of the break room.

"I might pour the whole pot over myself to try and ingest its powers," Andrea deadpanned. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at Sharon.

"What are you more angry at me for?" Sharon asked, sighing in resignation, "The fact that I want you to offer Malcom a deal or for not discouraging Rusty's v-log?" Sharon took three steps forward, placing her in the middle of the room, and regarded Andrea with her hands on her hips.

Andrea observed Sharon's mirrored defensive body language and shook her head. "I'm not….I don't want to do this. I'm not angry at you. I'm just...angry," she said.

"You know, the nice thing about dating an LAPD officer is that you can tell me about your day and I will understand where your frustration is coming from. I can even offer sound advice," Sharon said pointedly.

Andrea uncrossed her arms and drummed her fingers on the smooth counter. "I don't want to upset you," she reasoned.

Sharon took a few more steps forward so that she was standing directly in front of the irritable DDA. "Because this is working out so well for us both personally and professionally?" she asked quietly.

Andrea pursed her lips and tilted her head.

"Andrea, talk to me," Sharon asked, "I'm not asking you as your co-worker, right now, I'm asking you as your partner. Tell me what I can do to fix this."

Andrea shook her head frustratedly. "That piece of shit doesn't deserve a deal Sharon. He didn't kill that girl but he did everything else to torment her. He deserves to rot in jail," she spat out.

Sharon nodded patiently. "And you're afraid that if we give him this deal, he will walk away a free man and continue to torment women?" she clarified.

"If?! If?! Sharon that is exactly what he is going to do," Andrea shouted, "I'm...sorry…" she put her hand out apologetically, then ran it through her hair and pinched the back of her neck. "I can't let him walk away. I can't," she said quietly, her eyes didn't dare to meet Sharon's. She felt a warm, familiar hand on her forearm; the touch grounded her, and calmed her rapidly beating heart.

"I would never let someone who committed such a despicable act towards an innocent person just walk out of my police station as a free man," she whispered.

"But..How-?"

"Just trust me Andrea. I promise that I know what I am doing, I happen to be fairly good at this," she said, smiling.

Andrea regarded Sharon for a few moments then shook her head in resignation. "Okay," she said, "okay," she repeated to let the words sink in. She felt Sharon's hand slide down her arm to rest overtop her burnt hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to explode," she whispered as Sharon entwined their fingers.

"I know," Sharon said. She traced her thumb over the sensitive flesh on the back of Andrea's hand and marvelled, not for the first time, how such strong and decisive hands could feel so delicate and safe at the same time. "Are we going to talk about Rusty now?" she asked, sighing.

Andrea pursed her lips again and blinked furiously to keep her fearful tears from spilling. "That boy has no idea the danger he is getting himself into," she whispered fiercely. "I can't keep making up excuses for him Sharon. I mean, can't we just….take his phone away forever?" she pleaded.

Sharon let out a laugh. "Oh honey, welcome to the world of raising teenagers. The short answer is no, we can't. And yes, he can be reckless. But we can't protect him from his own ambitions."

"I don't like this answer. Whatever happened to telling kids they have to listen just because you told them so?" Andrea asked stubbornly.

"That works for a few years," Sharon admitted, "And then they become teenagers. And then they turn 19. And all you can do is remind them how much you love them and how proud you are of them when they make smart choices, in the hopes that you'll encourage them to keep making smart choices."

"I'm worried that I can't protect him on this one Sharon," Andrea admitted. "And that terrifies me."

Sharon risked pulling Andrea close enough to her so that she could briefly caress the side of the blonde's face. "You are the best trial lawyer in LA. I have every bit of faith in you," she whispered.

Andrea gulped, she allowed herself the indulgence of feeling Sharon's skin against her own for the briefest of moments before they each took a step backwards. Sharon's words hit her and she couldn't help but crack the slightest of smiles. "The best?" she asked.

Sharon's eyes darkened and her tone became very serious. "The. Best. Not just because of how well you know the law, but because of this," she gestured to Andrea, "because everyone else is out grabbing a quick bite to eat and you refuse to leave this building until the job is done. Because you don't just represent your clients, you understand them. You care for them." Sharon took a breath, "And because I know that you love Rusty, and you'd never rest until you saved him from whatever trouble he's gotten himself into, however deserving," she added with a rueful chuckle.

"I can't always protect my clients," Andrea insisted. "And the thought of adding Rusty to that group is…."

"He won't be," Sharon assured her. "Both of you are far too clever to let the defense trick you."

Andre weighed Sharon's words; a moment passed until a bright, genuine smile graced her lips, "He quoted the Constitution," she said proudly.

"Mmmhmm, I wonder who on earth could have taught him how to interpret that document for his own use?" Sharon said, with a pointedly arched eyebrow.

Andrea rolled her eyes. "His mother is a cop you know," she teased.

"And his mother's partner is a fabulous attorney," Sharon said.

Andrea's eyes softened and she reached for Sharon's hand again. "Hey, thank you," she said softly.

Sharon squeezed Andrea's hand and replied, "Anytime. Now, you need to hurry up with what is left of that coffee. We have a meeting with Judge Grove and our son in less than an hour."

"Yes Captain!" Andrea said in mock-salute. The phrasing "our son" certainly wasn't lost on her, but that was a discussion for Sharon and Andrea to have about their son later on, right now, Captain Raydor and DDA Hobbs had an unwilling witness to protect.