A/N: Well here you go everyone, the conclusion. Completely different than I intended, but hey what do you do? Enjoy!

Today was the day that he was going to go home. It had been a week and a half since the accident, and he was more than ready to go home. Sharon had been with him since he woke up the first time, with the exception of three times. Each time she left she had never been gone for more than two or three hours, and she called or texted like every half hour to check in, even though he had told her he would be fine if she took longer. At one point, he mentioned her going back to work, and she had given him a look and said, "Not while you are in the hospital." They had left it at that because something about the tone in her voice made him just drop the subject and move on.

Rusty had also given up on telling her to go home at night, to sleep because it did absolutely no good. She slept on a cot that the team had managed to find and bring in his room after the second day, and before that she slept in the chair beside his bed.

Last night had been different though. Last night, she had probably thought he was asleep, but he hadn't been. She ran her fingers through his hair, kissed his forehead, and then she had quietly walked out of his room. He watched her walk to the end of the hall and turn right down the last hallway.

Part of his recovery had been to walk the hallways, and slowly build some strength back up in his leg. He knew that the only thing down that hallway was a waiting room and around another corner was a chapel.

It was after midnight when she walked out of his room, and he had woken up to her coming in the room at a little after four in the morning. Almost four hours she had been gone, and she offered no explanation when he rolled over to ask if everything was ok. Sharon simply said, "Go back to sleep." Then, she sat down in the chair and didn't say another word.

Today, Sharon looked like hell. There was no other way of putting it.

He didn't want to think about last night because as soon as the doctor got back with his paperwork, he was out of here, but every time Sharon smiled at one of Andrea's jokes it fell flat. There was no playfulness in her eyes either. It was worrisome, and he was glad that Andrea had decided to drop by because he had asked her if she wanted to come back to the condo with them.

Andrea had easily taken the hint, and agreed. Rusty had seen the questioning look in Andrea's eyes, but he had just shrugged even though he knew that he would have to fill her in later. But Rusty knew that something was going on with Sharon, and he obviously wasn't helping, he might have even been the cause of her pain.

Finally, the doctor came back in with Rusty's follow up instructions and discharge papers. Andrea wheeled him to the elevator, only popping a wheelie once, much to Sharon's dismay. Then, they loaded up, and headed home.

Home.

He couldn't wait to get there.

It was getting late and Andrea knew that she should have probably left by now, but Rusty's words were still lingering in her head. When they had arrived back at the condo, Sharon had gone to take a shower, while Andrea and Rusty ordered some food for them all. Given the events of the past two weeks, there was little to no food in the house to eat, so ordering in was the only logical option.

After the food was ordered, Andrea had wanted the details on what was going on with Sharon. Rusty had been more than willing to tell her everything that he knew and had observed. It gave her a better idea of what exactly was going on, and Andrea knew that her ignored calls and texts last night to Sharon had been ignored on purpose.

It was all finally getting to Sharon, and after knowing the Captain for the last ten or so years, Andrea knew just how much problems with her children could affect her. Things just hadn't weighed on Sharon's shoulders this much in years, and Andrea had almost forgotten what all of the warning signs were. She should have picked up on it sooner. But here they were, and Andrea felt that it was her duty to pull Sharon back to the reality of the good outcome of the situation, and to help her remember that for now everyone was safe again.

Stress from work and stress from home life was always a tough balancing act for all of them, and sometimes when the lines got crossed and the weight of it felt like too much to handle, everyone needed that someone that would sit them down, lay out the facts, and make them see that they were making it through just fine. Andrea had been there many times, and Sharon had always been that person for her. Really, they had always been that person for each other, so that's what she was going to do again.

Rusty had gone to bed half an hour ago, and Sharon was in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of wine. Hopefully the wine would help Sharon open up a little more easily. Sharon came back to the couch and sat on the opposite side but facing Andrea. She stretched out her legs and wiggled her toes underneath Andrea's thigh. It was a habit the Captain had acquired years ago because her feet were always cold, and in the beginning Andrea would squeal as the coldness hit her leg, but now she always just chuckled and patted the legs beside her. It was a comfortable routine, and the ease with which they felt with one another was second to none.

Andrea turned to smile at the older woman, "I want you to know something."

Sharon set her wine glass down and folded her hands in her lap before responding. "And what would you like me to know?"

"That you are my best friend, a beautiful person, and a wonderful mother," Andrea said while searching the other woman's face for a reaction. She usually wasn't so straightforward because too many compliments sometimes had the opposite effect on Sharon's attitude than intended, but tonight it earned her a smile; an actual genuine smile, with a little flush in the cheeks of her best friend.

"Andrea..." Sharon playfully admonished. Andrea just chuckled slightly in response.

The silence stretched on for a minute or two before Andrea put her hand on Sharon's legs and with the most caring face she could manage said, "Are you going to talk to me about it?"

Sharon's eyes dropped to the place Andrea's hand was resting, "What's there to say?"

"I don't know Sharon," Andrea sighed, "We can talk about how you're doing, which I know you hate, or we can talk about why you can't look at Rusty without looking like you are going to cry. Or you could tell me where you disappeared to last night because Rusty said you were gone for hours in the middle of the night. Those are just some of the places we could start." It was direct, maybe a little on the passive aggressive side, but sometimes there was no other way with this woman.

"Are there any other options?" Sharon smirked.

"You are infuriating sometimes. Do you know that?"

"You've told me on several occasions, but I find you slightly infuriating sometimes too."

Their quick banter back and forth was a tension reliever, and Andrea was glad that they always had that easy rhythm.

"Fine, Andrea, you pick a starting point. Honestly, I'm too exhausted to remember all the things you just threw at me that you wanted to know." She cleared her throat, "So, one question at a time please."

Andrea wanted to dance around in victory because that had been way easier than she thought it was going to be. Usually Sharon took much more prompting and prodding before she caved and talked the way Andrea wanted. The only trouble was where to start, in order to wind up with Sharon making the same conclusions Andrea already had. That what had happened, already happened, there was no changing it, and everyone including Sharon did everything they could, and Rusty was going to be just fine with a little more physical therapy; everything had worked out and everyone was safe.

"What happened last night?"

There was a deep sigh that came from the other woman as she reached over and picked up her wine glass before answering, but that was fine because Andrea could be patient when she needed to be.

"Do you remember what you told me that day I found you in the closet of your bedroom after you were shot?" Sharon asked.

Andrea frowned, but replied anyway, "I told you...I could actually feel the darkness."

"And I sat in that closet with you, holding you, and you said I was making the dark go away. We sat there for hours, and eventually you fell asleep in my arms. Then, after I woke you up a while later so we could get off the floor, you said the light was back. Do you remember that?" It was more of a rhetorical question, but Andrea nodded anyway. "I never understood exactly what you meant...until last night. Of course I have had my moments of despair, but I never understood what you meant by feeling the darkness until I felt it last night.

"I was sitting in that room, watching Rusty sleep, and everything I've been pushing down for months—all the anger, sadness, desperation, tears, and heartache—started weighing on me. I literally felt the darkness. It was the middle of the night, there was no one around, I didn't want to leave the hospital in case someone needed to find me for Rusty, but...the only place I could think of going was the chapel." Sharon finally looked up from her glass of wine she had been staring into and met Andrea's eyes for just a second before they focused back on the glass. Andrea was afraid to speak before Sharon was done because the other woman could shut her out at any point. So, she sat there waiting quietly, rubbing her thumb back and forth in what she hoped was a comforting manner across the legs beside her.

Finally, Sharon spoke again. "I knelt at the alter for a while praying and wishing all the feelings would go back to their hiding places I had put them in, but of course they didn't. I let it all out right there in the middle of the chapel. It was exhausting and it was gut wrenching, but I knew that if I continued to hold it in, something very, very bad was going to happen to me. I couldn't allow that, there are too many people that depend on me. So, you wanted to know what happened last night, there it is, the ugly truth of it all. The things that I never wanted anyone to know about me, you know now." Sharon took a deep breath, sat the glass on the table, and then she lifted her head.

The tears Andrea had heard in Sharon's voice were no longer in her eyes, and she looked like she had just told the biggest national secret and now knew she was vulnerable. But that vulnerability is what touched Andrea's heart; that the other woman was so honest and open with her was a treasure.

She held Sharon's gaze as she spoke, "I understand how you felt, and I so wish that I would have been there for you Sharon. I could've been your light for once," she said with a smirk. There was a minute of silence between them, where it seemed as though Sharon was having an internal battle with whether or not she wanted to say something. But then a thought occurred to Andrea, "Do you still feel that way? Or did it help?"

Sharon gave her a half smile, "It worked enough to get me to this moment, and you are helping the rest of the way."

"Good. Do you think you can sleep now? Because I know you probably haven't had a good night's rest in a while."

"Possibly, but I don't want you to leave yet." Sharon slowly withdrew her legs from their spot under Andrea's hand and then stood up. "I just want to check on Rusty, ok?"

Andrea gave the only reply that she could, "I'm here as long as you want."

Sharon was standing in the doorframe watching Rusty sleep. He looked peaceful from her vantage point. That was something she was grateful for. He seemed to be handling things a lot better than she had been, and not just regarding this latest incident. She had been in such a constant state of alertness and fear for so long that she honestly couldn't remember the last time she had slept all the way through the night. Andrea had been right about that at least, and their conversation had been good to get off her chest, even though she knew it wasn't completely finished, she just wished that she hadn't needed to do it. There was something in her that knew it wasn't weakness that she was showing, but at the same time, it felt like weakness.

Andrea would never judge her though. Not the way others had in the past.

The slow footsteps in the hallway drew her out of her thoughts, and hearing Andrea's whisper, even though she expected it, still made her jump a little.

"You've been standing here for 15 minutes. He's safe Sharon." Andrea pulled gently on her arm, and Sharon allowed the other woman to lead her back to the living room. Andrea continued in a low voice, "He's safe, and you did everything right. Don't second guess yourself. Accidents happen. You are both safe."

The brunette fell into the hug before Andrea even lifted her arms. Those arms were a safe place, and if she was going to believe that she really was good, then she needed that feeling of security.

"You're right," Sharon whispered into the blonde's ear. "Sometimes I just have to remember to let go and move on."

"Of course I'm right."

"Don't get cocky counselor."

They extracted themselves from the hug, and both had grins on their faces. Sharon knew that everything was going to be fine because she had a good support system, and that even though sometimes things felt overwhelming, they could work through almost anything.

"How about ice cream and a movie until you get sleepy?" Andrea offered, and Sharon could tell she was trying to lighten the mood.

"I can't think of anything better," was her reply. So, with one more glance down the hallway towards Rusty's room, Sharon turned to head into the kitchen and get the ice cream and two spoons, while Andrea found a good movie. Then, she headed back to settle in next to the blonde, and hopefully soak up the rest of the light she needed to get back to normal.