Holiday Wishes

By Kadi
Rated K

Disclaimer: This is not my sandbox, I simply like to play in it.

A/N: A very happy birthday to Kate04 the best twin and partner in crime ever. Happy Holidays to you all!

The disquiet that settled over them at the beginning of fall was not quick to leave. It remained as the days turned in to weeks, and then months. The loss of Chief Taylor had left a dark cloud lingering over their professional lives, making work hectic and all the more stressful as his absence was felt more and more with each passing case. Chief Howard had stepped in to the role of Interim Assistant Chief of Operations while the search to fill Taylor's not inconsiderable shoes was conducted. There were rumors circulating through the department, names were being passed around. Everyone knew that interviews had been conducted, but Chief Pope was taking his time in filling that crucial position.

Howard wasn't interested in keeping it. He had been in law enforcement long enough that he was good with the rules. He knew all the policy and procedures. It was the politics of it that he didn't enjoy. He didn't want to be an administrator. He wanted to be a lawman. He might have to deal with the administrative side as head of SOB, but he was still in the field, he was closer to the action there than he was in Taylor's office. It was still Taylor's office; that was how he thought of it. He wasn't sure that he would think of it any other way, at least not until the position was filled permanently.

He had some ideas about that. He had been pushing Raydor to put her hat into the ring. When she was resistant, he went over her head. Pope made the call. Raydor was in consideration, even if she was happier with her team. He had also managed to plant a few seeds of concern.

Whoever took that office was going to have a hand in reorganizing the department. No one could promise that would not include Major Crimes; they were a team with more members near or past the age of retirement than any other division within the LAPD. The cherry on top was the aging duo of Flynn and Provenza. Both were well past being put out to pasture, especially considering Flynn's recent health concerns. The next Assistant Chief would be well within his or her rights to insist on retiring the two officers, or putting them on a desk until they chose to retire.

Howard had taken a lot of heat from several corners when he approved Flynn's return to duty in October. The heart attack had come not even a year after his injury and the subsequent blood clot that had put him on medical leave and limited duty the previous winter. Although his physician was able to treat him with stents and approved him to return to work after only a few weeks, he wasn't a young man, and theirs was not a low stress occupation. Fritz wasn't about to deny the other man's return to work, not after his own heart attack, even if Lieutenant Tao was still the only other person besides his Cardiologist and wife that knew about it. Tao, his wife, and now Flynn. Howard had come clean to the other man, referred him to his own cardiologist, and if Flynn had told Raydor, he didn't know about it. She hadn't brought it up, but then he didn't expect that she would.

Actually, he hadn't spoken to Raydor about Flynn or the Lieutenant's health problems. She had forwarded the Lieutenant's request to return to work, and that had been the end of it. Fritz had honestly expected more from her than that, but if he was honest about it, she had seemed disappointed when he approved the request. Or maybe the distinction that he should make was that Sharon was disappointed, Captain Raydor had done little more than thank him and forward the approval on to Human Resources. Flynn was back with his team the following week, and as far as Fritz could tell, it was like he had never even been gone.

He could pretend that he didn't understand it, but the truth was, Fritz got it all too well. The woman that loved the man wanted him to retire, or at least be pushed into doing a job that was less dangerous, less stressful. The Captain that relied upon his experience and skills was not about to relinquish one of the senior most members of her team. It was a thin line that they walked, and a hard one. Fritz didn't envy them that.

Nor did his empathy stop him from using it against the Captain. Chief Howard had worked with the members of Major Crimes long enough to know just how invaluable Flynn and Provenza were. Their combined knowledge and experience were incredibly beneficial, and what they lacked in physical ability, Raydor was now supplementing with younger officers. She had Wes Nolan on her team now, and along with Sykes and Sanchez, they were floating Robbie Oderno in and out as needed, along with regular back up from SIS.

It was a perfectly acceptable situation as far as Chief Howard was concerned. He just couldn't promise that anyone else that stepped into the position of Assistant Chief would feel the same way. He made sure that Raydor was aware of that. If he was backing her in to a corner, he didn't feel all that bad about it. There were only a few people that he could name that would be right for that job. She was the first one on his list.

It created an air of uncertainty around all of them. No one knew what the future was going to hold.

In light of Andy's health problems, and not knowing if he or Sharon would continue to have a job in the coming months, the two of them halted their search for a new home. While it was crowded, the mortgage on the condo was manageable, and almost paid off. When Sharon bought it, she had used the sale of her previous home toward the principle. She had an eye toward retirement within fifteen years of the investment. It wasn't that far off, when she was honest about it.

They both still thought that they would find something that was theirs, a home for them to have together. It was simply better to wait until they had a better handle on their future outlook before their search continued. Sharon promised that it would happen. They would have a home together. Andy kept telling her that the condo was more than enough. He tried to assure her that he was on the same page as she was, in fact, postponing was initially his idea. Besides, he also reminded her that Rusty wouldn't live with them forever.

Andy knew that Sharon didn't like hearing that, but it was a reality that was getting closer with each passing day. They didn't even see the kid all that often anymore, at least, not outside of work. Rusty was interning for DDA Hobbs, but he had also doubled up on his classes, taking those that would pad his application to law school as he continued to work toward graduating from UCLA. Law School was another factor in their decision to wait on buying a house.

They didn't know where Rusty would end up. He hadn't chosen a school yet, and they knew that he wasn't only looking at UCLA. It was certainly on the list, because it was located at home if for no other reason. Rusty was factoring a lot of things into that decision, but it wasn't made yet. They knew that he was also factoring Gus in to it. Wherever he went, he would want to be close to his boyfriend. That was something else that kept him away from the condo. When Rusty wasn't at school or work, he was with Gus. Frankly, the kid barely lived with them at all.

Sharon was worried about all of it, though. Andy could see that she was stressed. She was concerned about his health, their jobs, the team, Rusty, and where they were going to live when it was all said and done. It was a lot for any one person to have on their plate. The months between September and December were hectic and trying.

It had all passed so quickly that the holidays were upon them before they even realized it. Thanksgiving had come and gone in a blur of evidence and paperwork as they caught a case that had all of them shuffling their plans and only seeing their families that evening. Andy had joked that at least they were having dinner at home this year, even if it was delayed. Sharon hadn't appreciated it much; his recent hospital stay was still a little too fresh in her mind. As punishment she didn't tell him about the blueberry pie that she had picked up at the bakery on the way home, since he was not overly fond of pumpkin. She allowed him to find it, quite by accident, during the weekend that followed. If Andy got even with her for that, well, they were adding it to the list of things that she was paying Doctor Joe to help Rusty to overcome.

Living together had been a transition during those months, and they were definitely adding making out on kitchen counters as something not to do for the foreseeable future. At least not until Rusty moved out or they were otherwise guaranteed to not be interrupted by any of their children, particularly those that were especially sensitive to such scenes… which pretty much included them all. Even Nicole, which surprised Andy; he had not expected to be assaulted by a cry of "Oh god, dad, ew!" when she found him kissing Sharon on her patio at Halloween. Given the reactions of the oldest and youngest of their now, mostly, combined brood, they weren't going to push their luck with any of the others.

In the meantime, Christmas was fast approaching. Ricky and Emily had both informed their mother that they had other plans and would not be making the trip home this year. It was going to be a repeat of the previous year, in which her children were much too busy to get away from their own jobs and lives to spend the holiday with their mother. After the year that they already had, Andy knew that it had a considerable affect on Sharon. Even her infamous sense of occasion had taken a hit this time. She wasn't approaching the holidays with the same zest and excitement that she normally did.

They had gone shopping together, and Andy had accompanied her to a couple of holiday parties hosted by her friends. They had also gone to the ballet, just as they had in years past, but even the fact that this was their first Christmas together, officially, had not completely brightened Sharon's holiday spirit. They had picked out a tree together, and since they were now sharing the condo, new decorations were chosen and bought together. They would add items from their own collections, things that they couldn't part with… like Sharon's favorite angels, gifts from the kids, ornaments made by their children when they were still in school, and their tree would be a culmination of who they were as a couple.

Decorating together was an enjoyable experience, but a cloud continued to hang over their heads as the holiday season progressed. What Andy had not told Sharon, and he hated that she was not enjoying the season because of it, was that she would be seeing Ricky and Emily at Christmas. It was hard keeping that secret, but Ricky had found out after telling his mother that he couldn't make it that his work plans had changed. He had decided to surprise her instead, and of course once she knew about it Emily would not be outdone, so she had decided to shuffle her schedule around and her understudy would be dancing for her on the two nights leading up to Christmas.

The result was that both of them were flying in the morning of Christmas Eve and would not be leaving until January 2nd. If all went according to plan and Major Crimes was not dragged in on anything that Robbery Homicide could not handle, Sharon would have plenty of time to spend with her kids.

Andy had worked that out with Fritz. The original plan was to just make sure that he and Sharon could both take a couple of days off while her kids was in town, he felt like she had earned that much. Fritz had decided on his own that the entire team deserved the down time, especially after having to work Thanksgiving. Besides which, he recalled only too well just how often they got called in on holidays and weekends. So without informing the Captain of exactly why he came to that conclusion, he put Raydor on notice that her team was getting the week off. They would close out anything pressing on the Friday before Christmas and not report back to work until the first Monday of the new year. Robbery Homicide would cover for them, and barring anything critical and short of a natural disaster or terrorist attack, he didn't want to see any of them until 2017.

The team was glad of it, but it had not much lifted Sharon's spirits. They made plans to go to Nicole's for dinner again this year, and once again, Gus would be joining them. He would be spending Christmas Eve with them too, and since the young man was basically a member of the family, it didn't bother either of them that it was understood that he would be sleeping over. Andy made sure that Nicole was prepared to have two more for dinner. It would be the first time that she would officially meet either Ricky or Emily, but it was time. Now that he and Sharon were living together, it was time to finish combining their families.

They had talked about marriage. It was a discussion that was on the back burner for the obvious reasons of Sharon's faith and the rules of the Catholic Church. They could not marry in the church, which was something that Sharon would want, unless she had her previous marriage annulled. That was not likely to happen, primarily because she would not do that to her kids, but also because the process was long and arduous and even with the fact that Jack had abandoned them as he lost himself in addiction, there was no guarantee that the Church would grant the annulment. Those things could go either way. Of course, Andy was Catholic too, but his ex-wife was not. She had not converted and they had not married in the church. That left only Sharon's previous marriage in question. They had tabled the conversation.

Andy decided that it was enough for him to know that Sharon wanted to get married again some day, and that she wanted it to be him. She just wasn't ready to consider what she would have to give up to make that happen. She was married to Jack for thirty years. They had two kids. Even if he was a bastard that walked out on her, their marriage had not started in the same way that it ended. They had good years together. The idea of invalidating it, even the good, was painful for her. Andy wasn't going to ask again. They were committed to each other. The idea was planted. Sharon would do with it what she felt was right, not just for herself, but for the both of them and the children too. Not only hers, but his.

Until a decision was made, if a decision would be made, they both had each other's power of attorney, medical and legal. They could buy a home together, and if the worst happened and one of them became injured, or ill, again… then the other would be able to make the decisions that had to be made. Andy didn't want to think about all of that, though.

He thought about the kids. He thought about everything that needed to be done if their surprise was to be carried out like they planned. He was so worried that he wouldn't be up before Sharon, who just happened to be a perpetually early riser, even on weekends, that he hardly slept at all the night before Ricky and Emily's arrival. Andy made sure to keep Sharon up late. The surprise was so heavily guarded that even Rusty didn't know about it, and Andy arranged for him to be gone that Friday evening. He made a huge deal out of the fact that he and Sharon hadn't had any alone time together, selling it so well that Rusty couldn't get away from the condo any faster if he had flown right off the balcony. He made the kid promise to be home, with Gus, late the next morning, and then he proceeded to keep Sharon up very late with the hopes that she would sleep in.

It all started at work. Andy had let Tao, Sanchez, and Buzz in on the surprise. He hadn't trusted Amy or Provenza's big mouths with it. Not that he believed they would leak it on purpose, but, well, those two had a hard time being subtle when they were excited about something… or rather, Amy did. Provenza was just Provenza. Andy arranged for the guys to interrupt Sharon while she was wrapping up her paperwork before dismissing all of them for their week off. Buzz went first. He pulled Sharon in to a conversation about his training and where it was going, and how he would like to assist the team moving forward. Julio spoke to her about being a foster parent and all of the good and the bad that went along with it. By the time that Tao had come up with a reason to go in and draw her into a lengthy conversation about one of his reports, Provenza was on to them. Andy had to come clean to the old man. He admitted that he was trying to keep Sharon at the office for as long as possible, without it looking like that was what he was doing.

As it turned out, Patrice's sister was coming in for the weekend, and she didn't particularly like him much. Provenza was only too glad to help out, even if that meant keeping himself at the office later… especially if that was what it meant. By the time they had all gone through their reasons to interrupt Sharon, and by the time the paperwork was finally completed and she let all of them go, she and Andy had just enough time to swing by her favorite restaurant to pick up dinner to go.

After they had eaten, Andy talked her into watching a movie. Because Sharon tended to fall asleep curled up against him on the sofa, Andy made sure to pick something that he could keep a running commentary on. He was determined to keep her awake as long as possible. Following the movie, he talked her into a long soak in the tub, a full body massage, and finally some things that would have guaranteed Rusty would need to see a therapist if he wasn't already. The result was that Andy was bleary eyed and exhausted once Saturday morning finally rolled around.

Oddly enough, though, even as tired as he was, the thought of what they were about to spring on Sharon had given him a second wind. He left her sleeping in bed and was careful to be quiet, even as he showered, dressed, and then made his way to the kitchen to start breakfast. He had a text from Ricky waiting. Ricky and Emily had boarded a plane in San Francisco while Andy was still in the shower and would be landing in another half an hour. Emily had flown in the day before, just to make sure that she would be able to arrive with her brother. The hassle of arranging two separate flights was worth it. With the airport as busy as they knew that it would be, coupled with holiday traffic, the two were taking a very early flight. It would have them arriving at the condo mid-morning. They would be just in time for brunch.

Andy was well acquainted with Sharon's favorite foods, and from conversations they had over the years, he knew what she liked to make for the kids when they were home with her. It took two tries and a little bit of swearing, but Andy made the thick, fluffy waffles that were Sharon's recipe. He sliced fresh fruit, fried bacon – and not the lean turkey stuff that Sharon forced him and Rusty to eat, but the thick, maple flavored pork that Ricky liked. He scrambled eggs and baked croissants, and when Emily texted him that they were half an hour away, he started the coffee maker to brewing a fresh pot of the rich, gourmet blend that Sharon liked to treat herself to on lazy, weekend mornings.

He heard her moving around, going between their bedroom and the bathroom before the coffee finished brewing. Sharon appeared twenty minutes later, dressed and looking fully intent upon getting started on the day of last minute shopping and baking that she thought was their plan for the afternoon. Andy smiled when she joined him. The red sweater that she paired with jeans and boots was perfectly festive for the holiday season. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Sharon's gaze wandered over the table and bar as she stepped into the kitchen. Her brows lifted in surprise. "You've certainly been busy." The sparkle in his dark eyes had hers narrowing. "What did you do?"

Andy's jaw dropped open. "What makes you think that I did anything?" He lifted his arm when she joined him and dropped it around her shoulders. He was already pouring two cups of coffee with his other. Andy pulled her into his side and pressed a kiss against her temple. "Can't a guy just make breakfast for the woman that he loves?" He nuzzled her hair and pressed another kiss against the spot just below her ear before he rumbled a quiet, "Merry Christmas."

"Hm." She hummed quietly and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Merry Christmas." Sharon moved in front of him as he replaced the coffee carafe on the warmer and tipped her head back. She gazed up at him, and although he smiled back at her, she noticed immediately that he didn't immediately or fully return her gaze. Sharon's eyes narrowed again. He was up to something. She took a step back and pointed a finger at him. "Andrew Michael Flynn, you've saved all of your holiday shopping for this weekend, haven't you?" He was trying to butter her up now, because instead of the two or three small boutiques, and one antique shop that she intended to go to, they would now have to brave the mall and larger department stores. On, not just a Saturday, but Christmas Eve; that would mean at least a few more hours worth of shopping. She wouldn't get the baking done that she intended to do before they had to leave for midnight mass, and here he had let her sleep in.

Sharon was originally pleased with the idea that he let her sleep an extra hour and a half, and she was beginning to feel touched at the idea that he'd made them such a wonderful breakfast. Now she understood exactly what his motivation was. Her hands dropped to slap against her thighs. Sharon rolled her eyes heavenward. "I do not believe this. I asked you three times to get that done. Did you even bother to pick up the gift that we ordered for Nicole and Dean?" It had been shipped to a small artisan shop in Santa Monica from a sister store in Monterey. Sharon had found the hand-carved wine rack while browsing online and thought that it would love beautiful in the couple's recently remodeled kitchen.

Of course he had. With the exception of a few odds and ends that he thought that he might pick up that afternoon, all of his shopping was completed and had been for two weeks. The wine-rack was carefully packaged, wrapped, and waiting in the trunk of his car. He wasn't surprised that it had only taken Sharon a few seconds to figure out that he was planning something, but he scowled at the tone she used on him and decided to play along. "Yes." He folded his arms across his chest. "It's in the car. Already wrapped," he pointed a finger at her when her mouth opened, "no I did not wrap it." He lifted his chin in a show of defiance, even when her eyes narrowed again. "Two things. That's it. I just have two more things to get and then I'm done, and no, I'm not buttering you up." He walked around her and took the freshly squeezed orange juice that he left chilling in the fridge out to carry to the table. In his pocket he felt his cell phone vibrate. Andy used that as a cover for checking it. He fought the urge to smirk. He had a text from Ricky.

"Stepping onto the elevator. Five minutes. Ran in to Rusty and Gus in the garage."

Andy slipped the phone back into the pocket of his jeans and placed the juice on the table. "I made breakfast because it's Christmas Eve. Our first real one together, in case you forgot, which from the way that you're nagging me already – I think that you did." He was laying it on thick and would pay for it, but it was worth it. Andy turned just in time to watch her eyes widen with surprise and guilt. "Rusty and Gus will be here any minute, and I just thought," he added, waving his arms toward the table in an exaggerated gesture, "that we could enjoy it. As a family."

Her arms folded across her chest. Sharon's lips turned down into a small pout as she walked out of the kitchen to join him beside the table. She was beginning to feel a little badly for her suspicions, but she wasn't entirely convinced just yet. He was being a little over dramatic, and in her experience, that could only mean trouble. "Is that all?"

He sighed. The problem with pulling off things like this was that Sharon knew him entirely too well. Andy's shoulders slumped and his head bowed. He stood there for a moment before he looked up at her. "I also forgot to pick up your red dress at the cleaners, so you don't have it for dinner tomorrow." The place they used was closed for the holiday and Sharon specifically asked him to make sure that he dropped by and picked up their dry cleaning because she wouldn't have time between the meetings that she had that week.

"Andy!" Sharon covered her face with her hand and groaned loudly. "The cleaners is closed. You promised—"

"I know." He took a careful step forward as he affected his contrite response. The dress was hanging in the Rusty's closet with his dark pin-stripe suit, exactly where he had hidden them so that she wouldn't know that he was misdirecting her with a little white lie. As well as Sharon knew him, he knew her too. Andy knew that she would be a suspicious little vixen. It wasn't that he didn't do things like this for her, because he did, and not only to get himself out of trouble. He made dinner or breakfast, arranged romantic evenings and mornings, took her out or brought her flowers just as often as he could. Sharon just happened to know when he was being completely sincere and when there was something else going on, like now. He didn't want her figuring it out, so he would go along with it all for the sake of their surprise and enjoy the fact that she would be making it up to him later. He held up his hands as he took a cautious step toward her. "Look, I know," he said again. "I messed up. But it's okay. You'll wear the blue dress. That really pretty one that looks so good on you."

Sharon heaved a sigh as he came even closer. Her arms dropped to her sides. "I am going to have to, aren't I?" She wanted the red one for the pictures. She and Nicole had carefully worked out the color scheme this year. They had even found cute little matching red ties and suspenders for the boys, to go with Dean's matching red sweater vest. Sharon had bought a red tie for Rusty and she knew that Andy would coordinate to her dress. Luckily, she knew that both Rusty and Andy had ties that would match her dress, and they could pick something up for Gus while they were shopping that afternoon. She would just have to call ahead and let Nicole know that plans had changed. Sharon looked up at him through her lashes when his arms wrapped around her. "The dry cleaning? That was why you went to all this trouble?" A smile was playing at the corners of her mouth.

He felt his phone vibrate with another text. "Something like that." He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose before letting go of her. Andy picked up the card that was lying on the bar and handed it to her. "That, and it is Christmas Eve."

She took the envelope from him, but not without giving him another long, suspicious look. "What is this?" Her brow arched inquisitively.

"Open it and find out." Andy walked back into the kitchen to take down the plates that they would need and finish setting the table.

Sharon shook her head. Her lips pursed as she opened the envelope. Sharon slipped the card out. It was a beautiful winter wonderland, but the glitter made her nose wrinkle. When she opened it, her brow furrowed. "Open the door and remember to breathe?" She cast a look at Andy's back. "What does that mean?"

Andy shook his head. He chuckled quietly. "Open it and find out," he repeated, with a lot more humor.

She huffed a sigh and let the card smack against her leg when her arms dropped. It sent glitter cascading toward the floor. Sharon walked across the living room and paused in front of the still locked front door. She took a breath before flipping the lock. "Andrew Flynn, if a badly dressed Santa jumps out at me, you will sleep on the balcony for a week." The warning was muttered before she took hold of the doorknob and gave it a turn. She pulled it open with a small amount of trepidation and resisted the urge to close her eyes.

"Merry Christmas Mom!" Emily and Ricky stood side by side in front of her, their bags at their feet, and their younger brother behind them with his boyfriend. Gus was still laughing at Rusty's disbelief that they had managed, with Andy's help, to pull off the surprise without anyone finding out, least of all him.

The Christmas card was dropped and forgotten as Sharon's hands rose to her mouth. "Oh!" She exclaimed with delight and bounced where she stood. She couldn't believe that they were both standing there. Her two eldest were standing in front of her, smiling brightly, and somehow home for the holiday. "You're here," She managed to say after a moment. "You're really here." Sharon held her arms open, even as happy tears filled her eyes. "Get in here."

Neither of them had to be told twice. Emily and Ricky stepped forward to embrace her. They were all talking at once; talking and laughing, and explaining how they had managed to pull off something like this without their mother figuring it out. Rusty and Gus squeezed into the apartment around them and moved further into the living room where they could watch the exchange more easily.

"I thought you had a show?" Sharon asked her daughter.

"I did." Emily pulled back and glanced at Ricky. "But I let my understudy take the last two before the holiday and booked a flight instead. "

"My big meeting got moved to mid-January," Ricky explained. "So I decided to come down here instead. I told Emily I was going to surprise you, so…"

"No way was I about to be the bad kid for staying in New York at Christmas, so, here we are!" She shrugged at her mother. "Surprise."

"It certainly is!" Sharon laughed as she stepped back so that they could bring their bags in and close the door. "How long are you here for?" She was already working out the logistics in her head. She could put Emily in Rusty's room and let the boys camp out in the living room.

The two siblings exchanged a look again. Ricky grinned. "How does a whole week sound?"

"We fly out on the second," Emily explained. "I met Ricky in San Francisco yesterday and we drove up to Concord to see Gram and Grandad. They sent gifts for everyone, and Gram said that she would call you this evening before mass."

"A week sounds wonderful." Sharon pulled both of them to her again. She hugged them both before turning. "Did you know about this?"

The question was directed at Rusty. He threw his hands up. "No idea. No one told me anything."

Sharon looked beyond him to Andy, who was still calmly setting the table for brunch." Her eyes widened. "You knew?"

"Well yeah," Ricky drawled with a grin. "Someone had to make sure that you would be at home when we got here. We didn't want to go hunting you down at any crime scenes. Once was enough."

"What?" She was still staring at him. Andy shrugged. "I put in a time off request. Chief Howard decided we should all get the week off. No big deal." He arranged the place settings around the table so that there would be room for all six of them.

"No big deal," Sharon repeated carefully. She took a step toward him and folded her arms across her chest. "So this," she waved a hand at the table, "all of it, was because you knew that we were going to have guests for brunch?" Her eyes narrowed. "You let me sleep in so that you would be able to do all of it, and coordinate their arrival." Sharon pointed a finger at him. "All of your shopping is finished isn't it?"

"Well…" Andy was trying hard not to grin at her, but he was losing that battle.

Her lips pursed and she took another step toward him. "Andy," she asked very carefully, "where is my red dress?"

The corners of his mouth were twitching. He looked down and rubbed his chin. "Hanging in Rusty's closet with the rest of our dry cleaning."

"Andy!" Sharon's arms dropped to her sides. "You let me be upset with you!" She huffed at him. "What about dinner tomorrow night? Is that off?"

He lifted his hands in surrender and shrugged. "I took one for the team. For the record, though, this was all their doing. I was just the guy on the ground to make sure that there were no deviations. Which is why Nicole is expecting two more for dinner." His eyes were twinkling at her as she came to stand in front of him. "You really don't ever change the code to your storage unit do you? I pulled the extra camp beds out, so we should be good on sleeping arrangements this week." He knew that she would want the kids close by until at least after Christmas, then he expected Rusty would probably stay with Gus most of the time, like he normally did.

"What am I going to do with you?" Sharon was smiling at him. Despite his saying that he hadn't done anything more than help out, she was putting a lot of the credit at his feet. Emily and Ricky were only responsible for booking flights and getting themselves to Los Angeles; she doubted very much that their surprise would have remained a secret if not for Andy's hard work.

It was a rhetorical question but Andy's brows still bobbed in response. There was a teasing gleam in his eyes as he replied, "Well, I can think of a few things."

Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "I'll take it under advisement." She cupped his face in her hands and rose onto the balls of her feet to press a kiss to his mouth.

When his brother made a face and looked away, Ricky threw his arm around Rusty's shoulders. "Oh my god," he stated loudly, "aren't they so cute! Just look at those two adorable lovebirds!" He placed a hand against his chest and fluttered his lashes while also laying his head atop Rusty's. "I just cannot even."

Rusty pushed his brother off of him and glowered at him. "She dropped you on your head as a child, didn't she?"

"Many times." Ricky rocked back on his heels. He was grinning widely. His mother and her boyfriend had pulled apart. He picked up his and Emily's bags. "I'll take these down the hall."

"I will help you." Andy gave Sharon's arm a squeeze as he moved around her to pick up the two bags with gifts that Emily and Ricky had brought with them, in addition to their suitcases. "I need to get our stuff out of Rusty's closet."

"I can't believe you pulled that off," Ricky marveled. He was sure that Rusty would figure it out and say something to their mother, or at least voice his suspicions, and then the entire gig would be up.

"Well, he doesn't use his closet as much as he used to," Andy pointed out with a smirk. He would let Ricky do what he liked with that information. He was going to consider it a little bit of payback for all of the grief that Rusty had given him and Sharon when they first began dating.

"Really." Ricky smirked. That was definitely something to file away for later. "So how about those Seahawks huh?" If there was one thing that he and his mother's boyfriend had in common it was definitely sports. They both loved baseball and football.

Andy cast a hard sideways look at the younger man. "Are you trying to piss me off already? Wilson is throwing like a college freshman and Sherman has gotten so full of himself, I think he's forgotten why he's playing the game."

"They only barely beat the Rams. That was pathetic," Ricky agreed. "They were looking great a couple of weeks ago, though. Oakland is looking better."

"Anyone can beat the Rams," Andy rolled his eyes at that. They finally had a home team again, and it just happened to be a home team that needed to be rebuilt. "The defense isn't looking too bad, but they need a complete overhaul on the offensive line. Firing Fisher," he said of the head coach, "didn't do them any good. Oakland might have the west sewn up," he agreed, "but I don't think they'll get past New England in the playoffs…"

The football talk faded away as the two men got further down the hall. Emily rolled her eyes toward her mother. "You wanted them to get along," she reminded her.

"That I did." Sharon smiled fondly at the thought. Andy and Ricky had never been the problem; it was her youngest son that had issues with her love life. She let her gaze move over the table and quirked an eyebrow at Gus. "How many times did he call you this morning?"

The young man laughed. He walked over to take a look at how everything turned out. "Only twice. He was having trouble with the waffles." He inclined his head and looked at the fluffy stack. "I think he did okay after the second call. I told him to make the batter with half milk and half water."

"Wait." Rusty joined him. "You knew?" He couldn't believe that his boyfriend had kept this from him.

"About breakfast," Gus assured him. "I didn't know about the rest of it. I thought he was making food for us, you know, you and me, and your mom. I didn't know that your brother and sister were coming." He turned then and very pointedly stuck his hand out toward Emily. "I'm Gus, by the way."

Rusty cringed, even as his mother folded her arms across her chest and gave him a pointed look. "Sorry." He gestured at his sister. "Emily, this is Gus. Gus, this is Emily…" He paused for a moment. "My sister. The older one."

Emily's brows rose but she didn't comment on that. She knew from conversations with her mother that Rusty was still having some issues about the fact that his birth mother had just had another baby. Rusty now had a younger sister. "Hi." Emily took Gus's hand with a smile. "It's very nice to finally meet you. Ignore anything that Ricky says. He was plotting on the flight down here."

"Oh." Gus's lips turned down. "I was kind of looking forward to it. I understand that Ricky does quite an inquisition." His dark eyes sparkled. "He did it to Andy."

"What?" Sharon's arms dropped. She rounded the table and fixed her son and his boyfriend with a look. "When did that happen?"

"Are you kidding?" Rusty laughed. "Two Christmases ago. Where have you been mom?"

Her eyes widened. Two years ago would have been the last time that her eldest children were home for Christmas. "But we weren't…" She gave up at the knowing looks that she was getting from Rusty and Emily. "Oh forget about it." Sharon turned on her heel and walked into the kitchen to retrieve her coffee. She was not going to be able to cope with all three of them and Andy without having caffeine in her system.

"That's her story and she's sticking to it." Emily folded her arms across her chest and smirked at her mother's back. "Don't you think it's time to admit what the rest of us have known since before that Christmas?"

"No." Sharon lifted hers and Andy's cups and carried them to the table. After placing Andy's in front of his usual seat, she cradled hers in both hands. "I do not," she stated, "because it is not a story, it is the truth."

"Give it up." Rusty moved into the kitchen and brought out the juice glasses while Gus took the napkins off the bar. "She will never let that one go." He made sure there was an entire dining room table between himself and his mother before he added, "besides, they've moved way beyond dating and settled right in to married."

Sharon made a show of taking the napkins from Gus and setting them around the table. "Yes, thank you for explaining that, Rusty," she spoke slowly, every word perfectly enunciated and dripping with warning, "because it is not at all possible that I would recall having actually attended my own wedding."

"Well, you know." Rusty chose not to heed his mother's tone, "anything that I can do to help. I'm totally here for you."

Before Sharon could respond, Andy returned with Ricky in tow. "So, I was thinking," the latter began as they all took seats at the table, "we should let the two lovebirds keep Rusty's room. Emily and I will camp out in the living room. I mean, they're going to want to spoon," Ricky continued, dark eyes sparkling with mischief, "and no one wants to wake up to that."

Rusty was scowling darkly at his brother. He was not fully accustomed to being on the receiving end of sibling teasing. He especially didn't want his relationship to be the center of the joke. "You know," Gus jumped in before an argument could break out, "that's really nice of you, but where I come from, the polite thing to do would be to let your sister have the room while us guys take the camp beds." He shrugged. He was smiling widely, dimples on display and eyes twinkling. Rusty didn't like the teasing, but he could take it. He missed having this sort of relationship with his siblings. Rusty didn't know how good he had it. "I mean, it might be hard waking up to your face, but we can handle it."

Emily snorted a laugh and quickly hid it behind a napkin. Her mother and Andy were suddenly very intent upon the contents of their coffee cups, although both were shaking slightly with silent laughter. Her youngest brother was staring at his boyfriend with shock and not a little bit of awe, while Gus and Ricky sat across from one another, gazes locked. She tilted her head to the side and considered her brother. "You're plotting. That never ends well."

He slanted a sideways look at her. Ricky simply smirked. "Just trying to figure out how to keep him if they ever break up. I'm hoping mom has those clutch adoption papers ready to go."

Rusty rolled his eyes. "We'll just let him take your spot, it'll be fine."

"Let's discuss what we would like to do while everyone is home for Christmas," Sharon stated, effectively ending the conversation before it could get out of hand.

"Well, we know that you and Andy have plans for the afternoon," Emily said, "so Ricky and I thought that we would get settled while the two of you do what you need to do."

When she looked like she might argue that, Ricky was quick to add, "we will be here the entire week. There's plenty of time for all of us to get caught up."

Her lips pursed. She thought about that for a moment. "Okay," Sharon decided. She glanced at Andy. "We will do the errands that we had planned. We can all have dinner together this evening and spend a little time catching up before mass."

Gus and Rusty exchanged a look before the former leaned forward in his seat. "Dinner is my treat tonight," he told Sharon. "You can spend even more time with your kids while I take care of everything."

"Oh Gus," Sharon shook her head, "you don't have to do that." It was only a token argument, at best, since they always enjoyed when Gus made dinner for them. He was quite the talented young man.

"Yes I do." Gus smiled knowingly at her. "Consider it my gift to all of you. I'm even making that raspberry cheese cake that you like."

"Dinner will be great." It was Andy that accepted it. He flashed a crooked grin at his girlfriend. "What? I'm not turning down cheesecake."

Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "No, I can't imagine that you would." He had a sweet tooth, and she supposed the cheesecake would be a good deterrent for keeping him out of the Christmas cookies later. She shook her head at his goofy smile, but her eyes were shining with amusement. With all that had been hanging over their heads this year, it was good to see him happy. "Thank you, Gus," she turned her attention back to the younger man. "Dinner would be lovely."

"Good!" Andy clapped his hands together. "Now let's eat. I'm starving." He picked up the platter of waffles and passed them to Sharon as the others began filling their plates from the offerings on the table.

Brunch continued in much the same way that it had started, with laughter and teasing. Afterward, Sharon and Andy left to run their errands while the children were left to their own devices. Emily and Ricky settled in and rested after their early morning flight while Gus and Rusty made a quick trip to the supermarket to pick up what was needed for dinner. Much later, well after everyone had returned and dinner had been consumed, after the final cookies had been baked and placed on the cooling rack, Emily and Ricky had gathered for a family tradition.

They dragged Rusty along with them, and got Gus to join them as they lay down by the tree to look up at the lights. Their mother had gone down the hall, presumably to change for mass, but they expected her to join them, just as she always did. This was something that they had done together for as long as Emily and Ricky could remember. They would lay and wish on the lights, and think of all the good things they hoped that the holiday and New Year would bring them.

Several minutes passed, and when their mother had not appeared, Emily volunteered to go and find her. She made her way quietly down the hall with the sound of laughter behind her. Gus was not much younger than Ricky, and with him her brother had found a suitable bantering partner. It was rather amusing to watch, and once he relaxed, even Rusty had come to enjoy it. Emily shook her head at them, thinking that boys would be boys as she neared her mother's open bedroom door.

She peered inside and the scene within drew her up short. She took a step back so that she was not overly visible and studied the pair inside the room. They were both dressed for mass, Andy in a dark suit and gray shirt, and her mother wearing a cashmere dress that fell to just above her knees. The Christmas music that had been filling the apartment most of the evening had originated from her mother's room, and was still playing quietly while the couple had gotten dressed for mass. Emily could only guess that they had gotten distracted, as the door was open and they appeared to be fully clothed. While she watched, they swayed together, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

As the soft sounds of Baby It's Cold Outside played on, Sharon and Andy were lost in the solitude of the moment, dancing together on what was their first official Christmas Eve as a family. Emily had not really stopped to think of the implications of the day before now. Yes, they were dating last year, and before that as far as the children were concerned, but their lives were still largely separate. While Sharon and Rusty, along with Gus, had Christmas dinner with Andy's family the previous year, they were not living together. They had not joined their lives together with quite the same level of commitment that they shared now.

If she were honest about it, Emily had always believed that her mother and youngest brother had been invited so that they would not be on their own. Ricky had gone skiing with friends the previous year, and she had been performing in New York, wrapping up her first season as a soloist with a lead in the Company's holiday production.

This year was altogether different. Her mother's life had changed. Sharon was living with the man that she was going to spend the rest of her life with, and the following day Emily and Ricky would be meeting his children. Just that afternoon Emily had phoned Nicole to make sure that there was nothing at all that she and Ricky needed to bring, and that adding the two of them had not been an imposition. The other woman was delighted to have them, and with their inclusion, Nicole explained that her brother would be joining them too. It was a surprise for her father, as he had not expected Charlie to make the drive from Fresno to Los Angeles since their mother was out of the country for the holidays.

For the first time, all five of them would be together, underneath the same roof. Emily had not realized it at the time, but now she understood what that really meant. This family was coming together. It made sense to her now why her mother had not yet married this man. It wasn't just about the two of them, they were building something together and it wasn't quite finished yet.

Emily looked up as she was joined at the door. She shook her head at Ricky and gestured for him to be quiet. Then she nodded into the room. The two of them peeked around the doorframe and watched their mother dancing with and smiling at the man who had so captured her heart. It had been a long time since they had seen her like this. They watched the two of them for just a few moments longer, then Emily nudged her brother and they made their way quietly down the hall.

"So I guess we're skipping the lights tradition this year," Ricky decided, but was not entirely upset about it.

"Yes," Emily agreed, "I think that we are." She arched a brow at him. "Mom will be out in a minute. She won't let us be late to mass."

Ricky smirked. No, their mother would never allow that to happen. He thought about it for a moment before he dropped an arm around her shoulders. "You know, maybe it's time to find some new traditions."

"Hm." Emily and Ricky rejoined their younger brother and his boyfriend beside the tree. As she looked up at the lights, Emily smiled. "After mass let's get hot chocolate and tea, we can open presents and then go up into the hills and watch the sun come up." In years past, Christmas had meant midnight mass, then off to bed only to rise early for presents and breakfast. Sometimes their father would be with them, and sometimes he wouldn't. Her brother was right, it was time for something new.

They wouldn't have to be at Nicole's until later. They could have a late morning. Ricky nodded. "I like it. Let's tell mom."

"Tell mom what?" Sharon eased onto the floor and wiggled in between Emily and Ricky. Rusty and Gus were on the other side of the tree, near the balcony doors. As she settled between her two eldest, she realized that she was getting much too old to be lying on the floor. She rested her head on her son's shoulder and smiled when Emily snuggled in to her other side. They only had a few minutes before they had to leave for church, but she would not miss this.

"We're going to open presents after mass," Ricky said. "So we can drive up into the hills and watch the sunrise. We'll have plenty of time to sleep in before we have to start getting ready to go to Nicole's."

"You made all the cookies tonight," Rusty pointed out, gazing at his mother and siblings from over the top of Gus's head. "You're making your stuffing at Nicole's and Gus made the extra cheesecake, so there's nothing to do before we leave."

Sharon's lips pursed while she thought about it. It would mean an awfully late night. Andy had napped before dinner, and the kids had spent most of the day resting. Sharon nodded. "I think it sounds like a great idea." This Christmas was marking something of a new beginning for all of them; beginning with the sunrise on a new day would make for a perfect start.

Emily hummed again as she laid her head on her mother's shoulder. They were all silent for a few seconds. They heard the music stop in the other room and new that the minutes were ticking down until they had to go. She glanced at her mother, who was staring contentedly up at the lights. "What did you wish for?"

She had an arm wrapped around her girl and she was holding her eldest son's hand. On the other side of the tree she could hear her youngest talking in quiet tones to his partner about their plans for the coming days. From just down the hall came the approaching steps of her love. Sharon cast a look at her daughter and smiled. "I already have it."

"I wished for a pony." Ricky told them. "I guess that explains Gus. Every time I ask for something big, she brings in another kid."

"I think that's supposed to be my line," Emily told him, smirking when their mother nudged him to behave. "I wished for new ballet shoes. I will probably get boots. Please Santa, bring me Jimmy Choo."

"I wished for a bigger house," Rusty muttered. "Please Santa, we need a second bathroom."

While their mother groaned and Ricky laughed, Emily twisted her head to look at her younger brother and his boyfriend. "What did you wish for, Gus?"

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at them a little shyly. "I wished for Paloma to have a happy Christmas with her new family, and to be healthy and loved."

Ricky and Emily knew from what little their mother had told them of Gus, that Paloma was his younger sister. She had been adopted, and he had not seen her since he had left home to join the Army. Emily smiled at him. She felt a little silly for the obviously goofy wishes that they had made. "I am sure that she will be."

"So am I." Sharon cast a warm look in Gus's direction. She made a mental note to reach out to Cynthia and see if there was anything else that they could find out about the girl. Maybe they could put Gus's mind more at ease, if nothing else.

"So…" Ricky decided it was time to change the subject. He had watched his mother's boyfriend come in to the living room and gather his and her coats from the closet. "Do you think that you'll ever get him down here?"

Sharon craned her head to follow his gaze. She snorted a quiet laugh. "Oh honey, getting him down here isn't the problem. With that back and those knees, it's getting him back up again that's the problem."

"You're one to talk," Andy grunted, having obviously heard them. He draped their coats over the back of one of the armchairs and walked over to peer down at the group that was laying so close to the tree. "Are we ready to go?"

"We are." Sharon held up her arms and wriggled her fingers at him with a wide smile.

Andy rolled his eyes at her as he took her hands and helped her up. "My knees and my back?"

"Oh hush." She gave his chest a light swat before smoothing down her dress and walking around him to step back into her heels. It had already been decided that the children would take Rusty's car to the church while Andy and Sharon rode in his. As they all shrugged into their coats and filed out of the apartment, Sharon and Andy were the last to leave. She caught his arm before he could move through the door and pulled him back. They could hear her children carrying on the playful bickering that they had maintained throughout the day. "Thank you," she told him, a soft smile at her lips.

He still maintained that he hadn't done a whole lot. Emily and Ricky's decision to come home for Christmas was entirely theirs. Sharon wasn't inclined to let him off the hook though, but this time he didn't entirely mind. He flipped a lock of hair behind her shoulder and leaned down to press a light kiss to her lips. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." She smiled when he wrapped an arm around her and leaned in to his side as they left the condo.

Later she would tell him that their plans for the morning had changed, for now she enjoyed his nearness as they caught up with the rest of their family in the elevator. Ricky and Gus were at it again. Sharon laid her head on Andy's shoulder and smiled when he joined in. The two younger men were completely outmatched. She shared a look with Emily. Her eyes were alight with joy. While they may not know all that the future would bring for them, and though they were ever more aware of how precious and fleeting life could be, Sharon was more than certain that she had everything that she could want or wish for.

~FIN