Duff was irritatingly lazy with his characterization of Sharon, so I didn't take the failure to mention Sharon's parents again after The Closer episode where they were mentioned as meaning that they had died at some point. I took it as him forgetting her parents had ever been mentioned and just not caring whether Sharon still had living parents or not. Same thing for how prude-ish Sharon sometimes seemed to be. I didn't take it as her rarely cussing or not discussing personal things with people she's close to-I took it as Duff being lazy and not caring about giving her character any kind of personality or depth. :)

I listened to the WWSRD podcast when it aired, and I remember Mary saying that she saw Sharon as being either an only child or possibly having only one other sibling, but, for the same reasoning she gave, I thought the opposite. It's been a while since I listened to it, but if I'm remembering correctly, she said something about the thoughtfulness and individual attention with which she engaged in conversations with Ricky and Rusty indicating that Sharon had grown up with a lot of attention from her parents. Maybe that's true, but it could also be true that Sharon lacked that amount of individual attention from her parents, so she wanted to make sure she gave her own children as much individual attention as she was able to. I also remember Duff saying something about "yeah, Sharon has siblings," in passing in one of his interviews or something (but he also said no other major characters would die after Chief Taylor, so we all see how trustworthy he was). The only good thing about Duff's lazy characterization of Sharon is that we can interpret her character pretty much however we want to, and no one knows whether we're right or wrong. :)

The following Wednesday, Sharon had a rare evening to herself. She hadn't asked Andy to stay over, and Rusty had a late class. While she knew she was going to miss Andy when she got in bed, she couldn't help but enjoy doing what she wanted for dinner without having to coordinate with him and not having to worry about what he wanted to watch on TV. The time to herself also made her realize that she still felt a little like she had to entertain Andy when he was at the condo. She knew he didn't expect that from her, but she still felt that way. In some aspects, he felt like "home" to her, but in others, not so much. She knew they'd eventually get there, it would just take some time.

After dinner, Sharon settled on the living room floor with a glass of wine and several photo albums. She'd looked through many of them by now, but the more she went through, the more aggravated she got because they weren't organized. When Emily and Ricky were growing up, she was doing well just to get her pictures developed. She'd gone through several spurts where she tried to organize them, but she'd inevitably get busy with other things and lose interest. After a while, she got another glass of wine and turned the TV off, opting to listen to music instead. Ugh, the very first song that played was quintessential Jack. It was one of her favorites, though, so she still always loved to hear it, despite the fact that it always reminded her of one of the times when Jack came home for one of his stints of being a functional human being, and of Jack, in general.

May 1995

Sharon came home from work late one Tuesday evening, and her heart sank when she noticed a familiar car in the driveway. Jack. She hadn't seen or heard from him in months. She knew she'd be working late, so she'd asked Anne to pick up Emily and Ricky from St. Joseph's. Their after-school program worked with Sharon on their hours when it was necessary, but she didn't want them to have to stay so late if she could help it. Joe usually played cards with some friends on Tuesday nights, so Anne often ended up at the Raydor residence on those evenings, anyway. At ten and seven years old, Emily and Ricky didn't require much care other than making sure they didn't kill each other, so Sharon didn't feel too bad about asking Anne to keep them for a couple of hours. The older they got, the less guilty she felt about asking her neighbors for help with them.

When Sharon walked into the kitchen, Jack was unpacking a grocery bag like he'd been there all along. "What the hell are you doing here?" Sharon demanded, once she saw that Emily nor Ricky appeared to be within earshot.

Jack closed the refrigerator door and turned to face her. "What, no 'hello?'"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Hello, jackass, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I've been sober for a couple of months now, and I've been in touch with some friends who have been referring clients to me. I'm building up a pretty good business, and I want to come home."

"Yeah. I haven't heard that a time or two." If it weren't for Emily and Ricky, Sharon wouldn't have had any problem with kicking Jack out on the spot, but she figured they'd been ecstatic to see him. It wasn't fair to them for her to keep him away from them, but it also wasn't fair for Jack to come home and get their hopes up, just to leave again a few weeks later. Also, the older they got, the more they were observing the family dynamics when Jack was home, and she didn't want them to think that there was anything normal or okay about a "husband" and "father" disappearing for months at a time, shirking responsibility, and only coming home and being part of the family when it suited him.

"I'm serious this time."

"You were serious last time, too. You can't keep doing this to our children, Jack. You don't have to see the heartbroken expressions on their faces or deal with Emily's sleepless nights or Ricky's behavior problems every time you leave, but I do. In or out. You have to make a decision."

"I'm home for good this time, Sharon, I promise."

"Whatever. You're sleeping on the couch." Sharon had put dinner in the crockpot that morning, and she looked at the timer and saw that it would be ready in about thirty minutes. She could toss a salad and get out some fresh fruit once it was ready. "You think you can keep our children alive for less than an hour?" After downing a glass of wine, she refilled her glass, grabbed the two remaining bottles in the house, and went next door to vent to Anne. God, she was so pissed off she could barely see straight.

Anne had spotted her storming across the driveway and met her at the door. "I'm sorry, Sharon. I thought about paging you, but I didn't want you to think something was wrong with Emily or Ricky—"

"Don't worry, Anne. This isn't the first time he's just shown up like this. Unfortunately." Sharon set the bottles of wine on the counter, got a couple of wine glasses out of a cabinet, and poured two glasses from the open bottle. "Mind if I stash these here? It might not do any good, but all I can do is keep alcohol out of the house."

"Sure."

Sharon took a long sip of wine. "Thanks for picking up Emily and Ricky for me. You're still welcome to eat dinner with us, but I don't blame you if you'd rather not."

"You're welcome, and I'll let you guys have some time together. I'm not that hungry, so I probably won't eat for a while."

"I should probably go back home and check on the kids. I was so angry at Jack that I didn't think to see what they were doing." Sharon drained the last of her wine. "I'll probably be back once they're in bed," she muttered.

Anne gave her a sympathetic smile. "The wine and I will still be here."

A week and a half later, Sharon came home later than normal on Friday evening. With Jack being around, she was taking advantage of picking up extra hours. He'd been working from home, so he'd been able to get the kids from their after-school activities and actually be helpful for once. When she walked into the kitchen, it was eerily quiet, and Jack was putting something into the stove. Sharon dropped her work bag into a bar stool and looked around. "Where are Emily and Ricky?" They'd usually be fighting over what to watch on TV in the living room or bombarding her with questions about spend-the-night company or renting a movie right about now.

"Sam and Jane haven't seen them in a while, so they offered to take them for the night," Jack explained. His brother and sister-in-law lived about half an hour away.

"And you didn't think to check with me first?" Sharon didn't have a problem with that or any plans that involved the children, but Jack didn't know that.

"Well, you've been working a lot this week, so I thought you could use some rest."

And you thought you might get laid, Sharon thought bitterly to herself. She looked out the window and saw that Anne and Joe were on their porch with what looked like cocktails. It had been raining for most of the week, but the sun had finally come back out today, and she'd hoped to come home and sit outside and enjoy the nice weather. "Whatever. I'll be next door."

Anne looked up from her drink, as she'd heard Sharon crossing the yard before she saw her coming. Sharon had been a frequent visitor in the last week and a half. "Hi, honey. Want a Post-Monsoon Celebration?" She asked, holding up her drink.

Sharon shrugged. "What's in it?"

"Rum and—"

"Yes, please."

Anne laughed as she handed Sharon her cup. "Just finish mine, and I'll get another one...And a fresh one for you as well," she added after Sharon took a long gulp and drained half of the remaining drink.

"Thank you." Sharon got comfortable in one of the overstuffed chairs and took another long sip of her drink.

A couple of stronger-than-they-tasted drinks later, Sharon was in much better spirits and went back home. Music was playing, and Jack was checking on whatever he was cooking in the oven. "That needs just a few more minutes."

Sharon nodded. "Smells great." It really did. Jack was a pretty good cook when he made the effort, and she was starving. She hadn't eaten much lunch. Damn it, she knew from the way he was looking it her that he knew she was a little drunk. The next song that played from the stereo system didn't help things, either. It had always been one of their favorites.

Hello, yeah, it's been a while

Not much, how 'bout you?

I'm not sure why I called

I guess I really just wanted to talk to you

And I was thinking maybe later on

We could get together for awhile

It's been such a long time

And I really do miss your smile

I'm not talking 'bout movin' in

And I don't want to change your life

But there's a warm wind blowing the stars around

And I'd really love to see you tonight

We could go walking through a windy park

Or take a drive along the beach

Or stay a home and watch TV

You see it really doesn't matter much to me

Next thing Sharon knew, Jack had her in his arms and was pressing soft kisses along her neck. She wanted to still be pissed off at him, but the last week and a half of his familiar presence and the way he made her laugh had gradually worn her down. It felt so good to be in his arms again, and he seemed like an old friend. She'd been with one other man since the last time Jack was home, and he'd been an awkward disappointment in the bedroom. Jack knew just how to satisfy her, and he knew exactly what she liked and didn't like in bed. He may have been a deadbeat asshole, but mama was stressed and needed to get off. Jack barely had to lay a hand on her for her body to react to his familiar touch. As Sharon gave in and joined in on the kissing, Jack hurriedly turned the stove off and subtly guided their direction to the bedroom. He'd been sleeping on the couch all week, and he smugly thought to himself that he doubted that would be the case tonight. He was right. After an intense encounter in the bedroom, they ate dinner and went back for round two.

Over the next couple of weeks, Jack was on his way to getting back on his feet and was spending time with the children, and seeing him act like a functional adult, husband, and father had Sharon seeking him out in the bedroom once the children were in bed quite frequently in the weeks that followed. Until she got home one Thursday evening with Emily and Ricky to find an empty house. This wasn't the first time this had happened since Jack came home, but the house was eerily still and empty as she set the pizza they were having for dinner on the counter. Sharon knew before she even found the envelope with her name scribbled on it that Jack was gone.

Sharon heard a gasping breath from Emily and looked over at her to see tears forming in her eyes. "Dad's gone, isn't he?"

Sharon nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so, honey."

"No, he's not!" Ricky protested. He ran around the first floor and into Sharon's room, looking for anything that could even possibly belong to Jack, and he threw himself on the couch and started sobbing when he found nothing.

"He was supposed to come to my dance recital!" Emily wailed from the recliner, where she'd curled up and was still crying, too. "He promised!"

"I know, baby. I'm so sorry." Sharon gently lifted Ricky from the couch and squeezed into the recliner with him in her lap and Emily sobbing into her side.

Later that evening, once Emily and Ricky were ready for bed, Sharon tucked them into her bed. It never failed, they always ended up in her bed for a few nights after Jack left, and it also helped her to have her children in bed with her, so she'd asked if they wanted to sleep with her so they wouldn't have to ask her first.

The following morning, Sharon wasn't sure what to do. In the past, Jack had come and gone either in the summer or on a Friday, when Emily and Ricky didn't have to go to school the next day. She didn't want to set a precedent for allowing them to miss school without a good reason, but she just couldn't send them to school today. Emily had tossed and turned all night, and she'd only fallen deeply asleep less than an hour ago, and Sharon knew they were both heartbroken. With the end of the school year drawing near, Ricky's behavior was less than desirable, anyway, and Jack being gone was just asking for him to get in trouble at school. Decision made, she called in excuses to work for herself and to St. Joseph's for Emily and Ricky, then climbed back in bed. They spent the day cuddled on the couch together, eating junk food and watching movies in their pajamas, and the day off was good for all three of them.

Back to Present

Sharon was relieved when the song was over, as much as she usually enjoyed hearing it, despite the fact that it usually reminded her of Jack. Thinking of Jack made her think about Andy, which reminded her that she had to tell her family how serious they were. She decided to tell her mom first and get the hardest part over with. She'd let Alice meet Andy in person over the weekend and tell her then, and then her brother could either find out from her mom or Alice or the next time she and Paul happened to talk on the phone. She wasn't going to make a point to call him just for this, and she knew he wouldn't be upset about not being told by Sharon, herself. Although he'd likely call her and give her hell the minute either Alice or her mom told him about Andy.

Sharon left work early Friday afternoon to pick up Alice and Tom at the airport. They were going to have a couple of drinks on the balcony before they met Andy for dinner. Telling her mom about Andy had been more painless than she'd thought. She wasn't worried about her parents' approval or anything, but Andy was a part of her life that she'd liked keeping mostly private. The only reason people at work knew was because it was impossible to keep it a secret with them being in the same department. As expected, her mom had had a few questions, but Sharon had expected more probing questions than she asked. Andy being an alcoholic didn't bother her, as she was quick to recognize how much more committed he was to being sober than Jack had been, and it had ended up being a pleasant chat.

Now that Alice and Tom were in her car, Sharon wished she had told Alice over the phone, as well, so it would be over with now. Earlier that week, it seemed like it would've been easier for them to meet Andy, and then for Sharon to tell them after they met how serious their relationship had gotten. Sharon couldn't tell whether her mom had already told Alice about Andy or not, and it was driving her crazy.

When they got to the condo, all three of them sat on the balcony with cocktails. Sharon didn't drink anything besides wine often enough to keep any other alcohol in the condo, but with Alice and Tom coming, she'd bought vodka, as all three of them liked a mixed drink every now and then. A few minutes later, Tom excused himself to take a phone call, and Sharon took the opportunity to talk to Alice alone. Gripping her vodka and cranberry juice tightly in her hands, she began to speak. "Andy's meeting us for dinner tonight," she began, "and we're not just casually dating anymore. I mean, we've gotten more serious, and I feel like we've gotten to where this is going to be long-term."

"Oh, I know," Alice said, like it wasn't a big deal.

"I knew Mom would tell you! I didn't tell her not to, but—"

"Oh, Mom didn't tell me. I've kind of figured for a while, now."

Sharon's eyes widened. "You have? How?!"

Alice, who seemed to have had a couple of drinks on the plane, took a sip of her vodka-tonic. "You guys have been sleeping together for, what, a few months, now?"

"How did you know?" Sharon demanded.

Alice rolled her eyes. "After about our third conversation where I hung up the phone and realized that I hadn't thought you needed to get laid because you were so uptight, I figured you were getting some somewhere. You were still mentioning Andy every now and then, and I knew you would never have casual sex with someone you work with, much less with someone who's your subordinate. It wasn't hard to figure out."

Sharon bit her bottom lip. "I really didn't mean to keep it from any of you, but—"

"Oh, I know. That's not the easiest subject to bring up," Alice assured her. "I'm just glad you're happy. I didn't expect you to really tell me about it until you were certain that the relationship was going somewhere." She gave Sharon an evil grin. "And you clearly had no idea how obvious it is when you've had a natural de-stressor. Now that we're on this, you lost your virginity to Jack right before Christmas Break of your senior year of college, didn't you?"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Now that's just weird."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Am I not right?"

"Well, yes, but it's still weird!" Sharon took another sip of her drink, relieved that the cat was out of the bag now. And thinking that her sister was creepy as hell.

Sharon not telling her family how serious she and Andy were was different from Brenda and Fritz—from what I remember, Brenda hiding it from her parents seemed to be more about being afraid they'd disapprove of them living together. With Sharon, I've intended for it to be that she wasn't sure she herself was comfortable with how far their relationship had progressed, and with her seeming to be so private and it being so long since she'd had to tell her family about a new relationship, it was difficult for her to do so. I haven't read much fanfic that gets into the hangups and small disagreements Sharon and Andy would've had when their relationship was still new, so that's been the whole point of this story. It's not realistic to just jump right in and have them be perfect from the beginning and ignore the awkwardness and disagreements they might have had. :)

Thanks for reading, and another thanks to all of you who take the time to review!