WHAT THE HEART WANTS

Note: This is a sequel to As Time Goes By. While you don't have to read the first fic, it will probably make more sense if you do. Rated M.

Chapter 1

Sharon Raydor held her briefcase in her right hand, a stack of papers under her left arm, a coffee in her right hand, and a bagel in between her lips as she elbowed the front door of the house and began doing a shuffling motion with her feet to maneuver through. At this precise moment, Andy Flynn was just about to walk by with the sports section and his coffee when he saw her struggling. He set his coffee and paper on the table and waltzed over to her.

"You know, the casual observer would think your boyfriend is an inconsiderate lout. Of course, the casual observer might not pick up on how stubborn, proud, and independent you are."

Andy held the door for her and attempted to take her briefcase. His efforts were met with a vicious glare and irate mumbling that was rendered unintelligible by the spinach bagel as she clung possessively to her items. Undaunted, Andy followed Sharon to the car and opened the rear driver's side door for her with a flourish. He watched her bend over the backseat to arrange things. She was wearing his favorite skirt— the cream colored one with a small slit in the back. The blouse underneath the matching jacket was turquoise but Andy wasn't looking at her jacket or blouse; he was far too busy admiring other assets on her posterior side with a very naughty sideways smile.

Sharon spun around to face Andy with a jagged stare. With an imperious shake of her long red hair, she removed the bagel from her mouth.

"I'm going to interpret what you said earlier as an outpouring of love and devotion," Andy informed her. The corners of his mouth crinkled into a smile.

"I said that I'm not helpless and—"

Andy stepped forward and put a finger against her lips. "Don't ruin a beautiful moment," he teased her, looking at her affectionately.

Sharon burst out laughing, her irritation evaporating in the blink of an eye. "How do you manage to love me even when I'm grumpy?" she asked him with a quick but heartfelt kiss as she slid her arms up around his shoulders. "The caseload has been hell lately. I'm sorry I'm edgy."

"Exactly why you need a little R & R with me." Andy wrapped his arms around her waist and they looked at one another, enjoying the shared moment.

"Oh, I need more than a little R & R. With all of this overtime, we haven't made love in over a week. I'm overworked and I'm sex-deprived. Bad combination."

"Well," Andy said grinning, "If you manage to slip away with me tonight as promised, I think we can take care of at least one of those problems." He lowered his voice and brought his mouth to her ear. "And it's okay to say that you're horny, although 'sex-deprived' is a very eloquent and articulate euphemism."

"I am perfectly capable of saying the word horny," Sharon replied, lowering the volume of her voice to a discreet hush when she said it.

Andy grinned at her. "Mmmm, but you're blushing. I wonder what else I can get you to say later. And if you'll blush…."

Sharon fidgeted. "I'm not blushing," she protested without conviction. " And you are going to make me late." Andy had a surprise for Sharon that included an overnight stay in a hotel. She knew they were going away for one night but didn't know where he planned to take her. They had both been working long hours lately and definitely needed some time together.

"So….we are on for tonight?" Andy prompted.

"Yes, I cleared it with Taylor. If I hadn't been able to get away, I would have had to arrange a quickie with you on my lunch."

"Ohhhh, that sounds intriguing. We could still do lunch…and one another," Andy assured her with raised eyebrows and a lustful survey of her body.

Sharon sighed. "I can't. As much as I'd like to." She kissed him again, longer and slower. "But hold that thought, okay?" Andy let her go and watched her slip into the car. Sharon's eyes lingered on him as she glanced at him over the driver's side door. "I love you. See you at five-thirtyish."

"Love you, too," Andy told her as he closed her door for her.

A figure in the distance watched the couple. It was not the first time. Their routine was becoming familiar. Watching so often wasn't wise but they were so compelling. The initial curiosity had expanded into a craving to understand something between them that the observer had never had in their own life. They were sickening in their flaunted perfection, a picture postcard of the American dream. Why should some have so much and others so little? The soil was ripe for envy and the seed erupted into a coiling vine that began to unfurl its serpent-leaves.

Dreams can be crushed so easily.

At work Sharon was so involved in one of her cases that she ended up taking only a quarter of an hour for lunch. It was a murder case where a woman had been asphyxiated in her own home. Her husband had found the body and had made the 911 call reporting the murder. The intruder had entered the home, ostensibly, through a downstairs window that had been all too conveniently left open. No items were reported missing from the home and the signs of struggle were minimal; this was definitely someone she knew. Circumstantially, the evidence pointed to the husband but they didn't have a clear motive or enough physical evidence to make a very strong case.

"Motive or not," Provenza stated, "it was the husband."

"I agree with you, Lieutenant, but we need a motive. And there's something in that 911 call that bothers me but I can't put my finger on it."

Chief Taylor stepped into the murder room. "Do you have a moment, Captain? I'd like to see you in my office."

"Yes. Excuse me. Lieutenant Sanchez, see what you can dig up for me on the Blooms' financial situation. Thank you."

Taylor ushered Sharon into his office and closed the door. "Please, sit."

Sharon sat down across from him and crossed her legs. Taylor sat at his desk with his hands folded and looked at her. Neither spoke. If Chief Taylor were trying to intimidate her, he was doing a poor job; Sharon was not afraid of him and never had been, a fact that had not changed in her three years with Major Crimes.

"Look, Captain, let me just cut to the chase. I know you've been on overload lately but unfortunately it can't be helped." He leaned back in his chair. "And I'm going to need you to come in tomorrow."

Sharon narrowed her green eyes and took off her glasses. "You approved my day off, Chief. And if I may remind you—the last time I asked for a day was over six months ago. I work overtime on a dime when I'm asked as well as coming in early and working off the clock when we're particularly swamped."

"Your dedication isn't coming into question—your discretion is."

"Excuse me? Just what are we talking about here?"

"It's my understanding that you're living with Lieutenant Flynn."

"Your understanding would be correct. I haven't made any particular efforts to conceal the nature of my relationship with Andrew Flynn. We work in entirely separate divisions. Our behavior at work is professional. This isn't exactly an unusual or unprecedented situation. Frankly, I'm not certain why we're having this conversation."

"Look—I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. People talk; you know that. The interval between your relationship with Lieutenant Flynn and his transfer to EPEU was very brief." Taylor fiddled with a pen. "Some folks make the supposition that there might have been some—lapses—prior to Flynn's transfer."

Sharon was fuming. "I see. So let's be blunt, shall we? What you're inferring is that while Lieutenant Flynn was under my command I had an affair with a subordinate officer."

"I didn't say that. I'm trying to help your career by giving you some advice. You're a bright woman and you have the potential for a very distinguished future. You just have to be careful."

"I think that we are quite finished her, Chief Taylor," Sharon announced sharply and stood up. "If you, or the individuals who are so interested in my personal life, would like to further their inquiry, feel free to launch a formal investigation into my conduct. Until then, I do not expect to be having these discussions. As for tomorrow, while I do regret that we are running under the wire, you did approve my time off and I have plans that cannot be altered at such short notice. According to the rules on such matters, I believe that I am correct in my assumption that this cannot be held against me."

With that, Sharon stood up. "Captain Taylor." She nodded at him and exited without giving him so much as a moment's opportunity to respond. Once she might of have cared what all of this meant for her career but right now—she didn't give a damn.

Sharon arrived home before Andy. Rusty was sitting at the kitchen table when she walked in with a stack of books and his laptop.

"Hi Rusty," she smiled. "I didn't know you were coming home this weekend. Andy and I are going away for the evening. We'll be back in the morning. We could all do brunch."

"That's okay, Sharon. I didn't think I would be either."

Sharon pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. "Spill. What's the matter?"

"Nah, it's nothing."

"I don't believe you."

"Metro Corp has been giving me a hard time about my classes conflicting with my work hours."

"Quit."

Sharon and Rusty had had this conversation before. He worked part time for an insurance company as well as going to school full time with the intention of paying Sharon back for her financial assistance. It was the same reason he'd chosen a far less expensive state school rather than a private college, despite her insistence that he explore other options. She wasn't looking for compensation and never had been.

"Sharon—"

"Rusty, if you're still planning on going into social work, you'll have an internship anyway on the horizon and you're going to want to go to Grad school. There's no need for you to spread yourself thin. While I wholeheartedly admire your commitment to work and school, school comes first. Plus, you could try to get something more in line with your major, especially once you start getting into content courses. And you can come see Andy and me more often. It's a win/win."

"That's nice and all Sharon but—"

"But what?" Sharon reached for Rusty's hand and squeezed it. "What do I have to do to convince you that you are a member of this family, hmmm?" She smiled softly at him. "Now, as much as I would love to sit and chat with you, I have to hurry up and get ready. Can I get you something to eat first?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"If Andy comes in, tell him not to run the water," she called.

Rusty went back to his homework until he heard a key in the door. It was Andy and he was carrying a bunch of yellow roses. "Hey, Rusty!" Andy grinned. He grabbed a vase from under the sink and turned on the tap. After several seconds there was a high pitched screech from down the hall.

"Oh, crap," Rusty said urgently. "Sharon's in the shower. She told me to tell you not to run the water."

"Oops," Andy chuckled while he arranged the roses in the vase and set them on the table. "Hopefully, the flowers will make amends."

"What's the occasion?"

"I'm taking Sharon to the opera. But don't tell her. It's a surprise."

"That's awfully nice of you…sitting through a whole opera for her."

Andy shuffled his feet. "Actually, I like the opera. My grandmother used to have LPs when I was a kid. I grew up in Jersey so it wasn't a really long way to go to the Met and you could get standing room tickets real cheap. I have a lot of good memories." His face softened even more. "And I kind of like the idea of creating some new ones with Sharon."

"You really like her."

"Yeah. I really do."

"Andy," Sharon called.

"Excuse me."

As Andy walked down the hall, he heard her voice again. "In the bedroom."

"That sounds promising," he said wryly as he stepped into the room and shut the door. "Sorry about the cold water. Rusty forgot to tell me that you were in the shower.

"It's okay." She stood by the bed wearing nothing but a white bath towel.

"I called you in here—"

"To have your wicked way with me," finished Andy.

"I'm serious."

Andy's smile nearly made her toes curl. "So am I."

"You won't tell me where we're going tonight so I'll need a little fashion assistance," Sharon prompted.

"Ah. I'm not great with this sort of thing but something dressy."

"Dressy as in formal or dressy as in little black cocktail dress?"

"Either. But I'm partial to little black cocktail dress."

"Okay, thanks." Sharon dropped her towel on the floor and sauntered over to the closet, completely naked. Her back was to him. Long, damp red hair floated down her back. She turned her head back before opening the closet door and gave him a pert little smile.

"You'd better get ready; you wanted to leave before seven," she said silkily.

"You're such a tease."

"I'm only a tease if I don't deliver," Sharon replied as she began sifting through the closet. "And I'll definitely be delivering."

Andy paused with his hand on the doorknob and turned back to look at her once more before leaving. He was gratified to catch her gazing back at him, clearly checking out his ass.

It was going to be a long night for both of them.