"Enigma (14/16)" - Hobbs/Raydor Fic
Title: Enigma (14/16)
Co-author: sharon_ray
Pairing: Hobbs/Raydor
Rating: T
Word Count: 1, 109
Disclaimer: Not our characters or television show
Summary: Sharon and Andrea's relationship has been balanced on the precipice of friendship and something more for longer than either of them care to admit. Will the ever-present danger of their jobs finally push them over that fine line? Or will it pull them apart?
A/N: Fic starts out in season seven of The Closer, and follows the events (we've taken some liberties of course) of Major Crimes. This fic is complete and chapters will be posted on a weekly basis. On ff.net: Enigma.
Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4, Ch.5, Ch.6, Ch. 7, Ch.8, Ch.9, Ch.10, Ch.11, Ch.12, Ch. 13,
(graphic made by me with my own screencaps and those taken with permission from MajorCrimesTV.net. Please do not take or re-post.)
The knock at Andrea’s door caught her off guard slightly. She certainly wasn’t expecting anyone, and after the day she’d had, she honestly wasn’t in the mood for anyone either.
She walked over to her door, bare foot and freshly poured glass of wine in hand.
“Hi,” Sharon said breathlessly as Andrea opened the door. “I know I came by unannounced, but I promise I won’t take up too much of your evening,” she said softly. She held out a tray of food and Andrea opened the door wider.
Her mood improved greatly as she leaned forward to kiss Sharon softly, and as Sharon wrapped one arm around Andrea’s waist.
“You can take up as much of my evening as you like,” Andrea sighed against the smaller woman.
Sharon pulled back from their embrace and tucked a few errant blonde strands behind Andrea’s ear. “Knowing you, you haven’t even begun to think about dinner yet. Let me make sure you’re fed and relaxed, but then I should get home for Rusty,” she said.
Andrea lead them both into her kitchen. “Of course. Is he home now?”
Sharon pulled out Andrea’s dishes and cutlery and began to scoop the Italian takeout into their plates. “Yes, he had a lot of homework to catch up on and I didn’t want him to feel that I don’t trust him to be left home alone. I do trust him, but I just feel bad leaving him alone.” Sharon shrugged as she spoke.
Andrea settled her wine glass down on the table and wrapped her arms around Sharon’s middle. “Forever the mother,” she teased softly as she rested her head between Sharon’s shoulders.
“I can’t help it,” Sharon huffed as she caressed Andrea’s forearm. “Now sit, this is still hot. Enjoy it before it cools down.”
Andrea did as she was told and dug into her meal with enthusiasm. Sharon sat opposite her, as she ate, she couldn’t help but note the dark circles under Andrea’s eyes.
“You’re staring at me,” Andrea said a while later as she pushed her clean plate away from her. “Not that I don’t love having you here, but it is unlike you to come by without calling.” She raised her eyebrow at Sharon.
Sharon dabbed her mouth with the serviette before speaking. “I heard about the budget cuts that the DA just approved. I also heard that DDA Michaels was encouraged to resign and is now looking to get into private law.”
Andrea nodded her head sadly. “It’s a mess right now. The state is broke, but that isn’t slowing down the crime, we’re being forced into accepting half-assed convictions and quick fixes,” she ran her fingers through her hair and pinched the sides of her abnormally tense neck, “every day it’s like walking on pins and needles in my office.”
Sharon reached out and caressed the back of Andrea’s hand. “I’m so sorry Andrea. I understand how frustrating that is, we’re dealing with the same thing. You are such an asset to the DA’s office, don’t you doubt that for a second.”
Andrea smiled warmly at Sharon and grasped her hand. “There’s something else,” she sighed.
Sharon nodded encouragingly. “Go on.”
“The DA has recommended that another attorney be assigned to the Stroh case. He thinks that due to my close personal relationship with you, and with Rusty, that it would be inappropriate for me to pursue this case alone.”
“I see,” Sharon said slowly, “is the DA aware that we’re…”
“No. But he knows that we’ve worked together for years, that we have a friendly rapport. He knows that I’m friendly with Rusty, anyone in the LAPD could see and report that. If he knew about us...I don’t doubt that he’d want me off the case entirely.”
Sharon’s eyes widened. “Is that what you’re worried about? Do you think that he’d do that?”
Andrea squeezed Sharon’s hand and brought it to her lips. She felt Sharon pull her chair even closer so that she could lean into the Captain’s embrace. “I don’t know. Part of me hopes that he could trust my professionalism, but part of me understands that he needs to be extra careful with this one. Either way, I hate feeling like my personal life should in any way be open for inspection by my bosses,” she said darkly.
Sharon kissed the top of Andrea’s hair, which had now been made into a proper mess by Andrea’s nervous hands. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime, we’ll be careful at work. Rusty knows not to talk about our lives at home with anyone, I trust him. And no one in my department knows a thing.”
Andrea sighed. “That’s not the point,” she said sadly. “I...I don’t want to have to be careful. I want to be able to bring you a coffee at work and take you out to lunch and not worry about how people might interpret that in regards to my professional life.”
Sharon smiled against Andrea’s hair. “I know, and I hate it too. But the trial isn’t going to last forever. I promise that we’ll do special things like that for each other once this is all over. When that man is behind bars for good I promise that I will deliver flowers to your office myself.”
Andrea shifted in their embrace. “You’d….you’d want people at work to know about us?” she asked carefully.
“Would I want people at work to know that I am committed to a beautiful, intelligent, sensitive, thoughtful, hot young blonde?” Sharon asked teasingly. “Yes. I would,” she said, her tone turning very serious.
Andrea hugged Sharon tighter and buried her face in the crook of Sharon’s neck. “Good,” she mumbled. She blinked back a few tears, not wanting them to stain the soft skin of Sharon’s neck; it was with pure joy that Andrea took in the weight of Sharon’s statement.
They sat like that for a few moments, content to simply hold one another after the exhausting day that they’d both had. Regretfully, Sharon snuck a look at the clock hanging on Andrea’s wall.
“How about I get a bath ready for you, and then you can get settled in bed?” she suggested.
Andrea nudged her nose against Sharon’s jaw. “You just want to watch me in the tub,” she joked.
“That’s a perk I can’t deny enjoying, but what I really want is to know that you’re going to sleep soundly tonight,” she said softly.
“Okay,” Andrea agreed. She sighed contently as they untangled themselves from one another’s arms and walked hand in hand towards Andrea’s master bathroom.