"Enigma (15/16)" - Hobbs/Raydor Fic
Title: Enigma (15/16)
Co-author: sharon_ray
Pairing: Hobbs/Raydor
Rating: T
Word Count: 1, 629
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, Ch. 14,
(graphic made by me with my own screencaps and those taken with permission from MajorCrimesTV.net. Please do not take or re-post.)
Sharon discarded her tall, patent black stilettos as soon as she walked through the front door of her condo. She looked at her watch to see that it was already 10:30 pm and let out a small, defeated sigh. It had been another long day in the Major Crimes division, but a productive one, and Rusty was already in his bedroom, leaving the house quiet for the rest of the evening. Before she moved to the living room, she grabbed her cell phone out of her handbag and scrolled through the long list of contacts, finally selecting Andrea’s name under “H”. It was late, but she had promised she would call Andrea tonight to secure weekend plans. With their relationship still so new and somewhat fragile, there was no way for the call to wait until morning, even if Sharon ran the risk of waking Andrea up. She listened to the phone ring as she curled her legs up under the rest of her body on the couch, immediately hiding her slender frame under her favourite cable knit throw.
“Good evening, Captain,” Andrea purred into the phone, her voice purposely deep and sultry. Andrea had obviously not been asleep yet.
Sharon rolled her eyes and covered her face with the blanket as she registered Andrea’s greeting. She should have figured that now they were completely comfortable with each other again, the blonde was going to be an insufferable flirt. “Good evening, Counselor,” she shot back playfully, “I didn’t realize we were still using titles after we spent nights in each other’s beds.” Sharon kept her voice quiet to ensure that Rusty didn’t overhear the conversation on the off chance that he was still awake and not listening to music as he usually did before bed.
“That was nice,” Andrea replied as her mind took her back to the evening spent holding Sharon as they slept first on her couch, then properly in her bed. “But that doesn’t count.”
Sharon chuckled, her laughter was deep and throaty and Andrea loved it. “I didn’t realize that there were certain criteria for sleeping with me to count,” Sharon teased, then hummed. She had missed their playful banter more than anything during the agonizing time when they weren’t speaking. To have it back, and on a more intimate level, made her happier than she could express.
Andrea sat down on her couch as well and hugged her knees to her chest as she listened to Sharon breathe. She was happy to hear from her after knowing she’d be at work late, but it made Andrea miss her all that much more. They’d seen each other at work and had even managed a quick, surprise coffee date in her office on Monday afternoon, but they hadn’t spent an entire evening together since their last movie night with Rusty. Spending evenings away from Sharon and Rusty was getting to be increasingly difficult. “Oh, I loved that night, and I loved you surprising me with dinner and a bath the other night too... I’m just looking forward to many more nights spent, perhaps... not sleeping,” she muttered sheepishly. She felt her cheeks burn as she blushed and then rolled her eyes at her own reaction, even though Sharon couldn’t see her.
“Andrea Hobbs,” Sharon chided, then laughed, “I’m sorry to call so late. I got stuck at work with a case and everyone was slammed, but we finally got it wrapped up in the eleventh hour. I was calling to see if I could still take you out on Friday night.”
“Friday night still works for me, if it works for you,” Andrea said quietly, doing her best to keep the overwhelming excitement out of her voice. Andrea had always had a way with women, she was always calm and cool in romantic situations and she always knew just what to say; yet somehow Sharon had managed to throw her off her game. Sharon could completely disarm Andrea with a single look, or a specific tone of voice, or a deliberate sway of her hips. It drove Andrea insane; she refused to let Sharon know just how badly she got to her for she was fearful, and admittedly enticed, of how Sharon may use it to her advantage.
“Oh, Friday still works for me,” Sharon, on the other hand, couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice, “and Rusty is out camping with Mike Tao and his son and a few of their other friends. They became friends at school recently and Mike offered to take Rusty out for the weekend so I could have some time for myself and so the boys could have some fun before junior prom. I’ll have the place to myself all weekend, if you wanted to join me after dinner, as well...”
Andrea grinned at the irony of their reversed roles as she balanced the phone between her shoulder and her head and leaned against the back of the couch. For the duration of their friendship, Andrea had always been the one who was more open about sex. Sharon had always had a certain shyness when it came to discussing it; when they were friends she would allude to her sex life anytime Andrea would steer the conversation towards the topic, but Sharon never shared details. On the other hand, even early on in their friendship Andrea always felt comfortable talking to Sharon about any dates she went on, especially if the date had been particularly...memorable.
“I would love to join you for dinner, and I would love to spend the night with you after, Sharon. Should I pack an overnight bag, then?” Andrea asked bluntly. She wanted to be intimate with Sharon again, but she needed to know that she could count on Sharon to still be there when they woke up the next morning.
Sharon nodded to herself and swallowed, sensing what Andrea needed. “Yes. Please pack a bag. I expect you in my bed,” she said playfully, “all night. We may not sleep much, but I want you there in the morning. And I may want you there the night after that, too. After all, we have the whole weekend.”
“I would love that,” Andrea said softly, “I want this time to be different,” she admitted. “I want us both to be okay with taking this step.”
Sharon paused, taking Andrea’s words into serious consideration before she answered. “I’m okay. I wouldn’t be okay if we didn’t take this step. I need you, Andrea,” she said seriously, grabbing one of her plush, floral print throw pillows to hug against her chest. It wasn’t a comfortable admission for her, but she knew Andrea needed to hear it. It was her fault that things like dinner dates were no longer simple; she knew that she still had a lot of making up to do after months of running away.
“Okay,” Andrea said, she let out a breath, “so we’re in this for the long haul? I know we’ve talked Sharon, and I’m sorry if I keep asking for affirmation, but I really need you to know that if we cross that line again, I can’t ever go back.”
“I know honey, I won’t be able to go back either,” Sharon cooed. “I want you in my life as my friend, my lover, and my partner. I want to go to bed with you and wake up wrapped around you after spending the evening making love to you. And don’t apologize for needing to hear that. If you need to hear it everyday then I need to say it everyday for you.”
Andrea smiled and clutched her phone tighter. “I like hearing it,” she admitted shyly. "I’m just...nervous,” she laughed and shook her head, “is that silly?”
“No,” Sharon said honestly. “I’m nervous too. I know what I want, I just, I want things to be perfect. I love you so much," Sharon's whispered fiercely.
“As long as you hold me close it will be absolutely perfect,” Andrea said.
“I can do that. Promise,” Sharon said, smiling at the thought of holding Andrea close to her all night long. “7:30 pm on Friday. I’m taking you to one of my favourite spots. Please wear cocktail attire. I’ll pick you up.”
“Alright...it’s a date,” Andrea joked, unable to hold her laughter in as she said it.
“God, Hobbs. Sometimes you’re cheesy,” Sharon laughed in response. Yes, Sharon decided, Andrea was going to continue to be an insufferable tease, and there was a part of Sharon that couldn’t resist it.
“Yes...but you love me. You wouldn’t have me any other way,” Andrea teased, reclining on the couch as she listened to Sharon laugh.
“I wouldn’t, you’re right. And I do love you,” Sharon said seriously. “Now, it’s late and we’re probably both exhausted. And we should both rest up before Friday,” Sharon said silkily.
"Yes Captain,” Andrea giggled. “I love you too. I’ll talk to you in the morning,” Andrea cooed, feeling the exhaustion from the day start to kick in for herself. She, too, often had days that were busier than she could handle in the office, with more cases than she could finish in the eight hours the city budget afforded her per shift. She looked at the stack of case files on her coffee table and rolled her eyes; they could wait until tomorrow.
Sharon couldn’t help the sense of complete happiness that overtook her as she said goodnight to Andrea and made her way to her bedroom to crawl into bed. As she cuddled into her duvet her thoughts turned to Friday night and how she was going to please Andrea, rather than sleep. She would definitely have to buy a few things before the weekend rolled around.