"Interim (2/7)" - Hobbs/OFC, Hobbs/Raydor
Title: Interim (2/7)
Co-Author: sharon_ray
Pairings: Hobbs/OFC, Hobbs/Raydor
Rating: R
Word Count: 3, 395
Disclaimer: Not our characters or television show.
A/N: Fic takes place during the events of Major Crimes, though we have taken some liberties with the timeline. Fic is complete and will be updated weekly.
Summary: Andrea Hobbs finds herself at a crossroads in her personal life. Caught between the frustrating standstill of her present reality and the exciting allure of a new life, she’s forced to navigate through her conflicting emotions while also handling the most important case of her career.
On ff.net, Ch. 1,
*graphic and screencaps are my own please do not repost*
Andrea reclined against the mass of pillows on their bed, careful not to mess up her hair, as she watched Hilary, bent over looking for a pair of stilettos, in their walk in closet. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t appreciate the shape of the other woman in her black, tight fitting pencil skirt. Really, she loved everything about her partner from the thick brown hair that fell straight like a sheet halfway down her back, the ample curve of her cleavage in the silk button ups she often wore, down to the way she sashayed her healthy hips when she walked. At some point in their three years together, she’d loved every single thing that made Hilary, Hilary. She was convinced that the brunette was the perfect woman for her. She was smart, politically aware, artistic, successful in her profession, funny as hell, good in bed, beautiful. There was no end to the positive things Andrea had to say about her at the beginning of their relationship.
If she were being honest with herself, her hesitations about her partner and their relationship had only begun in the last year; they caught her in the quiet moments. They crept up on her when they were mindlessly watching television on the couch together, gnawed at her when Hilary was out at night for a work event without her, burned her conscience when they slept in separate bedrooms after an especially heated argument, and devastated her when Hilary sought Andrea’s attention only in the hope that sex might be the outcome. It seemed lately that the cracks in their relationships were becoming harder and harder to repair.
“Andie, honey, do you think these go alright, or are they too... eh?” Hilary quizzed her, holding a pair of patent red stilettos against her black, monochrome outfit. She had a thick black belt sitting at the waist of her pencil skirt with a loose fitting, sheer black button up tucked in over a tight fitting black camisole.
Andrea wrinkled her nose at the sight of the shoes in her partner’s hands and shook her head in the negative. “Little art house cliche, don’t you think?” she laughed, “Wear the blue ones, or the plum ones.”
Hilary nodded and bent back down, grabbing a pair of rich, plum coloured stilettos off the bottom shelf of the closet. She slipped them on her feet and moved towards Andrea, who was clad in a deep red lace cocktail dress, her hair swept up in a perfectly tousled french twist. She had more makeup on than usual, but it was still subtle and natural looking. “You, my darling, are an absolute vision,” Hilary purred as she pulled Andrea towards the edge of the bed and rested her arms around her neck.
“You’re not looking so bad yourself, Ms. Deputy Director,” Andrea grinned as she nuzzled her nose into Hilary’s neck, her hands resting comfortably on the other woman’s hips.
Hilary let a soft moan escape her lips as Andrea’s mouth came into contact roughly with her neck. She let the older woman enjoy her for a moment before pulling away, reluctantly.
“Hmm... as much as I love the attention, we’re going to be late,” Hilary pouted. It was the first time in weeks Andrea had initiated any sort of intimate physical contact with her, and of course they were on their way out the door. “But if you’d like to finish what you started later on, Counselor, I’m sure I’d be up for it.”
Andrea slid off the bed and balanced on her nude stilettos, wrapping an arm around Hilary’s waist. She kissed her partner at her hairline and smiled at her. She hardened her resolve; she was going to take Hilary to this party, celebrate the exhibit opening and her promotion, then bring her home and make love to her. Hilary was her partner, and she deserved a wonderful evening of celebration. She deserved Andrea loving her, one hundred percent, instead of this distracted, distant version she’d gotten of her lately. All of this distraction and tension was nonsense, and Andrea needed to put it aside, now.
***
“How does it feel to be dating the woman in charge?” Gavin guffawed as he asked Andrea, clapping his hand against her shoulder as they chatted.
“I just seem to have a thing for women in power,” she muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she took a sip from her champagne flute. She looked over at Hilary, who was speaking with a group of reporters for some society page, no doubt. Andrea always hung back when Hilary gave those interviews, much to Hilary’s chagrin. She never was one to enjoy the limelight, and she didn’t want her face plastered all over LA’s culture magazines and columns, despite Hilary’s career. Sometimes she couldn’t avoid it. Every so often she’d turn the page of a local magazine and be confronted by her own face. She’d always blush violently and start a long string of prayers that no one at work would read that magazine that week. So far, no one had brought up the fact that she was dating the woman in charge of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She didn’t want to come across as one of those snooty LA society types; that wasn’t who Andrea Hobbs was. Hell, it wasn’t who Hilary Goldstein was, either, at least initially. It was just her job. The woman loved art and hit a lucky break in her career; their reward was having lots of photographers in their faces during these types of events.
“So what is her official title now?” Gavin smiled, crossing his arms over his chest and cupping his champagne flute against his side as he chatted easily with his good friend. Andrea had invited him and a plus one for her own comfort; she hated these parties. She loved supporting Hilary, but she never could quite wrap her mind around the art crowd in LA.
“Deputy Director for Art Administration and Collections,” Andrea said, “So now, instead of just curating individual exhibits, she is in charge of every collection and piece of art that passes through the doors of this museum. She was in charge of a lot before, but now the whole artistic side of the museum is hers.” A waiter holding a tray walked by them, Andrea drained the rest of her drink before setting the empty glass down on the tray.
Gavin drained and disposed of his glass as well, then looked around the full gallery to observe the other guests. “Who the hell are all these people?”
“Museum donors, the other executive staff, people they pay to come in and look pretty in photos?” Andrea laughed, shaking her head. “I don’t know. I guess I should go pose for some photos with Hilary. I feel bad for deserting her with all the press. I just hate that crap.”
“I know you do, doll,” Gavin sighed, “that’s the downside to dating pretty, connected, successful women in this town. You don’t like it, date down,” he deadpanned.
Andrea rolled her eyes and crossed her arms protectively over her chest. “Speaking of dates, who is your plus one? Are you flying solo this evening, my darling?” Andrea teased.
Gavin shook his head, “No, I brought a lady friend. Jason is at his parent’s for a visit and I didn’t want to miss this for you, so I just grabbed another friend who looks good in an evening gown,” he said while smirking.
"Oh. And she deserted you immediately, I see,” Andrea laughed. Her expression changed quickly from one of laughter to one of concern as she saw just who Gavin had invited.
Sharon Raydor was walking towards her, clad in a tight black floor length evening gown, her red curls perfectly done in a sweeping half updo, chandelier earrings hanging elegantly at the sides of her face. Her makeup was immaculate and her gown, which was simply done but clearly designer and cut to look as though it had been hand sewn on to her body, was perfect.
“Gavin, I’m sorry it took me so long, the line for drinks was uh-” Sharon paused as she noticed the blonde standing next to her friend. She hadn’t been expecting Andrea Hobbs to be standing in front of her, clad in a dress that short, or that tight.
“DDA Hobbs, what a pleasant surprise, running into you here,” she said politely as she handed Gavin his glass, suddenly feeling the express need to drain her own.
Andrea hoped beyond hope the color of her face would stay even as she spoke to Sharon. She hated blushing. “Oh, yes, umn,” she stuttered, “well, I uh, I come to these things quite a lot.”
Gavin laughed as he watched Andrea struggle. He knew neither woman enjoyed unprofessional situations; he hadn’t told either one that the other was coming. He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his gin and tonic, watching the show play out in front of him as both women stammered. His bets were on Sharon to recover more quickly, if he knew either of them at all.
“Oh, how lovely,” Sharon smiled at Andrea, keeping her cool. “I was glad when Gavin invited me this evening. I’m a member at LACMA, but certainly not one who’s important enough to be invited to the Deputy Director’s promotion party,” she laughed, thinking she was making a light-hearted joke.
Andrea narrowed her eyes at Gavin, wondering exactly what he thought he was up to. Had he noticed something? He loved playing games with the closest of his friends, but what was he playing at by bringing Sharon along tonight? Sure, she’d confided in him about the issues that she and Hilary had been having lately. She knew that Gavin had caught her staring at Sharon a few times over the years; both before and after her relationship with Hilary began. Andrea mentally scolded herself; Gavin was one of her oldest and dearest friends. His sometimes inappropriate sense of humour aside, he’d never do anything to discord her relationship with Hilary. Sharon being here didn’t really matter anyway, there was no reason they couldn’t play friendly this evening and then go back to work like normal adult, co-workers in the morning.
Andrea felt a gentle squeeze against her waist, she turned her head just as Hilary’s arm made its way around the small of her back. Instead of relief, her partner’s presence made her even more tense. Of all times for Hilary to finally break away from the press and actually join her for any portion of the evening, of course it had to be now.
“Gavin!” Hilary grinned as she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. Instead of letting go of Andrea in order to greet Gavin, Hilary simply trailed her hand along her lower back until it came to a rest on the outside of Andrea’s hip, staying there while she hugged their friend. Andrea looked up at Sharon nervously as she felt the heat radiating off her face and neck. So much for not blushing, she thought to herself. Hilary finally let go of Gavin and moved back to Andrea’s side, wrapping her arm firmly around her again.
Sharon nodded and bit her lip as realization dawned on her; the woman standing before her, with her arm wrapped around her favourite DDA, was the woman who stood at the podium and gave a rousing speech about social media, connectivity, art, and museums in the 21st century less than an hour ago. Sharon had just spent forty-five minutes silently commending her brilliance as an artistic mind and now here she was, practically hanging all over Andrea Hobbs. Sharon bit down a little harder on her lip then took a long swig of her white wine. “Gavin,” she smiled, urging him to introduce her.
“Oh, yes!” Gavin laughed, shaking his head, “Sorry sweetie. Hil, darling, this is Sharon Raydor. She is the Captain and commanding officer of the Major Crimes division over at the LAPD, and is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Sharon, this is Hilary Goldstein, deputy director of....something, something... I don’t know, she runs this place.”
Hilary extended a slender, elegant hand in Sharon’s direction. Sharon had never felt so boring, blue collar, or inadequate in her life.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sharon. I’ve heard wonderful things from both Gavin and Andie,” she said smoothly, her voice like velvet.
Andie. The casualty with which Hilary had called DDA Hobbs Andie made Sharon’s stomach hurt and she wasn’t sure why. Why was she so shocked to find that Andrea had a partner? She was a good looking woman with a successful career. No, strike that. She was a gorgeous, intelligent woman with a successful career. She was funny, charming, kind, compassionate, and interesting. Why wouldn’t Andrea Hobbs have a partner? That Andrea Hobbs had a partner who could be a model, dressed in an outfit that looked as though it had been pulled from a Paris runway, who ran a museum for a living...okay, so that was a little overwhelming, but surely Andrea deserved her and she made Andrea happy.
Sharon took a shallow breath in and pulled her stomach muscles a little tighter, steeling herself against the wave of insecurity that was threatening to wash over her. Who cared that Andrea Hobbs had a partner; much less a partner like that. They were work friends, that was all. Why should Sharon be bothered by any of this? It wasn’t as if they ever even spoke about their personal lives. Andrea only knew about Sharon’s current living situation because it happened to involve a material witness in one of her cases. Sharon contented herself with this knowledge, feeling foolish about the fact that she had felt slighted.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Hilary,” Sharon responded kindly, giving her hand a firm shake. “Your speech this evening was wonderful. I really enjoyed it.”
Hilary blushed and pushed herself further into Andrea’s side, which caused Andrea to wrap an arm around her shoulder. “Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. With a museum like LACMA, it can be difficult to get them to move away from.... tradition, but I think I’ve got the board of trustees on board with some fun things. I’m excited to see where I can take the exhibits in the next five years,” she mused excitedly; she clearly enjoyed talking about her work with someone other than a coworker.
Andrea grinned as she watched Hilary get lost in conversation; she loved it when Hilary got passionate. It was one thing she found very sexy about her current partner. That she was currently lost in passionate conversation with Sharon Raydor, however, caused a whole host of conflicting emotions.
Gavin and Andrea eventually stepped aside, allowing the two women to talk to each other about the ins and outs of the museum. It turned out that Sharon spent quite a bit of her free time lost in the halls of LACMA, and as such, had a lot of feedback for Hilary, which the younger woman was eating up.
“Great. Hilary’s got a new best friend. I’m going to kill you if I get home from work this Friday and Sharon Raydor is sipping wine on my couch, Gavin,” Andrea warned, a dangerous look in her eyes.
“Oh please, you’d love it,” Gavin teased, but sobered quickly when he looked at Andrea’s face. “Andrea, honey, what is it? You really don’t like Sharon, do you?” he said quietly, careful not to let Sharon and Hilary overhear.
“Oh, no, it isn’t that...” Andrea sighed, “I don’t know... things have just... it’s nothing. It’s just me. I’m in a rut. Is that position in your office still open? Hilary and I have discussed it some more. I think I am going to apply.”
Gavin watched Andrea for a moment, taking in her tired features. There was a sadness in her eyes she didn’t normally carry; usually her bright blue eyes were full of happiness. Tonight, they were duller than usual and creased with concern. “Andrea, you’re lying to me. And I don’t like liars,” he warned, “you’ve got about twenty four hours to cut the shit and tell me what’s up. I know tonight’s not the place, but I expect a phone call and lunch tomorrow, you got that blondie?”
“Yeah, okay,” Andrea sighed, nodding her head. “We can do lunch tomorrow. I’ll meet you at your office at noon.”
“Gavin,” Sharon’s voice interrupted, “I hate to interrupt, but I need to get home. It’s getting late and Rusty is alone. I just wanted to say goodnight.” Sharon risked looking at Andrea and afforded her a small smile, catching her eyes for a brief moment.
Andrea cursed inwardly at the butterflies that invaded her stomach as soon as Sharon smiled at her. Suddenly she was regretting ever wanting Sharon to ask or take notice of Andrea’s life outside of the office.
“It was good to see you, Captain Raydor. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” Andrea was unwilling to drop the formalities she was comfortable with, even if they were standing in the middle of a museum in cocktail dresses, rather than the middle of Sharon’s office in pencil skirts and blazers. She wasn’t sure why, but she needed that formality to stay in place with Sharon.
“Yes, of course. It was wonderful to see you, and to meet your lovely partner,” she turned her attention to Hilary again. “Thank you so much for a wonderful evening. I am looking forward to what you have planned for the museum.” With that, Sharon walked away from the group to collect her coat and purse from the coat check. Andrea watched her as she sauntered off, a playful, seductive sashay in her hips as she went.
Next to her, Hilary regarded her partner with carefully hidden curiosity as Sharon made her exit.
***
Andrea watched Hilary as she toed out of her stilettos and untucked her shirt from her pencil skirt. She looked happy, but exhausted.
Andrea moved closer to her, wrapping her arms around her from behind. “Congratulations,” she whispered in her ear, ghosting kisses along her neck. Hilary turned in her arms to meet Andrea’s lips with her own, reaching around the blonde to undo her zipper.
“Thank you,” she grinned as she tugged at the lace, pulling the dress down over Andrea’s shoulders as she kissed her. Andrea hesitated.
“Honey I-”
Hilary sighed and moved away from Andrea, running a hand through her hair. She hoped if she and Andrea got to the bedroom quickly enough that they would somehow get lost in the passion of the moment, like they both used to. But no, lately it seemed that no matter what she did, Andrea was always, at best, mildly disinterested in making love with her. True to her fashion recently, Andrea was looking for an excuse not to be intimate with her, and she was both hurt and mildly sick of it. She looked Andrea up and down as she shrugged so that the dress fell back over her shoulders where Hilary had pulled it down.
“You’re tired. It’s late and you’ve got work in the morning. I know, Andrea.” She regarded Andrea, the hurt obvious in her eyes.
“It’s not...” Andrea tried to explain, tried to move closer to her again. She wanted to make love to her, if only to prove nothing was wrong. Or, maybe to prove to herself nothing was wrong. It was just...difficult approaching sex with Hilary lately; everything about it felt forced to Andrea.
“Don’t,” Hilary warned, backing away from Andrea. “Just go to your office and get your work done, or go to bed. I’m going to have a glass of wine on the patio and take a shower.”
Andrea watched her, mouth agape, as she stormed into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of red wine off the wine rack. “So this is how we’re ending tonight,” she muttered under her breath as she walked down the hall, “I’m glad you had a good evening, darling.” Her last words were biting as she shut the bedroom door a little harder than she should have; closing Hilary out, hopefully for the night.
Co-Author: sharon_ray
Pairings: Hobbs/OFC, Hobbs/Raydor
Rating: R
Word Count: 3, 395
Disclaimer: Not our characters or television show.
A/N: Fic takes place during the events of Major Crimes, though we have taken some liberties with the timeline. Fic is complete and will be updated weekly.
Summary: Andrea Hobbs finds herself at a crossroads in her personal life. Caught between the frustrating standstill of her present reality and the exciting allure of a new life, she’s forced to navigate through her conflicting emotions while also handling the most important case of her career.
On ff.net, Ch. 1,
*graphic and screencaps are my own please do not repost*
Andrea reclined against the mass of pillows on their bed, careful not to mess up her hair, as she watched Hilary, bent over looking for a pair of stilettos, in their walk in closet. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t appreciate the shape of the other woman in her black, tight fitting pencil skirt. Really, she loved everything about her partner from the thick brown hair that fell straight like a sheet halfway down her back, the ample curve of her cleavage in the silk button ups she often wore, down to the way she sashayed her healthy hips when she walked. At some point in their three years together, she’d loved every single thing that made Hilary, Hilary. She was convinced that the brunette was the perfect woman for her. She was smart, politically aware, artistic, successful in her profession, funny as hell, good in bed, beautiful. There was no end to the positive things Andrea had to say about her at the beginning of their relationship.
If she were being honest with herself, her hesitations about her partner and their relationship had only begun in the last year; they caught her in the quiet moments. They crept up on her when they were mindlessly watching television on the couch together, gnawed at her when Hilary was out at night for a work event without her, burned her conscience when they slept in separate bedrooms after an especially heated argument, and devastated her when Hilary sought Andrea’s attention only in the hope that sex might be the outcome. It seemed lately that the cracks in their relationships were becoming harder and harder to repair.
“Andie, honey, do you think these go alright, or are they too... eh?” Hilary quizzed her, holding a pair of patent red stilettos against her black, monochrome outfit. She had a thick black belt sitting at the waist of her pencil skirt with a loose fitting, sheer black button up tucked in over a tight fitting black camisole.
Andrea wrinkled her nose at the sight of the shoes in her partner’s hands and shook her head in the negative. “Little art house cliche, don’t you think?” she laughed, “Wear the blue ones, or the plum ones.”
Hilary nodded and bent back down, grabbing a pair of rich, plum coloured stilettos off the bottom shelf of the closet. She slipped them on her feet and moved towards Andrea, who was clad in a deep red lace cocktail dress, her hair swept up in a perfectly tousled french twist. She had more makeup on than usual, but it was still subtle and natural looking. “You, my darling, are an absolute vision,” Hilary purred as she pulled Andrea towards the edge of the bed and rested her arms around her neck.
“You’re not looking so bad yourself, Ms. Deputy Director,” Andrea grinned as she nuzzled her nose into Hilary’s neck, her hands resting comfortably on the other woman’s hips.
Hilary let a soft moan escape her lips as Andrea’s mouth came into contact roughly with her neck. She let the older woman enjoy her for a moment before pulling away, reluctantly.
“Hmm... as much as I love the attention, we’re going to be late,” Hilary pouted. It was the first time in weeks Andrea had initiated any sort of intimate physical contact with her, and of course they were on their way out the door. “But if you’d like to finish what you started later on, Counselor, I’m sure I’d be up for it.”
Andrea slid off the bed and balanced on her nude stilettos, wrapping an arm around Hilary’s waist. She kissed her partner at her hairline and smiled at her. She hardened her resolve; she was going to take Hilary to this party, celebrate the exhibit opening and her promotion, then bring her home and make love to her. Hilary was her partner, and she deserved a wonderful evening of celebration. She deserved Andrea loving her, one hundred percent, instead of this distracted, distant version she’d gotten of her lately. All of this distraction and tension was nonsense, and Andrea needed to put it aside, now.
***
“How does it feel to be dating the woman in charge?” Gavin guffawed as he asked Andrea, clapping his hand against her shoulder as they chatted.
“I just seem to have a thing for women in power,” she muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she took a sip from her champagne flute. She looked over at Hilary, who was speaking with a group of reporters for some society page, no doubt. Andrea always hung back when Hilary gave those interviews, much to Hilary’s chagrin. She never was one to enjoy the limelight, and she didn’t want her face plastered all over LA’s culture magazines and columns, despite Hilary’s career. Sometimes she couldn’t avoid it. Every so often she’d turn the page of a local magazine and be confronted by her own face. She’d always blush violently and start a long string of prayers that no one at work would read that magazine that week. So far, no one had brought up the fact that she was dating the woman in charge of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She didn’t want to come across as one of those snooty LA society types; that wasn’t who Andrea Hobbs was. Hell, it wasn’t who Hilary Goldstein was, either, at least initially. It was just her job. The woman loved art and hit a lucky break in her career; their reward was having lots of photographers in their faces during these types of events.
“So what is her official title now?” Gavin smiled, crossing his arms over his chest and cupping his champagne flute against his side as he chatted easily with his good friend. Andrea had invited him and a plus one for her own comfort; she hated these parties. She loved supporting Hilary, but she never could quite wrap her mind around the art crowd in LA.
“Deputy Director for Art Administration and Collections,” Andrea said, “So now, instead of just curating individual exhibits, she is in charge of every collection and piece of art that passes through the doors of this museum. She was in charge of a lot before, but now the whole artistic side of the museum is hers.” A waiter holding a tray walked by them, Andrea drained the rest of her drink before setting the empty glass down on the tray.
Gavin drained and disposed of his glass as well, then looked around the full gallery to observe the other guests. “Who the hell are all these people?”
“Museum donors, the other executive staff, people they pay to come in and look pretty in photos?” Andrea laughed, shaking her head. “I don’t know. I guess I should go pose for some photos with Hilary. I feel bad for deserting her with all the press. I just hate that crap.”
“I know you do, doll,” Gavin sighed, “that’s the downside to dating pretty, connected, successful women in this town. You don’t like it, date down,” he deadpanned.
Andrea rolled her eyes and crossed her arms protectively over her chest. “Speaking of dates, who is your plus one? Are you flying solo this evening, my darling?” Andrea teased.
Gavin shook his head, “No, I brought a lady friend. Jason is at his parent’s for a visit and I didn’t want to miss this for you, so I just grabbed another friend who looks good in an evening gown,” he said while smirking.
"Oh. And she deserted you immediately, I see,” Andrea laughed. Her expression changed quickly from one of laughter to one of concern as she saw just who Gavin had invited.
Sharon Raydor was walking towards her, clad in a tight black floor length evening gown, her red curls perfectly done in a sweeping half updo, chandelier earrings hanging elegantly at the sides of her face. Her makeup was immaculate and her gown, which was simply done but clearly designer and cut to look as though it had been hand sewn on to her body, was perfect.
“Gavin, I’m sorry it took me so long, the line for drinks was uh-” Sharon paused as she noticed the blonde standing next to her friend. She hadn’t been expecting Andrea Hobbs to be standing in front of her, clad in a dress that short, or that tight.
“DDA Hobbs, what a pleasant surprise, running into you here,” she said politely as she handed Gavin his glass, suddenly feeling the express need to drain her own.
Andrea hoped beyond hope the color of her face would stay even as she spoke to Sharon. She hated blushing. “Oh, yes, umn,” she stuttered, “well, I uh, I come to these things quite a lot.”
Gavin laughed as he watched Andrea struggle. He knew neither woman enjoyed unprofessional situations; he hadn’t told either one that the other was coming. He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his gin and tonic, watching the show play out in front of him as both women stammered. His bets were on Sharon to recover more quickly, if he knew either of them at all.
“Oh, how lovely,” Sharon smiled at Andrea, keeping her cool. “I was glad when Gavin invited me this evening. I’m a member at LACMA, but certainly not one who’s important enough to be invited to the Deputy Director’s promotion party,” she laughed, thinking she was making a light-hearted joke.
Andrea narrowed her eyes at Gavin, wondering exactly what he thought he was up to. Had he noticed something? He loved playing games with the closest of his friends, but what was he playing at by bringing Sharon along tonight? Sure, she’d confided in him about the issues that she and Hilary had been having lately. She knew that Gavin had caught her staring at Sharon a few times over the years; both before and after her relationship with Hilary began. Andrea mentally scolded herself; Gavin was one of her oldest and dearest friends. His sometimes inappropriate sense of humour aside, he’d never do anything to discord her relationship with Hilary. Sharon being here didn’t really matter anyway, there was no reason they couldn’t play friendly this evening and then go back to work like normal adult, co-workers in the morning.
Andrea felt a gentle squeeze against her waist, she turned her head just as Hilary’s arm made its way around the small of her back. Instead of relief, her partner’s presence made her even more tense. Of all times for Hilary to finally break away from the press and actually join her for any portion of the evening, of course it had to be now.
“Gavin!” Hilary grinned as she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. Instead of letting go of Andrea in order to greet Gavin, Hilary simply trailed her hand along her lower back until it came to a rest on the outside of Andrea’s hip, staying there while she hugged their friend. Andrea looked up at Sharon nervously as she felt the heat radiating off her face and neck. So much for not blushing, she thought to herself. Hilary finally let go of Gavin and moved back to Andrea’s side, wrapping her arm firmly around her again.
Sharon nodded and bit her lip as realization dawned on her; the woman standing before her, with her arm wrapped around her favourite DDA, was the woman who stood at the podium and gave a rousing speech about social media, connectivity, art, and museums in the 21st century less than an hour ago. Sharon had just spent forty-five minutes silently commending her brilliance as an artistic mind and now here she was, practically hanging all over Andrea Hobbs. Sharon bit down a little harder on her lip then took a long swig of her white wine. “Gavin,” she smiled, urging him to introduce her.
“Oh, yes!” Gavin laughed, shaking his head, “Sorry sweetie. Hil, darling, this is Sharon Raydor. She is the Captain and commanding officer of the Major Crimes division over at the LAPD, and is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Sharon, this is Hilary Goldstein, deputy director of....something, something... I don’t know, she runs this place.”
Hilary extended a slender, elegant hand in Sharon’s direction. Sharon had never felt so boring, blue collar, or inadequate in her life.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sharon. I’ve heard wonderful things from both Gavin and Andie,” she said smoothly, her voice like velvet.
Andie. The casualty with which Hilary had called DDA Hobbs Andie made Sharon’s stomach hurt and she wasn’t sure why. Why was she so shocked to find that Andrea had a partner? She was a good looking woman with a successful career. No, strike that. She was a gorgeous, intelligent woman with a successful career. She was funny, charming, kind, compassionate, and interesting. Why wouldn’t Andrea Hobbs have a partner? That Andrea Hobbs had a partner who could be a model, dressed in an outfit that looked as though it had been pulled from a Paris runway, who ran a museum for a living...okay, so that was a little overwhelming, but surely Andrea deserved her and she made Andrea happy.
Sharon took a shallow breath in and pulled her stomach muscles a little tighter, steeling herself against the wave of insecurity that was threatening to wash over her. Who cared that Andrea Hobbs had a partner; much less a partner like that. They were work friends, that was all. Why should Sharon be bothered by any of this? It wasn’t as if they ever even spoke about their personal lives. Andrea only knew about Sharon’s current living situation because it happened to involve a material witness in one of her cases. Sharon contented herself with this knowledge, feeling foolish about the fact that she had felt slighted.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Hilary,” Sharon responded kindly, giving her hand a firm shake. “Your speech this evening was wonderful. I really enjoyed it.”
Hilary blushed and pushed herself further into Andrea’s side, which caused Andrea to wrap an arm around her shoulder. “Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. With a museum like LACMA, it can be difficult to get them to move away from.... tradition, but I think I’ve got the board of trustees on board with some fun things. I’m excited to see where I can take the exhibits in the next five years,” she mused excitedly; she clearly enjoyed talking about her work with someone other than a coworker.
Andrea grinned as she watched Hilary get lost in conversation; she loved it when Hilary got passionate. It was one thing she found very sexy about her current partner. That she was currently lost in passionate conversation with Sharon Raydor, however, caused a whole host of conflicting emotions.
Gavin and Andrea eventually stepped aside, allowing the two women to talk to each other about the ins and outs of the museum. It turned out that Sharon spent quite a bit of her free time lost in the halls of LACMA, and as such, had a lot of feedback for Hilary, which the younger woman was eating up.
“Great. Hilary’s got a new best friend. I’m going to kill you if I get home from work this Friday and Sharon Raydor is sipping wine on my couch, Gavin,” Andrea warned, a dangerous look in her eyes.
“Oh please, you’d love it,” Gavin teased, but sobered quickly when he looked at Andrea’s face. “Andrea, honey, what is it? You really don’t like Sharon, do you?” he said quietly, careful not to let Sharon and Hilary overhear.
“Oh, no, it isn’t that...” Andrea sighed, “I don’t know... things have just... it’s nothing. It’s just me. I’m in a rut. Is that position in your office still open? Hilary and I have discussed it some more. I think I am going to apply.”
Gavin watched Andrea for a moment, taking in her tired features. There was a sadness in her eyes she didn’t normally carry; usually her bright blue eyes were full of happiness. Tonight, they were duller than usual and creased with concern. “Andrea, you’re lying to me. And I don’t like liars,” he warned, “you’ve got about twenty four hours to cut the shit and tell me what’s up. I know tonight’s not the place, but I expect a phone call and lunch tomorrow, you got that blondie?”
“Yeah, okay,” Andrea sighed, nodding her head. “We can do lunch tomorrow. I’ll meet you at your office at noon.”
“Gavin,” Sharon’s voice interrupted, “I hate to interrupt, but I need to get home. It’s getting late and Rusty is alone. I just wanted to say goodnight.” Sharon risked looking at Andrea and afforded her a small smile, catching her eyes for a brief moment.
Andrea cursed inwardly at the butterflies that invaded her stomach as soon as Sharon smiled at her. Suddenly she was regretting ever wanting Sharon to ask or take notice of Andrea’s life outside of the office.
“It was good to see you, Captain Raydor. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” Andrea was unwilling to drop the formalities she was comfortable with, even if they were standing in the middle of a museum in cocktail dresses, rather than the middle of Sharon’s office in pencil skirts and blazers. She wasn’t sure why, but she needed that formality to stay in place with Sharon.
“Yes, of course. It was wonderful to see you, and to meet your lovely partner,” she turned her attention to Hilary again. “Thank you so much for a wonderful evening. I am looking forward to what you have planned for the museum.” With that, Sharon walked away from the group to collect her coat and purse from the coat check. Andrea watched her as she sauntered off, a playful, seductive sashay in her hips as she went.
Next to her, Hilary regarded her partner with carefully hidden curiosity as Sharon made her exit.
***
Andrea watched Hilary as she toed out of her stilettos and untucked her shirt from her pencil skirt. She looked happy, but exhausted.
Andrea moved closer to her, wrapping her arms around her from behind. “Congratulations,” she whispered in her ear, ghosting kisses along her neck. Hilary turned in her arms to meet Andrea’s lips with her own, reaching around the blonde to undo her zipper.
“Thank you,” she grinned as she tugged at the lace, pulling the dress down over Andrea’s shoulders as she kissed her. Andrea hesitated.
“Honey I-”
Hilary sighed and moved away from Andrea, running a hand through her hair. She hoped if she and Andrea got to the bedroom quickly enough that they would somehow get lost in the passion of the moment, like they both used to. But no, lately it seemed that no matter what she did, Andrea was always, at best, mildly disinterested in making love with her. True to her fashion recently, Andrea was looking for an excuse not to be intimate with her, and she was both hurt and mildly sick of it. She looked Andrea up and down as she shrugged so that the dress fell back over her shoulders where Hilary had pulled it down.
“You’re tired. It’s late and you’ve got work in the morning. I know, Andrea.” She regarded Andrea, the hurt obvious in her eyes.
“It’s not...” Andrea tried to explain, tried to move closer to her again. She wanted to make love to her, if only to prove nothing was wrong. Or, maybe to prove to herself nothing was wrong. It was just...difficult approaching sex with Hilary lately; everything about it felt forced to Andrea.
“Don’t,” Hilary warned, backing away from Andrea. “Just go to your office and get your work done, or go to bed. I’m going to have a glass of wine on the patio and take a shower.”
Andrea watched her, mouth agape, as she stormed into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of red wine off the wine rack. “So this is how we’re ending tonight,” she muttered under her breath as she walked down the hall, “I’m glad you had a good evening, darling.” Her last words were biting as she shut the bedroom door a little harder than she should have; closing Hilary out, hopefully for the night.