Try to Love Again

by Kadi

Rated T

Disclaimer: It isn't my sandbox. I simply visit it from time to time.

A/N: Happy Birthday (belated) Sweetbutterfly11 this one is for you!

As always special thanks to deenikn8 for the beta! Any mistakes found are all mine, and not hers!

Also, for lontanissima & kate04us who keep me inspired! Lastly, but never least, to all the Flynngirls, you know who you are. You ROCK!

Sharon strode toward her front door, while in the background, she could still hear the boys laughing. The subject of Ricky's hair was still on the table. Rusty was trying to convince him to go see Sylvia, her hairdresser, while he was in town, albeit a bit bashfully. Rusty was still unsure of himself within this family equation, but he was trying very hard to find his footing. She was so very proud of him for that, and how far that he had come. Even six months ago he would have runaway at the first sign of trouble from Ricky. That he came to her instead, Sharon had no words to describe the abject warmth that filled her at that knowledge.

Now, Sharon laughed as Ricky slanted a look at her and groaned. "Mom, tell me that you did not take this poor kid to see Sylvia?" He shook his head. "I take back everything I was thinking, no, really. You're not the problem," he told Rusty. "She is. Run, now, while you still can... First Sylvia, then shopping with Gavin..."

"That was actually kind of fun." Rusty stared at Ricky for several long moments before snorting a laugh. "The look on your face!"

"I don't understand what the problem is!" Sharon paused in front of the door, the knock had been a surprise and pulled her away from the boys momentarily. "That was a fun afternoon!"

Rusty rolled his eyes and slanted a look at Ricky. "For her maybe."

"Yep." He agreed with that one. "And then they forget that you're even there and the conversation digresses into topics you should never have to hear."

"Hm." Rusty put is chin in his hand and nodded. "Exactly."

"Okay, for the record," Sharon pointed at them as she reached for the door. "Teaming up against me is not allowed."

"Too late," they both decided.

Rusty looked down, quickly ducking his face, and glanced at Sharon through his lashes. Teasing Sharon, when it was just the two of them, or the entire team was around and engaged in it, was okay. That was one thing, and something that he was becoming more accustomed to. Doing it with Ricky, that felt awkward. Especially given the place they had been in just earlier that day. He took a moment to gauge both of their reactions before being drawn too far into things. Sharon seemed to be okay with it, and the better they appeared to get along, the happier she was. So maybe it wasn't such a bad thing? He risked a glance at Ricky, who was smirking at his mother's back. He didn't want to set him off again. Not while Sharon was so happy with how things were currently going. Rusty made a mental note to tread carefully.

Sharon groaned, quietly, but was more than pleased as she pulled the door open. She could not be more delighted that Ricky had pulled his head out of whatever idiotic cloud it had been in. It wouldn't be completely smooth sailing from here on, but he was trying, and he was being honest. This was the boy she had raised, and the young man that she adored. Even Rusty appeared to be relaxing, even if it was a slow process. He was still unsure, but she could work with that. She would take it. Her smile only brightened upon seeing her visitor. "Hi..."

He was leaning against the door frame, a hand in his pocket. The other, when he lifted it, had a bag dangling from two fingers. "Chocolate covered espresso beans, as promised, in case they are needed." There was a sparkle in his dark eyes, and on seeing her smile, a grin curved his face. That smile was enough to tell him that everything had worked out. "Doesn't seem to be the case."

"No." Her smile warmed, while her eyes softened. "No, it isn't, and I told you not to worry about me." Sharon leaned against the open door and gazed back. How was it that he seemed to always know. "I can handle my boys." Her eyes glittered with sudden humor. "All of them."

It sparked a quiet, rumbling chuckle. Andy pushed away from the door frame. "That's never been in doubt."

At the table, the conversation had grown suddenly quiet. Both Ricky and Rusty were leaning to one side to get a look at what was going on at the door. They couldn't quite hear the low tones of the conversation. "You know," Ricky whispered. "My dad might have wanted to chat about something else recently."

"No kidding," Rusty muttered, recalling the comments Jack made to him on the matter of Sharon dating. "She says no. He says no. Jack says yes." He shrugged, but rolled his eyes. "They're just friends." The dynamics of the team was something that he was familiar with. He spent the last few years practically living with it. He glanced at Ricky again, and wondered if this was someone with whom he could actually discuss it without overstepping. Who else was he going to ask? Provenza? God no.

Ricky snorted quietly. He might be a little clueless about some things, but the one thing that he did know was that you did not tell someone that you were just friends with someone you were flirting with, the way his mother and Andy were currently flirting with each other. Not unless you were in denial, completely clueless yourself, or really bad at trying to keep a secret. He decided to go with option number three. "Yeah right. Might be time Mom made some friends like that."

"Dude." Rusty shook his head. "Ew."

He glanced over at him and chuckled quietly. Maybe he was expecting Rusty to seem older, Ricky decided. He was reminded again just how young the other boy was. There were times when he seemed way too mature for his age, and maybe that had set him on edge at first. Now, he seemed incredibly young, and incredibly normal. Just another guy freaked out about the idea of his mom dating. Okay, Ricky decided. He could deal with that. He was beginning to see more and more that his mother was right, he was just a boy needing a family... and was maybe already fitting in just fine. Ricky decided to forget everything his dad told him about the situation. It was always best to take all of that with a grain of salt anyway. Still, he did worry about her. His mother loved fully and completely, and once her heart was engaged, that was it. He didn't want to see her get hurt... again.

Ricky's lips pursed and he tilted his head. "You know what I'm thinking," he said. "I think they protest too much. The stories I could tell you..."

At the door, Sharon closed her eyes and sighed. She turned and cast a look at both boys. Her cheeks were flushing a light shade of pink that she was attempting to ignore. "I can hear you"

Ricky pointed at Rusty, the gesture entirely instinctual. "He did it."

"What?" Rusty stared at him, eyes wide. He sat up, suddenly pale. His hand moved in front of him in a gesture of defense. Was Ricky trying to get him grounded? Didn't he know that this was Sharon? "I did not, you-"

"Oh man." Ricky looked heavenward, he felt kind of bad for him then. "Emily and I have so much to teach you." He leaned forward against the table. "Okay, lesson number one, it is always the other siblings fault. Especially the younger one." Ricky straightened and grinned. He suddenly realized that not being the youngest anymore could have its advantages. How much tormenting had he lived with at the hands of his sister? Not, of course, that he hadn't given it back in spades, but it wasn't quite the same thing, was it? "Oh, you know, I could really start to get behind this."

Rusty slumped in his seat while a hand smacked against his forehead. The look on Ricky's face was entirely too gleeful. He had seen it before. It was fear inducing. It was the look that Lieutenant Provenza called the Darth Raydor grin. He had instructed Rusty to run whenever it was present. Who knew it could be genetic? Just wait until the Lieutenant heard about this! "Somehow," Rusty said instead, "I knew this was going to happen. Sharon."

Behind her, Andy was trying to suppress the urge to laugh. "I'm going to assume then that you can't come out and play tonight."

Ricky laughed. "You know, mom, if you had a date tonight... you could have said something. We'd have understood."

"Okay, you know what." Sharon glared at all of them. "In no way do the three of you get to out number me." She pointed at Ricky, "Stop picking on Rusty, you," she pointed at Rusty. "Just ignore him, honey. And you," she turned to narrow her eyes at Andy, "should not encourage them."

Andy arched a brow at her. "It's Ricky, I don't have to encourage him to do anything, Sharon. The kid, well, he's happy in his state of denial."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the apartment. "Oh hush."

He did laugh at her then. "You act like it's not the absolute truth, and then I get manhandled. To think, I drove all the way out to Santa Monica to get your favorite beans." Andy dangled the bag in front of her again.

Sharon rolled her eyes at him, but accepted the gift. "Yes, thank you. That was very thoughtful, but don't for a second think that I believe you went to Santa Monica. Not when I know for a fact that the shop two blocks from the station has these." Her lips pursed and she smirked as she turned away to carry the parcel into the kitchen. He had come to play buffer. Looked like it was turning into a thing for them, and now it was his turn. For that, she might just let him off the hook.

"Ha!" Ricky pointed at him. "I told you she wasn't going to buy that! How could you possibly forget that the woman has crapdar. You didn't even make it beyond the first pass, nailed right out of the chute!"

"Yeah, whatever," Andy shook his head. "It was worth a shot, and no, I haven't forgotten that the lady has crapdar. I've been dealing with it a lot longer than you have."

"Odd," Sharon's head tilted. "One would think you'd have discovered a better way of getting around it, and yet..." When his eyes narrowed at her, she fluttered her own and smiled. "When you open the door, Lieutenant, I walk through it. Just remember that."

"Okay, wait a minute." Rusty was sitting up in his seat again. "So, are you dating or not?" When Andy and Sharon just stared back at him, neither of their faces giving anything away, he sighed. "Why is that a hard question. It's a yes or a no."

"No," they both said, and continued to gaze calmly at him.

"Somehow, I don't believe you," Rusty decided. His eyes narrowed while he studied them closely, as though trying to see beyond the surface of what he was so accustomed to seeing.

"That's because we're not three and we can see the writing on the wall," Ricky pointed out. "Besides, they go way back." When Rusty looked at him, he nodded. "Way."

"You've got to be kidding me?" The boy looked between the two adults before turning his attention back to his future sibling. "How long has this been going on?" He gestured at them.

"Which part?" Ricky smirked. "The sniping, snarking, or flirting? Years. She's never been so open about it before," He put his chin in his hand, as if his mother wasn't glaring at the back of his head and shrugged. "I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the actual change is a recent thing. You're asking the wrong question. The question you should be asking is what would be happening if Mom was not still married."

Andy shifted, just a step, farther from Sharon. First he made sure that he was well out of her reach. Then he winked at the two boys, who were now looking at him. "Game on."

With a groan, and her face heating up, Sharon walked into the kitchen to get away from them, especially now that Ricky was laughing and Rusty had a dumbfounded expression on his face. "You are a bad influence, Andy Flynn," she said.

"She acts like this is news," he directed at the eldest son.

"I know," Ricky shook his head slowly and grinned crookedly. "Isn't she cute?"

Sharon dropped the bag containing the espresso beans on the counter and covered her face with a hand. "I am out numbered in my own home." After a moment, she sighed. "This is not a subject that we are going to discuss boys, mainly, because there is nothing for us to discuss."

"In other words," Ricky slanted a look at Rusty.

"It's none of our business," Rusty finished for him. That was an answer that he was very familiar with.

"Which, isn't entirely true," Ricky continued. He leaned back in his seat and stretched his long legs out beneath the table. "You would think," he said, gesturing at Rusty, "that we should have some say in whether or not she's going to be bringing home strange men."

The gleam in his eyes was entirely too playful, filled with mischief. Rusty hastened a quick look at Sharon, and then at Flynn. The latter had bowed his head and was rubbing a finger over his top lip. From the way the muscles in his jaw were twitching, Rusty could see that he was attempting not to laugh, or at least grin. When he cleared his throat, Rusty watched Sharon's glare shift from Ricky to the Lieutenant, and he almost felt bad for him. Almost. At the moment, he was a little too busy trying to decide if he should respond or not. Ricky was staring at him, and Rusty knew which response he was supposed to make, he was just still not sure that he should. He gazed back at Ricky and watched the older boy's brows lift. Rusty felt a grin forming. He looked heavenward for a moment and hoped he wouldn't be the one that ended up with the wrath of Sharon. Or at least, not alone. Although, now that he reflected on it, this whole family thing did insinuate a sense of solidarity.

Rusty pressed his lips together for a moment, then he tilted his head. His own eyes sparkled when his gaze shifted back to Sharon and her friend. "Emphasis on the strange," he added. If nothing else, he knew that Lieutenant Provenza would be proud of him if he ever found out. He just figured this fell into the category of things he was not supposed to tell the Lieutenant, like, ever.

If ever there was an opportunity for a grown man to wriggle happily in his seat, this was it. Ricky managed to refrain. Instead, he grinned widely at the way his mother's eyes widened, just before they narrowed. Andy had given up the fight and was laughing. Her cheeks were flushing. "So, mom. I've been thinking. Can we keep him?"

Sharon huffed at them. "Richard, Russell, I'll deal with both of you later." She grabbed Andy's arm and turned him toward the door. "You, I'm going to deal with right now." Sharon prodded him toward the door and through it.

They watched the door close. Ricky smirked. When he saw the wide-eyed look on Rusty's face, he chuckled quietly. "What's wrong?"

"She's never called me that before." Rusty gulped. "That's... that's not good is it? The whole, full name, thing? I mean, I've heard it happen to other kids, and usually it's bad."

The kid was gripping the edge of the table and looking seriously worried about it. Ricky stopped laughing and sobered. "You know, usually, I'd say it's pretty bad. Trust me." He winced, remembering his most recent encounter with it. "That, that was nothing. That was mom poking back at us in her own way. Bad is first, middle, and last name. Believe me when I tell you that is definitely a bad thing. You don't want to hear that. I think we're fine. Andy, on the other hand. He could be in trouble." If it were possible to feel even worse, or more guilty for how he acted before, Ricky felt it now seeing the kid's reaction to being Mom'd. It was such a normal thing, but to have that reaction to it, kind of drove home for him, more than anything else, that this kid's life was never normal, at least not before now. "The only thing you really have to worry about is mom getting even." Ricky paused, and then he grinned. "She will get even." That thought gave him pause. Ricky got up and walked over to the desk to retrieve the iPad. When he returned, he set it up on the table between them and began dialing a familiar number. "Reinforcements. It's always better in numbers."

Rusty rubbed his hands against his jeans and slowly settled down. "Right." When he thought about it, he figured Ricky was probably right. Sharon hadn't actually looked mad, and if she was actually upset, he figured that Lieutenant Flynn wouldn't still be laughing. They all, the team that was, pretty much knew when to run for cover. Even Flynn. Especially Flynn. "Okay." He exhaled slowly and felt the muscles in his stomach loosen. "This isn't going to dig our hole deeper is it?"

"Probably." Ricky grinned crookedly at him. "But it's so much harder for her to take on more than one of us at one time. I figure, three against one, that ought to more than even the odds."

His sister answered on the fourth ring. Emily Raydor glared at the screen. Her hazel eyes flashed with annoyance. "Ricky, I'm not talking to you if your head is still shoved up your ass! I told you not to bother going if you were just going to be a complete and total asshole about it all. Do you know that mom called me after she spoke to you this morning? Do you have any idea what you-"

"Hey now!" Ricky interrupted her before she could really get on a tear. He turned the tablet so that she could see Rusty too. "It's fine. Stop yelling. Geez. You don't have to be such a girl about it. Anyway, listen, so... Rusty and I were talking, and there's this situation with mom."

It took only two seconds for her to read the way Rusty was looking at Ricky and put that together with the mischief in his gaze. Emily groaned. "Ricky! That's not fair! You can't go after mom when I'm not there!" She pouted at them, and despite the fact that she was getting closer to thirty than she might like to think about, when faced with her sibling... or, she supposed it was siblings now, it was easy to revert to a much younger mental state. "You pulled Rusty into it too? It's his first time. Ricky, I cannot believe you. This is really something that you should have waited for me on. I've known mom the longest, you know."

"Oh honey," Ricky smiled, a bit too sweetly at her. "That just makes you old, not special. Anyway, listen, we don't have time to debate whether or not I should have waited. These things are rather spontaneous, you know. So, mom is dating..."

This time, Emily sighed and rolled her eyes. "No, she isn't. I think I would know if my mother is dating. That's not the sort of thing that she would keep from me."

Rusty blinked at the screen. "Have you met her?" With Emily he was only vaguely more familiar. He still hadn't spoken to either of Sharon's children much prior to this, but the daughter called more often on the weekends, when they were both home.

Emily laughed. "Okay, what makes you think she's dating?" She tilted her head at them and let her dark hair fall over one shoulder. She smiled indulgently at them. "I want facts, not suppositions."

"I thought she was a dancer," Rusty slanted a look at Ricky.

"Something like that," Ricky grinned. "It's like this, Em, I think mom's gone down the rabbit hole, again. Only this time, without a parachute or an escape plan."

"Wait." Rusty sat up. "What do you mean again?" He stared, wide-eyed at Ricky. How could he not know this?

"I told you, they go way back," Ricky pointed out.

"No!" Emily leaned closer to the screen. "I mean, I knew they were spending a lot of time together again. But I thought they were just friends. You know, Ricky, people change. Feelings change. You reach a certain age and some things are a little more important than just-"

"Yes, she's very old," Ricky rolled his eyes at her. "Don't get me started on how bad it is to talk about that subject, especially with mom."

"Ricky!" Emily groaned again. "You really have a lot to learn about women, little brother."

"You know, this call is not about me," He pointed out, and huffed when Rusty snickered. "This is about the boyfriend."

"You lost me at the again part," Rusty pointed out. "He has a point about the dating thing," He told Emily. "I'm not buying the friends thing anymore. There's something going on there."

"Okay." Emily shrugged. "So what? They're consenting adults. She's almost divorced, what's the big deal? Rick," she sighed, used the more adult version of his name. "Dad's been gone a long time, you know?" There was a sadness in her gaze that even her smile couldn't completely wipe away.

"I'm not arguing that fact," Ricky pointed out. "I'm just saying, we all know what's going on. Why won't she admit it?"

"It's none of our business," Emily said with a grin. She shot a look in Rusty's direction when he laughed. "See, even the new one gets it. If mom is actually going down that particular road this time, more power to her. Andy has always been a hunk."

"Oh. Ew." Rusty shuddered. "Can you never say those words again? At least where I can hear them, please?" He shuddered again for good measure.

"Seconded." Ricky looked mildly disturbed. "You're an odd duck, Emily Raydor." He shook his head. "Look, I don't care if mom goes down that road. I'd say it's probably about time. Dad's never going to change, and they are definitely better apart, but that does not mean that we," he gestured at all of them, "don't get to have a little fun with it."

Emily grew silent for a moment. Her lips pursed while she thought about it. "You could have a point," she conceded at last.

"Finally!" Ricky slumped in his seat. "It's always exhausting plotting with you."

She ignored him. "Rusty, what do you think?" She focused her attention on him. "Are you willing to risk a little irritation on behalf of our being able to have a little fun with mommy dearest? We're all in this, or we don't do it at all."

Rusty looked from one to the other. "Is he going to cry if I say no?" He rolled his eyes at the look on Ricky's face and shrugged. "Why not? If it all goes south, I can always blame it on the two of you."

Emily laughed. "I see you taught him lesson number two... when in doubt, blame the older sibling."

"Yeah," Ricky smirked. "Now you're outnumbered. This whole thing is growing on me more and more by the minute."

"Of course it is," Emily rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, so tell me what the two of you know..."

MCMCMCMCMC

Once out in the hall, with the door closed behind her, Sharon leaned back against it and sighed. In front of her, Andy was laughing again. Or rather, he was still laughing. Her eyes narrowed. "It is not that amusing."

"It is." He chuckled again. "You're blushing," he pointed out. "You never blush." Andy reached for her hand and pulled her away from the door, closer to him. "It's cute. On the bright side, I think it's important to note that they're getting along. Big improvement over earlier today." Which was the reason behind his visit. When Sharon arrived at work that morning, she wasn't able to fully suppress the stricken, hurt mood that her argument with Ricky had produced. He thought he might need to at least get the kid out of there for a while, but it seemed to have resolved itself. Ricky was proving that he was, in fact, his mother's son and not some stranger.

He held both of her hands and tugged her closer. Her lips turned down slightly. She looked up at him through her lashes. "I am not cute." Sharon sighed again, mainly because it was difficult to stay annoyed with any of them when he was pointing out that her boys were fulfilling one of her fondest wishes and he was being so damned sweet. "They are, aren't they?" Some of her earlier concern returned. "They didn't seem to be putting on an act, for one, Rusty just isn't that good at it. Ricky, on the other hand, but he seemed sincere in his apology earlier." She glanced back toward the apartment, but found herself tugged further away.

"They're fine," Andy said. "Whatever was going on inside his head, you snapped him out of it. His eyes are open now. Come on." He pulled her with him as he walked toward the elevator, and further from the apartment. "Rusty just wants to be accepted, that's all he's ever wanted. Your boys are okay." Once they reached the elevator, he tapped the button that would take him back to the ground floor. Then he pulled her back to him and this time, his hands moved to her waist. "All of them," he rumbled in a quiet tone.

"Hm." Her hands settled against his arms. "Is that right?" Sharon tipped her head back and smiled, then gave in to the urge to lean into him. She didn't know how to label this... whatever this was between them. She never had. They had been friends before, and then, well, then they were hardly civil to one another. There was also a period of time in which they had been very close to what was happening between them now. Neither of them had really been ready to cross that line, and so they had fallen back on familiar routines. Proximity changed things. When they didn't have their separate divisions to hide in, they just naturally gravitated toward one another. She didn't mind it. They worked well together, but then, they always had... when they weren't busy sniping at one another.

Sharon found that she didn't mind this, the way their relationship was changing again. It seemed they'd both finally reached a place in their lives where they were ready for whatever came next. She was finally willing to let go of her marriage and all that it had once meant to her. Her children were grown and her career was satisfying. She didn't have the same drive she'd had even ten years ago to prove herself at her job and to those around her. She was content. More than that, she was happy.

She still wouldn't say that they were dating. It was such a juvenile term to apply to something that was far more complicated than that. Especially at their ages. There were still some lines they hadn't crossed yet, and Sharon was holding off reporting the change in her relationship with a subordinate until that happened. They were in no rush. Whatever this relationship was, it was progressing at its own pace. As he bent toward her, Sharon tipped her face up and hummed quietly at the soft press of his lips against hers.

His hands slid slowly up her sides. He held her against him and turned, so that the wall was at her back and any view of her was blocked if the boys became curious. He held her there, thumbs stroking her sides. Her breathing hitched when his hands slid down to her hips and splayed there. He pulled her closer and she hummed quietly. Sharon slipped a hand up to cup the back of his neck. A low, deep moan was drawn from her when his hands slipped beneath her sweater and the simple cotton t-shirt so that his thumbs brushed against the soft skin just above the waist of her yoga pants.

His lips moved along her jaw, to the long length of neck that was exposed each time she drew her hair over her shoulder. Only the sound of the elevator opening beside them could sway his attention. Andy lifted his head and a slight grin tugged at his mouth. He stepped back, and then into the elevator, but drew her with him.

Sharon laughed when his arm curled around her to keep her from slipping away from him again. "Andy!" His lips found her neck again, and she found herself pressed against the wall of the elevator. "You know there are cameras in these elevators."

"Then we'll give your building security a good show. He's a nice, hard working guy. Deserves a treat every now and then." Andy slipped his hands into the thick curtain of her hair and tipped her head back. With her eyes dancing and her cheeks flushed, she'd never looked lovelier. "Think they'll miss you for a couple of hours?"

"Hm." His thumb sweeping the curve of her jaw made her smile. "Yes, I think that they might. If I know my son, he's calling his sister even as we speak."

"Too bad." He bent and kissed her smiling mouth again. Sooner or later, either she was going to end up in his bed, or he would end up in hers. They knew where they were headed, and they were both enjoying the journey.

"Okay." The elevator came to a stop. Sharon gripped his chin and kissed him, just once more. "Out you go." Her hands went to his chest and she pushed, gently, but with purpose.

"I still see no reason that you can't come with me." Andy pulled her to the open elevator doors, and they stood there. "If your kids are plotting against you, it's a perfect opportunity to escape."

"I'd take you up on it, but I know you've got ulterior motives." She gave him another, gentle shove. "Good night, Andy."

Andy caught her hand before she could draw away completely and pulled her back. His other hand reached out to hold the elevator doors when they started to close again. His arm swept around her and she was pulled, laughing, against him. His head bent and he kissed her again. "Good night," he rumbled against her mouth.

This time, when he stepped back, he let the elevator doors close. Sharon was left alone. She slumped against the back wall of the elevator and sighed. "That man." He was slowly driving her insane. Sharon smiled. She hummed quietly and tipped her head back against the wall. Her eyes closed. Her arms folded against her chest and she decided that it wasn't exactly a bad thing.

MCMCMCMCMC

When Sharon stepped back into her apartment, she was not surprised to find Rusty and Ricky still seated at the table. What did have her brows raising, however, was the iPad set up in the center of the table. She pushed the door closed behind her and walked toward them. It might not have been alarming, save the all too innocent look on Ricky's face and the way that Rusty seemed to want to squirm. "Boys?"

"Turn me around," Emily said. "I can't see her." Then she laughed. "Oh god, I sound like something from an 80s sci-fi feature." When Ricky had turned the iPad so that she could see her mother, she smiled brightly. "Hi mom!"

"Emily." Sharon smiled, cautiously, and approached the table. They were up to something alright. "How are you, honey?"

"I'm good." She placed her chin in her hand and gazed into the screen of her tablet. "You're looking great too!" Her hazel eyes glittered with mischief. "I would even venture to say that you're looking very well…kissed. Nice lipstick. You know, next time, you might want to fix it before you come back inside."

"Oh my god!" Rusty's forehead connected with the table. "There's kissing! I can't take this, that is just so many levels of wrong." He lifted his head and twisted his face into a disgusted look. "You can't just go bringing strange guys around here and making out with them whenever you want. It's wrong, Sharon. I mean, I live here too! What about me. I'm… I'm… very impressionable—" His face crumbled and he began to laugh. He slanted a look at Ricky and shook his head. "I can't. I tried, but I just can't." Rusty threw up his hands and leaned back.

Ricky shook his head slowly. "I am vastly disappointed in you, little brother. Such potential."

Emily was giggling. "Oh, give him a break. It was his first time. We have so much to teach him. Oh, the things we could tell him, Rick. There are stories…"

"Epic tales," Ricky agreed with a smirk.

"Okay, first of all," Sharon pointed at them. "You two are not to draw Rusty into any more of your hair brained schemes. Especially where it pertains to my personal life, and number two, there will be no stories. Not unless you would like me to tell a few of my own, am I clear?"

"Oh mom," Emily laughed again. "We love you, but there are going to be stories. If Rusty is going to be part of this family, he has to know everything, and I do mean everything. You can't stop that. Don't even try, besides, you wanted us to accept him. You can't put limitations on it now."

"Not to mention the fact," Ricky continued. "That we all have a right to know if there is any potential at all of walking into a situation, around here, that could scar any one of us for life. But," he continued when her mouth opened, wanting to get the rest of it out before she shut him down. "We especially deserve to know if we're going to have to deal with listening to Dad whine about it."

Sharon groaned, loudly. She hated when they ganged up against her and used actual logic. That was something she just couldn't argue with, not with good conscience. "One time," she pointed at them again. Her gaze swept the table. "Just one time we are going to discuss it, and then this topic will never be mentioned again. Understood?"

The three of them looked at each other, at least, in so much as they could with Emily chiming in via Skype. "Fair enough," Ricky stated with a nod, speaking for all of them.

She drew a breath and ran a hand over her forehead. "Yes, yes, no, yes, maybe. Happy now?" Sharon picked up her water glass and carried it into the kitchen.

"I am so incredibly lost right now." Rusty stared after her, and finally shifted his gaze to Ricky. "What?"

Her son was too busy staring at her to answer. His mouth was hanging open slightly. Those were not, exactly, the answers he was expecting. Especially the last one. "Uh…"

"Yes they are seeing each other," Emily answered, filling in the blanks. It wouldn't be the first time they'd grilled their mother about a male suitor. "Yes it's serious. No they aren't sleeping together. Yes that's probably going to happen. Does she love him, maybe."

"If you will excuse me," Sharon said. "I have had a very long two days, and I am exhausted. I am going to go to bed. Emily, I love you. We'll talk more later. Ricky," she leaned over and kissed the top of his head. "Good night, darling. Rusty—"

"Yeah, good night." He was in a bit of a dazed state too. He watched her retreat, rather quickly when he thought about it. "Wow. Was not expecting that. She actually answered."

"It's gotten serious?" Ricky leaned forward, focused on his sister now. "Did we know about this? I mean, Em, she talks to you about this kind of thing." His brows drew together. "You know, dad hinted that he thought she was seeing someone, but he wouldn't come out and say it. He made it all about Rusty, our last few calls, and the divorce."

"No," she mused. "Which should tell us something. It has been a while since she's bothered trying to see anyone. Dad usually gets wind of it and shows up to completely blow it apart." Her lips pursed. "Which would explain why he's been hanging around this time."

"I don't get it." Rusty looked between the two. "Why does he care? He obviously doesn't want to be here. Why does it matter if Sharon is seeing someone or not, and oh my god, should we be talking about this?" He cast a worried look toward the hall.

"Probably not." Emily shrugged. "But it's how we look out for her.

Rusty found himself looking between the two, and finally, he just sighed. "Okay, both of you have pointed out more than once that this has happened before. So, maybe you should fill me in. What is it that I'm missing here? Why is it even a big deal? People date all the time."

"It's not so much that as who it is," Emily explained. She wavered for a moment, and finally she shook her head. "Look, I don't know how much you know about our dad. When we were little, he was in to more than just the gambling. He had a pretty heavy drinking problem and ended up in Rehab, and then AA. It was kind of how he and Andy met. Andy was in and out of AA too, and I'm not sure I should even be telling you this." Emily chewed on her bottom lip and looked away from them, seeming lost about how much she should reveal about someone else's past.

"It's okay," Rusty shrugged. "I know about the Lieutenant, he's..." He risked a glance toward Ricky before shaking his head. "He's given me some advice on dealing with my mom. The real one, and her addiction issues. We've talked about his past. I know he was an alcoholic."

"Is," Emily pointed out. "It's never past tense, Rusty. Just because he isn't actively engaging, doesn't mean that it's gone. Remember that, okay?" When he nodded, she smiled gently at him and continued. "Okay, so dad was in rehab and AA, and Andy was going back and forth. Dad fell off the wagon during one of the periods when Andy was on it. He brought him home one night, helped mom pour him into bed. They didn't really know each other from work, she was already FID, but she was just a sergeant. Andy was Homicide, they didn't exactly bump into each other a lot, if you know what I mean. Other cops don't exactly care a lot about those in Internal Affairs."

"Andy knew dad from AA," Ricky picked up for his sister. "Which meant, mom ended up finding out that Andy was in AA. He and his captain were keeping that on the down low at the time. He'd gotten in trouble at work a couple of times, and already mom was getting a reputation for being seriously by the book. I think mom kind of surprised him, because she didn't care about his addiction issues. If he was getting help, and she didn't have to bust him at work because he was drunk, then it was none of her business."

"To make a very long story short," Emily said. "They became friends. Until Andy fell off the wagon again. I don't know the details, but something happened, and mom had to deal with it. Then they weren't on very good speaking terms for a while. Dad left, and a few years later, Andy started coming around again. That's when we kind of got to know him."

"His son Charlie and I are the same age," Ricky pointed out. "We played little league together. So I kind of knew him, and by then dad had been gone a few years. Andy was sober, and had been for a while. Mom was a Lieutenant at that time, and they kind of both decided that it was more fun than a pain when they had to deal with each other at work. It became a game."

"Andy sort of had a reputation back then," Emily added. "He was a bit of a player. The rest is all just theory, as far as Rick and I are concerned. We think there was some interest and mom just wasn't ready. She and dad were separated, but they were still married. Andy was around for a couple of years, until the first time she took dad back. Then it was sporadic after that. Then we didn't see him much at all. We both got busy with other things, mainly school, and dancing for me."

"Then we both left home," Ricky leaned back in his seat. "After that, I don't think we really thought about it. I mean, things were what they were. Dad came and went when he wanted to. After a while, mom put a stop to that. At least, limited it. The two night rule got put into place. He could swing by, see us, stay two nights, but she was off limits."

"She's dated before," Emily smiled. "Nothing serious, but people aren't made of stone. They do get lonely," she cut a look at her brother.

He groaned. "Okay, not my finest hour, I admit." Ricky sniffed. "Can you just let me plead temporary insanity for listening to dad? He just sounded really sincere, is all."

"He always does." Emily rolled her eyes. "Look, guys, it's getting really late here. I have an early rehearsal. I don't think there is anything we have to worry about. Either way, mom has a point, it's not really any of our business. We've had our fun, but let's not push her too far. If things are actually working out this time, let's not be the ones to screw it up." She saw Rusty's confusion and smiled. "I don't mean this time with Andy, I don't honestly think it ever went that far. I just mean this time in general. Our dad was a complete and total crap husband, and mom will be the first to admit that she wasn't exactly perfect either, but she deserves to be happy. It's her turn." Her gaze shifted, settled on her brother. "Behave, Richard. If I have to get on a plane..."

He flashed a wide, crooked grin. "What are you going to do, little ballerina girl? I could snap you like a toothpick."

Rusty's hand landed against his forehead with a loud smack. "So that explains the toothpicks!" When both of them looked at him, he laughed. "When Jack was here last year, we found a box of toothpicks that he used to teach me how to play poker. He wanted to know why she had them, apparently it's not something she normally keeps in the kitchen... but Andy," Rusty pointed out with a smirk.

"Ah." Emily grinned. "Well, there you have it. Dad would know about that habit. No wonder he's been fishing. Alright, little brothers. I'm getting off this, be good. Or at least, don't get caught, okay?"

"Don't worry," Ricky assured her. "I'll school the boy."

"Please." Rusty rolled his eyes at him. "Says he who cannot even comb his own hair."

"Hey!" Ricky glared at him.

Emily laughed. "Good night boys."

Once the Skype connection was closed, the boys were left at the table alone. They glanced at one another, then back at the table. Finally, Ricky sighed. He slanted a look at Rusty. "Does it really look that bad?"

Rusty squinted at him, then started to laugh when Ricky lifted a hand to his hair. Okay, maybe it wasn't all going to be so weird or bad after all.