"Promise that you won't get freaked out," he said and Sharon grinned internally. Rusty always spoke to her as if she hasn't raised two kids before him and already heard all the crazy and ridiculous things teenagers and young adults could do . Freaking out was something she never recalled doing.

"When have you ever seen me freaked out?" she asked with a smirk as she crossed her arms in front of her body.

"Well, okay then…" Rusty said and Sharon could tell he felt uneasy. "Do you remember Chad?" The name sounded familiar, but Sharon couldn't think of a specific Chad both she and Rusty knew.

"Not really, no," she replied and Rusty sighed.

"Chad the bodyguard?" Rusty said.

"Is that a television show?" Sharon wondered, realizing that he probably met some celebrity in College and had the chance to speak to him. It would not be unusual in LA.

"No, he works here, Sharon. Chad Stuart?"

"Oh, you mean Officer Stuart from SOB?" Sharon asked. Since Phillip Stroh escaped, Rusty spent quite some time with Officers Stuart and Perez. It made perfect sense that he would address them by their first names.

"Yes, that Chad," he replied excitedly.

"What about him?" It seemed that Rusty found good friends in the two members of his security detail and Sharon was glad he had some friends who were a little closer to his age than the squad.

"Well, a few weeks ago I… um… I asked him out and he said yes," Sharon's eyebrows arched as the words came out of her son's mouth. "And we've been dating for almost a month now, so I thought you should know about it."

"Umm… isn't Chad a bit too old for you?" Sharon didn't really need Rusty to answer that. Chad was older than Jeff. Chad was almost 30. Chad was dating her 19 years old son. And that was definitely a reason to freak out. But she couldn't let Rusty know that.

"Well, yeah, but… you know age doesn't always matter," Rusty replied, and his eyes looked everywhere but at her.

"Hmm," it was one of those hums that Rusty could never decipher, but by the blank expression on her face and the way she also avoided his gaze, he could tell that the news were anything but pleasing for her. "Have you discussed this with Dr. Joe?"

"I did, as a matter of fact," Rusty replied.

"And did he offer his perspective on the subject?"

"No, is he supposed to? I mean, I'm an adult and I can make these decisions on my own, you know. I think Dr. Joe knows that," Rusty stressed the last part of the sentence.

"Yes, no, of course, that's not what I meant, Rusty. It's just… I'm concerned that… when you get involved with someone who…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Chad is supposed to be protecting you from Phillip Stroh. It means that his relationship with you stands in a conflict with his job and that worries me."

"He's not taking advantage of me, if that's what you're trying to say," Rusty said defensively. "We have feelings, you know, for each other."

"I was not trying to say that he was taking advantage of you, Rusty. I am trying to say that his relationship with you is supposed to be a professional one and how should I trust him now to protect you when your relationship is a personal one?" Sharon found it a bit difficult to articulate her thoughts.

"What do you even mean by that? It doesn't change anything!"

"I mean that remaining professional and do the task he was assigned to might not be possible for him anymore. If a situation arises where Stroh has a chance to harm you, Chad may not be able to think professionally. Do you see what I'm saying?"

"It's not much different than you and Andy," Rusty quipped.

"It is, and Andy and I are just friends," Sharon replied. Rusty hummed mockingly. Sharon leaned against the wall and let out a deep sigh.

"Sharon?" Rusty could see the expressions on her face changing quickly from fear to love, to anger, to worry. Eventually, she looked straight into his eyes and he could see the raw emotion in her gaze.

"I'm a little freaked out," she admitted.

"I was a little freaked out too, when I realized that I like Chat more than I should," Rusty said and offered her a comforting smile.

"I'm happy for you, Rusty, I am; you know that, right?" Rusty nodded slowly. "And if you're serious about him, then we will have to consider the possibility of assigning Chad to a different task and appointing someone else in his stead in order to ensure your safety."

"Is it really necessary?" Rusty whined.

"Probably," Sharon sighed. She hated doing this to Rusty. "But it doesn't mean he can't come over. In fact, I'd like it very much if you asked him to join us for dinner tomorrow night."

"Really?" Rusty's eyes lighted up and Sharon nodded and smiled. "You're gonna grill him, don't you?" his face became serious when he realized what the dinner invitation was for.

"Not more than I grilled Emily's first boyfriend or Ricky's first girlfriend," Sharon grinned.

"Did they survive your inquisition?" Rusty wondered.

"Not really, but Chad is a SWAT officer, so I'm sure he won't be too scarred by the experience," Sharon smirked.

"Okay, I'll ask Chad to come over for dinner, but I have one condition," Rusty said.

"Which is…"

"The night after tomorrow, you invite Andy and I get to grill him too." Rusty's words made Sharon groan in frustration. "Don't even bother saying that the two of you are not dating, because I know he spent the night at least once!"

"Wha… he did not!"

"He did, and he forgot his favorite tie in our laundry humper." Sharon closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Just so you know, he slept on the couch," she informed him.

"So you'll invite him over?" Rusty asked with a triumphant smile.

"Alright, but you're cooking!" Sharon replied. Rusty shrugged. He never minded cooking anyway. Taking a step closer, Sharon wrapped her arms around her son and drew him close to her. "You know that all I want is for you to be safe and happy, right?" she asked and her voice was thick with emotion.

"And I want the same for you, Sharon. You deserve that," Rusty replied. "And you don't have to hide the things or the people that make you happy." He could tell by her sniffle that she was holding back tears.

"Neither do you," Sharon replied as she stepped away from him. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled at each other simultaneously.

"You know, I'm a little terrified about tomorrow night," Rusty's smile turned into a soft grin.

"And I'm about the night after tomorrow," Sharon replied. She really had no idea what Rusty was going to ask Andy and whether or not he would give him a hard time.

"Oh, I can assure you, it's gonna be grand!" Rusty winked at her just before he turned around and walked away, leaving her standing in the hall. Walking back to her office, she felt her stomach flutter. Closing the blinds and shutting the door, she covered her mouth with her palm and allowed herself to freak out.

As always, I'd love to hear what you though about this story, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.