Surprise! I'm still around! Thank you to every1 who took the time to leave a review on my last chapter. You people rock! :D

This chapter is set right after 3x1 ends. It's the "I'll wait, in case you need me" episode. In case you need a memory boost: two dead kids were found in suitcases but the team cannot inform the mother about their deaths until the very end and Sharon feels horrible for giving the mom false hope. In this chapter Sharon just returns to the murder room after notifying the mom that both her children are dead.

She wasn't surprised to find him in the murder room, sitting behind his desk, reading something that looked like a magazine. Andy Flynn was a man of his words. When he said he would stick around and wait for her this was exactly what he would do. No matter how long it took or that he was already off the clock for over two hours.

He looked up when he noticed her presence. He had felt it rather than heard it. "Hey."

"Hi." She answered. Her voice sounded just as exhausted as she felt.

"Grieve counseling team took over?"

She nodded. "They'll drive her to her mother's house."

"Good."

"Sorry you had to wait so long. You really didn't have to stay."

"I know." He said. But he had wanted to.

She gifted him with a small, tired smile. "Thank you."

No case was ever easy but this one had been particularity horrible. Two dead kids. And a heartbroken mother. Her life had been torn apart and Sharon had no idea how the woman would ever be able to recover.

"I'd suggest dinner but I know that neither of us is in the mood to eat." He closed the magazine and got up.

"No." She said. Food was indeed the last thing on her mind right now.

"How about tea? Or hot chocolate?"

"I haven't had hot chocolate in years."

"Time to change that, don't you think?"

His voice was so soft and his facial expression so gentle, she couldn't help herself but smile once more. "Okay."

He drove them to a diner close to her condo. She had never actually eaten there but had driven past it multiple times.

It was cozy. The interior radiated warmth and comfort. She felt like she could finally breath again. The horrors and stress of the last few days had been sitting on her chest like a big, heavy stone.

"How do you even know this place?" Sharon asked after she took a sip of her hot chocolate. "It's nowhere close to your house."

"Years back I started attending the AA meeting in the church across the street. My work hours didn't always allow me to go to my regular meetings at 7:30. The meetings here started at 9 which was often more convenient for me." He explained. "Plus, Sandra and the kids used to live only a few miles from here."

Sharon wanted to reply to his comment, to ask about the meetings, but the word "kids" had triggered her to think about the case again, about the tiny dead bodies and about the woman who was going mad with grieve.

Andy noticed the shift immediately. He was completely aware that his inadvertence had caused it. "I'm sorry." He said.

Sharon shook her head and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "It's not your fault. It will take a while to get over this one."

"Yeah..."

"I don't know how one's life is supposed to go on when your children die..." Her voice was shaky. "... when they were killed."

"I don't know either..." He admitted. "There is nothing more horrible I can imagine."

"They say burning alive is the most excruciating pain a human can experience... but the pain of losing your child must be a hundred times worse." It was hard for her to keep the tears at bay. She was heartbroken. For the kids and for the mother.

"Did you call Ricky and Emily?" He had spoken to both his children today. To make sure they were fine, to tell them he loved them. His son wasn't very enthusiastic about his call but Andy didn't care. He was just glad to hear his voice.

"I talked to Ricky earlier and texted Emily. She had a show tonight. I'll call her tomorrow. What about you?"

"Spoke to both of them earlier. As you can imagine my son was particularly delighted about my call", he joked and then added: "But today I was even glad to hear that judging, annoyed undertone in his voice."

She got it. Everything was better than losing them. As long as they were here, alive and well. No amount of eye rolling or accusations would ever change that.

They spent good two hours at the diner. Talking, and sometimes just sitting in comfortable silence. Afterwards he drove her home. They had left her car in the parking garage at the PAB. Sharon was still more than capable to drive, despite the exhaustion, but she was glad she didn't have to, glad that he had offered her a ride. He was looking out for her and it felt nice, real nice.

"I can pick you up again in the morning." He said as he stopped his car in one of the parking spots in front of her building.

"Thanks, but that's really not necessary. Rusty can drive me."

"Ok." He said, hoping his disappointment wasn't audible.

"Thank you for the hot chocolate." She was really thanking him for his company, for making the aftermath of this horrible case a bit more bearable.

"Anytime." He turned the keys to switch off the motor. "That's what friends are for, right? To help each other through hard times and offer them hot chocolate."

She smiled, agreeing with him. "Yeah. That's what really good friends do."

He returned her smile for a moment, then his expression got more serious again. "Are you gonna be ok?"

"I will be." She assured. Maybe not tonight but eventually she will be. Tonight, she will mourn and question whether she should have done anything differently. She will think of her own children and how she wanted to just have them all here with her right now, to protect them, to make sure nothing ever happened to them. But tomorrow, or at least the day after tomorrow, she'd be ok. Still heartbroken for those beautiful children and their devastated mother, but she will be able to move on.

Andy surprised her by getting out of the car and opening the passenger door. He offered her his hand. She took it without hesitating and let him help her get out of the vehicle.

Once she was standing upright she expected him to let go of her hand again but he kept holding onto it. She looked at him with a questioning gaze whereupon he just pulled her towards him.

This time she was much quicker to react. Her arms found their way around the small of his back and settled there, her cheek came to rest on his chest.

"We did what we had to do." He said.

She nodded into his chest. He was right. Yet it still felt awful.

His fingers were drawing soothing circles on her back, something he hadn't dared to do last time he hugged her.

She let out a deep sigh and reluctantly started pulling away again.

"Thank you Andy", she whispered, giving his arm a soft squeeze. "See you tomorrow."

"Good night." He said and watched her as she disappeared in her building.

Thanks for reading :D