Into the Woods

by Miss Shannon

A/N: I used to have a completely different idea for this sequel, but then I decided that I liked this one better and it just demanded to be written. As this is a sequel to "Rusty Beck - Marriage Broker" and "Incubus", you should probably have read at least the latter in order to understand who the heck some people in this story are. Especially since this is now very A/U as Sharon's husband and her son's name have been introduced in the show. As always, I hope you enjoy and leave me a review that I can freak out over. :-)

Warning: There is a gruesome crime scene in this chapter which I think is not entirely suitable for the faint of heart. You have been warned.

[1]

The front door fell shut behind Andy Flynn with a resonating click that felt extremely gratifying after the long and exhausting day he'd had. He hung up his coat, took off his shoes and carelessly dropped his keys on to the table in the hall. The house was quiet, the setting winter sun streaming in through the large bay windows at the back of the house, and he closed his eyes against the bright light for a moment, enjoying its warmth on his skin. Their suspect - who had eventually turned out to be the killer - had been unruly and angry, hard to be managed without Sharon's calming influence. He trotted into the living-room and paused in the doorway, grinning at the sight in front of him. Sharon was curled up on the sofa, back resting against the large cushions, her daughter sleeping soundly in her arms. Having been born five weeks early, the girl was still a little smaller than other children her age, but she looked healthy and content nestled against her mother's chest. Sharon herself seemed to be a little sleepy and he approached her, slightly worried that she might fall asleep and loosen her grip on the baby. When he came closer, she opened her drooping eyes and smiled up at him.

"You look tired, honey." He grinned at the sound of her sleepy voice and bent down to kiss her.

"Long day," he said with a non-committal shrug, reaching out to stroke Louise's cheek. "She been good today?"

Sharon smiled and shifted, so he could sit down next to her to inspect the baby. "We went for a walk today. She loves the outdoors."

Andy frowned. "It's really cold."

Sharon slapped his arm playfully. "Don't you worry, Andy. She was wearing a bunch of warm clothes and a woolen hat and I had her inside my coat." She grinned at his sorry expression, chasing away the gloom that was threatening to settle over him at the notion that he hadn't thought of that because he had never paid much attention to his kids when they had been Louise's age. He did have a lot more to learn than he should have had.

"Did Rogers do it?" she inquired.

He filled her in on their recently wrapped case, not holding back on the details, because he knew how important she found it to stay current when it came to her division. The previous year had brought about rough times for all of them and so she had decided to stay home a little longer after she had had Louise. She had gotten Taylor to agree to three months of leave without having to give up her position as head of Major Crimes and was currently about to finish her second. She could tell that while she very much enjoyed spending a lot of time with their newborn baby, she was also a little bored sometimes. Sharon had a sharp mind that liked to be occupied and more often than not, she came up with pretty useful suggestions when she heard about what was going on at work. Hers was a different perspective and he missed her in the Murder Room every day.

"That means you have a chance of getting the whole weekend off," Sharon said. "Barbara is coming over for dinner Saturday."

Andy nodded his approval. He was always looking forward to having Sharon's best friend visit. The woman was witty and entertaining, especially when she'd had one or two glasses of wine. Sharon leaned into him and rested her head against his chest, making Louise give a small whimper in her sleep when she moved her. Andy caressed her small head, smoothing down the sparse but unruly patch of hair on top of it. Louise smacked her lips and went back to sleep.

"We could invite Provenza along, too. There's nothing more amusing than her pretending to be flirting with him."

Sharon chuckled. "Sure. I love to see him fidget."

They both turned their heads when they heard the familiar sound of a backpack being dropped on the floor. "Don't cuddle, cook!" Rusty's exasperated voice demanded. "Swim practice was gruesomely exhausting. I need nutrition!" He traipsed over towards the couch and pressed his cheek to Sharon's in greeting for the briefest of moments. He had taken up doing that shortly after Louise's birth and Andy could tell that Sharon loved it from the way she closed her eyes and smiled.

"Hey Andy!" Rusty greeted him, flopping himself down on the other end of the couch. His hair was a mess, probably having been blow-dried in a hurry and he did look a little tired. "What's for dinner?"

"Soy sprouts and chicken," Sharon replied. "I made it this afternoon. You just have to heat it up."

"Seriously?" Rusty complained. "How is that going to feed me, Sharon? I need a burger or a pizza."

Behind her back, Andy rolled his eyes at Rusty. Sharon had always been very conscious when it came to healthy eating, but since she was not allowed to go back to her running yet, she enforced a health food eating regime upon all of them that the two others did not particularly like. Sharon shrugged, rarely affected by their complaints.

"You have your own money, Rusty. Order take-out if you want." The teenager pulled a face. He much rather use his allowance to buy music or movies, not to feed himself, so he scrambled off to the kitchen, grumbling about her choice of meals all the way down the hallway. Sharon smiled at Andy and rested her head against his shoulder again.

"That's what you get when you leave me in charge of the household chores," she said with audible glee.

"I never complained," Andy said quickly.

"You were pulling faces at Rusty."

"How do you know that? Do you have eyes at the back of your head?" Andy whined, running his fingers along her scalp as if he was looking for said eyes.

"I just know you," she responded, leaning in to kiss him. He enjoyed the feeling of her lips on his and deepened the kiss, eliciting a small moan from her. He reached out and ran his fingers down her side. Even though the week had been long and exhausting, he didn't feel that tired anymore. They were truly happy, he thought, with their calm lives at home, with Rusty who seemed better after everything that had happened and with their healthy baby girl. The only thing that worried him was Sharon's apparent boredom. She had assured him that she wasn't sacrificing herself, that she had made her choice because she wanted to and not because she felt like it was expected of her, but sometimes he wondered whether he should have been the one. Heck, he could have used a break.

"How many books did you read this week?" he asked her, caressing the back of her neck with skilled fingers.

"Hmm, three," she replied in a relaxed, throaty voice. "I am planning on more walks for next week. Louise likes it and it helps me get in shape again."

"Don't overexert yourself. It's only been seven weeks!" Andy warned and she kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Get over yourself, Andy. I am just walking around the neighborhood. It's not as if I was planning on attending a marathon or something."

"You're snappy," he teased her.

"You're overbearing," she shot back.

"Can you stop flirting and come eat?" Rusty's voice rang from the kitchen. "If I have to eat that hippie food, at least I want to have it while it's still hot!"

They got up from the couch and Andy took Louise from Sharon, settling her in the crook of his arm. She still seemed impossibly small and he was always afraid that he would drop her. Slowly he climbed the stairs and laid her down in the crib in her room, making sure she was well-covered by her blanket. He held out his forefinger and she grabbed onto it instinctively, her grip slowly loosening while she was going back to sleep. He watched her for a moment, enjoying the sensation of the tiny warm fingers wrapped around his. Sometimes he still couldn't believe the particular turn his life had taken over the course of the last year.

He winced when his cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket and quickly left his daughter's room, backing into the hallway. Dread filled him when he realized it was Provenza. Praying that it would not be a case, he answered the call.

"Flynn, get your ass over here. We have a body."

He groaned. "Really? I was just going to have dinner with Sharon and Rusty." He went back downstairs and stood in the kitchen doorway, watching Rusty devour his meal with a mixture of disgust and a wolfish appetite while Sharon ate at a more stately pace. She looked up and pursed her lips in sympathy, mouthing Provenza's name with a questioning look. Andy nodded and turned around to put on his shoes. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can," he said wearily.

"What?" Rusty exclaimed. "Another case? I thought we were going to watch the new season of Game of Thrones tonight."

"Sorry, kid, you've got to get Sharon to watch it with you."

"No way," Sharon said decidedly, repeating her earlier reaction to the idea. Rusty groaned.

"They found a body in the woods. At least it's not far from here. I might be back before midnight." He bent down to kiss Sharon and stroked her cheek gently, disappointed that, once again, he would not get to fall asleep next to her. Climbing into bed quietly as not to wake her seemed to have become his latest challenge. Although he had different reasons for staying out late at night these days, it was an unwelcome reminder of back in the day when he'd come home drunk and had tried not to have his wife notice. Sharon hummed while Rusty put a hand over his eyes, still shoveling forks full of food into his mouth.

"Stop making out at the dinner table!" he demanded.

"Stop talking with your mouth full!" Sharon admonished him. "I'll save some leftovers for you," she told Andy. "And you'd better be home tomorrow night. Barbara says she misses you."

"That can't be good," Andy grinned and headed for the door. His Friday evening was ruined, it seemed, now he needed to try and save his weekend.

A rookie officer with his head between his knees was never a promising sight to be greeted with upon one's arrival at a crime scene. Andy watched the irregular puffs of air coming from the young man's mouth, his breath visible in the cold air, highlighted by the large floodlights that had been erected all around the small clearing in the woods. He shivered even in his coat and scarf, looking around for Provenza in the crowd of crime scene personnel that had formed around a spot in the middle where he was sure the body was located. Something was eerie about the scene, he thought, but he didn't realize what it was until his partner's voice called out for him: It was quiet. Too quiet, considering the number of people around them. He could hear his own and Provenza's footsteps on the frozen grass beneath their feet when they walked together, both hunched against the cold wind. Provenza rubbed his bare hands together for warmth, casting a jealous look at Andy's leather gloves.

"God, I don't remember the last time it was that cold around here! Why the heck did I move to Los Angeles if it feels like Alaska?"

Andy didn't respond. He hadn't missed the shaky note in Provenza's annoyed tone and that was something that really went under his skin. If Provenza was affected, it had to be bad. He turned around to look at the young officer by the police tape that was fluttering in the icy breeze but he was gone. They passed pale faces and were met by both the Coroner and Dr Morales. The medical examiner didn't normally appear at crime scenes and his naturally dark complexion looked unusually pale, too. Few words of greeting were exchanged as people stepped aside to let them approach the body where Sanchez and Sykes were waiting, hands buried in their parka pockets, Sykes shivering with either the cold or something else.

"Sorry to disturb your evening with the Captain and the kids, Flynn, but this was a little more important." Provenza lightly rested his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Andy finally looked down at the body and his breath caught in his throat.

When he stepped out of the shower cubicle, Sharon was sitting on the edge of the bathtub in her pajamas with messy hair but an alert, worried look in her eyes. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his hips, grateful for the steam that had filled the bathroom so he was able to hang on to the warmth he had regained in the shower. She handed him a pair of pajamas and smiled tentatively.

"Thought you might need these." Andy slipped into them and rubbed his hand across his face, looking at his drained expression in the mirror. He felt Sharon stepping behind him and her arms came around his waist, her cheek pressed against his back. "Sorry for waking you," he apologized, his voice hoarse. "I just really needed a shower." He looked down at where he had placed his hands on top of hers that were clasped in front of his stomach and ran his thumb across hers.

"That bad?" she asked, knowing him well enough to be aware that a shower in the middle of the night meant that he was trying to wash off the memories of a particularly bad crime scene. He turned around and wrapped both of his arms around her, inhaling her familiar scent.

"That bad," he said tonelessly, reveling in the feeling of her body in his arms. She was almost back to her old figure, but she was still a little softer.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked and although he initially wanted to say no, he soon realized that he needed to. He nodded and followed her into their bedroom and under the still warm covers. For a moment he breathed in the comforting scents of their bedroom and wrapped his arms around her when she snuggled into him, resting her head on his chest. She was patient, he knew. She wouldn't ask him again until he came around on his own accord. And he really needed to get it off his chest.

"They found a body not far from here. I could have walked, actually. It was only a five minute car ride." He shivered at the notion that the gruesome killing had taken place so close to their home. Sharon's hand was resting on his stomach, her thumb faintly caressing his skin through the fabric. She was waiting for him to go on. A part of him wanted to spare her the details of what he had seen, but he knew that he needed to get it out there, that she was experienced enough to stand it. Then again, so was he and here he was, thoroughly rattled. "It was a young woman. About Rusty's age. She was on her back on the ground and she was-" He swallowed deeply at the memory. "She has been slaughtered, Sharon. The ground around her was black with her blood. It was awful. They probably took their time with her because I don't think I've ever seen so many cuts on someone's chest. Not her arms or face... just her chest. It was exposed and there was a lot of dried blood, but I think it was some sort of weird pattern." He slid his fingers between the strands of her hair and closed his eyes for a moment. "They'd cut off her hands and feet, Sharon, she most likely bled to death out there."

"Oh god," Sharon whispered, slipping her hand into his. "Do they have any idea who she is?"

"Not yet," Andy replied. "Tao is running her picture through the databases, we sent it out across the country, too. It is just a matter of time until we get a hit." He was silent for a moment before he quietly continued: "Something was weird about the scene. It was so quiet, Sharon. Not just the other people there. The woods, too. I used to spend a lot of time outdoors when I was a kid. The night is always full of noises, especially when you're not that far from the city but there... it was completely silent."

He felt her shiver despite the warmth they were both enveloped in.

"Promise me you won't walk up there with the little one, okay?" He tried a little joke that sounded ominous even to his own ears: "It feels like Pet Sematary up there."

"Okay," Sharon said softly, kissing his collarbone and gently running her hand up and down his arm. He was beginning to feel the exhaustion of a long, troublesome day and he was grateful when his arms became heavy and his mind was beginning to shut down. He rolled onto his side and pulled Sharon into his chest, burying his face in her neck. All he wanted was to hold her and succumb to sweet oblivion. They fell asleep in each other's arms, the lights in their bedroom still on.

"Andy made risotto. There are probably about three pounds of butter in it," Sharon told Barbara, kissing her cheek and wrapping her arms around her best friend in greetin. Barbara didn't live far from them and was a regular guest, but seeing her always lifted her spirits.

"That's okay, I've been at the gym all day," Barbara grinned then called out: "Do you want to feel my abs, Andy?" She reached out to pull up her t-shirt and Sharon laughed, steering her into the kitchen where Andy was preparing their dinner. He had spent most of the day at work but had insisted to cook for their guests, probably to take his mind off the case. There had not been much progress, so Provenza had sent them all home in the evening to catch up on some sleep or, in his and Andy's case, to have dinner and unwind. Barbara hit Andy in the back, gave Provenza a sultry grin and bent over Louise's basket on the counter, grinning at the baby that was watching what was going on in the kitchen with eager eyes.

"Hello, little monkey." She poked her in the belly. "What's up?"

Louise's face scrunched up and she began to whimper, the yet low sound threatening to develop into real tears soon. Barbara took two steps back and gave Sharon a sheepish look.

"I am so bad with monkeys, I mean babies."

Sharon, who was used to this from twenty years ago, rolled her eyes, grinning, and stepped towards the baby, calming her down quickly.

"How would you like being poked in the belly by someone?" Rusty asked Barbara sternly.

"Maybe I wouldn't mind so much," Barbara said, wriggling her eyebrows. "Depends on who it is."

"Oh my, Sharon, give that woman a glass of wine to shut her up!" Andy sighed from the stove, stirring the food expertly. Sharon shook her head and moved to the fridge to get the Chardonnay she had bought for the occasion.

"Make that a double!" Barbara piped up. "I can sleep in tomorrow and the day after that and every day for the next two weeks actually."

"Say what!" Provenza chimed in. "What's wrong with you, Cleary?"

Barbara leaned back against the counter, eyeing Louise warily who looked back and reached out for a strand of her hair. She took a generous step aside and pretended that she'd never moved.

"I decided that it's time to take some time off. Just two weeks basically. Our new associate is ready to spread his wings and we made Eleanor partner last month so she can man the ship for a while."

"What are you going to do without work for fourteen whole days?" Sharon asked, handing her and Provenza a glass of wine each.

"I'll see. Probably hanging out with all of my friends on maternity leave," Barbara announced, sipping the wine. "That smells heavenly, Andrew," she told Andy. "If I ever cooked, I'd ask for the recipe. Wait, maybe I'll try it next week. How long does it take? Can we put some wine in it?" She walked over towards the stove to peer into the pans and pots, leaving Sharon and Provenza on their own while Rusty played with Louise and the little toy cat Andrea Hobbs had given her back at the hospital.

"Andy was pretty rattled last night," Sharon said in a low voice. "Bad crime scene up there, right?" As if on cue, they both looked out of the window from where they had a view of the woods on the other side of the valley. The night was clear and peaceful, many lights spread out over the hills like glowing embers, but yet she shivered slightly.

"Pretty bad," Provenza agreed, gulping down half of his wine at once. "Weird MO, too. Cutting off the hands and feet but leaving the head? That wasn't done to conceal the girl's identity. The cuts on the chest are pretty methodical, so it wasn't done in a blind rage. Gives me the creeps, to be honest."

Sharon crossed her arms in front of her chest. Suddenly she felt like a glass of wine, too. She had hardly ever seen Andy that affected by a crime scene, let alone Provenza even though he was clearly not as shocked as Andy. Her husband was really good at separating his private and his work lives, but this murder had followed him home. While she was grateful, on some level, that she wasn't involved in the whole investigation, the case intrigued her as much as it horrified her.

"Do you think that might be some sort of satanist ritual?" she asked cautiously, aware of the fact that one always had to be careful with assumptions of this kind. Provenza shrugged.

"Probably. We don't know anything, yet, as it is. I am sure Andy is going to keep you updated on this one, though." He raised both of his brows in a slightly condescending expression. "Do not believe for a moment that my best friend and partner didn't tell me about you snooping around and trying to find out whether I do your job well."

Sharon smirked. "Forgive me for trying to remain up to date on my job," she said. "It's been a while since I've last had this much free time. I think that was in college or even before that."

"Yeah, I am pitying you, as you can see," Provenza said sarcastically. Sharon gave him a sweet smile and sauntered off to instruct Rusty to set the table. Twenty minutes later they were all assembled around the dining table, the smell of good food wafting through the air, a fire lit in the modern fireplace Sharon had not particularly liked in the beginning, but was starting to appreciate. She had tried to not eat too much of the delicious food Andy had prepared, but was currently on her second helping, happily devouring the mushroom and ham risotto he had made after his grandmother's own recipe. She would just have to walk an extra mile tomorrow, she thought, a smile gracing her lips at the memory of Louise taking in her surroundings with large-eyed wonder. She had forgotten how delightful it was to rediscover the world through a child's eyes and she felt perfectly content showing her little daughter the beautiful neighborhood they were living in. She had planned on taking her to the forest so she would be able to experience the scent of pine trees and the sound of dried, frozen leaves crunching under Sharon's feet, but Andy had been serious when he'd told her not to go there. She wasn't frightened by the place, having been to a lot of crimes scenes in her time, but she had no intention of upsetting him. After all, his concern was kind of sweet.

"So Sharon, always the good girl, did go with Boring Brian because he had asked her first. Sexy Sam, of course, was a little saddened!" Barbara was busy telling a story from their teenage years and Sharon grinned as the others were listening with keen interest. "At the prom, however, I found her making out with Sam in the hallway while Brian was boring Sam's date with stories about his accountant classes."

"I don't think he was boring her," Sharon contributed. "They got married right after graduation, so my little indiscretion wasn't that bad."

"Oh yeah?" Barbara asked skeptically. "Maybe he has bored her to death by now."

Easy laughter resonated across the table and Barbara grinned at Sharon across the table, her expression tender. She turned to Provenza and Andy.

"So is that your case up on the hill? The poor girl?" Andy's face went hard and Provenza narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know about that? It hasn't been in the news."

"I live here, remember? And also I had drinks with Hobbsie last night and she got called in, too." Barbara took another sip of her wine, pretending not to have seen Andy's expression. Sharon understood that he wanted to keep the case out of their home after telling her last night, but she decided to let him fight his own battles.

"So is it one of those ritual killings?" Barbara asked, intrigued, resting her chin on her hand.

"I am going to go up and check on the baby," Flynn growled, his chair scraping across the wooden floorboards as he got up with a start and hurried towards the door. Barbara gave Sharon a horrified look.

"Sorry, I didn't realize-"

"It's okay, Babs," Sharon assured her and Provenza offered to tell her friend what she wanted to know, obviously happy to have an opportunity to talk to her. Sharon caught Rusty's gaze who was jerking his head towards the doorway, making her raise her brows. Rusty gave her a not so subtle stare and she finally got up, excusing herself.

Andy was leaning in the doorway to their daughter's room, looking gloomy. The old stairs creaked on her way up and he turned around at the noise, his brows furrowed and his stance defensive. Sharon approached him, slowly sliding her hand in his. For a moment they stood in silence, then Andy quickly bent down and kissed her hard. Gasping with the unexpectedness of it, Sharon returned the kiss more softly, trying to ground him a little. When they came apart, the tortured look in Andy's eyes was back and it broke her heart to see him that desolate.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked him. "What bothers you so much about this particular case?"

"I guess I shouldn't have snapped at Barbara like that," Andy said quietly, avoiding her eyes.

"She'll get over it," Sharon assured him. "That woman has thick skin. Now?"

"I don't know what bothers me so much, Sharon. Something's... off. I can't put my finger on it. And it happened so close to our house. We just caught a break after everything that went down last year. I just want us all to be safe, okay?"

"We are safe," she said in a low, calming voice. "What happened there was horrible, but it has nothing to do with us. It is just another case."

Andy slid his arms around her and kissed her again, softly this time. "I might be overreacting."

"Probably. Now let's go back downstairs and see what Barbara and Provenza are up to. From what it looked like when I left, it's not very juicy." She gave him a sneaky smile. "Let's shake them up a little."

Andy's expression had relaxed and he ran his hand down Sharon's arm, taking her hand in his as they headed for the stairs. When she was already on the top step, he stopped, making her turn towards him.

"Sharon," he said, the dark shadow back on his face for a moment. "Please. Just don't go into the woods, okay?"