Closer 1. Chapter 1

Power dressed in a suit that looks to have cost more than the average mortgage, Gavin Q. Baker III stood sentinel in immaculate taupe monotones in a quiet wing outside the small courtroom. Arranging the round Dolce&Gabbana frames a little higher on the bridge of his nose, his smug aura of confidence grounds the small crew of close-knit coworkers around him as he ushers them through the doors.

He looks up to see a dark haired gentleman in black pinstripes striding in his direction and a velvety voice is the first to offer greeting. "Agent Howard," the woman next to him nods.

"Hey," Fritz looks from Gavin to the Captain, noting the bright violet hue of her skirt suit in arrant contrast to her buttoned up façade. "Brenda inside already?"

"Probably not, seeing as she just kicked Gavin & I out of her sight about 15 minutes ago. Hopefully she'll be along sometime before the judge shows up." One side of her mouth quirked up and she couldn't keep the snark out of her tone, head rising with her eyebrows in a haughty tilt.

"Excuse me for not being an optimist, Agent Howard, but perhaps you'd better retrieve your wife. I'll have an easier time obtaining summary judgment if my client actually shows up for court on time," he dipped his head to peer over the top of his glasses, emphasizing his point as he headed inside the room.

"I'd better go find her," Fritz looked glumly at the Captain as he started to spin on his toe.

Sensing his exhaustion and frustration, the stoic woman's tone softened. "Agent Howard," Sharon placed an open palm on the sleeve of his jacket, and curled her fingers just enough to compel him to pause and look back into her eyes. He stared a moment to soak in the greenish gold color that he had covertly come to appreciate so much over the past two months and takes comfort in the empathy he finds there. "I'm sure she just needs a few moments to collect herself. There's time yet. She'll be along," she reassured him with a gentle squeeze before releasing her hold.

Fritz turned his palm up just as she was pulling away and he caught her delicate hand in his right and turned it to close his fingers around her thumb. Sharon glanced down then looked back up to his face as he covered their joined hands with his left one, stroking the soft skin he found there once. Her stomach did a small flip when it seemed as though he might actually bring it up to his mouth, but instead he just looked back into her eyes, giving their hands a small triumphant shake. "I really want to thank you, Captain."

She subtly tried to extricate her hand, but he clung tight as she spoke. "You don't have to thank me for anything," she shook her head slightly, genuine sincerity apparent behind her eyes. "I was quite happy to help you out," her lips upturned in a sad smile. "And the Chief," she added with a tone of finality. "Let's hope it pays off," the smooth, dulcet tones of her voice escalated to their clear, no-nonsense variety. Shoulders straightened and she freed her hand, placing both inside the pockets of her jacket.

"I mean it," he reached for her shoulder as she started to turn and held her eyes. "Your job was to protect the LAPD from the lawsuit. Do that, and you're the hero plain and simple." The Captain drew breath to speak, eyes wide with raw emotion, but she was interrupted almost immediately. "You've been on our side since day one. You helped me convince Brenda to get her own attorney. When she signed a settlement that would have solved all your and the LAPD's problems instantly and hung us out to dry, you blocked it against Pope's endorsement. You didn't have to do any of that."

"Yes I did," she burst forward to stop him glorifying her actions, voice low and righteous.

"Let me finish," he pressed, though he could sense an almost pained look forming on her features.

Sharon curled her fingers in her pockets. Digging nails into the flesh of her palm, she pooled all her restraint to keep from reaching out to the man in front of her, a feat that would be so much easier if he would just stop looking at her like she was a found Renoir masterpiece. She did start out in cahoots with Fritz to get his wife her own attorney purely for Brenda's sake. She was genuinely concerned for the Chief and cared what happened to her. If she was honest with herself, her actions lately may have been a little more about protecting her chivalrous comrade and seeking more of his company than was altogether necessary under the guise of staying ahead of this lawsuit.

"The past several weeks, facing trial, potential financial ruin... it's been.. oppressive to say the least. And your counsel - your friendship has meant so much to me." - "To us," he quickly amended as he released her shoulder.

Sharon's eyes sparkled in reaction to his sincere gratitude and open demeanor. Unable to form any suitable reply, she tilted her head and pursed her lips, nodding in reaction to his declaration. The two of them had spent several stolen hours together over the last two months combing over the strengths and weaknesses of the case. Getting extra information out of anyone in major crimes was an arduous task on the best of days. Fritz, who was not impaired by a prejudice of FID, and realized his financial future was at stake, had proven the most helpful aide outside of Gavin since this whole lawsuit began. Chief Johnson was extremely tight-lipped and disdainfully treated any discussion that didn't revolve around her current case as a huge waste of time. The Captain knew it was a defense mechanism to stick her head in the sand and pretend this whole mess would just go away, but that didn't change the fact that it was frustrating to the extreme trying to help someone who was so unhelpful in return. Fritz had shared this frustration with her and it forged an extremely gratifying, if unwise, bond between them. She would be lying if she said she hadn't enjoyed their time together a little more than she should have. Constantly ostracized by the people she was trying to help, it was such an uplifting change of pace to have someone providing feedback, generating ideas, sharing the burden. That being said, it was imperative for the welfare of all concerned that Gavin win in court today which would effectively cease their need for collaboration by any means. It comes down to that, and that's the bittersweet reality they both have to accept. Right now.

The small clicks of kitten heels became audible in the hallway and the unlikely pair turned to face the petite figure striding in their direction. Tailored garment of solid black in stark contrast to the fluttering of long blond curls, the Chief paused in front of her husband and gave him a tight smile. Shining black eyes glanced at the dark haired woman on the left who gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze before following them both into the courtroom.

The arguments had barely begun to fly when, one by one, officers responded to the buzzing of cell phones and silently began leaving the scene in turn. Sharon leaned into the man who had taken up the seat next to her and shared the message on her phone. He remained seated as his wife exited the room and decided to stay behind with the Captain to hear the judge's reaction to this turn of events.


	2. Chapter 2

Raydor practically flew to electronics to see the video for herself. Brenda had a near miss with death right in the station? Was it really that close? She couldn't pinpoint why the constricting feeling in her chest was closing in on her, making it difficult to breathe, but it was really pissing her off. She practically barked at the young man who was having trouble reloading the correct spot for her on the security feed.

She remained frozen as the horrific scene unfolded and when she halted the video, her eyes snapped to the small frame in the doorway. She composed her voice enough to dismiss the video techs and pulled the glasses from her face. Upon meeting the blond's returning gaze, a mass of pent up anxiety and guilt released itself upon her thoughts and stung her eyes with tears. It took a few extra seconds to form the words which still came out choked despite her best efforts. "Are you okay?"

"I- I think so, yes," came the slightly off guard reply.

"From what I just saw you nearly died." The younger woman only stared in response, looking almost broken. How she had even considered betraying this woman in her hour of need caused a rush of unwanted emotion threatening the surface again. Forcing it from her mind, she replaced her eyewear, waved it away and steeled herself, dismissing Buzz and rounding the table.

Coming face to face with the Chief was a little grounding at this point. She needed that. She needed to get out of her own head and focus on somebody else.

"Chief, you know it's always risky to leave a suspect alone in an interview room," she started, raw lilt in her voice.

As she watched the defeated creature in front of her try desperately to regain some of the power which she had been robbed as of late, a decision was made to make this thing right for her and someone was going to pay for leaving that gun on the suspect. "_Where_ can I find the deputy sheriff who took Mr. Hayes into custody?" Each word became more pronounced and indignant with every syllable as work and normalcy came back into focus. Being thanked by the Chief was a little too much and the older woman quickly dismissed the idea that some of her motives might be related to guilt or how she thought this near tragedy might have affected a certain FBI agent. And how disturbed was that train of thought anyway if you really took the time to analyze it?

Sharon apprehensively decided to make one quick call before she could focus all her efforts on the investigation. She knew she probably shouldn't be the one to call, but given how many of their conversations referenced his frustrations about his wife keeping him in the dark or always treating him as an afterthought, she didn't want to chance him not finding out until the end of the day.

Fritz ignored the involuntary smile that spread over his features every time the Captain's picture popped up on his incoming call screen. He had turned his phone on silent during one of their lunch meetings and snapped it surreptitiously while pretending to check his messages. She was looking especially adorable and precisely un-Raydor-like slurping the last of a linguini noodle and he couldn't resist capturing that on film. He was pretty sure she wouldn't be amused if she knew he took it in the first place let alone stored it as her avatar on his phone.

"Hello, Captain. What can I do for you?"

"Agent Howard, I wanted to call and make sure you had been informed of the recent events concerning Chief Johnson today."

Her musical tones cheered his step before the weight of her words grounded his attention. "What recent event, what's going on?"

She relayed the information as stoically as her voice would allow and she could practically hear the hurt look on his face through the phone. His wife was nearly shot and she hadn't even called him yet. He asked a few questions once the initial panic was belayed and went over the details with Sharon while she made a few subtle excuses for the Chief regarding her deadline to solve the case before FID had to resume questioning about the dead suspect.

"I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you," she offered genuinely.

"No, thanks for calling, Captain. Really." He sighed inwardly at the implications of receiving this particular call from her. It brought the reality of his marriage center stage between them and shined a spotlight on his inappropriate affection for her as of late in a painful way. "I'll give her a call and see what I can do. Maybe the FBI has some intel that can help solve this case."

"Okay. Raydor out." Her thumb was shaking as it reached the 'end call' button and she let out a long exhale so deep it created a painful hollow feeling in her chest causing a sharp intake of breath which manifested as a single quiet sob. Wrapping her arms tightly around her upper body, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to clear her head before fixating on the task at hand.

Her efforts hadn't gotten her very far before the deputy sheriff was found by Sanchez & Provenza. It wasn't the way she intended on meeting up with him, but at least he was back in the building and she still had every right to be the first to question him. Having completely pissed her off, however, in the process of her interview, she decided to let the Chief have a go at him. Maybe she could glean some more useful information for her investigation if she watched the 2nd interview from electronics. As she strode through the door, Fritz looked up from his seat in front of the monitor and caught her eyes. The Captain started a bit in her spot and tried to ignore the conflicting perception of comfort and sorrow in his presence. When she rounded the table, he stood from his seat and placed a hand at the small of her back to guide her into his chair. She went rigid against the touch when it caused a fleeting stroke of electricity to run the length of her spine, then glanced around, slightly unnerved. If anyone else thought he gesture was out of place, they weren't showing any signs.

"You see what happens when you throw away the rule book? !" Brenda's shouting escalated through the room as she got more infuriated with the deputy sheriff's actions.

Hearing the small blond on camera get angry enough to parrot the sentiment the Captain had so many times expressed to her and her team at great ridicule, sent a thrill of glee through the older woman's demeanor. Given that she and Fritz had exchanged frustrations over that topic on more than one occasion, she couldn't help the lilting commentary aimed in his direction. "You think she's conscious of what she's saying? Somebody may want to play back this part of the interview for her when she gets home tonight." She felt safe enough in her flirtatious teasing, knowing it would just come off as snark to the rest of the crew in the room.

Fritz gave her a knowing smirk from behind, shaking his head. _'I don't think that woman's mouth ever takes a holiday,'_ he mused, knowing full well he found that trait a little endearing.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again everyone was gathered together in the small courtroom awaiting the outcome that would determine the fate of their entire division. As they were waiting, Fritz caught himself stealing a few too many inappropriate glances in the direction of one autumn mane spilling over a violet suit jacket. He knew he should be paying more attention to the judge once he entered the room, but found the opportunity to study the captivating creature beside him so unguarded too great a temptation to forgo. His excitement at the possibility that this nightmare could all be over today was tempered by the grief he felt at the loss of this woman's camaraderie. There would be no need for them to steal secluded moments of each other's time, commiserate over shared frustrations, or triumph over new found epiphanies. He knew it was for the best, and for now just contented himself with catching glimpses of the graceful lines of her profile, the curve of her lip, the artful creases at the corner of her eye... He could almost forget how infuriating she could be when she wasn't getting what she wanted. Although, if he were honest with himself, he found that a little charming as well.

"Before my ruling, I'd like it known that whatever crimes Mr. Baylor may have committed; he was entitled to be tried in a court, not the streets of L.A."

Fritz's attention snapped back to the present and, at the hint of troublesome news, he instinctively reached over and grabbed onto Sharon's hand. He held it tightly on her thigh as the judge continued his speech. She stiffened in response; eyes drifting down to their joined hands, mouth slightly slack. Her intention to retract was interrupted by the intensity of the words being spoken to the room and all focus shifted to listening intently as it sounded like they might be in serious jeopardy. Petite fingers unconsciously squeezed back at the hand clutching her on her lap, eyes wide with anticipation, pulse speeding as she willed the judge to come to a favorable conclusion.

"Mr. Goldman, the lack of evidence supporting the central thesis behind your pleading leaves me no choice but to grant the defense its motion for summary judgment. Case dismissed"

Sharon's hands flew to her face and covered her mouth as elation flooded her thoughts. The younger woman turned to gauge her reaction, almost as if to make sure she had heard correctly herself. It seemed too good to be real. The blond smiled at her in appreciation as she noted the look of sheer happiness on her behalf covering the Captain's features. The older woman's eyes stung with the briefest of unshed tears at the onslaught of joy, relief, and something... else. Something not entirely altruistic that she couldn't admit even to herself, hands still clasped over her face in a bundle of nervous energy.

Outside in the hall, everyone took turns exchanging hugs and clapping each other on the back, basking in their unified relief. "Everyone back to Major Crimes for a private celebration," Chief Pope announced discreetly.

Once safely huddled together on their own turf, celebratory joviality and champagne were shared all around. Lt. Flynn called everyone's attention to pay tribute to their savior, "Everyone - to Gavin!"

They all reverberated, "To Gavin!"

"Congratulations, Chief," Sharon approached her exhausted co-worker, drink in hand.

Chief Johnson looked on the Captain with a combination of gratitude and a little guilt. She knows she's been impossible to deal with through most of this ordeal, especially to this woman. Sharon could be a complete pain in the ass, but she had to acknowledge that she has had her back every step of the way, even when it wasn't in the department's best interest and even when Brenda was doing everything in her power to make the woman's job more miserable and difficult than it already was. "Listen, I-I just wanna thank you… for standin by me. I know it hasn't been easy."

Sharon was a little taken aback by the Chief's humbled declaration. "Chief, if ah, our job was easy no one would put up with either one of us," she conceded. "You're no more difficult to deal with than I am; I mean that as a compliment." As she worked to strengthen the uneasy truce between herself and the feisty blond in front of her, her rib cage tightened in on her lungs.

"Well, thank you… Sharon. I'm very grateful to you, I really am."

Confliction cracked her voice and she nodded gracefully. "You're welcome," she choked thickly. She knew what she had to do and she had to do it post-haste.

She looked around to blink back a few threatening tears at the finality of her decision and swallowed hard at the prospect of completing her next mission. Excusing herself from the chief's company, she headed over in Fritz's direction to lure him away from the group just long enough to tell him she was ending their friendship and any attempt at communication outside of work would not be reciprocated. She doesn't even know how this all snuck up on her and wonders briefly if it snuck up on him just as surreptitiously and why he hadn't been working harder to push her away. What was he hoping would come of this anyway? This is why she always kept people at a distance, especially colleagues. Working together towards a common goal of such importance, it was easy to pretend that was the sole source of the passion and focus in their meetings and around each other. Now that the impending threat was gone, the true nature of their feelings about not having each other's companionship bared its flesh and refused to be denied or lied to any longer. The prospect of losing this man's friendship pained her grievously, but she didn't trust herself to remain his friend and leave it at that. Tears were bound to fall eventually, better now than after they've done something they'll both regret.


	4. Chapter 4

Fritz had a sinking feeling about why he was suddenly alone in a dark room with the captain, blinds drawn to shut out all but the ambient sunlight which filtered through the cracks in the verticals. He could only gaze at her as she spoke, the sadness in his chest weighing in on him, his thoughts searching for answers he did not possess. How could he let this happen? When had the distance between him and his wife grown so great as to even allow the possibility of this level of affection for another woman to seep into his mind? He couldn't reconcile that, or what it meant for them. He didn't even know if it had anything to do with Brenda's constant disregard for their bond or if it was simply that he found the Captain so magnificent it outweighed all other rational thought. He only knew he wasn't ready to lose the connection with the deeply mysterious dark haired beauty in front of him. It wasn't even that she was so implausibly sexy; although that alone could be cause enough. Beads of sweat cropped up along his hairline just thinking about those miles of lean legs wrapped around his body, flexing and slick with sweat. His mouth was suddenly very dry.

She was unlike anyone he had ever known. It seemed the intensity of her passions were more powerful even than Brenda's, but they were caged by a reckoning force that came from her strength within to channel those passions and see that they were only carried out in a morally and ethically immaculate fashion. People thought she had ice running through her veins because of her steadfast will to see things done by a rigid set of guidelines regardless of the intensity of emotion involved in any situation. He saw the truth. He saw her fight for Brenda, for him when it was solely about protecting the people she cared about under the guise of doing what's right. There was no logic behind the decision to destroy the signed settlement. This woman has a code of the west that was rare and honorable. She would protect the people she took charge to protect, but it would be done in the proper order even if it meant throwing herself on the blade to do so. As far as ice in her veins, he had a feeling the person she was the coldest with, was herself. He felt something unique… pride, maybe, that he was able to see that and she allowed him to be a part of it.

"… and that's why, I think, Agent Howard, it would be better if we no longer sought each other's company or advice, even at work. I…I think you know why," the piercing green eyes that had been scanning the room in any direction but that of her audience finally landed on his with a nod and a mournful half smile.

A pain ran through his chest and even as the smooth viola timbre of her voice soothed his senses, her words cut him like a sabre and he flew into panic mode. He couldn't let it end here. He had to fight for this even if he didn't know what this was or what he would do with it if he won.

Fritz stared back at her for a moment before dropping his head and released a breathy laugh that sounded like a desperate cry mixed with nervous panic. He attempted a rational tone, "Look, Captain, I don't know why"

"Yes you do," she interrupted flatly and held his gaze.

"But I really think we can handle"

"no you don't," she called him on it, finality of pitch in place and eyebrows lifted for effect.

"Look, I can't tell you what this is or what it means, but I know, _I know_... you are not ready to give it up either." He took a huge step towards her and grabbed both of her shoulders for emphasis, lowering his body slightly to look up into her downcast eyes. "All I know is, I kissed my wife good-bye today before chasing after armed and dangerous suspects. We all go on missions we know might be our last, and this time all I could think about was how…" He hushed his tones and drew in close, reaching to cup her cheek and so gingerly dragging his thumb across her bottom lip which quivered under his touch. "…I never got to kiss these lips." Sharon pulled a sharp intake of breath and closed her eyes against her traitorous body's reaction to his proximity. "And run my fingers through this hair." He threaded his fingers lightly into the strands at her temple as he inhaled the scent of her skin deeply across her other cheek. He nuzzled closer to her lips, lightly brushing them with his own. She smelled of something intoxicating, like honeysuckle or jasmine.

Sharon's heart thumped in her chest so loud her ears were aching with the noise, electricity thrumming through every appendage. Her breath hitched in her chest and her head tilted towards his. _'This is the moment,'_ she thought. The words stretched out endlessly in her head This is the test of her guiding mantra in life which she took from Gibran. Reason and judgment waging war against passion and appetite. Who will win? There has never been a question before. There has never been a test like this before. Fritz tugged lightly at her hair, leaning in to finally close his lips around hers. She could feel her breath quickening as she reveled in the Juniper scent of his skin. She licked her lips, and with a Herculean force, her mind pulled her body away, taking several steps slowly backward towards the door. She let out a single crushing sob before taking one more deep, shuddering breath in an attempt get the oxygen that suddenly seemed in such short supply. She stared at his wounded expression, emerald eyes shining back at him with unshed tears, shaking her head almost imperceptibly. Her voice was so low it was practically a whisper, but the gravity she placed on each syllable painfully showcased her resolve. "I will not give in to this."

Sharon's stoic armor felt like it weighed about three thousand pounds in this moment, but she dragged it up and onto her posture as best she could. "Good-bye, Agent Howard, and congratulations to you and the Chief for being cleared of all liability." She reached for the handle of the dimly lit room and Fritz realized he didn't have anything left to lose at this point so he offered a confession.

"Hey, Raydor." A sentimental, battle-worn smile crossed his face as he began, "remember the time you helped us track down the marked money from that jackass who had our agent murdered? When you led the charge on the storage unit ahead of both the fed and the beat cops without even questioning your place?" Sharon blinked and tilted her head, remembering. She had only worked with him a few times at that point in their acquaintance. His mind drifted back to that night, her controlled air of confidence, how smoothly she handled her weapon. He swallowed hard and pulled himself back to the present to look directly into searching jade eyes and soak in her reaction. "To be honest, I had the urge to shove you against the nearest wall right there and show you just how hot I thought you were." Her mouth dropped open and she lifted her head to say something, but he rushed her side before she could speak and all that came out was a slightly strangled hum. He tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered hotly into it, "You're right. We'd only end up in trouble if we tried to handle this - tried to control it - tried in any way to make it less than what it is, _but_… I'll miss you.. Captain."

With that, he reached for the door over her hand, opened it, and brushed past without looking back. Sharon remained rooted to her spot, shivers chasing the length of her spine. She closed her eyes and slowly lifted a hand to the ear where his hot breath had been only moments ago, ghosting the tips of her fingers over the outer shell. She drew her lower lip into her mouth, biting it hard as it slipped back out between her clenched teeth, relishing in the distraction the pain brought as her breathing slowed. Of all people to so thoroughly dismantle her carefully constructed armor, it seriously had to be her superior officer's _husband_?!


	5. Chapter 5

Sharon decided in true pragmatic fashion the fastest route to normalcy would be to function on the pretense that nothing was ever amiss between herself and Special Agent Howard. The only state that ever existed between them was an amicable working relationship and professional gratitude. Any indication to the contrary would not be acknowledged or tolerated; end of story. She knew she could don her smug aura of superiority to maintain this farce, hopefully long enough for him to give up on her and fall back in line. She'd seen him only once a few weeks ago since making the decision and it seemed to be as good a start as any. She didn't enjoy hurting him or seeing that particular shade of red on his face, but she managed to excuse herself quickly and made sure she remained in the company of others to prevent further discussion. Besides, maybe she wouldn't have to worry about it if her luck held out & she could keep from running into him just a little while longer.

This past month had fairly flown by; the bitterness of the lawsuit now being filed on a federal level really helped Sharon to bridle all her emotions and focus on the professional plan of attack. She would not allow herself to dwell on the fact that it had (apparently) not been necessary to deal with the proverbial elephant in the room. She could have gone on pretending their companionship was solely about research and collaboration in defense of the allegations against Major Crimes. The only saving grace that came out of the whole situation was the victory for which they worked so diligently. Neither did she allow herself to dwell on the immediate dissolution of that victory which occurred mere moments after it was won. She chuffed savagely at the poignancy of her timing. Goldman had been confronting the Chief with that news at the exact moment she chose to confront Agent Howard.

She had worked most of her life alone and actually preferred it that way, always cited she didn't need people to help her make mistakes. Why now did it feel oppressive? Researching thick files of old case logs suddenly seemed tedious. Phff. It was always tedious, but when she'd read a section of interest aloud, the feedback from the man peering up over his own file across from her was at least comforting, if not helpful. Usually, though, it was both. An unpleasant taste rose in the back of her throat as she looked at the empty chair nearest her. She made a mental note to stop reading passages aloud. The responding silence was unwelcome. Sharon began to pace as she read, hoping the light sounds of footfall and movement would provide a little distraction for her ears. The city lights glittered through the open verticals behind her. It was late, but she decided to stay just a bit longer.

When one of the pages she was flipping past escaped the confines of its file and fluttered to the ground, she leant on her haunches to retrieve it. As she did so, the gilded edge of a tiny object caught her eye from the cubby shelf beneath her desk and she halted her forward motion. A small smile curved her lips as she reached out to the item of interest. She pulled it gingerly into her fingertips, sinking slowly back to the edge of her chair with the newfound treasure in tow. She held the small black book closed on its spine in one hand and affectionately caressed the worn gold leaf edges before flattening her palm, causing the thin leather binder to fall open to a well-loved page. Her fingers whispered across the familiar words and she read to herself.

"Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite." ~Gibran

She closed her eyes and pulled the book to her chest, holding it there while she rocked gently back and forth; finding solace in her own thoughts.

The pop-pop sound of a text message interrupted her meditation and she opened her eyes. She slumped forward, making a dramatic show of stretching the length of her arms flat out on her desk as her head fell down on top of them. Long strands of autumnal waves sprawled across the surface of the mahogany and cascaded over her arms as she mumbled into her skin. "That can't be anything I really want to know at this hour."

She drew a deep cleansing breath and sat up in her chair, flexing her neck side to side as she reached for the phone. It was Pope. _Major Crimes caught a case near Boyce Rd. & Forbes Ave. I assume you're there to man the logs?_

She groaned inwardly as she stood, snatched her jacket from the back of the chair, sending it into a flat spin, and texted a quick reply. _On my way._

Fritz was busying himself with the dinner dishes after his wife had been called out to a fresh crime scene. His mind wandered a lot lately during non-working hours, and for once he was grateful that Brenda's perceptive prowess didn't extend far beyond her murder investigations. As good a detective as she was, she was surprisingly unobservant where matters of domesticity were concerned. Otherwise, she would've certainly deduced something was amiss by now and Fritz was not in any mood to answer questions about his distracted behavior.

He felt guilty for not feeling guiltier over his recent actions and spent a lot of time evaluating his feelings about their marriage, but always ended up running the same gamut of thoughts over and over in his head. He did love Brenda. Brenda loved him. He came second in her life though, and that was difficult, but he knew that going in so couldn't really use it as cannon fodder now. Were they actually _in love_ anymore? He physically winced. That was usually the point where he begged out of the thought process, the question a bit too raw to deal with at the moment. He had been madly in love with her when he proposed and when they first got married. So what happened to the _madly_? He was giving himself a headache and began to grow angry with his own emotional turbulence. Based on the last time he ran into Raydor, she seemed to be moving on just fine. Why the hell couldn't he?

"Get your head out of your ass, Howard," he scolded himself impatiently, sending water sloshing as he slammed a dish into the full side of the sink. He leaned over it, gripping the edge of the counter, fingers white from the force of his hold. _'That woman is just too damn sexy and you got too close. She's a temporary distraction and you are going to have to get over it.'_ He convinced himself it was just a physical attraction and it had nothing to do with Brenda or his marriage. He was confusing sexuality with something deeper; that was it. He laughed cynically. He must be trying to rationalize a way to sleep with both woman and have everybody be fine with it. That was a plausible explanation that would give him a break from his own scrutiny, if only for ten minutes. He'd take it. Maybe it had something to do with his addictive personality. He just got used to her presence and now he was trying to make her his new fifth of scotch.

His phone buzzed loudly on the edge of the sink making him jump, thoughts scattering as the image of a small blond popped onto the view screen. He quickly toweled the soap from his hands and swiped at the device.

"Hey hon, that was fast. You on your way home already?"

"Why does the FBI want information regardin' a shootin' at my crime scene?"

Fritz jerked his ear away from the phone a little at the shrill outburst. "What shooting? Are you near Forbes? Is the victim TSA?" His questions got louder as he pressed.

"Eowhh," she wined loudly, "I don't have time for this. I don't know how the FBI has anything to do with a high school principle that has been shot to death. This is my murder and my investigation, but if you want information, you're gonna have to meet at the station. I have to get back for the wife's interview."

He blinked and looked at the screen as the click abruptly ended their conversation. He considered his attire for a moment before deciding to keep the jeans, but swap the t-shirt for a button-down & throw on his leather jacket.


	6. Chapter 6

When Fritz walked into electronics looking for Brenda and saw that Raydor was already there his stomach lurched. He tried to steady himself against his reaction to her. It had been almost 6 weeks since she'd shut him out of her investigation after the lawsuit turned Federal. His ego had taken a serious hit the last time he confronted her and she pretended he was completely insane for suggesting there was even a modicum of attraction between them. The logical part of his brain knew that stewing on it or even approaching her in the first place was wholly insane seeing as how she was quite clear in her dismissal and he was not in any position or state of mind to leave his marriage. Still, there was something insistent between them and to not even acknowledge it? That was taking it too far. Even more infuriating was the fact that after she'd turned cold to the point of being obnoxious, she somehow managed to grow sexier still by the day.

"Excuse me, special agent Howard, did you find the casings from the attack on the TSA agent?"

"Yes," he tossed a sideways frown in an attempt to match her indifference to their personal history before resuming the dispute with his wife.

"And were the casings entered in NIBIN?" She pressed without hesitation.

Fritz schooled his features into condescension, attempting to ignore how the melody of her voice affected him. "Yes, Captain. And by the way, I don't work for you," he snapped. It stung him to treat her like that the second the words left his mouth and he winced internally, despite how much she was getting under his skin at the moment. On the plus side, if you could call it that, she seemed wholly unaffected by his attitude which only seemed to fuel his resentment.

"So, Chief, we should compare the casings," she urged enthusiastically, powering through in true Raydor M.O.

_'Damn_,' Fritz thought. '_That woman's icy exterior is thicker than Europa_.' He stared in mild disbelief. He hadn't realized what a rare glimpse he had of the real Sharon Raydor during their time in collaboration-turned-friendship. Such a shame really, that she doesn't let that side out to play more often because her Cylon half is a real bitch.

He found himself wondering who in the world, if anyone, really got to enjoy the company of this remarkable woman when she wasn't being a royal pain in the ass. Witty, compassionate, brilliant, just, honorable… the list goes on. It really pissed him off to no end that she completely shut him out of all that after everything they had been through together. Like none of it mattered, their friendship hadn't mattered.. _he_ hadn't mattered. He felt his pulse thumping in his neck and his jaw tensing watching her talk to his wife as though he wasn't even in the room. Something akin to rage bubbled near his surface whenever she acted so aloof.

Sharon, for her part, was almost grateful for the disdainful attentions from the Federal agent. It helped her focus. Anything other than the pining stares and attempts to get her alone in private discussion was a welcome distraction. As the older woman listened to the chief present her arguments for questioning the victim's spouse, she attempted to ignore the fluttering guilt in her stomach at having this man scrutinize her so closely in front of his wife and even more so at her lingering wish to return his attentions.

She wanted nothing more than to allow herself the guilty pleasure of falling back into stride with him. She could almost convince herself she could handle it and keep things professional if she did team up with him again. It felt so good to have a friend who understood her so easily and shared her passion for the system. Someone who could make her laugh so freely yet still take things seriously when circumstances demanded it. '_He is not free to discuss anything you are hoping for. He is not free, and the real object of his affection is standing right here in front of you!',_ she reminded herself reproachfully. '_It will always come back to that. You are a temporary fascination at best, and there is no version of this fantasy that will end well for you,'_ the self-lecture continued.

Sharon's eyes widened in a moment of clarification as a new plan emerged in her thoughts. This situation has caused her enough grief; she might as well use it to get something she wants. Fritz would believe it given the circumstances and would surely discuss it with the Chief should he find out. If she could stay on top of the trail of information and use Gavin to pinpoint exactly when Goldman finds out… perfect. She could feel Agent Howard's eyes on her as she switched gears to explain her discomfort at constantly being involved with Major Crimes' cases.

"And there is something else. There is something else that I've been meaning to tell you." The Captain's demeanor grew more determined and she drew her hands to her hips.

Fritz sat up suddenly in his chair and eyed her from the corner. '_What? What... else, what is she doing?'_

Buzz called the Chief's attention back to the monitor and Fritz exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. What the hell was she about to say anyway?

Taking advantage of everyone's distraction with the scene on the monitor, the dark haired woman decided there was a better place and time to plant the next seed and quietly made her escape. She would wait until morning and start with Pope so she could monitor the path of information from the top down throughout the day. The sooner she found this leak, the sooner she could get out of Major Crimes' daily affairs and back to the safety of her own department.

The next morning went almost as planned except for Chief Pope calling Taylor in to their private discussion which was an added variable. Still, she could stick to the rest of the team like glue to audit their actions today and that would at least isolate the variable while she monitored the rest.

...

Finding the boys in that house caused a sickening feeling in her stomach which made it difficult to stay focused on her double task. Besides the gross prospect of these boys being seen now as potential victims, they were also unplanned witnesses to their search. The team was doing their best to agitate her by openly acknowledging their search for a gun in front of them at every turn. Trophy! How hard is that?! She still tried discreetly to monitor their communications and she had strict instructions out to Gavin to keep in contact with Goldman frequently today and find ways to needle him. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist throwing her retirement back in Gavin's face if he heard anything about it.

"Remember, concentrate on stretches of ground large enough to cover a trophy-sized object!" As they combed over the back yard, the Captain now felt it necessary to emphasize her point continuously.

"Hey. Hey," Provenza grouched at Flynn, pointing to the ground. "There's a little something down here at the end of this runner." Flynn swung the metal detector over in the indicated direction.

"That's too small for a trophy," Raydor warned before quickly adding, "Which is what we're looking for... aand if we find something else then we call it a happy accident." She might be enjoying this a little too much now. If she could aggravate them as much as they were irritating her, well, that was just a happy accident as well!

She smirked at Provenza as he prepped his retort. "Ah, soo… apropos of nothing really… When can Major Crimes start planning your retirement party?"

She quickly noted the lack of reaction from everyone else in the vicinity which could only mean one thing. _'How could everyone already know, I just left Pope's office 2 hours ago! Crap!' _

"I want to bring the balloon animals myself," Provenza continued with mirth.

Her face briefly betrayed her shock and upset before she calmly tried to salvage some information out of the situation. "Who told you I was retiring, Lieutenant?"

"Well you said it in front of _Taylor_, didn't you?" He looked at her incredulously.

Their conversation was interrupted as the metal detector sounded. "Found something," Buzz announced.

...

Now that he'd officially handed the last of the information over to Brenda and conceded this was not an attack on a TSA agent, Fritz was free to return to his own office. He briefly thought about taking the rest of the day off seeing as how it was after 11am and he was still dragging a little from the late night at the station, but decided he'd rather be at work anyway. The negativity was rolling off him in waves as he weaved his way through traffic. He had played the situation off as the hottest new tidbit of gossip with Brenda only because he didn't know how else to handle the bitterness. He needed an outlet of some sort to at least say it out loud. His Cap was leaving.

She was leaving. He had to keep saying it to make sure it registered. Was it because of him? Taylor said she mentioned some _things_ going on in her personal life, but wasn't specific. That could indicate she wasn't as "over" their situation as she was letting on…

This train of thought was only souring his mood further. He couldn't pinpoint the base feeling of his increasing animosity until he sat in his parking spot stewing and scrolling through some of their old texts.

_July 11_

_-So much for my progress with Chief_

_ What happened now?-_

_-Her place to tell you, but I have to audit one of her cases._

_Ouch-_

_-Yes. Maybe stick up for me a little like you did before?_

_Always. You're a good woman, Cap.- _

_July 18_

_What'd you do to Bren today? She is crazed over your wickedness ;-)-_

_-Don't start with me._

_I'm not! Just curious-_

_-Need to interview her team and she keeps sending her entire division out just to block my audit_

_Sorry, wish I could help. Hang in there-_

_July 23_

_-There was a croissant on my desk when I came in this morning. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?_

_I already had the croissant when you cancelled our breakfast meeting-_

_-You didn't have to bring it all the way over here_

_Meh. Wanted you to have it-_

_-Thank you! Will I see you tomorrow?_

_Not sure what time, but yes. We'll finish up on the Cobb case files together.-_

_July 31_

_-Don't forget what we talked about at lunch yesterday. Let me know how it goes._

_Brenda's still shutting me out. Refusing to admit she needs an atty-_

_-Remind her she's putting your finances at risk as well!_

_Tried. No go, Cap.-_

_Says I sound just like Raydor ;-)-_

_Don't worry, I'll keep trying, just not tonight.-_

_-We don't have time for this._

_-I'll take care of it tomorrow._

_You have some amazing disguise you're going to wear because I don't think she's going to listen to anyone who looks like you-_

_-I said I'd handle it._

_OK, supergirl-_

_-That's right :) I got your back._

He flung his phone down and it crashed across the center console before clamoring to the passenger floor. Betrayal… he felt personally betrayed by someone he... He exhaled roughly, head in his hands. She was betraying the entire department, really, but what bothered him the most was that it was an act of pure cowardice and selfishness. He had been selfish more than once in his life, maybe even a coward at some point too. Those are human traits. He could accept those things of himself; of anyone really, but not of her. Maybe that's unfair, but that's just the way it is. Those are two very descriptive words that belong as far away from the name Sharon Raydor as the words corrupt and unorganized.

He rubbed his hands over his face and peered out between his fingers. It seems everyone he cares about is having an identity crisis of sorts these days. It doesn't seem possible that she is abandoning us in the thick of things. But that's what's happening.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Notes: I am posting chapters 7-9 at the same time because everything takes place in short succession. HUGE THANKS to all who have been following/reviewing, and for those of you who have stuck with me through all the angst... here's hoping you find the next 3 chapters worth while. ;-)  
**

* * *

It was almost eight o'clock and the petite blond behind the desk of Major Crimes was laser focused on several small loads of paperwork that had piled up from the events of the last few days. Fritz had come back to check on her and spent about 15 minutes vying for her attention regarding possible dinner plans.

"Bren!"

"Hmm?" she answered airily as she raised her head a little, but left her eyes on what she was doing. Several moments of silence passed during which Fritz stared at the top of her head before she realized he was waiting for her to pay attention. She finally paused her writing to look at him fully. "Yes?"

"I've been trying to ask you if you'd like to go to dinner with me…"

"I'm sorry. I don't… think I heard you."

"shocking"

"Well, that's not fair! There's been so much goin' on here every day, I can't let this pile up anymore, I just can't!"

"Okay," he soothed, "Don't worry, I'm sorry. You want me to go get something for you now? I'll stay here and eat with you," he offered.

"Noo," she groaned as she took a huge bite of the half eaten ding-dong on her desk. "I'm not hungry. You know that Coach Carr will probably be addin' his two cents to the lawsuit now. Accusin' me of bein' the problem when he's the one... breakin'the law," she groused loudly and shoved the rest of the confection in her mouth, still talking while chewing. "Between that & Raydor abandonin' me in the middle of it all…" She looked up at him pathetically.

Fritz's face stiffened at the reminder and he walked over to where she was sitting. "Come on." He reached out his hand which she took and he pulled her out the chair into a big embrace. For reasons right or wrong, he needed that hug as much as she did. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back vigorously before releasing her and rubbing the sides of her arms a few times. "I'll pick up some food on the way home."

"Sesame chicken?"

"You got it. Come to bed when you get home & we'll talk it out, okay?"

"Okay," she half-smiled and he turned to go.

He headed out of Major Crimes and through the hallway past the break room when a tall silhouette caught his peripheral attention. He quickly glanced through the glass as a matter of reflex, and ceased all movement upon the double take that immediately followed. He stood frozen for several long moments before he relaxed against the wall, an easy sigh escaping his lips and an unconscious decision made to indulge in a little harmless voyeurism.

Through tilted verticals swayed full auburn locks cascading in luxe waves over a slender backside as tapered limbs stretched upwards into a cupboard door. Fritz's eyes relaxed as he followed the long curve down to a petite waist which flared out to gloriously rounded hips in proportions that would cause an hourglass envy. Slim, manicured fingers moved precisely to open 2 sugar packets, pluck a swizzle stick from the canister and stir the steaming liquid. The tendons of her hands flexed as she fairly hugged the cup to her bosom. She dipped her head to inhale deeply before finally wrapping her lips over the edge of the cup and drawing one long, methodical sip. The lithe figure looked as though she practically purred, hair spilling further down her back as her head dropped back onto her shoulders, savoring the hot, acidic reward in her mouth. Eyes closed and hips lightly dancing, she rolled her shoulders in an obvious release of tension and let out a small hum of pleasure as the much needed warmth spread throughout her body.

Fritz could feel his blood pressure lowering, muscles relaxing, and nerves calming like the effect of a drug as he took in the whole mesmerizing perfection that was Sharon Raydor. He briefly wonders if his wife will be that hot when she is sixty before scoffing at the fact that, hell, she isn't that hot now. He chided himself for being so crude, but that didn't make it any less true. Brenda was beautiful, obviously, but there was something about the Captain that captured his senses in a way no married man should ever allow. He tried to reconcile how she could pull off her infamous, forbidding presence on such a delicate frame. She had the most expressive eyes he had ever known with the power, it seemed, to lure a lamb through the fire or cause the mighty to shrink from her glare depending on her fancy. So full of grace and symmetry, this woman moved…

"Agent Howard?" Sharon opened the door to the break room and started upon seeing a man in the dimly lit corner staring straight through her.

Fritz's heart thumped hard in his chest and a lump formed in his throat as he was jerked from his reverie.

"Cap," his voice was unnaturally strained and a little high. "Captain Raydor, hi," he feigned disinterest. "You, ah… you startled me. I… didn't realize anyone else was still here." Fritz attempted to smile casually and hoped his expression came off as fatigued rather than guilty.

The Captain quirked her eyebrows and tilted her head not breaking eye contact. "You were staring straight at me."

"I honestly didn't notice you there." His expression turned sour and his tone disdainful. "And I especially wouldn't expect _you_ to be working so late… given the news I heard today." The accusatory glare he cast in her direction belayed the hurt behind his words.

His jibe affected a stab of guilt in her chest and the way he was looking at her made her stomach ache so much she thought she might throw up, but her scrutinizing expression remained unchanged. "Is Chief Johnson still here?"

"Yeah," he nodded towards Major Crimes "she's got a ton of paperwork to finish and I... I was just taking a moment to decide if I should bring her dinner back here or just pick something up on my way home," he lied. "Been a long day."

The edges of the woman's mouth curved up slightly and she nodded in skeptical acceptance. "Okay.." she spoke in mock sweetness as her eyes quickly darted to one side as she dipped her head once in farewell. "Good night."

Fritz had the briefly ridiculous urge to act out his earlier fantasy and heave her against the nearest wall for real as he watched her from behind, striding purposefully in the direction of FID. He wondered what she'd do if he just knocked the wind from her lungs and kissed that arrogant smirk right off her face. Damn, that woman could be beyond infuriating without making any effort whatsoever. It was much more adorable when he wasn't on the receiving end of it. He found himself hoping that no one noticed the way he hadn't managed to stop himself stealing glimpses the past couple days at her legs, her eyes, her profile, her hair... her legs. He rubbed his eye, then the side of his head as he started back towards the parking garage trying to determine when exactly this woman had managed to take up semi-permanent residence in his mind. It didn't matter, really; he needed to find a way to get her out of his head, and soon, before it landed him in more trouble than it already had.

Sharon looked around at the piles of boxes and files as she got back to her office. She was proud of herself for maintaining composure the entire way without breaking down, but once the door closed, her game face failed. Her right hand remained firmly on the doorknob which she was now using to brace the weight of her entire body. She wrapped her left arm tightly around her stomach and stretched her neck to the ceiling, taking huge gulps of air, unable to get enough oxygen and making a sound akin to strangled sobs with each exhale. Finally she doubled over, mouth stretched in a soundless cry. She felt the sting in her nostrils first before it travelled to her eyes and the tears began to flow.

Unsure of how long she stayed like that, the futility of it all began to catch up to her, effectively removing the wind from her billowing sails. Slowly straightening her body and blinking widely, she wiped at her face with the backs of her trembling hands and fingers. She stood for a moment, still sniffing with her left hand cupped over her mouth. Her right drifted down to rest on her lower back and her breathing began to slow. As the adrenaline waned, she became eerily calm, tilting her head and slumping her shoulders in painful acceptance. Staring blankly at the city lights flickering in the distance, she dragged her phone off the desk and decided it was time to call in some reinforcements.

"Hello, my dear"

Sharon mustered her best cool and playful tone. "Tell me you are not doing anything right now, because I reeeally need a hot date."

"Oh, honey. You are the hot date and I am all over that. The Edison, 20 minutes, and you better be wearing something that shows off those legs." Gavin practically bounced on the balls of his feet as he packed his things into his briefcase for the night. He loved cocktails with Sharon. The fact that he was completely gay and still had the hottest woman in the room made him feel sinfully powerful.

Sharon was beginning to smile already.

By the time she arrived at the bar, Gavin was already sitting in a corner high top and he immediately suggested they play his favorite game over an absurdly priced bottle of prosecco. He called it "if you don't have anything nice to say… come sit by me." After they'd had their fill of giggling and passing judgment on others, Sharon felt lighter than she had in weeks and relaxed enough to groan to him about her failed plan and Goldman's pompous response this afternoon. After he assured her that she would find the leak and he was going to mop the floor with Peter regardless, he insisted they were not talking about work tonight.

"So when are you going to tell me what this is really about?"

One glance at the way his eyebrows lifted high over his Prada frames showcasing his expectant gaze and she knew she was busted. She let out a huge, exasperated sigh and her head dropped between her arms which were stretched out cradling her drink on the table. "Don't make me sat it, Gav." She practically begged and her words were muffled through the clothing.

"Okayy... But I haven't seen that look on your face in a long time." He placed a hand on her thigh under the table and leaned over to speak in her ear. "And I have to say," he spoke quietly as he squeezed her leg, "that whoever is passing up the chance to have these gams wrapped around him is either gay… or a moron."

Her downturned face involuntarily contorted into a smirk, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing it. She put on her un-amused captain face, lifted her head straight up and moved only her eyes sharply to glare at him in warning.

He made a hissing sound as he inhaled through his teeth and made a show of pulling his face back a bit. "Ouch... It's been some time since I've earned that look from you."

She slowly turned her head to match the direction of her glare, squinting lightly through that barely perceptible head nod that said 'I'm about to knock you on your ass and be really happy about it'.

Gavin held his hands up loosely on either side of his shoulders in surrender. "All right, your call. I'm not here to make you talk if you don't want to…" He put his hands down and dropped the act as he looked her in the eye. "But I am here, Ray. And I worry about you."

This time she did let him see her smile, warmer now. "I'm not… ready to talk about it."

Gavin knew she'd open up to him eventually; this was her M/O - evade first, confess later. For now he only wanted to see her smile and do what he knew she called him here to do; help her be somebody else for a few hours. "Well in that case, my dear, I think we need another bottle of the good stuff & by all means… let's get back to our game."


	8. Chapter 8

Sharon lie in her whirlpool tub, intoxicating scent of tuberose emanating from the bubbles and filling the small space in a bathroom so compulsively perfect, it looked like page 23 of a Pottery Barn catalogue. Still buzzing from the one and a half bottles of prosecco she shared with Gavin on an empty stomach; she contemplated the results of her plan and couldn't help but wonder despondently if it was even going to help her at all. She pursed her lips and kicked against the foot of the bath, sending a slosh of bubbles up the tile. If Taylor hadn't blabbed to the entire department all at once, she might've been able to narrow down the list of suspects for the leak. The only thing the entire escapade really accomplished was to confirm that Goldman was getting his information practically real time these days. Well, that and the unintentional bonus of a promised promotion at the end of the ride. A cynical noise escaped the back of her throat. _'We'll see if Pope follows through on that,' _she huffed to herself.

She was getting sleepy and the silky bubbles felt nice against her skin as she pondered the events of the past few days. As much as she enjoyed making Chief Pope squirm this morning at the prospect of her retirement, she knew there was no way in good conscience to abandon post, delightful as the prospect of that freedom seemed. Despite her efforts at distancing herself from Agent Howard for her own sanity and the sake of propriety, it was painfully obvious she still cared for him a great deal. And, as convoluted as it was, for Brenda as well. Not to mention protecting the entire LAPD from this disgraceful act of extortion. That being said, she couldn't go on torturing herself over Fritz Howard. He acts like she is the scourge of the earth for dismantling their friendship, but the truth is, he had no right to offer her the kind of friendship he did in the first place.

A wave of pity washed over her as she conceded that he hadn't planned it any more than she did. As she watched the reruns in her head, it all played out like a seductive dance of sorts. The physical attraction was the stage; it had always been there. Their mingling personalities became the music and the lights, drawing them in to the pretty scene. The more time they spent together, the more in-sync their steps became until the number had become so complicated it was either keep dancing or fall on your ass. No one thought about what would happen if the record stopped spinning.

None of which… changes the fact that he is either married or he isn't. She rolled her eyes dramatically at herself for that reproachful thought. _'Judgment on the grey areas of a marriage, Sharon? Really?'_

Still, legal separation for 20 years is a long way from living with a spouse who has no idea you are entertaining the notion of another relationship. Not that she had any cause to believe a _relationship_ was even what he was looking for from her, given the nature of his confession six weeks ago. Her nipples grew peaked above the surface of the water and she blushed furiously at the thought of Agent Howard fantasizing about her in such an explicitly sexual manner back when they barely knew each other. That didn't exactly come off as a love story. She chided herself for rambling, even if it was in her own head, but decided to blame it on the wine and the emotional strain of the day which had rendered her nearly catatonic at this point. With that thought, she pulled herself up onto her haunches and pushed out of the water with a fatigued groan, joints snapping in protest.

...

"Chief, sorry to bother you so late, but we have a situation here. Yeah, we're on Mulholland. Apparently someone's been badly hurt, but there's no body, just a lot of blood on the ground by an abandoned vehicle. The closest thing we have to a witness hit the parked car when he rounded the bend and nearly knocked it off the side of the cliff. He called it in when he got out to check for passengers and saw the blood. The car's too precariously balanced to attempt opening any doors, but we're searching the area for bullet casings." Provenza's cantankerous tone was grating enough at 2:00 in the morning, but add that to having just gotten home from work only 3 & a half hours ago & it could be considered some form of torture.

"All right, uh, Lieutenant. I'll be out as soon as I can. Is the witness hurt?"

"No, chief. His car doesn't look healthy, but he states he wasn't injured in the collision."

"Ok, then, please set up a perimeter and keep the witness there until I arrive. In the meantime, arrange for rescue to bring the necessary equipment to get the car back on solid ground. Thank yew."

Fritz stumbled through the kitchen into the living room to find Brenda on the phone, her usual status quo. As he waited for her to finish her conversation, he gathered a popcorn bowl off the floor and a half-empty glass of wine from the coffee table and carried them to the sink. That's why he didn't realize she had come home; she fell asleep on the couch. Again.

Brenda made a frustrated sleepy whine and stomped her foot as she ended the call. She turned to face Fritz. "Ohhh.. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"It's all right; I wasn't sleeping that well anyway. What time did you get home?"

"Umm… I guess about… 10:30? I'm not sure, I lie down & fell asleep watching TV."

"Watching TV." They spoke those last words in unison as Fritz already knew what she was going to say and finished it for her, lifting his eyes to the ceiling in search of patience.

"Well!" she whined, "I swear, it's been so crazy the past few days…I just needed a little distraction."

"You could've come to bed & talked about it, you know?" He reached for her shoulders and pulled her into a soothing embrace.

She kept the flat of both her palms on his chest while he wrapped his arms around her. It only took about 0.86 seconds before she started pushing impatiently at his chest in an attempt to free herself. "Fritzi, really, I don't have time. I have to find my shoes & get over to Mulholland. There's a car with blood all over it teeterin' off a cliff!"

He released her with a resigned sigh. "Your shoes are under the coffee table where you left them."

"Ooh," she darted over to the couch and hastily slung the shoes on her feet, hopping a few steps back in his direction as she pulled the heel strap up on the second one. She leaned forward to grab her keys off the side table and placed one hand on his arm, stretching up to give him a quick peck on the cheek in the same motion. "If you're gone for work before I get back, I'll call you in the mornin'. Maybe we can grab breakfast," she offered as she dug something out of her huge purse and flung the door open.

"Ring me if The Fed can help," he called after her.

Fritz went back to bed & tried to sleep, but quickly realized it was a futile effort. He had a restless sleep to begin with and he's pretty sure he was dreaming of someone he was supposed to be forgetting. Although no longer sleepy, he was mentally and physically exhausted. It amazed him how much work it was to not think about her. It took constant discipline and concentration and he felt truly drained from the effort. Hell. _'I'll just indulge for a few minutes.'_ With that he pulled out his phone and stared at the one picture he had of her for several long moments before scrolling through a bit more of their old texts. He knew this flew directly in the face of his earlier resolution… he just wanted to read a few lines and hear her voice lilting around his head in that unique way she had of making love to the English language.

_August 1_

_-Think I finally got through to her today. It was a little brutal. You can thank me later._

_If that's true, I'm buying you breakfast tomorrow-_

_-Not lunch?_

_Wish I could. Afternoon is jammed but I still want to see you. We should talk about your friend Gavin.-_

_-Ok. Frances bakery at 10?_

_You & your croissants-_

_See you there-_

_August 14_

_Bren agreed to meet Gavin with me in the morning. She doesn't know he's your friend-_

_-Be prepared for sticker shock, but know that he's worth it._

_Thanks for the heads up-_

_August 15_

_$25k?! What the hell, Cap?-_

_Bren flipped out big time-_

_-Don't let her back out_

_-Did she decide to do it yet?_

_If cancelling every amenity we have counts as a decision, then yes-_

_AND she is COOKING to save money-_

_Someone save me from the 24/7 clam linguini fest that is headed in my direction-_

_-Aww. That's what I was going to bring you for lunch tomorrow :)_

_I'm so glad you're amused-_

_Meanwhile, I have no tv, no internet, no phone and no newspaper-_

_-I'm sorry, you're right. It's not funny._

_-And I am absolutely NOT lying in bed laughing my ass off right now…_

_Are you flirting with me from bed?-_

_Shall I try the "what are you wearing" routine?-_

_-…I'm sorry, do you think you're speaking to somebody else?_

_lol. Night, Cap-_

_August 20_

_-Jack just called me out of the blue._

_What did that ass-clown want?-_

_-Knock it off. He's my husband._

_-But yes. He is an ass thank you for asking._

_No problem-_

_-The usual crap about Ricky's college funds. All he had to do was pay for the books and he can't even do that!_

_Wow, that really sucks. You going to be able to manage?-_

_Would love to help you out with that, but I just forked over 25k to YOUR friend.-_

_And by the way, it doesn't bother me at ALL that Pope got to take full credit for that-_

_-I'll manage. Just… not the point._

_-Then, he had the nerve to say he was going to be in town for a few days & wanted to make sure I hadn't changed the locks._

_-And whose fault is that? I told you to tell her you paid for it .._

_You're not gonna let him stay with you at your house?!-_

_-I don't know why I always end up feeling sorry for him_

_Look Cap, I know it's none of my business, but you need to let him know he can't just blow in & out of your life like a state fair-_

_-I know. _

_-Hey, thanks for listening._

_Talk more over lunch tomorrow?-_

_-Sure, sounds great._

He backed out to the previous screen and his thumb hovered over the line highlighting Raydor's text thread. It was stuff like that last exchange he needed to wipe clean, the reminder of the intimate information they once freely shared had become too painful. Dangerous. After selecting 'edit' and tapping the red circle, he hovered over the 'delete' button. Pressing it would be the wise decision. If he could delete the entire thread, he could begin to make himself forget. His thumb began to shake as it fell closer to the screen. He hesitated, and then moved quickly to back out of the feature at the last second. That was too final a move just yet. Deciding he needed to start with something smaller, he edited her name in his contacts to read 'Raydor, LAPD' instead of 'Cap'. It was a start to wean himself off the pet-name he had given her and create some mental distance. He stopped scrolling and went back in to read their last few exchanges which was probably a mistake.

_September 22_

_It was really good to see you today-_

_You know, we still have to work together on occasion & it would be nice if things weren't so awkward between us-_

_Shouldn't we talk about this?-_

_September 23_

_I'd really like to help you again, especially since things have become so much more serious-_

_September 24_

_So, are you just not talking to me at all anymore?-_

_-Special Agent Howard, I would request that you no longer use this form of communication unless there is an urgent need for FID to assist the L.A. FBI dept. Thank you– _

He should at least delete those last 6 messages. They made him angrier every time he read them and only inflamed his fury that she didn't even have the decency to tell him of her retirement plans, not even via a rude text. He lie there stewing for several minutes before flinging himself determinedly off the bed. "I am over this game," he spoke darkly to the empty room. He hastily threw on a pair of slacks and a white pinstripe shirt, grabbed his keys, fed the cat, and out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

It takes a few minutes for Sharon's wine and sleep-addled brain to register that the persistent knock at her door is not part of her dream. She opens one eye to peer at the clock - 3:37 am. _'What the hell.'_ She finally gets up and throws on her robe, grabs the gun off her nightstand, and cautiously approaches the door. She pads lightly closer to get a look out the peephole, cocking the hammer of her gun into position.

Fritz hears the hammer click from the other side of the door. "Put it down, Raydor. It's me."

Sharon jumped at the sound of his voice and stood frozen to her spot. "Agent Howard!? What's happened?" Her mind begins to race through all the probable causes for why he would be pounding on her door after 3 in the morning. She knows the chief is out on a call. Sgt. Elliot briefed her over an hour ago and said he'd go to man the log entries. She quickly set the gun on the table and flung the door open in a fit of fear. "It's almost 4am, what the…"

Fritz acted quickly, stepping forward and spinning her around to pin her against the inside of her door as it slammed shut against the weight of them falling back upon it. He grabbed her wrists and restrained them on either side of her head against the door, his body pressed firmly against hers to keep her in place. Sharon squealed at the ridiculousness of this action, eyes wide, and her aggressive captain's tone didn't waste time going on the offensive. "Agent Howard, what are you doing here? this is my.. HOME." This shaken falter in her voice towards the end betrayed her usual air of collected authority. Her voice deepened. "You will remove your hands from me at ONCE", she recovered.

Even in this most threatening tone, her words were matched by his own intensity, "Are you seriously planning to run away from everyone and everything that's going on right now because you don't want to face me?"

"Don't be so vain," she patronized, "get off of me! Now." They were shouting over each other and she tried to push off the door but he slammed her wrists back against it and continued to yell.

"Because you can't deal with this…. whatever _this_ is? Are you so afraid of _us_ that you're willing to abandon everyone, including me, including Brenda, including all of major crimes? Throw us _all_ under the bus to that weasel, _Goldman_?!"

She continued demanding over his diatribe, "You need to let me go. This is my home. I don't know what you imagined, there is no _us_. You will remove your hands from me and step out of my home THIS. INSTANT." They finished shouting in the exact same instant. Sharon's words were clipped and clear at full volume. Her heart raced in her chest chasing a rush of exhilaration through her veins. Fear? Desire? Anger? A moment of threatening silence passed, neither wanting to back down before they both began again. She was not yelling now, her tone became deadly, infuriated, and not fully able to comprehend the absurdity of the situation. Both parties spoke in matched furiosity and increasing volume, each attempting to talk over the other once more. The whole time he'd been tightening his restraint on her wrists and pressing harder against her body. She couldn't decide if she was more pissed off or turned on, eyes darting towards her gun on the table and nipples hardening erect against the silk of her gown.

Unable to shut her up or overpower her verbally, Fritz descends on her lips, kissing furiously. Sharon's body went rigid, stunned by his aggression. Electric jolts shot straight to her core at every lick and nip he played upon her mouth causing her lower lips to tingle and hum with pleasure, pulse throbbing between her thighs and rushing in her ears. She shook her head back and forth, making negative noises in an attempt to escape the wrongness of the situation. The battle raged within.

Good Lord, she has missed this man; his masculine scent of sandalwood and juniper, the thoughtful little things he leaves on her desk, his sharp wit that complimented her own, the Abercrombie effect of his dark-framed glasses and crisp white button-down shirts…

She can't. She musters all of her indignity in one shot of strength and shoves him off of her, hands and body shaking violently. Fritz took one look at her and knew he had gone too far. He hadn't come here with sexual intention. He wanted her to admit that she should've told him in person she was leaving and why. The anger rushed to the surface when he saw her and then spiraled into a desperate attempt to shatter her house of mirrors and get back to the real Sharon.

She curled her fingers loosely over her mouth and was shaking her head off to the side, not looking directly at him, but eyes darting in his direction, brimming with unshed tears. She stared at him a long moment from that angle, arms folded tightly in on her chest.

He took a step towards her and she shut her eyes tight, sending about five tears spilling over her cheeks at once. "You really need to go," she whispered intensely.

Fritz pressed in close again, gently this time, and cupped her face in both his hands. Sharon's posture stiffened further. "Look at me, Cap."

She shook her head.

He whispered in close to her mouth. "I'll go. But first you have to look me in the face and tell me you really don't want me here. Right now."

She opened her eyes, still shining with water and tilted her head once. "You are not free to be here."

"And you are not free to want me to stay." He spoke quietly, pausing to hold her gaze. "But you do."

Sharon opened her mouth to speak, but her first utterance was swallowed in a kiss, tender, but demanding in its intensity as he wound his fingers into her thick mane of wild hair. She was so tired of fighting herself. Her mind began to yield as she felt his desire grow and press firmly against her center. Heat flooded from between her thighs, sending aching electricity to her breasts and with a groan of surrender she opened to him, swallowing his kiss whole and licking back at him with every bit of fervor he had shown her.

"Captain!" Fritz cried in desperation as he tried to take everything he had been restraining himself from for so long all at once. He rocked against her rhythmically in sync with their kisses, pressing her more firmly against the door. He had her wrists above her head again and her nipples had become so hard it was bordering on painful.

"Agent Howard," she drew out, the sexiest low, keening cry he had ever heard in his life. A delicious burning tingle ran through his cock at the sound of it. Her voice raised a little, but still dripped as honeyed velvet, gasping between commands "touch me ... touch me!" She lifted her wrists off the door and guided his hands to the swell of her breasts. Hungrily, he palmed them and swiped the flat of his thumb across one firm bud. Sharon pleaded loudly in frustration.

He released her mouth to squeeze her full mounds together and kiss the cleavage for a moment before moving his tongue over one turgid peak. He sucked down firmly through the silk of her nightgown while simultaneously pinching the other nipple hard between his thumb and forefinger. Sharon screamed and bucked her hips into his body as he continued to lave the sensitive peak with the tip of his tongue, soaking the satin through. He pulled the frilly cups down over her swollen buds and finally took one completely into his mouth without barrier while he rubbed and pinched the other in sync with his oral ministrations. Sharon wanted to cry out at the dual sensations which were flooding her insides, but all that came out were continuous strangled sobs as she attempted to process the overload of pleasure. Her thighs were getting sticky, the heat emanating from her core so powerful, Fritz could feel it wrapping around him through his trousers.

In one swift motion, Fritz shucked her robe and pulled the short silk gown straight over her head letting them flutter to the ground in a tangled heap.

The Captain's head began warring with itself again as she stood naked in her foyer. She's yearned for this man in silence, and whatever he is doing with his mouth right now feels so good it should be illegal, but he is married! To a woman who was just starting to trust her… _and_ was capable of making her professional life a living hell to boot!

Strong hands firmly grope her lower back and sides as kisses are reined over her stomach

_'Oh fuck, that feels good…'_

Plus, who the hell does he think he is coming to her home at 3 in the morning to force her hand this way? If she hadn't acquiesced, would he have simply taken what he wanted from her? Indignation snaps her away from pleasure and just as she is about to regain control, two thick digits find their way to glide through slick folds and send her reeling back once more.

He pressed lightly against her opening a few times, each one eliciting a slightly higher cry before dragging his fingers the entire length of her folds much more firmly and parting them to slide over both sides of her clit simultaneously. She threw her head back against the door as a desperate, high-octave wail escaped her lips. His hands are right where she's been aching to feel them and the hunger that touch sates almost propels her straight over the edge in an instant. She squeezes her eyes shut against the onslaught of super-heated waves washing up her core as he rubs back and forth along both sides of her clit without pressing directly on it, his other hand trailing over the flesh at her entrance.

'_Pull yourself together, Sharon. Don't come. Don't let him win that easily.'_

She is hot and silky and the scent of her arousal mixed with that of her flowery skin provokes his wanton hunger. "Sharon," Fritz practically growled in admiration, "you are soaking wet. I need you. I... want to taste you."

She blinked hard and took a shuddering gasp. During all their time in cahoots, all their secret meetings, lingering looks, witty banter, charged silences, comforting camaraderie, and lately, snarky exchanges, he never once called her Sharon. The sound of her given name on his lips and the proximity of his face to her center caused her knees to sink a little as she pushed into his touch.

Feathery kisses were placed on her inner thighs causing her legs to tremble. Her unlikely lover knelt in front of her and nuzzled auburn curls, the heat of his breath ghosting over her sex. Urgent pawing of flesh had been replaced with whispering strokes up and down the curve of her spine, over her round bottom, caressing the gentle slope of her legs to the back of her knees. The older woman's breath was now coming in harsh pants and small whimpers as anticipation coiled a knot in her stomach; intense arousal coupled with guilt and fear. Fear of how powerfully her body was reacting to this man who, up to an hour ago, she only allowed herself to think of as _'off limits.'_

"Sharon," he nuzzled close while gently stroking the outside of her slick folds and spoke huskily into the apex of her thighs, "I know I caught you off guard barging in here tonight, but I need to know that this is okay. I don't want to hurt you. Tell me it's not okay and I'll stop..."

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**Reviews are so loved and appreciated - the good, the bad, & the ugly! As always, thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the delay getting this chapter up! You may wish to re-read the end of chap.9 since it was a bit of a cliff-hanger :) Special thanks to RebaForever15 for all the support and encouragement! **

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Battle. Lost. Her higher cognitive functions gave way to baser urges and she tugged his hair a little harder than she intended pulling him closer to her core. "It's okay, okay?" she panted, "fuck, _yes_! It's okay!"

Fritz smiled against her skin, raging hard and throbbing in his pants from the all-woman, heady scent of this goddess towering over him. He looks up to take in the vision of his fantasy: the infallible Sharon Raydor, normally a force to be reckoned with on a good day, naked, flushed, head thrown back against the door, wild mane tumbling down sculpted shoulders like fire spilling over pale cashmere, eyes squeezed tightly shut in total anticipation of his mouth on her. Yes. Using both thumbs to part her wet heat, he places his tongue at the base of her opening and firmly drags the entire flat of it all the way up to her clit, moaning into her center and relishing in the sweet, dark flavor of honey and musk. Sharon cries out, hanging on to his hair for dear life as he slakes her thirst for more contact. The tip of his tongue swirls around the sensitive bud before dragging back down to her core. Over and over he lapped at the inner lines of her swollen flesh while she hummed and cooed encouragements to his actions.

Her voice was rough and rich, lower somehow, and sexier than he'd ever heard it which only spurred him on to devour her further. Wrapping his lips completely around the sensitive bundle of nerves he'd been teasing, he slipped first one, then two thick digits deep inside of her silken heat. She promptly clamped her walls down around his fingers which earned her a grunt of satisfaction from the man beneath her as he began to pump in an out, thrusting deeply and causing her wetness to meander down his palm.

His free hand groped upwards to massage and pluck at one perky nipple while his tongue slid firmly back and forth along the short track of flesh between her opening and the sensitive spot where she was aching to feel his lips. He deliberately stopped short of her clit at every turn. The small noises she was making became barely audible save the gasps for air as sensory overload shook her body. Sharon began arching her body violently into his face in an attempt to encourage him to drag his tongue a little higher on the up slide. She let out a sob of intense pleasure soaked frustration and pulled his hair to direct his movements, but he was having none of it.

"You're not the incident commander at this scene, Captain," he breathed as he continued his precise ministrations. He wonders at the joy he finds pleasuring her in this torturous fashion. As a rule, lingering on this part of the sexual act is not his strong suit. There was something about her regal qualities that was so intoxicating he found himself wanting more of her with every lick and kiss into her damp heat. The sonorous timbre of her cries reverberated through his body as a marimba being struck in perfect resonance.

This is a pleasure like Sharon has never known before. A powerfully slow burn, somehow more intense, but taking longer to crest, a familiar element began to coil just behind her naval. Her knees faltered and began to shake as she slipped a little down the door. Yearning to taste more of her, Fritz removed his hand from her and circled his thumb directly over her clit as he shoved his tongue all the way inside of her opening, thrusting fast and hard. Sharon's shriek at the abrupt change of sensation quickly morphed into the repetitive keening cries of imminent release. She shamelessly ground hard against his hand and mouth, gripping his head for leverage and it took all of Fritz's concentration to keep from coming in his pants at the feel of this woman so thoroughly shattering above him.

Sharon had no idea what force was keeping her upright against the door as her body trembled with aftershocks and a delightful warming ache spread over her quivering thighs. Fritz caressed and pet her skin, soothing her down from climax as he kissed his way up her stomach, between her breasts, and found her lips. He stared at them, slightly parted and whimpering in sotto voce with every exhale as her breathing slowed. His fingers trailed into the thick tendrils of hair at the nape of her neck, thumbs caressing the lines of her jawbone as he placed gentle kisses over her face, the corners of her mouth, and the delicate skin near her eyelids. Sharon's eyes remained closed, crinkled by the broad smile on her face as she whispered a verse in blissful monotone.

"Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody. But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?"

Fritz quirked a flirty, arrogant smile into her hair. "We're not even finished and I'm already inspiring poetry? .. I like it."

They laughed together softly, intimately, breath on each other's faces. "I think that's the part I should've paid more attention to all along," she declared wistfully.

"I'm paying attention," he cupped her cheeks, stroking them with his thumbs and holding her face close.

Her emerald gaze bore into his, darkening instantly. "Kiss me, Fritz.."

Sentimentality quickly vanished as he devoured her hungry lips. Sharon pressed her body firmly against him and frowned at the layers of fabric between them.

"Agent Howard, you are _way_ to overdressed for this op," she drew out in sultry tenor.

"I thought you'd never notice," he countered, still gloating from the reaction he'd been able to coax from her.

Flashing green eyes captured his stare as she reached down to palm the rigid bulge straining against the fabric of his pants, effectively wiping the smug satisfaction from his face. He let out a yelp of pleasure before he crushed her lips to his in a searing kiss as they initiated a clumsy dance towards the bedroom. Panting and kissing and pawing at clothes along the way, Sharon managed to get his belt unclasped and shoved the slacks and boxers down over his hips just after they made their way through the doorframe.

Fritz stumbled a little as he stepped out of them using his feet to push off his shoes in the same motion as the pants and his knees collided with the edge of the bed causing him to fall easily into a sitting position. Sharon cupped his face and pulled her kisses back to watch as she gently pushed him onto his back and ran her hands down the front of his broad chest. Wet, open-mouthed kisses followed the path of her fingers as her long hair cascaded over his flanks causing his nipples to twinge erect. Nimble fingers wrapped completely around his length as she continued her favors on his chest and stomach. Fritz inhaled sharply at the sensations and let out a wail of anticipation as her kisses neared his aching need and circled around the base of his shaft.

In one smooth movement, her tongue trailed up from below, along his entire length and wrapped around the tip before she closed her lips over the smooth ridge. The feel of his girth in her hands and mouth caused her insides to twinge with need once more. Unable to contain his reaction to the heat of her mouth around him, Fritz reached under her arms and swiftly flipped them so she was on her back in the middle of the bed and he hovered over her in the cradle of her hips as she gave him a quizzical look.

"Too close, Sharon. I've waited too long and I don't want to come in your mouth. I want to be inside of you now... I don't think I can wait any longer." He rocked against her hips, kissing her soundly and effectively swallowing her cries of appreciation. His pulsing cock was sliding against her sex as they moved, grazing her clit and coaxing more silken moisture from her core. He spoke hungrily against her lips between kisses, "I need to feel you, Sharon." He looked into her eyes to check that she was ready and she lifted her legs a little higher around his hips. He pulled his stroke to adjust the angle and plunged his entire length inside of her with one long, powerful stroke eliciting simultaneous cries of anguished bliss from them both.

He paused to give her time to adjust to his length and he needed to control his body's reaction or this was going to be over before it began.

"So… hot," he panted.

Sharon's noises were unintelligible as he began to move in her. The knot behind her naval was quickly coiling again, this time much more rapidly and her walls were tingling with electricity at every delectable stroke as her lover pulled completely out and pushed all the way back in, thrusting forcefully in perfect meter. Sharon wasn't ready for this to be over yet and pushed on Fritz's chest, encouraging him to shift positions and slow things down a bit.

He took her cue and leaned back on his haunches, grabbing her hips to drag her bottom closer to his body. Her held her there a moment as she gripped him tightly with her pelvic floor sending jolts of pleasure coursing up his entire body. He massaged her thighs and began to thrust lightly when she lifted her right leg high into the air, leaving her left draped low by his hip. "You are so beautiful," he whispered reverently, running a hand up her leg and placing a kiss to the inside of her ankle. He took hold of her foot, caressing the arch and bent her knee towards her chest causing a deep angle. Rocking into her and pushing upwards every time he buried himself to the hilt, the movement lifting her butt high off the bed and grinding the head of his cock hard against her cervix, their moans were getting louder and their motions increasingly frenzied.

Fritz leaned forward and braced his hands on either side of Sharon's head as she stretched her leg back to its original position, but continued to lift her hips high into his thrusts. The fiction of his cock was so tight she could feel every ripple and curve of his shape stretching her walls in all the right places. The small noises she was making in the back of her throat were growing louder and longer every time he bottomed out inside of her. What started as a small wave of charged energy through her core hastily ignited the rest of her body as insistent shock waves began rolling through her entire frame one after the other, each more powerful than the last.

"Fritz!,"she called out in desperation, "Oh! I'm coming! I'm coming!" Delectation flooded her senses entirely and there was nothing else in the world outside of the source of her pleasure moving over her, pulsing inside of her. Her erotic declaration caused Fritz to growl in ecstasy and hastened his release as he felt a flood of superheated spasms clenching around his shaft. A few more long strokes and he slammed into her hard with a roar of her name on his lips, scooting her a couple inches across the bed in the process.

They lie panting with foreheads resting against one another. Fritz kept most of his weight propped up on his elbows as he gently thumbed her hairline, brushing the errant sweaty strands from her face and placing feathery kisses to her temple. After several long moments of soothing strokes to each other's skin and calming of breaths, he reluctantly rolled off, slipping from inside her and pulling her into a tight embrace at his side.

As Sharon's heart rate slowed, she looked up at Fritz with a wry smirk. "How did you know where I live?"

He looked back at her and deadpanned without hesitation, picking up their dry witty banter as if it was never interrupted. "FBI."


End file.
