Heels

Chapter 1[Andrea]

[I'm just a beginner in the world of fan fiction. I came very late to the Major Crimes series, and like everyone before me, I was left feeling ripped off by the way it ended, and all the content which was left unexplored. This is my way of filling in some of those blanks, while reading all of the other wonderful additions here.]

Andrea toyed with her wine, swirling it in circles as she tried to decide the best way to approach uncharted territory with her closest friend. While it was true that they'd discussed virtually every aspect of their lives, albeit in bits and pieces, over the years, they'd never had cause to fathom the depths of what Andrea was now contemplating asking.

Sharon eyed her friend with amusement. It didn't require Einstein's intelligence to deduce what was going on in Andrea's head. Her eyes gave her away. To anyone else, her wine swirling and wry smile would be imperceptible clues. To Sharon they were amusing, but futile, attempts at subterfuge. Andrea wanted to know something. They'd discussed Andrea's love life (and, at times, the lack thereof) at length and in depth, regularly over the course of their friendship, but there had never been anything to tell on the flip side of that coin. She knew her friend suspected, but needed confirmation, and she felt a nanosecond of guilt for making Andrea suffer just because it amused her to hold back.

Her eyes wandered past her friend, and landed behind her on a barely visible mark, low on the wall beside the front door. A mark she'd made herself only the night before. A mark that made her heart race just looking at it.

Noting her change of focus, Andrea looked over her own shoulder and back to Sharon with eyebrows arched in an unspoken "what?". Sharon blushed, and cursed internally as she felt the flush fill her cheeks, and imagined the shade of crimson that had crept up her neckline as she had begun replaying those first few moments from last night in her mind before being interrupted by the wide-eyed and far too inquisitive, Andrea.

"Are you BLUSHING?" Andrea inquired with a look that said she had never even considered it possible.
"Don't be ridiculous. What on Earth would I be blushing for?" "You tell me! Clearly there is a whole facet of your personality I'm not yet familiar with!" Andrea answered, looking more than a little bit puzzled.
"Nobody knows me like you do Andrea. What could you possibly not know?" Sharon asked her, careful not to make eye contact, knowing that if she did, the flush would rise again.
"Well," said Andrea, as she dipped her head low enough to catch the eyes avoiding hers "I don't know what in God's name is on the wall behind me that just had you off with the pixies, and blushing like a Catholic nun who's been into the sacramental wine".

And there it was. The full flush rose again, up her neck and into her cheeks, for the world to see.

"See that little mark on the wall, right beside the door?" Sharon asked. "One of my heels hit the wall as I was taking my shoes off last night. End of story. No big deal. I just happened to glance at it when you were talking and it reminded me I need to see if I can wipe it off."

Andrea's eyes narrowed to two slits. "Where was Rusty last night Sharon?"
"Burger night with Provenza. I railroaded Buzz into going with them to referee. He decided to crash on Grumpy's couch for the night and come home later today. Why?" Sharon returned her question with one of her own.
Andrea chuckled, without widening her eyes a millimetre. "How, EXACTLY, did your heel make contact with said wall?" she asked. "And before you answer me, remember that although I'm no expert in forensic science, I am no idiot either."
Sharon opened her mouth to answer, but when nothing short of her best retort would do, and that retort was not immediately forthcoming, she closed it again.

"You know, the more evasive you are, the more I am determined to pry the lid off Pandora's box right?" Andrea persisted.
"Are you going to tell me who he is, or are we going to play 20 questions?"

Sharon's stubborn streak reached full throttle. She stared Andrea down, but a sneaky smile played around the corners of her lips. She glanced again at the wall, and remembered the desperate struggle to get through the door to lock it. She remembered the smell of his aftershave and the way his hands felt against her skin. She remembered how little she cared when the heel of her shoe grazed the plaster of the wall as he pushed her back against it.

Andrea's snapping fingers in front of her face brought her back to reality.
"I can't tell you who he is Andrea" she laughed as her friend's face fell into a frown. "We work with him".
Eyes widening into her trademark look, Andrea gave her the most wounded look she could muster. "Can't? or Won't? I will have it figured out in no time flat. That lot can't keep their mouths shut."
Sharon laughed, and started to clear the glasses from the table. "Let me know how that goes Andrea" she said, as she all but floated into the kitchen.