Disclaimer: The Sentinel and its characters are the property of Pet Fly Productions

To my bestest buddy, Neese. A big thank you goes to Diane (DJ), without her beta skills this would never have made it. I'm a stubborn writer and any remaining mistakes are mine. A special thanks to TAE for her help with a bad case of writer's block. To Fess, who's comments always gets my muse working ;0)

Rating/warning: R

Category: Drama/Romance

Spoiler: Can Simon and Andy triumph over a sudden loss.

Please let me know what you think. E-mail me at ROBGAG@aol.com

Sequel to Vacation, A Fresh Start,
The Journey Begins and Strength to Continue,
The Start of Something New, A Curve in the Road

The Honeymoon
By Robin from Florida

 

**Epilogue from A Curve in the Road**

The next day found Andy...Mrs. Banks in a wheelchair with a small duffel bag on the bed waiting for her husband to come pick her up and take her home.

She was fumbling with the sling holding her left arm secure. When she looked up and found two dark, beautiful men standing in her doorway, she smiled brightly and the two men grinned back.

"Are you ready?" the younger man asked, bouncing into the room and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Darryl went around the back of the chair and started pushing her towards the door.

She looked up at the man still standing in the doorway. He placed both hands on either armrest stopping the wheelchair. He leaned down and gave his wife a long slow kiss.

Darryl smiled but had to look away. It was way too corny for him. He spotted her duffel bag and grabbed it. Looking back, he saw that they were still kissing.

"Come on, Dad. Can't you wait until you get home?" the young man whined. "God this is so embarrassing," he mumbled, still looking at his parents.

Simon ended the kiss when he couldn't keep the smile from his face. He gave her a quick kiss and then looked at his bride. "Just until I get you home," he promised with an arched eyebrow.

Blushing, she said "Your aim is perfect, my husband."

"Yours too, Mrs. Banks." He gave her another kiss.

Simon stepped back a few paces out into the hallway to make room for the wheelchair.

"Come on, Mom. Let's get you home." Darryl exclaimed pushing his new stepmother out the door.

**

Ellison fumbled for the offending phone, answering it with a sleep husky voice, "Ellison".

"Jim, it's Connor. You need to get to Simon's place in a hurry."

"Why? What's going on?" he asked, listening to the background noise coming from the phone. There was a deep roaring sound and a hissing of water under pressure. Oh, shit a fire. He thought, rolling out of bed searching frantically for a pair of jeans.

"It's Simon's house. It's burning out of control. Hurry, Jim," she pleaded before hanging up.

Jim was hopping into a pair of jeans when he glanced at his alarm clock, which read 3:30 am.

"Damn," he cursed quietly. "Sandburg," he bellowed, "Get up right now! Simon's place is burning!"

"What?" came a sleepy reply.

"Simon's house is on fire!" he informed, pulling a sweater over his head as he bolted down the stairs.

Jim was pulling on his shoes when Blair came out of his bedroom, shirt hanging open, hair tie hanging out of his mouth, while he ran his hands through his hair quickly tying it back.

"Are they all right?" Blair questioned sliding into his shoes.

"I don't know," Jim replied, shoving his partner's jacket at him.

**

Upon arriving, the Sentinel used his enhanced hearing to check for any heartbeats in the house.

He found none.

**

Four hours later found arson investigators picking through the still smoldering remains of the Captain of Major Crimes' house.

Stepping over yet another piece of smoldering debris, Jim spotted something out of place. "Chief?" he called to the Fire Chief, who was inspecting another pile of burnt debris. The nickname brought Blair to his partner's side as well.

The Fire Chief turned to see the detective squat and gently push part of the ceiling to the side. He carefully made his way over to Ellison and looking over the bent man's shoulder and found what he feared most in all fires.

Corpses.

Two corpses.

Holding each other in an eternal embrace. The bodies burnt beyond all recognition.

"Oh, God. No!" Sandburg denied, turning away from a scene that would be forever etched in his brain. He stumbled towards the truck, fighting desperately to hold back his tears and to hold down the coffee he'd had recently.

So lost in his struggle he didn't see a young black man riding his bike towards the remains of the house. He turned when he heard the scream.

A scream of denial. A scream of horror.

He watched helplessly as the teen jumped off his bike, throwing it and his weekend duffel bag to the ground and running towards the men carrying a body bag out of the ashes.

Jim managed to catch the kid before he got to the morgue attendants.

"No, no, Dad, no." Darryl wept, weakly struggling against the man holding him. When his knees gave out, Jim gently lowered the crying teen to the ground never letting go of him.

**

48 hours later.

Bessie turned onto the street, which lead to their house that they now shared as husband and wife.

A quiet "Oh my God", brought Andy from the bed in back to see what her husband was looking at.

"Oh no." She shook her head in denial at the sight of the burnt ruins of their home.

Simon pulled Bessie to the curb, climbed over the hump of the motor and followed Andy out of the RV.

Their closer inspection only brought the utter devastation to better focus. There was nothing! Absolutely nothing left of the house. It had burnt to the foundation. The cars parked in front of the empty space that used to be the garage were in remarkably good shape. They looked a little water logged but didn't look the worst for the ware.

Simon just shook his head, his mind thinking of all the wonderful memories the house held. Watching his son grow up. The marks of his growth marked on the frame of his son's bedroom door. The studying and watching sports they did in the den. The meals they cooked and shared in the kitchen. The night he had made love to the woman standing next to him.

He looked down to find Andy looking up at him with unshed tears. She was remembering too.

Andy stepped behind her husband when she could not look at the charred remains any longer. She pressed her body against his back and slipped her arm around his middle. The small woman splayed her hand against his stomach and held him as tightly as she could. Trying to give her mate the support he would need to get through this latest challenge.

Simon, the man, placed his hand over his wife's; while Simon, the detective, took in the scene. The yellow crime scene tape let him know that this was not a simple house fire but something more sinister.

With a gentle squeeze to her hand she pulled him a little closer. She wished she could wrap both her arms around her husband but the sling and her shoulder would not allow such a move. She had to settle for squeezing their threaded fingers.

Simon gently pulled her arm so she would come around him so he could hold her in his arms.

When she was in front of him he kissed her forehead, acknowledging her effort. Then stated calmly, "Let's go to the station and find out what happened here." Gently steering Andy back to Bessie.

**

As the elevator doors opened on the floor housing Major Crimes, Andy slipped her hand into her husband's, knowing that they both needed the extra comfort of the other.

Simon gave her a sad smile, squeezed her hand and headed into the bullpen.

They got half way to Ellison's desk when a whispered "Ohmigod" and a thump of a body hitting the floor startled the men and women working in the bullpen.

Half the people found Rhonda, the Captain's secretary crumpled on the ground beside her desk. The other half found the ghosts of their dead captain and his wife standing in the middle of the bullpen.

"Simon!" Blair bounced out of Jim's chair after blinking several times to make sure he was in fact looking at the real thing. "Oh man, we thought you were dead." He gave Simon a quick hug then moved onto Andy for the same treatment.

Before Simon or Andy could react, the sound of a ceramic mug hitting the floor brought everyone's attention to the side door where a stunned detective Ellison stood rooted to the spot. A murmured "Andy?" then the detective was in motion. He was heading to the men's room at break neck speed.

Letting go of his hand then patted his arm, Andy asked, "Simon, let me go to him?"

He nodded his agreement.

She limped after Sandburg who was already following his partner.

Simon held open his office door to let Rafe and Brown carry Rhonda into his office to gently place her on the couch.

**

"Blair? Let me go in alone. Please?" Her words stopping him at the door to the men's room where the sound of someone retching was coming from.

He nodded and they waited until the sound of running water was heard.

Andy gently knocked on the door before entering.

Jim was standing with his back to the sink wiping his hands on some paper towels. He discarded the paper towels and stepped towards the woman standing next to the door.

"I..." he stopped and swallowed hard. "I couldn't save you." He swallowed again as the helplessness washed over him as he remembered watching his friends' house, burn out of control. He reached out and touched her face with his fingertips, his eyes still not believing that she was standing in front of him.

She placed her hand over his and smiled up at him. "We're fine, Jim. We're safe and sound." She let go of his hand after feeling it shake with pent up emotions and slipped her arm around his waist pulling him closer.

He slipped his arms around his friend and rested his head on her shoulder. His nose confirmed what his eyes and hands were telling him. That the woman that had saved his life, the woman he'd failed to save in return was still alive and well held safely in his embrace.

Jim gave her a gentle squeeze, kissed her cheek then reluctantly let her go. "Thanks."

"Anytime." She nodded as she stepped through the door he held for her.

"Jim?" Blair questioned as the two exited the bathroom.

"I'm fine, Chief. Just very surprised." He reassured, patting his friend's back for confirmation.

When the trio got to the captain's office they found Simon's arm around a sniffling Rhonda's shoulders, and speaking quietly to the distraught woman.

Through the sniffling and sobbing Simon finally understood what she was saying.

"We thought you were dead. When they found the bodies, we thought they were you and Andy."

"Bodies?" Simon looked up at his men standing in the doorway.

Jim nodded and started relaying the details of the case as it stood so far. The bodies had not been identified, and that it was definitely arson. They were going through his old cases and were waiting on test results for more leads.

"Where were you?" Rhonda asked, around the Kleenex she was using to dry her face. "Why didn't you let us know you were alright before now?"

Briefly looking around the room at the anxious faces of the people he worked with, he looked at his wife, a small smile ghosted across his face before he turned to his secretary and answered. "We were at the cabin, on a weekend honeymoon. When we got home from the hospital the phone started ringing. So before the press started showing up we decided to get away for a couple of days."

He looked up to find his wife smiling as she remembered the last few days up at the cabin with her lover all to her self. She smiled at the memories of the lazy days lying by the stream while Simon fished for dinner and the long nights by the roaring fire cuddling and kissing.

Andy's sight drifted from her husband absently patting his secretary's shoulder to stare unseeing out the window behind him. Something was bothering her but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Then it hit her.

She looked back at the conversation. "When was the fire?" she asked urgently.

"Friday night at 3:30 am." Blair answered knowing that he would never forget it.

Her increase in breathing and the worried look she gave her husband got Simon to his wife's side in moments. "What?" he questioned.

"Darryl?" she breathed.

"Oh dear Lord," he hissed, heading for the door. His only thought, his son thinking he was dead.

"Simon!" she yelled after her fleeing husband. "Wait! I'm coming too!" She limped after him cursing her hip for slowing her down.

She caught him frantically waiting for the elevator. "Simon, calm down. Do you want Jim to drive us there? We want to arrive alive." She touched her lover's arm. "Simon?"

He looked at his wife's worried face and took a deep breath. He smiled and tried to calm his racing heart. "You're right. I'll be fine to drive. I just want to get to my son."

"We will, Simon. We will." She smiled again at the loving father.

**

Joan Banks, Simon's ex-wife's house needed some work. It needed a good paint job and a good carpenter. The front steps looked fine but the railing on the right side was missing and without it Andy would not be able to follow her husband inside. Growing weary from the walk to the house and all the excitement, Andy settled for sitting at the bottom of the steps and waiting for her husband to return and help her into the house.

Deep in thought about her kitchen dining room set. It was the only furniture that she brought to her new home. It had wonderful memories and one of the few pieces that made the move from Florida with her. She noticed with a start that her husband was standing in front of her with a frown.

Looking up from her position on the stairs she gave him a curious look. "Simon?"

"You can't manage to come into my ex-wife's house? You're...," he spat.

"Hold it right there!" She grabbed the hand railing and pulled herself up. Unfortunately she over balanced and almost fell off the first step.

Simon caught her and placed her back on her feet.

Andy pushed away from her husband, knowing she had to get this situation under control before feelings got hurt. Mainly hers.

"Simon, if you haven't noticed, the railing on the other side of the steps is missing and without it there's no way I can make it up the steps. I want to see my stepson and I don't care where he is. I just can't make it..." a tender finger to her lips stopped any further explanation.

Simon whispered, "I'm sorry." He smiled apologetically at her, while removing his finger.

"I love you," she whispered back.

Further conversation was interrupted with the squeal of tires, announcing the press was hot on the trail of the very newsworthy Banks'.

Having a flashback of the last news conference she attended, Andy groaned "not again".

Simon swept his bride into his arms, knowing it was the fastest way to the closest haven, Joan's house.

**

Joan quietly observed the drama unfolding in the front spare bedroom.

Her son's back was to her on the bed where her ex-husband's new wife lay. His head was pressed tightly to her chest. Andy's good arm stroking his head while crooning, "sshh, it's okay, we're both okay," while her son wept.

**

Waking in the now darkened room, Andy gently swung her legs off the bed. Her bladder and stomach were making it impossible to sleep any longer and forcing her to go in search of relief.

In her stocking feet with her trusty cane, she made her way down the dark hallway to the lighted room at the end. The voices got louder as she drew near. She recognized the sound of Joan's voice, but the words she was saying stopped her cold.

Andy stood in the shadows of the hallway leading into the kitchen. In the brightly lit kitchen, two uniformed police officers sat at a small kitchen table on the right side of the room, each with a coffee cup in front of them, while Joan busied herself putting away dishes on the left. In the middle, was a screen door that probably led to the backyard.

Joan turned her back to the hallway doorway to address the men in her kitchen. "I can't believe he married her. First time she's scared, she forgets who he is then he loses his house because of her..."

A sharp gasp from the backdoor, turned everyone attention to find Blair at the backdoor with his hand frozen on the doorknob, staring with horror at the doorway into the hallway.

Before turning around to see what damage her careless words had done, Joan closed her eyes briefly and prayed. She turned around in time to see Andy turn around and head back down the hallway. Once Andy had moved out of the way, Joan could see her son standing in the doorway of his room, looking at her with such disappointment, it made her cringe.

Suddenly time unfroze and Blair was in motion. He was through the backdoor and into the hallway before Joan could get her legs to move. Her son stepped back into his room and shut the door.

"Andy?" Blair huffed, coming to a stop in the doorway of the spare bedroom.

He watched as the young woman carefully slipped her feet into her shoes by the bed. She then smoothed out the bed and adjusted the pillows so that the bed looked undisturbed. Andy then grabbed her coat and turned towards the door.

Blair understood the sadness and hurt he saw in his friend's face. He also recognized the determination and stepped out of her way as she made her way to the front door.

Blair trailed behind her all the way to Bessie. He was a little surprised that she had managed to walk right past the press stationed on the lawn. However, Simon was trying to answer their questions, which took their attention away from the limping figure.

**

Simon took a deep breath trying to calm down. He had just spent the last hour calming his son. His ex-wife had done it again. She had managed to hurt Andy and his son with her careless words and actions. And now he had to try and help Andy.

He took another deep breath and quietly unlocked and entered Bessie.

He found a darken interior, the only light was coming from a small votive candle sitting on the stovetop. It illuminated the dinette area but only cast shadows on the small bed in the back of the RV. Simon carefully lifted the candle and carried it to the back and placed it on the fold out wall shelf over the foot of the bed.

Simon quietly undressed and slid in behind his wife. She was sleeping on her uninjured side using a pillow to rest her arm and leg on. It should be her "Simon pillow" as she often called him, but he didn't want to disturb her sleep. He gently slipped his arm over her torso and pressed himself along her back.

The warmth along her back started the still tender area to send messages to her subconscious bringing with it the nightmares of her kidnapping. She was soon caught in the grip of that terrible time.

Her begging and whimpering woke Simon. He began talking to her calmly trying to rescue her from the nightmare that held her. Simon gently rolled her towards him only getting her half way onto her back. The bed was just too small to allow more.

"Sshh, baby. It's okay. You're safe. You're safe, Honey," he cooed.

"Simon?"

"Yes, baby it's me." He kissed her lightly on her sweaty brow.

The bed was kind of small but the last thing that came to her mind was the impromptu honeymoon. "Simon, are we at the cabin?"

"No, sweetheart. We're in Bessie." Simon watched her expressions change in the dim light of the candle as her memory came back. He knew the moment she remembered his ex's words and the hurt in her face and eyes broke his heart. Her chin began to quiver and the tears started.

He pulled the pillow away from the wall and deftly climbed over his wife. He pulled the crying woman into his embrace, tucking her head safely under his chin, and held on.

As the sobbing subsided, he could hear her speaking.

"I can't do this anymore. I just can't." She was shaking her head with her words.

"Ssh, it's alright."

"No. No." She repeated as she lifted her head up and pulled back to look at him. "No, Simon it's not alright." Seeing her hurt reflected in her husband's eye, she questioned, "How, Simon? How can her words hurt as much as what they did to me?" She lowered her head to his chest as the tears came again.

He just shook his head at a loss of comforting words. All he could do was stroke her hair from her temple to the back of her scalp, and place tiny kisses on her forehead.

"I want to go back," she mumbled into his shirt. "I can't stay here."

"Honey, the cabin is too far to try tonight. We'll get a hotel room tomorrow. We'll be fine right here for tonight."

"No, Simon. I want to go back to Florida, or anywhere else but here. I don't care. I just don't want to stay here anymore. I can't." She clung to his t-shirt, needing his closeness. Needing him as she told him she was going to leave him. She knew he would never leave his job or son for her. She would never ask him to. As strongly as she knew that she could not go on like this. The pain, the nightmares and the heartache were wearing her down. She just didn't have any fight left in her. "I'm sorry."

He continued to stroke her hair from her temple to the back of her scalp, and placing tiny kisses on her forehead as she calmed and, he thought, fell asleep.

Sleep did not come to Simon. He lay awake, caressing and holding his wife, his mind busy thinking of all the things he had to do before he left Cascade with his mate.

Whenever she experienced a nightmare, Simon would keep it from coming back by talking softly to her. It didn't matter what he said it was just his voice that kept the terror away. This time being no different then the others, he started talking.

Andy was listening.

Simon spoke of his plans; resigning from his job, getting a new one, letting his son know his plans and how when he found out where they were going to end up, he would make sure that Darryl got a plane ticket any time he wanted to visit. He talked himself out of selling the cabin; speaking of how he would let the men he used to work with use it. Stating that he couldn't give up the fishing and the vacations that could still be enjoyed.

As he talked his hands continued to hold and comfort. Running his hand softly down her back to her thigh. He lifted her leg behind the knee and gently draped it over his lower hip, unconsciously trying to comfort his beloved.

Andy could not suppress a low moan at the movement of her hip.

"Sorry, honey," Simon mumbled.

"S'kay." She looked up into the soft brown eyes of the man she knew she would love forever. How could she ever think she could leave him? He was willing to give up his career, his friends, even seeing his son regularly for her. How?

The answer was simple...she couldn't.

Not unless she was willing to be miserable the rest of her days. And she wasn't ready to endure that.

"Go back to sleep. We have to get started early tomorrow," Simon suggested. "There are a lot of arrangements we need to make before we leave."

"Leave? We?"

"Yes, we. You don't think that you can leave me behind do you? You know that I would only track you down. Then do everything in my power to convince you to let me stay with you."

"We're not going anywhere," she said quietly.

"You're leaving me?" he questioned, his insecurities heard clearly in his voice.

"NO. No. Oh, Simon. No. I just...I just can't ask you to do that, Simon." She slipped her arm under him and pulled him a little closer. "And I can't leave you either. I guess we have to stay." Although she was not happy with the prospect of staying in this unpleasant town, she knew there was no other place she would rather be. She gave him another smile then leaned up and gave him a kiss.

As he held his wife close, Simon realized how close he had come to losing something so precious to him. He squeezed her a little tighter. "I love you," he kissed her gently then settled down for a night of being his heart's "Simon pillow". A service he provided gladly.

**

Simon woke to soft fingers brushing his face and tender kisses on his lips. "What a way to start the day," he thought.

A soft chuckle announced that the kisser knew the kissee was awake.

"Hey, my love. Are you going to open those beautiful brown eyes? Or are you going to sleep the day away?" a soft voice whispered in his ear as the kisses moved from his jaw to his ear.

Purring, he said, "I'll give you all day to stop that."

Chuckling, she gave her husband a long wet lick across his neck.

Wide-awake, he rolled his giggling bedmate under him and growled, "Pay back's a bitch," before nipping her ear.

He had just gotten her top button unbuttoned when a knock on Bessie's door announced that reality was slipping back into their lives.

Giving a frustrated growl, he crawled off the bed and got his robe out of the closet.

Turning back to his wife he asked, "Do you need help getting up?"

"Yes." She held out her good hand. "Just help me sit up. I can do the rest." She smiled as Simon gently pulled on the proffered arm. "Thanks."

Dipping his head he gave his wife a slow gentle kiss, then turned and closed the curtain separating the sleeping area from the dining area.

"Come on, Dad. You can't still be asleep, it's almost 8:00 a.m.", came the voice that accompanied the renewed knocking.

"Why aren't you in school?" questioned the older man.

"Mom said I could stay home today since I didn't sleep very well last night." The young man at the sidewalk replied a little sadly.

Seeing his son's sadness he softened, "Sorry, come on in." He reached down and pushed the button to extend the step.

"Thanks." The young man bounded up the stairs and gave his dad a tight but brief hug.

After letting his father go, he noticed the drawn curtain and quickly looked away. He found the sink area empty and understood why his parent was grumpy. He opened the cabinet under the sink and found the coffee maker neatly stored underneath. He found the filters and coffee next to the pot and carefully measured the coffee into the filter.

His father sat at the dinette and watched his son with a smile on his face. "So you're drinking coffee now?" he asked trying to keep the laughter out of his voice.

"What?" came the startled voice from behind the curtain. "You better not be drinking that stuff!" She opened the curtain, ready to start an argument even before she'd had her first cup.

"No way, man. That stuff is gross!" the young man denied.

"Wait until you're a little older. You won't think it's so gross."

The young man gave his parents a disgusted look and they all broke into laughter.

A little envious of the laughter coming from the RV in her front yard, Joan made a fatal mistake of opening Bessie's door and walking into the RV without being invited. "What's going on in here?" she asked as her head came into view.

Andy saw red.

The woman she despised the most in the world at this point in time was standing in HER motor home acting like nothing had happened the night before.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY PLACE!" Andy roared at the thoughtless woman.

The two men in the RV could only look on in shock as Andy blew passed them on her way to the door.

In the few steps it took Andy to cover the distance, Joan had managed to back out of the RV to what she thought was the safety of her front yard.

Little did she know that she had just unleashed a side of Andrea Cartwright no one in Cascade had ever seen before.

Slamming the RV's door behind her, trying to shield her husband and stepson from seeing a side of her that she would not want to show them, she glared at the woman in front of her.

Andy started with the woman's IQ and heritage, then on to her mental state when she divorced. She then managed to let the stunned woman know her thoughts on how she thought she was raising her son. And how Andy wished she would ever get that lucky to have a son like Darryl.

She ended her tirade with more choice words that if they ever crossed paths again they would be scraping her off the road with shovels. Andy had managed the entire tirade without calling the woman in front of her by her given name and using just about every four-letter word Ellison had ever heard. Jim's drill sergeant from basic training could get some pointers from Andy.

Jim and Blair had driven up as Andy shot out of Bessie's side door.

They had witnessed the dressing down without a sound and without moving away from the truck.

Simon and Darryl were just as quiet and just as unmoving watching the spectacle from the window over the sink.

Joan finally got some common sense and turned away from the woman in front of her. She walked calmly away from the RV and the woman to try and find shelter in her house.

Andy took a calming breath as she watched the woman walk away. She hoped she would never see that woman again. But also knew, that probably won't be the case. Feeling her hip throbbing from the exertion it wasn't ready for she turned and stumbled back to Bessie's side. Using her arm to hold herself upright, she lowered her head to take more breaths, to help calm her before she dealt with the fallout from her outburst. She couldn't remember the last time she had done something like that. Then she remembered the beer bottle and the answering machine. She started laughing, thinking that that was a lifetime ago.

When her shoulders started shaking, Ellison's feet were in motion. "Andy, are you okay?" he asked when he got to her side.

She jumped at the unexpected voice but recovered and answered. "Yea, I'm okay, I think?" She gave the two men beside her a small smile. It turned into a frown when she realized that they had witnessed her outburst. Looking up at the kitchen window, she found the other two men looking a little unsettled, her body started to shake.

"Andy, let me help you back into Bessie." Before she could answer, Ellison had scooped her up into his arms and Sandburg had the door open.

Standing on the bottom step, Jim lifted Andy up into her husband's waiting arms. Simon turned and carried her back into the sleeping area.

"Darryl, why don't you come out here with us?" Blair suggested from outside the RV.

"Sure, okay." Darryl stated absently.

Simon sat on the bed with his wife safely in his arms.

"I guess I don't need coffee to get me started in the morning after all," she stated from her comfortable seat in her husband's lap.

"I guess not," he agreed cautiously.

"I'm so sorry, Simon. I never wanted you to see this side of me." She pressed her face into his shoulder.

"Just like I didn't want to fail to keep you safe." He ran his hand gently down her back.

Squeezing him a little tighter. "I guess we have to take the good with the bad."

He smiled and squeezed her back. "Isn't that what marriage is all about...the good with the bad?"

"For better or worse?"

"For better or worse," he agreed, letting her go a little so he could look into her face. "I love you my wildcat." He watched as her eyes grew wide and her face turned a beautiful pink color. He smiled and kissed his beloved.

The kiss was broken by a knock on Bessie's door.

**

Daryl had gone into the house to check on his mother while Jim was seated on the outside of the dinette with Blair squashed in beside him. Simon and Andy were on the other side of the small table. Each had a cup of coffee in front of them.

"So what have you got?" the captain questioned.

"The identity of the people in the fire." Jim nodded to Blair, who produced a folder from his ever-present backpack.

Banks accepted the folder and scanned the contents. "Gordon?" he questioned not understanding the information.

"Check her maiden name." Jim hinted, supplying the final clue.

"Jesus," his only comment. "Have you verified the identifications?" He wanted to be sure there were no mistakes.

"Yes, sir. We have dental evidence that corroborates it."

"What was her maiden name?" Andy asked from her side of the table not really wanting to know, but knew it was important.

"Patricia and Jerry Gordon," Simon read from the file. "Patricia's maiden name was Thorson."

"Oh, god. No!" she shook her head in denial. "No more! Oh please, no more."

The rest of her comments were muffled as her face was tightly pressed to her husband's chest.

After she calmed down, she looked to her friends across the table and as quietly. "How?"

Ellison gave her a sad smile and started his report of what they knew.

"Either Billy or Daniel got a hold of their sister and her not too bright husband. If they couldn't get to you they would get to your home. Evidently the husband didn't know a thing about arson and they were trapped in the fire."

"I want to know how they got a message to her," the captain commanded.

"Simon, it's not that hard to talk to a prisoner. You just have to wait for visiting hours. We're still checking on their visitors," Blair stated.

"Even if they didn't have contact, it could have been a backup plan if they were caught," Jim added.

"We need more information." Looking at his wife, "Honey, I've got to go to work. Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"I don't really want to stay here. Can you drive Bessie to our house?" She looked hopefully at her husband, as he quickly got ready for work. Luckily he had a good shirt and pair of slacks in the closet, in case they decided to go to a nice restaurant.

"You can pick up your car," she added when he seamed to falter.

"Are you sure you want to go back there?" he asked.

"I'm sure."

"Okay," he reluctantly agreed.

Jim and Blair took that as their cue to leave. "Simon, we'll meet you at the station," Ellison said as they exited Bessie.

"I should be there in about an hour," replied Simon.

**

Andy broke from her daydreams of the house she thought she would share for years with her husband. All that remained now was the foundation. She knew she didn't want to spend another night in Bessie. Not that she mined, but Simon was just too big for the little bed in the back. She also knew that he would not be able to take any time off until their "honeymoon" which was still a couple of months away.

She reached into the pocket behind the driver's seat and retrieved her address book and let her fingers do the walking.

**

"Ellison"

"Hey Jim, is Simon there?"

"Hey Andy, no, Simon's in a meeting." Jim paused when he picked up her too fast heartbeat. "What's up? You sound upset?"

"No, just a little disappointed."

"Disappointed? About what?" concern clear in his voice.

"Well, I got a place, but the storage company where I have my stuff stored doesn't have the manpower until tomorrow to bring the stuff to the apartment.

"Do they have a truck?"

"Yes, but they don't have any guys. They had some kind of scheduling problem and can't get here till tomorrow."

"Don't worry. I'll get the guys to help. We should be there about 6:00."

"No, no, you can't, Simon will have a fit!"

"Look, Simon will not have a fit. Besides the guys have been dying to do something for the two of you. Just think of it as a wedding present."

"Are you sure?"

"Not to worry. What's the address?"

**

"She said the key would be under the mat, Simon," Jim stated over the box in his arms.

Simon nodded in acknowledgement, lifted the new "welcome" mat and retrieved the key in question.

When Jim had told him where Andy was, he could only smile and shake his head. She had gone back to her first landlord and gotten an apartment in the same complex she had first moved into when she arrived in Cascade all those months ago.

He carefully opened the door to find an apartment exactly like her first one. Although this one was a little darker and colder since the electricity wasn't on.

It was set up very similar to Jim's loft. On the right side of the room was the kitchen with one lone candle lighting the area. An empty area for the dining room with a hallway leading to the two bedrooms and bathroom was on the other side of the small kitchen island. The stairs that led to the loft only held a solid bare wall.

On the left side of the room sat a wide empty space with a balcony at the far end. A small bundle of bedding sat in front of the flickering fireplace.

As he placed the key on the countertop, there was a thump and the lights in the kitchen came on. He opened the door wider to let the rest of Major Crimes into his new home.

He went over to the bundle in front of the fireplace and found only the top of her head sticking out of the bedding. He resisted the urge to touch her for fear of waking her. Instead, he went to the thermostat and turned the heat on.

Rhonda and Megan followed the sofa into the apartment carrying bags of groceries. They quickly inspected the kitchen area and found bags with bathroom and kitchen supplies. They quietly set about setting up the bathroom with a new shower curtain and rugs.

The kitchen shelving papering job was interrupted when the bed was brought in. New bedding was found in the bedroom along with a laundry basket of freshly laundered clothes. Simon recognized them as the clothing they had worn on their honeymoon.

Honeymoon? Simon thought it had happened so long ago. When in fact it had been less then 48 hours.

After the bedroom was finished, Simon went to the bundle in front of the fireplace. He knelt down and gently rolled his wife onto her back. "Honey?" he whispered.

"Humph," came her reply.

"Honey?" he tried again.

"Simon?"

"Yes." He smiled at the sleepy face that emerged from the pile of bedding. "Come on. I'm going to move you to the bed. Okay?"

"Humph," came her reply.

He chuckled as he slid one arm under her knees and the other under her back. With a small grunt, he lifted the sleeping woman and all the bedding into his arms and carried her to their bedroom. He gently placed her on the right side of the bed (her side) and pulled the coverings over her. After giving her a kiss on her forehead, he left the room leaving the door cracked open so she wouldn't wake to a dark room she wouldn't recognize.

As the last of the boxes were placed in the spare room, a young man in a cable company uniform, knocked on the door frame.

"I'm here to hook up the cable for the," he consulted his clipboard "the Banks' residence." He looked hopefully at Rhonda who was finishing up the last cupboard.

"Simon?" she called as he came out of the bedroom.

"I'm sure the TV will go somewhere over there." He indicated the area next to the fireplace.

The young man nodded and began his work at the indicated outlet.

"Hey Simon, all you need is cable and we can catch the game on TV." Joel joked around the large TV in his arms."

"I think we just need a table and we'll be in business." He indicated the young man hooking a box to the end of the cable in his hand.

"Oh great! I can check the connection." The cable guy announced, upon seeing the TV appear.

Brown entered the living room from the spare room with a folding table in his hand. "I think this will work, Captain?" He fumbled with the table for a few minutes then set it by the cable guy so Joel could place the TV on it.

"All we need is pizza and beer and we'll be all set." Rafe supplied, carrying the last of the grocery bags from Megan's car.

"Well I found the beer." Megan announced, looking into a cooler sitting on the floor next to the refrigerator. "I hope she didn't carry this up here by herself?"

"No, I helped her with it." A deep baritone voice announced from the still opened front door. "Mr. Banks?" He surveyed the group in the apartment. When his eye fell on the tall black man standing in the living room, his mind finally knew why he had recognized his new neighbor.

"Yes?"

"I'm Rick, your new neighbor. Welcome to the neighborhood." He extended his hand, which was briskly shaken. "These must be your men?"

"My men? Do I know you?" The captain questioned the stranger.

"No, but I do read the paper and listen to the news." The young man answered easily. He was almost as tall as Jim but thinner. He had dark hair and a small mustache. Quite handsome if the looks Megan and Rhonda were casting in the man's direction, were any indication.

"Andy asked me to call for pizza when you and your men arrived." He looked at his watch. "Should be here any time now. She said she would leave the money on the counter."

They turned to find Rhonda holding the money.

"Pizza delivery." Brought everyone's hungry attention to the door, where a delivery boy held several large pizza boxes.

The exchange was made; paper plates dealt out and en masse the gang headed for the living room and the game quietly playing on the TV.

Simon remembering his manners asked his new neighbor, "Would you like to stay, there's more than enough." He indicated the array of boxes.

"Sure, just not the vegetarian pizza." He shuddered visibly. "Who is Blair, anyway?" he questioned, looking around at the big guys huddled around the TV, the very epitome of testosterone.

"I am," Blair stated around a mouthful of vegetarian pizza.

The glare from the large man sitting next to him changed Rick's mind about any further comments. "Just checking. She threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't order a vegetarian pizza for Blair. She said she would never hear the end of you lecturing her on the lack of nutritional food value of pizza."

The room erupted in chuckles, which let him know he was welcome.

**

Andy's eyes fluttered open. She was feeling very warm and toasty. She knew her "Simon pillow" was the source of the warmth. She always loved waking in Simon's arms. He always managed to hold her throughout the night. She lifted her head to see her husband watching her sleep. She smiled at him and asked the standard question, "How long have you been watching me sleep?"

He matched her smile and answered with the standard answer. "Not long enough." They laughed together.

The End