Who: Sharon and Aramis When: Recently Where: The Agency What: Catching Up Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Sharon was back at work now, and that was great. She and Veronica were working side by side, and though she’d been a little worried they were going to get sick of one another, so far they were doing fine. Living and working with someone was a lot of time to spend together. But Sharon and Veronica made great friends. They gave each other space, but were supportive, encouraging, and understanding.
Viv was in the on-site child care, which made Sharon very happy. She could go down there to nurse several times a day, and she liked having her baby only a short ways away. (Also, Aramis and Porthos could see her whenever, too. Win-win.)
Speaking of Aramis, Sharon grabbed two cups of coffee, then headed toward his desk, looking for him. They had catching up to do.
After what seemed like non-stop vacationing, Aramis was back at work, too. He had hoped it would be a welcome distraction from everything else on his mind, but he found that it seemed to make things worse. Leading a double life, it turned out, was exhausting. At the very least, his friends were there, and Viv, who could brighten his day in a heartbeat.
He was in the midst of staring at his computer screen, fingers tapping restlessly on the desk, when he caught sight of Sharon out of the corner of his eye.
“That smells like Heaven,” Aramis said. He sat up, turning his chair around to take a cup from her, and also to wheel over an extra chair.
“Only the finest coffee from the far reaches of the break room,” Sharon teased, stepping further into the room so she could hand him over a cup. Then she slipped into the chair and sighed deeply. “Hey.” She said, once she was situated. A smile was resident on her lips, a glint in her eyes. Aramis was a good friend, and she liked being around him. “What’s up?”
“An unmistakable aroma.”
Aramis sipped at it, pleased to find it made up the way he liked it. He wasn’t surprised. Sharon was good with details. He gave her a shrug. “Not a whole lot. Just … Living the dream. You?”
Sharon chuckled. The chair she was sitting in swiveled, so she planted her feet in the ground and moved her knees back and forth, making the chair sway from side to side a little. She shrugged her shoulders, still holding her own coffee mug with both hands. “Nothing out of the ordinary. No bites on that website, by the way.” She offered.
“Pah. They’ve no idea what they’re missing out on.” Aramis snorted, but he hid his guilt well. He’d been feeling guilty about too many things lately, and Sharon’s loneliness was one of them. He’d made it very difficult for her to find someone to spend her life with. He set down his coffee cup and rubbed his forehead before pushing his hand through his hair.
“I’ve come to learn that happiness comes unexpectedly, when you’re not even looking for it. So try not to get too discouraged.”
Sharon chewed on that advice in her mind for a minute, then shook her head. “It’s not happiness that I’m searching for. I’ve got you, Athos, Porthos, D’Artagnan. I’ve got Peggy, and Veronica. I’ve got Logan and Leon and Chris. My life is full of people I love who love me in return.” She didn’t want him to think she was ungrateful. Her life was wonderfully full. She was passionate about her family, head over heels for their daughter. “I just… I don’t have that giddiness deep in my stomach at the thought of… you know?”
“I know.” Aramis gave her a smile, an attempt to reassure her and fill her with some confidence. He finished his coffee and stood up, taking her hand so she would follow. “Come on. A trip to the shooting range downstairs always perks me up. Loser has to buy the better shot lunch.” He winked and didn’t give her an option to say no, already on the way to the elevator.