A little quality time
The movie was a bust but the reasons were not really to watch the film as it was a means to open up and remember what it was like to be a normal individual without it being a part of the job. The normally stoic and cold agent needed this time just as much as the divorced housewife need the reassurance that she wasn't just a pawn in a larger game. Sheldon didn't have to hear her say it in order to know that Sandra was clouded by secrets and lies. An ironic turn of events for Sheldon is an understatement.
They both agreed to spend the rest of the day in with a few beers and order in Chinese. He hardly orders in but he made an exception since most likely she wasn't up to cooking and he wasn't about to impose on her any more than he felt he was doing in the first place.
He listened to the directions as she gave them and drove to her house. On the radio played a mixture of pop and rock softly through the speakers on the drive. The smell of asphalt in the California sun permeated his senses along with the scent of the vegetation on the yards and along the highway. He made sure that he was still in close contact with Sandra with a soft glance here and there to let her know that he wasn't ignoring her and he was very aware that she was guarded for a very good reason.
The same routine applied. Don't do anymore than what's necessary. Leave it to time to make the path and open the doors. It helped that he wasn't working a case and his next check-in didn't have to be made for another 24 hours. And just as he pulled into the drive, his phone beeped. Pulling it free from his pocket, he answered it with Sandra still in the car. "Sands."
A momentary pause and furrowed brow came from the seasoned agent. "You're kidding me." Another pause and a smirk. "Pass it on to someone else. I'm on leave for seventy-two hours." A slight pause before he responded again. "No, I'm not kidding. Pass it on to someone else. I just told you that I'm on leave and I'm not changing my plans."
He rolled his eyes and pulled the phone away from his ear slightly while giving a rather bored expression. "No. I have rank. If I wanted it, I would have stated that fact now I'm ordering you to pass it on to someone else, savvy?"
There was a brief pause and a click. "That's better." Sheldon closed his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. "An agent's work is never done." He sighed. He had some explaining to do and the timing was just about perfect.