"The Suspension…..One Night"

The snow was beginning to fall and Sam had just asked Andy if she wanted to try being normal together. Two nights ago before all this happened she had asked him if he ever wished they were normal. But tonight as usual Andy had more questions about how they were going to "do" being normal.

And as usual, Sam didn't have a plan, but Andy's smile grew after he answered her question with "I dunno…" because she no longer needed a plan.

"Hop in" Sam said. There was silence on the ride to Sam's house. Andy didn't need to ask where they were going, she already knew. They'd both been suspended and Frank was very disappointed in her, but for some reason he chose not to make the suspension official until 8:00 am – it was a little after midnight now. Andy glanced over at Sam worried about his bruises and the cast on his left hand. She could only imagine what he went through tonight at the hands of Jamie Brennan. But, she should have known he wouldn't blame her; he's always been fair and protective of her.

Sam was alone in his thoughts….. He had worried she wasn't going to get in the truck; he knew she was probably feeling guilty as hell about what happened. But at least Frank understood that they needed this time to be together and agreed to give them tonight before the suspension started, "but, he sure ripped me a new one in the interrogation room for seeing McNallly while undercover. After all I am the senior officer and should have known better!" Sam thought to himself feeling guilty for calling her. The snow had begun to fall heavily as they arrived at Sam house a short while later and again Andy started to say "Sam I…..", but Sam cut her off saying, "Let's get inside" as he got out of the truck quickly because he knew she was scared.

Andy was scared, she had been scared and feeling guilty for the last two days. As they walked up the steps to Sam's front door there was a bag of takeout on the top step with a note inside that simply read "Oliver, Jerry". Sam and Andy smiled nervously at each other. Knowing that it was late and Sam would not have any food in the house Jerry and Oliver must have ordered some dinner for them. He was grateful to his "brothers" for letting him know that even though he screwed up, they were still behind him.

Sam unlocked the door, turned on the light in the hallway and walked into the house towards the kitchen with Andy following behind him; once inside, they both felt some of the tension being released from their bodies. As Sam began to unpack the Chinese takeout, he asked "You hungry?" Andy had her back turned to him looking outside the window into the dark night and whispered "No." Hearing something in her voice Sam looked up at Andy, he could see her shoulders quivering, he quickly walked over to her and turned her towards him, tears where slowly rolling down her cheeks, "McNally!" he whispered. Andy pushed her face into his neck and began to cry, she had been holding it in for so long now trying to be strong. Sam wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair with his right hand. When a few tears began to seep from his own eyes, he thought "tonight was too close for comfort and they almost lost each other." Sam cleared his throat, "Andy, none of this is your fault, it was all Boyd he was the one who screwed up, not you." Andy whispered, "I know Sam, but I was so scared and worried and feeling guilty that I was responsible….. and you could have…..," Sam cut her off again this time with a smile on his face "Andy, you saved my life…again, the way I see it you took me down once, and saved my life twice, I think I owe you big time". Andy lifted her head and gave him one of her looks, "Sam, I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't found you in time." Gazing into her eyes, Sam drawled in his usual playful tone, "Well McNally you're not gonna get rid of me that easily remember I told you there's no going back," "Sam!" Andy gasped, punching him in the stomach, causing to double over in pain Andy cried "Oh, Sam! I'm so sorry, I forgot….." Sam could see the tears welling up in her eyes again so he pulled her closer and began kissing each tear away. They stared into each other's eyes for a long time gently caressing each other's face, Andy kissing each of Sam's bruises as if to make it better. Sam leaned in and brushed his nose against hers a couple of times and then he moved to capture her patiently waiting lips. When their lips met for the first time in two days, they both released a sigh of relief and all the tension that had been building since Sam disappeared, disappeared as well. Andy could feel the change in his lips as his kisses grew more passionate. They made their way to his bedroom where they stopped suddenly to looked at each other, both remembering the night of the black out. As she gently helped Sam remove his shirt, Andy thought "It's different, now I'm free to be with him". Sam was thinking the same thing, "how different this is from the first time they almost made love."

They made the sweetest love that night desperate to make it last, knowing that Sam could have died and that they would only have this one night before the suspension would begin in a couple of hours. Sam and Andy both knew that this suspension with no contact was serious and that they could not break this rule. And as much as they loved each other (though the words haven't been spoken out loud… ….yet), they respected each other's love for their jobs and would not do anything to jeopardize the other.

As the light began to shine into Sam's bedroom from the early morning sunrise reflecting off the snow outside, they lay in bed cuddling, talking and holding each other tightly. Andy thought about how long 2 weeks without Sam was going to be. But she knew that this time there would be nothing and no one to stop them from being together again. And as they gazed into each other's eyes, knowing that 8:00 am was fast approaching, Sam said with a dimpled smile, "I guess you are my type after all McNally" Andy leaned over to give Sam a long kiss and smirked as she whispered, "I'd better be!"

"First Day Back"

Andy's shift was about to start and she was just clipping on her tie when Traci walked into the locker room, "Hey Andy" Traci said giving her a hug, "glad you're back…girl if I had to listen to Gail's voice one more day…" Andy laughed, "Thanks Trace, I didn't realize how glad I would be to be back here. I've really missed this place". As they were heading to Parade Andy was thinking about how Traci and Jerry made it a point to spend time with her these last two weeks trying to keep her mind off of Sam. Traci was telling Andy about Leo's classmate when she felt eyes like a magnet drawing her to him…Sam who watching her from Frank's office. Sam was in Frank's office looking out of the glass window for Andy while Frank talked to him with his back leaning against the door. When their eyes locked for a few long minutes Sam winked at her and Andy could feel her face blush with excitement. Andy was so lost in Sam's gaze that she didn't hear Traci calling her name, "Andy, Andy….."

Sam was leaning on Frank's desk while Frank was telling him he was glad to have him back but also giving him an unspoken warning about, "whatever it is going on with you and McNally" when he saw Andy and Traci walking towards Parade. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, it had been the two longest weeks of his life and he was ready to get Andy alone, but he knew he had to be patient. So he winked at her and didn't let her gaze go until she tore her eyes away to look at Traci who was calling her name. Sam smiled and tuned back to what Frank was saying, "Yes Boss."

During Parade Andy was assigned to work with Oliver and Sam got Traci. They had both expected that it would be a little while longer before they would be partners again, but was disappointed nonetheless.

Andy was loading her gun in the gun room with Chris and Dov who were welcoming her back, even Gail gave Andy a hug to the surprise of everyone. Suddenly the room went silent and Andy turned to see Sam in the doorway. There was a lot of commotion as one by one Gail, Dov, and Chris left the room leaving Sam and Andy facing each other for the first time in two weeks. "Hey" Sam said. "Hey yourself" Andy whispered. Sam feeling nervous said "So…, I see Oliver's your partner today" Andy replied with a mischievous grin "Yes, he is, but I'll try to take it easy on him". Sam, smiled a little knowing that if he stayed much longer he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking her into his arms, said hurriedly "Well, I better go meet up with Traci, be careful and see you later". "Later…" Andy replied as she watched him walk away.

After securing her gun in the gun belt Andy headed out to find Oliver all the while wondering if something was wrong, Sam seemed distant just now. She was so lost in thought she didn't see Luke come up to her "Hey Andy, you got a minute?" Luke asked. Luke had been calling her these past two weeks wanting to talk about their relationship, but Andy had tried to tell him that it was over for good. "Luke", Andy said, "I've told you that it's over, please stop calling me and trying to get back together, it's not going to happen". Still upset about finding out she'd been seeing Sam undercover, Luke leaned in close to Andy's face and grabbed her arm pulling her to him, "Why, is it because you and Swarek are together now, don't you see after everything that's happened that he takes too many risks, risks that endangered his life not to mention yours!"? Just then Sam and Tracy were walking by across the room and saw Luke and Andy's face close together as if in an intimate conversation. Sam felt like he'd been kicked in the gut and stormed out of the squad room. He had wondered earlier when he saw Andy in the gun room that she seemed a little tense and distant, but thought it was just nerves, "but now it looks like she and Callaghan are into something private."

Andy looked up to see Sam and Traci looking at her and Luke, but before she could move Sam walked out. She pulled away from Luke, and hissed, "This has nothing to do with Sam, this about me and you and the fact that you cheated on me with your ex so now we no longer have a relationship". Luke who also saw Sam and Traci felt the sting of her words and said angrily "I should have known there was something between you and Swarek, especially when he came to me after your trip to Sudbury to tell me that he was the one who tried…." "What?" Andy interrupted "what are you saying?" But before he could answer, Andy demanded "Are you telling me that the only reason you "forgave" me was because Sam told you it was his fault…and only after that you decided to give me a second chance, well... there you go!" Andy turned and walk away ignoring his calling her "Andy, wait!" Just then Oliver called out to Andy "McNally, let's get a move on, I'm hungry."

Andy walked out of the squad room very confused about what she'd just found out, that Sam had taken the blame for the night of the black out. "Everything okay McNally, you ready to hit the streets?/" Oliver asked interrupting her thoughts. "Yes sir!" Andy responded slowly "it's just that I need to talk to Sam". Oliver replied with a frown, "Well, I wouldn't try to do that right now if I were you, he walked out of here with Traci a few minutes ago like the devil himself was after him, better wait till shift is over". Andy who woke up this morning looking forward to her first day back to work spent the day anxious for it to end.

As luck would have it, Andy didn't see Sam during their shift. They kept missing each other and never seemed to meet up on any of the calls so she didn't get a chance to talk to him. When their shift was over, and everyone was back at the squad, Andy tried looking for Sam, but she could not find him anywhere. "Hey Andy, are you coming to the Penny?" Dov asked. Andy, who had thought this morning she was going home with Sam, answered hesitantly "Sure, I'll meet you guys there." As the boys were leaving she overheard Chris say to Dov, "Hey, did you see Swarek today? "Something's really gotten under his skin, he was really gnarly out there today." "Yea" Dov said "I wonder what was eating him?"

After trying to find Sam again, Andy, convinced he'd already gone home because he was upset with her went to the locker room to change. In the locker room Traci was just leaving to pick up Leo so she was in a hurry, "Hey Traci, have you seen Sam? Traci answered with a frown, "Not since we got back, but he is really upset, he barely said two words all day, but I did tell him to talk to you and that I know what we saw was not what he's thinking. I'm sorry Andy, but I don't think I was able to get through to him." "Thanks Trace" Andy said as her worry deepened. Before she left, Traci tried to comfort Andy "I've got to run, but don't worry, everything will be fine." As Traci ran out, Andy's mind was racing with thoughts about everything that happened today. She was so lost in thought while she changed her clothes that she didn't realize that everyone else had left the locker room. Andy was closing the locker door ready to head to the Penny alone when she heard a voice say "You gonna take all night to change McNally?" Andy turned swiftly around to see Sam leaning in the doorway, "Sam" she said, "I…I thought you'd left already."

Sam did leave, he'd been angry all day about seeing Callaghan with his hands on Andy and both of them so close as if they were about to kiss. So he spent the day brooding even though Traci tried to talk to him about what they saw. But Sam wasn't in the mood to listen; it was too much of a reminder of the last time he thought they would be together. So when they finally got back to the station he hurried to the locker with Traci's words ringing in his ears "You need to talk to Andy, Sam!" But instead of talking to her he got dressed and walked to his truck intending to leave. But he couldn't, so he just sat in it thinking for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't see Andy leaving with the other "Rooks" so he waited a little longer before he jumped out, "Hell no…not this time!" he said to himself as he marched back into the Barn intending to clear the air with Andy about Callaghan. So when she turned after hearing his voice, Sam was not expecting to see the tears escaping from her eyes and his heart melted, but he interrupted her before she could say anything else "Let's get one thing clear right now McNally, when I said there was no going back I meant it. Whatever is or was going on between you and Callaghan this morning, I'm not.." "Sam!" Andy whispered interrupting him for a change as she walked up to him and planted a full kiss on lips that were open in mid sentence. When she finally lifted her lips from his she finished with "and I told you I didn't want to go back and I meant that." "So what the hell was that with Callaghan this morning?" Sam asked still reeling from her kiss. Andy explained to Sam what he saw with Luke this morning. "Now I have question for you" Andy said. "Shoot" replied Sam gently stroking her hair. "What did you say to Luke when we got back from Sudbury?" But Sam, trying to avoid her question wrapped his arms around her, wanting only to take her home, began kissing her neck whispering "Ugh ah, I don't remember exactly McNally it was a long time ago…. "But, what do you say" Sam kissed her earlobe "we get" he kissed the other side of her neck "out" kissing her collarbone "of here." Andy who by now could feel her knees buckling gathered enough strength to whisper breathlessly "Okay….but you're not off the hook just yet Swarek!" Sam smiled, his dimples on full display "and don't think those dimples are going to help you either" Andy laughed kissing him on each one. Just then voices could be heard about to enter the locker room so they reluctantly pulled away from their embrace. Sam and Andy smiled sheepishly at each other as they made their way past the ladies out of the locker room heading outside to Sam's truck. Once inside the truck, Andy asked "So do you want to go meet up with the others at the Penny to celebrate….or… Sam started the truck and put it in gear as he growled "Definitely….or!" as he sped out of the parking lot.

At the Penny Chris glanced at the door again asking "What do you think is keeping Andy"? Gail, Traci, Dov and Sue look at each other and began laughing…"Not 'what' Chris, who!" said Gail in her usual sarcastic tone. Chris looked confused, then "Ohhhh…" he realized the "who" that was probably "keeping" Andy tonight.

End