A/N: This is my first ever fanfic posted here and only the second one I wrote my whole life, so please be gentle with me and I hope you enjoy!
(If there are any grammar/spelling mistakes please tell me so I will fix it)
Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue or any of the characters; it is all the hard work of Tassie Cameron and the amazing writers (and other crew) on the show.
Stakeout
"You're ready for this?" He asked her like he asked every single time before they went on a job.
"Yeah" Andy answered shortly shrugging "Why wouldn't I?"
Sam side-eyed her "You're sure?"
"It's only a simple stakeout, Sam, I think I will survive" Andy started to get annoyed by his questions, more specifically annoyed by the fact that Sam always knew when something was even a bit off about her. She was still wondering why he even came to this assignment with her, this kind of tasks were reserved for 'rookies' no senior officer in their right mind will take this task, sitting for hours just staring at a resident building. Couldn't he find something else to do on a Friday night? She would even tolerate Peck's company for 7-8 hours rather than be with him right now.
"OK" he said with half a smile "I will go take the supply bag, meet me at the car in ten?" and without waiting for a reply he turned to his way. He didn't want to push her right now, not before the long hours they were about to spend together in a small closed space with no way to get out or hide. Well, of course he knew that something wasn't as always with her, actually she started to act strange since she told him she is moving in with Callaghan few days ago, she was more snappy at him than usual and today after Best assigned them two to this stakeout she gave him an annoyed glare as if he was the last person on earth she would want to do it with. He was confused by that change towards him, a week ago she would have given him a huge smile and as soon as the parade was over she would rush to him and start talking in excitement about the snacks they should prepare for the long hours, but not today.
The ride to the neighbourhood was quiet; Sam sneaked glances towards Andy from time to time, seeing that she was zoned out, staring outside her window deep in her own thoughts the whole ride. 'It will be a long night' he thought to himself, her mind echoed the same thought.
Once on location, after he hit off the engine and lights, they moved to the back of the van. Sam sat on his chair stretching his legs then his whole body with a grunt. Andy loved to watch him stretch and even though she was upset with him she couldn't not admire how well he was built. She didn't realise she was staring until he stopped mid motion and turned to look at her with a raised brow, Andy quickly looked away grateful for the darkness that hid her blushing face.
"So.." Sam cleared his throat "I will watch the right side of the street and you take the left?"
"Fine by me" Andy shrugged and then shifted in her seat to get a more comfortable view of the left side of the street turning her back to Sam. She heard him sigh and then his chair moving. Andy knew that Sam was confused by her behaviour but she couldn't help it, she couldn't look at him without feeling anger rise inside of her. To tell the truth she was confused by her anger too, what did she expect him to do? She was with Luke and happy, everything was fine. Why should she expect him to act differently? Andy shook her head trying to clear it from those thoughts; she really didn't want to go there right now and certainly not with Sam sitting so close to her. She sighed in frustration.
Time went by slowly, there was nothing much happening and it didn't help that Andy barely said a word to him. The biggest excitement until now was watching stray cats going through the garbage cans. He was starting to wonder why he even asked to be assigned on this stakeout; he glanced briefly to his left answering his own question with a bitter smile. He yawned and rubbed his eyes in tiredness 'coffee time' he thought to himself as he went to the bag to fetch the thermos that held the hot lifesaving liquid.
Andy heard Sam get up and open the bag, after few seconds the rich smell of coffee reached her and she took a deep breath of the aroma, closing her eyes in a reflex and a little smile emerged on her face.
"Here" she felt Sam's hand on her shoulder and turned around to see a cup of steaming coffee in his other hand offered to her.
"Thank you" she answered with a smile, forgetting all anger when she realized that he poured her a cup before he did to himself. It was hard for Andy to stay angry at Sam for long. She took a sip from her cup and the warmth of the drink spread all over her body in a tingly way. "Thank you" she said again looking into Sam's eyes with sincere gratitude, she was answered by a deep dimpled smile "You're welcome".
The sight of her smile couldn't make him happier 'maybe it will turn out well after all'. He knew exactly what she will crave after few sips of the coffee and as soon as she said "you don't have there by any chance.." he pulled a bag of chocolate-chip cookies, "perfect" she said with an ear to ear smile. He pulled a box and put a plate with the cookies on it, he set it in between their two chairs so they both could reach it.
The next couple of hours went by in much more pleasant way. They were talking, even laughing from time to time as they recalled the events of the passing week's shift. Sam loved to listen to her no matter what the topic was, she was talking about the girl night out they were planning and how Dov played a prank on Chris, he smiled to himself enjoying the sound of her voice. Sam reached for the plate to grab a cookie and pulled back immediately after feeling the warmth of Andy's hand beneath his fingers. They both looked at the plate realizing that they both went for the last cookie on the plate.
"Go ahead, you can have it" Sam said quickly.
"No, that's ok, you can take it" Andy shoved the plate to Sam's direction.
"McNally, you do realise how much a cliché you make it look?" and with that Sam took the cookie and split it in two, placing one half of the cookie back on the plate and moving it back towards Andy.
She rolled her eyes and took the half he left for her on the plate. "Like that is not a cliché" she said with a teasing smile and shoved the cookie in to her mouth. He darted at her one of his infamous glares, this only made her more amused as she glared back at him and sticked her tongue out. He didn't expect that at all and his serious facade cracked in to a full-hearted laughter, she couldn't help but burst in to giggles herself.
"You're something McNally" he said wiping the tears that formed in his eyes with the back of his hand still shaking from the laugh.
Once Sam looked at Andy his laughter faded, she was examining his face intensely then reached out and followed the trail of tears on his cheek with her finger. Sam was frozen unsure what he is supposed to do, and as if waking up from a dream Andy pulled her hand back with panic all over her face.
"I'm sorry!" she said quickly "I don't know why I did that". Her panicking face soon turned to a tortured plea waiting for him to respond. 'Say something!' her mind screamed.
Sam blinked thinking that he must have imagined the whole thing. "Eh.." he started with an uncertain voice "I think.. I think we should go back watching the street" he said slowly "You never know what might happen", he looked at her one last time with a reassuring smile before turning to stare at the street from the window.
"Yes, you can never know what might happen" Andy repeated in a whisper turning to her side.
Awkward silence filled the room and it made Sam uncomfortable. 'I should say something, just act normal' he really didn't want to spend the rest of the shift in this silence.
"How's the moving in with Callaghan going?" he regretted saying it as soon as it came out of his mouth.
"Good" she answered shortly glancing at him in disbelief.
"Did you move some of your stuff already?" he tried to stay nonchalant.
"Yup" she started to fill that anger rising in her again "everything is good. We're moving in together. I am happy", every word she said was filled with that anger.
Sam felt that he was losing her, that she was about to close down on him like she did before. He couldn't let that happen, he couldn't bear the thought of her not talking to him again.
"What's just happened?" he asked confusion and frustration written all over his face.
"What do you mean?" she looked at him with no less confused look.
"I mean.. this!" Sam motioned to the space between them "I don't understand. Did I do something to you? I feel as if you are mad at me and I can't understand why", he took a deep breath before continuing "and it's not just now, you've been like this for days. Care to explain what is the horrible thing that I did to you?" he looked at her with raised brows "because honestly I have no clue".
She looked at him with her mouth ajar, all words escaping her mind, not knowing how to respond to all what he said at that moment. Andy turned back to look outside the window angry at herself, at him, at being stuck here with him, at everything! She clenched her jaw and took a deep breath to calm herself.
"What are you doing here?" her voice was quiet; she didn't even look at him.
"We're on a stakeout, remember?" he was starting to get annoyed too. 'Why couldn't she just answer his question?'
"Yes, but why are you here? Why not Diaz or Nash?"
He understood her question; he couldn't really tell her the answer. He rubbed his nose-bridge in frustration before answering "because I am your partner".
"And you just thought that this would be a nice way to spend a Friday night?" she wasn't satisfied with his answer.
"Apparently I did!" he said it with more anger than he intended to.
"I don't buy it" she said with a calm voice shrugging her shoulders. Andy shook her head and looked at Sam "I really don't". Her eyes met his.
Sam looked away quickly "I already answered your question. I don't know what you expect me to say!"
"How about the truth?" He could feel her eyes burning holes in his face.
"You want the truth?" Sam felt as if he was about to explode, he didn't care anymore; he will say it to her no matter what the consequences are. "You want the truth.. I will tell you the truth!"
His whole body was now turned towards her and she could feel the heat vibrating from him.
"The truth is that it's you! Yes, you. There, I said it. I am here stuck in this freaking van on this pointless stakeout just because I wanted to be here with you, to be near you." He seemed out of breath studying her reaction before going at it again "and I hate the fact that you are moving in with him, I can't stand the thought of you waking up every morning next to him and not.." he paused for a second before continuing with a lower voice "and not next to me" with that he fell silent looking at her, waiting, daring her to say something.
"Why didn't you tell me this before? Why are you telling me this now?" Million thoughts ran through Andy's mind making her head spin.
"You asked" he answered simply still looking at her with that challenging look.
"I thought you didn't care" Andy's mind was racing "you acted as if everything was normal, nothing changed" she looked at him with accusing eyes "I was so angry at you!"
Shock and realization hit Sam's face. He got his answer, she was angry at him for doing nothing, for not saying anything while he saw her with him?
"But what difference it would have made if I said something? You say that you are happy with him… you chose him, not me. The end".
"You never asked me!" Andy was starting to feel the sting of tears in her eyes as she fought them back. "I waited for you to do something, but you never did. You were Sam, my training officer.. my partner, you never showed you wanted more. Hell! You always told me to give Luke more chances even when he screwed up!" she felt exhausted as if all powers had left her.
"If I will ask you now, will you leave him?" Sam's voice was almost a whisper, his heartbeats deafening him.
Silence fell in the van again, no less uncomfortable than the one before maybe even more. Andy looked outside the window watching a couple that came back from a late night out. Sam followed Andy's gaze seeing the couple walking as the guy's hand lay on the waist of the girl they were talking cheerfully, sharing kisses and smiles.
"I wish it was that simple" she said eventually still looking at the couple
."Why can't it be?" he was hurt and frustrated.
"I know Luke, I know what to expect from him" she glanced at him quickly before turning back to the window.
"And you don't know what to expect from me?"
"I am afraid" still not looking at him.
He couldn't bear it anymore; he moved next to her cupping her cheek in his hand turning her face so she would look at him.
"Look at me" his voice soft but commanding. "What are you afraid of? Are you scared of me?"
"No" she looked deep in his eyes knowing the truth "I feel safe with you".
"Then what is it?" his thumb caressing her cheek lightly, making small circles on her soft skin.
"I am afraid of the way I feel about.. I am afraid of letting myself feel all these.." she bit her lip and looked away unable to finish but he knew what she was saying even without hearing it.
"Try not to overthink it" Sam said quietly brushing her lips with the tips of his fingers. His voice was soothing her and when she looked back at him she felt all her thoughts untangling and clearing her mind, she looked at his lips and her heartbeat escalated.
"..Dispatch to Swarek and McNally.."
Andy let out the breath she was holding and sank in to her chair.
"Swarek here" Sam answered snapping out of the cloud of feelings trying to regain his focus.
"..You can wrap it out for tonight, return van to station.."
"OK, got it. Returning to station" Sam put the radio back and looked at Andy "I guess we are done here".
"I guess we are" she said with a weary smile.
They started to gather their things awkwardly, not sure how to act near each other. As soon as they were over they drove back.
"I will drop you at your home and then take the van back to the barn, is that ok?"
"Yeah, that will be perfect" she said yawning; she was tired physically and emotionally. Andy yawned once again and closed her eyes.
"Andy?" Sam asked cautiously.
"Yeah?" her voice was sleepy.
"Be with me".