Sometime during s. 1.

For AMLightningGem with the prompt word : Brave. Please see either The Bubbles Over the Cracks or Giggles at Dawn for more info about these Christmas oneshots.

Enjoy!

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Seating herself at the window seat, Andy stared silently outside and watched the snow swirl in the street lights.

Her thoughts swirled in the same chaotic jumble as the cold, white powder.

Despite the hours that had passed, her mind was still stuck in that cold basement. Fear still clattered up and down her spine and her hands trembled in intermittent patterns.

The glow of the Christmas tree and ornaments were a stark contrast to her mood; a bubbly film over cracked ice.

In a few more hours, it would be Christmas morning, meaning she was fated to spend the day alone, as Luke had volunteered for the Christmas shift ('Andy, someone has to do it and I'll be back in the afternoon').

After the shift she had just survived, the thought of being left by herself was seriously messing with her nerves.

And just like that, she could feel the cool press of metal against her temple and the shouting of her captor in her ears. It had been a stupid slip up, a single break in protocol in order to ease a 'witness'' mind that had led to the witness taking her weapon (she would never forgive herself) and forcing her into the basement. She had had her hands bound and mouth gagged and that alone had put her into a state of panic.

Once the door had been broken in, the man had pressed himself behind her, wild eyes and screams echoing off the cold walls as she had stated into the fearful eyes of Sam and Oliver, Chris and Noelle as they tried to talk him down.

Then the sound of a shot fired.

A knock at the door had her leaping from the seat and her heart hammering in her throat.

It was followed by a voice soon after, "Andy, open up. I know you're there." Sam called, his voice muffled but hoarse through the door.

Relief made her knees weak as she crossed the apartment.

She pulled open the door and flinched backwards when he rushed in, cursing herself as she did. He shut the door, gaze never leaving her.

Seeing the distress on her face, Sam's heart clenched and he reached of gently. She paused, staring at him with the same fearful eyes as in the basement, before rushing forward and burrowing into him.

He rocked backwards with the force of her hit, but held on and twined his arms around her.

All the terror and emotion she had repressed during the abduction and afterwards at the station burst free and she clung to him as tears soaked his shirt.

His heart broke for her and he pressed his lips to her hair. "Oh, Andy," he murmured.

All the anger he had felt at Callaghan when Sam had spotted him still in his office when Sam was getting off shift surged back (that asshole) but there was nothing to be done about it now.

"It's okay," he told her. "You're okay. I promise. You are so brave. You're okay."

So he held her while she cried and as the sun broke Christmas Day, something broke between them as well.

And when he finally carried her to her bed when she had cried herself into exhaustion, she didn't let go of his shirt. Instead, she pulled him down with her and burrowed even further, seeking the solace only he could give.

They stayed like that, her alternating between sleep and wakefulness, and him always being there when she woke, for hours.

For them, it was a Christmas that changed everything.

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I accept any sort of feedback like pie and Christmas cookies; always.