A/N: A heads up before you start, if your review is gonna include somethin' negative about Marlo (or Nick!), do us both a favor, don't write it, because I don't wanna see it! While I bleed McSwarek, I have NOTHING against her & I like him!


"Andy! Get it in gear!"

Andy looked around and saw Nick holding the door open. She ran to catch up. Kissing his cheek as she walked past she mumbled "Sorry."

They'd been together six months but she suddenly wondered why he didn't get what walking through those doors meant. This was the freaking Police Academy! When she graduated in six months she wouldn't just be Tommy McNally's kid, she would be Officer Andy McNally. She took a deep breath to keep from bouncing up and down at the thought.

"Andy!"

Andy rolled her eyes. Nick really was gonna piss her off if he kept that up.

By the end of day they had made friends with four other cadets: Traci Nash, Dov Epstein, Chris Diaz and Gail Peck, daughter of superintendant Elaine Peck.

They'd been at the Academy about a month when things between Andy and Nick started to go south. He still didn't get what being in the academy meant to her and he was making eyes at Gail when he thought she wasn't looking.

They were almost half way through their training when Nick finally manned up and broke it off. Two weeks later he was chasing after the Ice Queen.

Andy kept to herself after the break up, not that she was head over heels for him or anything, far from it.

Six months after she walked through them for the first time Andy walked through the Academy's doors for the last time.

The rookies were all placed in the same Division - 15. Traci was a nervous wreck, afraid someone would find out she was a single mom and hold it against her. Dov was ... she knew him for six months and she still couldn't describe Dov. Chris was by the book naïve. The Ice Queen had a chip on her shoulder the size of the GTA and Nick, well, he was still Nick. Thought front line in the military prepared him for life as a city street cop. As for herself, Andy just wanted to do the job and make her dad proud. Bring a little respect back to the McNally name.

Andy walked into her dad's old Division more than a little nervous about the shadow he cast. It wasn't exactly a secret he hadn't "retired" by choice.

She walked into Parade and sat with her friends.

The day did not go well. She unknowingly brought in an undercover cop who was then made by one of his buddies.

He took his frustrations out on a locker after he made sure she was called on the carpet by the staff sergeant.

She refused to be intimidated by his temper and went into the guys locker room.

Andy tried to focus on what took her into the locker room not on his state of undress. Who could blame her? The guy was ... gorgeous!

End of shift they gathered at the local bar - the Black Penny.

Sam was sitting at the bar with the detective that made him when Andy walked up. "Listen, I, uh, I wanted to say thank you for your help today and, uh, maybe buy you a drink to say I'm sorry?"

"I think I'll buy my own tonight," was the cold reply.

Andy went back to the table without a word.

A few minutes later the door opened an a brunette walked in. Her eyes lit up when she saw a familiar face at the bar. Walking up behind him she placed her hands over his eyes.

"Cruz?"

"Miss me?" she whispered against his ear.

"Why don't we get outta here and we'll find out?" Sam asked, throwing enough money on the bar to cover the drink and a tip.

Andy wasn't exactly the same eager rookie she'd been the day before. She took her time changing. While she was lacing up her boots the brunette the undercover guy left the bar with came in. She was smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

Andy got to Parade before the other woman and watched as she walked to the back of the room and up to the undercover guy. She bumped his thigh with her own as she squeezed in next to him.

Andy was only half paying attention when Staff Sergeant Boyko called her name. "Uh, yes Sir?"

"Your Training Officer today is gonna be Officer Swarek."

Andy was sure her eyes popped. He didn't just?

Sam cleared his throat wondering who he had pissed off.

When Parade was dismissed Sam's attention was solely on the doe eyed rookie he would share the next 10 hours with while the brunette next to him watched.

By the end of shift Andy found out not only was he easy on the eyes he was one helluva cop and despite the bark, a nice guy.

They came in and all Sam wanted to do was grab a drink at the Penny and digest the day. The rookie had surprised him. He thought she might be a stickler for coloring inside the lines, turned out she wasn't against going against the rules if she needed to.

Marlo watched as they separated at the lockers, wondering what happened between the two.

Sam was leaning against the wall when Andy stepped out. "Goin' to the Penny, McNally?"

"Andy! Let's move! Or are you walkin'?!"

Andy sighed, she wasn't in the mood to put up with Nick. "Just go without me!"

Sam chuckled at the expression on her face.

"Need a ride, McNally?"

Marlo came down the hall. Kissing him on the cheek, she said, "Hey, gimme 10 and I'll be ready, ok?"

Andy turned toward the bullpen. "I, uh, got paperwork to finish. Have a good night."

Like hell she did, Sam thought wondering if it was Marlo or G.I. Joe that changed her plans.

Sam looked at Marlo. "Why don't you go ahead ..."

"Uh, yeah, sure."

Sam sat on the edge of the desk. "Your paperwork's done."

"I thought you were leaving."

Sam smirked. "You're stuck with me for company, rookie."

"Great," Andy mumbled under her breath making Sam laugh.

The dirty look she gave her phone had Sam wondering if the text was from G.I. Joe.

When the sender didn't get a response to the first message her cell got another dirty look and was told to go to hell making Sam laugh which earned him a dirty look.

"C'mon McNally, as your T.O I'm not gonna let you hide from the boyfriend in the barn."

"Ex-boyfriend, not that it's any of your business."

"If it affects your job, McNally, it is my business."

"Fine," she huffed as she got to her feet. "But I'm not goin' to the Penny. I'm not in the mood to sit and make nice with my ex and the one he dumped me for. Or to put up with the fact that he thinks he still has a say in my life."

Sam got off the desk and motioned for her to lead the way. Once in the yard, Sam headed for a dark silver F-150. Andy just stared. Of all the things he could have driven that wasn't what she'd expected.

Sam opened the back door and threw their bags in before opening the passenger door for her.

"So where we goin' McNally?" Sam asked as he started the truck.

Andy sank down in the seat. "You're drivin'."

Sam laughed. "Does that mean you trust me, McNally?"

"Do I have to answer that?"

Sam left the truck in Park as he turned to Andy. "Not if you're gonna say you don't."

Andy gave him a sad smile. "Don't take it personally. I, uh,"

"Still have a hard time trusting people, huh?"

Andy couldn't hide her surprise. "Wh-what?"

"Since Claire left ..."

"H-how?"

"You're Tommy's daughter, are you not?"

"Yeah, I'm Tommy's kid."

Sam didn't miss the disgust in her voice.

"Newsflash, McNally, the TPS isn't a daycare, we don't take kids."

Andy looked at the man next to her and saw one of the sexiest things she'd ever seen, his smile. She returned it shyly as she said, "Thanks."

"I remember your dad. How is he?"

Andy couldn't look at him as she softly answered, "Still swimmin' his way to the bottom of a bottle."

Sam reached over and touched her hand. "I'm sorry. He was good guy and a good cop."

Andy smiled. "Yeah."

"So where d'you wanna go, McNally?"

Andy smiled as she shrugged. "You're drivin'."

"Does that mean you trust me, McNally?"

Andy bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Maybe."

Sam saw the laughter in her eyes and couldn't help but laugh as he put the truck in gear and pulled out on the street.

The last thing Andy expected was for Sam to pull up in front of a little hole in the wall restaurant.

At her curious expression he simply said, "Ya need to eat, McNally."

By the time Sam dropped her off Andy was freaking out.

In the nine months they'd been together she never felt as comfortable in her own skin with Nick as she did with Sam.

Sam dropped Andy off. He checked his messages before pulling away and found more than one from Marlo.

It wasn't enough he was trying to readjust after a long UC, a few off duty hours with Andy McNally and his life had definitely changed.

It was still early enough he could drop by if he wanted, but he needed time to think before he saw her so instead of going to Marlo's, Sam headed home.