Summary: Andy comes back from Project Dakota & finds Luke's interested in winning her back while Sam appears not to be, or is he playing the friendship card? Or is it just the way it is, because with Andy- it comes naturally?

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read & reviewed my other fics, you guys are really awesome!

A/N 2: Please note, if you're not familiar with my writing, I write fiction & its a little AU, so it won't be strictly following the series!

Disclaimer; Nope don't own it, if I did it would be on non-stop! I only own the plot to this & all the mistakes!

Thanks as always to Kelly2727 & all the regulars! Welcome to the newbies!

Special thanks to Mahtra for casting her eyes over this & Shadowing!

Chapter 1- Even Lovers Need A Holiday

Six months of being away had given her time to think, time to contemplate what she wanted, where she was going and how she was going to get there.

The dark clouds that loomed over her the few weeks before she left seemed to obliterate as time passed during those six months, a clearer perspective becoming visible as she let words and memories roll around in her mind during any available free time she had.

Maybe being away had been a good thing, maybe having space had improved her judgement.

How'd the words go in that song?

Everybody needs a little time away,

I heard her say,

From each other.

Even lovers need a holiday,

Far away from each other.

Hold me now,

It's hard for me to say I'm sorry,

I just want you to stay...

After all that we've been through,

I will make it up to you,

I promise to.

And after all that's been said and done,

You're just the part of me I can't let go.

Couldn't stand to be kept away,

Just for the day,

From your body

Wouldn't want to be swept away,

Far away from the one that I love.

When she heard the words to that song their second week into the UC, every doubt she ever had, had faded and disappeared, the words rang so true it felt like they were meant for her and her alone. Her foolish choices and stupid mistakes haunting her as she realized what she had given up when she walked away, she'd given up what she wanted.

The UC was deep cover only for the reason that it took so long, the longer the UC the higher the risk gets of being made, and the harder it becomes to get your target to trust you.

They were posing as a couple and got bartending and waitress jobs at a club called Fiddlers. Their main aim- to gather intel on the owners and the staff and who came to visit.

That was it, easy and simple. Until they gathered more and more info, discovering more and more secrets as time passed. They were cracking open a spiderweb of drug distribution and enforcement it wasn't funny anymore. That was the only reason they were under so long. It was a dangerous assignment, so at Luke's recommendation they weren't even packing heat of any kind.

Andy had been glad Nick was with her, the longing she felt for home seemed to dim in his presence. Briefly anyway.

For some unknown reason Luke had taken on being their handler, so she got to see his face every second or third week too. But she still missed home more than she cared to admit. Whenever they passed Luke info he would show up at the club and sit in Andy's section and pretend to come on to her, which he was far too good at for her liking.

One night Nick had even passed a comment into her ear in a whisper, when she caught Luke staring at her long after she had passed him the note, and she had huffed out an "Aaarrrggg". Nick had whispered "It sucks when its not the one you want, doesn't it?", making Andy in turn stare at him, her fake plastered on smile falling away at his words.

She looked over his shoulder to see Stacey, a waitress working with them staring at Nick, a dreamy look across her face. There was no way Nick was into her, he was pretending to be into Andy or Ally as she was now known, when he was so into Gail it made him stupid.

The take down was done on a wednesday night, when the club was closed, only prep being done for their busy shifts thursday nights through sunday mornings. So it was purely filled with staff and management, no customers to complicate things. They were never given a time or a date for when the bust was happening, the element of surprise on their faces being genuine when the doors were kicked through.

Pushed up against the wall by Noelle and searched before she was handcuffed and led away, Andy let out a sigh of relief knowing that she was finally going home. She was a little nervous at what home may be like when she got there, but still, it was the only place left to go.

Thoughts of Traci and Leo had consumed her on a daily basis, her not quite being able to forgive herself for abandoning them so soon after Jerry's death, when they needed her the most.

Flickers of Sam would cross her mind, but she tried to suppress those thoughts as soon as they fled in, simply because she had to.

She spent most nights staring at the ceiling, wondering if Chris was still at fifteen, or if he left to chase his dream of having a family with Denise, considering that they'd already started one.

She wondered if Dov had his head screwed on straight yet, if Oliver and Zoe were still working on their marriage.

She wondered how big and adorable Noelle and Franks daughter was getting as she grew, and what her name was, other than knowing it wasn't Ninja or Oliver.

She worried about her dad, if he was keeping up his meetings, but that was nothing unusual for her to worry about.

She wondered if Gail was waiting for Nick, or if Sam was waiting for her.

Or if Sam was dating.

Or if Sam had taken a transfer to Guns and Gangs.

If Sam...

Her wonders and thoughts always ended on Sam, every night as she felt her eyelids get heavy as she succumbed to the wrapped arms of slumber.

Being led into the barn, she couldn't help but let her eyes scan every face for those closest to her that had not been at the club during the bust. Traci and Gail had been there, avoiding meeting her gaze. Oliver, Noelle and Dov were there too, and a whole lot of other bodies that filled the uniforms at fifteen.

But no Luke, no Chris and no Sam.

Andy was led to booking and the new face behind the desk started to get her processed, while he eyed her out of her cocktail waitress dress, his eyes the brightest green she'd ever seen. He obviously didn't know who she was.

"Stop perving and start writing" Noelle suddenly growled the words out as she impatiently tapped her foot. Her observant mumbling caused Andy to fail at stifling a giggle, as it passed her lips and carried through the room.

Sam opened the door of the interrogation room, sending it flying against the back wall before it slammed closed as he stepped out of the room.

Six hours he'd been interrogating the sicko cuffed to the chair, six hours he'd been wasting his time trying to find out where he had buried the little girls body and six hours he'd gotten nothing.

The second his feet stepped into the hallway he heard it, the familiar sweet sound as it carried through the air to his ears causing him to freeze and spin towards the sound that carried through the open glass door that sererated the interroation rooms from bookieng.

There she was, standing cuffed in booking looking flustered as Noelle turned to face him at the sound of the door hitting the wall as it ricocheted in their direction. Sam found himself glued to the spot, his feet incapable of moving. He leaned against the wall next to the door and just stood there, taking her in as she seemed oblivious to the fact that he was watching her.

O'Brien behind the booking desk however turned to face him, his movement causing Andy's eyes to follow as they found Sam. A smirk covered his lips, his arms crossed over his chest, he found himself mesmerized by seeing her standing there.

She looked away, trying to keep her face from betraying her. But not before Sam saw the hint of a smile tug at the corners of her lips. Even though she was looking at the floor, Andy could feel him still watching her. She didn't need to look up to feel the intensity of his stare.

Sam at first had to do a double take to make sure it was really her, the black cocktail dress and killer black heels not something he had ever seen her wearing before.

She was a jeans kind of girl, and he had only ever seen her in a really short skirt once, the night she failed miserably at giving it away as a hooker on the John sweep.

Only twice in a dress, the night Gail was taken by the cabbie, and the night she worked the Vesibule sting as a waitress, and never again with hooker heels, platform soled shoes yes, heels no.

She definitely pulled the outfit off with a full score, the sight of her making Sam falter as he lost himself in drinking the sight of her in.

"What's with Swarek?". The face behind the desk asked much to Noelle's annoyance.

Sammy had forgotten that the new rookies didn't know McNally was a cop, and that she was UC and with the next load of squad cars they would be bringing in the real criminals in the door right behind her.

"Got an eye for the ladies". The rookies voice spoke again causing Andy to look back in Sam's direction only to find a beautiful woman make her way over to him and put a hand on his arm to draw his attention.

Andy watched as Sam turned to face the stranger, a dimpled smile replacing the smirk he had while watching her. He pushed off the wall, unfolding his arms as he moved to turn and face the woman in one fluid motion.

Andy watched her say a few words before Sam nodded and held out his hand, indicating that she should walk down the hallway. And then Andy noticed Sam put his hand on the small of the strangers back and walked in stride with her until they disappeared from her line of vision.

Andy felt like she had been punched in the stomach as she watched the scene unfold in front of her eyes. It was the biggest fear she had while she was away, the one thought that caused her to fear coming home. But to actually come home and see her nightmares a reality − Andy felt so stupid for clinging to the hope that some way, somehow there was a way to fix them.

Or that Sam would want to.

How had she ever thought that her, a plain Jane would be able to keep Sam? How could a guy that good looking have anything other than a woman as beautiful as the stranger was on his arm? She was probably just another one of the Swarek/Callaghan conquests on Sam's bedpost to prove a point to Luke, that he could have exactly just what he wanted.

Andy tried to hide the devastation as it crossed her face but knew she was failing when the guy behind the desk did it again, when he opened his mouth.

"You okay, you don't look to good". He said staring Andy in the eye when she looked up.

"Yeah, fine" She mumbled as she tried to keep her voice from telling Noelle she was anything but okay.

Noelle felt Andy stiffen under her hand as soon as her eyes fell on the new occupant in the hallway. She knew her well enough to know exactly what was running through her mind right now.

Noelle had known Sammy since their days at the academy, she had seen McNally blow into his life and knock him off his feet, literally.

She watched from the sidelines as their relationship grew to new heights as it soared and blossomed, before it plummeted to the ground and smashed to pieces, the afterburn sending McNally straight into UC for six months, and Sammy straight to the Penny to forget.

As soon as Sammy walked away Noelle looked up into the glass behind the rookie to see Andy's face divulge her greatest fear, that she had been replaced. She saw the flash of sadness run through Andy's eyes as she tried to cover it up, as her mind allowed her to believe from a few split seconds of seeing Sam talk and touch another woman innocently, that she had lost a war she didn't even know she was fighting.

When Andy spoke the hint of raw emotion that rolled out with her words, it had Noelle ready to walk up to Sammy and punch him in the face for being so stupid.

After the day Andy held the grenade, Noelle knew something had changed between her and Sammy, something happened when they were alone. She had no idea what, but when Sam came walking out, he was different, like he'd found sturdy footing.

Andy on the other hand looked like she'd been dragged to hell and back by a pack of wild dogs, besides the fact that she stood holding a live grenade for over an hour, Noelle sensed that it had nothing to do with the grenade, but rather everything to do with Sammy.

When Andy left for the UC Noelle watched as he tried to immerse himself in an overload of work, taking on a ridiculous case load, once again to forget. She stood by and watched as Sammy lost the spark in his eyes, the spring in his step and the exuberance he once had for the first time in a long time, as his life became turbulent.

Mcnally had changed too, after things went south between her and Sammy, the feisty spark she had, had before then dimmed to a barely visible flicker while she tried to keep up a strong facade.

Noelle knew they broke up the minute she saw McNally's face the next day in parade.

She left it alone, just mumbling a soft "I'm here if you need to talk" in McNally's ear, not wanting to push her too hard.

Emotions were running high as was regret and guilt. They had just lost one of their own, a close friend and brother. Watching Sammy distance himself from McNally at Jerry's funeral when Noelle could see he needed her, was just heartbreaking.

McNally standing on one side of the grave with a forlorn look on her face, while Sammy stood on the other, a broken man.

That was even worse.

Working with them after that was like throwing gasoline on an already lit flame, the heat would ignite the room burning all encased in the flames reach.

But the day McNally held that grenade, that was the day Noelle watched Sammy crumble and fall.

He went into that building looking strong and determined even though the fear was showing through his eyes, but he came out broken and withdrawn, even though he suddenly seemed grounded.

Noelle tightened her grip on Andy's hand before looking up at the rookie behind the desk as he still tried to find his pen evidently, as she growled out a "I think we're done here" and pulled on Andy's cuffs to make her step backwards before leading her towards an interrogation room.

"But…I'm…" the rookie started stammering as Noelle led Andy away calling out "Too slow and getting on my nerves" over her shoulder.

Noelle found interrogation room three unoccupied when she peered through the door's tiny square window, so she pulled on the handle, and shoved the door open, her hand pressing Andy forward so that they could step into the room. She fished out her keys and loosened Andy cuffs, her hands immediately flying up to rub both her wrists where red rings had formed.

Andy knew it was just for show that she had to have the cuffs on tightly, and didn't mind the red welts that had formed. They would soon disappear as though they never existed.

Noelle let her eyes roam over Andy, taking in the sight of her to make sure she was as unharmed as she said she was when Noelle bundled her into the back of the squad car.

She seemed fine, her tough exterior shining resiliently through her expression. She even flicked her hair defiantly now that her hands were free of their restraints, a sign that she was a little on edge.

"Sit" Noelle nodded towards the chair on Andy's side of the room.

"I'm fine, I just need to go home and sleep" came Andy's reply as she looked Noelle square in the eyes.

"We need to talk, so sit, because its not what you think" Noelle said as she folded her arms.

Andy reluctantly took hold of the back of the chair and dragged it out from its resting place under the table, allowing its legs to scrape slightly as in moved across the floor.

Noelle followed her actions, mirroring them as she sat opposite her, elbows up on the table.

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Jelly Bean Jenna©