A/N: I started writing this not long after the finale, stemming from various things- including my frustration. It's different from my usual method of writing as well as my first toe-dip into the world of RB fic, so this may be a huge flop. Who knows.
Nick Collins is not stupid.
Not long after 15's most infamous couple called it quits, he has the fortune of riding with her and hearing all about how she was not going to talk about him. Of course, the hours that follow that declaration are filled with the "How could he!"s and the "I can't believe him!"s and the "Was I not good enough?"s. And by the time the shift is over, and she is in tears for the third time that day, he offers no words - just a hug.
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
Not long after that shift, he has the joy of becoming her "break-up buddy," which mostly consists of reading from this really strange mantra book and maybe throwing in a jab or two just to get her to smile. She doesn't smile like she used to, though, as if watching her best friend lose Jerry and her losing Sam so close in time and in such different ways has stolen the life from behind her eyes. For the first time, Andy admits that she doesn't know what she wants. Again, he just gives her a hug.
Nick Collins is not stupid.
Going to the Penny used to be something he just did with Gail, but it's not long before he's asking Andy - or Andy's asking him - to meet up for a beer. They talk about the day's shift, about that domestic disturbance on Elm with the lady and the megaphone and the pig on a leash. Often, the conversation shifts to how Nick thinks things aren't so different back home after being at war. For the first time, Nick doesn't get a lecture about too many Afghanistan references. Someone actually listens and responds and converses. All the while, he isn't surprised that she still somehow manages to slip in a jab or two about her former TO.
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
It's not long after Gail's been reinstated to duty, and already she's giving him a hard time. Nothing was ever easy with her in the past, but now, whenever he tries to stand on his own feet, there's a scrutinizing glare from an ex in the room - not his ex, but hers. When he confides in Andy, she laughs, and it's genuine and sarcastic all bundled into one in a way only she can manage. There's a question - is it worth it - and he knows the answer, but isn't ready to tell. And so when that window rolls down, and he sees who is inside next to Detective Callaghan, he isn't surprised.
Nick Collins is not stupid.
In the grand scheme of things, six months isn't that long. In fact, some would argue that it wasn't enough time to expose the operation at the center of their investigation and bring in the bad guys. It feels like ages, though - being away from home, not talking to Gail, not being in uniform and not being himself. It doesn't help that every night, the dinner conversation always seems to come back to one name. Soon, the days start to blend, and it's not until they both have a gun pointed at their heads that Nick prays for one more achingly boring conversation - if it means they survive to have it.
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
Not long after they make their return, Andy comes to the slapping reality that she's been replaced by a female Sam drone. And try as she might to be quiet about it, somewhere along the way Nick's ear ends up metaphorically chewed up and resting somewhere on the floor of their squad car. He doesn't mind though, even thought it drives him crazy the way Swarek is missing what's right in front of him. He doesn't mind because since they've come back, they don't ride together like they used to. Or maybe it's just all the time they spent undercover - anything less feels like an extreme.
Nick Collins is not stupid.
And neither is Chloe. In fact, not long after they return, she's the first one to pick up that there's something more there. Nick's frustrated and Gail's mad, and unspoken feelings, feelings that they refuse to talk about hang over the couple like a dark cloud. There is a light, though, and Chloe sees it. And whether it's a jab or not, intentional or accidental, the light is made known to to Gail. And Gail is mad, and Nick is still frustrated. It means absolutely nothing.
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
That night was a turning point, and it's not long after that everything else falls blissfully apart. There's a kidnapping, and secrets are revealed with Blackstone in the mix. And Nick is there to hear every last word. He listens as she defends herself in the car, he really does, hanging onto every word that suggests their bitter end is his fault. And maybe it is. Maybe it is his fault for not realizing until now the feelings that are creeping up on him. The sparks have gone out between him and Gail, but is his wrong for hanging on in hopes that the embers have a little more left inside them? It doesn't matter now because he's telling her goodnight and she's looking at him with shame and guilt and anger - all things he knows she wouldn't being feelings if he hadn't come back into her life.
Nick Collins is not stupid.
And then it's not long before he realizes how safe he's been living his life. And I don't mean physically living, because as a cop there's a chance to get shot at every day- almost as much as there is when he was wearing a different uniform. The relationship with Gail had been safe, going back to something he knew before though it hadn't worked the first time. Well, it had failed this time too, and this time, it's Andy who's his "break-up buddy" instead of the other way around. He looks at her with gratitude, knowing full well that she could so easily look at him with daggers. The feeling of thanks is mixed with something else, something Chloe had discovered before, something that shouldn't be there.
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
But now, it doesn't matter. And maybe he should have waited longer after the split with Gail, but that whole taking chances thing means finally being honest. After all belated honestly had destroyed his engagement to be engaged. Magical, he calls her, and at first she doesn't understand, and right then and here he almost withdrew completely. But swallowing his pride and opening himself up to the kind of hurt he had unleashed in the past, Nick clarifies- only to be interrupted. Even still, he knew what she was going to say.
Nick Collins is not stupid.
Maybe, but that doesn't mean he knows everything. After all, Andy McNally is a spitfire package that can surprise even the people who know her the best. He's willing to wait, but she doesn't want him too. Because he's worth it, because they're both worth it. And as they stumble over her apartment, knocking over lamps and chairs in the effort to unbutton their tops, he can't help but wonder how this was happening.
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
The relationship, though he's not sure if he can put a label on it or even if he wants to, is simple and easy. In fact, the only complication is not between them but between them and Gail, though she seems to be hanging around with the pretty lab tech girl an awful lot. So while she's angry and not really talking to either of them, at least she has someone who understands her- not out of obligation, but out of truly caring. In fact, he's pretty sure there's something more because there was something suspicious about the way they were both in the coat closet and staggered their exits...
Nick Collins is not stupid.
There's something going on, and he feels very disconnected from it. After the incident at the park, he and Andy aren't paired up as often anymore, even though they weren't on the job when Chris's son was taken. Consequences are consequences, though, and like the soldier he is, Nick takes it. Still, he notices the way Swarek is using the situation to talk down to him and get more time with Andy. He doesn't say anything, though; he could be just completely paranoid about nothing. But they're talking a lot and in secret tones... and there's a history... and...
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
Even if they're not together, even if she's with Nick and he's with Marlo. In fact, Sam and Andy and Marlo and suddenly becoming a little group. And then Marlo doesn't show up to work, and he doesn't understand until he and Oliver are sent to her house because of a case. The basement is shocking, but not nearly as much of a surprise as to hear the lack of shock in Andy's voice. And suddenly, all the pieces fall together.
Nick Collins is not stupid.
Pieces wouldn't be the only thing that fell that day. Officers missing, officers shot, and a hit list are just a taste of the horrors that 15 faced. Now more aware of Marlo's condition, Nick understands. A few of his army buddies suffered similarly, and it's that experience that finds him easily working at her side. They join forces to solve the case she had unintentionally created- until he steps out of the parade room and comes face to face with a man and a gun. His name is called, and his pupils dilate under the immediate stress. But before he can react, a different voice calls out a different name, and there are two shots. One is from his own gun, second only to the bullet in a different direction. Glass is broken, cops are scattered, and Andy goes rushing by him, followed shortly by Marlo. But Marlo stops and turns around, and Nick has to look the way she was going before he is slapped with his own realization, something he knew all along.
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
The downed officer is loaded up into a bus, and only one fool makes the mistake of arguing with her about riding along. Nick follows separately, but only after giving his own statement about the shooting and closing the book on another case. The whole division is at the hospital, anxiously awaiting news about three of their officers, and Nick is reflecting about how he was almost among those ranks when his eyes fall upon a distraught Andy approaching. An apology falls from her lips, and he dismisses it immediately. There was never a reason for her to say sorry in this, and she needs to know that like he does.
When the doctor finally relents and allows one visitor into the examination room, it's Nick who nominates Andy. Again, she starts to backpedal and again, he shakes his head. Of course she needs to be back there. There's no one who knows her the way he does.
Nick Collins is not stupid.
Andy McNally is in love with Sam Swarek.
A/N: I was never a huge fan of the Nick/Gail dynamic, mostly because we were just thrown obscure details that they were together without really seeing it (oh, and not totally biased by being a Chrail stan at all. Nope.) But most of all, I feel like Nick's pov is ignored by the fandom because he came so much later and the other side of things is Queen Gail and the USS McSwarek... so thus this was born. Anyway, lemme know what you think!