The Wooing of Sam Swarek

Due to overwhelming demand, here is the sequel to The Wooing of Andy McNally. This story picks up where the other left off, and while it's not necessary to read The Wooing of Andy McNally prior to this story, you'll have a better idea of where their relationship stands in this story if you read that one first. Enjoy and, as always, I LOVE reading reviews so let me know what you think. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

Chapter 1

Andy woke up lazily, stretching her arms above her head before glancing at Sam out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were closed, but the small smile on his face told her he was awake. She rolled on top of him and his arms circled around her as his eyes finally opened.

"Happy birthday," she said before crushing her lips against his.

His arms held her tight against him, even when their lips parted. "Eh, it's just another day," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Andy rolled her eyes, knowing it was pointless to argue with him as they'd had this conversation many times. "Well, on this 'just another happy day,' I want us to do whatever you want to do."

"Really?" Before she had a chance to respond, Sam flipped them over and placed a kiss on her lips. "I can think..." Another kiss along her jaw. "...of a great way... " A kiss on her neck. "...to start the day." He kissed the sensitive skin where her neck met her collarbone before gently biting at the same spot.

Later, when they'd finally gotten out of bed, they decided to shower and go out for brunch. Andy was brushing through her wet hair and watching Sam from the doorway of the bathroom as he got dressed. "What time do you want to head to Sarah's?" she asked.

"I thought around 1. Gives us time to get down there and relax for a couple hours before going out to dinner," he said.

"Okay."

He walked over to her and ran his hands down the length of her arms to still them before gently grabbing her wrists. "You still nervous?" he asked.

"No." She looked up at him as he kept staring at her, not believing her answer. She blew out a breath of air. "Fine, yes. Okay, she's your sister and I'm meeting her for the first time. But I want to meet her, I really do. So, let's just forget about my nerves."

"She'll love you, I promise," Sam said, his fingers trailing up and down her arms.

"That's what you keep saying," she smirked.

The ringing of Sam's phone interrupted their conversation and he grabbed it off one of Andy's bedside tables. He didn't recognize the caller ID, but answered anyway. "This is Swarek...Yeah, Friday...Today? Not really...I kind of had plans...Yeah, fine. I'll be there."

He shoved his phone into his pocket as Andy walked over to him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"The damn Smithfield trial. Nash and I were supposed to testify Friday, but they've moved our testimony up two days because of some problem they're having with another witness." He rubbed a hand over his face, frustrated.

"And that would be today," she said, frowning. She knew how much he wanted to see his sister and spend his birthday with her. As many times as Andy asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, visiting Sarah was his only request so she'd made sure they both got the day off.

"The prosecutor said they'd put me on the stand first, so we could still make it to Sarah's for dinner. I'll let her know we won't be getting there as early as I thought," he said as he tied his shoes and grabbed his jacket.

Andy followed him through her condo to the front door. "Keep me posted. I'll be ready to leave whenever you can."

"I'm sorry." He leaned down to kiss her. "This isn't how I wanted to spend my birthday."

"I know," she said, giving him a smile. "We'll go to Sarah's tonight, and you and I will continue your birthday celebration on our next day off. I promise."

He leaned in for another kiss before opening the door. "I'll keep you too that," he said, grinning.

Several hours later as Andy was cleaning her apartment, her phone rang. Seeing it was Sam, she grinned as she answered. "You're done early. We can still - "

"No," Sam interrupted her. "The defense attorney had an emergency and was running late. They're just starting now and I won't be on the stand for at least another hour. We'll never make it to Sarah's for dinner."

"Sam, I'm sorry."

"Look, I'll call her and cancel. Don't waste your day off waiting for me. I'll let you know when I'm finally done here," he said. Andy could hear the sadness in his voice.

"I'm not wasting anything. Just call me when you're done and we'll make the best of whatever's left of the day," she responded, trying to sound optimistic.

Nearly an hour passed before the light bulb went on in Andy's head and she suddenly had a fantastic idea. If Sam couldn't get to Sarah, she was going to bring Sarah to Sam. Andy nervously chewed her bottom lip as she thought about what Sam had told her about his sister. She'd need to find a way to convince Sarah to leave St. Catharines, not an easy task. She was about to text Chris and Nick to see if she could borrow one of their cars when she realized a familiar car, or truck, would give her a better chance of getting Sarah to come with her.

She pulled out her phone and typed a message to Sam. Can I borrow your truck? Kinda important. I'll take a cab to the courthouse.

She tapped her fingers on the phone until it beeped with Sam's response. Sure. Everything ok?

She smiled as she typed a reply. Yeah, just need transportation to take care of something. Won't take long.

Take your time. I'll get Nash to give me a ride home later.

Love you :) Thx

Andy called for a cab and half an hour later she was in Sam's truck and on her way to St. Catharines, a goofy grin plastered on her face as she thought about Sam's reaction to her plan.

Andy pulled into Sarah's driveway, impressed at how accurate the directions she'd searched for online had been, and took a deep breath as she pulled the keys from the ignition. Now that she was here, she suddenly thought that this sounded like a better idea in her head. What was she thinking? She's never met Sarah, doesn't really know what Sam's told his sister about her, and now she's showing up at her door ready to practically kidnap her to take her back to Sam. Sarah was going to call the cops on her and Sam would be spending the night of his birthday bailing her out of jail. Andy shook those thoughts and images from her head, took another deep breath and got out of the car.

Andy walked up the stairs to the porch of the small house and rang the doorbell. A minute later she heard footsteps nearing the door, and there was a long pause before the door slowly opened. Andy had seen photos of Sarah, but in person the Swarek resemblance was remarkable. The black hair, brown eyes, and even though she wasn't smiling, Andy saw the slight creases where Sarah's dimples would pop out.

Andy grinned. "Hi, I'm Andy, Sam's...uh, I'm Sam's, you know...I'm Andy McNally," she said, fumbling over her words.

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows and gave Andy a curious look. "Hello, is Sam..." She looked over the stranger standing in her doorway but saw an empty truck and her brother nowhere in sight. "I thought he couldn't make it."

"Well, yeah, he's still stuck in court, but I had an idea. Can I come in?" she asked. Sarah hesitated, but glancing back at the truck, she realized if Sam trusted this girl enough with his truck, the least she could do was invite her in. She opened the door wider and backed up to allow Andy into her home.

Andy stood in the foyer and waited for Sarah to close the door and turn toward her. "So, this is probably awkward, and well, my middle name is awkward, so..." Andy trailed off as Sarah's curious eyes bore into her. "Look, all Sam has wanted for his birthday was to spend time with you. I know he canceled our plans tonight, and he doesn't know I'm here, but I want to bring you back to Toronto. I want you two to have time together."

For the first time since she arrived, Andy saw a small smile emerge from Sarah's mouth. "It's nice to meet you Andy McNally," she said, holding out her hand to shake Andy's.

Andy blushed, realizing she kind of sped through introductions in her effort to explain why she showed up suddenly and without Sam. "Sorry."

Sarah shook her head. "It's okay. Sorry I didn't recognize you, but Sam's never showed me a picture of you. Told me a lot about you though."

"Uh, that's embarrassing," Andy replied, burying her face in her hands momentarily.

"Nah, but I know enough to know I'm safe letting you in my home," she said, ushering Andy into the living room. She led Andy to the couch, while she took the chair across from it. "So, tell me again why you're here."

"For weeks I've asked Sam what he wanted for his birthday and all he'd say was having dinner with you. I don't want the stupid trial he's testifying for to get in the way of that. But he's right, there's no way he'll be done in time to get down here for dinner, so I thought about taking the dinner to him. By the time we get back to Toronto, he should be done and heading home. I'd like to surprise him with you being there." Andy looked hopefully at the woman across from her.

"How much has Sam told you about me? About why I don't come to Toronto much?" she asked.

"A little. I know why he comes here more than you visit him, so I know it's a lot for me to ask. I just hoped..." Andy looked down at her lap and her fingers fidgeted with a stray thread sticking out of the seam of her jeans.

"It is," Sarah agreed. "The last time I visited him it took me a full day to prepare myself. You're giving me minutes."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have." Andy jumped up and took two steps toward the front door before Sarah's voice stopped her.

"Wait. Sit down." Sarah stood up and walked past Andy to the stairs. "Please. Wait." With that, Andy watched her disappear up the stairs and heard a door close.

Andy was confused and wasn't sure what to do. She walked back to the couch, sat down and did what Sarah had asked, wait. She heard noises above her head; feet pacing the floor back and forth, an occasionally slamming of what sounded like drawers, a door opening and closing. After about 15 minutes, it was making Andy nervous. She knew it was Sarah working through whatever she needed to, but she began second-guessing herself again, wondering if she was pushing Sam's sister too far.

In an effort to get her mind off the waiting, she stood up and walked over to the fireplace, taking in the handful of photos that graced the mantel. There was one of Sam and Sarah with a Christmas tree behind them, and based on their ages Andy figured it couldn't have been from more than a few years ago. She picked up another frame of two children and two adults sitting on an old couch. There was no doubt the children were Sam and Sarah, and the resemblance of the adults told her they were their parents. Andy smiled, realizing she was finally getting a little glimpse into Sam's past. There were two more photos; one of Sarah with a small group of people Andy assumed were friends, but it was the last photo her eyes captured that caught her by surprise.

There was Sam and Sarah, only slightly older than in the photo with their parents, surrounded by a group of about 20 other children. Examining the faces of the children, she guessed their ages to be between 4 and 16. It was only then that Andy noticed the children were standing in front of a sign. Blocking most of it, she could still make out the letters "phanage." An orphanage. She'd always wondered what Sam had meant by his foster home comment during the Alvarez case. This was her answer; he'd been in foster care. She wondered if Sam would ever open up enough to talk to her about that time in his life.

Footsteps on the stairs pulled Andy out of her thoughts, and glancing at her watch, she didn't realize how much time had passed while she looked at the photos. She turned around as Sarah entered the room. She'd changed her clothes and carried a small duffel bag with her.

"I don't know…I might not…I can't promise you I'm going to make it to Toronto," Sarah said. "But I want to try…for Sam. All I ask is that if I need to come back, you turn the truck around. I need to know that you'll listen and do that."

Andy nodded her head vigorously. "Of course. Absolutely. Just say the word."

"Thank you." Sarah waved her hand toward the door and took a deep breath. "Let's go."

They'd been on the road for about half an hour, with Sarah playing with the radio stations for most of that time. Andy knew she was anxious, so she remained quiet while Sarah worked out her nervousness. Suddenly, Sarah sat up straight and began wringing her hands together. "I can't do this. I can't," she said, shaking her head.

"It's only a little over an hour left. You can do this, Sarah."

"No. No, I can't. He'll understand. I can't."

Andy pulled off the highway so she could put the car in park. She turned her body slightly so she was facing Sarah and slowly put a hand on hers to steady them. "Sarah, take a deep breath. Is there an image you bring to mind to get past these panic attacks?" When she nodded, Andy continued. "Okay, whatever it is, close your eyes and picture it." She stayed silent and minutes later Sarah slowly began breathing normally again.

Sarah realized Andy's calm tone of voice was soothing and actually helping her relax again. When she felt her heart rate return to normal, she opened her eyes and looked over at the woman sitting next to her. "Thank you."

The panic attack had scared Andy and she wondered if she was doing the right thing bringing Sarah to Toronto. "Maybe this was a bad idea. I'm sorry. I can take you home," she suggested.

Sarah turned her hand over so she could give Andy's hand, which still rested on hers, a squeeze. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

Andy looked Sarah in the eye and told her the truth. "I'm doing it for Sam. He wanted to spend his birthday with his sister." She closed her eyes for a moment and when they opened, she was staring down at the cup holder between them. "And I'd do anything for him."

Sarah realized everything Sam had told her about Andy was true, and she was pretty sure this woman was it for her brother. And she couldn't wait to see his face when she told him that. "Keep driving. I'll be better once we get to Sam's." She smiled when Andy looked up at her.

Andy pulled back onto the road and glanced over at Sarah quickly. "Do you like steak? Or are you like a vegetarian or anything?"

Sarah bit back a laugh as she answered. "No, I'm a meat-eater. Why?"

"Sam's favorite restaurant is this steakhouse near his apartment and I thought I'd call ahead to pick up an order for the three of us. Their steaks are really the best."

"That sounds good. If the butterflies in my stomach ever stop flying around, I'll be starving by the time we get to Sam's," Sarah said.

Andy quickly smiled before focusing back on the road. Arriving in Toronto, Andy made a quick stop at the steakhouse to pick up their dinner before getting to Sam's apartment. "Come on in," Andy said, opening the door and ushering Sarah in. "I'm sure Sam would tell you to make yourself at home, so…"

Sarah put her duffel bag down near the door and Andy hung up their jackets before heading to the kitchen to find a way to keep their dinner warm until Sam came home.

Sarah insisted on helping Andy set the table, telling her she needed to keep busy while they waited for Sam. She was placing the utensils next to each plate, when she looked over at Andy. "Thank you for this." When Andy gave her a sheepish smile, she continued. "It'll mean a lot to Sam...and, it means a lot to me."

Andy blushed and looked down as she folded the napkins and placed one next to each plate. "It's nothing, really, I just want him happy."

"It's not nothing, Andy. Really, he's lucky to have you," Sarah said.

"I'm the lucky one." When her phone beeped, she pulled it out of her pocket to see a text from Sam. Nash is giving me a ride. You home?

"It's your brother," she told Sarah, before responding. Nope, your place. :)

This have to do with borrowing my truck?

Maybe ;) Just come home.

Sarah intently watched the features of Andy's face as she texted with Sam. She saw the smile, the bright eyes, the overall glow that emanated from her. This girl was head over heels with her brother and she couldn't have been happier that he found someone who loved him so much.

"He's getting a ride home now, so it shouldn't be long. Wanna have a glass of wine while we wait?" Andy asked.

"Sure. I can tell you what a devil child Sam was," Sarah said, laughing. Andy poured their wine and sat down on the couch to wait for Sam's arrival.

A short time later, Andy raced to the door when she heard Sam's keys in the lock. The moment he walked in the door, she launched herself at him, almost knocking him down. "Good to see you too," he said, chuckling.

She gave him a quick kiss before throwing her hand over his eyes as he tried to walk them further into his apartment. "I have a surprise," she said.

"McNally," he growled. "You knowI hate surprises." He fought to look through her fingers, but she kept her hand securely over his eyes.

"I promise, this surprise you'll like. Just come," she said, tugging him into the living room. She waited until Sarah was standing in front of them before moving her hand.

Sam's jaw dropped open when he saw his sister. "Sarah? What? How?"

Andy giggled and backed away from the siblings. Sarah threw a glance at Andy before looking at her brother again. "She's persistent. Happy birthday, Sammy."

Sam took a couple steps to close the distance between him and his sister, and wrapped her up in a hug. "I'm glad you're here. Sorry our plans got screwed up."

Andy let Sam and Sarah catch up as she headed into the kitchen to get their dinner ready.

"She's a keeper, Sammy," Sarah said. She expected to see shock and fear take over his face, but instead she saw contentment and happiness.

"I know. How'd she get you..."

"To leave St. Catharine's? She was patient and persistent. And, you know, she had your truck, so I knew how much you trusted her," she said, the classic Swarek smirk displayed.

Sam rolled his eyes before getting serious. "With my life."

"I know. And she was doing this all for you, so how could I say no." Standing on her tip toes, she kissed her brother's cheek. "Now, go give her a proper hello." She smirked as he turned and headed to the kitchen.

Andy was placing the food she'd kept warm on plates when Sam entered the kitchen. "You're amazing, you know that?" He circled his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "Thank you." He closed the distance between their lips for a passionate kiss. Andy forgot what she'd been doing or who was in the next room as she slid her hands up Sam's back and moaned into his mouth. Sam was the first to pull back, knowing all too well his sister was only feet away, and nudged his nose with hers.

Before either could speak, Sarah's voice came booming from the dining room. "Some people here are hungry, you know. Stop making out like teenagers in there!" she teased.

Andy blushed at her words, but Sam just chuckled. He nodded toward the food. "That smells great."

"It's your favorite," she said sheepishly.

Andy picked up two of the plates and nodded for Sam to get the other, but before he did, he gently grabbed her arm to stop her movement and force her to look at him again. "Hey…Thank you." Andy saw the sincerity in his eyes and smiled before continuing into the dining room.

There were many observations going on at the dinner table. Andy enjoyed seeing Sam interact with his sister; Sam loved watching the two most important women in his love getting along, even if they were joking at his expense most of the time; and Sarah couldn't help but catch the loving glances her brother and Andy were throwing each other and the playful taunting they engaged in.

When dinner was over, Andy insisted Sam and Sarah catch up, pushing them into the living room before cleaning up. It was hours later before Sam and Andy were alone. When Sarah was comfortable on the pull-out couch, they retreated to Sam's bedroom.

As Andy curled up against Sam in bed, resting her chin on his chest, she looked up at him. "So, how was your birthday?" she asked.

"Andy, thank you." Those two words weren't enough to express how he felt about what Andy had done for him. "Tonight…it was beyond, it was…Tonight was amazing." He found he was having a hard time describing how truly wonderful his night had been all thanks to Andy.

She shrugged her shoulders and cast her eyes downward sheepishly. "It was nothing. It was how you wanted to spend your birthday."

"It wasn't nothing."

"Your sister said the same thing," she said, looking up at him again.

"Well, she's right. What you did was amazing. I appreciate it, my sister appreciates it. I spent the night with my two favorite women; a birthday can't get better than that," he said.

"Sam…" His words made her heart so full. "I'm glad I got to meet Sarah."

"Me too. She likes you, you know. And I'm sure you have lots of childhood stories to heckle me about now," he said, smirking.

"Well…" Andy giggled, which caused Sam to just shake his head. She laid her head down on his chest as her fingers dances along his neck and collarbone. "Anything your birthday was missing?"

"Well, I was hoping for one more thing," he said, which had Andy's head popping up. The fear written all over her face as she thought she might have forgotten something was quickly replaced by a playful smirk as she saw his waggling eyebrows.

"Sam! Your sister is down the hall!" She playfully slapped his arm.

"So, we'll just have to be quiet." With thoughts in this mind about how this had been the perfect birthday, he rolled them over and pinned Andy to the mattress as he brought his lips to hers.