Guess what? It's time for another fluffy fundraiser. Not 100% happy with chapter 1 but it gets us where we're going. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I own no part of Rookie Blue.
It was a beautiful Monday morning and Andy had enjoyed the walk to work. She was more than content with her decision to keep her old apartment and not move in with Luke. On days like this, she really loved being able to get out and walk.
Unfortunately, for Luke though it was all or nothing; if Andy wasn't willing to take the next step, it was over. He was hoping that the added pressure would help her decide to move forward; he thought she just needed the extra push. But all it did was make her realize that it wasn't what she wanted and she had broken it off.
Things were still a little tense, but so far they had been able to mostly avoid each other and at least keep it civil on the few occasions they had to work together.
Andy was still smiling when she got into parade; a perfect summer day always did that for her. She met Sam's eye on the way in and he grinned back at her. (Her smile always did it for him.) She turned away quickly, hoping to hide the flush in her cheeks.
He hadn't made any kind of move since the breakup, and she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do short of jumping him. But she wasn't willing to put herself out there without a definite sign from him so she did her best to conceal the blush that was a little too telling. She took her usual spot next to Traci forcing herself not to look back as Frank walked in.
He kept it short and sweet, but after all the assignments were given, Frank had another announcement. "Most of you already know that each year we have a charity softball game against the fire department in the 15th division. You've probably all seen the flyers, but I've just posted the sign-up sheet on the window right outside the door, and the game is a week from Saturday in the afternoon."
"So ball players…" He said, looking directly at Sam before turning to Luke. "Make sure you find a way to get that afternoon off; it would be nice to finally win one for a change. Now Serve, Protect and Get Me Bragging Rights."
As soon as everyone was dismissed, Oliver and Jerry were on Sam immediately. In previous years, he had always been their best player, with Callahan a close second.
Oliver spoke first trying to egg him on. "Come on, Sam. I see Callahan is already signing up."
Sam turned his head and could see Luke clearly through the windows, evidently bragging to the other detectives while he added his name to the list.
Jerry was with Shaw. "Yeah Sammy; you know you want to play."
But Sam wasn't biting…yet. His eyes were now peeled on Andy; he was not going to sign up until she did. If she played, he would happily play too. If she wasn't a player, he would happily sit in the stands and keep her company. He didn't need the spotlight, or Frank's bragging rights; what he needed was an excuse to spend time with Andy outside of work.
Oliver followed Sam's gaze, drawing the obvious conclusion. "What's going on Sammy? You waiting for your rookie?"
"She's not a rookie anymore." Sam was happy to point out. But I'm working on the my part.
"You know what I mean." Oliver replied. "Don't you want to show off your prowess?" He taunted.
He definitely wanted to show her what he could do but it had nothing to do with charity softball. Sam didn't respond; he just shot Oliver a look that told him he was treading in dangerous waters.
"…On the ball field of course." Oliver defended. "I'm sure she'd love to watch you play."
"He'd rather play with her." Jerry added with a smirk, clearly alluding to exactly what Sam had been thinking just moments ago.
Sam reached over to grab him in a headlock, trying hard not to grin and encourage this conversation any further. His friends knew him too well.
Before Sam could get a good hold on Jerry, Dov walked up to throw in his two cents; as usual, he had heard every word. "If you're waiting for Andy, you don't have to worry about it. I can tell you right now she's playing. There's no way Boyko will let her say no."
"What do you mean?" Sam stopped; his battle with Jerry momentarily forgotten.
"Boyko's been friends with her dad for a long time, and he knows what Andy can do on the ball field. If she doesn't sign up, he'll get her to sign up. She could be our best chance to win this year. From what I hear, you guys have been holding your own but you need some support from the women. With her and Traci, we should be good to go." Dov predicted.
That piqued Jerry's interest. "How good are they?" The idea of a bet was already forming in his head.
"Traci's played for years and rumor is that Andy could have had a softball scholarship but she wanted to go to the Academy. She'll be in; they both will. I actually think Gail has played before too." Dov assured.
Sam was still going to hold off. He'd been trying to wait patiently for some kind of sign from Andy, but it hadn't come – or at least he hadn't recognized her obvious interest like everyone else. If he could get her to relax and let her guard down, he thought he could find out for sure. So now he was just trying to find a way to spend more time with her off the clock.
He watched Andy, Traci and Gail deep in conversation as they walked out without a second look at the sign-up sheet. Sam turned and raised his eyebrows at Dov, who just shrugged his shoulders and followed them down the hall.
Not a minute later, Boyko appeared through the window; he was at the division for a meeting with Frank today. He frowned as he looked at the sheet. He sent a pointed look at Sam before turning around and walking back the same way he had come, the grimace still firmly planted on his face.
It wasn't long before he was back though, and he was followed by a contrite Andy. She immediately put her name on the list, forcing Traci and Gail to sign up right behind her. Boyko smiled at the ladies before pointing an accusing finger at Sam.
Sam stood and nodded his assent, adding his name as Boyko walked away. After a quick stop in the locker room, Sam made his way out to the cruiser to meet Andy.
They had barely left the station when Andy asked Sam as casually as she could if he had signed up too. She didn't want to appear too eager though. "I noticed that Frank was looking at you when he said 'ballplayers'. Did you sign up? Are you going to play?" Andy wondered aloud.
"Yeah. I've played some ball; I've played every other year so I thought I probably would." He replied offhandedly.
"Are you any good?" Andy teased.
"Are we still talking about softball?" Sam asked with a wink, thoroughly enjoying the color that took over Andy's cheeks.
She just shook her head and gave him an exasperated look. Why does he always have to do that to me? "Yes, Sam, I'm talking about softball."
"Yeah, I'm told I'm pretty good." He answered, quickly adding. "And I'm a decent ball player too."
She didn't get redder; the color simply spread from her cheeks and made its way down her neck. If only he could see just how far...
It was just one more thing he found attractive about Andy. She was sexy as hell, but anything remotely suggestive from him and she was blushing like a teenager. And Sam loved every minute of it so he wasn't about to stop now. "What about you McNally? Got any skills?" That should get her.
Sam was turning up the heat, and she was definitely feeling the effects. Andy couldn't decide if this was the sign she was looking for or if he just enjoyed teasing her. All she knew was that the temperature in the car had doubled in the last few minutes and she needed a vent fast. Thank goodness a call came in and interrupted.
Sam just laughed as Andy grabbed for her radio and quickly responded, effectively ignoring Sam's question.
He looked forward to the ball game every year, but so far this was looking like it might be the most fun yet. Besides having extra time with Andy, he would get to spend the next two weeks talking about it, while conveniently dropping every innuendo he could think of. This was going to be fun.
The call was quick and it was almost noon, so they headed to a diner for lunch. When they sat down, Andy asked Sam when he started playing ball. He told her that he played a lot when he was growing up, adding that his sister had too. Andy could hear the sadness in his voice when he told her that Sarah never did again following the attack. After that, she would only play catch with Sam in the backyard.
The tone was somber after that, and there was a lull in the conversation. Sam took the opportunity to lower his head and start on his lunch. But Andy didn't want to leave things on a sad note, so she tried to restart the conversation. "So what's your favorite position?"
With a sharp intake of breath, Sam just about choked on his burger. This was just getting better and better.
Before he could look up and flash a knowing grin at her, she had already realized what she had said. Her head dropped slowly back and rested against the top of the booth while she stared at the ceiling. She shook her head minutely back and forth. Why can't you just learn to keep your mouth shut? Are you allergic to silence? You couldn't think of anything else to say? You just had to go and say something like that?
Sam sat there grinning as he tried to hold in his laughter. He didn't have to see her eyes to know she was berating herself for that slip. She didn't look like she was going to move anytime soon so he decided to take it easy on her. "McNally."
When she didn't respond, he said it again. "McNally."
He finally put his hand on hers and that definitely got her attention. When she lowered her head to look at him, he smiled gently, trying hard to tone down his amusement. He could tell she'd had enough teasing so he let her off the hook. "I normally play shortstop." He said softly.
She appreciated the effort and smiled as she shook her head and rolled her eyes at herself. "I like to play second."
That brought Sam's dimples right back out; they would be playing together in the infield, right next to each other. He couldn't help but gloat. "Swarek and McNally, side by side again - no reason to break up a good team. Right?"
"Right!" Andy agreed as she looked down at her plate and smiled. That sounded pretty good to her.
The rest of the day went quickly and when they pulled into the yard, Sam asked Andy if she was going to the Penny tonight. She told him she had made plans to go there with Traci; he was disappointed that she didn't need a ride, but promised he would see her there.
Andy met up with Traci in the locker room and they showered quickly before heading to the bar. As soon as they entered, they saw the rest of the rookies at their usual table. Traci grinned as she waited for Andy go through her regular ritual. She wasn't even sure if Andy was aware of it, but every time they came in Andy's eyes scanned the entire bar. As soon as they got their Swarek fix, she would be good to go. Traci just waited patiently while she pretended not to notice.
Andy thought she was being discreet; she didn't want anyone to catch her, especially Sam. But as she swept the room tonight, she caught Sam's eye before she had a chance to look away. He smiled and winked at her. She smiled back shyly and couldn't help the gleam that entered her eye. He seemed to have been looking for her too. Did he always do that?
Even from across the room, Sam caught the twinkle in her eye. When that brought his dimples out, it only served to color Andy's cheeks a deeper red. Her grin grew as she turned away shaking her head.
Sam didn't want to spook her, but he had decided that he needed to do more than just sit and wait. With a few small gestures, he was hoping to make his intentions clear without pressuring her. And if her reaction was any indication, so far she seemed to be enjoying the extra attention.
Andy sat down with a grin and everyone asked her why she was so happy. She didn't have an answer, at least not one that she could share, so she just chalked it up to a good day. Traci smiled knowingly having caught her earlier exchange with Sam.
Pretty soon, though, they were all deep in conversation about the upcoming ball game. Every one of them had signed up and was anxious to help the division win for the first time in 5 years. The rookies quickly made plans to meet after work on Friday to practice a little; they all wanted to impress the white shirts. They decided to go to a nearby field, practice for an hour or so, then run back to the station to shower before grabbing a bite to eat and heading to the Penny together. Sounded like the perfect end to the week.
"I'll try not to embarrass you all with my mad skills on Friday." Dov bragged.
Chris burst out laughing. "I've seen you play, Dov. I'll admit you can run, but you better hope you get walked every time or you won't even have a chance to do that."
Everyone else laughed as Dov sulked into his beer. I'll show them.
Over at the bar, Sam had been sitting with Oliver, Jerry and Noelle but his eyes were continuously drawn to the rookie table trying to catch another glimpse of Andy. He could tell they were talking about the ball game by all the gestures – she tended to talk with her hands a lot. He couldn't help the smile that came to his face at her excitement. He grinned down at his drink and shook his head before trying to pick back up with the conversation going on around him.
More than once he was caught off guard by a question from one of his friends. It didn't take long for them to realize that Sam's mind was nowhere near them. They finally just gave up on including Sam in the conversation and left him in his own little world…the one that revolved around his attractive partner.
He was fine with that because more than once he caught Andy glancing back at him too.
He left at the end of the night quite content. He hadn't even spoken to Andy, but it still felt like the most progress they'd made in a long time. If he was lucky, he'd come out of this game with more than just bragging rights.
Nothing like a little healthy competition...we'll see if Sam agrees.