A/N: Thought I'd try my hand at writing something different from AoS...

"15 DIVISION! MEET YOUR NEW ROOKIES!" Oliver shouted, raising his glass to the air.

"Rules are simple. Get out of the cuffs any way you can. First one out drinks for free. The rest of you pay the tab. On three. One, Two, THREE" Sam explained, counting them all down to action.

As he yelled 'three' the six bodies were released from their hold and were wriggling and writhing to try and free their hands from the 'cuffs, captivating the attention of everyone. Everyone that is except Sam and Andy, who seemed to be taking it in turns to lose attention in the activity and look at each other while taking a swig of their drink, and Oliver, who was more interested in what was going on between his two friends than the fresh meat at the bar.

He hadn't missed the lingering looks, the quick, soft touches or how they could read each other like an open book, even if everyone else had.

Right now, Oliver could see Sam bend and whisper something into Andy's ear, at least he hoped he was whispering, but the bar was kind of loud, so it could just be that he was trying to be heard. He saw her look at him and nod before Sam waved his hand in the air for the bar tender.

"HA! I got you!" Oliver thought as he watched Sam place a gentle hand on Andy's arm.

Suddenly there was a loud whooping as one of the rookies hands flew into the air, cuffs dangling around one wrist.

Oliver chuckled and diverted his attention back to the planned entertainment as the bartender placed six shots on the bar.

Five heads bobbed down, sealing their lips around the top of the glass and tipping their heads back to swallow their drink, while the winner tipped the drink down their neck with his free hand.

By the time Oliver looked back at Andy and Sam, Sam was sat alone, nursing a scotch.

"Sam. You know I am only saying this because I care. You need to talk to her."

"About what?" Sam asked, raising a solitary eyebrow in confusion.

Oliver shook his head and ordered another beer. He was worried about Sam's denial of what was becoming painfully obvious.

Sam's cell rang and he answered it so fast, Oliver was sure it was Andy. He only ever saw Sam move that quick when it was.

He tried to hear the conversation Sam was having, but all he could hear were grunts above the rucas that the Black Penny had become.

"I'll call her and see if she's ok with that." Sam said before hanging up.

He saw Oliver wave a curious eyebrow at him and he shook his head.

Sam threw a bill on the counter, pushed himself to his feet and headed for the door.

"Alright! Settle down!" Frank called to the packed room.

Silence immediately fell over the room.

"I know you all know the speech by now, but no amount of training will prepare you to do this job. Each day is as taxing as the last, but different for any number of reasons. Ok. So pairings, from tomorrow, will be on the rosta board, but for today the pairings are as follows: Shaw and Butterworth."

Oliver left out a sigh and shook his head before looking at the blonde haired rookie who was beaming.

"Why do I always get stuck with the overeager ones?" he muttered as Frank announced the next pairing.

"Williams and Paul."

Noelle looked sideways at Oliver before looking at her rookie.

"Diaz and Pepper."

"Pepper?" Chris asked.

"That's me. And it has nothing to do with my hair." The rookie named Pepper said, rising his hand in the air.

"Peck and Hancock"

"You have got to be kidding me? You're assigning me a rookie? Do you not know I could end your career right now." Gail grumbled.

"Anderson and McNally."

If the room was silent before, you could have heard a pin drop with how quiet it was now. As one, all of the officers' heads turned to look at Sam and Andy to try and gauge their reactions.

They shared a glance out of the corners of their eyes, smiles playing at the corners of their mouths before looking straight ahead.

"And if you would all divert your attention back to me, your staff sergeant, who you are supposed to be paying attention to right now, I will announce the final pairing as Swarek and Little.

Now I know you must all be curious, but please try and focus on your jobs. Let's Serve, Protect, and try not to overreact." Frank concluded, staring Sam straight in the eye.

The second Frank finished speaking, there was a scrape of chairs on the floor as everyone got to their feet to find their respective partners and gather their keys. Only Oliver hung back to talk to Frank.

"You arranged this last night? You were the one to call Sammy?"

"Yeah. I finally got the rookies reports. Little is shy and lacks confidence. Anderson is a legacy. Assertive, dominant and as cocky as hell."

"So you pair the wallflower with Sam Swarek and the arrogant one with McNally?"

"I have my reasons Oliver."

"You do know if anything happens to her Sam is gonna flip."

"I gave careful consideration into this. I paired Anderson with McNally for two reasons. One, she is, herself, a legacy."

"And the second?"

"Andy McNally is the first person I know of that has stood up to Sammy and managed to reign him in. He was a good cop before they met. Now, he's even better. McNally's development as a copper has been greatly influenced by him which is why he has been given the wallflower."

"And if McNally gets hurt?"

"She won't get hurt."