This is for Tinat68 - you asked for it :) I only hope my stories can get to be as good as yours.

This is my first fan fiction, but I am an avid reader. I may not be a writer (yet), but I definitely have an active imagination so I hope it translates well to a story.

I've read so many great stories where I can totally picture everything in my head. I'm working on getting better at those descriptive parts...and knowing when to break for a new chapter.

I hope you like it and I hope it's not too late for a Christmas time story. Looking forward to your feedback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue

These last few weeks couldn't truly be described as Happy Holidays, and if they were any indication of what was to come, this Christmas did not look like it was going to be Merry or Jolly or anything remotely close to that.

November started off promising when Andy broke things off with Luke. Sam (almost literally) jumped for joy the morning she told him. Although she didn't offer any details, and Sam didn't ask (he was just happy they were finally over), he knew it had been her decision the minute he saw Luke walking into Parade. Luke looked like he'd lost his best friend and the dejected look only left his face when he met Sam's eyes and scowled. The look said it all…he totally blamed Sam for the breakup. And Sam was happy to take the blame, actually hoping that he was indeed the reason for Andy's change of heart.

As November passed, Sam was getting more confident that he was at least part of the reason for Andy's decision. He and Andy had been spending more time together outside of work, and she seemed happy, not just when they were together, but all the time. They went out for supper after shift a few times and he even cooked supper for her a couple of times. She had even got into the habit of kissing him on the cheek after thanking him for a nice evening. They weren't officially "together", just partners enjoying each other's company. And Sam was ok with that…for now.

They went to the Penny most nights, but always separately, each with their own friends. Inevitably, though, they would spend at least an hour talking alone together –their friends could take a hint. If Andy walked up to talk to Sam, Jerry and Oliver grinned at each other and, by silent agreement, moved to find a table. And if Andy didn't make it over to Sam, he would always find a reason to stop at the "rookie table", whether it was passing by to the bathroom, because Andy's drink appeared empty, or he had forgotten to tell her something before she left work. Andy always offered him a chair, which the other rookies took as their cue to vacate theirs. If Sam and Andy noticed, they never said.

They never left together, but everyone just assumed that it was only a matter of time, including Sam. He was just biding his time. He had decided the day of the break up that he should wait what he thought was an acceptable amount of time before asking Andy out on a real date. He had originally told himself that one month was plenty of time for her to get over everything with Luke. But the more time he spent with her, the harder it got to wait. And yet at the same time, the harder it got to make the move. Because although they continually flirted and danced around their attraction to each other, they had never really discussed dating, and things were so good between them right now. He was pretty sure that she saw him as more than just a partner and friend, but he was still hoping for a sign or at the very least, some reassurance. That's where Sarah came in.

When he went to visit Sarah for Thanksgiving, the first thing he noticed was that she seemed happier. He couldn't remember the last time he had looked into her eyes and saw only joy. No reluctance, no underlying fear – but maybe not really joy more like contentment. She seemed more at peace than she had in a long while and that put Sam at ease.

But, he probably shouldn't have let his guard down, because Sarah was like a bloodhound. He had barely sat down before the questions started flying; it was almost like she could read his mind - like she already knew that he was smitten and that his sites were set on his partner. He had no idea how she knew, but he wasn't giving it up without a fight. In fact, he didn't really plan on giving her any details, but after she stuffed him with food, and a few after dinner drinks, she had effectively loosened his lips and he admitted it all. He was falling in love with his partner. He wanted to ask her out. She recently broke up with someone. He didn't know how long he should wait. Once he started, he couldn't stop. So Sarah just sat back and listened with a knowing smile.

The next morning, he helped Sarah with some repairs while she convinced him that he had waited long enough. On the way home, Sam had made up his mind; he would ask Andy out for next weekend. They were both going to be off and they could go out on Saturday with no rush to get home because they had to get up early on Sunday. Now he just had to decide how and when.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday passed in a blur; Sam and Andy went from one call to the next with barely enough time to even eat lunch. By the end of the day, they were both so exhausted they didn't even bother going to the Penny. When Sam got home on Wednesday night, he realized that he still hadn't asked Andy out and the week was half over. Stupid Stupid! Not wanting to wait until the last minute, he assured himself that he would ask her tomorrow. He fell asleep smiling as he let himself fantasize about going out with Andy, kissing her goodnight, and…

Thankfully, their day started off slowly giving Sam the chance he needed to start quizzing Andy about her plans for their weekend off. His heart fell as soon as Andy told him that she was going away for the weekend. He looked quickly away so she wouldn't see his disappointment and was already berating himself for waiting too long when he realized that she had gotten lost in her own thoughts. He looked back over as she muttered something that sounded like "it's such a big step." Had he heard her right? What did that mean?

"I'm sorry Andy, what did you say?" Sam asked.

Andy looked up at Sam realizing that she had spoken out loud. He could tell by the look on her face that she was now in damage control mode. He could read her like a book and he knew she was trying to cover something up when she stammered her answer: "Huh? Oh it's nothing…just…not important". He didn't have to be a detective to know she was keeping a secret.

He replayed those last few minutes in his head. I'm sure she said something about a big step. Going away for a weekend with someone is a big step? No, it's a huge step especially for someone like Andy with all of her trust issues. But no, that couldn't be it; she'd been at the Penny most nights so she couldn't be seeing anyone. But she had left early a couple of nights last week. Wait, was it only a couple nights? Or was it every night? How late did we stay out when we went out for supper?

Sam's mind was racing and he was lost in his own thoughts for the rest of the shift. Could she be seeing someone that I don't know about? Did I wait too long again? Please no!

Andy remained quiet for the remainder of the day, which only unnerved Sam even more. She was definitely keeping something from him; he just wasn't sure how he was going to find out what. And he still wasn't sure if he really wanted to find out.