This is just a quick one-shot that popped into my head and I guess it would be considered AU. Although Sam goes undercover, and it could possibly still be working for Brennan, the whole capture and torture does not take place… but that doesn't mean they can't run into each other.
I hope you enjoy it.
As always, thanks to SairsJ, and I do not own anything Rookie Blue.
Square One.
She hadn't been there for six months. Square One was the day she finally decided to take a chance on Sam or more accurately the day after. The day after she poured her heart out in a voicemail that still sat on his phone. The day after she sat on his doorstep for an hour before sadly walking home. The day she walked into parade to find out that he was gone, called under early, with no idea that she had even called and no idea when he would be back.
It took her a long time to get here but six months later she was content, maybe not happy, but content. And she finally felt like she could breathe again. She still thought about him all the time, wondering where he was and what he was doing, but at least the constant ache went away. She was finally able to enjoy herself at the Penny again and she had even stopped looking over her shoulder at the bar hoping to get a glimpse of him.
She couldn't exactly claim to be moving on though; she hadn't even considered going on a date. But she had to wonder at what point should she stop waiting, stop hoping? If there wasn't anything worth staying for was there really anything worth waiting for?
Unfortunately, she didn't have an answer to that, and until she did she was stuck in limbo. Not quite at Square One but definitely nowhere near the light at the end of the tunnel.
Andy was patrolling by herself that night when a noise complaint came in. It was actually just outside Fifteen's boundaries but the neighboring division was overrun with calls and dispatch asked if anyone was close in Fifteen. Andy responded to let them know that she could take it.
When she drove up to the address, she could see why the neighbors would be complaining. There was a party going on and on the warm night a number of people had spilled out onto the porch; some had even pulled out furniture to allow them to sit outside.
Andy walked up to the house and approached a group sitting on a couple of couches.
"Can I help you officer?" She was greeted by a male voice.
Before she had a chance to respond another voice piped in. "Are you new?"
"Excuse me?"
"I just haven't seen you around here before." He clarified.
"You talk to the cops a lot do you?" She smirked.
He could hear the smile in her voice and he didn't have to see her to know exactly what it looked like, still he had to take a peek; it had been too long. She was still as beautiful as ever and he couldn't pull his eyes away.
The rest of the group chuckled as she continued. "We've had a complaint of excessive noise coming from here." She noted before anxiously running her eyes over the group. Someone was staring at her and…
She would recognize those eyes anywhere, but she did her best to control her response; though the fact that he was sandwiched between two women with his arm around both was not lost on her.
It was almost comical how quickly he removed his hands from around them when he realized what she was seeing; he knew he was playing a part and he knew that she would too, but it just felt wrong. He tried to cover up by leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. "Sorry officer, just having a little fun."
"Yeah, well, there are some other people who aren't too happy about your… fun." She responded with a quirk of her eyebrow.
Sam's eyes shot up to hers and he was pretty sure he caught them darting between his two 'lady friends'. He was usually pretty good at reading her and right now he needed to know if those 'other people', the ones that weren't too happy about what he was doing, included her.
Andy knew Sam was trying to get a read on her, but now was not the time for either of them to be worrying about her feelings and how his actions were affecting her. She dropped her eyes to her notebook trying to compose herself before looking up again.
"I can't say I blame them." Andy related trying hard not to take it personally. "Have you even thought about how they feel about it?"
"Well, I'm guessing someone hasn't gotten any in a while." The 'lady' on Sam's left spit out; apparently her name was Stacy.
"Hey." Sam berated under his breath, while the rest of the group shot her dirty looks and a few mumbled her name in chagrin. The last thing they needed was a cop on their case.
"Sorry, Officer." One of guys apologized on her behalf.
"It's fine." Andy chuckled surprising everyone including Sam. "The last few months have been a little rough."
The significance of her statement was not lost on Sam; though the same couldn't be said for the rest of the group. "No offense officer, but I find it hard to believe that the men aren't knocking down your door."
She laughed again and it was like music to Sam's ears; it had been way too long. It was just another item to add to the long list of things he missed about Andy.
"I didn't say they weren't knocking…" She bragged enjoying Sam's reaction to her statement. He managed to cover it up fairly quickly, but she had definitely noticed his body tense and both his hands were still curled into a ball.
"So you playing for the other team then?"
"No… just not interested." She explained allowing Sam to let out the breath he had been holding. "I did have my eye on someone but he disappeared a few months back so."
"To hell with him, Honey!" The other woman, Kim, encouraged. "You have needs."
Sam made it a point to never hit a girl, but in that moment… well he was definitely tempted.
"Is he coming back?"
"I don't even know if he knows." Andy answered shrugging a shoulder.
"What do you mean?"
"I left him a message to say I wanted to give us a try and the next day he was… well, gone. So…"
"Honey, unless he lost his phone, he ain't interested." Stacy asserted.
"You're probably right." Andy agreed. "I obviously wasn't worth waiting around for so…
Sam was trying to quell the panic that was rising in his chest. Did she really think that? He hoped not, but he was going to make damn sure she knew that wasn't the case. "But what if had to leave; what if something came up? Maybe he didn't know. What if he wouldn't have left if he knew?"
Everyone in the group could hear the concern in Sam's voice. What was with him? He never lost his cool, but he seemed to be taking this to heart.
"It's possible." Andy conceded. "But how long does a girl wait before it just becomes pathetic?"
"As long as it takes if you really like the guy," Sam suggested while the women just scoffed.
"Don't listen to him, Honey." Kim interjected, brushing Sam off. "He got the message and now you need to. How long has it been?"
"About six months." Andy replied.
"Sorry, Honey," Stacy retorted, not sounding so in the least. "But you've already passed pathetic and you're well on your way to desperate."
Jaws dropped and all eyes shot to Andy waiting for a response and hoping there wouldn't be a backlash.
"That's what I was afraid of," she admitted and then huffed out a single chuckle confessing, "I almost got a cat the other day."
The ladies nodded knowingly before one of Sam's male buddies offered her an alternative. "Hey if you're looking for someone to take your mind off the bastard, I can probably help you with that."
Andy couldn't help but smile; did he really think she would take him up on it?
"It's a tempting offer." She agreed. "But I think I'll be fine. Now…the owner of the house?" She asked motioning around with her hands. She had already pressed her luck a little too much; she knew better than to get this personal on a call.
The guys pointed to another group of people behind them. "Red ball cap."
"Thank you." She said as she moved to talk to the man they indicated.
She stayed in full view of Sam as she spoke with the owner; she was trying to pay attention to everything he said while still keeping an ear on Sam and his group. But it wasn't easy.
She could feel Sam's eyes on her and it was obvious she wasn't the only one that noticed. "You like a girl in uniform there JD?" One of the guys teased.
Andy couldn't have looked away if she wanted to; she needed to hear his answer… see his face.
"I like that one." He said with a wink, not once taking his eyes off of her.
Andy felt the blush on her cheeks as she turned her attention back to the owner. It was taking everything she had to hold back the smile and concentrate on getting down all the information she would need for her report especially when she heard Stacy practically growling beside Sam.
She had had her eye on 'JD' ever since he joined the gang. She had practically thrown herself at him but he never seemed to take the bait. She was beginning to think he was playing for the other side. But when she saw him flirting with the cop, she knew that wasn't the case. "Forget about her JD. You have everything you need right here whenever you want it." She tempted. "You know it wouldn't work; she's not your type. You need someone who… fits your lifestyle." Like me.
She started running her hand slowly up and down his thigh, making it perfectly clear what she thought was the right fit. "You don't need the trouble; I can give you whatever you want." She promised. "You wanna go inside, or maybe back to your place."
"House is pretty full and Boss'll be here in half an hour so…" Sam let it trail off hoping she'd get the hint and let it drop.
"Well, you're car's just around the corner isn't it? I'm sure we can… make do." She suggested, leaning her chest into his arm.
The guys all chuckled; they knew she would do just about anything to have 'JD'. The minute he walked through the door with those dimples she was all over him. And they didn't know how he said no – she was ready and willing and as they all knew, more than able but for some reason he always turned her down.
Andy had just finished up with the owner and when she turned back to the group she didn't appreciate the blonde's proximity or suggestion. "I wouldn't recommend the car." Andy snipped.
The girl grimaced at Andy wondering why she couldn't just leave so she could finally make her big move. "Why the hell not?" Stacy snapped back unable to keep the disdain from her voice.
Sam put his hand on Stacy's knee in attempt to settle her down; he was pretty sure Andy wasn't going to do anything but he didn't know what this girl was capable of either.
Stacy grinned at Sam thinking she had him right where she wanted him. She placed her hand on top of his and started guiding his hand higher, 'til it was getting awfully close to the edge of her skirt.
Andy cleared her throat. "I wouldn't want to have to come back and give you a ticket for public indecency."
The girl slid Sam's hand higher up her thigh till the skirt started to bunch and Andy's eyebrows shot up. Relishing in Andy's response, Stacy continued to mark her territory. "Believe me honey; it would be a small price to pay."
She looked at Sam when she replied. "Oh…I've no doubt."
Sam swallowed audibly as the rest of the group laughed out loud. Stacy snorted; she didn't like being bested in front of her friends and she sure as heck didn't want this pig pulling Sam out from under her. If she could ever get him there that is.
"You may want to move it all inside." Andy advised. "I'd hate to have to come back."
"Maybe we might want you to come back." One of men suggested.
"Unfortunately, I probably wouldn't be as friendly next time."
"That's okay too, Honey." He continued to tease. "I like it a little rough."
"If you come back, will you have to frisk me?" Sam flirted, extracting his hand from Stacy's leg so he could vie for Andy's attention.
She wasn't biting though. "That's okay it's pretty obvious you're not concealing anything."
That got another chuckle out of everyone.
"Not trying to conceal anything, Sweetheart." Sam assured her, enjoying the banter he had been missing over the last few months. "Some things you just can't hide."
Andy grinned; she had missed it too. "Just try to keep it down."
Sam dropped his chin and looked at her from under his eyebrows. Did she really say that?
When she realized what she had implied, Andy's cheeks turned a delicious shade of red that brought Sam's dimples out in full force. God, he missed that.
Amidst everyone else's laughter, Andy shook her head to rid herself of the image she had been avoiding for months.
"Oh, you mean the noise?" Sam mocked.
She tilted her head to the side and lifted one eyebrow. "That too." She challenged. And neither one of them could stop the grin from taking over.
A quick blast of a siren pulled them both out of their reverie and they looked up to see that another squad car had pulled up behind Andy's.
She cleared her throat. "Move it inside." She instructed, turning away at his nod.
The other officer had already exited his car and immediately headed up the walk to meet her. "I just got free and thought I would check and make sure everything was okay." He announced as Andy intercepted him and guided him back towards the road; she didn't know if he would recognize Sam or not.
He didn't seem to or at least he didn't get a good enough look, but he definitely recognized Andy, practically every single male officer in the entire city did. "Officer McNally." He stuttered out. "Everything okay?"
"All under control." She declared. "And these nice people have assured me that they will be moving inside shortly and promised to keep it down." She heard Sam's loud chuckle and shook her head; under normal circumstances she would have shot him a glare but she didn't want to encourage the other officer to get involved. As it was, he still tried to glance around her so she kept her arm at his back and used it to direct him towards the street.
Sam didn't like the way she was touching him even if it didn't mean anything and he knew she was only doing it to protect him. Still her hand was on another man. Over the last few months, he had tried not to think about her moving on without him, and it hadn't been easy; especially since they hadn't talked about how they felt and he had no idea where they stood… he still didn't. And now with her right in front of him, the thought of it was driving him crazy.
"How about I treat you to a coffee?" The officer offered. "You know to thank you for covering for us."
"That's not necessary." Andy declined. "My shift is pretty much done too so I should probably head back to the Barn."
He wasn't ready to give up though. "I could meet you for a drink then."
Sam had shifted to the edge of his seat waiting to see what she was going to do. Kim yelled from beside him. "Go for it, Honey. If your guy hasn't come back yet, he ain't coming back."
"And no guy's worth waiting six months for." Stacy added before lowering her voice and leaning into Sam once again. "…except maybe you." She whispered nipping at his ear.
"Yeah, you can't wait forever, Honey." Kim agreed.
The officer liked this crowd; maybe they would help him convince her.
"How long are you going to wait?" Kim prompted. "Don't you think it's time to get over it?"
"Maybe." Andy contemplated for a moment. "I'm just not sure. Every time I think I'm getting close, something always seems to pull me back."
Sam had been laying low behind Kim trying not to draw attention to himself, but he couldn't let Andy leave without giving her something to hold onto.
Sam's voice came out of the shadows. "If you're not sure, you're probably not ready." The other officer frowned.
"So I should probably wait then." Andy nodded to herself; it was what she wanted anyway.
"Another week or two couldn't hurt." Sam hinted. "After that, I'm sure the answer will be right in front of you."
"Yeah, thanks." Andy agreed before politely declining the other officer's invitation and getting into her cruiser. She spent the entire ride back trying to decide if she read Sam's message right. Was he saying that he was almost done? Was he asking her to wait?
When she got back to the Barn, she was bombarded by Chris, Dov and Traci who had already changed and were encouraging her to come with them to the Penny. She begged off though telling them she was ready to call it a night. Traci gave her a questioning look. Something had happened; she could tell. Andy hadn't looked like this for months and now it seemed like something was weighing heavy on her mind again.
"You want me to drive you home." Traci offered, thinking she could get something out of her once they were alone.
"No, that's okay." Andy declined. "You go have fun. We'll talk tomorrow." She assured her friend knowing that Traci couldn't just let it go.
"Tomorrow?" Traci confirmed.
At Andy's nod, the group headed out and left her to change. She made her way into the locker room and thankfully it was quiet. The evening shift had all gone home and the night shift had already dispersed so it was just her. She sat down on the bench in front of her locker.
She didn't know exactly how she felt about seeing Sam again. She was happy to know he was safe and it felt good knowing he would be home soon. But here she was missing him all over again and the ache was back in her chest.
She had finally made peace with herself and then he had to go and stir things up again. Was she meant to wait for him? Meant to be with him?
Maybe it was a sign. Maybe the universe had a plan for them.
Andy smiled.
Yeah...plans were good.
Author's Note: Hello readers! I would like to announce that I am helping to moderate 'The Rookies Choice Awards', where authors can be recognized and recognize those stories you deem amazing. These awards will be held through May and June and we would like to encourage each reader and author alike to participate in nominating their favorite fics and authors for the first year of the "Rookies Choice Awards!" The nomination ballot, rules and category summaries can each be found (in time) at "The Parade" Forum. To reach those posts, please take a trip to the forum itself. I look forward to hearing from each of you!
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