This is my interpretation of the picture that Gregory Smith tweeted of Sam sitting in a room with his head in his hands, and Enuka and Rachel are out in the hallway. Gregory tweeted the title of the picture to be "The Moment Before". As always if you would be so kind as to review, it always means so much to me. This is a one shot.
Who knew there were so many intricate designs on just one piece of tile Sam thought to himself while sitting on that cold metal chair with his head in his hands. The silence in the room was deafening except for the ticking clock that was taunting him with each passing second. Sam knew if he was to raise his head and fight against the weight that keeps holding him down, he would see that it's now dark outside. How long this day has been, an entire six months accumulated to this one moment before he's finally able to be alone with Andy.
Was it really just four hours ago when all hell broke loose? Sam wondered. Was parade this morning really only 12 hours ago? Sam had no way of knowing just how much his reality would change . All of those months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds have brought him to where he is right now.
Relief is an emotion that Sam has not experienced for quite some time, so it comes as no surprise that he's having a difficult time adjusting. An invisible breath he's held for six months was released the moment the takedown was over and he could finally see that Andy was safe. Sure he knew for five and a half of those months where she wasand what she was getting herself into, but that knowledge was only a band aid on those nights he'd wake in a cold sweat, after dreaming he was called into Luke's office, and given the bad news that Andy had been made.
That next morning, after Andy didn't show at The Penny, was miserable until five minutes into parade. It quickly became painfully obvious just why Andy wasn't there. Frank's attempt to explain away the absence of two of 15's finest was lackluster at best. How Sam even was able to concentrate on work those following weeks not knowing if Andy was alright, is an anomaly he will never comprehend.
Sam didn't wait for parade to end when he made his first attempt to find out what Andy was involved in. Finding the one person that would know exactly where his McNally would be; resulted in Sam slamming Luke up against the wall. Even though it didn't lead to any information given, Sam felt satisfaction for finally doing what he's been itching for since he discovered Luke cheated on Andy. After two weeks of following his own leads and almost getting himself killed, Luke appeared at Sam's apartment in the middle of the night with a bottle of whiskey and a note from Andy telling him to wait for her and that she loves him too.
While Luke stayed and split the bottle with Sam, it didn't go unnoticed that the tide had changed. He was forming what looked to be a friendship with the one man he used to despise, the only other man he knew to have been with Andy in the most intimate way that Sam used to only dream about. These middle of the night meetings happened frequently, but the peace of mind that Sam was able to maintain, made it worth sharing a drink or two with his frenemy. Over time they started to joke about needing to keep up their mutual hatred for one another or Frank might make them partners, and after their laughter subsided, a sobering silence fell upon them as they remembered Luke's last partner. Then without hesitation, as if they were of one mind, they both raised their glasses and echoed each other's words, "to Jerry", before slamming the rest of their liquid comfort. Sure the bantering continued between them, and "idiot" became almost a nickname for the each other, but a mutual respect descended among them.
Perhaps it was the conversations with Luke or the realization that for him and Andy to work he needs to focus on a different part of their job, but Sam found himself taking night classes to become a detective. His promotion occurred almost too fast as Frank simply said "it's about time".
Being undercover can have you guessing where the lines of reality are drawn, which then can become a blur over time. So it came of no surprise to Sam one night when Luke talked about Andy starting to lose herself under cover, and he and Collins were having a difficult time keeping her from being lost to the point of no return. Without hesitation, Sam went into his kitchen and came back with a look of determination on his face
"Here give her this," Sam said while handing Luke his truck key.
"I don't get it, and won't this leave you stranded?" Luke asked confused.
"Nah, I have an extra key in my locker. She'll know what it means," Sam stated with perhaps one of the first smiles displayed on his face since before Jerry's death.
The following week Luke talked about how much more confident Andy has been acting, and he thinks the end is near for this operation. Sam let another smile escape his lips, but he was still afraid to hope.
Slowly Sam is brought back to reality with the footfalls of someone drawing near. "He's in there," Sam can hear Traci tell someone. He's been vaguely aware of Traci and Marlo standing in the hallway discussing today's events.
Like a jolt of lightening, Sam was out of his chair in an instant. When the silhouette of the one whom he's willing to settle down with enters his vision, all of the uncertainties of these last six months fall to the waste side because Andy is finally home.
"Hi," Sam whispers.
"I've missed you," Andy responds back.
The number four vaguely enters Sam's mind because this is the number of steps it takes until his McNally is finally back in his arms where she belongs.