Author's Note: Not betaed—all mistakes or rough patches are mine. Please inform me if you find anything I ought to be mortified about. Constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks to all who reviewed or added to their favourites my other stories.
Disclaimer: I borrowed a few characters and words from Rookie Blue, all in good fun.
Vestibule
Andy handed her phone off. "Here he is, you know him?"
Sam squinted at the tiny picture and shook his head. "Mmm, no…"
"What? I thought you knew all the drug guys!"
He continued his fiddling with the device, taking a picture of the picture on her phone with his. "Lot of drug guys, McNally. But, uh, I'll get this out on the street, see if I can get an ID, okay?"
"Okay." She tried to snatch the phone out of his hand, but he held it away. "I gotta go! Look, I'm gonna get fired!"
"You gotta admit this is fun, huh?" he said, pocketing his own phone. "Way better than paperwork! We make a good team, you and me."
Her eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"
"Just what I said." His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing—I gotta go!" She grabbed at her phone again, and he let her take it.
"Andy?" came a female voice from the back door. "We need you back on the floor!"
Andy froze. "It's Tori!" she hissed. "Coming!" she called and began to walk toward the door. Sam grabbed at her hand and yanked her back. "Wh—" she began, but was cut off by his lips on hers as he pushed her hard up against the dumpster. He brought his hand up to hold the side of her face, and soon she was gripping the front of his shirt.
When they came apart for air, he nuzzled her nose with his. "Make it real," he whispered.
She nodded, and he leaned in again, slowly. When their breathing began to change again, he stopped.
"Sam," Andy murmured as he pulled away.
"You gotta go," he said, running a finger down her cheek.
"I gotta go," she repeated, but did not move.
Sam's lips turned up at the corners. "You gotta go," he said again.
She nodded and pushed at his chest. He took a step back, following her eyes with his. Lifting an eyebrow, she said wryly, "By the way, a dumpster?—classy."
His only response was a smirk and, when she turned away from him, a smack on her rear. She shot a glare at him over her shoulder, and his grin widened.
"I'll get you for that later, Swarek!" she said in a tone only he would hear.
"Looking forward to it, McNally." With a cocky chuckle, he sauntered off.
Andy watched him for a moment before she shook her head and walked back to the club. Tori was waiting for her by the door, having witnessed the entire show.
"Well, well, well, look at you," the bartender grinned. "That smile of yours stretches from sea to shining sea!"
Andy blinked and realized she was indeed smiling. She reached up and touched her lips.
"So, who was Mr. Dark and Handsome?"
She looked over her shoulder to where she had last seen him. "Sam."
Sam's CI had identified Tori's boyfriend as a drug dealer named Russell Mackie. He was a big target, so Sam sent Traci into the club to hint to Andy and Gail not to make any busts. She returned with the news that Gail had been fired, so it was just Andy left to gather intel in the club.
It was after closing when Andy's microphone finally crackled to life. It sounded like she and Tori were having drinks and talking about Mackie.
"And then he just shows up, and—"
"You can't say no—I get it. I get it! It's kind of exciting, and gets your heart going."
"So you've dated a guy like that?"
"Uh…yeah, I think we all have."
Sam raised an eyebrow at Andy's admission, and Jerry smirked. Traci rolled her eyes at them.
"You know…Russell's never even said he loves me!"
"I'm sure he does."
"So why can't guys like that just come out and say the way they feel?"
"I wish I knew."
Sam tapped a finger against his cup.
"So your guy's like that?"
"Uh, Sam? —Yeah."
He was startled to hear his name. Then he became aware that Traci and Jerry were staring at him. "Uh, I almost got busted in the alley with McNally. We kinda had to improvise."
"Imp-ro-vise," Jerry echoed under his breath, his brow raised.
"I mean, he's never said he loves me. But…things are complicated."
"So uncomplicate things!" Tori giggled.
"It's not that simple."
"Well, complicated how? How are things complicated?"
There was a long pause.
"There was someone else…so I had to put Sam on ice for a while."
Traci's eyes widened. A furrow appeared in Sam's brow.
"Honey, he was definitely not on ice in that alley!"
Andy chuckled. "No…no, he was not."
Sam did not realize he was squeezing his cup until he felt the warm liquid begin to seep under his fingers. He put the cup aside and rested his elbows on his knees.
"But Luke is the safe choice. I know what I'm getting with him, and he's not afraid to tell me he loves me. Sam is broody, unpredictable, and he… compartmentalizes a lot."
A muscle twitched in his cheek.
"He won't let you know what he's feeling—but he's the one who gets your heart going."
"Yeah."
He picked up his cup and used it to hide a smile.
"So, wait a minute…you've got two guys on the hook, here? One who is, for all intents and purposes, perfect, and one who is…"
"Sam."
"Well, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know."
Jerry threw up his hands. "What the hell did you do in that alley, Sammy?"
Sam calmly took a last swig from his coffee and dropped the paper cup onto the floor. Leaning back in his chair and resting his hands behind his head, he said, "I did what had to be done. Just like she's doing right now. Relax, Daddy."
Jerry shook his head and turned back to the computer, but Traci's skeptical eyes remained on him. He returned her gaze evenly until she, too, looked away. Then the light in his eyes wavered.
An angry male voice had joined the conversation. And then came Andy's. "You know what? Relax. Stop waving the gun around."
"Gun! Go, go, go, go!" Sam was the first one out of the van.
They arrested Patrick Murphy and dragged a distraught Tori off of Russell Mackie's body. Sam extended a hand and helped Andy up from underneath the bar.
"Hey," she said shakily.
"Come on," he said. "My truck is parked a block from here. I'm gonna take you home."
"Yeah."
They got into his truck together, and sat for several moments before Sam started the truck and drove off. Neither spoke for a long while.
Finally, Sam looked over at her. "Good work tonight—you were smart. Kept it real."
Andy shook her head. "I just stuck with it—the way I was taught."
She was not meeting his eyes. "So how real was it?" he asked.
Now she looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Not this again, McNally," he groaned. "Maybe this is why your guy doesn't tell you he loves you—he doesn't want to be subjected to a barrage of questions when he finally bares his heart."
"Luke does so—"
"That wasn't who I meant."
"Oh." She fell silent.
"Or maybe he thought you were happy, and didn't want to rock the boat."
"I am happy. I am. It's just—"
Sam glanced at her. "It's just what?"
Andy shrugged. "I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"Just what I said." She glared at him. "Now you're doing it!"
A hint of a smirk appeared on his lips as he suddenly unbuckled his seatbelt. "I do love you, you know," he said and got out of the truck.
"What? Wait! Where are you going?" She looked around wildly. They had parked outside the house she shared with Luke, and she had not realized it.
Sam was outside the passenger door, and opened it. "I'm opening the door for you, McNally," he said, and stepped aside. "Are you going to get out and go inside where it's safe, or are you going to stay here in the truck?"
Andy took a deep breath. "Yes."