A/N: In my mind, this fic is timed right after episode 2.09
Yes, it is a Valentines fic (2 days late *blushes*) but I hope you enjoy, anyway.
*Special thanks to SVUgirl and Sowritten for the encouragement.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Rookie Blue.
Andy woke up that morning in a good mood, a really good mood. She wasn't aware of what brought it on, but she attributed it to the fact that she had an amazing dream about... whatever... and a restful nights sleep for the first time in a really long time (honestly since she left her old apartment). She was truly and finally positive that she was one hundred percent over that cheating bastard Luke, and actually felt refreshed and free. Really free.
She sat up and worked her neck from side to side in an attempt to relax the permanent kink that had taken residence there since the first night she spent on Traci's pull-out sofa, a month and a half ago. Andy was tired feeling and actually being stagnant, so she decided that today was the day she was going to restore some semblance of her old self and move on to being her new, future self; very similar to the old one, but this time brighter, more confident and definitely, wiser. A new self had to start in a new place.
Maybe today was the day to look for a new place to live, she certainly couldn't move on if she kept playing odd man out at Traci's house. Perhaps today would even be the perfect day to put in a little extra effort at work, a little extra effort into her friendships, and a little more effort into her appearance, that she certainly wasn't paying much attention to lately. Maybe someone would notice the extra effort, and she could actually find herself open to the idea of dating again. Not that she hadn't thought about it before - dating men. Actually, she had been getting excited about the prospect of men again recently - ok, not 'men' per say, maybe a certain man if she were being honest with herself. A certain funny, friendly, raven haired, smoldering eyed...
No, don't. Do NOT go there, Andy, she chided herself internally, Just friends, remember and besides, have you already forgot? You are off cops. Completely and totally off of them. All of them, but especially ones that work in the same division as you. You really do NOT need that noise again. Duh, right... off cops, but open to dating and re-building her life.
So. New day, new attitude, a brand new Andy waiting to emerge. Yep, this was certainly going to be a good day.
The first step to all that, she decided, was getting off of Traci's couch - both literally and figuratively - so she swung her legs off the side, stretched out her limbs once more, rose to her feet and padded towards the kitchen. The sound of Leo's laughter from the breakfast table brought a smile to her face. She extended morning greeting to Traci's mother, and tousled the boy's curly hair as she made her way to the cabinet which housed the mugs. She poured her self a steaming hot cup of the dark, rich caffeine goodness and inhaled its tantalizing aroma in the few short steps to the 'fridge. After pouring in just the right amount of creamer, she replaced the bottle and used the jut of her hip to close the door. She smiled wider at the perfect color of coffee in anticipation of its delicious taste when she saw it from her peripheral vision. Her smile actually turned itself downwards, as of its own accord, into a slight scowl when she took sight of the calendar magnetized on the front of the refrigerator door. How could she not have realized this?
February 14th.
Damn it! This was going to be a crappy day.
Traci and Andy threw their bags into the backseat of Traci's old rag-top jalopy, settled into the front seats, fastened their belts and set out on the twenty minute ride to the station. They rode in an amicable silence but Andy did not miss the worried looking glances that Traci kept shooting her from over the console every other minute. If they were looks of pity, Andy might have to kick her ass right then and there, best friend or no best friend.
"What?" she finally snapped after nearly ten minutes into the drive.
"You okay?" Traci asked; her voice full of concern.
"I'm fine!" Andy insisted. At Traci's stern look and highly arched eyebrow, Andy relinquished a little more. "Ugh, it's just this stupid holiday. I am not in the mood to have Gail bragging about whatever stupidly sweet thing that Chris decides to do and then listen to Dov prattle on about whatever lame brained idea he came up with in order to get into Sue's bed. I just don't feel like dealing with all of that lovey-dovey, fake, mushy garbage today."
"I get that. Are you sure you are not worried that Homicide Luke might try to do something to win you back?" Traci pried further.
"Oh my God, I never even thought of that! He had better not! If he gets me anything I will take great pleasure in telling him exactly where he can shove it!" Both ladies laughed and Andy continued thinking about all the ways that this day could develop into a complete nightmare. "Ugh, I totally should have called in sick" she groaned with a furrowed brow and a shake of her head.
"Well, at least there will be plenty of chocolate around" Traci offered as a positive aspect to the day.
"True" Andy conceded, figuring that she would probably wind up eating more than her fair share by days end.
"You know, Andy, you could try to make some plans of your own for today…"
"What? What are you talking about?" Andy sharply cut her off.
"Sometimes the best way to get over someone is to get under somebody else" Traci suggested with a waggle of her eyebrows.
"Number one - inappropriate" Andy chastised with a narrow eyed glare, "and number two, I am over him. You know that."
"I do know. So, I'm saying, maybe it's time you move on."
"And where exactly do you propose I meet someone? I am NOT going to be one of those desperate girls that wind up sitting alone in some strange bar on Valentine's Day, hoping that someone will take notice. No, thank you." Andy replied, shaking her head vehemently in the negative throughout the entire rant.
"Maybe it's time you took Swarek off ice" Traci suggested as nonchalantly as she could.
"Again - completely inappropriate. We are just friends Traci."
"Uh-huh. Sure – and exactly how long are you going to keep telling yourself that lie?" Traci smirked knowingly.
"Until… I believe it?" Andy guessed, shrugging her shoulders resignedly.
"Well, I say you go for it – today" Traci urged.
"Nope - No way! That is definitely not in my plans, especially on today of all days. Not happening. I am just going to lay low and get my act together. And eat ice cream; lots and lots of ice cream. Yup, ice cream is a good plan." At that point, Andy wasn't entirely sure if she was trying to sell Traci on the idea or herself.
"You could always come out with me and Jerry" Traci offered meekly as she parked her car.
"Sure" Andy said, punctuating her sarcasm with an eye roll, "I am certain that Jerry would just love that!"
Both women howled in laughter over that idea as they made their way into the barn. Andy purposely took her sweet time getting ready, mostly because she really did want to avoid hearing everyone gushing about their plans, but she also decided to keep the promise that she made to herself that morning, so she spent a little extra time fixing her hair and applying some light, subtle make-up. She slipped into parade at the very last second, and made it a point not to divert her eyes from the target empty chair beside Traci.
"Serve, protect and feel the love, folks" Best concluded happily as he winked subtly at a lightly blushing Noelle.
Andy was paired with Sam. Of course she was. No big deal, it is not like she expected not to be partnered with him. They partner together all of the time, so no big deal, right? She could do this. It was just a day, like any other day of her life. For some reason she was still glad to have spent the extra few minutes on her make-up. Damn Traci and her egregious ideas.
Andy hurriedly made two cups of coffee and set out towards the sally port exit to meet Sam at the cruiser. She was more than grateful to make it out of the barn having forgone any encounters with Luke. When she reached car 1519, she offered the cup of stale station coffee to Sam, who stood leaning against the cruiser with a smirk on his face.
"Is that supposed to be my Valentine's Day gift?" he teased while sneering at the cup.
Well Andy was not expecting that. That comment shocked her frozen still in her tracks for at least five or ten seconds. The smug look on his face, though, helped her recover quickly.
"I didn't realize that friends were supposed to get each other something" she retorted, "besides, I don't see anything here with my name on it."
"I was going to let you drive today, but now you can forget it" he taunted.
"Sam come on, don't be like that; give me the keys!" She reached out to grab them out of his hand, but he caught her wrist. When she looked up at him she met the intense gaze of his dark eyes.
He took a step closer to her, still holding eye contact and her wrist, and then he used his other hand to tuck some hair behind her ear. She unconsciously wet her lower lip with her tongue when he lowered his head towards hers. Just when she was certain he was going to kiss her, he twisted his head to the side and spoke softly in her ear. "Check the console, smart-ass."
She blinked a few times through the haze that overtook her eyes, and noticed the hot chocolate and muffin from Artie's through the car window.
He laughed, smiled his smug little smile, and shrugged his eyebrows, "Get in. I'm driving, friend."
Their morning was going relatively smoothly; no major calls. They were only called in to two possible domestics, which turned out to be spouses disagreeing over their evening plans – arguments easily squashed without any charges. After a quick lunch stop at their favorite diner, they went back to patrolling the streets aimlessly, which made for a pretty boring day. Andy was staring out the passenger window, lost deep in her thoughts about all of her new 'plans' when Sam decided to break the silence.
"Well, it looks like the weather has taken a turn…" he proclaimed while looking up at the cloudy sky through the windshield of the cruiser, "… yep, the clouds are definitely grey…"
"Huh? So?" she asked not really following why he thought that fact was so important to announce.
"So, I'm guessing a lot of people are going to be pissed to have 'their parades' rained on later tonight" he quipped.
"Sam, honestly you need a new joke book." She shook her head and rolled her eyes at his sense of humor when something dawned on her. "So are you one of those people?" she queried. Maybe she shouldn't have asked; maybe it wasn't her place, but she had to know.
"Huh? Me?" He asked sounding completely confused even though she knew that he wasn't.
He's really not going to make this easy on me. 'Mr. Strong Silent' type. Fine, if he wants, I'll spell it out for him.
"You, do you have any plans tonight? Any big plans for 'ro-mance'?" she questioned, using air quotes around the last broken word, trying to sound as blasé as possible.
"I was thinking of hitting up a few bars, actually. There'll be lots of lonely ladies out there looking for some company tonight" he jested, looking dead straight ahead, but simultaneously gauging her reaction from the corner of his eye.
He didn't miss the way her jaw set before pulling her mouth into a tight line, or the way her eyes narrowed ever so slightly before she schooled her features.
She couldn't help that pang of jealousy that shot through her when he said that, but she was fairly certain (or at least hoped) that he was joking, so she gave it right back. "Oh, really? Is that the only way you can score a date now a days? Preying on desperate women?"
He snorted in laughter at that comment. "Come on, look at me McNally, of course I'm not serious. I'm the hunted, not the hunter."
"Wow. There's really nothing wrong with your ego, huh?" Andy said sarcastically. She felt herself blush a bit when Sam answered simply by shooting one of his widest dimpled grins and a wink over her way. She sucked in a much needed breath and then willed herself to ask again, "No, seriously, what are you doing tonight?"
"Why? Are you trying to ask me out, McNally?"
"What? No! Of course not", she spat out before she could realize that he was teasing, or at least she thought he was teasing. Hmmm, two can play that game. "I'll have you know that I have big plans. A very handsome young man invited me to join him for a movie tonight if I am free, so… there" she said bratty.
She noticed the clench in his jaw and his tightened grip on the steering wheel before he coolly responded. "Is that right?" At her nod, he asked, "What movie?"
"Cars II" she answered shyly, barely holding back a giggle. At his bewildered look, she elaborated. "Leo, Traci's son; it's not my first choice of movie, but hey, a date's a date, right?"
"Resorting to robbing the cradle now? That's pathetic, McNally" he replied, obviously much more relaxed. "Let me guess, your choice would be what, The Notebook for tonight?"
"Really, that's your guess? No, I would not choose The Notebook. That movie is so unrealistic. No man in his right mind would sit around pining for years and do everything in his power to make a woman- who is not even his- happy, just hoping to get a chance one day. Men like that do not exist."
"Is that so?" Sam snorted loudly. "Yeah, I guess you're right; a guy would have to be some kind of damn fool to do something like that" he added with a low, ominous chuckle.
A few minutes passed in silence before she once again piped up, "Guess again."
"What?" he asked, sounding rather annoyed.
"Come on, it's a slow day. Try to guess again what movie I would want to watch" she goaded him.
He exhaled away some of his frustration, and decided to play along. "Fine, I guess… Fools Rush In."
"Why would you guess that?" she questioned, sounding somewhat offended.
"Does it really need explanation?" he asked looking pointedly at her.
"Nice, Sam; really nice" she huffed out. "Well, Fabio, I guess yours would be what – Gone with the Wind? Or would it be Dangerous Liaisons,Mr. 'Awesome Undercover'?"
Sam laughed out loud at those little digs, "Nah, I'd like to think of myself as An Officer and A Gentleman kind of guy."
Andy couldn't help but crack up at that. "You are such a dork."
He poked his tongue at the side of his cheek and smirked coyly. As he was about to respond, the radio crackled to life and the dispatcher came over the air, "1519, we've got a possible B &E at 720 Kings Street West. Are you 10-8?"
"Copy that, 1519 responding. Light 'em up."
They apprehended the thief immediately, and brought him back to the barn. They decided that they would spend the remaining hour and a half of their shift there instead of heading back out to the streets.
"Ugh, what kind of jerk decides to try to rob a florist shop on Valentine's Day?" Andy asked out loud, disgustedly, after dropping the guy off at booking.
"Someone with a very expectant or very angry wife" Oliver interjected while walking by.
"Funny" she deadpanned.
They worked quietly at their desks for the next hour. Sam told her that he would finish up the paperwork, so that she could go get changed early.
"Why would you do that?" she asked softly, touched by the extremely rare offer.
"Can't have you keeping your hot date waiting now can we? You might miss his bedtime" he explained.
Andy's sweet smile turned into an over-dramatic scowl as she lowered her eyes at him. "Jerk", she declared, while zinging a rubber band in his direction.
She turned around and began to head towards the locker room when she heard him call out, "Hey, McNally – What kind of flowers do you never give on Valentine's Day?"
She turned around, tilted her head and scrunched her nose up in confusion. "What kind?"
"Cauliflowers!" , he declared with a huge, proud grin.
"Seriously, Sam? Get a new joke book, preferably from this century. ASAP. Please." She pleaded while rolling her eyes.
His smile widened and he couldn't help the little flutter that he felt in his chest when he heard her laughter reverberate all the way down the hallway.
Andy changed out of her uniform, which she hung neatly in her locker, washed up and dressed quickly into a pair of dark denim jeans and a V-neck winter white sweater. She looked in the mirror and decided to apply a bit more make-up than she had this morning. Hey, even if she felt crappy, no reason to look the part, right? Deciding that she was pretty pleased with her appearance, Traci's words suddenly rang in her ears.
'You could try to make some plans of your own for today.'
Maybe she would stop off at The Black Penny for one drink, or maybe even another bar. Yes, a different bar would be better. No cops. Did she really feel like drinking though? Not really, and honestly, and it probably wasn't the smartest move in the book, either. Plus, she really didn't want to go alone. Maybe Sam would be there, though. They were friends, nothing wrong with two friends grabbing a quick drink together after shift. They did it all the time.
'Maybe it's time you took Swarek off ice.'
No. No defrosting would be happening tonight, that was for sure. He really didn't even seem that interested today right? If he wanted to spend time with her, he would have mentioned it. Then again it is not like he had mentioned it for the past two years or anything. Ugh, her stupid brain was over thinking again, and what the heck was the sense of trying to plan something anyway? Andy, stop being so stupid. Gather your stuff, take a nice long walk home and see where your feet lead you. Ice cream. Yup, ice cream was an excellent plan.
She pulled herself together, gathered her things and began to walk out of the locker room, glad that she had not run into any of her friends yet. Sam was standing there, dressed in his jeans and leather jacket, one leg braced back against the wall, waiting for her when she emerged. Of course he was.
"Hey, all done? Need a ride?"
Hmmm, maybe he was trying to ask her to do something. No. No ride. No cops. No defrosting.
"No. Thank you, though. I think I am just going to walk, you know, clear my head."
"McNally, you can't walk home, its pouring rain outside…"
"Seriously? Wow, I guess you were right this morning. What are you a weatherman now too?" she teased.
"Just one of my many talents" he replied with a wink.
"OK, sure, than. Thanks" she nodded in agreement with a slight blush.
Sam instructed her to wait there, so that he could go get the truck and pull it up front. A few minutes later he pulled up as close to the exit as possible. She climbed into the passenger's seat. She shivered at the distinct change in temperature from the frigid air outside to the warmness enveloping her in the cabin of his pick-up truck. Andy couldn't help but notice how much slicker his hair looked or how much more pronounced his eyelashes were when they were wet from the rain. They rode in a comfortable silence as he pulled out of the lot, and for a few minutes after that.
"So, I take it you're babysitting tonight?" he asked, trying to seem dispassionate.
"Nah, Traci's mom is. I'm just hanging out."
"Huh. Okay. You want to head straight home, or do you want to grab a drink, quick? He asked.
Was he asking me out? Maybe he does want to spend the night with me. No, it is normal, we always do this.
"I guess I could go for one" she replied cautiously.
Without asking, as if he could read her mind, he pulled into a local pub instead of The Penny. She hadn't the first clue what to make of that. They ordered their respective drinks, and sat closely, yet comfortably together. Their arms and legs brushed up against one another every so often, eliciting involuntary shivers, quick glances and slight blushes from the pair.
"So, you never did tell me what movie you would have picked out for tonight if you had the choice" Sam reminded her.
"Oh, I hadn't actually given it much thought. Something funny, I guess, or maybe a classic, why?" she asked, cautiously.
"No real reason. Just - if you're planning to just 'hang out' tonight, I mean… I don't really have any plans, so we could watch a movie together, I guess" Sam answered with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders.
"Okay… I guess…" Andy responded hesitantly. Is he actually 'asking me out' here?
Sam started to feel somewhat awkward, like a teenager again. "Eh, your choice. I'm just saying I have a pretty big TV, and a half decent DVD collection. I mean, I can't guarantee you will find Cars II or other Disney classics in there, but…" he shrugged.
"Sure", Andy agreed, "I mean – I guess it beats wrestling Leo for the remote control, so" she shrugged, "Want to get out of here?"
"Careful, McNally, you may have to wrestle me for it" he teased while throwing a few bills onto the bar to cover their drinks.
"Pffttt. No problem. I mean, it's not like I haven't taken you down before, I'm sure I can do it again if I have to" she joked and beamed a radiant smile his way.
His eyebrows nearly hit his hairline as he smiled bemusedly and laughed as he led them out the door and into the night.
Back at his place, Sam asked Andy if she was hungry. When she agreed that she was, he ordered Chinese food, handed her a beer from the 'fridge and then instructed her to pick out a DVD from his collection while he changed out of his damp clothes. She was virtually dry, except for her jacket, since he was the one who insisted on braving the weather and pulling the truck up to her.
Andy scanned the collection and shook her head; it mainly consisted of action movie's, with a few classic thrown in. Finally, she settled her eyes on one that could possibly work and smiled. It wasn't exactly a romance, it was definitely a comedy, and it was a classic. Perfect, right?
"I'm not watching that" Sam stated as he came up behind her. He stood so close she could feel the heat radiating off of his body and his breath on her neck.
She tried to ignore the goose bumps that sprang up across her body. "Come on Sam, its perfect! It's funny," she insisted.
"It's a chick flick, no way" he resisted.
"But, Sam… it's a classic, aren't you all about the classics?"
"McNally, come on"
"Hey, it was in your DVD collection" she pointed out.
"I have no idea how this got there" he insisted.
"Uh huh" she said, disbelievingly.
"Fine, if I agree will you shut up?"
"Yes"
"Okay, then" he relented, "I never would have pegged you for a Grease kind of girl."
"What are you talking about? Every girl loves this movie. Besides, John Travolta is so hot in it."
"Oh really?" he teased, "That's what does it for you?" he teased.
Alright, Andy, here is your opening. Are you going to go for it or not?
"Hmm, let's see. Bad boy with the secret heart of gold, too much crap in his hair – a rebel in a leather jacket, sure, that could work for me" she admitted, feeling the blush work its way up her neck.
If possible, his eyes seemed to get a bit darker, yet twinkle at the same time when she said that. He held her gaze for an almost uncomfortable amount of time and she could notice his grip on the DVD tighten.
"Come on, Sam. Can you please just put it in already" she exclaimed. At his one raised eyebrow and dimpled smirk, she back peddled quickly over her words, cursing their double meaning, "I mean, the movie… you know what I mean!"
He chuckled and lightly shook his head, but popped the disc in anyway. Halfway through the movie, they were done eating the food, and seemed to be gravitating towards one another on the couch. The original positions of one on each end of the couch grew closer as they shared their meals. At this point, she found herself half curled into him, with his arm slung loosely around the back of the couch, and his hand grazing over the bare flesh exposed from the loose sweater that hung off her shoulder.
"You should totally get a motorcycle" she declared, out of the blue.
"Motorcycle?" he questioned, making sure he heard right.
"Yeah, it would totally fit your image" she insisted.
"Motorcycle…" he repeated slowly as if he was contemplating it.
By the time the movie had ended, Andy was curled into Sam, with her head on his shoulder and her hand lying gently on the middle of his stomach. His hand had travelled downward, insinuating itself under the neckline of her sweater, resting on the spot where her shoulder and collarbone fused.
"Well, I guess I should get going now," Andy mused wistfully as the credits rolled in the background.
She held her position, but tilted her head back to look at him. Their eyes locked for who knows how long, before Andy finally pulled back and they both straightened up.
'Thanks Sam, I actually had a really good time tonight" she said. Then she snaked one arm around his waist and placed a soft his onto his cheek.
His eyes seemed to search her face, trying to read any expression, but she quickly backed down, stood up, and turned towards the door.
"It was nice" he offered, guardedly. He followed her lead off the couch and grabbed their coats.
She accepted when Sam offered to drive her back to Traci's, but when they reached the front door, they noticed that it was still pouring rain outside.
"Do you have an umbrella?" she asked hopefully.
"Believe it or not, no. I lent it to Jerry after the last poker game. I guess we will just have to make a run for it."
"Race you" she challenged with an arched eyebrow.
Andy dashed off towards the truck immediately. Sam grumbled something under his breath, closed and locked the door and then swiftly followed behind. Andy triumphantly declared herself 'winner' when she reached the hood of the truck. Sam didn't mind so much; he was too distracted by the way the wet denim clung to her legs and by the gleeful smile that adorned her face.
He strode the last few steps purposely and slowly towards her, not giving a second thought to the torrent coming down on them both. The shine of her smile and the wet trusses of hair that clung to the distinct ridges of her jaw made something inside of him ache in the best possible way.
When he caught the gleam in her eye, he decided to abandon all of his defenses. He put his hands on her waist, drew her closer and brought his lips to hers. She kissed him back avidly, threaded her fingers through the back of his dark soaked hair, and put all of her feelings for him behind the caress of her lips and tongue.
When his arms tightened around her to draw her impossibly closer, she lifted up to wrap her legs around his hips, and he leaned them back against the hood of the truck. He insinuated his hand through the wet tresses of her hair, and extracted his mouth from hers only to lick off the tantalizing raindrops that were dripping from the curve of her ear lobe onto the long expanse of her neck.
"Sam…" she whispered breathlessly.
He pulled back and straightened again, planting his feet solidly on the ground, with her in tow. His dark eyes searched hers and found only love, desire and need reflecting back. When she leaned in and kissed him again, he scooped her up into his arms, bridal style.
"What are you doing" she exhaled against his neck.
"Taking you home" he stated arbitrarily, carrying her back up the steps.
The double entendere was not lost on her, so she giggled into his mouth in the next kiss.
Yep, this was a good day, and it was certainly bound to be a very good night.
A/N : I have not forgotten about "If I had the Chance". The next chapter is very long, and should be up no later than Monday.
Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!