A/N; This is the second part of my three parter for the McSwarek Advent Calendar Unightfog is posting.
Again, crappy internet (still in Italy) has kept me from having it Beta'ed properly. So all mistakes are mine. Stick with me for the third part, which will be posted after it has been posted on the calendar.
I may have gone a little OOC with this, but hey... I envisioned my perfect Christmas Eve and just started writing away.
Disclaimer; Don't own Rookie Blue, Bing Crosby or Round and Round the Christmas tree.
"A ring around the Christmas tree,
Children making up a melody.
Grown ups laughing happily,
Christmas a day away."
"Leo, watch were you are going!... Careful dear, mommy is coming through with food… Would you just stand still?... KIDS! SIT! DOWN! NOW!" Traci's cop voice boomed through Andy's jam-packed apartment. Everybody who had been invited actually showed up. Thanks to Dov, who had done a good deal of boasting about Andy's cooking skills.
So next to working full day shifts Andy had spend the past couple of days in the kitchen preparing for the party. Sam had tried to help her the first day, but had soon learned he'd better stay away from his frantic girlfriend when she was cooking. He stuck to running errands, picking up last minute grocery shopping and making sure he. Would. Not. Be. Anywhere. Near the kitchen. Every evening he would join her in the shower, massaging her tense shoulders before they went to bed.
When he had suggested ordering some things from a deli Andy had nearly thrown him out of her apartment. She was very offended, feeling her cooking skills were insulted. So he had just accepted the fact that a homemade meal was going to be served on Christmas Eve.
And now, on Christmas evening, he saw that it was well worth the stress he thought as he saw the buffet on Andy's dining table. It was filled with a selection of salads, roasted vegetables, a huge turkey, homemade bread, roast potatoes, a vegetarian dish he did not recognise - He was after all a man, and man… Well they just eat meat you know…- and a selection of desserts.
When he looked around the room he noticed how everybody had a smile on their face. Leo and the Shaw girls were running around the tree, singing Christmas songs. Traci, Noelle and Zoë talking in a corner, motherhood obviously being the subject. Jerry, Frank and Oliver where watching the rookies' moves and Sue and Gail? They were in some sort of stare off. Obviously not very much at ease with each other.
"She loves these kind of things you know," Tommy spoke as he came to stand next to Sam.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that," Sam replied as a proud smile spread over his face.
"You know son, I have never seen her as happy as she is with you. Take good care of her Sam. She is all I have left."
"Sir, Tommy," Sam corrected himself as he realised Tommy was no longer the training officer and he was no longer the rookie. "I don't think you will have to worry about that. I will be there for her, always. I was not planning on letting her go. Ever."
"Glad to hear you say it son. Now go and pry her out of that kitchen, she has been in there way to long."
"Yes sir!" Sam joked as he walked off to the kitchen.
Andy was leaning on the counter, staring at a bowl of something he did not recognise. At all. Wow, she looks beautiful in that dress.
"What's that?" he carefully asked her as he took in her worried look.
"That Sam, is a soufflé gone bad and I haven't enough eggs left to make a new one," swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat.
Sam quickly stepped up to her and pulled him up against him. Using his index finger he tilted her chin up looking her straight in the eyes. "Andy, don't worry. There is more than enough food out there already. And Oliver is on his best behaviour with Zoë around, so he won't be eating that much. It's perfect, you are perfect, the party is perfect. Everything is perfect, except for the missing host. So get out of this kitchen and join us," he gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, tweaking her Santa hat. "Come on Mrs. Claus, we need you out there."
Andy followed Sam out of the kitchen and into the packed living room. She smiled as she saw how much everybody was enjoying the party. Everybody had plated up food and was eating and talking. She grabbed a plate herself and put some food on it. She wasn't very hungry after all the cooking and tasting she had done in the kitchen.
She sat down next to Traci. "Leo seems to be having fun with the Shaw girls," she pointed at the four kids, sitting next to the tree enjoying their food.
"Yeah, he is. You should have seen them a couple of minutes ago. They were going crazy in here."
"I heard you in the kitchen Trace. Did you scare them good?" Andy smiled. Knowing very well that Traci only used her cop voice on Leo when she needed him to listen very urgently.
"I think I did. They have not moved. At all. After that," Traci laughed just before she took another bite of food. "This by the way," she said pointing at here plate and then at the table, "Is very good food Miss McNally. The best ever, you have outdone yourself again yet again. Is this Swarek's doing? You wanting to be an even better chef to impress him?"
"No..." Andy said, blushing as she turned her head.
"Aw, come on Andy, you can tell me. You do know you don't have to, right? Impress him. He would love you anyway. Even if you weren't capable of frying an egg."
"I know," Andy avoided having to say more by stuffing her mouth with a bite of turkey. Even though Traci was her best friend, she still felt a little awkward talking about her feelings for Sam with her. To her they were a whole new experience, realisation hitting her that whatever she had thought to be love before was nothing close to the real thing.
She noticed how Sam was seeking her out, their eyes meeting. "You are perfect," he mouthed at her before he returned his conversation with Jerry and Oliver. She felt herself blushing just as she felt the sofa denting as somebody sat next to her.
"Hey copper, you outdid yourself. Again."
"Thanks dad, you enjoying yourself?"
"Yah, it's good to be surrounded by cops again. Almost reminds me of old times. You?"
"It's great to see everybody enjoying themselves. And you know that's what I like. So yeah, I'm having fun. Tomorrow's for relaxation, today is for making sure my guests have the best Christmas Eve ever."
"Good, good…" Tommy mumbled. Andy recognised this gesture as him wanting to broach a difficult subject.
"Andy, you and Sam. You do know he is very serious about you right?"
"Yes, I know that dad. He has stuck with me all through the past couple of days while I was going nuts. You know how hard that is to manage, right?"
"Good, good… You seem very happy. The happiest I have ever seen you."
"I am happy dad. Really happy," Andy said as she leaned her head on her fathers shoulder. Tommy ran his hand through her hair, resting it on her shoulder like he used to do when she was a little girl. "Good dear, very good. Cherish it."
With those last words Tommy got up from the sofa. "Aaaah, I'm going to get some more food," he said as he walked of.
When most of the food had been finished – Thank you very much Oliver. – Traci and Gail helped her clear the table and kitchen. Thankful for the dishwasher and paper plates Andy smiled when most of the mess was cleared away. "Thanks guys, I'll do the rest later."
After a couple of hours all the guests had left. Traci had stayed behind to help clear up the last mess. Jerry had already left early, taking Leo home to sleep, so Sam offered to give her a ride home. Perfect! Andy thought. She quickly ran to the bedroom and pulled out a bag she had hidden in the back of her wardrobe. She took two gifts out of the bag, taking them back to the living room with her to put under the tree.
Knowing it would not take too long for Sam to return Andy decided to go to bed and wait for him there. The past couple of days had worn her out completely and she was fast asleep before she had a chance to snuggle in properly. When Sam got home, he found her lying half on top of the duvet. He smiled as he tucked her in, giving her a soft kiss on the top of her head, running his hand through her hair. Perfect! Sam thought as he quickly ran out to his truck. He walked back in to the house with some gifts, putting them under the tree.
