"The Blood of Strangers"
Author: carmen_085
Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue or any of the characters in it
Summary: After breaking off her engagement with Luke, Andy goes undercover with Swarek in a high profile drug case that will put both of their lives in danger
Chapter Two
"And now again I've found myself
So far down, away from the sun
That shines the life away from me"
The morning light peeked through the slats of the blind landing on her face. Her breathing was slow and steady and her face was completely relaxed. Stirring slightly, Andy rolled onto her side. She was slowly becoming aware of the conscious world, although her mind persisted in its state of tranquility. It was the time before the reality of life came back into focus. When you can't remember if something is wrong; and if only for a few seconds everything is ok. Blinking a few times, Andy's eyes perused her unfamiliar surroundings. Groaning, she reluctantly remembered the events of the previous night. Andy glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was almost ten o'clock. Her next shift wasn't until three, and she would have been perfectly content to stay in bed until then. Except this wasn't her bed and she felt awkward intruding on Sam anymore than she already had. A small smile began to form at the corners of her lips at the thought of her partner. He had been great last night. She was a little surprised too. Who would have thought Sam would be able to navigate such an emotionally chaotic situation with so much tact. Maybe she wasn't giving him enough credit. Over the past two years he had been there for her so many times that she had lost count. It wasn't always as heartwarming as it had been last night, but he never let her down. Not once.
Swinging her legs out of bed, Andy reached for her phone. She had a text message from Traci. 'Hey Andy, sorry I missed your call. Dex moved back in last night. I guess it's a good thing. I don't know. I'll see you before parade'. Well there went that idea. There was no way Andy would consider crashing at Traci's now. She already felt bad enough asking to stay there with Leo and Traci's mom. Rubbing her head, a new sense of concern washed over her. Where was she going to go?
Andy's internal struggle was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. "Hey, Andy you awake yet?" Sam had been fighting the urge to check in on her all morning. After the previous night, he was excited just to see her and talk to her. Andy couldn't help but to smile when she saw her partner standing in the doorway, coffee cup in hand.
"Good Morning," she tried to sound cheerful although the greeting came out flat and emotionless. Smiling at her, Sam came over and sat down on the bed handing her the hot cup of coffee.
"So what did you think? Pretty amazing, right?" He patted the bed affectionately as if he made the thing himself.
Andy rolled her eyes before taking a sip of the coffee. "It was awesome, Sam." He smirked at the lack of enthusiasm behind her words. "I can't believe I slept this late. I was hoping to get some things done before work today."
Sam looked a little surprise at her mention of work. "Andy, do you really think it's a good idea for you to go to work today?" Andy regarded him with disdain as she set her coffee cup on the nightstand. She resented people trying to tell her what was best, and Sam knew it. A smirk played across his lips as he watched her face go from depressed to angry.
"Don't tell me what to do, Sam. I can't just take the day off because my personal life is a mess. I am…" Before she could continue she was silenced by the amused look on his face. "What? What is so funny?"
"Of course you can take the day off, Andy. That's what a "personal" day is for." It seemed so simple to him. She was jealous of his uncomplicated logic.
"It's not like that, Sam. It's not that easy…." What she meant to say was that she didn't want Luke to think that he had won. She didn't want him to assume that she was hiding from him and everyone else when she had done nothing wrong.
Sam knew that she was going to fight this to the bitter end. "Ok, Andy. So you don't want Callahan to think that he's won…" The look of surprise on her face was enough to tell him that he was right. "What are you going to do if everyone at the Division knows what happened? How are you going to feel when they're all whispering and giving you those sad looks? Are you going to be able to put all that aside and do the job?" Sam's expression turned serious. "I think you need to take a day and prepare yourself for that.." Before he could go on, she cut him off abruptly as she seethed with anger.
"If you're worried I won't be able to do the job then why don't you look for another partner?" The comment hurt Sam a little although he quickly decided to let it slide. Andy had been betrayed on every level possible and she had a right to be angry. She had a right to lash out. He knew that she didn't really mean it. She didn't need him to yell at her. She didn't need him to fight with her. She just needed him to be there. And that's what he decided to do.
Smiling at her as genuinely as possible, his voice was serious as he stared at her, "I don't want another partner, Andy. I just want you." The sincerity of his words caused all her anger to melt away as she sighed.
"Maybe you're right. I have the time saved up, and I could use the day to look for a place to live." Staring at Sam she smiled a little. He was the one bright spot in her whole disaster of a life right now. They were friends and partners, but she never expected him to be so comforting and so…so perfect just when she needed him to be. It was unbelievable. He knew just what to say and when to say it.
"Of course, I'm right McNally. Seven years on the job, I've taken a personal day or two and let me assure you. It's always a good idea." Getting up, Sam started toward the door.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure nothing compares to the mess I've gotten myself into…" she trailed off lost in her own world of misery.
Stopping, Sam turned around slowly. Regarding her for a moment, he spoke abruptly, "Four years ago my dad died." He was silent for a moment before offering her a sad smile, "And I took a personal day." Shrugging his shoulders, he seemed sad but not upset over the fact that his father was dead. Andy was startled by his sudden admission and took a moment to find her voice.
"Sam…I'm sorry. I didn't know." Shaking his head, he dismissed her concern.
"It was a long time ago." Stuffing his hands in his pockets he silently walked out of the room. Andy sat there for a moment lost in thought. She had no idea that Sam's father was dead. He had never mentioned him until just now. Andy realized that there were a lot of things she didn't know about her partner, but the fact that he seemed willing to share himself with her made her feel good and it made her feel important.
Sam looked up from the bowl of cereal he was eating as Andy finally emerged from the bedroom. Collapsing on the couch next to him, she stared straight ahead motionless. "I called in. Told Best I needed the day off. He didn't seem to know anything."
"Well, that's good." Putting the cereal bowl in the sink Sam, rummaged around in the drawer. Emerging from his search, he threw a set of keys on the counter.
"That's a spare set of keys to my place. If you need to go out today."
"Sam I promise, I am going to find a place as soon as possible. I'll be gone in a couple of days. I swear…" Before she could continue to ramble on, Sam held up his hand stopping her.
"McNally, stop. You are not imposing on me. I want you to stay here as long as you need to. I mean that, too." Andy smiled at him. Truth be told, she was enjoying having Sam with her right now. It made this whole horrendous situation a little easier to bear.
"It won't be long. And I am not letting you sleep on the couch another night." She saw that he was about to protest as he held her hand up. "I'm not going to argue with you, Sam. I'm not." He was slightly amused and was getting ready to make some smartass remark but decided to instead shut his mouth.
"Ok, McNally. Whatever you want." Glancing at the clock on the wall he started putting his coat and shoes on. "I'm going to get going. I told Jerry I would meet him at the gym before shift. I'll see you later, ok?" The last part came out more of a question than a statement. Andy didn't miss the hesitancy or the hopefulness in his voice.
"I'll be here." He relaxed slightly. He couldn't lie. He wanted her to stay with him. He liked having her around, but more than that he wanted to be the one who was there for her. It was very out of character for him to be unsure of himself but when it came to someone as important as Andy he just couldn't help it. She meant more to him than she would ever know.
"Try not to burn the place down or anything ok?" Andy laughed a little at the sarcastic remark he threw her way before walking out.
After Sam left, Andy began making a list in her head of all the things she should try to get done. Unfortunately, her intentions were derailed. Without Sam around, the day quickly turned into a sulk fest of epic proportions. Although there were a lot of things going through her mind, the one thing she kept coming back to was the worse question of all. Why hadn't she known that he didn't love her? Why was had she been fooled so easily? As much as she wanted to blame Jo, Andy knew that the person who was responsible for this mess was none other than herself. She was cop. She should have better instincts than a normal person. And here she was almost married to man who never loved her, or respected her, or trusted her. And she never knew a thing until it was too late.
Sam's apartment was quiet as Andy stared up at the ceiling. Her eyes burned from hours of crying and her throat was nearly raw. It was nearly nine o'clock. She had been sitting on the couch feeling sorry for herself all day long. Andy felt disgusted as she rolled over onto her side. Summoning all the strength she had, she lifted herself off the couch and slowly walked to the bathroom. Andy felt dizzy and sick as she closed the door behind her. Slowly turning the shower knobs, she hesitantly stepped into the tub pulling the curtain closed behind her. The warm water felt amazing as it ran over her neck and shoulders. Sighing, she thought that she might be able to stay there forever.
Sam glanced at his watch glad that his shift was almost over. It had been an uneventful day as he caught himself thinking about Andy more than once. He knew that she was having a hard time, and he wanted to do something that would make her feel better. Sam had been tossing a few ideas around but hadn't really settled just yet. "1505 assistance is required at 1237 Bergmann Avenue." Sam stared out the window making no attempt to answer the call.
"Sir, are we going to take that?" Peck looked at him a clearly waiting for his direction. Sam just smirked and shrugged his shoulders. A little while ago the Detectives had been called to that location for an apparent homicide. He had all sorts of notions regarding what they might want; none of which he found all that thrilling.
"Sure, why not?" Scowling a little, Sam nosed the car back out into traffic as Gail eagerly keyed the microphone.
"1505 responding, 1237 Bergmann Ave." Gail eyed Swarek wondering what his problem was, usually he seemed more than happy to get involved in the action. "Isn't that the homicide scene the detectives were called out to a little while ago?"
Sam could tell that Peck was trying to figure out his apparent lack of enthusiasm. He decided to make it easy for her, "Yeah Peck. Don't get too excited the D's probably want us there to put up some police tape since they're too important to do that themselves," Peck didn't miss the bitterness in Swarek's voice, "Or maybe they'll want us to sit next to the body for hours while they chase a hot lead…" Sam trailed off, annoyed at the timing of this whole adventure.
Gail shook her head and looked at him a little confused, "I thought that was our job, sir."
Sam fought the urge to jump across the console and strangle her. She was just so goddamned annoying. "It is our job, Peck. Forgive me for not sharing in your enthusiasm when we only have twenty minutes left in our shift! Did you think about that?" Gail shook her head, a new realization clearly dawning on her. "Exactly! We're going to be here all damn night!"
Sam pulled up to the Bergmann avenue address clearly still annoyed with is temporary rookie. Glancing over at Gail in the passenger seat, he felt a little bad for yelling at her. He hadn't completely forgotten what it was like to be a rookie. She just wanted to do something, get some experience, maybe turn into a bitter old Copper like him one day. Clearing his throat, Sam broke the silence, "Gail, I didn't mean to yell at you. It's not like either of us had much choice in the matter."
She started straight ahead not meeting his eyes, "It's alright." Sam was slightly taken aback by how icy she was although he quickly dismissed it. He had enough drama with his own rookie to worry about someone else. Sighing he pushed the car door open.
"Well, lets go see what they want." Sam's followed Gail up the stairs of the house. Inside they found a body sprawled out over the living room rug shot two times in the head. Sam stifled a wave of anger when he saw Callahan knelt down over the dead man. Although he had the urge to beat the shit out of him at least twelve times in the past day, he restrained himself for Andy's sake. The rumor mill would no doubt be churning away in a day or two. He didn't want to add any more drama to an already epic situation.
Callahan smiled as his eyes landed on Peck, although his face abruptly fell when he saw Swarek standing behind her. Sam was slightly pleased to see that Andy's ex-fiance was just as happy to see him as he thought he would be. "Peck you're here with me on the body, Swarek we need some more tape put up around back." Gail seemed pleased that Callahan chose her for the more important duty, although her satisfaction was short lived.
This entire situation was more than amusing as Sam smirked at his colleagues, "Tape's in the trunk of the car, Peck." Sam tossed her the keys not even caring what was about to come out of her mouth.
"But sir…" Sam glared at her as she stared at him trying to find an effective protest.
"But nothing Peck. I'm your TO and I told you to go put up some tape." Raising his eyebrows at her he looked at her as if she were crazy. "Go…already." Gail stomped out of the house like a spoiled child and disappeared down the front stairs.
Callahan scowled at Swarek before returning to the task at hand. It was clear that Sam had no intention of being any use to him. "Are you going to make yourself useful?"
Sam had the sudden uncontrollable urge to beat the living hell out of him right there. Murder scene or not, he could have cared less. Smirking at Callahan the only thing that held him back was the knowledge that Andy was at his house right now. They weren't together but it was the closest that they had ever been, and he was happy. Happier than he had been in a long time.
Before Sam could think of some smartass response, Luke stood up so that he was staring at him square in the eye, "You think you've won, Swarek because she's with you right now…" Sam was more than a little surprised; he wasn't sure if Callahan actually knew that information for a fact or had simply assumed it to be true. Either way he silently applauded the man's detective skills. Leaning in closer to Swarek, Luke positioned his body so that he was standing over the dead man. "Just so you know… you wouldn't have even been a passing thought to her if I hadn't screwed up. So don't think you've got one up on me because the way I see it you're just second best."
Sam was surprised that his first reaction was sadness and not anger. What if Callahan was right? The thought was completely out of character for him but he could never feel sure of himself with Andy. She meant more to him than any other woman he had ever met so the stakes were much higher. Sam began to feel a little more like himself as anger slowly replaced the unfamiliar feeling of defeat.
Grabbing Callahan roughly by the shoulder he pushed him into the other room. "Let's get something straight here, Callahan. She wasn't sure about you from the start but I told her what a great guy you were and that you were trustworthy! Trustworthy! Can you believe it?" Sam grabbed Luke by the collar and pressed him against the wall. "You've hurt her more than you can imagine and I swear to God if you come near her again. I swear you will regret it." Luke laughed a bitter little laugh as he regarded Sam with a sense of pity.
"You know it must be hard for you, Swarek. Knowing that she's that close. Knowing that I'm gone. And guess what? She still doesn't want you." That was it. Letting go of Callahan's collar Sam looked like he might walk away but then suddenly turned, and landed a punch square in the middle of the detective's jaw.
Sam made a beeline for the door stepping over the body as he left. "Hey, that's my crime scene you're tramping through!" Sam kept going although he heard Jo's annoying voice call after him.
"Piss off, lady." With that he was out the door and down the stairs. Peck was just finishing with the tape when she saw Swarek storming out of the building. "Peck, let's go."
"But sir…has detective Callahan released us? What's going on…" She was following Sam on his heels and was nearly knocked over when he turned abruptly.
"Either you get your ass in the car or I'm leaving you here." Gail nearly chased Swarek to the car and quickly decided that something had transpired while she was outside. While he seemed annoyed earlier, he was downright angry now and she knew enough to keep her mouth shut. Casting a glance toward the house, she saw Callahan standing on the porch rubbing his jaw, as he appeared to be listening to a very animated Detective Rosati. Something was definitely up; Gail just needed a couple more clues before she could put all the pieces together.
Andy spent way too long in the shower and looked like a prune when she finally emerged from the steamy room. She felt a little better now that she was clean. Sam would be home soon and she was glad for the distraction. Wandering back into the bedroom, she flicked on a light. Andy hadn't really had a chance to look around much the night before. The room wasn't exactly decorated but it was comfortable. There were a couple of pictures on the dresser as she drifted over quite curious.
Lifting one of the photos she smiled at the sight of Sam, Jerry, and Oliver on their graduation day. They all looked so young she barely recognized them. Another smaller photo was an image of Sam and a woman that resembled him. She had never seen the woman before but assumed that it must his sister, Sarah. Stepping back, Andy was little surprised to find the last picture was of her and Sam. Smiling she remembered the day it was taken. Best had wanted some candid photographs of the officers to be taken and put on a bulletin board during the community outreach day. Andy guessed that it was an effort to make them all seem more personable and more relatable to the community. Either way someone had managed to snap a photo of her and Sam goofing around in the locker room before shift. Wide smiles on both of their faces, she couldn't remember what he had said to her and it didn't really matter. They looked completely content with one another. It was a good picture and Andy had wondered what happened to it. Never in a million years did she think Sam had it.
Running her fingers over the dresser, Andy wandered around a little more before sitting on the edge of the bed. Wet strands of hair fell loosely around her face. Craning her neck, she noticed that Sam had a couple of books on the nightstand. Most of them she had never heard of, although she stopped when she noticed the title on the bottom. Pulling the slender blue book from the stack, she squinted at the title not really believing her eyes, 'The History of Love'. What the hell? Of all the things she expected to find this was just about the most surprising. She didn't even think that Sam read books, let alone books about love. Shutting the light off, Andy began thumbing through the pages as she collapsed back on the couch.
She wasn't sure how much time had went by but before she knew it she heard someone at the door. Glancing at the clock it was nearly midnight. Andy couldn't help but to smile when she saw Sam walk through the door. It was, afterall, the highlight of her day so far.
"Hey, how was your day?" He noticed that Andy was in the same place that he left her looking only slightly more put together. Opening the refrigerator, he pulled out a bottle of water before sitting down on the couch next to her.
Shrugging Andy tried to downplay how horrible she felt, "It was ok. I got some rest."
"Uh huh…" he took stock of her appearance and the fact that the spare keys were right on the counter where he left them, "Did you leave the house at all?"
Andy played with the blanket not wanting to tell him the truth but unable to lie. "No…No I just got some rest." Translation: I spent the whole day crying my eyes out. She hoped that she wasn't that transparent to him.
Sam looked her over a couple of times before voicing what they both already knew. "You cried all day, didn't you?" Goddammit! She couldn't hide anything from him.
Andy shrugged careful to look anywhere but at Sam. "Maybe…" Sam sighed loudly; he didn't like the idea of her crying all day over a piece of shit like Callahan. He had no intention of telling her about the confrontation that transpired between her ex-fiance and himself. Wracking his brain he searched for something to make her feel better.
"Get your coat on. We're going somewhere." Andy stared at her partner like he was crazy.
"Sam… I don't want to see anyone right now. I look disgusting and I just don't want to…" Quickly dismissing her concerns he held up his hand.
"No. It's just going to be us. Don't worry." Andy didn't want to move off the couch but she also couldn't turn Sam down when he looked so excited. Grabbing her coat he looked at her expectantly. Sighing, Andy pushed herself up. Sam couldn't help but to smile.
"Where are we going?" Sam held the door open for her as she stepped out into the cold air.
"It's a surprise. But I promise you'll like it." Although she wouldn't admit it, Andy was a little excited. She was also touched by the effort he was making for her. It was unexpected but nonetheless appreciated.
Andy and Sam drove around Toronto for almost twenty minutes before Sam stopped his truck in an empty parking lot. Andy knew Toronto pretty well but all the driving had gotten her mixed up and she honestly had no idea where they were. About six inches of snow had fallen the night before and had been untouched in that area. Andy's boots crunched as she walked around the front of the truck. Smiling at her, Sam offered his hand as he gestured toward a narrow path. "Let's go."
Reluctantly, Andy took his hand and allowed him to lead her down a snow-covered path and up a hill. "If I didn't know better, Swarek. I'd think you were leading me to my death right now."
Sam laughed, "Who knows…McNally. I might be." She shook her head, the sudden image of Luke popping in her mind. She had been doing so good too. Since Sam came home she hadn't thought of Luke once.
Finally at the top of the hill they came to a clearing that looked over the entire city of Toronto. Letting go of Sam's hand she walked close to the edge, speechless. It was without a doubt the most spectacular view she had ever seen. Light snowflakes fell over the city as it glowed brightly. It was perfect.
"Wow…" it came out as a whisper that she was sure he didn't hear. Smiling, Sam was happy that he had successfully gotten her mind onto something other than Callahan. A big rock was appropriately placed in the middle of the clearing. Dusting the snow off, Sam sat down on the cold stone content with his efforts.
It took Andy a couple of minutes to snap out of it as she turned to her partner obviously pleased with his idea. "This is awesome. How did you find this place?" Walking over she sat down next to him close enough that he could feel the heat coming off her body.
Shrugging his shoulders, Sam nonchalantly replied, "After my dad died….I needed a place to go when things got too much." Andy's radar turned on at the mention of Sam's dad.
"What happened to him?" She wasn't sure how he would react, but it seemed like the right time.
Sighing loudly, he scratched the back of his head as he regarded her thoughtfully. "They found him dead at his place. No one really knows. Heart attack or something….We weren't really that close." Andy nodded, not really knowing what to say. Before she could think of something, Sam continued, "But that doesn't mean I didn't want to be close with him. Really, it was all I wanted for most of my life."
Andy just stared at him. "Thank you." Smirking a little Sam was brought back to reality by her unexpected remark.
"For what?"
Leaning in a little closer to him, Andy stared back out at the city. "Thank you for trusting me with that." Smiling slightly, Sam just nodded.
"So, anyway. After my dad died I used to come here and play this game with myself." Andy nodded, encouraging him to continue. "I used to come here and look out over the city and pick a car or a window in one of the downtown buildings and make up a story about that person. What their life might be like. What they were doing. And if there was anyway they hurt as much as I did."
Andy stared at him with tears in her eyes. She suddenly felt guilty for taking her partner at face value, when there was so much more to him than she could have ever imagined.
Sam suddenly felt a little embarrassed at how honest he had just been. His feelings were quickly erased when Andy leaned against him. He wasn't sure if how she would react but the moment seemed right so he cautiously wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Relaxing a little when she didn't pull back he finished his thought, "I don't know…It used to make me feel better. That's why I brought you here."
Andy rested her head against his shoulder. "You know what, Sam? You make me feel better."
Above lyrics are from 3 Doors Down, "Away from the Sun"
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