Thanks for all of the reviews! I really appreciate every one of them.
Just so you guys know, this story isn't really going to be about the actual undercover operation. Jamie Brennan and people from the warehouse will guest star, but I won't really be talking much about the actual operation. This is more about Sam and Andy's changing relationship while they pretend to be other people.
Here is chapter two!
===============Pretend===============
It's around 3PM when Andy pulls up to the warehouse and sees Sam leaning against the building, waiting for her. The moment he spots her, a small smile appears on his lips and he quickly makes his way over to the car. He opens the passenger door, slides inside and then leans in for quick kiss. The gesture takes her by surprise, especially considering the fact that there are only a few guys around and they don't seem to be paying attention to them. Still, she lets herself enjoy the moment.
Once they pull away, Sam sits back in his seat and buckles his seatbelt as Andy puts the car in the drive.
"So… how did it go?" She inquires as she briefly glances back at him.
"McNally, do you really have to ask?" He grins, purposefully exposing his dimples.
She playfully rolls her eyes while Sam lets out a chuckle.
"When do you start?" She inquiries.
"Monday," he replies.
"Great, so I guess we have all weekend to rehearse our cover stories," she states.
"More like twenty four hours," he declares.
"What?" She asks as her eyebrows furrow in confusion.
"I met a few of my co-workers while I was waiting for you… they invited us out to the bar tomorrow night… you know, so we can get to know everybody," he informs her. "I guess they get together every Friday night."
"Are you sure they want me to go? It's not just a guy's thing?" She wonders.
"They told me to bring you," he says with a shrug.
"Okay… could be fun," she muses. "And I guess we need to start mingling with everybody," she adds.
"Exactly," Sam concurs.
"So… what do you think Candace would wear?" She asks, thinking out loud. Sam immediately lets out a laugh as he shakes his head in amusement.
Of course that's the first place her mind goes.
===============Pretend===============
That night, they are lying in bed and he can just tell that her mind is racing. She hasn't said anything in over five minutes, so… yeah, he's pretty sure she's freaking out.
"What is it, McNally?" He asks as he turns to face her.
"Hm?" She says, glancing up to meet his eyes.
"You're thinking too much," he points out.
"Oh. I was just running through my cover again… you know, for tomorrow," she explains with a shrug.
"You'll be fine. You know it by heart," he assures her.
"Yeah, I guess," she says with a nod as she nervously bites down on her bottom lip. "Hey, how did we meet?" She inquires a moment later. "People might ask."
"Keep it real. We met at work… we, uh… we worked at a bar together," he suggests. "You were a waitress and I was a bartender and obviously, you were all over me the second we met," he teases.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's exactly how it happened," she tells him, sarcastically, as she playfully rolls her eyes.
"That's how I remember it," he quips.
She rolls her eyes again, but ultimately she decides to just let it go. "And how did you propose?" She questions as she starts to twist her ring around her finger.
"Sky writing?" He retorts.
"I'm serious," she declares as she playfully hits him on the arm.
"Hm… well, I guess I probably took you to this nice cabin in the woods since you're such a sucker for nature," he decides.
"Did you get down on one knee?" She asks with a big smile.
"Well, I'm pretty sure that's how you're supposed to do it," he reminds her.
"And what did you say when you asked me?" She probes.
He sighs. "I don't know…. I probably just told you something like… you're the best thing that ever happened to me and I can't imagine my life without you," he suggests as their eyes meet and the space between fills with a bit of tension. "And then I asked you to marry me," he adds.
"Short and sweet. That sounds about right," she agrees.
"Good," he says with a nod.
"And when are we getting married?" She wonders.
"Well, it can't be too soon or people will actually expect us to get married," he reminds her.
"How about… not next spring, but the one after?" she proposes.
"Sounds good. Now… let's go to bed, okay?"
"Yes, sir," she deadpans.
===============Pretend===============
"What about this?" Andy asks as she does a little spin.
This is the third outfit she's shown to Sam in the past ten minutes and while he's pretending to be annoyed, he actually likes the little fashion show she's putting on just for him.
This outfit consists of tight black skinny jeans and an equally tight top in a blueish green color. And she's showing just enough cleavage for him to enjoy, but not too much for everybody else to enjoy.
"Andy, we're just going to the bar, you don't need to overthink this… you can wear whatever you want," he assures her.
"Which one is your favorite?" She asks as she glances at herself in the mirror.
"This one," he decides.
"Are you just saying that so I don't change?" She asks, eyeing him with her hands on her hips.
"No," he tells her, honestly, while her eyes narrow as she tries to decide if she should believe him.
"This one," he repeats. "You look great."
After a little consideration, she ultimately decides that he's telling the truth and throws him a big smile in return. "Thanks," she replies.
"Are we good to go?" He questions as he gets up off the couch. "Cab should be here any minute," he reminds her.
"Yeah, let's go," she says with a nod as she grabs her purse off the bed. Meanwhile, he throws his jacket on and then grabs her coat off the hook to hold it out for her. She thanks him with a smile before slipping her arms inside while simultaneously slipping on a pair of black ballet flats.
"Got the keys?" He inquires.
"Yep," she confirms as she tosses them to him and follows him out the door. He quickly locks the door and then leads her down to the street, so they can wait for the cab.
By the time they get to the sidewalk in front of their apartment, she's already getting antsy.
"Nervous?" He asks with an amused smile.
"No!" She denies.
He skeptically raises an eyebrow and she blows out a breath in response, well aware that she's not fooling him. "Fine, I'm nervous," she admits.
He nods his head and runs his hand down her back, hoping to calm her down. "Andy, you'll do fine, I know you will. I wouldn't have asked you to come with me if I thought you couldn't handle this," he promises. "And I'll be there the whole time," he reminds her.
"I know… thanks," she says as she meets his eyes and smiles, causing him to do the same.
===============Pretend===============
The moment they step into the Alpine Inn, Sam is overcome with a feeling of déjà vu. It's been years since he's stepped foot in the place, but everything looks exactly the same. It has the same peeling wallpaper, the same wobbly bar stools, the same ugly carpet, the same dusty television set in the corner and the same leaky beer tabs lining the bar. Yeah, not much has changed.
"J.D!" Someone shouts, shaking Sam from his reverie. He quickly follows the voice and scans the room until he sees the group of guys from work waving him over. Then, he grabs Andy's hand and leads her across the bar to the large corner booth that everyone is sitting in.
"Hey guys… this is my fiancée, Candace," Sam says to the group.
"Hi," Andy says with a smile and a wave. Over the next minute, she is introduced to Jacob and his girlfriend, Claire; Ryan and his wife, Lena; Gordon and his girlfriend, Trish; and the two single guys of the group, Alex and Jose.
After the introductions, Sam and Andy slide into the booth at which point, Sam wraps his arm around her and pulls her closer. She briefly wonders if sitting this close is actually necessary to sell their cover, but it's not as if she would ever complain.
As the group makes small talk, Alex goes to grab some drinks and returns, moments later, with a pitcher of beer, a pitcher of margaritas and glasses for everyone. And as he pours drinks for everyone, Sam can't help but notice the way that Alex is trying to sneak peeks down Andy's shirt. That fact also doesn't go unnoticed by Andy and neither does the death stare that Sam is throwing at him. She honestly finds the whole thing to be pretty amusing, but because she really doesn't need some stranger looking down her shirt, she pulls it up a bit before taking a big sip of her margarita.
As the night goes on, Andy is surprised to learn that Sam's new co-workers and their girlfriends are actually really nice and a lot of fun. Maybe it's all the margaritas she's consumed, but she can't remember the last time her stomach hurt from laughing so much. Between the stupidly competitive game of darts and the hilarious stories that are being told, she almost feels like she's back at the Penny with her friends. And yeah, it's a pretty nice feeling.
"This is actually really fun," Andy admits to Sam as they stand at the bar, buying another pitcher of drinks for the table.
"I told you that everything would be fine," he reminds her with a smile.
"Yeah, they seem like good people," she continues. She can tell that he's almost as buzzed as she is with the way he's standing so close and gazing at her in that way that makes her heart pound. And even though no one has been watching them for the past couple minutes, he's still touching her way more than what's necessary. Ever since he ordered the drinks, he's had his hands on her in some way. Either he's absent-mindedly playing with the belt loops on her jeans, running his fingers through her hair or just resting his hands on her waist. And yeah, it's really difficult for her not to enjoy it.
Moments later, the bartender slams the two pitchers down on the table, causing them both to jump out of their haze. Sam hands her some cash and tells her to keep the change before following Andy back to the table. They sit back down with their new friends, who thank them for the drinks, and Sam puts his arm around Andy, where it has been the entire night.
For the next two hours, they continue drinking and swapping funny stories before the crowd at the bar starts to thin out and everyone decides to head home.
"It was so nice meeting you two," Lena tells them with a warm smile. "We usually get together every Friday night… sometimes we come here, sometimes everybody comes to our place… we have a hot tub! Anyway, you guys are more than welcome to join," she says, enthusiastically.
"Thanks! We'd love to," Andy responds.
"Great! Well, have a good night," she says with a wave before heading out of the bar. "And good luck on Monday, J.D!" She adds.
"Thanks," he replies.
It's just a couple minutes later that Sam and Andy are waiting outside for their cab and yeah, it's freezing. So, without thinking, Andy sneaks her hands inside Sam's jacket and hugs him to keep warm. It takes him off guard for a second, but he happily wraps his arms around her and pulls her against his chest.
"Cold?" He asks with a smile.
"Mhm," she says, nodding slightly.
The two of them stand like that, just holding on to each other, for the full three minutes it takes for their cab to show up. Eventually, the cab pulls up beside them and they hop in the back seat together. As the driver pulls out into traffic, Andy rests her head on Sam's shoulder, causing him to put his arm around her once again. She shifts around, trying to get more comfortable, and eventually ends up with her head resting in the crook of his neck. Sam tightens his grip around her and pulls her a bit closer while she closes her eyes for the remainder of the ride.
As they drive home, Sam briefly considers if this is what it would be like if she was his for real and not just for pretend. If they were actually together, they'd probably have lots of nights like the one they just had- drinking at the Penny with their friends, his arm wrapped around her as they sat in one of the booths, his fingers in her hair as they waited for drinks at the bar, Andy huddled up in his coat as they waited for a cab because they both had too much to drink.
He's never really been one for PDA, but he feels like she could probably change his mind about that. In fact, he's pretty sure she already has.
Before he knows it, they are pulling over in front of their apartment and the cabby is parking the car.
"Candace," he softly whispers into her ear.
"Hm?" She says as she lifts her head and blinks her eyes a few times. Yeah, she definitely fell asleep for a bit there.
"We're home," he replies, still whispering.
"Okay," she responds as she lets out a yawn.
Sam pulls out his wallet and pays the cabby before helping Andy out of the backseat and leading her upstairs with his arm wrapped around her the entire time.
"I'm exhausted," Andy declares, as they walk through their front door.
"Mm… me too," Sam agrees.
Without another word, Andy heads over to their dresser, pulls out her pajamas and walks into the bathroom. Minutes later, after she changes her clothes, washes her face and brushes her teeth, she walks out of the bathroom to find Sam wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that is exposing all of his muscles in the best possible way.
"All yours," she tells him as she tosses her clothes in the hamper.
"Thanks," he replies as he walks past her and into the bathroom. She hears him brushing her teeth as she slips under the covers and lets her head hit the pillow.
Before she knows it, Sam is turning off all the lights and getting into bed with her. She's sleeping on her side and facing away from him and he gets into bed facing in the same direction. Despite the fact that there is plenty of space, he is lying closer to her than he needs to.
After a minute or so, he feels her pulling his arm across her body, so it's wrapped around her waist. He's surprised, but he doesn't even consider fighting it. Wordlessly, he interlocks their fingers and slides closer to her so they are essentially spooning.
And in a matter of minutes, they are both asleep.
===============Pretend===============
The next morning, Sam wakes up with his arm still tightly wrapped around Andy's waist. A smile instantly crosses his lips at that realization, but after allowing himself to enjoy it for just a moment longer, he slowly removes his arm before she wakes up. He's just not sure how she'll feel about the two of them spooning all night now that she's sober.
After a minute or two, he quietly slides out of bed, heads to the kitchen to turn on the coffeemaker and then goes to take a shower. Making sure to save plenty of hot water for Andy, he only stays in there for a few minutes before toweling off and walking out of the bathroom to find Andy standing in the kitchen, drinking her coffee.
"Hey," she says with a smile as he walks into the room and, not for the first time, he can't help but think how beautiful she looks in the morning. The sleepy eyes, the lazy smile, the bedhead… yeah, he wouldn't mind waking up to it every morning.
"Hey," he replies with a smile of his own as he stands beside her and picks up the mug of coffee she's prepared for him. "Thanks," he tells her before taking a sip.
"What time do we have to meet Boyd?" She wonders.
"One," he informs her.
"Okay," she says with a nod. "So, any ideas for breakfast?" She inquires, a beat later.
"You cooking?" He asks with raised eyebrows and surprise in his voice.
"No, you are," she grins.
He rolls his eyes and shakes his head a bit, but the smile on his face is giving him away. "I'll whip something up while you're in the shower," he eventually agrees.
Her smile widens and it's obvious that she's pretty pleased with herself. "Sounds perfect," she replies before taking one last sip of her coffee and then happily skipping over to the bathroom. Once the bathroom door closes and the shower turns on, Sam quickly turns his attention to getting dressed and making breakfast.
It's about twenty minutes later that Andy is showered, dressed and eating breakfast at the table with Sam.
"This is delicious," she exclaims with her mouth full.
"Glad you like it," he replies with a smile.
"Where'd you learn to cook like this?" She asks.
"I don't know… Sarah and I had to cook for ourselves a lot… our dad was in and out of jail most of our lives and… when he was in, our mom was always working so we basically had to take care of ourselves," he says with a shrug. "Sarah always liked to cook and when I was little, I would help her with everything. So, after she got attacked, when she wasn't really into cooking anymore, I ended up taking care of everything," he explains. "I would try to make all of her favorite foods and I'd try all of these new recipes… it was a lot of trial and error but I eventually figured it out," he continues. And the way he says it is so casual, but she knows it's much more than that.
"Yes you definitely did," she confirms with a smile. Knowing he's not typically one to share, she purposefully tries to downplay his admission by keeping it light. And when we smiles at her in return, she knows it was the right move. "But I hope you know that this means you're cooking all of our meals from now on," she informs him with a grin.
He playfully rolls his eyes as a smile appears on his lips. "Okay, if I have to cook than you have to… do the laundry," he tells her after careful consideration.
"Deal," she agrees before shoveling some more food in her mouth. "So uh… you never told me your dad was in jail," she says a minute or so later, hoping she's not overstepping.
"Still is," he shrugs.
"What for?" She asks.
"He got six months for armed robbery when I was seventeen… a few months into his sentence, he got into a fight and killed a guy. Got twenty years," he explains.
"Wow… do you ever visit him?" She wonders.
"No," he says, shaking his head. "Haven't seen him since I turned eighteen and my mom told me I could decide for myself if I wanted to visit him… I didn't," he tells her.
Andy nods. "Am I asking too many questions?" She wonders. "You don't have to talk to me about this if you don't want to," she adds.
He shrugs before taking a second to finish chewing his food. "We're friends, aren't we?" He asks.
"Yeah," she responds with a nod.
"Well, I'm pretty sure friends know these kinds of things about each other," he reminds her.
She's basically stunned by his words, but she tries not to let it show. Instead she simply smiles and nods. "Yeah, they do."
"So, anymore questions?" He inquires
She shakes her head. He's told her enough for one day.
===============Pretend===============
On Sam's first day of work, she decides to wake up early to make him some coffee and pack him a lunch. She got the idea after overhearing the guys discuss how inedible the food is at the warehouse cafeteria. She figures that's the kind of thing a woman would do for her fiancé. Plus she really doesn't need to listen to Sam puking all night.
She does her best to be really quiet, but just as she's about halfway through making his turkey sandwich, she finds him peering over the kitchen counter with tired eyes and bedhead.
"What are you doing?" He asks, suspiciously.
"Making your lunch," she tells him, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"How… domestic," he says with a smile. "What am I having?" He wonders with a bit of concern.
"I do know how to make a sandwich, you know," she tells him with mock offense.
He lets out a laugh and puts his hands up in defense. "I'm sure you do."
"It's a turkey BLT," she informs him. "And it's delicious," she adds with a bit of silly glare. "Plus I even packed a pickle, sweet potato chips and some chocolate chip cookies," she tells him, obviously very pleased with herself.
"Wow, I'm impressed," he admits.
"You should be," she retorts. "Now go jump in the shower. We have to leave in forty five minutes."
"Okay, boss."
===============Pretend===============
"Hey, it's me," he says the moment she answers the phone.
"I'm shocked," She deadpans.
She can practically ear the roll of his eyes through the phone, but ultimately, he ignores the comment. "Just wanted to tell you that you don't need to pick me up from work. I'm going out for drinks with my boss," he informs her.
"Oh… okay… be safe," she replies.
"Will do, love you babe," he tells her, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. And yeah, hearing the words surprises her, but she knows that there must be other people around and that Sam's just keeping up his cover.
"Love you, too, babe," she says, teasingly. "Have fun and call me if you need a ride home from the bar," she offers.
"Thanks, see you tonight," he replies before the two of them hang up.
======Pretend=======
Once again, he is at the Alpine Inn.
Except this time is significantly less fun than the last time. Instead of watching his co-workers throw darts while Andy sits on his lap, he's sitting at the bar with his boss, nursing some beers and talking about the job and his time in prison. It's almost ten o'clock so they've been there for quite a while and except for the two hours they spent playing pool, they've mostly just been talking.
"Looks like you have a fan," Jamie points out, gesturing across the room. Sam glances over and sees a skinny blonde woman in a skimpy outfit staring at him. And the moment Sam looks over, she blushes and smiles at him. She's definitely attractive, but she is nothing compared to the doe-eyed brunette who is waiting for him at home.
"You should go talk to her," Jamie advises.
"Actually, I'm engaged," Sam responds before taking a sip of his beer.
"Oh yeah? I wouldn't have pegged you for the settling down type," Jamie states before taking a sip of his own beer.
"Yeah, I guess I wasn't… not until her," Sam declares with a shrug.
"Yeah, I get that," Jamie nods as if he completely understands. "What's she like?" He inquires.
"Candace? She's… she's something else… Most of the time, she drives me absolutely crazy, but… kind of in the best way," he says with a smile. The comment surprises him, but the five beers he's consumed might be having an effect on him. "She has this energy about her… I don't know, it's like she's always so positive about everything. She didn't have the easiest childhood, yet she's still so happy and optimistic and she always sees the best in people… even me. And she's beautiful… but not in that obvious way, you know? It's like she doesn't even realize how gorgeous she is…" Sam babbles on. When he sees Jamie's expression, he thinks he may have said too much. "Plus, when the sex that good, it makes it much easier to settle down," Sam adds, hoping that his last comments seems more in line with something J.D. would say.
Jamie nods. "I know what you mean… I felt the same way about my wife… I never thought I'd get married, but then I met her and it was all over," Jamie confesses, causing Sam to relax a bit.
"Yeah, I guess it's the same way with me and Candace," he concedes.
"Well hold on to that. It doesn't come around every day," Jamie instructs him.
"That's the plan," Sam agrees.
"To Candace," Jamie says, lifting his beer.
Sam clicks his own beer bottle against his. "To Candace," he repeats.
======Pretend=======
"Candace?" Sam calls out when he opens the door. "Come here, I want to introduce you to my boss," he says, closing the door after Jamie walks in.
"Hi baby," Andy says, walking out of the bathroom, wearing flannel pajama pants and a tank top. And Sam can't help but notice that she isn't wearing a bra. Andy leans in and gives Sam a quick peck on the lips and then turns to Jamie.
"I'm Candace," she says, holding out her hand in front of him.
"Jamie," he tells her, shaking her hand.
She turns to Sam. "You should've warned me you were bringing company, I wouldn't have changed into my pajamas," she conveys, flashing a smile at Jamie.
"Sorry," he shrugs, his lips still tingling from that kiss.
"Please, you don't need to dress up for me," he smiles. "J.D., she's even prettier than you said," Jamie admits, turning to Sam.
Andy glances at Sam with a smile and raised eyebrows and she swears that Sam Swarek is blushing.
"Really? What else did he tell you?" She asks Jamie, with a devilish smile playing on her lips.
"Just how lucky I am," Sam interjects, before Jamie has a chance to answer.
Andy smiles. "Yes, you are," she agrees before leaning in for another kiss. Sam grabs the back of her neck and holds her there for a moment before letting her go. The gesture takes her off guard, but she plays it off as if it is completely normal.
"Jamie, can I get you something to drink?" Andy asks him, as she leads the men further into the apartment.
"No, I don't want to intrude. I was just giving JD a ride home and thought I'd come up and meet the famous Candace," he says with a smile.
"Well, it was great meeting you, and thanks for bringing my man home in one piece," she thanks him with a smile.
"You too," he tells her. "JD, I'll see you tomorrow," he tells him before heading back towards the front door.
"Goodnight, boss," JD says as he watches Jamie leave. Once the door shuts behind him, he turns to Andy.
"You couldn't have given me a heads up? Look at what I'm wearing!" She cries, gesturing at her outfit.
"I think you look great," he informs her, looking her up and down.
"I'm not wearing a bra!" She shouts.
"I noticed," he tells her with a smirk, as his eyes not-so-subtly fall to her chest.
She rolls her eyes at him while shaking her head. And then she turns to walk away from him, so he can't see the smile she can no longer hold in.
======Pretend=======
That's chapter two! Please review and let me know what you think!
