This is just a quick chapter to get us to through another day before the festivities start. It was either do a short chapter or combine it with the first day of the auction but then the chapter would have been huge.

Not a lot of action...but I hope you like it. Thanks for the reviews and alerts!

The next day when Andy came in, she was still nervous and embarrassed. She avoided Sam before parade, and after parade she acknowledged him just long enough to say she'd meet him at the car.

As much as he wanted to, Sam knew that today was not the day to push. Andy had exposed herself last night - oh God…don't go there - and now his protective instinct had kicked in. He needed her to know that she was safe with him, and so were her feelings. She didn't need confrontation; she needed reassurance. Today would be about comfort and happiness and showing Andy how good things could be, and in fact, how good they already were.

He started off by stopping at her favorite coffee shop. She smiled when they got to their destination and she moved to get out. Sam told her to stay put and returned quickly with her favorite coffee doctored just the way she liked it.

Andy tasted it and smiled. "Thank you, Sam." He got it perfect, and she was touched…and extremely grateful that he didn't find it necessary to bring up the previous night. Her day was starting to look up.

The morning was quiet, and Andy found she was relaxing more and more as the day went on, now satisfied that Sam had no intention of putting her on the spot about the feelings she had inadvertently shared last night. They talked about anything and everything (except her slip up.) He even pulled out the old joke book, and Andy rewarded him with a laugh every time.

By the end of the day, the only thing Andy noticed different was that they seemed to have found more reasons to touch each other. Sam put his hand on the small of her back a little more often, he would lay a hand on her arm or knee to get her attention instead of just saying her name, and she didn't think it was a coincidence that his legs rested against hers under the table throughout their entire lunch. Usually one or the other of them pulled away when that happened. But today, they were both content to enjoy the closeness, and Andy kind of liked the flitter that it created in her stomach. He wasn't trying anything or pressuring her into anything, he was just there.

Andy appreciated Sam's efforts to make her feel at ease, and she found herself smiling for most of the day. She didn't know how he did it because she came in to work completely miserable, and now, at the end of the day, her worries were gone and she was just...happy.

As they pulled into the barn for the night, Andy was lost in her thoughts. They didn't come any better than Sam Swarek. He always had her back, and was always there for her. She never felt like she was competing for his attention even when they were at work. She just liked being with him.

Sam waited for Andy outside the locker room after they finished up for the night. Callahan was still bent over his desk so Sam was pretty confident that he would not be leaving any time soon. "Need a ride to the Penny?" Sam asked her.

"No thanks, Sam. I think I'm just going to skip the Penny tonight." She wasn't upset; she simply didn't want to spend the evening rehashing the auction again. Sam had successfully brightened her mood, and she didn't want to ruin it. "I'll think I'll just head home, have something to eat, and relax…maybe figure out what you wear to one of these kinds of things."

Sam didn't think it really mattered what they wore, but he figured it must be a girl thing…and maybe a detective thing. Jerry had gone on a little too long last night about which suit he had picked out.

Sam only lasted an hour at the Penny. If he was trying to show Andy how good it could be if they were together, he was doing a poor job of it. If they were together, he would not be sitting here by himself while she was home alone. He paid for his drink and went straight to her apartment.

Another tenant was just leaving as Sam approached the entrance, so he didn't have to buzz in. He took the stairs two at a time and then knocked on her door.

Andy wasn't expecting anyone so she checked the peephole and then swung the door wide open happy to see that it was Sam.

"Hey, Sam. What's up?" She asked.

Sam didn't answer; all he could do was stare back at her. He was on sensory overload…there was no room for thought or speech. Andy was wearing the sexiest dress he thought he had ever seen – it was black, it was tight and it covered what needed to be covered, but just barely.

"Sam?"

"Huh?"

Andy waved her hand in front of his eyes a couple of times and tried again. "Sam?"

"Are you going out?" He asked, disappointment clear in his voice.

"No." Andy laughed. "I was just trying to decide what to wear tomorrow night. I didn't know if I should go casual or just say to heck with it and do it up big. What do you think?" She asked as she twirled.

Sam knew exactly what he thought, but he didn't think she was quite ready to hear that yet. He stuck with simple and direct. "You can't wear that."

"Why…what's wrong with it?" Andy wondered as she twisted and turned to look it over, causing it to rise a little higher up her thigh.

"Do you want to have to fight off every man in the building?" Sam teased, touching her arm gently to stop the movement that was causing his temperature to rise a little higher. He smiled when he received the blush he was looking for.

"Don't get me wrong," Sam continued. "I like it…a lot. But if you wear that out in public, you're going to need a bodyguard."

Sam was pleasantly surprised when Andy flirted back. "Do you want the job?"

Sam grinned, dimples digging deep holes into his cheeks. But before he could answer with a resounding yes, she turned her flushed face away and headed to the kitchen.

Sam couldn't wipe the grin off his face though; he would love to take Andy out in that dress. And he would love it even more if he got to take her out of it afterward.

She looked back quickly at Sam clearly seeing the thoughts that were going through his mind and her blush grew deeper. It was getting harder and harder not to make the change she so desperately wanted to make. "Would you like a beer?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sure." Sam agreed knowing full well what she was trying to do.

When Andy returned with Sam's beer, he had already sat down on her couch so she leaned over to pass it to him. This dress was going to be his undoing. He wasn't complaining, but he was trying not to put any pressure on her, and the peek it offered him was not helping his resolve.

"Were you going to try something else on?" He managed to choke out before he cleared his throat and forced himself to look away.

"Well, if this one is a little too much for you," Andy laughed. "Then I think I've got something that's more your speed. I'll be right back."

Sam took a large swig of his beer, trying not to imagine Andy undressing in the next room. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Andy was giggling as she returned to her bedroom. She reached to the very back of her closet to pull out an old dry cleaning bag that contained the bridesmaid's dress she had been forced to wear to her cousin's wedding a few years ago. Hideous could not even begin to describe the atrocity. There were frills and bows and flowers and lace on huge amounts of pink taffeta that pretty much covered every inch of her body. She thought the hat might be a little too much so she left it in the closet.

Her eyes were twinkling as she started down the hallway quietly, taking a moment to watch Sam as he glanced around her apartment. His gaze turned towards her as he took a sip of beer and she stepped out from behind the wall.

He tried not to spit out the entire mouthful before it started…the kind of laugh that can only come from the belly. And Andy couldn't help but join in; she didn't think she had ever seen Sam laugh so hard.

By the time the laughter died down, they both had tears in their eyes.

Andy took a deep breath and suggested. "Since you didn't like the last one, I was sure you'd appreciate this one."

"Hey…I didn't say I didn't like it; I just said you might not want to wear it. And I really don't think you want to wear that one either."

"Too much?"

Sam held up his hand showing an inch between his thumb and forefinger. "Maybe just a little. Do you have anything that's a little less extreme?" He wondered.

"I'll go see what I can come up with."

Being a man's man, Sam never did like shopping much or watching people try on clothes, but he was definitely enjoying this fashion show. Andy was smiling and having fun, and he was too.

While Andy was changing, Sam felt his stomach growl; he had gone straight to the Penny before coming over so he had forgotten to eat. "Andy," he yelled out. "Do you have anything to eat? I haven't had supper."

"Sure. Help yourself. There are leftovers from tonight in the fridge. Do you like chicken?" She asked.

"I'm not picky." It was the truth; he wasn't picky, but it was chicken pot pie and that was one of his favorites so he fixed himself a heaping plate and put it in the microwave to heat up. He had just sat back down with his food when Andy returned in another dress.

Before he could comment, Andy scolded him. "Sam that was supposed to last me all weekend! Did you even leave me any?"

"Sorry. But it's one of my favorites, and you did say to help myself." He reminded her. "Besides, you won't have much time tomorrow night any way."

"That was the whole point," Andy explained. "I was just going to run home after shift and heat it up quick before I had to get to the auction."

"Sorry." He said again.

"It's really good, though; did you make it yourself?" He added, hoping a little flattery might help.

It did and she smiled, but she didn't want to let him off scot free. "Thank you. But now you have to make sure I get fed tomorrow night." She demanded before she could fully grasp what she had said. Her eyes widened and the red returned to her cheeks as she realized that she had basically told Sam that he had to take her out for supper.

She was trying to figure out a way to recover when Sam grinned. "Don't worry; I won't let you starve on my watch. We'll stop for Chinese before we grab your stuff and head over to the hall."

The plan sounded perfect to him, until he realized that she might already have a ride. Hopeful that she didn't, he added, "Uh…unless Callahan is picking you up."

Andy smiled, for once thankful that Luke was too busy. "Nope, I'm supposed to meet him there. Traci and Jerry were going to come and get me on their way."

"Perfect! I'll tell Jerry he doesn't have to. I don't need anything for tomorrow night so after shift we'll grab the food, come here and eat, and then head over."

"Sounds perfect." She agreed. "Thanks, Sam."

"No problem. Now let me finish eating." He ordered, pretending to be grumpy. "And show me another dress so we can figure out what the heck you're going to wear tomorrow." He said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

"We have to make sure you look good." He added as Andy headed back down the hallway, happy to oblige.

"…just not too good." He muttered quietly to himself before taking another bite.

But he wasn't quiet enough; Andy had heard every word and there was an unmistakable spring in her step as she smiled and made her way back to the closet.