Title: Ritual

By: Maverick88

Chapter: 3

Author's note: I'm sorry I'm so late! I was ill this week and my head was kinda foggy. I haven't even watched the new episode yet. Anyway, fogginess makes it hard to write. This chapter is a bit on the short side, but I hope you guys like it anyway. Again, sorry for the delay! Reviews are appreciated as always.

It really didn't matter where she was or how crowded it was, she could always find him in the blurry masses of people. He caught her eye, smiling slightly. She smiled back, holding onto his gaze a bit longer until she heard a familiar set of footsteps approaching.

"So, what's been going on with you two?" Andy turned around. The ever observant Traci Nash raised her well defined eyebrows, obviously hoping for a straight answer. Andy flicked a few cautious glances left and right to make sure no-one was listening in. Last thing she needed was to become the object of gossip again, especially now talk surrounding her break up with Luke had finally started to settle down. She decided the risk wasn't worth taking.

"I don't have time for this, Parade is about to start," she mumbled and found her words met with a disapproving glare from her chocolate skinned friend. "Come on Andy, don't insult my intelligence. Things are different, I can tell."

Andy sighed, busying herself with braiding her hair neatly so it wouldn't look like she was just standing around. "We've been training together, that's what's going on."

"Since when?"

"Couple of weeks ago. I told Oliver I wanted to learn Krav Maga and he said I should ask Sam." She shrugged. It didn't matter that the mind reader had spared her the effort by offering to teach her before she could ask.

"I thought you two weren't on good terms anymore after the Nixon case?"

"We weren't, but that's my fault, not his." She swallowed hard. She hadn't missed a morning of training, working hard to make progress, but also to mend their friendship. Sam was still a strict teacher, but they'd been able to slip in a couple of jokes and she'd seen some of the familiar warmth return in his eyes.

"You mean how you blamed him for it?"

Andy nodded painfully. "Yeah. I was projecting my anger onto him instead of on Luke or myself." It had taken her a while to pinpoint the cause of her actions, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She had a talent for running away from responsibility.

She was so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't seen Traci near.

"How about Sam, is he still angry at you?" Her voice softened in a way Andy had only heard once—when she was talking to Leo about bullies. Traci pressed on Andy's briefly exposed collarbone, resulting in a hiss of pain. "How did you get that bruise?"

Andy took a step back, reclaiming her personal space. Traci in mother-mode was like a bear protecting her cubs: a force to be reckoned with. Andy would have told her to piss off and mind her own business if it weren't for the fact Traci was her best friend and Andy knew she meant well.

"We've been training full contact. Sometimes things get rough. Besides, I bruise easily. At the Academy I permanently sported the 101 Dalmatians look, remember?" She pulled up the neckline of the shirt she was wearing underneath the uniform. She remembered getting that bruise vividly, not because of the pain but because of the look Sam gave her when he realized he'd hurt her. It was like he'd switched gears, going from soldier to concerned partner in a blink of an eye and his worry rimmed gaze had cut through her soul.

Traci nodded absentmindedly. Andy could tell she still wasn't buying it. "Look, Sam is a strong man. I told him not to go easy on me because I won't learn otherwise. He's not hurting me on purpose. But…"

"But what?" Traci's eyes narrowed.

"Well, he sometimes overwhelms me."

"Overwhelms you?" Traci echoed.

"Yes," she snapped. "Sam, when he doesn't hold back, he overwhelms me." She didn't know how to explain the feeling of exhilaration when he came at her and the adrenaline gave her tunnel vision, forcing her to only focus on him.

Traci looked at her oddly, with her head cocked to the side. "You like it." It wasn't a statement, but a realization.

"I-well," she stammered, "He's very powerful."

Traci nodded knowingly. "You need a guy who can go toe to toe with you. Luke was never able to, was he?"

Andy didn't want to think about the implications of Traci's words, but she did recall sparring with Luke once and it turned out to be a lackluster experience. It had been easy for her to floor him and though he'd told her it was because he was holding back she knew she would have been able to take him down even if he hadn't.

"Parade is about to start, why are you two still standing here?" Speak of the devil. Andy almost jumped when she heard Sam's deep voice, but she was able to restrain herself just enough to prevent him from noticing it. Traci was conveniently studying the wall as if it was the Mona Lisa itself, so she was left to her own devices.

"I was just talking about a potential new apartment," she said, not daring to look up.

"No need to explain yourself to me McNally. You never felt that was necessary before." The moment she saw the shrewd smirk and the mischievous glint in his eyes she knew she was made. But instead of pressing on, he simply nodded once and turned around to walk into the parade room.

Traci just looked at her wide-eyed. "You are by far the worst liar I've ever met." She pulled Andy along so they'd still be on time. "I can't believe this," she muttered disapprovingly. Not that it mattered. Andy's head was elsewhere during the entire speech.

To be continued…