Wow...I got this up quicker than I thought. When I decided that Oliver's intros didn't have to be too long, it was definitely easier. I hope you enjoy it, and again thanks for reviewing!

When Andy woke on Friday morning, she had to smile. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard and had so much fun. It didn't matter what they were doing; she just loved spending time with Sam. So when he had finally decided it was time for him to go, she couldn't help but be disappointed. She didn't want the night to end.

But she was still with Luke, and so she had to let Sam go. And that's what it all came down to…could she really truly let Sam go to stay with Luke? Andy didn't think so.

So that's where her thoughts remained throughout her entire walk to the station and the majority of parade. It was all she could think about, and she was quiet and subdued all through Best's announcements as she tried again to sort out her feelings.

She ran into Luke as she was headed out. "Hey sunshine! Wow...you better cheer up before tonight. We need you smiling if you're going to catch the attention of all those big spenders."

Andy glared; he actually looked like he was serious. Of course he didn't ask why I was upset or if I was OK.

But her anger was lost on him; he hadn't even noticed. It was just a hit and run, as he had already walked away and shut the door to his office.

When Andy finally got to the car, she was still upset.

After a few minutes, Sam tried to lighten the mood by teasing her. "You won't make much money and win that date if you keep up the sad routine." Though in reality he thought she looked good all of the time and could win even if she showed up without makeup, wearing her sweats and crying her eyes out.

When she didn't respond right away, he added, "Are you OK? What's wrong?"

For some reason it didn't bother her when Sam said it; she knew he cared about how she felt. Because even though he teased, he always asked if she was OK. "I don't care about winning Sam; I'm just… confused."

Sam hadn't pressured her yesterday, and it definitely served him well. She didn't have such a stronghold on her feelings anymore. "I've known for a long time that I'm not at the top of Luke's priority list. I guess this whole contest thing just makes it official because he's more concerned with winning than how I might feel about it. He didn't even want to know why I was upset this morning; he was just worried about how it would affect the bidding."

"Andy, you deserve someone who thinks more about you than a stupid contest. You know how I feel about him; I've never made a secret about that. But you do need to know that you deserve someone who puts you first." He placed his hand on hers to get her to look at him.

"Andy, there are guys out there who would kill for a chance to be with someone like you. That something better you talked about the other night." She blushed at the memory. "It is out there waiting." And I've been waiting for a long time. "You have to believe that."

"You'll see." He continued. "Even with that sad face, you'll see just how many guys are interested. You have options Andy; you don't have to settle. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to see just what's out there for you." Andy was hopeful that they were both talking about the same thing.

Andy was feeling a little better. Sam was right; she was cute and fun…and too young to accept easy and whatever time Luke could throw at her. She didn't have to settle and she was worth it; she deserved to be at the top of someone's list. Now she just had to be brave enough to take a chance. It was one thing to believe it, but another totally to actually do it. She was just hoping that she read Sam right and it was his list she could be at the top of.

Early in the afternoon, they returned to the barn to drop off a suspect. Sam had received a phone call and went to take it while Andy finished up in booking. When she finally tracked him down to head back out, she could tell something was wrong.

"What's the matter, Sam? Is everything ok?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. That was Sarah on the phone; it's been a bad week. I talked to her on Monday and Tuesday and then again last night after I left your house. She's already called twice today. I'm doing what I can, but it's not easy when she lives that far away."

"Maybe you should just skip tonight and go to St Catherines to see her; you don't have to be there until Saturday." Andy suggested.

I don't think so; you're not getting away that easily. "But I really want to come and cheer on you girls."

"I'm sure we'll be fine." She assured him. "You should just go; your sister needs you."

Sam appreciated Andy's concern – a lot. It amazed him how she always had so much compassion for people, even those she didn't even know. "I think she was feeling a little better when I hung up. I'll call her again later just to be sure. If things are still rough, maybe I could go to see her tomorrow night." And he grinned at the possibility of missing his own auction.

Andy laughed. "Nice try, but I don't think so. Every single officer…remember."

"I know but I'm sure I can convince Frank to let me out of it." Sam said showing off his dimples.

"I don't think the dimples are as effective on him." Andy remarked.

"As effective on him as they are on...?" Sam asked with a twinkle in his eye and looking directly into Andy's.

Andy turned her eyes away and blushed, while Sam's grin widened. When she recovered, Andy changed the subject back to the matter at hand, "I think you should go."

"We'll see."

At the end of shift, as planned, Sam and Andy showered at the station before they grabbed Chinese food to take over to her house. They sat at the coffee table and ate quickly. While Andy went to get ready, Sam called Sarah to check in.

When Andy returned, Sam was speechless again. She wasn't wearing the jawdropper from yesterday, but she still took his breath away and she would definitely attract some attention tonight. She didn't have to be showy; she just was sexy and she always looked amazing, especially to him.

They got to the hall a few minutes early and Sam stopped to talk to Oliver and Jerry while Andy went to find Tracy and Gail so they could wait together.

Andy ran into Luke on her way to the back. He smiled as soon as he saw that it was her, but it faded quickly when he took in what she was wearing.

"Is that what you're wearing or do you still have to change?" He asked.

"No, I'm wearing this…don't you like it?"

"It's nice, but I guess I just thought you'd wear something a little flashier; you know to attract a little more attention and get the bids up. It's going to be tough to beat Peck you know. I mean I still think you can do it but…uh…why didn't you wear that black mini dress you bought with Traci? I saw it on the hanger – now that one is a money maker." Luke leered.

Andy was disgusted with him. She hadn't felt like this since the John Sweep when she'd had to pretend to be a hooker, and even then she didn't feel the part as much as she did right now.

Andy just turned and left without another word. All he can think about is that damn contest; it doesn't even bother him that other men would be eying me up in that dress. Sam wouldn't even consider telling me to wear it. She smiled a little…at least not without backup. This decision is starting to get easier.

Andy finally found the rest of the girls and they only had a couple of minutes to talk before they heard Superintendent Peck take the microphone to start off the evening. She welcomed all the people and thanked them for coming out to support the department before turning the microphone over to Oliver Shaw.

"Welcome everyone, as Superintendent Peck said I'm Officer Oliver Shaw, and I'll be your host for the evening. No need to draw this out; I know you're anxious to meet Fifteenth's Finest Females so let's get this show on the road."

"It's time to see which of you lucky men will win a date with one of Toronto's most eligible officers. The good news…she will accompany you to dinner and you'll join her for a ride along. The bad news…you'll be chaperoned by her partner on the ride along so don't get any ideas – I see no pat downs and no handcuffs in your future." Oliver was off and running as the crowd joined him in laughter.

"Before we get started I just want you to know…you have the right to spend money, you have the right to enjoy your evening, and you have the right to bid as high as you want to." And with that Oliver pointed to the stage as Noelle appeared from behind a curtain, more than a little unhappy to be going first.

"First up is Noelle Williams…our own self proclaimed Fifteenth's Finest. But don't try to kiss her a...uh…kiss up to her; she can take down a better man than you in under a minute. If you're looking for a woman who will share her 80 year old scotch with you, you're out of luck. But offer to buy her a scotch..."

By that time Noelle had lost her patience and she grabbed the mike. "Can we start the bids at $100?"

The competition for Noelle was fast and furious, with the winner being a very nice looking gentleman enjoying his own scotch at the back of the room. Noelle tipped her hand to the man and exited the stage.

After a couple of other senior officers, it was the rookies' turn and Traci was up.

"Next up is our own Traci Nash – she has deadly aim at the dartboard; it's just too bad she's required to use a gun." Tracy turned to shoot him a look, but he just smiled and waved her off. "If you're looking for someone who knows how to take care of you, then she's your girl. But be careful; she's also a first rate boxer. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side if I were you."

"Do I hear $100?" Shaw prompted.

Traci's auction took a little longer as Jerry had some stiff competition from a couple of other men. He was starting to worry about how much this was going to cost him, but after stepping up at parade the other day, he felt the need to put his money where his mouth was. He breathed a sigh of relief when the last guy finally gave up.

Tracy blew Jerry a kiss before heading back to greet the rest of the girls. "That was actually fun."

Oliver looked down and saw who was next. "Ah, yes. Gail Peck. Yes gentlemen, the one and only daughter of Superintendent Peck – but don't let the red lips and porcelain skin fool you; this little miss is no china doll. If you want someone who can walk the streets...I mean the beach with you, she'll have no problem. Just let me hook you up." He had more, but the look he was getting from both Gail and Superintendent Peck told Oliver he had gone far enough and he started the bidding immediately – much to the dismay of Sam and Jerry who were laughing it up at the back of the room.

The first few bids came quickly and Chris was a little concerned because he couldn't really afford to go too high, but it didn't take long for them to stop. Gail stared down any other guy that bid on her and they dropped out fast allowing Chris to win. As much as Gail would have loved to beat Andy, she really didn't have the patience to suffer through a dinner and ride along with some bore, or worse some eager cop groupie.

"Last, but certainly not least, is our own Bambi..uh…Andy McNally, another legacy cop whose father worked the Fifteenth division as a detective and had the pleasure of being my Training Officer. Ms. McNally has a reputation all her own though, so don't try and get away; she'll chase you down an alley and jump on you too. It doesn't matter if you're a perp or an undercover cop, whether she's on or off duty; she always gets her man…unless of course his name is John." Shaw said with a wink.

Andy turned to glare at him, but the look Sam gave him was more effective and he cleared his throat to continue. "But seriously, look at those brown eyes and there's a killer smile in there too…a bargain at any price."

Before he could ask for the opening bid, Luke started with the minimum and a smug smile. But it was wiped off his face quickly when Sam promptly doubled it. He looked over at Luke and grinned back, happy to finally show him just how much he wanted Andy. It was a bonus that he also got to piss him off. But mostly Sam wanted to show Andy too – show her that he was ready just as soon as she made her move.

As soon as Sam put in a bid, Andy's eyes lit up and she smiled. "There's that killer smile I was talking about," Shaw announced, and immediately 3 more bids came in from other men around the room. Andy was pleasantly surprised… Sam was right, she did have options. But there was really only one she wanted, and she was convinced that it was about time she exercised that option. Sam was bidding. She was right; he did want her.

Sam and Luke continued to build up the bids, barely letting any other offers come in. It was setting itself up to be quite a battle until Sam's phone vibrated in his pocket and he picked it up to see the number. He looked back at Andy sadly, put in what would have to be his last bid and left the room with a sigh.

Andy noticed Sam's look of dismay and she was confused until he turned away. He gave up. Andy didn't want to cry so she had to rely on the strength of the walls she had built up over the years. To anyone who really knew her, they could see the joy was gone. But she did her best to cover it up and smile, to hide the hurt she was feeling as Sam walked away.

Luke immediately outbid Sam and was ecstatic when he saw Sam leave the room with a phone to his ear. This should be a piece of cake now.

Andy's heart was sinking fast; she really thought that Sam wanted her as bad as she wanted him. He had been fighting for her and she had let herself get excited about the possibilities of what that meant. She had even resolved to break it off with Luke before they went out; she wanted the dinner to be a real date. But then Sam left, and the doubts started coming back. She knew Luke didn't really care about her, but was leaving him worth being alone if Sam left her too.

A couple of the other men dropped out, as Luke quickly outbid them each time; they were pretty sure it was a losing battle. Luke was getting pretty cocky and he started to smirk. He was quite sure he had it made with his last bid, but it didn't take long for Oliver to spot another one. Luke had been too busy celebrating to see it coming.

Luke responded, but Oliver found another offer almost immediately from the back of the room. Luke was starting to think he might not win the date with Andy, but at least she was making good money. He made a couple of more attempts, but every time he did, Shaw would find someone else who immediately one upped him. There had to have been a couple of different guys bidding because they were coming from both sides.

Luke hit his limit and had to drop out, but even though he lost the date with Andy, he was still happy for 2 very different reasons – first she raised the most money but more importantly, the winner wasn't Swarek.

When Shaw announced the end of the bidding, Andy looked over at Luke expecting him to be upset that he lost, but all he did was grin back and mouth 'great job' – she knew then what she had to do.

Andy had no idea who she would be going out with, but she was sure she could live through one night. But that was assuming she made it through this one, and Andy didn't think it was going to be easy.

As Shaw closed off the event, telling everyone to stay and enjoy the rest of the evening, Andy headed to the back but didn't move to chat with the rest of the girls. She just wanted to be alone to try and hold back the tears that seemed to be hell bent on escaping her eyes. She had really wanted Sam to win, and she was disappointed that he hadn't. But she was even more disappointed because she had expected him to fight harder for her.

Sam returned a few minutes later to find Andy upset and sitting off by herself. He put his hand on her shoulder, and although she knew it was him, she didn't even look up. "Andy, what's wrong?"

"You left."

He tried to make light of it, "I guess you're stuck going out with Callahan again."

She gave a quick huff of breath. "He didn't win either."

"So you're upset about the guy you have to go out with?" Sam wondered.

"No, I'm upset because I just thought…why did you leave? You were bidding and I really thought…never mind." Her feelings were a jumbled mess.

"Andy, I didn't want to leave. Whatever you thought, you were right. Please…only one thing could have pulled me away. Sarah called and I had to take it."

Andy immediately abandoned her self-pity. "Is everything OK? Is she alright?"

Sam was touched; as sad as Andy was, she put Sarah's well-being first. "Everything is fine…now. Thank you for asking. She had had a rough day and just needed to talk a little more. She seemed to be better when I said good night."

"I'm glad she's fine, and I'm sorry Sam." Andy offered.

"For what?"

"For getting upset with you. I had no right." She admitted.

He offered her a smile, accepting her apology. "It's fine, Andy."

She gave him a small smile in return; it was the best she could do.

"Andy…I heard what the winning bid was." Sam revealed. "You did great!"

"Thanks." She said, though she wasn't all that excited about it herself.

"So do you want to hang around for a while or do you need a ride home?"

"I would love a ride home; do you mind if we go now?" Andy asked.

"Sure."

They started to head to the exit, and he put his arm around her as they walked out. She tucked her head into his chest with no second thoughts about Luke.

"Andy."

"Hmm?"

"I would've paid twice that."

He could feel her smiling against his chest.