A short perspective from Traci, Dov and Chris

"Is she okay?" Chris looked over at Gail, taking shot after shot at the bar with Swarek. He shook his head. Should have seen it coming. He didn't think for a minute Gail would actually spend any time pining over someone leaving, but maybe she did really love Nick.

Traci rolled her eyes. "As okay as Gail is ever going to be."

"Well she got her job back," Dov pointed out, drinking his beer slowly. It was hard to think that all 5 of them had serious blows come to them this year. Dov, shooting a man. Gail, getting abducted and then having Nick walk out on her. Traci, having Jerry die. Andy, having Sam break up with her. And Chris, with Denise's revelation. So far, Nick was the wildcard.

The only woman at the table laughed. "And now she's permanently partnered with Swarek, because she has to ride with a TO."

Dov looked at Chris and then back at Traci. "You've got to be shitting me. Swarek and Gail? I think we should start a pool on who's going to crack first. Swarek or Gail."

"They do look awfully close," Chris said.

"Really, Chris," Dov said, shaking his head at Chris' naivety. "Both had their significant others just walk out on them."

Chris sighed. "I still don't know if we should let her drink herself into obliviation."

Traci groaned. She hated being the responsible one. "I'll tell Liam to cut her off soon. But I'm not driving the two of them home."

"I say we leave them," Dov replied.

Chris looked at his roommate and shook his head. Denise had taken Christian back to Timmins today and told Chris he had a lot of decisions to make and to call her when he made one. "And let them hook and deal with the aftermath? No thank you."

Traci turned to Chris. "You really don't think that's going to happen?" Chris could be pretty naiive at times but his speculation did have her wondering. She more expected Gail and Luke to be fooling around last year and Gail had let it slip once about Callaghan.

Dov shrugged. "I could see it."

She sighed and took a long sip of her beer. "That cannot happen right now."

"Well if it does, we can blame Andy and Nick," Chris replied.

Traci sighed. "For taking a promotion?"

"How did Super Rookie even get on Luke's taskforce? He's been a cop for not even a year and then he goes under with Andy," Dov asked the inevitable question.

Traci looked between the boys, having the inside information they didn't have. "Guy's got skills. He knows how to blend in. And he's new. Someone nobody has seen before."

"It's not like we've been on the force for a decade," Chris whined.

"Really, Diaz?" Traci asked. "You're Mr. Goodcop. Being UC doesn't exactly mean playing by the rule book."

"Andy plays by the rule book pretty much," Dov pointed out.

This time it was Chris to look at Dov like he was an idiot. "She held a freaking grenade today. I heard some of the senior officers talking about it earlier, before Swarek broke up with her. I guess Donovan Boyd has been asking around about her."

Traci laughed, really hard. "Wow, Chris. Don't believe everything you hear. She compromised Boyd's operation last year. Sure, she may not have been the reason but she got suspended. Boyd hates McNally."

"I'm just surprised Luke put Andy on the taskforce. It's not like they've had that talk after breaking up. Or have they?" Dov looked at Traci for clarification.

"No. I heard a little bit of her asking to be on it and it was awkward. But hey, what do I know?" Traci said.

Dov looked at her. "Are you for sure going to be a full time detective?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I have a meeting sometime this week to talk about it with Frank. Luke wants to go back to 27."

"Don't blame him," Dov added.

"Every one's pretty much had it out for him since he cheated on her," Chris pointed out.

Dov drained the last of his beer. "Do you think Andy and Swarek will get back together once she gets back?"

Traci shrugged again. "Who knows with those two."

"They are both way too stubborn," Chris said. "I don't know if I want them back together. They're good partners, but I don't know."

"They made each other happy," Dov added his perspective.

The detective nodded. "They did. But they have some major issues they need to work out. I just hope nothing happens between Andy and Collins while they are gone."

"I don't see that happening."

Dov shook his head, agreeing with Chris. "Can't see it happening."

"Good. 'Cause I sure don't want them together. Because I'm not sure if I can handle Gail Peck without Nick Collins," Traci muttered, pouring more of the beer pitcher into all of their respective glasses before taking a drink of her own.

"She has been less Gail lately," Dov pointed out. "Even with the abduction."

"And she took the fall for what happened," Chris also added, referring to the hostage situation in which two people were shot. All of them were to blame for it, although it did start with Gail. He just would have never seen that coming. Gail Peck was never nice.

Traci sighed. "How about we just toast to Andy and Nick coming home soon, because it's really weird without them!" She missed her best friend. She would have never told Andy to not take the promotion but she missed her. And Traci could not have done the UC thing. Luke was right; she had something that nobody else had- a family. And she should be grateful for that. She still missed Jerry, she would never not, but she was slowly healing and burying herself in at work.

Dov, Traci and Chris all held their glasses up and thought good thoughts towards their friends. They needed them home safe, bring the band back together. All 3 of them couldn't imagine the "band" separate. It was just a foreign thought and they wanted Andy and Nick home. Soon.