AN: Thanks for reading and reviewing. You're all awesome and I'm really glad that you're liking the story! Let me know what you think about this chapter!
Sam and Traci were sitting at their desks, finishing up the paperwork for the case they had closed the day before. He had a headache, but he wasn't hung over. He just couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he and Andy had had outside of the Penny.
"Swarek, Nash," Frank called, walking into the D's office. "Good job on the case yesterday. That was a big one."
"Thanks, Sir."
"Thanks, Boss," Sam said and Frank crossed his arms and looked down at them as they continued looking up at him.
"Are you almost done with the paperwork?" Frank asked and Sam and Traci looked at each other before turning back to him.
"I think we're just about done," Traci answered and Sam nodded.
"Good," Frank nodded. He looked at his watch and then back at the partners. "When you're finished you can take the rest of the day off."
"Really?" Traci asked, clearly excited.
"Don't make me change my mind, Nash," Frank warned with a friendly chuckle. "I'll call you in if we need you."
"Thanks," they said in unison and Frank smiled before leaving them alone again.
"This is great," Traci said before going back to typing. "Leo stayed home sick from school. I can go hang out with him and Dex until dinner."
Sam just nodded. He knew she wasn't looking for a response, just an outlet. He wanted to be friends with her; he figured it would make for a solid partnership, but they just couldn't have that relationship. At least not until things with Andy were resolved or completely over. And, who knew when that would happen?
"I'm all done," Sam said a few minutes later and Traci smiled over at him. "Need any help?"
"I'm done, too."
They got up and left the station together. "I'll see you later, Nash."
"Bye, Sam," she said and they walked to their cars on either side of the lot.
He considered going home. He considered going to get something to eat. But then he decided on going to see Andy. He needed to apologize for arguing with her.
It had been a while since he'd been to Andy's, but it was like his truck just took him there. He didn't really remember getting there, just parking in her parking spot and looking up toward her bedroom window. It was all instinct. He got nervous, though, when he got into the building and as he walked up the stairs to her front door.
As he went to knock, Andy startled him by opening the door and she, too, was clearly surprised. "Oh, hey," he said and she simply stepped back far enough to let him in. "Sorry, I was just about to knock," he told her as he walked in. He had to stop himself from looking around to see if anything had changed.
Instead, he watched as she closed her door with her back and leaned against it. He was pleased that she was at least looking at him.
"What are you doing here, Sam?" She asked and he took a deep breath before answering.
"I just wanted to say I was sorry about being a jerk last night," he said and she nodded. "I have no right to be a jerk in this situation."
"Not really, no," she said and he smiled at her. He could tell she was softening. "But it's okay. I forgive you. I guess I've been a little off since I got back; I wasn't exactly the friendliest person either."
"I understand," he said. And he did. When he first got back from his first long undercover op, he'd had a hard time fitting back into his real life. It can take some time. "You're going to be okay. As soon as you're back at work you're going to be the same old McNally that left six months ago."
"That's what I'm waiting for," she sighed. She looked at him and he could tell that she wanted to confide in him. "Nick seems so settled already. He doesn't have a care in the world."
"Everyone is different," he told her and then took a small step toward her. "Andy, you're a cop to the very core. There have been so many times that you should have taken time off that you didn't. You got shot and didn't even go home to change clothes before jumping back into the job. You got attacked and refused to take a backseat on the case. You hate sitting around with no purpose. It's why you left last year when you got suspended. You'll be yourself when you're back on the streets. Do you have to cleared before they let you back?"
"Yeah," she nodded. Sam could tell that he had surprised her by his speech, but she soldiered on. "I have an appointment with the shrink tomorrow morning. If I don't get cleared tomorrow, I'll have to go back Monday and won't be able to start work until Tuesday."
"You'll be fine, McNally," he assured her. "You'll be back Monday."
"That's the plan," she told him with a smile. "It's going to be weird; never riding with you again."
"Yeah," he nodded and laughed. "I like Nash and all, but I'm going to miss you out there."
"Despite everything, we did work well together," she said and he nodded again. He knew they worked well together- and not just at the job. He watched as she shook her head and forced a smile. "I was just about to go buy some groceries, I'll walk you down."
"Oh, right," he said. He forgot that she was on the way out when he got there. He waited in the hallway as she locked the door behind them. "So, did you have a good time last night?"
"It was fun," she said. "I missed everyone so much. It was really good to see them."
"They missed you. Especially Shaw."
"Why Shaw?" She asked through her trilling laugh.
"He's been stuck riding with Peck the past six months."
"So, all she did was complain about being a rookie again and Nick leaving without a word?"
"Exactly," he said as they walked out on the sidewalk. "So, uh, I'm off for the rest of the day. Do you need a ride to the store? You can't carry a bunch of groceries back here."
"You hate grocery shopping," she accused and narrowed her eyes at him. He did, so he couldn't help but smile.
"I don't mind, McNally," he told her. And he really didn't. "Come on," he said, walking toward his truck without waiting for a response. He knew she'd follow.
"You know, I can't depend on you to drive me around forever," she said as she got into his truck. He tried not to look like she'd just kicked him in the throat, but wasn't so sure he succeeded. "I need to get my own car, you know? You and Traci have always driven me around. I have a parking space, I may as well get a car to fill it."
"May as well," he shrugged. He started the truck and drove toward the grocery store. When they stopped at a red light, he looked at her and noticed the cut on her head again. "How is your head, by the way?"
He'd clearly caught her off guard and she ran a finger over the cut and looked at him. "It doesn't hurt anymore. I didn't even need stitches, Sam. The paramedics just put a bandage on it and sent me off."
"Were you scared?" He asked. He wasn't sure whyhe asked, but he wanted to know. He wanted to make sure that she wasn't scared while he was sitting alone at home doing nothing.
"No," she said with a simple shake of her head. "Once we talked to Luke and we knew that it was almost over, I was on autopilot. I just went through the motions until it all ended and Nick and I were back at the station. When Morales pushed me and I got this cut, I barely felt it at all."
"For someone who was on autopilot, I heard you did amazing," he said seriously and she just shrugged.
"I just did what I had to do," she said, rolling her eyes. He was sure she'd heard similar things from everyone over the past few days. He remembered that, too. "You know better than anyone that it was all part of the job."
"Yeah, but I've done it a lot of times now," he reminded her. "This was your first. But we don't have to talk about it."
"It's over now," she agreed before correcting herself. "The trial is in a couple of weeks, and I then I guess it will be over."
Sam pulled into the grocery store parking lot and parked close to one of the entrances. He and Andy walked in together and she grabbed a shopping cart. They didn't say anything as they walked through the store. He kept his eyes on the shelves, but he could feel her as she kept looking over at him.
"Why are you here, Sam?" She asked him again while they stood waiting for the deli guy to call her number. He looked at her, waiting for an explanation. He just gave her a ride. "Come on, you have to admit this is kind of weird. You and me... grocery shopping."
"I just gave you a ride, McNally," he told her and she shook her head. He smiled at her and watched her frustration grow. "I'm making up for being a jerk."
"I forgave you for being a jerk. You shouldn't be here. We're not-"
"Together," he interrupted her. For some reason, he could say it, but he did not want to hear her remind him again. "I know. I'm just helping you out. That's all this is."
"Okay," she said and he could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "If you say so."
Sam nodded and watched her as she went to order her meat. He let out a sigh and looked down at the cart. He probably shouldn't have brought her here. He should have just let her take a cab back from the store. He should have apologized and gone home. He shouldn't have put them both through whatever it was they were going through. But, at the same time, he had not been ready to leave her.
He looked up at her when she threw the food into the cart. "I'm done," she said.
"Great," he shrugged before pushing her cart toward the front of the store.
"Again," she said from behind him and he looked back at her for a second. "You don't need to do this."
"I know that," he told her and then looked at her again to smile. He didn't turn back until she smiled back at him.
When he got to an empty cash register, he moved aside to let her pay for the groceries. They left the store together and put all of the bags into the back of his truck together. He thought about it for a second before he tossed her the keys to his truck and walked to put the cart into the corral. He smiled, almost laughed, when he noticed the look of shock on her face.
"Come on. If you're going to get your own car, you're going to have to get in the habit of actually driving," he told her. She smiled, a real Andy McNally smile, and skipped to the driver's side of the truck.
They climbed in together and he watched her as she settled in and then eventually as she drove back to her place. He wanted to take her hand off of the radio dial and place it gently back on the steering wheel, but he stopped himself and continued watching her and the road. If she knew he was staring, she wasn't letting on.
Andy handed him his keys after she parked and they started to unpack the bed of his truck. He had the bulk of the groceries, but held the front door open for her to go ahead of him. Once they were in her condo, he tossed his keys on her coffee table. He stopped in the kitchen and unpacked all of the bags and she put all of the groceries into their designated spots. He could have done that, too, but he didn't want to over step any boundaries.
When they were finished with the groceries, Andy leaned against her sink and he let out a deep breath from the stool where he sat. He could feel things starting to get awkward. It was time for him to leave. He'd done his duty.
"We can't be friends, Sam," she said suddenly, and he looked at her. He wasn't going anywhere now. He kept his face as neutral as possible until a tear rolled down her cheek and all of his defenses dropped.
"I don't want to be your friend, Andy," he told her and nodded. He stood up and walked around the counter so he was standing in front of her. He put a hand on each of her cheeks and watched her as she closed her eyes and let out a deep, shaky breath. She opened her eyes, but she wasn't looking at him, so he tilted her head so she would be. They both smiled, but she still looked unsure.
"What do you want, Sam?" She asked and then he put her hand on his chest and he let out his own shaky breath. He brushed some hair out of her face and put it behind her ear and kissed her softly on the forehead. He lingered for a second, letting it all settle.
"The same thing I've wanted since the night of the blackout- since even before that," he told her and she smiled again. That was all he needed before continuing. "I just want you, Andy. And I'm sorry that I ever screwed it up."
She barely said his name before attacking him with a kiss. It wasn't the kind of attack he was about to fight off, though. He moved his hands from her face and ran them down the sides of her body until he was able to hitch her legs around his waist. She tightened them as he turned them around so he could set her down on the counter. He felt like a teenager as their hands roamed over each other's bodies.
She pulled his shirt off and her hands traveled slowly down his chest until he finally pulled her shirt over her head. They kissed again, just as passionately as before and he pulled her closer to his body. He was about to lift her up again to move them into the bedroom, but he heard his phone start to ring in his back pocket. He didn't lift her off of the counter, but he also didn't answer his phone. He was perfectly happy holding Andy against him and ignoring the phone. It stopped and he smiled a little until it started to ring and Andy pulled away.
"No," Sam said and she smiled before reaching around him to pull it out. "No, Andy," he said. He knew he was begging, but he wasn't ready for that kiss to end. She looked down at the phone and he watched her face fall.
"You have to, Sam," she told him. "It's Frank."
He sighed, annoyed, and took the phone from her. He was supposed to have the day off. "Hey, Boss," he said, still out of breath. He rested his forehead against Andy's.
"Sam, we've got a case," Frank told him and he closed his eyes in frustration. He felt Andy run her hand softly against his cheek and he leaned into it. "Nash is on her way to the scene. I'll text you the address."
"Yeah," he said, opening his eyes. "I'll be there."
He didn't wait for Frank to say anything else before he hung up. "You've got to go," Andy said and he nodded sadly.
"I'm sorry," he said and she smiled. "Nash needs my help."
"It's fine," she assured him and he kissed her softly before letting go of her and backing away. He leaned over to pick up their shirts and handed hers over. As he pulled on his own shirt, he looked at her perfect body perched on the counter.
"I'll come over tonight," he said. He didn't want whatever happened to be the end of it. He wasn't finished with her. He'd never be finished with her.
"I've got that appointment with the shrink in the morning," she sighed and she pulled her own shirt on. He nodded and took a step back to lean against the sink. "I know where this was heading and I need to be on top of my game. If you come over neither of us will get much sleep," she laughed.
"That's... probably true," he laughed. "I'll call you when I get off shift tomorrow," he promised and she nodded.
"You better," she smiled, sliding off of the counter to stand in front of him. "Go, Sam. I'll talk to you then."
He could have left. Andy told him to. Frank and Nash were expecting him at a crime scene. But he couldn't do it just yet. Instead, he kissed her slowly. When he pulled back he cupped her face and said, "Maybe I'll come over tomorrow, cook dinner."
She nodded and he kissed her on the forehead. He grabbed his keys off of the coffee table and left with a smile. Before she left, he promised her that he would do anything for her to forgive him, including cooking dinner. He'd finally be able to do it for her now that she was back.