Author's Note: As always, you guys are awesome. Thanks for the reviews! A couple of people said they wanted a conversation about Sam's love life, which worked out perfectly for this chapter! I just wanted to give a little background as to where I'm coming from… I've read a couple of interviews with Ben Bass and he describes Sam as being "devoted to Andy, professionally and romantically." He's also said that Sam is a one-woman kind of guy and that he's hopelessly in love with Andy McNally. Add that to the fact that we see Sam break up with Monica in Hot and Bothered because he has feelings for someone else, and I really think that Sam is content (right now) to bide his time waiting for Andy. Anyway… that's just a little background. I hope this doesn't disappoint!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

Chapter 4: On the Difference Between Men and Women

"I realize poker night and everything that goes along with that is a tradition, but is it absolutely necessary that you get smashed every time?" Andy asked, looking over at Sam from the driver's seat. He had thrown the keys at her after parade, grunting that she could drive as long as she was quiet.

Sam flipped down the visor and moved in his seat until the sunlight no longer hit him. "I did not get smashed," he responded, his voice raspy. "Didn't we agree you wouldn't talk?"

"Sam, you can't even look out the window without squinting," Andy said, "You are totally hung over, don't even try to deny it."

Sam sighed, rubbing his temple. "Don't act like you and Nash didn't drink at your little girls' night."

"How'd you know about girls' night?" Andy asked, surprised.

Sam shrugged, "Jerry told me."

"Yes, we did drink some wine," Andy conceded. "However," she added, raising a finger, "Here's the difference between men and women…"

"Oh this should be good," Sam said, settling back into his seat. "Please enlighten me."

"Traci and I had a couple of glasses of wine and enjoyed being a little bit tipsy," Andy explained. "We talked, we laughed, then she went home at a reasonable hour so we could both get a decent amount of sleep so that we could work today without being totally miserable."

"How very responsible of you," Sam interjected sarcastically.

"Unlike you men, we did not try to drink each other under the table, nor did we end up getting drunk off of our asses before staggering home with barely enough time to shower before arriving at work completely hung over."

Sam listened to her, his eyebrows raised, "That's the difference between men and women?"

"Yes."

"Do I need to have a talk with Callaghan?" Sam asked, "I think you're missing a couple of key parts."

Andy groaned and rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "Perv."

Sam heard her and smirked. "Well, you've got at least one thing wrong," he claimed, "I did not stagger home."

"Please don't tell me you drove home," Andy said, and although she had been teasing him not two seconds before he could hear the worry in her voice.

"No," he assured, "I stayed at Jerry's."

"You had a sleep over?" Andy smiled over at him, "That's so cute."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Can you shut up now?"

Andy ignored him. "Do you want to know what we talked about?"

"Not even a little bit, McNally," Sam said, closing his eyes and leaning against the passenger's door.

"We talked about you."

"Me?" He asked, uninterested, folding his arms across his chest.

"Traci told me you let Gail drive."

Sam groaned and opened his eyes, looking over at her. "She wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Who Gail?" Andy asked, and Sam nodded. "She didn't tell me. She told Traci. They're friends now, apparently." Andy paused, "Why would you try to keep that a secret from me in the first place? I was the one that told you to let her drive."

"Let's get one thing straight," Sam said, holding up a finger. "You didn't tell me to do anything McNally, you made a suggestion and after carefully considering it, I made the decision to let Peck drive."

Andy rolled her eyes. "Regardless, Gail thinks you have a thing for her now."

"Great," Sam said, sitting up, "See, that's what happens when I try to be nice to people."

Andy laughed, "You're nice to me all the time."

"That's different."

"How so?"

"It just is McNally," Sam said, irritated. "We're… friends."

"Ah," Andy said, as though that explained everything. "Anyway, Gail wanted Traci to find out if you were seeing someone."

"Oh," Sam said, not offering any more information.

"So…" Andy pried, "Are you?"

"Am I what?" Sam asked, purposely being difficult.

"Seeing someone?"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "Don't you think you would know if I were seeing someone?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Andy replied, waving one hand around, "We never talk about you. For all I know you're seeing that Monica girl."

Sam sat silently for a moment before telling her, "You don't have to say her name like that, you know."

Andy looked over to see him smiling patiently at her. "Like what?" She asked naively.

"Like you're jealous," he answered.

"Oh please," Andy huffed, "I am not jealous of Monica."

"Yeah, you are," Sam chuckled, "You just did it again. And your nostrils flared. You're jealous."

"Whatever," Andy said dismissively, returning her focus to the road. Sam raised his eyebrows at her, but didn't say anything as he leaned back against the passenger's door, closing his eyes. After a moment Andy asked. "So you're not seeing Monica?"

Sam shook his head, "Nope."

"You just run around doing favors for girls you're not seeing?"

"It was one favor." He reminded her. "Besides, I do favors for you all the time," he pointed out, head still leaning against the door, eyes still closed. "Remember that leaky sink I expertly fixed?"

"That's different," Andy maintained.

"How so?"

"We're… friends," she finished lamely.

"Ah," Sam said, mimicking her words from earlier. He yawned, but sat up, "Monica and I were never really serious. I guess you could say we were in one of those on-again off-again relationships."

"You were? What are you now?"

"Off," Sam told her. "We broke up a couple of months ago."

"For how long?"

Sam shrugged. "For good."

"How do you know that for sure?"

"I just do." When she raised her eyebrow at him he continued, "That's the difference between you and me, McNally. I've learned to trust that feeling I get in my gut."

"And your gut told you to break up with Monica?"

He heard the doubt in her voice, but shrugged again and replied simply, "She wasn't it for me."

"Wasn't it?"

"McNally, when you get to be as old as I am," he said, raising an eyebrow at the word old, making her laugh, "You realize that dating someone just to have someone to date is stupid and a waste of time and money."

"So you're just not going to date anyone anymore?"

"I didn't say that," Sam said, "I'm just not dating the wrong women anymore."

Andy sighed, considering what he was saying. "So what if the perfect woman never comes along?"

"She doesn't have to be perfect," Sam explained, looking out the window, "Just perfect for me."

"What if you never meet this woman?"

Sam was quiet for a moment. "What if I already have?"

Andy didn't miss the meaning behind his words. She swallowed hard before glancing at him quickly. "What if she's not ready?" She asked, her voice strained.

"That's the thing, Andy," Sam said quietly, finally looking over at her. He caught her gaze and held it, "I'll wait until she is."

They shared a meaningful look until Andy broke away, laughing nervously. "So should I tell Traci to let Gail down easily?"

Sam cleared his throat before grinning at her, "That'd be great, thanks."

"No problem," Andy said, returning his smile.

"Now, can we please stop talking?" Sam asked gruffly, closing his eyes and leaning back against the headrest. "My head is killing me."

"Sure Sam," Andy laughed softly, rolling her eyes, "Only because you said please."