Hello everyone! Sorry it took a little long for the update but here it is! Final chapter. I've had very smooth writing for this story. Not once did I have a writers block. Ideas just keep coming to me. Thank you for all the great reviews! I'm glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you CookiesN'Cream124 for the beta help. A special thanks to tanya1980 who sent me a PM just to tell how much she loved my story. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I'll be replying to your reviews this week and to the anoymous reviewers whom I can't thank personally, it's my pleasure! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue, but I wish I did.
Chapter 4: You Didn't Know
Obviously things didn't work out as I planned. Cause if it did, Sam and Andy wouldn't be heading into the house in separate directions. Right now they were like wind and fire. Somehow, neither of them could find equal footing about what they wanted. Maybe one of them wanted out, and maybe one wasn't settling for that. I make my way to Andy who is near the food table.
"So, what happened?" I'm eager to know what went on between them, but clearly, Andy has other plans. She purposefully shuts me out by filling her plate up with food. I can see that she's a little agitated with my question.
"What happened? Nothing." Andy throws me a quizzical look as if she never heard me the first time. I know what I said the problem was whether Andy understood what I was getting to.
"Yeah, Andy. What happened?" I notice that I've raised my voice a little after her reply. I move back a little from her so that she can grab a fork from the other side of the table before lowering my voice and starting a different approach. "You and Sam. You were talking in the backyard. So, did you guys talk about what it is you want?"
"Oh yeah. We definitely did." Andy starts grabbing a new beer bottle and she thanks Chris who is nearby for opening it. She starts whisking it down, one hand juggling the plate and the other keeping a hold on her emotions. "So... What did you guys decide?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." I give myself one hard look on Andy. She had her back leaned back against the food table and finally musters enough courage to leave her drink on the table to concentrate on her food. Still, I could see it in her eyes that she was trying hard to digest what had just happened to her. She notices that I've been looking at her for almost a minute and starts talking again.
"He said it'd be best that we just stuck with being friends. You know... After... All..."she turns around to take another calming swig from her beer before settling it down and answering me. "That's happened between us. So, yeah. That's all." She takes a heap of cake in to her mouth before continuing. "I guess we're just friends."
I just continue to stare straight from where we were standing. How could they settle for this? How could they both want this? "Is this what you want?"
Andy let's out a small huff. "No. But sometimes the universe has a plan for us. Even if I don't like it, I'm going to have to live with it." She continues doing what she was doing before. Honestly, I couldn't believe it for the life of me. From what I gather, both of them feel that they shouldn't be together after all that they've been through together. They're wrong. That's the reason they should be together. If its fear that's holding them back, then that's the same fear that should bring them together.
"Look, Nick. I know how you feel, and as a friend that you should play a part in this. But things happen. It's not up to you to fix it. So, let's just leave it at that shall we? Besides, we both are going to be working together a lot. And that means I've got to learn to put my personal feelings aside. And so does he."
Andy just continues indulging on the piece of cake. How could that be possibly what she wants? More importantly, how could he let her want that? How could he think that they could just be friends? Fear shouldn't be what's holding them back, because of fear of losing one another, In fact, is the very reason that they should work things out. They shouldn't be giving up because they're afraid of hurting each other.
As I stand there and ponder, I notice Sam is standing beside me getting a drink. I'm mad. I'm beyond mad! I'm appalled, to say the least. I figure that I have to let it all out. And I do. In the most uncanny way.
"Hey Collins, could you-" I stop Sam from finishing his sentence with a raised voice. "NO I CANNOT!" I manage to get everyone's attention in the room. Gail's looking at me with raised eyebrows and her mouth curves into a slightly cynical smile. I shrug at her and continue but Andy try's to stop me and I don't allow her to. She gets a little closer to me and speaks in hush tones.
"Nick, could you please lower your voice. Everyone can hear-" Again, I don't allow her to finish her sentence. "NO I WILL NOT ANDY! EVERYBODY IN THIS GOD DAMN HOUSE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW YOU BOTH FEEL!"
I move away from my position between them leaving a gap as I start to face them. "You're both idiots you know that?" Andy is beyond pissed at my actions but she speaks out anyway.
"Nick, this is NOT your position to say this. Let us deal with this okay?" Let them deal with it? Yeah right! "Let you deal with it? And how did that work out for the both of you huh? It looks to me you're back to where you both began which is NOWHERE!"
Andy hung her head low, defeated. "Sam, when Andy was stuck in that cold storage, what did you do? How did you feel? Because, and correct me if I'm wrong, you were close to tears." For the first time during my whole outburst, He looks up at me, with a wave of emotions painted on his face. Andy looks at him and he looks at her. She holds her gaze a little longer before looking back at me. "And who was the one who was by her bedside holding her hand? I could have sworn that day, that you were afraid of losing her but you tried so hard to hide it. But, she didn't know that did she? She didn't know how you spent the whole day without leaving her sight. I bet you didn't tell her about that did you?"
Andy looks back at Sam. This time, he doesn't look her way and his head is hung low. "And what about you Andy? I'm pretty sure you didn't tell him that you cried when you found out that he left right? You didn't tell him that you spent sleepless night thinking about him because you didn't give him the chance you should have. You didn't tell him that you spent almost everyday passing by that division that he transferred to just so you could see him. But, you didn't, did you?"
Sam looked over at Andy. Similar to when I was dishing out about what Sam did, Andy hung her head low while Sam took a hard look at Andy. I begin to picture what they might be thinking. Probably thinking how they never took notice of all of the things that I mentioned. But why, is simple. They were both one stubborn pair. If fate were to come knocking on their door telling them they're meant for each other, they still wouldn't see it.
"Look, I know that you both hurt each other. I know that you both are still picking up the pieces of what happened to you. But, fate's given you this chance to start again. You both wanted this chance. It's here now. Don't waste it. Fear of losing each other shouldn't be what's holding you both back. It should bring what's bringing you both together. No one can guarantee that you both aren't going to get hurt. I'll tell you this… you're going to get hurt a hell of a lot. But, you have to pull through. Not because you guys are fated and not because you guys make a good team. But because you love each other too much to let anything be in the way of you being together."
I leave my spot and make my way beside Gail who is shaking her head. Probably from containing her laugh. Typical Gail. Everybody slowly resumes their business. And after sometime, after all the sniggering Gail spoke. "Do you know what Tracy told me?" Of course I knew what she told Gail. "That I'm hormonal?" Gail gasps a bit to show her sarcasm. "No way! You knew?" She starts bursting into laughter both hands on her mouth. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want. They're going to thank me someday."
Gail still doesn't stop laughing. I know she'll probably hold that against me for the rest of her life. For sure. I look around the room to see if Andy and Sam had finally started talking with each other but they're nowhere to be found. I look back at Gail who'd just finished wipping her tears after the show that I just did put on. "Stop spying on them, dad!" I look at her confused "What?! I'm not spying on anyone." Gail raises her eyebrow. "Yes, you are. Don't worry, if they left together it's a good sign. If we don't see them tomorrow at work, it's an even better sign. They must have booked a plane to Bora Bora or something."
That's when I realize and digest what Gail had just said. They left together. I put on a small smile before I turn to Gail. "I love you."
"Yeah, I think you're hormonal."
"The weather's really nice today. You know with all the leaves..." Andy responds to Sam in a nervous voice. "Yeah it is. It's beautiful you know? The colors just bring the atmosphere together."
They both stay quiet for a whole minute. Both trying to grasp what they had heard from Nick. Both a little nervous. They did start again once before. They started something 'normal' before. But that didn't work out. And here they are again, thinking of 'normal'. The thing is, normal never worked for them. If it didn't work before, it wasn't going to work now. They both move from their spot on the park bench. They had decided to take a walk to the nearest park to talk things out.
Sam was the first to speak.
"Andy, I missed you. Every single day. Every single day, Andy." Andy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She never knew that was how he felt. "You shut me out because I left without giving a fight and I respect that Andy. But, you have to know it killed me every day. It still kills me knowing that I wasn't that guy anymore. That guy who had the warrant to take care of you, to hold you and to call you mine. I let that go and I shouldn't have."
The cold weather that was lingering in the park couldn't calm Andy from the heat she was feeling. This was all foreign to her. Sam never spoke about how he felt, and it left her a little lost for words.
"You were right Andy. We should have fought, for us. Shouldn't have given up that fight." Andy finally mustered enough nerve to speak. "Sam, I never should have shut you out. I should have given you a chance. People make mistakes. I should have understood that you made one. But you know what? I never really was there for you was I? I suffocated-"
Sam felt a little pulled back by what Andy said. "Andy, you never suffocated me. I never realized what I had until I lost it. I was stubborn enough to think that we could be friends. Truth is, I never want to just friends with you Andy. I want you to be my better half. I want you and every part of you Andy. I love you Andy. I do."
"So.." Andy turned sideways to face Sam to speak. "Where do we start this time?" Sam smiled at Andy, showing off his dimples. "How about dinner at my house this Friday at 8?"
Okay, so this is the proposed for ending. I'm actually in split minds whether or not to continue and write one final chapter, an epilogue. Let me know if you like this ending or you want a better one! :)
