Author's Note: Thank you all so very much for the reviews! I appreciate all of the comments and I am a bit overwhelmed at the response! I hope I don't disappoint. I wasn't planning on updating so soon, but since you were all so wonderful…

Tomorrow night is Open House at my school, so I won't get home until late. I probably won't do my next update until Thursday or Friday. Nothing juicy in this chapter, but I wanted to set up the idea that Sam and Andy are on the same page, but obviously will need to talk to each other before anything happens. Let me know what you think!

Quite a few more words in this chapter compared to the first three.I like flashbacks, so fair warning. Also, this is still part of their first day/night at the resort. I've decided that they flew down on a Sunday, and are leaving the following Sunday. Beginning with Chapter 5 I will mark days to make the timeline easier to understand.

Disclaimer: Still not mine, although I would be willing to take a meeting with Tassie to make it so! Ditto the good people of Hard Rock.

Chapter 4

Andy woke a few hours later relaxed and ready to explore their home away from home for the next week. She stretched and got up to ponder which bikini she should change into. The gang had decided they would all unpack and relax a little, than go exploring before dinner. They still had a good three hours before they would need to get ready, so Andy thought maybe she could check out the pool bar situation, among other things. As she rifled through the selection of bikini's she brought, she couldn't help but smile and blush a little thinking back to the conversation she and Traci had the week before.

"I guess the upside to stores putting out their Spring/Summer collections in the middle of winter is that we get first pick at the bikini selection," Andy remarked as she and Traci browsed various tops and bottoms on the rack. They had decided since they would be spending most of their vacation in or near the water that some new swimsuits were in order. They also wanted a few new sundresses and sandals for nights out. They had been shopping for a few hours and Traci noticed Andy seemed to be more indecisive than usual, as if she were sizing up every outfit before deciding to buy it. When Andy held up a ridiculously gorgeous white and teal bikini and scrunched her nose as she pondered, Traci decided it was time to bring up the elephant that was clearly shopping with them.

"Don't worry, Andy. It could be a full coverage one piece and Sam's mouth would still hit the sand," Traci smirked at her best friend's reaction. Andy's eyes grew wide and she opened and closed her mouth several times before a coherent thought came out, clearly caught off guard by the remark.

"I uh, I don't know what you're talking about Traci. It's been a long winter and I've been lax on running and hitting the gym is all. I just don't want to make sure it will look okay is all. Sam has nothing to do with it. Least of my thoughts." Andy rambled, hoping her friend would take the lame excuse.

"Riiight… and the sexy little red number that you keep grabbing and putting back has nothing to do with that comment Swarek made about how he likes you in red?" Traci couldn't help it. A few weeks ago at the Penny she had gone to refill her drink and stood next to Sam and Andy, who were having a conversation and not so subtly making eyes at each other as if no one else existed. Traci caught the end of what sounded like an animated conversation. "…that's not what I meant, McNally, and you know it. All I was saying was that you look good in everything, but you really look good in red. There are you happy?" Sam pretended to glare at Andy as he took a long sip of his beer.

"Very. Although, you DID say I looked sexy in red, Sam. Sexy. Maybe next time you talk decide to discuss what we should wear on prostitution stings you will make sure we are not around." They had been doing prep work for a sting going down on the next shift when Andy overheard Sam telling Jerry that he wished she wore red, it would make her look more like a prostitute and less like a cop, but she never listened to him and it's why she had poor luck on the stings. Andy remembered their very first sting the year before and how she hadn't taken Sam's wardrobe suggestion that night, either.

"Yeah, well, the point is, McNally—Andy, I was right during your first sting and I'm right now. You DO look sexy in red and you should wear it tomorrow. Sam's voice was barely above a whisper. If Traci had not been straining her ears to shamelessly eavesdrop on the conversation, she never would have heard Sam… or Andy's response.

"Fine, Sam. You win. I will wear the little red top. But ONLY if you promise to buy my drinks after I bring in the most perps tomorrow night." Andy cocked an eyebrow at Sam, waiting to see if he would take the bait. Hoping she wasn't being a little too forward. Luckily, Sam only chuckled.

"Well, if you insist, McNally. Cocky for someone who wanted to wear pink. I'll bite AND buy tomorrow night if you can put up the goods." Traci's drinks arrived and she decided to walk away before she couldn't contain herself any longer. It was clear that her friend was flirting with her former T.O., and it was also clear that he was giving back as good as he was getting. They were completely oblivious to everyone around them. Traci smiled, thinking about their upcoming vacation and hoping a little trip to paradise would speed along what everyone else knew had been there for a long time. She reminded herself to keep Jerry and Ollie at bay and challenged them to a game of darts. McSwarek could have their time in their own little world for the night.

"Well, Andy? Andy, are you going to buy it or not?" Traci's question knocked Andy out of her daydream. Smiling, more to herself than anything else, she grabbed both the red and the white and teal bikini and a black one to boot. "You know what, Trace? I think I am. I'm going to buy them all."

Andy pulled herself out of her reverie when she heard a knock at her door. "I'll be ready in 15! She shouted, grabbing the black bikini, a tank top, and shorts and heading for the bathroom. She would save the red bikini for later, she decided. If she was honest with herself, she was hoping to save it for just the right moment of this trip.

Sam knocked a second time, then let himself in Andy's room using the spare keycard she had given him upon check in "in case I forget mine or something", Andy had rambled, blushing slightly.

"Almost ready, just give me a minute" he heard from the junior suite's bathroom. Sam took the opportunity to have a look at Andy's room and found it was an exact match to his. His eyes landed on the Jacuzzi in the middle of the room. When he first saw his, he thought that it was odd they would put it in the center of the room and in plain view of the sliding glass doors with thin curtains. Now, that he was thinking about the Jacuzzi while standing in Andy's suite, he had to admit it was a pretty romantic setting. If he REALLY wanted to be honest with himself, he hoped that maybe he would get to relax in the Jacuzzi with Andy at some point. Maybe he should just take Ollie, Jerry, and Frank's advice from earlier and man up, he thought, as he flopped down on her bed and started channel surfing.

15 minutes earlier

Sam has just woken up from an unexpected, but much needed nap and was changing into swim trunks, shorts, and a t-shirt when there was a knock at his door. Using the peephole, he could see Ollie, Jerry, and Frank waiting in the hall. Sighing, he opened the door and beckoned them inside.

"What's up, brother, I thought we were meeting in the lounge at the end of the hall in 30 minutes" Sam asked Oliver.

"We are, we are. Frank and Jerry were ready so I figured the four of us would have a drink before we met up with the rest of the crew. Besides, we wanted to see if you had decided to man up and talk to McNally on this trip." Ollie said nonchalantly as he helped himself to Sam's minibar. Frank and Jerry rolled their eyes at their not-so-subtle friend but looked at Sam, waiting for a reaction.

Sam, for his part, didn't know what to say. He knew his friends knew he had feelings for his Rookie. It had come up more than once in the last 2 years, but none of them had been as blunt as Oliver was about it. Sam wasn't sure he wanted his friends to know about his personal life. He certainly wasn't asking for their help.

"For the last time, Oliver, McNally and I are friends. FRIENDS. She is still getting over Callaghan. I don't even know how she feels about dating anyone right now. When and if she and I need to talk, that's between us. I appreciate the concern, brother, but I'm just here to blow off some steam. It was a long winter, man." Sam hoped that was enough to convince his friend to drop it.

"Look, Sam, we get it, we do. You're a pretty private guy. But we're your brother and we've been watching you and McNally do this dance since before she and Luke were even engaged. Hell, since before she was even cut loose if you want us to be honest. I know how you feel about her. I'm sure she does too. I also know you don't want to rush her, but believe me, brother, she's ready. Have you seen how she looks at you? How happy she gets when you walk into the room? She's READY, man. It's time for the two of you to get it all out there in the universe and do something about the looks and the whispers and the flirting. We just want to see you finally happy, and brother, we know she's the one to do it." This time it was Jerry who spoke up, hoping Sam wouldn't just blow him off.

To drive home their point, Frank spoke up. "Sam, we've watched your relationship with her from the beginning and to be honest, we've never seen anything like it, especially with you. The two of you are unlike any other partnership we've ever witnessed. On and off the clock. She's your partner, and your partner. This vacation is the perfect chance to finally get your girl and be happy, because Sammy, if anyone deserves to be happy, it's you and McNally."

Sam truly didn't know what to say except "thanks." He took a long sip of his drink, and sighing, he finally decided to face his friends. After all, they meant well.

"Alright, alright. Listen, I know what you're saying. What you're all saying. You guys know I'm not good with words… or relationships, really. I don't do the whole long-term commitment kind of thing. But her? I can see it with her. I want it with her. I just need to know she's all in too. I—I can't just be something fun and casual. Not with her. She is the only one who would keep me from going undercover again. Sam took another, bigger sip of his drink. "The last few weeks have been good between us. I don't want to rush her, but I will talk to her. I swear."

"That's all we ask for, Sammy. Just know we want you to be happy, We want you both to be happy and we think you will make each other happy. Just don't mess it up. We know how emotionally stunted you are." Ollie laughed, smacking his friend on the back. We're going to get our ladies and will meet you in the lounge. Maybe you can see if McNally is ready?" The guys let themselves out of Sam's room.

Sam took a look at himself in the mirror and sighed. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about what maybe could happen while on vacation. The guys were right. Tactless, but right. It was time to see if maybe he and McNally could be normal together. Sam grabbed his wallet and her spare keycard she gave him when they checked in and decided to see if his Rookie was ready.

Andy's bathroom door opening knocked Sam out of his memory and back to reality, and what a sight it was. Andy stood before him, debating on shoes, wearing a tiny pair of black shorts, a white tank top that accentuated her curves, and he could see a black halter bikini under the tank. Her hair was down and had a natural wave to it, and she wore very light makeup. She was stunning. If this is how she was going to look to wonder around the resort, he was in trouble for the rest of the week, he decided.

Andy finally slipped on a pair of black flip flops and grabbed her keycard, camera, and sunglasses. "What's up, Sam? Did you need something?" She asked, checking herself out in the hallway mirror.

"Uhh…no—nope, I was just here to see if you were ready. I knocked and didn't hear you, so I thought I would check and see if you were still asleep. Apparently, you were not. Ready?" Smooth, Swarek, he thought to himself. Real smooth.

"Yep" Andy said, popping the 'p'. "I can't wait to check out the pool bar and the restaurants. I also heard there was a karaoke bar up in the main building. I know the rest of the Rookies will want to go there at some point and then there's the casino and the nightclub…" Andy was off and running. Sam smiled. He loved her excitement. It was infectious and truthfully, he would gladly follow her wherever she wanted for the rest of the week.

"Then lead the way, McNally. I can't wait to see where this is going." Sam smiled as the duo left her room and went to meet the rest of their friends. This was going to be a great week.