So, this chapter is actually a serious of four short stories. Each story is completely separate and unrelated. I just put them together because they were each too short on their own and they are somewhat similar in that they all have some angst. I've had quite a few requests for some chapters with a bit of angst, so I figured I'd give you four helpings of angst.

Each story is separated by the Collection of Thoughts line break.

Let me know which one is your favorite! In my opinion, I think each story is better than the previous one, but that's just me...

==========A Collection of Thoughts==========

It's late when he finally comes home. She is facing away from him and with everything going on, it takes her a bit by surprise when he slides into bed and pulls her close to him. He settles in behind her and breathes in her hair before giving her a kiss on her bare shoulder.

She turns around to face and ends up just staring at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he's thinking. She really wants to say something, but she doesn't want to push. She wants to give him whatever time and space he needs, but she also really wants to help. She can see him struggling and she just… wants to make him feel better.

"Can I say something?" She asks him. "And then I promise I'll leave you alone," she adds.

He lets out a sigh and she thinks he's going to tell her that he doesn't want to hear it right now. Instead, he says something surprising.

"Andy, I don't ever want you to leave me alone," he begins. He knows what she's doing. He knows she's being careful. She's trying her best not to push him. She's trying to give him the time and space she didn't give him last time. And he just hates that she feels like she has to walk on eggshells around him right now.

It's true- he really doesn't want to talk about it, but he's determined not to push her away this time. He know that while he doesn't want to talk, he probably should.

"Andy, you can say anything you want," he assures her, while pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

She takes a deep breath and he can see the internal battle she's fighting. She's obviously not sure if she should take him at his word. He can tell she's afraid of causing a repeat of what happened the last time they were in this situation. The thing is, there is absolutely no way he's going to let that happen.

His fingers graze up and down her arm, trying to coax out whatever it is that she wants to say. She opens her mouth to speak, but then she immediately bites down on her lip as if she needs help physically keeping it in.

"Andy…" he whispers, encouraging her to speak.

She takes another deep breath and then meets his gaze. They stare at each other for a moment before she finally gives in.

"I just…" she begins, but then she changes her mind and starts over with a sigh. "You're allowed to be sad, you know," she tells him. "Even though… Even though he wasn't a good man and you weren't close, you're still allowed to grieve," she tells him. "You don't necessarily have to grieve him, either… if you don't want to. You can grieve the childhood you should've had, but never got. You can grieve the fact that he was never the father you deserved and that you never had the kind of relationship every kid should have with their father. You can grieve anything you want. I just want to make sure you know that," she explains.

"I know," he tells her with a slight nod.

"And I'm here… If you want to talk. You don't have to, but if you want to, I'm here," she says.

"I know," he replies as he gives her arm a gentle squeeze.

"Okay," she nods.

"I do want to… just… can we talk tomorrow?" He asks.

"Whenever you want," she tells him.

"Okay, then tomorrow," he agrees.

"Okay," she nods before pressing her lips against his in a quick kiss.

"I love you," he tells her. "And thanks… for being here."

"I'll always be here, Sam," she assures him.

==========A Collection of Thoughts==========

The tension in Sam's truck is palpable. She keeps sneaking glances at him to see if his expression has softened at all, but it hasn't. He is still clenching his teeth and he is gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles are white.

This day has really not gone as planned.

She had been partnered with Collins, which was fine. Things aren't awkward between them anymore; they are just friends now.

Their shift had started out fairly slow until the plate reader on the cruiser alerted them of a car registered to a man named Andrew Milton, who just happened to have an open warrant. He had been arrested for several weapons charges and neglected to show up for his court date last week.

They pulled the car over and found Andrew at the wheel with his girlfriend, Tiffany, in the passenger seat. Upon searching the vehicle, Andy found two unregistered handguns in the glove box, so they were both arrested and taken back to the barn, where they tried to goad Steve Peck into giving them a deal.

They informed him that they were planning on buying a large quantity of weapons from Alvin Gibbs, that afternoon. Alvin Gibbs was a pretty big fish, according to Steve.

"Tiffany says that this is supposed to be their first meeting with Alvin," Tracey tells them as she walks into the D's office. Steve and Nick had been in the corner chatting about last night's hockey game, while Andy was sitting on Sam's desk, distracting him from whatever case he was supposed to be working on.

"Perfect. We can send in some officers in their place to make the buy," Steve announced.

"We can do it," Nick offered, while looking over at Andy, who was in the middle of a conversation with Sam.

"What?" She asked, when she felt everyone staring at her.

"We're sending in officers to take Andrew and Tiffany's place for the buy. You in?" Steve asked.

She glanced at Sam and then back at Steve. "Sure," she shrugs.

"Great, you and Collins will go in and make the buy as Andrew and Tiffany," Steve explained.

Andy nodded, suddenly realizing what she had agreed to. She bit her lip and looked at Sam with apologetic eyes. She would have to pretend to be Nick's girlfriend.

Sam gave her a reassuring smile and gently squeezed her arm.

Two hours later, she was out of her uniform and pacing around the garage as she waited for everyone.

"Hey," Sam said as he walked up to her, with his vest on.

"Where you going?" She asked.

"I'm going with you," he told her.

"Huh?"

"I'm your back up," he explains with a smile.

When they get home, Sam jumps out the truck and walks up to his place without saying a word as Andy quickly follows behind. When they are both inside, he throws his jacket off and goes straight for the fridge to get a beer.

"Sam…" She begins, unsure of what else to say.

"Andy, I'm not mad at you," he tells her, flat out.

"Could've fooled me," she scoffs.

He pinches the bridge of his nose for a second and takes a deep breath. After a moment, he opens his eyes and looks at her with a blank stare.

"Sam, you know there is nothing going on with me and Nick. We are just friends. That's it," she assures him. "It's not like I volunteered to do this. Steve asked me. Should I have said no?"

"No… Look, I know it was just acting and the job and- I'm really not mad at you," he promises. "I just… seeing the two of you together… seeing his arms around you and… and it just… it made me sick… it just brought up a lot of bad memories," he confesses.

She sighs and walks over to him, pulling him into a hug.

"I told you not to watch," she reminds him.

"As much as I did not like what I saw… It would have been way worse in my head," he explains. She nods against his chest.

"I just thought I was done with that part of my life where I have to watch you be with someone else," he admits.

"Sam, you are," she tells him as she cups his face.

"Promise?" He asks, with a small smile as if he's trying to pass it off as a joke. However, the hint of vulnerability in his eyes gives him away.

"I promise," she says with a nod before pulling him into a kiss. "I love you," she assures him, when they pull away.

"Love you, too," he says before leaning in for another kiss.

==========A Collection of Thoughts==========

"Hey," he greets as he answers the phone.

"Sam. Can you come home?" she asks. It's the desperation in her voice that instantly has him worried.

"Andy, what's wrong?" He asks as he grabs his keys and starts speed walking out of the D's office.

"Sam, please. Just come home," she pleads.

"I'm leaving now, just tell me what's wrong," he implores. "Are you okay?" He questions.

"I'm okay, just… we'll talk when you get home. Are you leaving now?" she inquires. This is definitely not the type of conversation they can have over the phone.

"Yes. Andy, you're freaking me out," he tells him.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm okay, seriously, I'm okay," she assures him.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," he agrees before jogging out to his car and speeding out of the parking lot.

When he parks the car, he runs up the steps to their front door and starts calling her name.

"Sam," he hears her call from the living room. He follows her voice and they meet in the kitchen. She has the baby against her chest and she's patting her back while bouncing her a bit. The look on her face is scaring him. She looks really… freaked out and completely overwhelmed and he's not sure what is going on. They aren't even supposed to have Mya until this weekend.

"What is Mya doing here?" He asks as he steps closer to his wife and daughter.

"Sam…" she begins and the way she's saying his name is… not good.

"Andy, what's going on?" He asks.

"I uh… I found Mya's pink elephant behind the couch this morning and… and you know how much she loves that thing, so I… so I stopped by Marlo's to drop it off and…"

"And what?" He asks.

"Sam… she… I don't think she's taking her meds," she finally confesses.

"What? Are you... are you sure?" He questions.

"When I went there this afternoon, she was just… a mess. The apartment was trashed… There were dishes piling up in the sink and clothes and toys everywhere… and she was talking really fast and not making that much sense and… and Mya… she was crying and it looked like she hadn't been bathed in a couple days and her diaper probably hadn't been changed at all today," Andy explains, still gently bouncing the baby.

"Jesus," he says as he runs a hand over his face.

"So I called her sister and while I waited for her, I changed Mya's diaper and gave her a bath, but none of her clothes were clean so I literally just had to wrap her in a blanket, Sam. And once Carla got there, we convinced Marlo to let Mya come home with me, which was not easy. And then I brought her home and while we waited for you, I got her dressed and I fed her and Sam, I've seriously never seen her eat so much…. She ate an entire jar of baby food in probably five minutes… She didn't fuss once, she just gobbled it up. I don't think Marlo fed her today," she explains with evident amounts of concern.

He has no idea what to say. He just wraps his arms around his wife and daughter and holds them for a few minutes.

She rests her head against his chest and just breaths in his scent, allowing him to comfort her for a few moments before she finally speaks up again.

"Sam, what are we going to do?" She asks.

"I don't know," he says with a slight shake of his head, still not letting go of either of them.

"God, when I… when I walked into that apartment and I saw Mya… Sam, she was just… she was dirty and crying and her diaper was sagging and she wasn't wearing any socks … And Marlo was just… It was even worse than last time. I just didn't know what to do," she tells him.

Sam pulls back just enough so he can look Andy in the eye, but his arms are still wrapped tightly around her. "Andy, you did exactly what you should've done. You called her sister and you got Mya out of there," he says as he runs a thumb along his daughter's arm. "C'mon," he says, tugging the two of them towards the couch. He sits down and pulls her down right beside him. She rests her feet on the coffee table and snuggles up beside him with Mya in her lap. His wraps his arm around her and places a kiss on her temple.

"I just can't stop thinking about what would've happened if I hadn't stopped by there today," Andy mentions as she rubs Mya's back.

He cringes, not even wanting to entertain those thoughts. "I just don't get it. We saw her on Monday and she seemed fine didn't she?" He asks.

"Yeah, she did… but you know how this goes… some days are fine, and then other days… aren't," she reminds him.

"When I picked Mya up from her place last week, she was waiting outside for me…. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now I'm wondering if her apartment was like that back then and she didn't want me to see," Sam mentions.

"Maybe… I just can't believe this happened. She was doing so well. Why would she stop taking her meds again?" Andy wonders.

"I don't know."

"I just hope Carla can convince her to get help," Andy tells him. "But Sam, I think Mya should stay with us from now on… And when Marlo gets better… we'll figure something out, but it's just not safe for Mya to be with her right now."

Once again, Sam is just in awe of his wife. He seriously can't get over the way she loves and cares for his daughter; the way she protects her and always considers what is best for her. Mya staying with them on a permanent basis means that everything in their lives is about to change and she is suggesting it like it's no big deal, because she just wants to make sure that Mya is safe. He honestly has no idea how he ever got this lucky.

"Thank you," he tells her before leaning in to kiss her forehead.

"For what?"

"For… for being absolutely amazing… for protecting her," he explains as his fingers graze her arm.

She smiles and leans in to give him a kiss.

==========A Collection of Thoughts==========

"I've missed this," Sam tells her as they walk down the street together. Everyone was at the Penny tonight and they definitely enjoyed more than a couple drinks. Sam and Andy ended up being the last ones to leave and were now walking home together. They had been teasing each other for the past few minutes while Andy danced around in the middle of the street, eliciting more than a few laughs from Sam.

"Me too," she admits.

They walk quietly for a few minutes before he stops and pulls on her arm. She stops and turns towards him.

"I've missed you," he confesses.

"Sam…"

"I've tried not to, but I… I do. I miss you all the time. I think about you all the time… Andy, I still love you," he admits.

"Sam… Don't say things you'll regret. You're drunk. Tomorrow you'll wake up and realize that you don't mean what you're saying. It's not fair. Getting my hopes up like this… Not when I'm finally starting to move on," she argues.

"Really? You're… you're moving on?" He asks with wide eyes, completely unable to disguise the hurt in his voice.

"Sam, you don't get to be upset by me moving on. You're with someone else!" She yells.

"I know, Andy, I know," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But I… I just… The thought of you moving on… It just… God, it makes me sick," he admits.

"Sam, you moved on," she reminds him.

"No," he says, grabbing her hand. "No, I haven't. I just… I guess I've gotten really good at pretending," he explains, as he draws circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. "You know how me, Epstein and Diaz went with Oliver to his new cabin last weekend?" He asks.

She gives him a strange look, unsure what this has to do with anything. "Yeah."

"Well, Oliver made me realize that I need to break up with Marlo," he informs her.

Andy's mouth hangs open for a moment, completely unsure what to say. "How did he do that?" She asks, eventually.

"He asked me how I knew that he made the right decision with Celery, so I told him that it was just this feeling I had- that when I saw the two of them together, I knew she was right for him," he continues.

"Okay…"

"And then he said, 'Like you and McNally?' And I said yes… Without even thinking, I just said yes, you know? Because that is how I feel about us… you… And I don't know, I guess the cat was out of the bag by then, so I just kept going. I told him everything… that I missed you… and that lately, I just keep thinking about the future… kids, park on Sundays, just… something more, you know? And whenever I think about it… it's always with you," he admits.

"Sam…"

"So, I decided that when she gets back from Miami in a few days, I'm going to end it. It's not fair to her, you know? She deserves better. She shouldn't be with someone who's completely in love with someone else," he admits. "I know you think I'm saying things I don't mean because I've been drinking, but I… I mean them, okay? I know I fucked everything up, and I realize I don't deserve a second chance… I probably didn't even deserve the first one… And if you really are moving on, I'll respect that, okay? Because above all, I really do just want you to be happy. But I need you to know how sorry I am. I just… I have so many regrets, you know? Not just what happened after Jerry died, but even before that… I should've done so many things differently."

"Like what?"

"I should've taken you away for the weekend. I should've introduced you to my family. I should've bought you flowers and taken you out to dinner. I should've stayed with you every morning instead of running out the door. I should've been more open with you. I should've told you that I loved you that day in my truck and every day after that. I just… I was terrified of my feelings for you. I still am, but I'm done letting that ruin things between us. And… If you did want to give me a second chance, I promise I won't make those same mistakes. I won't walk away from you again, okay? And as hard as it will be for me, I won't hold back anymore. I'll tell you everything you want to know and I'll introduce you to my family. I really do want you to know me… It's just hard, but I promise you it would be different… and… and I don't expect an answer today or even in the next few weeks… and I completely understand if you need me to prove it to you for a while, okay? I will prove it to you every day until you believe it… until you have absolutely no doubts. Andy, if you give me another chance, I will do whatever it takes to make us work. All I want is to be with you and for us to build something better than what we had before… something that will last because I… I just… I know you're the person I'm supposed to be with. And you have no idea how absolutely terrifying that is to say… I mean, it also feels amazing… to finally know exactly what you want and to be so sure, but it also scares the shit out of me because I know I might never get it because I've just… I've screwed up so badly," he explains.

There are so many things she wants to say to him, but she has no idea where to begin.

"I don't know what to say to that," she admits.

"Say you'll think about it…. aay there's hope… say you'll give me the chance to prove all of this to you," he pleads with her.

"Sam, I just… I don't know."

"Then… then, just don't say no," he offers.

"Okay," she nods. "I'm not saying no," she agrees.

==========A Collection of Thoughts==========

So, I hope you enjoyed these! I'd love to know which ones you liked, which you didn't, which one was your favorite, etc. I'll take all the feedback I can get

And of course, suggestions are ALWAYS welcome!