Just a little more left to my story… Again, so sorry it took me so long to update! I was hoping I would be better about it, but then I wanted to rewrite something and had a touch of writer's block.

Backup

Chapter 4

Sam needed a moment to settle, so he stayed outside while the rookies made their way into the gala. Thoughts rushed through his head, and he started to pace back and forth.

What the hell just happened? Andy broke up with Callahan – great news – but now it's my move? What does that even mean? And why didn't I just drag her out of here so that I could peel that damn dress off of her?

He stalked into the party, a dangerous look on his face, and ducked around Best and Boyko and any other copper who might wrangle him into talking to a potential donor as he made his way to the bar. He felt steadier once he had the scotch in his hand, and turned to survey the room.

Of course, the first place his focus went was to Andy. It seemed like where ever he went, she was the first thing to draw his attention. It really was some dress she had on. Not inappropriate, but undoubtedly sexy. He sopped staring when it started to get, well, uncomfortable, and focused for a moment on his scotch.

Andy caught his gaze from across the room and chewed on her lower lip. Traci nudged her, and handed her a glass of champagne.

"Andy, sweetie, you've got it bad."

"Huh?"

"Gail was almost dead on this morning, wasn't she? Only, Swarek isn't going to be your backup for much longer, is he?"

"Trace, I think I messed up. Again. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time, so why not keep the trend going, right? I totally screwed up just now and blew it with Sam."

"Andy, trust me when I tell you that nothing short of you moving across the country could blow things with that man. And that probably wouldn't blow things either. He is completely into you."

"Um, would have been nice if you told me that sooner, maybe? I thought I was putting him on ice."

"That was cause you said you wanted it to work with Luke! Now that he's out of the picture, well…" She trailed off as Gail joined them.

"Now that Luke's out of the picture, maybe you'll finally throw Swaerk a bone." Gail wiggled her eyebrows. "Oh come on, you two aren't exactly whisperers. Jeeze."

Andy rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but look over her shoulder once more to watch Sam brood.

That was how Oliver found him, alone at the bar, scowling into his scotch.

"Well, you can take the boy out of the bar…" He laughed, and settled in next to Sam. "So, Sammy. How 'bout McNally's dress?"

Sam looked at him. "I thought I shouldn't be noticing things like her dress?"

"Well, Sammy, this is how I see it. She's not your rookie anymore now that she's passed her evals. And, well, she made it pretty clear downstairs that she's a free agent."

Silence.

"You know, she's a free agent. You're a free agent. You're not getting any younger, son."

Sam considered, pursed his lips. "So, what am I supposed to do? Jump to attention because she suddenly doesn't have a boyfriend?"

"You could ask her to dance. To have dinner with you. Have to start somewhere, right?"

"Yeah, right. So what, you're like my fairy godmother now?"

"You're my friend, Sammy, so I'm going to be straight with you for a minute. You deserve to be happy. McNally – well, she seems like she could make you happy. Plus, us old married saps like to see everyone all coupled up."

They sat in silence for a minute, until they saw Andy break away from her friends and head towards the bar.

"It's go time, bud." Oliver slipped into the crowd.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to accost you," Andy said as she approached Sam. "I just want a glass of wine."

He studied her. It's time, he thought. "McNally, you wanna dance with me?"

She stared at him, surprised. "Dance? With you? You dance?"

"Yeah, is it really that big a deal?"

"Well, a few minutes ago, you were pretty angry with me, so forgive me if I'm a little confused by the change of attitude."

"I guess I've been doing some thinking of my own." He put his empty glass on the bar and gingerly took her hand. "So, dance with me?"

He slid his hand up her arm and made her shiver as he guided her onto the dance floor, but she was still suspicious. She relaxed a fraction when he drew her close – it was so nice to be in his arms again – but still wasn't sure what to make of his actions. She had been back to being sure she'd messed things up when she had started towards him at the bar. But now… this day was definitely going to go down in her history book as the weirdest day of her life.

Sam said nothing for the first minute they danced, content to hold onto her. She smelled like the fruit rollups his niece ate as a kid, a distinct contrast to how she looked, and it was driving him to distraction. Finally, he drew back a fraction and looked at her. "Andy. I'm sorry. When you said you'd ended it with Luke, I wasn't really sure what to do, and I handled it poorly." When she nodded, he continued. "Look, how would you like to get dinner with me?"

She smiled, and snuggled a little closer to him, pressing her body to his and reveling in the chills that danced all over her. "I would really, really like that." She practically purred it into his ear, making him groan. His hand gripped her hip, and he leaned in so that there was not even an inch between them.

"Can we please get out of here?" The promise in his eye made her shiver. They did all they could to leave discretely, and as they reached the shadows of the foyer, he pulled her against him. She had a moment to laugh before his mouth crushed down on hers in a kiss for the record books. Definitely a weird day, she though, but with a surprisingly great ending.

Two figures stood on the opposite side of the room, watching the pair keenly as they departed. Lifting two flutes of champagne off of a passing tray, Gail and Oliver clinked their glasses together in a silent toast.

One more tiny little chapter – the epilogue – coming soon! What did you guys think of the story?