A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, your feedback is helping me decide where to go from here. I found it difficult to know who should 'win' after the last chapter. Who do you want Andy to be with? Tell me your thoughts!

This chapter is a little bit different, I wanted to try something new so it mostly follows Traci. Hope you like it! Let me know.

*Disclaimer*: I do not own Rookie Blue.

Traci turned her back on the filing cabinet she had been rummaging through. The cold case they were working on had just been reopened when some new leads landed on her desk that morning. Sam had sent her off to find Jerry's note out of storage. She flipped open the folder and scanned the first page. Even the sight of his handwriting still made her heart flip. Life could be so cruel sometimes.

'Hey!' she heard from behind her. 'Thought you'd be in your office?' It was Steve Peck.

'I was just on my way back,' Traci replied.

'Cold case?' Steve asked, gesturing towards the folder.

'Uh huh. New tip came in this morning. Sam asked me to chase it.' She sighed.

'Right. Look, Traci….I was wondering, if you don't have plans, if you'd like to grab lunch with me today?' he said, somewhat shyly.

'What, like a date?' she questioned.

'If you like. Doesn't have to be though, if that would make you uncomfortable?'

'It wouldn't, it's just…' Traci took a long pause. 'Can I let you know?' she said, eventually.

'Sure. No pressure,' Steve replied with a smile. He nudged her arm playfully and walked away.

Traci paused outside the men's locker room. She'd gone in search of Swarek, and she knew he was in there, she could hear him talking. Something made her stop. She leant her back against the wall, just outside the door, and tried to listen in on the conversation inside. Sam was being interrogated by none other than Oliver Shaw. Traci smiled to herself and stayed put, enjoying the squabble between the two friends. She felt the atmosphere change as Oliver lowered his voice.

'What is it Sammy?' Oliver asked.

'What?'

'That look on your face.'

'I don't have a look', Sam replied defensively, turning his head away.

'Come on man, don't give me that! Which one is it?' Oliver asked.

'What?'

'Which girl Sam? Marlo or Andy?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Sam said in return.

'Oh come on, one of them has put you in this god awful mood. So was it the girlfriend, or the ex?' Oliver probed.

Sam sighed heavily. 'Technically…..both.'

'Both?'

'I broke up with Marlo a few nights ago,' Sam offered.

'But I thought you were happy with her?'

Sam raised his eyebrows at his friend, 'Really? Cos I always kinda thought you were on team Andy.'

Oliver chuckled, 'Okay, well maybe I've never been the greatest fan of your recent relationship, but I have to say, I am surprised you chose to dump her now. After, you know….the whole bi-polar thing. You didn't think that maybe that might come off a bit…..cold?' Oliver suggested.

'Geee thanks for that, man. I really needed to hear that right now!' Sam scowled sarcastically at his friend.

'I'm just saying, it might not have been the best timing….what with everything that's gone down this week.'

'I know. But it was going to have to happen sometime. This just sort of….pushed me over the edge.'

Oliver was quiet. He looked at Sam, curious. 'This was an Andy thing wasn't it?'

'McNally?...No, this was a Sam thing.'

'Same difference,' Oliver quipped. He paused for a beat. 'You still like her, don't you?'

Sam didn't answer for a long time.

'I miss her, man. I wish I didn't, but I do.'

Oliver smiled knowingly back at him. 'It's all over your face brother,' he said, and slapped Sam on the back jovially. 'I'll catch you later,' he added, and headed out to the parade room.

Out in the corridor Traci moved quickly so that Oliver wouldn't see her lurking outside. She hid round the corner until he'd gone, before heading into the locker room nonchalantly and dropping the file from her hands onto the bench next to Sam. She gave him a wistful smile. 'I'll be in the office, when you're ready', she said, and left him alone with his thoughts.

Later that day, Traci grabbed the first opportunity she'd had to talk to Andy. As her best friend walked past the D's office, Traci jumped to her feet and called her name out the door. She saw Andy pause and rushed down the steps towards her, before every officer in the room turned to watch them.

'I need to talk to you,' Traci said.

'Okay. Now?' Andy asked.

Traci nodded and pointed towards an empty observation room. She hurried Andy inside and stopped to catch her breath before she said anything.

'Have you made a decision yet?' Traci started.

'About what?'

'About Sam and Nick! What else would I be talking about?' she sighed at her friend.

'Umm not really.' Andy replied, shrugging her shoulders. 'I mean, I've been thinking about it. A lot. And Nick's helped to clear my head a bit more. But I haven't made a proper decision yet.'

'Good. Because I've got something I think you're going to want to hear.' Traci grinned at her.

Andy sighed. 'More gossip? Really Trace?' she seemed exasperated with it all.

'Not gossip. This is straight from Sam himself.' Traci said proudly.

'You talked to Sam!?' Andy asked, astonished.

"No, no, no. Let me explain,' Andy looked pained but let her continue. 'I was about to take a file to Sam in the locker room this morning, and I overheard his conversation with Oliver. Sam told him two things.'

Traci paused, gauging Andy's reaction. Her face wasn't saying a lot, so she carried on.

'First, he's not with Marlo anymore.'

Still nothing.

'And second…he said he misses you.'

Andy raised an eyebrow at that.

'Oh come on!' Traci begged, 'Give me more of a reaction than that! I was expecting you to be happy. He basically admitted that he split up with Marlo because he wants you back!'

'Did he say those words?' Andy asked.

'Not as such. But it was definitely implied,' Traci tried to convince her.

'That's not enough Traci!'

'Why not?'

'Because I can't run back to Sam and give up the chance of a perfectly happy and stable relationship with Nick, just because Sam finally realised he isn't happy with Marlo. I couldn't do that to Nick. It would destroy him after all of this.' She moaned.

'Andy, listen to me. I know it's not really my place to say, but I feel like I can't step back and let you do this! Nick is a lovely guy, he's smart, he's cute, he's caring. But….do you love him?' She asked.

Andy turned her head to face her friend. She did her little one shoulder shrug.

'I don't know.'

'And do you love Sam?'

Andy brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked at the ceiling, biting her lip.

'Andy?' Traci probed.

'Yes' she whispered resignedly.

'You still love him?'

Andy nodded, trying to hide her face. Traci saw a tear fall down her cheek.

She stretch out her hand and rested it on Andy's shoulder reassuringly.

'You don't need to rush this, you know?' Traci said. 'Just because you don't know if you love Nick, it doesn't mean that you don't. It just means that you don't want to admit whether you do or not.' She smiled at Andy who buried her face in her hands

'Not helping Trace!'

'No, let me finish! Not that you are, but, if you were to ask me…..I'd say that there is a man, sat at his desk in that office out there, thinking about you every day, loving you as much as you love him – though he wouldn't admit it.' She said with a wry smile. 'And I think you would be a fool to let that go, Andy McNally. I hesitated when things with Jerry got complicated, when I went back to Dex. And I have never regretted anything more in my life.' She felt a tear roll down her own check at that. 'I pushed Jerry away because I thought I was doing the right thing…and I didn't want to listen to anyone who told me differently. And now he's dead. And I don't want my best friend to have to feel the same way I did. So please, Andy. If you still love him…..don't let it go,' she implored of her friend. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and gave Andy a weak smile. And then she walked away.

Andy was slightly stunned. Everything Traci had said sounded so true. She did love Sam. And she probably loved Nick too, although that was a completely different league. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't loved Sam. It had been so long. Even when she first joined the division she had liked him. And listening to Traci, she could see that Luke had just been a distraction. Something to take her mind off of trying to figure out what went on in Swarek's head. He was so stubborn. And so guarded. And he had hurt her…..more times than she wanted to remember.

Being with Nick would be easy. So easy. Uncomplicated. She liked him. She frowned at herself. This was sounding familiar.

She flashed back to her first week back after Dakota, when Sam had given her a lift to the Penny. And she'd asked him about Marlo.

'Why her?' Sam had replied, 'We get along. And she's smart, funny. It's not complicated.'

Wasn't that exactly how she said she felt about Nick? If it was the same, then surely it would go the same way Sam's relationship with Marlo had gone. Great at first…..but now?

Andy sighed. Deep in her heart she knew she'd already made her decision, but on the surface she still wasn't ready to admit that he'd won. That after all this time and everything he'd put her through, Sam was still coming out on top.

She walked to the door and headed out across the bullpen, throwing a glance at the D's office. What is it with that guy being under my skin? She asked herself, as she kept on walking. Part of her might have made a decision, but she wasn't going to give in that easily.

Hope you like it! I think I'm gonna wrap this up soon, unless most of you don't want me to. Few more chapters to go though, so stay posted.

Leave me your thoughts in a review!