Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your amazing reviews, and thank you so much for continuing to follow this story. I am so happy that everyone is enjoying it. I promise I am a Mcswarek. Have faith in this story, for those of you who doubt. :)
As I have said before, Jelly Bean Jenna is my co-writer and she wrote the majority of this chapter. So if you all enjoy it, please review down at the bottom and tell her how amazing she is!
You are all so amazing, I hope you all enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, SIMPLY A FAN OF THE SHOW AND MCSWAREK.
The drive to the barn was short, Andy briefly wondering if this was such a good idea after all. If tagging along was such a good idea. She felt like she was meddling where she shouldn't be.
When they arrived Alec opened her door for her, the perfect gentleman.
His hand guided her into the barn towards the front desk by the small of her back, Alec's hand warm through the material of her shirt. He stopped and looked down at her a silent question passed between them asking if she was sure that she wanted to do this.
Andy nodded and carried on walking with meaning in her stride. Alec followed Andy through the barn, not really knowing where to go, but of course she knew exactly where they needed to end up. Behind the desk she found Brooks, a pleasant smiling cop she knew from her dad's days as a detective.
"Hey Andy, what brings you here?". He asked eyeing Alec. He knew about her history with Luke and Sam, so he was probably summing Alec up in the way her dad would.
"I'm looking for a friend..." Andy trailed off. She didn't even know Alec's roommate's name.
"Damon Pratt" Alec said feeling her need for assistance.
"Ah, so you're the licensed gun holder?" Brooks asked spotting Alec's dog-tags. Of course even with age, a good cop didn't miss anything.
"Licence?" He added waiting for Alec to hand his gun permit over, along with some form of identification.
"It could take a while, want to get a coffee?" Andy asked turning to Alec while Brooks ran his details.
"Sure" Alec smiled down at her looking so appreciative that she felt like eating him up.
Andy led Alec through the rest of the barn heading for the break room, her mind whirling away at how comfortable this actually felt.
Ten minutes later they were holding their coffees hanging out in booking when Andy's attention moved to new occupants in the room. Brooks had told them that Damon's arresting officer had taken him to be fingerprinted and to take his statement, but they would be back in holding soon and then it would be Alec's turn to give a statement.
What Andy hadn't bargained on was Damon's arresting officer being Marlo Cruz.
This was just freaking great!
Marlo walked passed them, not even bothering to look in their direction as she guided Damon back to a holding cell until he was due to be released.
Andy's eyes took the sight of Damon in, he would be a 20 out of 10 on Traci's hot-o-meter.
He was tall, and really well built, but he had the most dazzling smile that Andy had ever seen. His face had a square jaw line under a mop of sandy-brown hair, and he was really good looking. But the thing that drew Andy's attention was the way that his aura proceeded him as he walked. It was weird, like the room was swept up in a brightness or happiness or maybe just her own delusion.
When Marlo had Damon in his cell, she left the same way, without a word. Although Andy would swear that she heard her grunt as she walked passed heading for the door.
Marlo stopped in the doorway and just stood there until she let her eyes seek Alec out, a clear signal that she wanted him to follow her to give his statement.
Andy sat around waiting for Alec to return, her nerves on edge as she entertained thoughts of Marlo discussing her private life with Alec. It kind of gave her a guilty conscience because she had so much history at Fifteen and Alec had no idea.
...
Sam took in the dusk as he made his way back to the barn, Marlo had called and said that she was running late and asked him to come back later to pick her up because she had to finish clearing her suspect first. It was three hours after her shift had ended so surely she had wrapped it up by now.
He'd had two beers at the Penny and then cut himself off so now he was going to rather wait at the barn before he was tempted to have anymore.
Pulling into the parking lot, Sam parked and got out of his truck almost like his actions were on autopilot. His mind had drifted over to the day and his fallout with McNally. He just couldn't seem to erase the words flung between them.
Stepping into the barn, Sam headed for the women's locker room hoping to find Marlo ready to leave. He wanted nothing more than to go home, have some whiskey, a hot shower and then tumble into bed.
But of course, life had other ideas.
Coming around the corner Sam found Marlo walking down the hall wrapped up in a conversation with...Andy's date?
The guy from the beach, and the parking lot earlier?
Sam couldn't help but instantly be worried about Andy if her date was here. Was something wrong? Where was she?
It was natural born instinct that made him walk over to the pair as he met the halfway down the hall.
"Sam" Marlo said sounding cheery.
Sam just nodded in her direction, his eyes moving over to the guy who had a really tense expression on his face when he saw Sam heading their way.
"Hi, I'm Al.." Alec had his hand extended to formally introduce himself, but Sam's cold stare told him that the feeling wasn't mutual.
"Got a minute?" Sam asked Marlo while focusing on her. She seemed cool and calm, so he doubted that Andy had run into any kind of trouble.
"I'll just..." Alec started saying when Sam turned to him and glared.
"Swarek, Detective Sam Swarek" Marlo intervened and introduced Sam.
Andy heard the voices in the hall and cringed when she heard Sam's cold tone then Alec's voice. She stepped out the room to catch sight of Sam looking at Alec like he was about to either punch him in the face or throw him through the wall to the side of them.
"Um," Andy said moving past Sam to stand next to Alec who had tensed his own stare back in Sam's direction. "Are you done?" Andy asked Marlo, but looked at Sam. She really meant it for Marlo, but Sam's exaggerated sigh told her that he was actually far from done.
"We're done" Alec said and reached for her hand. It was the first time that Andy heard anything other than his voice holding a shy sweetness to it. Now it was hard, cold even and sent a shiver down Andy's spine.
Andy quickly pulled herself together and pulled on Alec's hand and they moved passed Sam in single file, Andy first then Alec following. Sam could have stepped to the side to make a little more room, but he didn't, he stood rooted to the spot in the middle of the hall.
When they reached the fresh air outside, Andy tried to reclaim her hand but Alec held on and smiled down at her when she looked up. She could see that he didn't want to let go so she was happy to let him hold on a little longer as the walked back to his SUV.
"I'm so sorry..." Andy said really quietly when they reached Alec's car.
"Hey, you don't have anything to be sorry for".
Andy was chewing on her lip, while her mind thought over continuing this conversation right now. It was their first date after all.
Alec opened her door and smiled shyly before whispering a really heartfelt thank you. She knew that he meant the thank you for her being here and helping him out now with Damon and everything.
A short while later they pulled up outside Andy's given address, the whole ride home locked in silence but comfortable.
Andy got out by herself to find Alec already hovering on the sidewalk waiting for her.
He walked her to her door, still silent, but his hand found hers again, it held on like he still wasn't ready to let go.
When they reached her door Andy reclaimed her hand and fished her keys out, her mind already made up on how she was going to end her date. Alec seemed like a really good guy, so he at least deserved a little honesty.
"There's something that I have to tell you. Well, I shouldn't say that I don't have to tell you but I want to" Andy said shyly as she looked down at the wooden floor after unlocking her door.
"Okay, What is it?"
"Detective Swarek, he uh, he isn't just my superior. He's my ex-boyfriend…."Andy said looking up when she suddenly felt brave.
"Ah…"Alec kind of tilts his head up as he says 'Ah'. It was like he had seen this coming.
"And to say that things ended badly is an understatement."
"I know." Alec looks at her as he says this, sort of afraid to admit that he picked up on their previous relationship. It wasn't that hard for either of them to hide.
"What? What do you mean you know? I mean, how do you know?"Andy, is dumbfounded. She is so confused. She wonders if Sam said something or if he and Sam had a weird confrontation other than what she'd seen. Sam wouldn't stoop that low, would he? Or would Marlo?
"Officer McNally, I've been in the corps for 10 years. You tend to pick up on a few things; like how to read people. I picked up on it the second you walked out of the station, and again when we had to go and bail Damon out." Alec, lifts his eye brow and cocks his head to the side as he is telling Andy how he figured it out. She really wasn't that hard to read.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Andy looks kind of annoyed. Partly because he saw through her so easily, and partly because she didn't keep anything hidden. Although, she hadn't really been trying to.
Alec somehow managed to pick up on her annoyance and looks down, he feels as if he invaded on someone's privacy. Invaded her private life. He looks down at the ground, his hands finding the inside of his pockets. "Andy, it was none of my business. Plus, we haven't known each other long enough to have that awkward ex's conversation yet. I wanted to take things slow, and if we did get to that stage in the relationship I knew that you would tell me on your own time, and when you were ready to. Can I ask you something though?" He finally looks up at Andy, square in the eyes.
"Sure.." Andy looks nervous, and feels awkward, but not ashamed that she brought it up at this point.
"Why did you tell me? I mean don't get me wrong, I am glad you did. But why tonight, on our first date? When we don't really know anything about each other yet?"
Andy closes her eyes before she starts, as if trying to get up the nerve to tell him how she really feels "I don't know. I mean.. Okay, please don't think this is weird or too fast, but I really like you Aleczander, and I want this to work. I am tired of living in the past, and constantly living in fear that Sam and I are never going to be able to have a normal day together, constantly living in fear that my life won't have any more normalcies because Sam took them all. Constantly living in fear of going to work, because he will be there and I don't know what the day will hold. I am tired of living in this constant hellhole that he and I have dug for ourselves. It is physically and emotionally draining. I won't lie to you. I loved him, and there is a part of me that always will, but I can't do it anymore. Our relationship was and is a lot more complicated than a break-up but I want change, I need change, and I want it all with you… I know that you said you wanted to take things slow and so do I believe me. I do, but I am tired of not being open. I'm tired of walking on egg shells, and not knowing what another person is feeling or thinking. I want to be open with you, at every stage of this relationship…" Andy, looks down to hide her face because she started crying again.
"Andy.., look at me. Alec reaches out for Andy's face and takes it in his hand. He runs his thumb across the bottom of her chin line.
"Thank you, thank you for trusting me, and opening up to me" Alec drops his hand and puts it back inside his pocket. It's his turn to look down. He can't believe he is about to open up to her. Especially not this fast. "You spoke about your fears, so I'll speak about mine. I like you too Andy. A lot, and I want this to work, and I want everything you talked about with you, from the openness to the change I want it all, but I do not want to be compared to Sam. Because if we go into this with you comparing me to Sam, it won't ever work. We won't ever work, because I am not Sam. I know you loved him, and I know and respect that there is a part of you that always will. That doesn't bother me because he was here before me. Your relationship with Sam is none of my business. Unless you make it my business. If you want to tell me, you can. I don't ever want you to feel afraid to tell me anything. I want you to trust me. I want us to trust each other. You won't ever have to walk on egg shells with me. I promise. "
Andy started smiling, one of her little lopsided grins. Alec really was a good guy.
"Thank you" Andy whispered before stepping forward and wrapping Alec up in a giant hug.
His words had made the entire bad day seep away, and it made her feel better.
Alec hugged her back before letting her go and swiping a loose strand of hair from her face.
"Get some sleep, I'll call you in the morning"
With that, Alec was gone, Andy's mood feeling much lighter than it had when they stopped outside her door.
...
Andy's shift started with ease, she was put on patrol with Dov, something that hadn't happened in a while. A really long while.
The morning was made up of friendly jokes and Dov's incessant babbling, but she loved every minute of it.
Just before lunch they were called to assist a Detective downtown, Andy silently praying that it wasn't Sam. Dov was driving so it was a laid back drive over there, Andy's nerves shot by the time they arrived.
Looking out the window, Andy was relieved to see that it was Traci in charge of he crime scene and not Sam.
"You okay?" Dov asked before getting out when Andy nodded. He had picked up on her sulky mood but refrained from saying anything about it until now.
"What we got?" Andy said when she stopped next to Traci who looked in her element now that she was actually running a crime scene.
"Murder vic, Hispanic, twenty-three or so. Female. Gruesome" Traci said lifting the tarp covering the dead body to reveal a beautiful woman badly cut up.
Andy looked away, it was such a shame, and so gross that someone could do that to another human being.
"Hey, she looks like Cruz" Dov laughed out as he bent down and took a closer look.
Andy looked at the woman again as Traci giggled out a "No she doesn't".
"She does" Dov argued, it was no secret that none of Andy's friends didn't really like Marlo.
"No, she doesn't. Even dead, this ones smiling" Traci whispered making Andy take a closer look.
And really, the dead young woman almost looked like she was smiling in death.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 8 is already in the works. Please review! Give me something to read. Have a great day!-EJAMI-SANDY13
