A/N: This one took much longer to write. Hoping you Nick/Andy fans will be happy with the progress. As I said before, I have always been Team Sandy, but I just feel like Sam has some serious work to do on himself. Nick and Andy have a solid friendship that can progress into something more. This time she has a good foundation with a guy that can actually acknowledge and share his feelings! I think it's important for her to see where that goes.
Thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites. You guys are the best! Enjoy!
*I do not own the rights to Rookie Blue.
His arms held her body tightly against his. She inhaled his masculine, intoxicating scent, trying to catch her breath, but his mouth was over hers again, his tongue feeling, exploring. He kissed her neck gently at first, but then more forcefully as his lips made their way down to her collarbone.
All of a sudden he released her from his hold, one hand falling to his side and the other gently tilting her chin upward. He searched her dark, passionate eyes for an answer to his question.
Her voice came out as a heavy whisper, "Yes, I'm sure." Her eyes sought to reassure him, but Nick still looked unconvinced.
Unable to stand the distance between them any longer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a long, deep kiss. She took charge this time, making her intentions for him crystal clear. When she pulled away for a quick second, she saw that his eyes were much darker, filled with resolve.
No longer holding anything back, his kisses grew more intense. He pulled her shirt over her head and threw it to the floor. She admired how his t-shirt clung to his beautifully sculpted biceps before removing it and tossing it alongside hers. He reached around her back to unclasp her lacey black bra, letting it fall to their feet.
His hands and lips were everywhere, sensations rushing all throughout her body. He lifted her up and carried her to the bed, laying her gently beneath him.
The shrill sound of her alarm shocked Andy into consciousness. She awoke with her heart racing, her breath unsteady, and her skin flushed and dewy with perspiration. She fumbled with the buttons on her clock until the awful noise was silenced. She immediately fell back onto to her pillow.
She ran her hand through her hair and closed her eyes. She hadn't really thought of Nick that way before- they were just good friends. But her dream was so intense, and it felt so incredibly real. She was ashamed of herself for not only what she dreamt, but for enjoying it so much. Nick was with Gail, and Gail would definitely be upset if she ever found out her friend was having such racy dreams about her boyfriend.
Andy headed to the shower to cleanse herself of the guilt she was feeling. At first she assumed this dream must be some random occurrence, but upon further scrutiny, she started to question whether there was some reason behind it. Maybe she did have some feelings for Nick. She had spent so much time focused on Sam and their tumultuous relationship that she hadn't left much room for the possibility of something- or someone- different.
She couldn't deny that there was a bond between them. In fact, she probably trusted Nick more than anyone else in her life right now. Since they had become friends, he always seemed to be there when she needed him and always knew exactly what she needed. Things with him were so easy, so natural. There wasn't a constant roller coaster of emotions.
Of course now there was this. She had to go and complicate things with what might be romantic feelings for her "platonic" friend. She had been the one cheated on in a relationship before, and she never wanted Gail to suffer like she had. Gail could be a tough cookie, but Andy felt certain that in the face of such betrayal, Gail would crumble.
Why did any of this matter anyway? She had one dream about Nick, and yes, maybe there were some underlying feelings there. But cheating wouldn't be an issue because Andy was certain that Nick didn't feel the same way about her. Yes, he was kind to her and had accidentally kissed her the other morning, but none of that meant anything. Nick was a loyal, dependable guy that loved his girlfriend. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered.
Andy silenced her internal monologue and finished getting ready. It was her day off, but she had lots of errands to run after being away so long. Later that evening she was meeting all of her friends down at the Black Penny. They hadn't spent much time together since her return, and she was eager to catch up on everything that had happened while she was away.
Andy took another sip of her beer.
"Chris, you can't go to Timmons. It just won't be the same without you. Besides, how can you be the "face of Fifteen Division" if you aren't even at Fifteen Division?"
Chris playfully rolled his eyes. "I don't want to go, Andy, believe me. I just have to do what's best for my kid. He has to come first now. I'm really gonna miss you guys."
Dov chimed in. "Well, we better make this a night to remember, then. I'm going to order another round."
Andy noticed a member of their group was missing. "Where is Gail, anyway? I thought she was coming."
"I've been trying to get in touch with her all night," Traci said. "She hasn't been answering. I hope everything's okay."
Dov returned with five drinks.
"Well, that's just more for us," Chris exclaimed.
The four of them drank, talked, and laughed for hours. Andy was really enjoying herself. She felt very lucky to have such good friends- even if one of them was leaving.
She excused herself to visit the washroom, making her way through the crowded bar. A familiar heather grey t-shirt caught her eye. In a corner table all by himself sat none other than Nick Collins. Andy hadn't expected to see him at the Penny tonight. He had two empty glasses in front of him and a third in his hand. His eyes were cast downward; he didn't notice Andy studying him.
Concerned, she placed her hand on his shoulder. Startled, his eyes met hers. She could tell something was definitely wrong. She pulled a chair up close to him so they could talk more privately.
"Hey, what's going on?"
He debated whether or not he wanted to talk about it. He chugged the rest of his beer.
"Gail and I broke up."
Andy couldn't hide her surprise. "What? Why?"
"Things just weren't working anymore. She was mad at me all of the time. She held grudges for every single thing I ever did wrong. It's like she was constantly keeping score, and I was always losing. For a long time I put up with it because I love her and wanted to make it work. But lately, I don't know, I just couldn't allow it to keep happening, so I told her that. I thought if I was honest with her that we could work through it- maybe she could forgive me for everything in the past, and we could finally move forward."
Nick interrupted his story for a moment to order another beer.
"Apparently she didn't want to fix our relationship. She told me that I kept hurting her time after time, and she just couldn't get over it. She threw everything of mine she had into a box, shoved it toward me, and told me to get out."
Nick left out an important part of the story. Since their return, Gail had noticed Nick and Andy spending a lot of time together. She had asked if anything happened while they were undercover, and Nick assured her that it hadn't. Then she looked him straight in the eye and asked if he had feelings for Andy, and he couldn't lie. He told her that he might have some feelings for Andy, but that it didn't matter because he loved her. After his guilty admission, it didn't seem to matter what he said or how much he pleaded. Gail had completely shut down, and there was no going back.
Andy placed her hand on Nick's knee. "I'm so sorry. Maybe she'll think about it and realize what she's done. Maybe she'll want to make it work."
Nick shook his head. "No, I think this time it's really over. It sucks because I really care about her. But at the same time, I think a part of me is relieved. I'm so tired of disappointing her all of the time. Clearly, I can't make her happy." With that, Nick chugged the rest of his beer.
Andy gestured to the empty glass. "How many is that?"
Nick shrugged. "I lost count a long time ago."
She sighed. "Okay, I'll drive you home so you can sleep this off."
When they arrived at Nick's apartment, Andy removed the keys from the ignition. She opened her door, and the interior lights came on, waking him. By the time she made it to the passenger's side of Nick's car, he was already trying to get out.
"Hold on there, soldier. Let me help."
Nick rested his arm on Andy's shoulders as she helped him make it up the stairs. She fumbled with his keys until she found the right one and pushed the door open with her foot.
"Come on, not too much further," she coaxed him, as she tried to support his weight while steering him around the coffee table. "Let's just get you to your bed."
Finally, she thought to herself, as they reached his bedroom. He sat down clumsily on the bedside, and Andy seated herself next to him.
"Andy?" He looked up at her.
"Yeah?"
"Will you be my breakup buddy?"
They both started laughing. "Of course," she responded.
"I'll be right back." She stepped out for a minute, and Andy quickly returned with a glass of water and 2 aspirin. "You'll thank me in the morning." She placed her hand on his shoulder again, told him goodnight, and turned to leave.
He grabbed her hand. "Andy, please don't go," he pleaded with her.
She thought better of it, but he looked so pitiful that she couldn't force herself to tell him no. "Ok. I'll stay."
She crawled into the bed next to him, and they turned on the television. It was so late there wasn't much on, so they settled for infomercials. They lounged next to each other making fun of the awful products and actors.
Andy chuckled. "I can't believe this woman is that excited about a chair that slides back and forth."
"I know. I could've given her the crappy chair from our cover apartment that wobbled back and forth, and she would've gotten the same useless workout. It would've saved her money and the embarrassment of being on this ridiculous commercial," Nick offered.
Andy grabbed the remote in an attempt to change the channel, but Nick grabbed it back. "Hey, I like watching this woman! She's cute!"
Andy giggled. "Yeah, and I'm sure it wouldn't be distracting when you the two of you are having a romantic, candlelit dinner, and she's sliding back and forth on her "exercise chair" with a giant grin plastered on her face."
Nick countered, "That's just her way of keeping her figure. The exercise chair induced motion sickness ensures that she can't eat very much."
They continued to critique the advertisements until Nick eventually dozed off. Andy thought she should probably leave at that point, but she was so tired she couldn't stand the thought of having to go so far.
She turned the off the TV and looked over at Nick, his face partially illuminated from the streetlight streaming in through the blinds. He looked so peaceful. She hated to see him hurting from his breakup with Gail. She knew there were always two sides to any story, but she was angry with her friend for being so cold toward Nick. He was a great guy, and he deserved to be with someone who would really appreciate him for all that he had to offer.
She kissed him gently on the forehead and ran her hand through his hair. She really enjoyed being close to him like this. She turned to the side, and rested her head on the pillow. It wasn't long before she fell into a dark and dreamless sleep.
