A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews! I know some of you are not too happy with me right now, but, the story is labeled with "angst" for a reason. Rest assured, though, I am 10000% pro McSwarek, so bear with me!

*A special shout out to Mamaverd again! She has been my quiet rock for this story, always offering me someone to lean on when I start to struggle.

I am also going to give a shout out to Nathy3 for this one. She just came across the story today, and reviewed each chapter with such enthusiasm, that I had to push forward to get this one out today!

Disclaimer – I don't own Rookie Blue.

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When Sam made it back to his place, he threw all of the stuff he had gathered from Andy's on the couch, and collapsed on top of it. He was mad. Mad at her, mad at himself, mad at the situation, overall. He ran his hands roughly over his face and through his hair before interlacing his hands behind his head as a cradle, and stared absently up at the stark white ceiling. He wasn't sure how long he laid like that, but he was pulled from his thoughts when his phone beeped with a new text message.

Where are you brother?

Sam glanced over at the clock. Shit, the poker game! He briefly considered blowing it off, but then remembered that he had been the one to invite Frank and he also wanted to tell his friends about his new job in person. More than that, he thought that he could sure as hell use a good drink and a night of fun right about then. He responded to his friend's text.

I'll be there in 15.

He got up, grabbed one of the shirts he was just laying on, quickly exchanged it with the one he wore all day, and ran over to the sink and doused his face with cold water before gabbing his keys and making his way to the Shaw's house.

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Andy thanked Jerry for the ride and made her way upstairs to her condo. The second she walked through the door, she could tell something was amiss, but couldn't put her finger on exactly what that was. She threw her keys absently on the side table, and that gnawing feeling in her gut resurfaced as she took a moment to look around. When she was satisfied that nothing seemed out of place, she made her way to the bedroom area to change. She pulled off her shirt, and blindly grabbed at the back of the bathroom door for her favorite sleep shirt, Sam's favorite black tee shirt, which always hung there. When her hand came up empty, she peered behind the door to notice it was gone. Confused, she went to his drawer to look for a different one, only to find it empty. Dizziness engulfed her head, and she frantically started to search the other drawers, the laundry, the bathroom, looking for anything that was his. When her search came up empty, she collapsed on the floor in a haze of dizziness, panic, nausea, and guilt, barely realizing that she was struggling to breathe. What an asshole, she thought, but wasn't sure if she was referring to Sam or herself before she decided on the latter. She let herself cry again, while gasping for breath and running her hands roughly through her long dark hair, fighting the urge to rip half of it out of her head with frustration. She stayed like that for a while, until she decided to take some action. She got up, splashed her face with cold water, rinsed out her mouth and headed for the door, grabbing for her keys. When she picked them up, she noticed a single key lying on the table. It was Sam's. She opened the door, and barely remembered to re-lock it as she took off in great haste towards his place.

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Upon entering the Shaw's house without even knocking, Sam saw Jerry sitting alone at the poker table, shuffling the cards, while Frank and Oliver were in the kitchen making drinks and gathering snacks.

Sam took a seat next to Jerry and quietly and abruptly asked, "Is she still there?"

Jerry shook his head "No, I dropped her off on my way here"

"Good, thanks" Sam said quickly as he took notice of the other two men entering the room.

It seemed odd, but he knew why he was thanking Jerry. He still loved her, always had and probably always would. Of course he cared about her, and if she got home safe – worrying about Andy and keeping her safe had literally been his job for the better part of two and a half years.

"Glad you finally decided to join us, brother" Oliver quipped, "What; McNally wouldn't let you out of bed or something?"

Sam forced a fake half smile and sent Jerry a pointed glare that told him in no uncertain terms to keep his mouth shut.

"Or something" Sam replied, "Are we going to play or what? I need to make some money!"

The four friends laughed and Frank interjected, "Well you'll be making a lot more of it soon enough."

Sam was actually grateful that Frank gave him an opening to tell his friends about his new position.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Oliver said to Sam, half confused and half concerned.

While Jerry just sat there with a confused look on his face, Sam took another long swig of his scotch before answering.

"You're looking at Boyd's replacement" Sam replied, simply, before beaming a dimpled grin.

Congratulations were shot all around, before Frank told the story in more detail for the others. They clinked glasses and toasted to Sam and to his new opportunity. The men played for at least another hour, making idle chit-chat and good natured ribbing about the game.

Frank finally declared that the next hand would be his last, telling the others he didn't want to leave Noelle for too long, and making a joke about not knowing what kind of mood he'd find her in due to the pregnancy hormones.

"How is she – how are they doing, by the way?" Oliver asked.

"She's doing great, and the twins are growing well. They should be here in another month or two" Frank beamed "We will have the wedding a few months after they arrive. She wanted to wait – something about being fat" Frank laughed, shaking his head.

"That's great, man" Jerry offered. Sam nodded in agreement.

"Ahhh, and then there were two" Oliver joked, motioning between Sam and Jerry.

"Don't be so sure of that, my man" Jerry said with a Cheshire grin across his face. He addressed the gaping mouths and widened eyes that stared at him, "I've had the ring for a few weeks now- I'm just waiting for the perfect time."

"I knew it!" Oliver exclaimed, "I knew it since you sold your sports car! Congrats!"

"Uh-oh, looks like the pressure is on Sammy now - You'd better step it up" Best joked, while rising from the table.

"Yeah, great advice, thanks" Sam retorted dryly, while extending his hand to shake for his almost former boss, who was quickly making his exit.

The look on his face made the other two men at the table think better of pressing the issue any further. They continued to play their game of poker and knock back drinks, Sam downing them a bit more quickly than the others. Sam stayed quiet as Oliver and Jerry laughed and joked over things that seemed inane to him at the moment. When the game ended, Sam went to get up from his chair, but stumbled while doing so. Oliver decided that Sam had way too much to drink that night to drive, and insisted that his friend sleep on the couch that night. Sam was reluctant to agree, spoke nonsensically about a cab, but finally gave in to Oliver. He was totally spent from the emotional past two days, was way past drunk, and completely exhausted from the lack of sleep the previous night. He crashed on the couch immediately, and drifted off into a near comatose, drunken sleep.

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Andy sat on Sam's couch lost in her thoughts for nearly two hours. She was starting to think that maybe he had gone to the Penny, just before her brain snapped back into place, and she remembered the poker night that the boys had planned a week or so before. Even if he did make his way back, she knew he would have been drinking, and too tired to really talk. Knowing how long those games had usually run, she dejectedly decided to head back to her place. She took a long look around his house and thought of taking her things with her, just as he did. After a few minutes of contemplating the action, she thought better of it. Not only did she not want to take her things back – in her opinion they all sat just where they belonged- she also did not want Sam to even know that she had been there, waiting around for him like a hopeless fool. She sighed deeply and audibly, and made her way towards the door, before something caught her eye. She grabbed up the tee shirt that he had discarded on the floor earlier, brought it to her nose and took in a deep whiff of him. She placed it in her bag and headed back to the condo. When she arrived home, she quickly discarded her clothes, took a long hot shower, and settled into her bed, wearing only a pair of panties and Sam's stolen tee shirt. She squirmed around in order to find a comfortable spot, when she felt something hard and cold against her leg – her cell phone. Ah, that is where it had been all day. She checked it to see two missed calls from Sam, and another missed call from Traci; neither one had left a voicemail. She contemplated calling Sam back, but noted the time. Tomorrow, she would talk to him tomorrow. She buried her face in his shirt, deeply inhaling his scent, before drifting off to sleep, dreaming of his arms wrapped securely around her.

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Sam was woken up early to the sound of giggling little girls, whose voices were way too loud for anytime before noon, and the feeling of boney fingers poking into his arms and chest.

"Hi, Uncle Sammy! Did you sleep here? Why? Are you awake? Do you want to play? Helllloooo?" the three girls fired questions in unison at him, before his eyes could even fully make it open.

"Hi girls – just resting" he grumbled, while sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey, Sammy, you're up. Coffee is ready in the kitchen, but I think you had better get moving man. Don't you have that meeting today?" Oliver spoke as he emerged from the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah…" Sam shook his head a few times in an attempt to clear the cobwebs.

He made his way into the kitchen, poured a large cup of coffee and swallowed it, along with a few aspirin, in nearly two big gulps. He thanked his friend again, and tousled the girls' hair before heading home to shower and change into his formal dress uniform, complete with hat, for the meeting at headquarters.

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Andy awoke with immediate thoughts of Sam. She had decided the night before that this was going to be the day she got him back. They had the whole day to make up before returning to work the next day, she thought. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand where it charged, and dialed him without hesitation. Voicemail, again, damnit! She groaned agitatedly and thought to herself, Ok, either he has me on permanent ignore, or he lost the fricken thing. She quickly showered and changed, forgoing her required cup of morning coffee, and practically jogged over to Sam's house. When there was no answer, and she noticed that is truck was no where in sight, she headed down the block to grab a cup of coffee. She decided to drink it outside on his stoop and wait for him, in the warm summer sun; All of a sudden, she felt awkward about letting herself in with the key. Three cups of coffee, and four and a half hours later, she decided to give up. She figured that she was probably only going to make an ass out of herself, anyway. She headed for the local gym, and was glad to find that she had made it just in time for a weekly kickboxing class. As she tried to work out her frustrations in that gym, they only seemed to grow stronger, as the memories of the last time she boxed – with him – invaded her every thought. As she walked back to her condo, mentally and physically exhausted, she cursed the long weekend. She again decided, Tomorrow, I will work it out with him tomorrow. She vowed to do paperwork for whomever his partner was for that day for a year, if she could trap him in a squad car long enough to get this sorted out. Tomorrow.

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The meeting at headquarters took a lot longer than he expected, but had also gone surprisingly well. The official promotion with Superintendent Peck was slightly ceremonious, and he found himself secretly hoping that Andy could have been there to see it, to share it with him. Even if you had bothered to tell her, she wouldn't be allowed to go in. However, he was also told that his new duties were to begin immediately, and he was to report to Guns and Gangs at the start of his next shift – tomorrow. He drove straight from headquarters to 15 Division in order to clear out his locker and say some goodbye's to the other officers he had known over the years. Although he desperately wanted to go home and change first, he knew that there were spare clothes in his locker, and he just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible, so that he could try and salvage the rest of his day. Sam spent nearly two hours down at the station and was eager to head out, but was guilted into a few "last rounds" at the Penny with a few of the officers that he had ran into while making parting gestures. By 9pm, Sam was exhausted and was finally able to depart the Penny without anyone else imploring him to stay. He drove to Andy's condo and was tempted to go upstairs, to tell her he was sorry, to put an end to the whole mess the past few days had become, but when he got there he noticed that all of the lights were out. The dark windows made him believe that she wasn't home, so he continued on his way back to his place. Tomorrow, they would work this all out tomorrow.

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A/N – This was the longest chapter so far. This chapter proved to be a bit of a struggle for me – I hate them apart as much as you do! I am not really sure how I feel about it, but it was a necessary evil. Please review.