This is a pretty long chapter but then quite a lot needs to happen. And remember, Sam and Andy's journey is a rollercoaster ride - there are going to be highs and lows! I hope you enjoy it. Reviews always welcome!
Andy woke up to the sound of Nick's gentle snoring. She rolled over and watched him as his nostrils flared and his chest rose then dropped. It still surprised her how easily she had gotten used to sleeping with Nick; she'd never actually slept with a guy without also having had sex with him, until now. She'd been uncomfortable about sleeping with guys even when she had had sex with them and it wasn't until Sam that she really felt completely relaxed about being in bed with someone all night.
But things had changed; she and Nick were in a weird situation, pretending to be married, and they just had to adapt.
When they'd first realised there was only one bed in their undercover apartment, Nick, being a true gentleman, immediately offered to take the couch. Andy insisted they take turns, and eventually she got her way. They did swap over each night for the first few weeks – one in the bed and the other on the sofa – until Travis Gordon turned up earlier than expected one morning for some one-on-one he'd arranged with Nick – or Peter, rather – and spotted the bedding on the sofa.
Nick had thought quickly, and sheepishly said he and Melissa had had a fight the night before, and he'd been kicked out of bed. Travis smiled knowingly, and seemed to accept the excuse.
That night, as they sat at the table eating dinner, Andy said, "We can't risk getting caught out again – we should both sleep in the bed."
Nick had nodded slowly. ""I guess. You know… let me reassure you that… I mean…. Uh, I'm not going to, uh…"
"You're not going to try any funny business. Is that what you're trying to say?" asked Andy, a bemused smile on her lips.
"Yep," said Nick.
"I won't try any either," she promised. "And it's a huge bed, I'm sure there won't be any problems."
She was right, there was plenty of room for both of them. And the fact that Nick worked until 1 or 2am five nights out of every seven made it easier – Andy was in bed asleep by the time he got home, and she usually left him sleeping when she got up around 7am. It was only on Nick's days off that things were sometimes a little awkward, but they'd somehow managed to ignore that.
It might not have worked so well if he'd been a heavy snorer but fortunately he only snored occasionally and when he did, it was light. Like now.
As she watched him Andy thought, not for the first time, that he really was a good-looking guy. And a really nice one. If it wasn't for the fact that she was still hung up on Sam, and that Nick had strong feelings for Gail, even though he was convinced she would never talk to him again for leaving her to go undercover, and had probably moved on to someone else… well, if it wasn't for that, things might well be very different.
She wasn't sure if she'd sighed rather loudly at this thought, or maybe Nick had sensed her staring. Whatever the reason, his eyes suddenly snapped open and he was looking at her.
"Mmmm, good morning," he mumbled. "You OK?"
"Uh huh." They hadn't spoken last night when he came in – she had pretended to be asleep because if they'd started a conversation she might just have been tempted to tell him about Boo and Sam. Now as they lay on their sides, facing each other across the roomy bed, she was confident she could keep her news to herself.
"How'd it go at Travis and Charlotte's?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Not good. I didn't realise they've got security cameras all over the place. Decided it was not a good idea to go snooping."
"No, it wouldn't be." He yawned. "There has to be some other way of getting to that damned laptop."
"Maybe you might have to seduce Barbara so she'll let you look at it sometime when Travis is out."
She grinned at him. Travis's PA Barbara was about 60 and looked like Mickey Rooney.
"Yeah right," he smiled back at her.
"I wish I could get to it somehow," she said. "I wish I could do something useful. I feel like I'm not making any difference at all."
"I know, but Andy, you never know what might happen, what Charlotte might say…"
"Charlotte's never said anything remotely connected with Travis's business. She's not interested. As long as he makes plenty of money to keep her in the lifestyle she enjoys, she doesn't care. I don't even know why I'm here – she's not going to tell me anything useful," Andy grumbled.
"You don't know that. "
"I do. I feel like I'm wasting everyone's time, including my own. Maybe I should ask Eric to pull me off the operation."
"No!" Nick looked stricken. "You can't go and leave me. I need you."
She smiled back at him. "Ahh, that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me in months."
She pushed her hair out of her eyes. "It's OK Nick, I won't leave you. We're in this thing together. But I wish something would happen. I'm sick of hanging out with Charlotte and her devil offspring."
Nick laughed. "That's what's so great about you – you say what you mean. Hang in there Andy, I'm sure something will work out."
She sighed and rolled onto her back. "It better had, or I'm going to go crazy."
Half an hour in Charlotte's company and Andy felt like tearing her hair out. The woman had bitched and moaned about everything and anything since she'd collected Andy after dropping her kids at school, hardly pausing for breath or to let Andy get a word in edgewise as they drove to the gym. It wasn't until she'd deposited Ryan at the crèche and was getting changed in the locker room that she started to cheer up.
Charlotte had a session with her trainer, Jean-Claude, so Andy did a boxing class on her own. It was a relief to be rid of Charlotte and as she threw her first punches in the warm-up she imagined her knuckles connecting with Charlotte's face.
Then after a while she found herself remembering the time she had laced up a pair of gloves and lashed out at Sam. She couldn't help smiling as she thought of that session after they'd been quarantined all night in the barn, so long ago. He had instinctively known that she needed a physical outlet for all her pent-up frustration following her split from Luke. Boxing had felt like the last thing she wanted to do, but with Sam's encouragement she'd given it a go. And it made her feel so much better. But it wasn't just venting her frustrations by hitting him that improved her mood, it was the way he smiled at her, and teased her as they sparred. It was knowing that he cared.
Now she smiled her way through the whole class, thinking about Sam, and was still grinning in the shower, remembering other moments between them when attraction between them had been so intense. Like the time she got shot at the concert and he marched her behind the trailer. The way he'd pushed her up against the wall and brushed her hair off her face… he'd have kissed her if she hadn't gone and spotted the kid holding the gun.
But her good mood evaporated when she was getting dressed and saw Charlotte striding across the changing room towards her.
"Hey Mel, I am going to have some extra sessions with Jean-Claude in the afternoons to work on my abs and glutes, so I'll need you to get the kids from school and take them to the afterschool programme on your own. OK?"
No please or thank you, Andy noticed.
"You can take my truck, and then after JC and I are finished I'll get a cab over to the community centre to meet up with you. I'm starting today," said Charlotte, grabbing her towel and heading for the showers. "Hey, can you get Ryan from the crèche?"
"Sure," said Andy, picking up her gym bag and leaving the room so she didn't have to be around Charlotte any longer than necessary She made her way to the crèche, fuming about how rude Charlotte was, just expecting her to follow her barked-out orders because she was paying her a tiny amount of money to help out. Then it dawned on her that actually this was a good thing.
It meant she got a break from Charlotte in the afternoons while she had her extra sessions. It could also mean she might be able to go running with Ethan and Boo, now that she had no running partner. It would be nice to spend more time with the kid, and her dog. Yes, this could be a very good thing.
Five minutes later she had enticed Ryan away from the slide, signed him out of crèche and was waiting for Charlotte in the lobby when she spotted the other woman walking down the corridor with Jean-Claude, chatting animatedly to the muscly trainer.
There was something about the way Charlotte was walking very close to the personal trainer that grabbed Andy's attention. They stopped just before entering the lobby, and Charlotte turned to Jean-Claude and looked up at him. She brushed one of her hands through her hair, still a little wet from the shower, and put the other on Jean-Claude's chest.
OK, thought Andy. Extra sessions, huh? Well, it looked like they were planning on getting hot and sweaty together but not in the gym. Charlotte slid even lower in her estimation. The sooner this op was over, the better.
The smile on Ethan's face was the best thing Andy had seen all day.
"I'd love to run with you," he said. "Is your friend not coming at all in the afternoons now?"
"She'll still be here two or three times a week, I think," said Andy. "It just depends on how many extra, umm, sessions she needs with her personal trainer. But in the meantime, it will be good to run with you… and Boo, of course."
"No problem," grinned Ethan. "For me or Boo – look how pleased she was to see you." It was true, Boo was only just starting to calm down now, a full five minutes after Andy had gone up to her and Ethan outside the community centre.
They kept chatting to a minimum as they headed off on three laps around the park. When they finished Andy checked her watch – still another hour until Charlotte's kids were finished their classes.
"Where are you off to now?" she asked Ethan.
"I've got homework to do – Claire lets me use one of the offices. Hey, do you know anything about anatomy?"
"Uh, not really," said Andy. "I know how many bones there are in the human body, but not much else. But I can try to help if you want."
"Cool, thanks Mel," grinned Ethan.
"Call me Melissa if you like," said Andy. Only Charlotte called her Mel, she much preferred the full version of the name she'd been given for the op.
"OK Melissa, " said Ethan. "Follow me."
They got into a bit of a routine after that. In the days that Charlotte saw Jean-Claude, Andy and Ethan ran around the park, accompanied by Boo, and then went to the office Ethan was allowed to use. Andy helped him with his homework where she could but he was a pretty bright kid, he didn't always need any assistance. Claire had set him up to log on to one of the computers in the office, and when he'd finished he'd put his work on a memory stick to take home. Claire would quite often pop in to say hello and chat to them. Andy didn't see too much of Ethan's mom Stephanie, because Stephanie was teaching and then in her class tidying up while Andy was collecting all the Gordon kids, but when she did they exchanged a few pleasantries.
Stephanie was a petite and pretty woman with bright blue eyes and an easy smile. She was instantly likeable, and that worried Andy – did Sam like her, by any chance? As in, like her?
She tried not to pump Ethan for information, but she had managed to learn that he was Sam's new neighbour and Sam had hired him to take Boo for runs in the afternoon because if she didn't burn off some energy, she'd trash the house. She could just imagine how well that would go down with Sam.
One Friday afternoon Ethan had done all his homework so Andy took him to the café next door for a hot chocolate and an apple flip, and it was there that he told her more about his friendship with Sam.
"He's so cool, Boo's owner Sam. Did I tell you he's a cop?"
"Ah no, really?" said Andy, trying to look as if the information came as a surprise. "Is he tough?"
"Kinda," said Ethan. "I can see why bad guys would get scared of him. He can be kinda gruff, you know what I mean? But he can be a real softie too. You should see him around Boo – when he's not shouting at her for misbehaving, he's pretty soppy with her."
Andy tried to hide a smile. She could imagine that. She looked at the dog, who was quietly sitting alongside their outdoor table. She leaned over to stroke Boo and pictured Sam doing the same thing. In a couple of hour's time, his hand would most likely be where hers was now, skimming over Boo's soft fur. And he would have no idea.
"So Sam's a patrol officer, huh?" she said.
"Nah, he's a detective," said Ethan. "Well almost a detective. He's still training."
Andy nearly choked on her apple flip.
"Really?" There was no need to fake looking surprised this time.
"Yep. He has to work really hard studying but he's doing well in his exams so far."
My God. Sam, a detective. He was the archetypal street cop – it was hard to imagine him out of uniform and investigating cases in more depth. But thinking about it, he'd be good. He was smart, persistent, thorough, a good lateral thinker. He'd make a great detective, she had no doubt.
"Sometimes he gets really tired, with working long hours and studying so he comes over to our place for dinner. The other week, he fell asleep on the sofa while we were watching Spiderman. Mom says he works too hard."
Hmmm. That was just a bit cosy for her liking, Sam having dinner with Ethan and Stephanie, watching movies and falling asleep on the sofa. It could all be completely innocent, but still…
As much as she wanted to know more about Sam and what was happening in his life, she had to bite her tongue in case Ethan became suspicious of why his new running companion was so interested in his neighbour. She had to wait for him to volunteer information, but when it came it was like being handed a precious jewel. Everything Ethan told her about Sam, from how he'd enlisted Ethan's help to fix his gate (at last, that thing had been broken for forever) to how Sam had gone to St Catharine's to spend the weekend with his sister, made her feel closer to him and helped to ease the ache she felt at missing him. A little, at least.
"So, have you got your dress ready for the party tonight?" asked Charlotte as they ate lunch the following Friday.
"Uh-huh," Andy nodded. The last thing she felt like doing was going to the party Charlotte and Travis were holding to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. For a start, Charlotte was still getting on her nerves. Plus it was hypocritical that Charlotte should be pretending to be happily married when she was screwing her personal trainer three times a week.
But Nick had told her Travis had said something about getting together with his supplier, so perhaps he had invited the guy to the party. This could be a chance to try to crack the investigation. She certainly hoped so.
The invitation said formal dress, so Andy had bought a figure-hugging black cocktail dress with silver trim around the neckline and waist. Charlotte had been going on about how they'd hired a jazz band and a catering company, and chosen a menu with the most expensive hors d'oeuvres. There would be waiters serving the food and champagne, of course.
"It's going to be very upmarket," boasted Charlotte. "It's just a shame Travis has gone and invited so many employees. I hope all those army losers he's got selling his stuff don't embarrass us in front of our other guests."
Now Andy really wanted to smack her. Not just because "army losers selling his stuff" referred to Melissa's husband Peter, but because from what Nick said, a lot of the guys Travis had recruited to work for him had been through really tough times in Afghanistan, and were only dealing drugs because they'd had difficulty adjusting to civilian life after returning home.
Travis had taken advantage of them and preyed on their vulnerabilities. He paid them well and created an atmosphere of camaraderie that reminded them of their army days. He offered them plenty of free drugs, so that some of them ended up addicted themselves. They felt an intense loyalty, and if ever they were arrested, they would never inform on him – other than Matt Nicholls, that was, but of course Travis knew nothing about that.
Andy thought about the network of "losers" who had funded Charlotte's lavish lifestyle by doing Travis's dirty work for him, and it renewed her determination to make a success of this case. They might not be able to pin anything on Charlotte, but if Travis was arrested and jailed then his wife would be in for a rude awakening when her privileged life went down the toilet, and Andy would like to see that.
"I'm having another session with JC today," said Charlotte, her words cutting through Andy's thoughts. "You can sort out the kids, right?"
"Sure," said Andy, gritting her teeth. "It would be my pleasure."
"Wow, you're running really fast today," puffed Ethan as they completed their third and final lap of the park.
"I'm sorry," said Andy. "I'm in a bad mood. Running fast helps."
"Remind me never to make you angry," said Ethan, standing with his hands on his hips as he tried to regain his breath. Even Boo was panting much more heavily than usual.
"Sorry, was that too much?"
"Nah, I need to up my training," said Ethan. "We've got a track meet next week and I want to finish in the top three."
They walked through the entrance of the park and across the car park towards the community centre.
"You got any homework to do?" asked Andy.
"Nope, done it all."
"Apple flip?"
"Yep."
Ten minutes later they were sitting at a table outside the café next to the community centre, Boo at their feet. Andy was feeling a little less grumpy – the run had really helped and Ethan's chatter was a pick-me-up too. He was a nice kid.
"Hey guess what – I'm going to be able to catch up with my old friends in Hamilton in July."
"That great Ethan," said Andy, looking down as she skimmed the foam off her coffee with a spoon. "You going back for a visit?"
"Yep. I'm going to go and see my friend Jack while Mom and Sam go to a concert."
"What?" Andy's head shot up.
"Yeah, they're going to see some band together and they're on at Copps Coliseum. So we get to go to Hamilton."
Andy tried to keep her voice normal. How many times had she asked Sam to go to concerts with her? He'd refused every time. "What band?"
"Umm, I think they're called Hurry or something. Nah, Rush."
Andy let out the breath she realised she'd been holding. OK, so Rush was one of Sam's favourite bands. He'd be really keen to see them. She supposed she wasn't surprised when he'd refused her suggestions to see One Republic, Maroon Five and Taylor Swift.
"That's great," said Andy. She hesitated, and then even though she knew she shouldn't, she asked Ethan the question she didn't really want an answer to.
"So, it sounds like your mom and Sam get on well. Are they dating?"
"Well…" Ethan finished chewing a mouthful of apple flip. "They're not dating, like going out for dinner or anything. But…"
He looked at her conspiratorially. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Sure," said Andy, suddenly aware of her heart thudding in her ears.
"I think Mom and Sam really like each other like… well, like boyfriend and girlfriend, and they're just trying to hide it from me. I think they've been talking about Sam being my dad – well, my stepdad one day."
"Wow," said Andy, her throat suddenly so dry she could barely get the words out. "That's ah, that's cool."
"I so hope they do get married. Sam is just the greatest guy."
"Uh, I'm sure he is," said Andy. Now she felt sick.
"He's coming over to dinner tonight," said Ethan. "He really loves my mom's lasagna. Hey Melissa, do you think I should say that I know what's going on between them? Maybe it might hurry things along. Or should I just let it be?"
How the hell was she meant to answer that?
'Uh, Ethan, maybe you should just let things proceed at their natural pace. I believe the universe has a plan for us all, and if it wants your mom and Sam to get together, then they will." She hoped her voice sounded normal to Ethan – to her it sounded like she was being strangled.
He looked at her like he was puzzled by her words. "Yeah, maybe. But wouldn't it be great? I know you don't know Sam Melissa, but he's such a really cool guy. I would be so happy if he was my dad."
"I'm sure you would be," said Andy. She tried to smile but it was tricky when her heart was crumbling into tiny pieces.
"Hey Melissa, don't you think you should take it easy?" asked Nick, watching her with a look of concern as she downed yet another glass of champagne. "That's your third one."
"I'm good, thanks Peter," snapped Andy, draining the champagne flute and handing it to a passing waiter. "Never been better."
They were standing on the terrace of Travis and Charlotte's home, where the party was in full swing. Andy knew getting drunk was a huge mistake, that it was utterly unprofessional and if she said or did something that blew the whole case she would lose her job. But she couldn't help it, she wanted to get wasted. She had lost Sam, and now she just wanted to drink herself into oblivion.
"Melissa, I think maybe we should go home, and you can tell me what the hell is wrong with you," Nick said, lowering his voice.
"No thanks Peter, let's stay and have a good time. Oh look, here comes your boss, the delightful Travis Gordon."
She watched as Travis walked toward them, flanked by two men she'd never seen before. But as they got closer, she took a better look at the big muscle-bound, completely bald man on Travis's right, and froze. She had seen him before – but where? The alcohol was making her thinking fuzzy, and it wasn't until the guy was standing in front of her that she remembered where.
Shit. He used to work for Anton Hill, and he had been in the bar that day she and Sam had rescued Emily Starling. She held her breath as she saw him looking at her. Please don't recognize me, she prayed silently. It had been a few years ago, and she did look very different now, in a slinky dress instead of a uniform and with her hair loose rather than tied back. Also, she realised, the sleazebag was looking at her breasts and not her face.
"Hello Melissa, you are looking stunning this evening," smiled Travis. "Have you met my associates? This is Aaron," he said nodding towards the guy on his left, "and Greg."
Greg raised his gaze from her chest to her face and their eyes connected for a moment. Andy held her breath, then broke into a big smile. She hadn't been smiling last time she saw Greg, hopefully he wouldn't recognize her if she was smiling now.
"Hey guys, nice to meet you," she said as brightly as she could.
"Greg and Aaron handle my personal security and, ah, enforcement requirements," grinned Travis. Now the penny dropped – Nick had talked to her about the two heavies Travis had employed to inflict pain on people when he deemed it necessary.
"Now Peter," Travis said, turning to Nick, "you need to talk to Greg and Aaron about that spot of trouble you had with one of our dealers the other night. Let them know all the details and they'll remedy the problem."
Andy recalled Nick telling her how one of the dealers had come up short with cash, claiming one of his clients must have somehow shortchanged him. Travis obviously didn't believe the guy, and thought he'd taken the money himself.
"Why don't you find a quiet spot to discuss the situation so Greg and Aaron can take care of things tomorrow? In the meantime, I'll keep your lovely wife occupied."
Andy could see the concern in Nick's eyes when they met hers, but there was nothing he could do. She watched him as he followed the two enforcers towards the house, then turned back to Travis, who was now standing uncomfortably close to her.
"You are a truly beautiful woman Melissa," said Travis, his cold blue eyes glinting as he looked at her. "I hope Peter appreciates you."
He reached out, and ran his finger from her shoulder all the way down her arm to her wrist. "I hope he keeps you…" he paused, sliding his finger into her palm and stroking it, "satisfied."
"Oh he does," said Andy, her voice unnaturally cheerful. She wanted to pull away from him and sock him in the face. The scumbag was hitting on her, at his party to celebrate his wedding anniversary. So his wife was having an affair – obviously he didn't take his wedding vows too seriously either. And he thought nothing of hitting on another man's wife. What a bastard.
She was aware that she was becoming a little befuddled with alcohol, but she wasn't so far gone that she was going to lose it with Travis – as much as she wanted to. She managed to retort, "He satisfies me several times a day actually."
Travis's eyebrows shot up. "Well, good for him," he drawled smoothly. "But let me just say, if you ever find it is not enough, don't hesitate to come and see me."
He removed his finger from her hand, put it to his mouth, and sucked the tip. It took Andy all her self control not to knee him in the groin and hopefully incapacitate him for life. No more satisfying anybody for you, sleazeball.
"I'll bear that in mind," she said. She looked over his shoulder and thankfully spotted Charlotte. "Oh look, here comes your lovely wife."
Travis smiled at her. "Well, I should go and see what she wants. Please excuse me."
Andy let out a huge sigh of relief as he walked away from her. She felt dirty, like she needed to scrub herself in the shower. She hoped Nick would hurry up and come back to her. Now she did want to go home. She'd had enough.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a waiter walk behind her and she spun around.
"Good timing," she said, reaching for another glass of champagne. "That's just what I need."
Andy was fuming. Nick seemed to take forever with Greg and Aaron, and on top of being so upset over Sam still, she was so disgusted by her encounter with Travis that she took a couple more glasses of champagne from passing waiters and knocked them back. She wasn't used to drinking bubbles and they went straight to her head.
By the time Nick finally came back she was feeling pretty dizzy.
"Where've you been?" she demanded. "How could you leave me with Travis? He hit on me."
"Really?"
"Yes really. I want to go."
"I can't leave," he said. "I've just been introduced to this guy I think could be the supplier. He's South American, and supposedly in the freight business but I think it could be our guy. I need to go back and rejoin the conversation that's going on with him, but I wanted to make sure you're ok. Maybe you should go home now, without me."
"No way," she spluttered. "I'm not leaving you on your own. What if something happened?"
"It won't. Look I'm worried. Something is obviously troubling you. I don't think you should be here."
"Well, I'm not going without you, and if you're staying so am I."
"I really need to do this. There's a very good chance he is the supplier."
"OK then, let's go talk to him."
"Are you sure you're up to this? You seem pretty drunk."
"I'm good. Let's go."
How she got through the next couple of hours she didn't know. Somehow they ended up in the games room with a bunch of party guests, including the South American guy, Ricardo, talking around the bar and downing shots.
Andy had been trying to take it easy on the tequila but she had succumbed to pressure from the others and downed a few. Nick had also had quite a few, and she noticed he was slurring his words a little. But he seemed to be hitting it off with Ricardo and as addled as her brain was with alcohol, she knew things were going well.
Eventually they had managed to leave, and as they stumbled out of the cab and up to their apartment Andy realised she was completely trashed. God, she hoped she hadn't said anything she shouldn't.
"I'm very drunk," she said to Nick as she tried to clean her teeth. "I'm having trouble stringing a severance together. I mean slinging a sentence forever. Together…. Oh shit."
"I'm not surprised Andy," he said. "You consumed a huge amount of alcohol beverlies tonight.. I mean beverages. Oh shit, me too. How the hell did this happen?"
"The pressure is getting to us," she said, stumbling into the bedroom. "This is soooo hard, all this pretending. I want to stop pretending. I want something to be real. I want my wife back. Oh fuck it, I mean my life."
She kicked off her shoes, and without thinking, she yanked on the zip of her dress, which then slid down her body into a pile around her ankles so that she was stood in front of Nick in just her bra and panties.
"I think my life as I knew it is gone," mumbled Nick, pulling off his clothes. "Gail will be so angry with me for walking out on her a second time she'll never have me back. I've completely fucked that up."
"We've both fucked up," she said, pulling back the duvet and crawling into bed. Sam didn't want her. He'd found someone else.
All of a sudden she was sobbing, letting out the emotions she'd kept bottled up since Ethan told her about his mom and Sam. "I miss Sam," she wailed. "I want him back."
"Hey, hey, don't cry," said Nick, sliding into bed next to her. "Don't, Andy. Please don't cry."
And the next thing she knew he had reached for her and she was in his arms bawling her eyes out. She pressed her face into his bare chest as she wailed, and was aware of his thigh pressing against hers. Feeling his hard body against hers only reminded her what she was missing and she cried even harder. She longed to be with Sam again, for him to hold her in his arms, to kiss her with that lovely soft mouth of his. Oh God, Sam was such a good kisser. She missed that so much, and the other things he did to her with his mouth. And the way he made her feel when he touched her all over… Oh God, she wanted him with every cell in her body.
"Shush," Nick was saying. "It'll be OK. It will."
One of his hands was on her back, stroking her to try and comfort her, and it felt good. And she knew it was wrong, that this was Nick and not Sam, but all she could think about was being held and kissed and loved, and she lifted her head from Nick's chest and she leaned forward and before she could stop herself, she pressed her lips against his.
And he kissed her back.
A/N: OK, so Andy and Sam's future together just hit a low point on the rollercoaster ride that is their fate. But surely that means the only way is up, right? Don't give up on them… I haven't. This story is not finished yet!
