A/N: Okay, I know some other authors had a problem with a guest reviewer as well and I have to admit that it's getting a little old. Every chapter of every story someone leaves a guest review where they bash Andy. According to this guest Sam is some kind of saint that is way too good for Andy and Andy can't do anything right.
If you don't like a character, don't read a story that is about that character. And if you don't like a pairing, definitely don't read stories that are about that pairing. This site has the option to filter out characters and pairings, I suggest you go use it.
Or even better, write a story where you partner Sam with whoever you want. That's the beauty about writing, you can do anything you want with the characters.
Thanks to all the people who keep reviewing and alerting. Your kind reviews make my day and I can even appreciate constructive criticism. Without anymore drama, here's the next chapter.
XX
That night Sam was woken when he heard Andy scream. He immediately grabbed his gun and ran towards her bedroom. He went in with his gun raised, but when he entered he only saw Andy. She was trashing in her bed and was obviously having a nightmare.
Sam sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. He made his way towards Andy's bed. He gently laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. ''McNally,'' he said. ''McNally, wake up,'' he said a little more forceful when she didn't respond.
Andy gulped for air and forced herself in a sitting position. She was breathing heavily and shook her head a few times. Sam put the safety pin on the gun and laid it down on the nightstand.
''You're okay,'' Sam told her. ''You're safe, it was just a nightmare.''
Andy didn't respond, but just stared at the wall. Her eyes were big and even though it was quite dark, Sam could see the fear in them. ''You're okay,'' he said again. ''We're here together, just the two of us. Nobody is going to hurt you.''
For a moment Sam wondered if he should be touching her. She was obviously reliving what happened at her room and he didn't want his touch to lead to any more flashbacks. When he tried to retrieve his hand Andy grabbed it in hers though.
''Don't leave,'' she begged.
Slowly Sam sat down on the bed next to her. ''I'm not leaving,'' he promised. ''Just breathe slowly. In through your nose, out through your mouth.''
It took Andy a few minutes, but she calmed relatively fast. ''I'm sorry,'' she apologized.
''Don't be,'' Sam warned her. ''You've had quite the day, it's normal you're upset.''
''I know we're not supposed to have any contact with the outside world,'' Andy said. ''But can we call someone tomorrow and see how that guy is doing?''
Even though Andy wasn't looking at him Sam shook his head. ''McNally, you did what you had to do to protect yourself. What you did was really brave.''
''He can die because of me,'' Andy interrupted him. ''He probably has family, friends and I could have taken him away from them.''
''What did your dad tell you about him?'' Sam wondered.
Andy shrugged and pulled the comforter over herself and Sam. ''He said he works for a guy named Kite or something like that. Apparently he is one of the biggest criminals that are active in the city at the moment.''
''Right,'' Sam sighed as he put his feet on the bed as well. He was leaning against the headboard now while looking at Andy. ''And the guy that came after you works for him. I looked at his file before we got here. He's a suspect in three murder cases. And next to that he's also a suspect for human trafficking. He's not some innocent boy whose life you almost ruined. He got what he deserved.''
Andy stayed silent for a moment while she processed what Sam told her. ''My dad didn't tell me that.''
''He probably had a lot of other things to worry about,'' Sam defended Tommy. ''I get that you're upset about everything, but you really did the only thing you could do.''
''I just don't get it,'' Andy went on. ''Why didn't he kill me straight away. Putting a bullet in my brain is much more effective than trying to strangle me. He gave me the chance to fight him..''
''Don't think about it,'' Sam tried to stop her thoughts. ''You are trying to make sense of it and that won't work.''
Andy nodded and laid back down again. ''I guess you're right.'' She closed her eyes and pulled up the comforter even further. ''I'm really tired, but I don't want to fall asleep.''
Sam didn't need an explanation for that. He knew that she was afraid that the nightmares would start up again as soon as she drifted away. ''Nothing is going to happen to you here,'' he tried.
''I know,'' Andy said. ''You're here.'' She rolled to her side so she could face Sam. ''I just don't want to see all those pictures in my head again. I seriously thought I killed him.''
''You didn't,'' Sam tried. ''There's no point in over thinking it. It happened and now you have to deal with what happens next.''
''That easy, huh?'' Andy smiled sadly and smoothed her hand over the comforter. ''Just forget it happened?''
Sam thought about it for a moment and looked down at Andy. It was weird how grown up she could look one moment and then so young the next. ''Not forget,'' he settled for. ''Move past it.''
With a quick nod Andy agreed with him. ''I guess you're right. Just not really sure how that's supposed to work.''
''It will. Just give it some time.'' Sam laid his hand on Andy's shoulder again and left it there for a moment. ''You should get some rest,'' he said after a little while. ''Do you think you can sleep?''
Andy shrugged. She wasn't really sure. Now that she talked to Sam she felt calm, comforted and safe. She didn't know what would happen when Sam would leave again. Part of her wanted him to stay with her, but she definitely didn't want to ask him to stay.
Her doubt was obvious and Sam cleared his throat. ''You want me to stay here until you fall asleep?''
Their eyes locked and Andy slowly nodded. She always was strong and independent, but something about Sam made her feel like it wasn't such a bad thing to let her guard down. With him she didn't feel judged.
She didn't really get when and how that happened. She barely knew a thing about him, but already she trusted him. Trust wasn't something that came easy to her. There were very few people she trusted and those people all had worked very hard to earn that trust.
''Thank you,'' she whispered before she closed her eyes again. She listened to Sam's even breaths as she tried to fall asleep. She wasn't very hopeful that sleep would come soon, but just five minutes after she closed her eyes her thoughts drifted away and her breathing evened out.
XX
In the morning Andy felt a little disorientated when she woke up. It took her a moment before she realised where she was. With a quick look she confirmed that she hadn't dreamed the whole thing.
When she looked to her side she had to suppress a chuckle. Sam was still seated on the bed. His head was hanging to the side and he was snoring very softly.
Without waking him up she tiptoed out of bed and towards the bathroom. She washed up and made her way to the kitchen.
She opened the refrigerator and was impressed with everything that was inside. The department had really made sure that they had everything they could possibly need. There were eggs, meat, vegetables, fruit, different kinds of juice and more.
Grabbing some eggs and bacon Andy quickly went to work. She put bread in the toaster and got glasses from the cupboard.
Just five minutes later Sam came downstairs. He was still wearing sweatpants and the T-shirt he had on the night before. ''I didn't even hear you leave the bed,'' he admitted feeling guilty.
''Guess I wasn't the only one who was in need of some sleep,'' Andy smirked at him. ''Just how long did it take before you were asleep?''
''I don't remember,'' Sam admitted. It wasn't like him to fall asleep while he was on a task. Of course waiting for Andy to fall asleep wasn't exactly an exciting job, but he felt guilty that he stayed in her bed without her permission. ''I really intended on sleeping on the couch,'' he said.
''Couch?'' Andy frowned. ''You were sleeping in the other room, right?''
Sam closed his eyes and wondered what was up with him. Normally he was a lot more on top of things than he was in that moment. ''There's just one bed in the house,'' he told her. ''But there's a couch in that room and it's surprisingly comfortable.''
''Seriously?'' Andy asked. ''They have everything here, but it was too much trouble to put together another bed?''
''Doesn't matter,'' Sam answered. ''Slept in worse places. Anyway, I didn't mean to stay the entire night. I guess I was more tired than I knew.'' He sat down on a bar stool and watched Andy work.
''It's okay,'' Andy shrugged it off. ''I slept fine after that nightmare.'' She continued working through the kitchen and when she was satisfied with the result she put down a plate in front of Sam. ''There you go,'' she said.
Sam looked at the plate and then looked back at Andy. He was kind of surprised that she fixed him breakfast. Somehow he expected her to have an attitude towards him. He knew that she didn't want to be in the safe house and she definitely didn't want someone to watch her.
Of course they had a friendly conversation during the night, but Sam thought that was because she was scared. Her attitude hadn't changed overnight though.
''Uhm, thanks,'' Sam said. ''You going to eat too?''
''Yup,'' Andy answered. ''I'll make some more eggs.'' She quickly broke the eggs and kept her focus on the frying pan.
Sam continued to eat the breakfast and was surprised when Andy ate nearly as much as he did. ''You're hungry?'' he asked.
''What?'' Andy asked. ''Oh no, I kind of eat a lot. My dad always used to joke around that he would go broke feeding me.''
''I thought girls your age were obsessed with their weight.'' Sam couldn't help but let his gaze wonder across her body. She definitely didn't need to lose any weight and he scolded himself for making that comment. He knew that weight was a touchy subject for woman in general.
''Girls my age?'' Andy asked. She raised an eyebrow and looked Sam straight in the eye. ''How old do you think I am?''
Surprised by her attitude Sam smirked. ''I meant college girls in general.''
''I'm not just a college girl,'' Andy corrected him. ''Besides, how old are you? I don't think we have such a big age difference.''
Sam figured that he was probably around eight years older than she was, but he let it slide. ''Thanks for breakfast,'' he changed the subject while he shoved the last bite in his mouth.
''Was the least I could do.'' Andy took his plate and rinsed it clean. When the counter was clean she leaned against it for a second. ''I'm just going to take a shower,'' she excused herself.
''Sure,'' Sam said as he watched her leave the room. He used the twenty minutes she was upstairs to make some calls to the department. As he expected they didn't have any new information.
When Andy came downstairs again she was wearing blue jeans and a red top. She had her wet hair in a French braid and a frown on her face.
''What's wrong?'' Sam asked as he studied the look on her face.
''What are we suppose to be doing all day long?'' Andy questioned. ''I can't just sit around for two weeks and do nothing.''
''They brought some books and movies,'' Sam answered. ''Your dad even arranged for your school books to be here, so time won't be completely lost.''
Andy took the laptop and sat down at the dinner table next to Sam. When she began to type Sam immediately closed the laptop again. ''No social media,'' he told her. ''No checking your e-mail. No activity that can lead back to you.''
Andy sighed and nodded. ''Of course,'' she muttered. She shoved the laptop aside and laid her head down on the table. ''This must be the most boring assignment they have ever given you.''
Sam didn't answer her, but kept his eyes on the magazine he was reading.
''Ever been on an assignment like this before?'' Andy wondered.
''Nope,'' Sam simply answered.
''Aren't you bored?'' Andy questioned him.
''Doing my job McNally,'' Sam simply answered. He was hoping that she'd leave it with that, but of course his hopes were shattered pretty quickly.
''Don't you have a family or a girlfriend at home?'' Andy had been wondering that before. She had to admit that he was attractive and she wouldn't be surprised if he had someone at home waiting for him. She didn't know why, but she felt a little pang of jealousy in her stomach when she thought about that. She blamed it on being single for quite some time.
Sam raised an eyebrow and looked at her. ''What are you doing?''
''Getting to know you,'' she answered. ''Look, we'll be here together for God knows how long. We might as well get to know each other, right? Maybe we'll even become friends.''
With some effort Sam was able to suppress a chuckle. He didn't really have any female friends. Of course there was Noelle, but she had always been one of the guys. A friendship with Andy wasn't something that he could see happening. ''You want to be my friend?''
''Well, we're stuck here together. We might as well make the most of it.''
''Okay, friend,'' Sam said while his voice was dripping with sarcasm. ''What is it that you want to do?''
''I don't know,'' Andy said completely frustrated. She thought about it for a moment and then turned back to Sam. ''You still haven't answered my question.''
Sam shook his head. ''No McNally,'' he answered. ''Nobody waiting for me to come home.''
''Oh,'' Andy said. ''Never been married?''
''McNally,'' Sam warned. ''Why don't you go watch TV or read a book? I'm sure there's something you like.''
Finally Andy got the hint that Sam was annoyed with her questions. She stood up and walked to the couch. ''Mind if I turn on some music?'' she asked.
Sam just shrugged and continued to read the article that was in front of him.
''Hey, what kind of music do you like listening to?'' Andy asked as she was searching for a station she liked.
''Nothing,'' Sam said. ''I like to be alone with my thoughts.'' He hoped she got the hint because he was beginning to feel a major head ache built. He didn't face her, but he felt her eyes burning a hole in his back.
''What thoughts?'' Andy wondered. She really didn't get why Sam was in a mood. The night before he had been kind, but now she felt like he couldn't wait for the job to end.
''My own private thoughts,'' Sam told her. He flipped through the magazine but couldn't be less interested in what it said.
''Okay, like.. what is one of them?''
Sam took a deep breath and finally faced Andy. ''Are you allergic to silence or something?''
Andy laughed. ''What are you talking about? I'm silent all the time.''
''Good,'' Sam answered. He turned his back on her again and grabbed another magazine from the pile that was on the table. Even though he didn't see her, he knew that Andy was still looking at him. As much as he wanted to be annoyed with her, a part of him found her a little endearing. As soon as that thought entered his head he pushed it back. He was doing a job and he was definitely not there to have an opinion about Andy. She was Tommy's daughter and that was all she was.
''I know what you're doing,'' Andy interrupted his thoughts. ''Who can stay silent the longest? I don't think so.'' She took a few steps forward until she could see his face. She saw that the side of his mouth was kind of curved up and couldn't suppress a smile. ''Come on, what kind of music do you like listening to?''
Sam turned his chair a little. ''Rush,'' he gave in. ''I'm a big Rush fan.''
''Who?'' Andy wondered.
''Yeah I like the Who. Classic rock, you know?''
Andy didn't know actually. She liked all kinds of music, but she never really listened to classic rock. ''I'll see what I can find,'' she said as she walked back to the radio. She scanned around for a while until she found a station that was acceptable.
When Sam didn't complain she walked back to the couch and laid down with a book. She started to read and surprisingly enough she even got invested in the story. She didn't feel Sam's eyes on her every other minute and time passed without them saying too much.
Surprise overtook Sam when Andy actually stayed silent for the better part of an hour. After that hour he told her that he was going upstairs to take a quick shower.
The shower actually didn't last longer than ten minutes. He didn't think that they were in any danger, but he felt responsible for Andy's safety so he didn't want to be occupied for too long.
When he returned Andy was still on the couch reading the book. She had a plaid on her lap and looked very focused. ''Cold?'' Sam asked her when she shivered.
Andy looked up from her book. ''Just a little.''
''I'll make a fire,'' Sam offered. He knew there was wood behind the house and the fireplace was next to the couch, so that should keep her warm.
''Actually,'' Andy said. ''I think I'll just go take a walk. Sitting inside all day long is making me slow. Some fresh air will do me good.''
''Yeah, sure,'' Sam answered. ''I'll grab our coats.''
Andy frowned and removed the plaid from her lap. She stood up and stretched her body. ''You don't have to come with me. I mean, if nobody murdered me yet then I guess that we're safe here, right? ''
''Don't joke about that,'' Sam warned. ''And I am coming with you. You don't know these woods and Tommy will make sure I'm behind a desk for the rest of my life if something happens to you.''
''Nothing is going to happen to me,'' Andy said full of confidence. ''The woods are all the same. When you've seen one you've seen them all. I've never gotten lost before.''
''Well..'' Sam told her. ''I could use some fresh air as well.''
''Yeah right,'' Andy said. ''You're seriously going to follow me around the whole time we're here?''
''I thought you wanted to be my friend?'' Sam said as he left the room.
He went into the hallway and grabbed their coats. Before he went back in the living room he checked again if his gun was in the waistband of his jeans. When he was sure it was loaded he went back to Andy. ''Here you go,'' he said as he handed her the coat.
''Thanks,'' Andy replied without looking at him.
With a smirk Sam watched as she walked out of the house without waiting for him. He smirked and shook his head. This whole job was a lot less boring then he thought it would be.
XX
Next: What happens when they actually do get lost in the woods?
