A/N Well, real life really sucks sometimes! I will not bore you with excuses for the lack of updates, but I will say there was a totalled car involved and it was not just the busy-ness of life that kept me from posting. I hope you are all still interested in reading!

Disclaimer: I still do not own anything related to Rookie Blue, ABC or GlobalTv.

"So, how long do you think this Task Force will take?" Andy asked Sam as they laid together in his bed after making love. She had been resting with her head on his chest, but she shifted so her weight was resting on her elbow and she could look at him. She took in his strong features, how everything about him seemed so self-assured and sexy. Every once and a while, the realization that he was hers would hit her again and her heart would start racing.

"I don't know. Could be days, could be weeks. Cormier's feeding us the intel, but we still have to find some concrete proof for the Crown to be able to make charges stick. No doubt Hill knows by now that Cormier's been picked up and is talking. He probably started burying things the night of your attack," Sam explained. He reached over and brushed her hair off her face, his hand lingering against her cheek.

She grew quiet for a moment at the reference to her getting hurt, before she finally crinkled her nose. "I don't want to ride with anyone else."

Sam smirked then. "Yeah, sweetheart, I can't say I blame you there. I am definitely one-of-a-kind. And you sure as hell better not go engaging in any our extra-curricular activities if you're riding with Diaz or Epstein."

"You mean like when you practically ravished me in the squad car this afternoon?" she giggled.

"Too bad we were interrupted by that Domestic that wasn't," he grumbled, pulling her down on top of him. "I woulda shown you exactly what other uses a T.P.S. cruiser has."

"I think we more than made up for it when we got home, huh?" she managed to say before he silenced her with a deep, languid kiss. She sighed as they came back up for air.

They chatted for a while, until finally Sam said, "I'm going for a glass of water. You want one?"

"Sure."

He slipped out of bed and pulled on his boxers before padding through the house to the kitchen. He had expected Andy to stay behind, but as he pulled out the pitcher of water from the refrigerator, he heard her soft foot falls on the stairs. He gave her an appreciate once-over as she appeared in the doorway, clad only in his old grey Police College t-shirt. They had been together going on two months now, but he had a feeling that no matter how much time passed, she would still take his breath away.

He poured them each a glass of water, then after putting the pitcher back in the fridge, he closed the distance between them, handing her one.

She clinked her glass against his with a smile, and then took a sip. "So, I've, uh – I've been thinking about the suggestion you made the other the night."

"You'll have to refresh my memory, McNally. With my infinite wisdom and years of experience, I'm always making brilliant suggestions," he quipped.

Andy rolled her eyes. "Just for that...never mind." She went to turn on her heels to head into the living room, but stopped when she felt Sam's hand gently grasp her bicep. She turned back and quirked an eyebrow.

"Sorry. Sorry. Go ahead." He set his glass down on the counter, and then leaned back against it, letting her know he was all ears.

She hesitated then, finding that her heart was suddenly pounding. She was not used to putting herself out there on the line and trusting that it would not blow up in her face. Her first instinct was always self-preservation, and that usually guarding the wall she put up between herself and whatever it was that had the power to hurt her. But somehow Sam made her believe that he would never hurt her. So with that thought in mind, the doubts that were starting to cloud her mind dissipated. She took a deep breath. "Um, I was just – Were you serious about us living together?" she finally asked.

Once he got over the shock of her question, a broad smile crossed his face. "Serious as I've ever been about anything."

She shrugged a little. "It's just, I mean – Because the security in my building really isn't that great."

"Agreed. Security is definitely an issue."

"And I'm here all the time anyway..."

"Yep. Can't get rid of you. Just like a bad penny..."

She scowled; he smirked.

Sam's dimples were highly visible as he bridged the distance between them. "I mean, there's all this girly stuff all over my bathroom – how many bottles of stuff do you chicks need anyway? And do you realize that there's more of your clothes my closet than my own? And what's up with that bagged salad crap in my refrigerator? And don't get me started on my laundry that has suddenly started smelling like spring something-or-other..."

"You like how your laundry smells," she volleyed back with a roll of her eyes.

"I like how you smell." He drew her close, wrapping her in his arms. "I like how you look all curled up on my couch when the hockey game's on, and how I don't have to explain icing whenever it's called. And I like having to shower with you in the morning so we're not late for Parade. But you know what I really like? It's how I can tell you're comfortable here. You seem like yourself, like you don't have to try to be anything other than what you are when you're here with me. So, yeah, McNally, I was serious about you moving in here. So what do you say? You game?"

She slid her hands up his chest. "Yeah, I think I am."

He picked her up and spun her around, ecstatic. He had never wanted anything as much as he wanted to be with her, and he knew what a big step it was for her to push past all of her trust and commitment issues and agree to give up her one place of escape. It was huge for her to give herself over to him like that, and he had no intention of blowing it – or taking it for granted. He set her back down on her feet, then cupped her face in his hands and leaned down, kissing her passionately.

When they came up for air, she leaned her forehead against his.

"You're not hyperventilating," he teased her.

"That's 'cause I feel more at home here than I have anywhere else since..." She trailed off, shrugging, averting her gaze. "Well, it's been a long time since I felt like someplace was really home. I mean, I liked my apartment, but...Well, you weren't there."

Sam took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her head up, bringing her eyes back up to meet his. "You don't have to worry about me leaving."

She worried her lip for a moment before she finally nodded. "I know. We should get some sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow."

"Andy..."

"I know, Sam. I think – I mean, I know. It scares me that I'm so sure, but I am. Do you know that you're the one person who has never let me down? I've never thought twice about trusting you with my life. I've just always known that you'd have my back."

Sam nodded. "I always will. Just like I know you've got mine. It's like I said the night at the Mermaid – there's no one else I'd rather go through any door with."

She smiled a little shyly. "I love you, you know."

"Then that makes me pretty damn lucky." He leaned down and kissed her again gently. "I love you, too, Andy."

Andy fell asleep soon after they returned to bed, but Sam was too amped up to sleep. As much as he wanted Andy living with him, he had honestly thought he was going to have to wait a long time for her to be ready to take that step. He had been prepared to wait – he knew that she was it for him and he could be as patient as she needed him to be. Knowing that it was going to happen soon made him happier than he had ever been. And between that and knowing that Hill was on the verge of being taken down, it just felt like everything was falling into place perfectly.

Of course, Sam had been around a while and knew there was no such thing as perfection. He was successfully tearing down the walls Andy had long ago built up around herself, but he knew that no matter what he did, there was always going to be a part of her that would be afraid to trust in him completely. She had been left and let down by the people she was supposed to be able to count on more than anyone else. It was only natural that she would have some trepidation and some issues. He knew that despite the fact that he would be willing to go down to City Hall tomorrow and slap down a money order for a marriage licence, she was a long way away from being ready for something quite so defined. So, he would just bide his time and spend every moment he could proving to her that he was always going to be there.

He also knew that Hill was not going to go quietly. Men like Anton Hill did not give up easily, and they rarely made mistakes. Sam hoped that between Donner and himself, they could take Cormier's intel and put together an air-tight case. He hated the idea of having to rely at all on the man who had dared to lay a hand on the woman he loved, but he knew he had to play the hand he had been dealt – and finally putting Hill behind bars would at least take some of the sting out of the sacrifice.

Andy whimpered in her sleep then, pulling Sam from his thoughts. The nightmares were still plaguing her occasionally, and he could tell she was in the throes of one now. He moved up behind her and slid his arms around her. Although she did not awaken, she seemed to calm. He dropped a kiss against her hair. All he could hope for was that this Task Force would find some kind of justice so she could finally have some peace. And with that, he finally let himself get pulled under, his last thought that at the very least, Andy would fall asleep safe in his bed for all the days ahead.