This is the final chapter of my story.
I really hope you all like it, I had such fun writing this one. I am though, aggravated with myself because I have the original ending to 'Sundown' that I ended up not being able to fit into the story. So I thought I would use it for this one...nope couldn't fit it in either. :(
So I have an ending hanging around in my head with no story to go with it. Alright enough of my complaints. Let me know what you think!
It is just great when I get feedback...I love that people enjoy what I come up with. :) Take care all! And again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to us all! Let's hope 2011 brings us some peace and love in this crazy mixed up world.
"Thank God there's no upcoming retraining exercises for a while." Luke said once they got into the car.
Andy thought her heart was going to burst. "That is not funny." She said. "Sam and I were going to talk after shift tonight, looks like that's not going to happen now."
Luke looked over at her while her drove back to the station. "Just go for it, Andy. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. I'm telling you, he cares. He wouldn't have been so pissed off if he didn't."
Andy remained quiet. I love him, even if I was so stupid and fought it so long. I do love him. I don't deserve him not after everything he's done for me. God, I hope he loves me too; I will wait for him tonight, as long as it takes. I'm not going to give up without a fight. She looked over at Luke, "Since when did you become such a matchmaker? I thought Sam really wasn't any friend of yours?"
"Oh he's not, I just want to see the tough and manly Swarek finally brought down to human level, by a woman." Luke snickered, Andy looked at him. "Oh c'mon Andy, everybody loves a great love story."
Andy just shook her head. She'd love to be a fly on the wall in that restaurant right now.
Sam talked to Gail about the weather, how cold it had become so quickly this year. About the upcoming Christmas season and how it affected crime. When he started talking about hockey, Gail sighed heavily and put down her fork. She had had enough of her lunch and his small talk.
"What?" Sam asked.
"Your nonstop chatter is annoying me. Look I saw you two together in the parking lot of the Penny after she busted your undercover gig. I'll admit I may have had a small crush on you back then, so I followed you out. But she followed you outside too. I saw what went on between you, well what almost went on between you." She shrugged her shoulders and then continued, "You tried to hide your feelings again that night that we graduated and everyone, including her and Luke were at the Penny. Remember that night? I asked you to get some air and you walked me to my car said goodnight and left immediately."
"I remember." Was all he said.
Gail sighed again pushing forward. "Everyone knows that Andy broke up with Luke because of you. Well everyone but you and Andy that is. You are both dumber than a box of rocks. This didn't look like a lovely-dovey lunch date to me but hey, who am I to question?"
Sam just stared at Gail. She was even more pushier than Andy, if that was possible. He hated the fact that everyone seemed to know what was going on. He had been trying so hard to hide his feelings about her from everyone. Now it seemed like the only person who believed him was Andy.
"You ready to go?" He finally asked.
Gail just shook her head, "Yes Mr. Impossible, lets get back to it." She got up to leave.
"Gail?" He asked quietly, she looked up at him. "Thanks." He said. She just shrugged her shoulders and that was the last time that he even came close to mentioning Andy. But Gail knew he did nothing but think about her the rest of the shift. Gail didn't know if she was jealous or grateful that she wasn't the one involved with Sam.
Later when they got back to the station the first person Sam saw was Andy. They were only slightly late getting back because of domestic squabble they had to break up. Gail was processing the husband now.
Andy was out of uniform and ready to go, sitting there, waiting for him. Now what am I going to do, he thought. He went over this a hundred times in his head since lunchtime. Damn he didn't know, part of him was furious. Seeing her with Luke brought it all back again. The anger he felt when she refused to see him as anything other than her training officer. And the hurt he felt every time she walked away from him to go to Luke.
Another part of him was so glad she waited. Last night he made such an ass out of himself, he wanted to tell her how sorry he was. That he never really thought they had a chance and when they finally seemed like they might, he ran. He never felt like this about anyone else before. She was his life, whether she was just his partner or his partner in bed. This woman had become his life.
He looked at her for a moment before he turned towards the locker room. Gail said Chris was held up somewhere and she would do the paperwork so he could get out of here. He never realized until today how nice she actually was.
Andy cut him off before he could reach the locker room door. "Sam," she said stepping in front of him. "give me your keys, I'll go start your truck." She said with her hand out.
He closed his eyes and looked down. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers before he reached in his pocket and handed her the keys. "I'll be out in about ten minutes." He said mildly not revealing what he was thinking.
Andy took the keys, she didn't see him watching her walk away with a slight smile on his face and an appreciation for her in his eyes. He turned to the locker room door.
It was brutally cold again, Andy thought. At lunchtime it didn't seem this cold, there wasn't any more snowfall but everything seemed frozen.
Where she got the nerve to demand his keys, she'll never know. But she saw him walk into that door and it was enough. This was her man; she loved him. She loved everything about him, his dark eyes, his dark thick hair, the winkles at the corners of his eyes and the dimples, those damn sexy dimples.
He was forceful but in a protective way. He could be crabby at times but she always seemed to be able to pull him out of it. He stood beside her no matter what. She felt tears in her eyes just looking at him when he walked into the station. That's when she decided she was not going to let him sidetrack them again.
She got to the truck opened the passenger door, started the truck and waited. She was so nervous; her heart was pounding. After lunch today she tried to think of every possible scenario of what could possibly go right or wrong.
She kept coming back to the same conclusion; she was going to have to trust him. He had protected her and kept her safe all these months. She didn't deserve him but she was damn sure that she would find a way to make it up to him.
Every now and then for months now she would think about him, the way they kissed that night at his house. Then again, the night they were undercover together. She was still basically a rookie but Sam trusted her enough to have his back that night. She did but riding in the back of that patrol car on the way to the scene changed her forever. Why she stubbornly refused to see the truth she didn't know. She was in love and had been for a long time. It wasn't until he refused her that she was forced to see the truth.
The driver's door opened and Sam climbed in. He looked at her; he couldn't speak. Everything he had ever wanted in his life showed on her face. He was humbled in that moment. All he could do was smile slightly at her and put the truck into gear. Sam pulled out of the parking lot and headed into the direction of her house.
"You're going to come in, right?" She asked.
"Yes." Sam said and didn't offer any further explanation.
"Oh okay, you can use the carport again if you want." She offered.
"Alright, I will."
She just sat there unsure of what to think. He wasn't saying anything. Well this was one scenario that didn't occur to her, so she figured she'd wait it out. Sam pulled into the back entrance of her building and pulled into her carport.
He shut the engine off and turned the lights off. They sat there quietly for a moment. He finally turned to her, "Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah."
They walked into the entrance and took the stairs to her apartment. Once they arrived at her door Andy took out her keys, her hands were shaking so badly, she dropped them. Sam picked them up and handed them back to her. She found the key; she couldn't get it into the lock. She felt Sam's warm hand cover hers; he guided the key in. She opened the door and they went in.
She turned to look at him after she closed the door, almost expecting him to grab her and kiss her. He didn't, he just turned to look at her, a thoughtful look on his face. She stood there in the darken hallway of her apartment with her back to the door. Willing him to take that step towards her. He didn't. Holding his eyes she begin to unbutton her coat. She let it slide off her shoulders and down her arms; she tossed it aside.
She could just make out his eyes turning dark but he still didn't move. In her rush this morning she just put on a button down blouse and jeans. She began to slowly unbutton the top button of her blouse. His eyes moved to watch her fingers unfastening the first and then second button.
She was willing to gamble now that she felt the odds were more in her favor. "I'll give you whatever you want Sam even if it is just a one-night thing. At least you'll be mine for tonight." She said reaching to release the third button.
He finally moved; his hands came up to frame her face. He looked into her eyes, "I know I was a total jerk last night, I never should have said that to you because that is the last thing that I want." He moved in and slowly moved his lips across hers, he pulled back. "I am so sorry."
She placed her forehead against his, she gambled and won and she could say it now. "I love you Sam, I have for a long…" He mouth was against hers; he kissed her long and hard over and over again.
She reached up and unzipped his jacket and tossed it aside once she took it off him. He was already unbuttoning the rest of the buttons on her shirt. When he was done he pulled it open and feasted his eyes on her before he leaned down and began kissing the top of her breasts. She moaned, "Lets talk later…take me to bed."
Sam laughed as he picked her up and carried her to her bed. He laid her on the bed and pulled her boots off, she giggled as they hit the floor loudly in the quiet apartment. She managed to wiggle out of her blouse and lay there watching as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. He reached down and unfastened his jeans quickly removing them.
Now wearing only snug fitting boxers he reached down for the button on her jeans. She sucked in her breath, feeling his hands against her bare midriff. He slowly unzipped her jeans and kissed her belly as he reached for the waistband and slowly pulling her jeans off. Taking his time and stopping to kiss her legs as he exposed more skin.
She had to hold back a scream when he moved back up and dropped a kiss just above her panties. He joined her on the bed then, crawling over her to lie cradled between her legs. Still in her bra, she felt the hair on his chest tickling her belly. She moved her hands up desperate to pull his head down for a kiss. They kissed, her tongue seeking his.
He reached his arm under her, unfastening her bra. He pulled back to look at her once her bra was removed. He just stared at her like she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
She started to rub her heel against his calf. Letting their bodies slide together closer. Feeling how ready he was and with him going so slow, it was maddening. He leaned down to kiss her neck, his hand slowly moving down her side and up to cup her breast.
He looked up at her smiled and said, "I love you too." Before he bent his head to take her breast into his mouth. She squirmed beneath his kisses. Her body was on fire and only he could help her. She reached down and pulled his face to hers. "Enough Sam, please I need you now." She pleaded.
It was all that he needed to hear. He quickly removed the rest of their clothes and proceeded to show her just how much he really did love her.
Andy lay in Sam's arms completely spent. She never felt so tired and so alive at the same time. This was worth waiting for. They moved together perfectly.
"What are you thinking?" he asked her.
"How much this was worth waiting for." She said honestly.
She felt him hug her tight for a moment. "I have to ask you to do something for me and maybe I don't have the right to, but I have to ask."
She was intrigued. "What would you like me to do?"
"Please don't go out to lunch with Luke anymore, it may seem childish but I can't stand to see you with him."
"Sam it wasn't anything like that, really it wasn't. He knows there is no future for him and I, he's known that for a long time. Actually he's the one that made me realize today that I'm in love with you." Sam hugged her again, pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "But no, no more lunches with him."
"How did he make you realize that you love me?"
"He knows we lied to him about that night of the blackout. He told me today that the reason he didn't push for us to stay together was because he knew I would never feel about him the way I feel about you. He also told me that you love me too!" She said happily.
"Oh really?"
"Yep he sure did." She thought for a moment and then leaned up on her elbow to look at him. "Sam I don't deserve you, how could you have tolerated me for so long? I was awful to you and completely oblivious to all of it. You were and are so good to me and I treated you so terribly."
Sam took her chin in his hand. "I had no choice Andy, I was in love with you whether I wanted to be or not."
Andy wanted to cry. She was so lucky to have this man especially after all that they had been through. "Please hold me Sam and never let me go."
"I will Andy, I will." Sam pulled her close.