A/N: I've been holding on to this for a few days, editing and re-editing, trying to make it perfect. Hopefully you all enjoy it and have enjoyed the story as a whole. Thank you again for the reviews and the follows. They've meant so very much to me and I can't thank you enough.

-10-

Following the arrest of Officer Marlo Cruz, Frank Best orders the division into therapy sessions and Sam into debrief for a week. Once he's sanctioned to return to work, Sam is eager to put the past few months behind him, refusing to address his involvement in Cruz's capture with any of his colleagues. When offered to have his old position as a training officer back he is quick to accept it, preferring the hum-drum existence of working the streets, uncomfortable uniforms be damned.

Despite almost two weeks having passed since the incident, whispers follow Sam in the halls. He's unsure whether they question his integrity or applaud his dedication to the job, but he's certain he doesn't want to know. What he does know is how he feels about the situation and the sickness deep in his stomach that plagues him every time he secretly visits her in the hospital.

"Hey," Traci greets as she opens her gun locker in the supply room.

"Nash. Hi," Sam replies, pulling at his vest. He's still getting used to wearing his uniform again and he can't quite get it to sit correctly. "How's Peck treating you?"

"Are you going to see her today?" She asks, ignoring his question as she clips the extra ammunition to her belt.

He attaches his radio to his shoulder, unable to meet her gaze. "Yeah. Probably."

Traci raises her eyebrows. "Are you going to actually talk to her this time? She's awake now, you know."

Sam rubs at his jaw, looks at Traci and then looks away. It's as though he's trying to find a way to answer her question, but can't. What she doesn't know is that every day he's tried to inch himself closer to Andy's hospital room, but shame and guilt have kept him at bay. The only time he was able to talk to her was when he was certain she was unconscious.

He turns for the door and his only reply to her is, "Have a good day, Nash."

…

An hour later Sam finds himself leaning against the nurses station at Victoria Mercy. "Hey Jill," he says. "How's everything?"

"Officer Swarek!" She replies, returning a patient folder to a nearby desk. "Nice to see you again. Everything is good." Jill looks over her shoulder and once she's certain the coast is clear she leans toward Sam. "She's doing great," she says, her voice lowered. "Dr. Evans says she could be released tomorrow at the latest."

Sam smiles. "That's great. Thank you. Thanks for telling me."

She nods. "Mr. McNally said that it was okay if I told you how she was doing. I guess he didn't want me to get in trouble." She chuckles nervously. "Did you want to go in and see her?"

He pauses and considers the offer and eventually shakes his head in refusal. "Not today. But maybe you could give this to her?" He hands her a coffee, made the way Andy enjoys it.

Jill smiles. "Sure. Should I tell her who it's from?"

Sam thinks for a second, then shakes his head. "No. That's okay. It'll be a surprise."

…

Andy sits up in bed and yawns, her medication having made her drowsy. An attendant places her lunch before her on a tray and she thanks him.

Another low calorie, high protein meal, she thinks to herself as she lifts the warming lid. What she wouldn't give for fries and a burger from Big Smoke. She salivates at the very thought as she digs her fork into the steamed fish on her plate. At least she was able to have a decent coffee that morning; a nurse had brought one in and said that it had been left for her.

"Hey honey," her father greets from the doorway. "I brought you something." He holds up a familiar paper bag. She can see the grease stains starting to form.

"Is that what I think it is?" She asks with a grin.

"Spicy burger with a side of poutine and—" he holds up the drink in his other hands. "A strawberry shake. Only the best for my little girl."

She greedily waves him over and moves her hospital tray to the side. "You're the best," she says as he hands her the food. Andy kisses him on the cheek and hungrily opens the bag and pulls out her meal.

"The doctor says that you can go home tomorrow," Tommy says, taking a seat next to the hospital bed. "And you could be back at work by Friday."

She nods, biting into the burger.

"Traci came by. She says hi. She also needs to interview you this afternoon now that you're fully recovered and everything."

"I'm not sure how much I can tell her. The last thing I remember is going to the washroom at the courthouse."

He narrows his eyes. "You don't remember the attack?"

She takes a sip of her drink and shakes her head. "Nothing."

"Swarek's been by," he adds quickly as though he wasn't going to mention it, but then thought the better of it.

"Oh." She puts her burger down on to the paper. "Did he bring his girlfriend with him?" She asks bitterly.

"You don't remember anything do you?" He asks, ignoring her question.

"Why?"

Tommy stands and brushes the creases from his pants. He's nervous and Andy isn't exactly sure why. "Traci'll be by soon. I'll let her tell you." He leans down and kisses his daughter on the forehead. "Just don't be so hard on Swarek. Okay?"

…

When Traci stops by, Andy is out of bed and pacing the length of her room. She's put on a pair of track pants and a t-shirt and is glad to be finally out of bed.

"Looking good, Andy!" She greets, putting her bag down on the bed to better envelop her friend in a hug. "You can barely see the bruises. How've you been feeling?"

"Better. Ready to get out of his room, that's for sure."

"I can imagine. When do you get to go home?"

"Tomorrow, apparently."

"That's great!" Traci takes the seat that had been occupied by Andy's father earlier in the day. "Did Swarek come and see you?"

Andy turns, surprised. She wonders why everyone keeps asking her that and when she says as much her voice comes out a little more pointed that she intends.

Traci holds up her hand. "Wait," she says. "You mean, you don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Andy climbs on to her bed and crosses her legs. "What's happened?"

Traci puffs out her cheeks and exhales. "A lot has happened Andy. A lot." She looks down at her hands, she's unsure how to proceed. "Tell me something first: Why did you call Cayetano Cruz the day you were attacked?"

Her face reddens. In truth, she'd called Cayetano because she was jealous of Marlo. She'd wanted to prove something to Sam, maybe in a misguided attempt at breaking them up. She'd hoped that if she could find a connection between an informant and Marlo that it would prove something. What, she's unsure of, but she remembers how she felt that night on the 11th floor and she suspects that that may have had something to do with it.

"I was trying to dig up dirt on Marlo," she replies, honestly. "When I found Cayetano's name in the system, I called him asking if he knew her."

"Why was his name in the system?" Traci asks. The way she words the question is purposeful, it's as though she knows the answer, but wants to hear Andy's take.

"He's a C.I."

She laughs. "Andy. He's not a C.I. I mean, not anymore. He was cut loose in 2010 for not upholding the conditions of his parole. Didn't you look at the cancellation date at the bottom of the page?"

Andy shakes her head, stunned. "No. I mean, I never printed it out, so I didn't even notice it. Then he's no one?"

Traci shrugs her shoulders. "I wouldn't say that he's no one," she says. "He is Marlo's nephew. He's got a rap sheet for fraud, theft over 5000, weapons, drugs. You name it. But he was a part of the province's rehabilitation program because he was under 18 at the time of those crimes and of course had a glowing recommendation from his police officer aunt. And guess where they placed him?"

"Where?"

"As a security guard in the evidence lock up. The very place where we keep all the evidence for all the divisions. He signs people in and out. He manages the cameras. You name it, he takes care of it."

Her brow furrowed, Andy studies her friend. "So…?"

"So when you called him that day at the courthouse, he freaked. Called his aunt who then tracked you down and then attacked you."

Andy is startled, her hand goes to her neck where the thumb print bruises have faded to a yellowish hue. "Marlo?"

"Well," she says, pausing. "This is where Swarek comes in."

"Sam?"

"Yeah. It seems that the Drug Squad had been suspecting her of stealing from the evidence lock up for a while. It's why they transferred her to 15. They wanted to be able to tail her easier."

"What does this have to do with Sam?"

Traci looks down at her hands. "Maybe I should let him tell you."

"Trace— tell me. I need to know."

She sighs and meets her friend's eyes. "Apparently Blackstone blackmailed him. Or… made a deal with him. Depends who you ask. He was caught coming out of your UC apartment."

"Oh," she says, dragging the word out; she can barely believe what she's hearing.

"He told him they needed Swarek for an drug squad operation and that if he didn't agree he'd make sure you got fired."

"Fired?"

Traci nods. Andy has an idea of how Sam would've responded, knows innately that he'd throw himself on a sword if it meant saving her. She's stunned, it's impossible. It seems too fantastical to be true. How far did he go to protect her?

"What was the deal?" She asks slowly. She thinks she knows the answer, but needs to hear it from Traci.

"He agreed to date Marlo so that they could finally gather up enough evidence to arrest her," she says, matter-of-factly. Her voice softens. "He did it so you wouldn't get fired. He did it to protect you."

Andy pulls her legs to her chest and tucks her face into her knees. She's embarrassed that she's spent five months trying to hate Sam, finding reasons to stop loving him and trying to move on. Five months of being jealous and angry and all along it'd been a ruse. A ruse he'd gotten involved in because of her. He'd been doing it all for her. To save her and her job.

It had all been for her.

Andy messily wipes at her face with the back of her hand. She hadn't realized that she'd been crying and straightens up, willing herself to pull it together. "Tell me more," she says, feigning strength. "What else?"

"Are you sure?" Traci asks, concerned.

"Yes," she nods. "I want to know."

Traci nods and continues. "Martino Rubino was Sam's contact in the Maras. Marlo had bugged Sam's desk and got wind of his source. She's connected to the Maras through her family. They've been using the evidence that both Cayetano and Marlo were getting from the lock up and selling it to members, across the border on the streets… Where ever. They manipulated the log in sheets and camera angles. When the Maras found out that Rubino was a snitch for Sam, they sent a message."

"The convenience store."

"The convenience store," Traci confirms.

"Where do I fit in in all this?" Andy asks.

"That's where it gets a bit hazy. Marlo's lawyered up, so we're not entirely certain, but we do know that Sam's desk was bugged. So Marlo probably picked up on anything you and Sam were secretly working on." Traci gives her friend a pointed look, a smile pushes at the corner of her lips. "Best guess is that when you called Cayetano she'd thought you were on to them. Wanted to put an end to you, I guess."

"But she got caught."

"She did," Traci says. "You're lucky to be alive, Andy. If Sam hadn't been there—"

"Sam was there? At the courthouse?'

Traci nods. "He'd followed Marlo there, discovered that you were testifying and put two and two together, I guess. He pulled her off of you. Made the arrest, called for an ambulance. You're here today, Andy, because of him."

Andy is speechless. She stares at her friend, unsure of what to say and how to even respond to this revelation.

Traci pulls a file from her bag. "I brought you his notes." She hands it to Andy, who immediately pulls it against her chest. "It might shed some light on a few things." Traci pauses, considering her next words. "He's come to see you— check in on you— every day, Andy," she says. "But he won't come in and talk to you. Doesn't think that you'd want to see him."

"But— why?"

She shrugs. "I think a part of him believes that you won't be able to forgive him. That you might blame him."

Andy closes her eyes, her fingers pressing against the sharp edge of the thick file. She thinks that maybe they've both been wrong about a lot of things over the past few months and that maybe it's time they put things right.

…

Sam is dragging a drunk & disorderly into bookings, when he sees her for the first time. She's talking to Oliver, her face all light and smiling. He's relieved to see that there doesn't seem to be a visible trace of the attack.

"McNally," he says, surprised. "First day back?"

Andy shakes her head. "No. Just came to visit. Say hi." She shrugs her shoulders. "See some people."

She directs the last part to him and he nods, not really sure what he should say. He decides on, "it's good to see you up and about." And it causes her to blush.

The silence between them is awkward and he's half forgotten that he's got a hold on a perp until Oliver steps forward and takes custody from him. "Lemme get that for you," he offers, a slight chuckle to his words.

Once alone, Andy moves toward him, her arms hugging her at her waist. "Do you have a few minutes? To talk?"

He nods. "Yah, sure." Sam motions with his head, "let's go outside."

She follows him into the parking lot and nervously bites at her lip. He leans against a parked squad car and she joins him.

"You're in uniform again," she says. She's not sure if it's a question or a statement, but she'd forgotten how much she loved seeing him in uniform and can't help pointing out the obvious.

"Yeah. I kind of like being out on the streets," he says, shrugging. "You been good? I mean… feeling okay?"

"Yeah." She's nervous; he can see it on her face and he wants to take her hand and reassure her. He resists, unsure of where he stands.

"Can I ask you something Sam?" She decides it's best to jump in with both feet, nervousness be damned. "Why didn't you tell me? About Blackstone, about Marlo, I mean…?"

He digs his toe into the pavement and crosses his arms against his chest. "They told you?" He mumbles under his breath, the words laden with guilt rather than accusation.

"Traci did. And I saw your reports in the case file. What you did for me…" She shakes her head in disbelief. "You're pretty much a hero." A smile tugs at her lips. "My hero," she adds, nudging him teasingly with her elbow.

"Andy—" He stops himself and closes his eyes, trying to get his bearings. The air is thick in spite of the levity she attempts to bring to the conversation. He wonders why he wasn't more prepared and is reminded that she always catches him off guard.

He wants to correct her, tell her that he's nobody's hero but she interrupts him. "I'm not sure I'm worth it all," she adds quickly; her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes now focused toward the ground. Her heart is pounding so hard that she feels it all through her body.

He tugs at her sleeve, drawing her eyes toward his. "You're worth it to me," he says, honestly.

"Sam—" She shakes her head. "You didn't have to take Blackstone's deal. We could've figured it out."

He takes a deep breath and reaches toward her, runs the tips of his fingers against her cheek. His touch is unexpected and she gives a startled sound. Sam's face breaks into a small smile, choosing decidedly to leave his hand against her cheek. "If I loved you any less, Andy," he says at last. "I wouldn't have been able to do any of it."

She is agape, stunned into silence. She can barely breathe; every thought has left her mind and she stands focused on Sam's every word. He pulls his hand away and tucks it against his belt. "You make me a better cop— a better person," he corrects. "And I can't do this without you, Andy. I can't—"

She wonders briefly what he means by "this." She thinks it might be the job, but the blush of his cheeks makes her think he means life. Her heart thumps a little louder at the thought.

Andy moves toward him; her hands reach toward his face, pulling him near. She leans her forehead against his, silencing him. When his hands cover her own, holding them in place, her face breaks and in an instant she's filled with relief.

She knows he means life.

"I love you too, Sam," she says, her mouth crescents into a smile that he thinks is contagious. Her lips brush against his.

She's hesitant, he thinks when she pulls away, her hands dropping to her side. But then, just as suddenly, she's tugging at his vest, pulling him close and she's kissing him again. It's braver, more urgent and it takes him by surprise. Relenting, he pulls her tight against him, his fingers lacing through the hair at the base of her neck.

Andy thinks she hears someone wolf whistle in the distance, but decides to ignore it. Instead, she rises to the tips of her toes to press into Sam harder. She feels liberated, it's as if months of weight have been lifted from her shoulders. She thinks he must feel the same when his breathing becomes laboured and his hand begins to slide up the back of her shirt; both momentarily forgetting their very public location.

It is only when they hear someone applauding nearby that they jump apart, startled. Andy tucks her chin into her neck and rubs the back of a finger against her swollen lips. They turn to the source of the sound and find Jacob Blackstone coming toward them, a cigarette tucked between his lips. She sees Sam's face darken and she lays her hand on his arm as if to ground him.

"No need to thank me," Blackstone says smugly, lifting his lighter to the cigarette. "I'm just glad to have helped."

Sam tilts his head toward Andy and says quietly, "I'll be right back." In a handful of strides, she watches as Sam raises his fist and connects it to Blackstone's face. There's a loud crack and Blackstone screams out in agony, his hand flying up to his bleeding nose, the cigarette and lighter flying to the ground. Sam calmly walks away as Blackstone holds his hand to his face, a few officers rushing to his aid.

When he returns to Andy, he smiles, oblivious to the carnage he's left behind. With laughter in his voice, he tugs Andy close again and says, "I've been wanting to do that for months."

"He had it coming," she agrees laughingly and pulls him back into a kiss.

...Fin...

Please leave a review if you can!