So here is the final chapter :( I'm really sad to be finishing with this story since it's become like my baby and the first ever piece of fan fiction I've ever written. I want to thank everyone that read and review and followed and favourited this story, you guys rock!

Since I'm sure many of you may be sad with how I've ended this story, if I get enough interest and reviews I will consider writing and posting an alternate ending

Nominations are now also open for the 2013 ROOKIE'S CHOICE AWARDS so don't forget to nominate your favorite stories by going to forums and then 'the parade'

Without further-a-do, here goes the last chapter...


Kicking open the last door which concealed Sam and his captor, Oliver heard a single gun shot ring out through the air.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!. This could only mean one thing he thought as he braced himself for the scene he was sure was awaiting him behind the door.

Entering the dark room the first thing he saw was Brennan standing over Sam, holding a gun.

Dark silhouettes dancing on the wall and the bright moonlight shining through the windows making the smoke from the freshly fired weapon visible.

The next thing that caught his eye was the bright red blood pooling beneath Sam, almost inhuman in color when contrasted with the dark wooden floors beneath him.

"You son of a bitch!" He yelled "Slowly place your weapon on the ground, get down on your knees and place your hands behind your head!". When Brennan didn't move Oliver screamed "NOW!". After the weapon was safely out of the way he moved in for the take down, shoving him to the ground and tightening the handcuffs so he was sure they would almost cut off the circulation to his hands, against the protests of the man he was currently manhandling. However, he couldn't care less considering this was the man who just shot his best friend. Shot him in cold-blooded murder.

After handing him off to Diaz and Epstein he turned to focus on the crumpled heap laying on the ground in front of him.

"Sam. Sam! Can you hear me man?" He asked desperately. When he failed to show any signs of movement he knelt to feel for a pulse.

"Anything" Asked Frank who had now arrived on scene.

"No" Was all Oliver said, unable to say anything else. This was his best friend laying dead in front of him, shot by a sick and deluded man.

"Dispatch we have an officer down, no pulse. Send a medic right away" said frank regretfully into his radio.

"If there's no pulse then why do we need a medic?" asked Gail.

This was something she should know by now, thought Frank, but after just having been less than ten feet away from another officer when he was killed, not just another officer but Sam Swarek, he could understand why she may not be thinking clearly.

"Because only a medic can declare someone dead" Frank replied solemnly.

Frank needed to take charge of the situation, especially since no one was in any mood to be following protocol right now, so he ordered Brennan to be taken back to the station and informed Oliver that after the medic had declared him, they could zip him up and take him downstairs to a waiting van. Sam deserved so much more than simply being zipped up in a bag and driven off in a van except that everyone here needed to do this one by the book. No special treatment or cutting corners if they wanted to nail Brennan.

"Is McNally here?" he asked, knowing she shouldn't see him like this. It would break her heart. Not to mention the fact that she would blame herself, just like he blames himself for this. He should never have allowed her to write letters to him, it was a moment where he had a lapse in judgement, a lapse in judgement which resulted in fifteen loosing one of their own, an incredible cop and one of his close friends. He would never forgive himself. Never make a mistake like this again. It's a sad day when a division looses one of their own but when it was because of your actions and could have been prevented, that was unforgivable.

"Yeah, she's outside in a squad car waiting for someone to tell her that they found him. Alive" replied Oliver, he knew how hard this news was going to be on her and she didn't need to see him here, like this, laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, hell, even he was having a hard time remaining professional. This was part of the job, he knew that, he just never thought it would actually happen, least of all to Sam of all people. He never got himself into situations like this, especially undercover. He was always extra cautious and never let anything slip, one of the reasons why up until now he had never been made, apart from when McNally tackled him on her first day, but that was different.

"Oliver can you go down and inform her, then take her back to the station so she can get changed and tell Tracy to take the rest of the night off so she can be with her, she will need someone" Frank said, then went back to directing everyone to where they needed to be, putting his own personal attachment aside to nail the bastard that had killed one of the best cops, officers and men he had ever known.


She knew. She could see it in his eyes. In the way he walked, head hung low, refusing to look at her, because the moment he did she could see it. The sadness and pain written all over his face. And when he got close enough it was in the way a single tear escaped his eye and slid down his cheek. She had never seen Oliver cry. Never. Not until today.

"No, Oliver, no?" she cried and when he shook his head she couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that the man she loved was gone, taken from her before they even had a chance at something real. She needed to hear the words, needed to know that this was real and not some sickening nightmare. "Say it, Oliver" she cried. He shook his head again, words refusing to form in his mouth "God damn it Oliver, say it! I need to hear it! Say he's dead!" she sobbed and he pulled her into a hug. Wrapping her arms tightly around him she could feel his tears on her uniform, just like his was now covered with her sobs. "No, no, no, no, he can't be" she whimpered into the collar of his shirt.

Pulling away from her slightly he said to Traci who had just arrived on scene "Take her back to the station so she can go home, and stay with her tonight, she's going to need a friend, she can't be here when they bring the body out". Traci nodded and walked closer to Oliver and Andy, whispering to Andy "Come here sweetheart, let's get you home" Andy simply nodded and broke away from Oliver. Grasping Traci's hand in a death grip she guided her back to the cruiser and settled her in the front passenger seat.

The ride back to the station was filled with silence, Andy simply staring at something out of the front windscreen, not daring to look anywhere else. She looked like a lost puppy, red puffy eyes from crying except that now the flow of tears had stopped. Shock had set in. "He's gone Traci. He's really gone" she said coldly "It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was mean tot come home and we were going to be a family, white picket fence and all"

"I know honey" was all Traci said, trying to keep herself together for her best friend "I know"

"And now he's gone!" she managed to get out before sobs wrecked her body and she sat with her head in her hands.

Pulling up to the station twenty minutes later Traci helped her to change and then took her back to her apartment. Not wanting to be alone she asked Traci to stay, and so Traci slept next to Andy, in the place where Sam should have been.

Sleep was hard to find and Andy found herself thinking about the last time they had seen each other, been together, what was said.

"I love you, I'll see you soon. I promise". "I love you too"

He broke the promise she heard herself thinking


A whole week had passed and Andy refused to leave her apartment, Traci dropping by four or five times a day to bring groceries and make sure Andy was ok, but she wasn't. She wasn't coping and she blamed herself for his death. It was only when Frank rung one morning and told Andy she needed to come into the station because it was urgent that she tried to make herself look presentable and ventured out of the house. The start white buildings and grey pavements all reminding her of how dull her life was now that he was gone.

After walking to the station, against Traci's protests, she was met by Frank who ushered her into his office, but not before she caught snippets of other officers conversations "I heard they were screwing around while he was under" or "She's the reason he was made, and now he's dead" But she didn't care because she knew they were right, they weren't gossiping, just speaking the facts.

Taking a seat in Frank's office she didn't fail to notice the boxes stacked on his desk, the ones that contained his personal possessions.

"What's going on Sir?" she asked, it looked like he was leaving.

"Well, I have decided I am going to take a leave of absence. One year, two at the most." he replied

"Why sir? Is this because of me because I can't let you take the fall for a stupid mistake I made?" she said, disbelief at what she was hearing setting over her

"Yes and no. Look McNally, the white shirts are looking for blood, the want someone to throw under the bus and take responsibility for officer Swarek's death.." he was cut off mid sentence

"I know and that was going to be me I just..."

"Let me finish McNally. So I am putting myself forward and taking responsibility for my decisions which ultimately resulted in officer Swarek's death. They need someone to throw under the bus and that's me"

"But Sir, this isn't your fault, it's mine. I can't let you lose your job because of a stupid rookies mistake!" she said angrily to him, why couldn't he just admit that she's the reason he's Sam's dead, the reason she will never get to see or hold or kiss him again.

"No McNally, it was my mistake, and you are not just some stupid rookie either. You are the most promising rookie we have had since Oliver and Sam's lot and I wont let you lose your badge because of me" He took a deep breath and sighed, like he was deciding whether or not he should continue "Look, I made a promise to myself back when I first started being a cop McNally. I told myself that the day a fellow officer gets in danger or injured or god forbid dies because of my actions or something I failed to do, that that was the day I hand in my badge. That day has come."

"But they weren't your actions!" she yelled "I was the one who wrote the letters to him and... and... and I was the one that met up with him nearly two weeks before he died! It's all my fault!" she expected him to be mad, angry, to yell and scream at her for being so stupid so as to meet up with him while he was undercover and put his life in danger, but when all she heard was silence she was slightly confused.

"And that was one of the happiest weekend of his life" said Frank and when he noticed the confused expression on her face he elaborated more "At his first meet with his handler, me, after that weekend, all he could talk about was you McNally. How he wouldn't give up the time he spent with you for anything. I had never seen him so happy in his whole life"

"He really said that?" she asked in disbelief

"Yes McNally, he did, and don't worry about my badge. I wont be gone forever, they don't have the time or resources to train more staff sergeants so they can't afford to lose me" He said. She simply nodded.

"There's one other thing McNally before you go" He said softly and she looked puzzled.

"I called the local post office to close the box we were using and they said there was still something in it, so I went down there and I found this" and he pulled out a white envelope and black velvet box. She gasped at what she was seeing in front of her. It couldn't be."It's dated the day he died" Frank said softly. It was. It was a letter from him. "I'll see you around McNally, it's been a great honor and pleasure serving with you" and all formality wen tout the window when he stood up and spread his arms for a hug

"Thank you" she whispered "I'll never forget this"


Exiting the station grasping the letter and box her legs felt wobbly, like jelly. So she decided to run home, she wanted to open the letter as soon as possible and by herself, in the comfort of her own apartment with a box of tissues where she could cry her heart out, something she was certain she was going to do when she read his letter. It was honestly the fastest she had run home in her life and taking the stairs two at a time up to her apartment she pushed her keys into the lock and flopped down on her bed. Ripping the letter open she read.

Andy

As promised here is your letter and surprise, but don't open the box until you have read this letter.

I love you. Simple as that, and when I was with you not even two weeks ago, when I was watching you sleep or watching you make a cup of coffee all I could think about was how I wanted this for the rest of my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to watch you become and incredible mum to our children and I want the white picket fence and the dog and the soccer games on Saturday, the ballet lessons, the teacher parent interviews. I never thought in my wildest dream that I would ever want any of this, that was until I met you, because now I see a future with all of these things in it and most importantly, you. Sometimes when you meet the right one you just know, there's that gut feeling and so even though you may not be ready for this and even though I'm scared as hell that you will run, somehow it just feels right.

That night that we spent together for the first time I made a promise to myself, that I would never let you go, because after spending one night with you wrapped in my arms I just knew you were it for me and I wouldn't give that up for anything. I promised myself that we would make it through whatever life throws at us because what we have is something special, something incredible. Now I want to make that promise to you.

In the box is a symbol of my promise to you. I want to spent eternity with you Andy McNally so even though I know this isn't very conventional I need to do it now. Andy McNally, Will you marry me?

I will be home in 38 days, I just found out the date of the takedown so in 38 days I will be able to hear your answer. I don't want you to write to me before then to tell me since if you say no I will have no reason to come home, you are my life. Now I know you aren't very good at following instructions so if you really must you can write to tell me yes, but not no, no isn't an option.

I'm counting down the days. I love you with all my heart.

Love Sam

P.S you can open the box now.

By now Andy was a blubbering mess. He just proposed to me. He had just proposed to her and now he was dead. If it wasn't for her then he would still be alive right now and he would be here, to get down on one knee and ask her. Pulling the covers up around her she cried her heart out, for him, for everything she would never have. The black box still held tight in her hand. When she realized this she released it and slowly opened the small velvet box, already knowing what was inside. Pulling out the most beautiful ring she had ever seen she held it up to the light, admiring its elegant simplicity. It was then that she noticed the small inscribing on the inside of the ring. Looking closer she saw that it was a small S.S and then 6114, his badge number.

Slipping the ring carefully onto her finger she crawled under the covers and cried herself to sleep, vowing to never love another man in he rife, Sam Swarek would always own her heart, until the day she dies and they can be together again.


Wow, so that is the end of the story! I have loved writing every word of it for you all!

If you want to see their 'happily ever after' then review and if I get enough I will write an alternate ending for you :)

Thanks for reading and until next time, kia ora :)