Notes: A BIG thank you to CytheraofNaxen for betaing the story for me!
I also wanted to thank everyone for reading this, and all the feedback, alerts and PMs.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Rookie Blue.
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Tuesday - 4:30pm
Bars seemed to becoming an almost second home and the only one he'd ever really liked was The Penny. The bars and clubs he'd been spending time in of late, smelled and not in a good way. Much as this one did, despite the smoking ban this place still reeked of stale tobacco but far worse was the pungent odor of sweat.
"Nate Vance."
His cover name pulled him back into the present, as he turned to see whoever had spoken his name, he cleared his face of all emotion and struggled to hold it for a moment as he saw that standing behind Otto, was a man that was never meant to be at any meeting, let alone this one, Trevor Ryan. Sam knew this probably wasn't the best sign, he also knew chances were even that Trevor just wanted to meet the new guy. There had been plenty of talk on the street about Johnny, but so far it seemed to be centered around Johnny being ratted out over a drug deal. The only talk that Sam was concerned about related to Chase, and so far no one was talking about him.
"Yeah." Sam finally replied.
"Here." Otto tilled his head toward the back booth.
"Y'know what I do." Trevor started as they settled into the quiet corner.
"Yeah."
"Y'know I don't do business with people I don't know, I like formal introductions."
Sam paused for a moment, he wanted to consider his response before he continued. "I find keeping your operation small, simple helps to minimize problems."
"My normal supplier has run into some problems." Trevor said as he glanced over at his second in charge.
"He wasn't careful." Sam took a beat. "He didn't value privacy."
"Do you?"
"I do. Like I said, it helps keep things simple."
"Chase said you weren't a talker. He also said that you had a girl."
"Really." Sam watched as Trevor scanned the bar, trying to pick his girl out of the scattered patrons.
"Said she was good, he also said that she followed you around like lost puppy."
"She's a smart girl."
"Where is she? I like to meet every one I'll be working with." Trevor waited, his arms folded across his broad chest. One finger twitching against his bicep.
"Ally's gone. She's a smart girl who saw a way out of life she didn't like very much." Sam learned back mirroring Trevor as he relaxed into the padding of the booth. "It was only a matter of time before she cashed in and disappeared."
"That doesn't worry you?"
"No." Sam needed to end any discussion of Ally as quickly as he could. "Johnny would have scared her into making a move."
"Johnny's mistake was running things out of his club. Number one rule is keep your business clean."
"I'm not concerned with how you run your business unless it interferes with my business." Sam was happy that conversion has changed back to reason he was here.
"I like to know what's going on, I like to see my shipments delivered." Trevor stood and dropped some notes on the table. "Otto will be in touch."
Sam took the outstretched hand that Trevor offered. "I look forward to it."
"Don't worry about your girl, you'll see her again."
"Oh yeah?" Sam tightened his grip on Trevor's hand.
"No one disappears from this life."
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Wednesday - 1:15pm
"We shouldn't be here." Gail repeated, "This isn't even our division."
"So you said … many times" Andy realized she probably should be worried if Gail of all people was trying to warn her.
"Yeah well, the least you could do is tell me who you're looking for."
"I told you we're not looking for anyone." Andy guessed she wasn't very convincing as she pulled her police cap further down to cover as much of her face as she could.
"Really?" Gail shifted in her seat again before she pulled herself as straight up as she could. "I'm not taking the fall for this."
"See now that is the benefit of being a Peck, you'll never have to take the fall for anything." Andy slowed the car to a crawl at the end of Laxton Avenue, for the third time she checked the area and reassured herself that a marked cruiser was not an uncommon sight in this area.
"If this has something to do with Swarek than we really shouldn't be here. If someone realizes he's a cop-"
"Gail." Andy drew in a breath. "No one is going to notice us, we're on our break so do you think you could just let me check this, please?"
"Well, I like to eat on a meal break."
Out of all the people she could have drawn today she got Gail, the only real comfort is that Chris would have found a rule book to read to her. She also knew that Gail was really pissed because she wouldn't tell her why she's driven them all the way over to Parkdale. The sight of Sam's car brought a smile to her face, somehow and she didn't understand why seeing his car meant he was at home and safe. Andy knew that she had no logic to back this up, but knowing he was just a few hundred feet away from her seemed to be enough for now.
"So, does that love sick smile on your face mean we can go now?" Gail asked, her voice coated in its normal amount of sarcasm.
4:50pm
"What are you doing?" Traci asked as Andy and Gail walked into the Bullpen.
"McNally, Peck." Best called from the top of the steps that lead to his office.
"Ask her." Gail said she pushed past Traci toward Best's office.
Andy knew what was waiting them in the office and stayed a few steps behind Gail hoping to put off what was coming a little longer. "Sir."
"Can you tell me what division is on the front of the building?"
Andy glanced at Gail and guessed she was on her own, "Fifteen."
"Excellent, and Parkdale is that in the fifteenth?"
"No, Sir." They said in unison this time.
"So do you think you can tell me why a car from this division was seen patrolling in Parkdale?" Best paused only for a moment, "Do we have so little to do that we're helping out other divisions? Or maybe they requested help that I am unaware of? Or have we just extended our range into the twenty-seventh?" This time Best did wait. "Well?" His voiced raised loud enough that anyone for a mile could have heard him.
"No." Andy voice didn't come close to matching Best's, "We were just-"
"We were following up a lead for the detectives Sir." Gail cut her off.
"Really?" Best pressed his hands to the desk as he stared at the two rookie officers.
"Yes Sir." Gail answered confidently.
"I think that lead is exhausted." Best shifted his focus to Andy, "Don't you?"
"Yes Sir." This time it was only Andy that answered.
"Thanks." Andy said once the door to Best's office was closed behind him.
"Like you said, it's not like I'm going to take the fall."
8:50pm
"Trevor Ryan was at the meet?"
"Yeah."
"And you're sure … about the rest?"
"No." Sam poured yet another sugar into a coffee he had stirred several times but was yet to even lift off the table. "But I know you're not gonna find anything in any business listed in his name ... the clubs will be clean."
"So that's it?" Boyd asked as he pushed his coffee mug away.
"No. That's not it, because now I have sit back and wait for Otto." Sam leaned forward putting as much volume in his voice as he could without drawing attention to them. "This guy is smart and careful and if the clubs are clean this is a long game, not a short one."
"You know what these things are like."
"No. I only know what you tell me and you told me this was simple, in and out. A chance to get away from things for a few weeks, maybe … maybe a month." Sam rubbed the back of his head. "It's been that long already and now it's gonna be months, if I'm lucky."
"Sammy you came to me, you wanted a break." Boyd pulled his mug back, "I might not have wanted to know why but this isn't your first rodeo, you knew what you were getting yourself into."
Sam could blame many things on Boyd but he was right. He'd walked himself straight into something that he thought was only going to take a few weeks, would get the worst kind of pimp off the street and as much as he didn't want to admit it, would allow him to hide. He wouldn't have to see Andy happily engaged, give himself a few weeks to get use to it, to get over it enough to cope with the idea. Now he could have her or for the first time he allowed himself to hope at least and he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"I need you to do something for me."
"No meetings." Boyd's voice was firm, "No visits, nothin'."
"Tell Sarah that I am safe, that the hard part is done and we're just cleaning up." As Boyd nodded, Sam sat still and silent for a moment, he had more to say just no way to say it. "Tell Andy ... that I'll hold up my end … if she'll wait. Tell her …. it's up to her."
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It'd been less than 24-hours since she sat on the bed reading that book, now it rested back on the chair where she'd first found it. 'Why?' Andy asked herself, she just wasn't sure of what. Was it, why had she read the book? Why had she not seen what was there all along? Or was it, why was she going? The last question she knew she could answer, something pulled her blot upright just after midnight. A feeling she couldn't name, but she did know what she had to do.
As she stuffed everything she owned back into garbage bags the tears welled in her eyes. Reading his words, realizing it was the last thing he was thinking before he left seem to cut right to the bone, she'd hurt him. Badly. Sam always seemed so strong it never occurred to her that anything, let alone her would effect him that much.
"Is that it?" Traci called out to her from the bottom of the steps.
"Yeah." With that Andy left the rest of the questions unanswered and pulled the entrance to Sam's house closed behind her.
"You sure about this?"
With a sad huff Andy pushed the last of the makeshift luggage bags into the back of Traci's car. "I can't stay here anymore." Andy knew that Traci was watching her but still she focused on his house rather than her friend. "My new apartment will be ready in a week … I'll be out of everyone's way then." Silence fell between them for a minute.
"You read the diary didn't you?"
"Yep."
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Monday 8:20am
"Saw you talkin' to Boyd?" Oliver said as he pulled the car onto the expressway.
"Yeah."
"What did he have to say?"
"Nothing. He wouldn't tell me anything." Andy turned back to window that allowed her to watched the world pass by. It didn't stop the conversation with Boyd playing over in her head. "Idon'tthinknowisthetimetogetintoit." He had started out, and instead of letting it pass she had to press. Had to get more information out of him. "It'sgonnabeawhilebeforeanyofusseeSammyagain." Andy could almost hear Boyd trying to hold his words back like he knew they would hurt her and he didn't want that to happen. Even with this mock show of concern she knew he was loving it. "IofferedtopullhimoutbuthewantsthegroupthatTrevorissupplying … hegavemeamessageforhissisterandhewantedmetotellyounottowait.Thathecouldn'tholduphisend.Hesaidthatheknewheleftituptoyoubuthecan'tdoit." Andy could still picture the evil smile that flashed across Boyd's face as he paused for the last time. "Hesaidyou'dknowwhatthatmeans."
"You all settled in?" Oliver changed the topic as he fished a packet of chips from the door pocket.
"If by settled in you mean I haven't built my bed so my mattress is on the floor and I have half open boxes and emptied garbage bags cluttering up every corner, then yeah ... I'm settled in." Andy replied with a sad smile.
"You don't have to worry," Oliver turned his head to face her and waved one hand in the air. "He can look after himself."
"So everyone keeps telling me." The problem was the little voice in her head. If he was fine why was he pushing her away, Andy knew Sam and she knew him well enough to know the only reason he would push her away was if he was really worried he might not come back. "It's just that-" The sharp crack of the radio cut Andy off.
"1519 please attend a possible 902 at St Michael's."
"1519 on-route." Andy said dryly as she let the radio fall back into place.
When she'd heard the call Andy knew there wasn't going to be anything good about her day. Now she just felt guilty for even thinking her day was bad. The traumatized young women in front her could barely open her left eye it was so swollen, her arms and neck a patchwork of mottled bruises. Even after twenty minutes of talking and trying to gently assure her that they were only there to help she still wouldn't admit to anything more than being mugged.
"I'll leave you my card and if you remember something or you just want to talk to me … about anything." Andy placed it on the side table when she wouldn't take it. "Anytime." She added as she passed the councilor returning to the room after talking to Oliver.
"What'd she say?" Oliver asked as she approached.
"Nothing. Said she was mugged and didn't get a look at the guy." Andy closed her note pad and pushed it back into her pocket. "You?"
"Julia, the councilor's gonna try to get her to agree to a rape kit."
"I don't think she's ready to face it yet … she hasn't got anyone to call. Moved here two months ago from Montreal." Andy stood still, focused on the room in front of her. Unwilling to follow Oliver as he started to leave. "Sir … do you think."
"No." Oliver turned back to Andy. "We took the report, you've left your details and we'll follow up. If she doesn't want to tell us there isn't anything more we can do."
"I just."
"McNally." Oliver took the few steps to close the distance between them. "I know you want to do more but we can't. Julia's one of the good ones, she'll stay with her and really the doctors and Julia can do more for her than we can right now."
"I guess."
"These guys, the councilors, it's all they do. If anyone can get her to open up it'll be one of them." Oliver gave Andy a little push on the back to get her moving. "I don't know how they do it. Sarah, Sammy's sister is one you know."
"What?" Andy was surprised for some reason that Oliver would know anything about Sam's family, her next thought was that Oliver would know more about Sam than she'd ever hope to.
"At St Catherine's General." Oliver finished.
"I guess knowing what they are going through helps." Andy realized as the words were coming out of her mouth that she was saying something that Oliver didn't know anything about. Despite knowing that he wasn't going to ask any questions, she was still trying to work out how she was going to explain away what she'd said without making it worse.
