A/N: So sorry guys! Life's still getting in the way but I'm writing when I can ... promise! Hope y'all are still enjoyin' the ride ... if I haven't said it lately, THANK YOU!


Sam's answer was a kiss.

Andy laughed when he reached into her pocket for her phone. Sam turned all the phones off and didn't turn them back on until Monday.

Andy noticed the change in Sam the closer they got to the Barn. She reached over the console. Sam took the offered hand.

Nobody was surprised to walk into Parade and find Sam at the back in his usual place with Andy standing in front of him, his hands on her hips. When Frank walked in he dropped them to her sides. Frank looked at the board, saw they weren't partnered and frowned. "Why aren't McNally and Swarek together?!"

When Andy tensed Sam ran his hand up her back.

"Yeah, uh, Frank, we kinda had to shake things up. Peck got fired last night so we gotta send Andy in tonight. Andy runs the risk of being hit on so Sammy runs the risk of losin' his temper ..."

"Sammy?"

"My idea, Boss."

"McNally, you ok with this?"

Andy took a deep breath but when Sam squeezed her hand reassuringly she nodded.

Frank listened as everything was laid out. When Parade was dismissed Frank called Sam and Andy into his office.

"You ready for this, Andy?"

Andy gave Frank a single nod. "Yes, Sir."

"Sam, I know you, there's no way you're gonna be far away ..."

Sam grinned. "Not a chance." He gave Andy a reassuring smile. "Peck said the place has cameras so I'll be in the office watchin' on camera."

"You're ok with Collins sittin' at the bar waitin' for his 'girlfriend'?"

"Army boy knows the only thing that won't land him in shit his first day is a smile."

Frank couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "What about you, Andy? You ok with Collins?"

Andy shrugged. "I'll do my job ... hopefully he does his."

"Sorry, Sammy, but she needs to know what she's walkin' into ..."

Andy looked between both men.

Sam sighed but gave Frank the nod to go ahead.

"The place's been busted for drugs before. Steve's ... familiar ... with some of the regulars. He'll be outside in the van with Jerry.

"So am I lookin' to score ..."

"No offense, Andy, but they'd make you in a minute." All three turned at Steve Peck's voice in the doorway.

"Peck's right. You're just goin' in as the new waitress. Collins is gonna get introduced as your boyfriend."

"Anybody asks why he's waitin' at the bar ..." Steve wondered.

Andy grinned. "Over protective boyfriend."

Sam tugged on her ponytail. "I am not over protective."

"So if she'd said overbearing, would she still be talkin' about you, Swarek?" Steve asked with a grin.

"And here I thought you weren't like your sister ..."

Frank and Steve laughed and left them alone to go brief the new rookie.

Sam sat on the edge of the desk and put his hands on Andy's hips. "You sure about this?"

Andy nodded. "What was it Boyko said our first day? Serve. Protect and Don't Screw Up?"

Sam couldn't help but laugh. "Epstein, he said it for Epstein."

"Yeah, well, tonight I'm gonna try for the 'don't screw up' part ..."

"Then kiss the boyfriend goodbye McNally," Gail said from the door "because that" she waved at Andy's uniform, "isn't the look we're goin' for tonight."

Andy rolled her eyes. "See ya before we leave?"

Sam grinned. "How d'ya think you're gettin' there?"

Andy laughed and kissed him. "See ya in a few minutes."

Andy's eyes popped when Gail gave her the bar's uniform. "Seriously?! This is what the staff wears?"

"The girls. The guys are in jeans and a T-shirt."

"Does Sam know?"

Gail laughed before giving Andy a soft smile. "Why d'you think he took himself off the floor?"

Andy sunk down onto the bench.

"Did you start carrying more than lip gloss in your bag?"

Andy gave Gail a questioning look. Gail laughed. "Didn't think so. Get dressed and I'll be back."

Andy threw her uniform blouse at Gail's back. Gail was laughing as she went out the door. Andy was standing in her bra and underwear when she heard the door reopen.

"Gail?" she called out.

Sam couldn't help the smile. "Sorry to disappoint ya, McNally."

"Sam?"

Sam laughed at the shock in her voice. "Yeah, McNally, it's me."

"Geez Swarek, you know this is the women's locker room, right?" Gail teased when she walked in and saw him.

Sam ignored her. "Since when does it take you this long to get changed, McNally?"

Andy walked out and Gail whistled making her blush. Andy saw the makeup and shook her head. "Forget it, Gail."

Sam looked at the makeup bag in Gail's hand. "She's beautiful enough to get the attention of any guy in the room without fire engine red lips, Peck."

Gail gave them both an indignant look before leaving.

"I look ..." Andy said stepping in front of the full length mirror.

Sam walked up behind her. "Beautiful."

Andy leaned her head back on Sam's shoulder. "Can we go over this one more time?"

Sam kissed her temple. "Collins is there to watch and listen."

"Not exciting enough for you?" Andy teased.

"Funny. I'll be in the office watching you."

"Does my over protective boyfriend know that?" made Sam laugh.

"You ready, McNally?" Frank called into the locker room.

Andy took a deep breath and looked at Sam in the mirror. Sam smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

"We'll be right there, Frank."

Between the "tight fitting jeans" and the form fitting tank, Andy was more than a little self conscious walking out the door.

Oliver met them at the door. "Sammy, thought you might want this," he said holding out Sam's leather jacket. Sam took it and wrapped it around Andy's shoulders. Andy smiled her thanks.

Everybody gathered in the Parade room.

"Alright everybody, we ready to do this?"

When the room responded they were, Frank got down to it. "Collins, we're gonna make things real easy for the rest of us and not change your name. McNally,"

"Candi," Andy interjected with a grin.

Frank smile. "Candi. You're not new at this, but your boyfriend doesn't like that you changed bars,"

"So I'm just hangin' out to see what it's like," Nick confirmed his role.

''Sammy ..."

"Collins, I've got eyes, but you're my ears, you see or hear anything funny, you tell us, you're the only wire we've got."

"Yes, Sir."

"Peck, you see anybody we need to worry about ..."

"You'll know," Steve confirmed.

"Sounds like we're ready. Let's move."

Frank dismissed everybody with the reminder that coming home safe was just as important as getting the job done.

"Collins, you're not here to be a hero," Sam said into the rearview mirror.

Nick smiled. "No, Sir."

Nick watched from the backseat as Sam held out his hand and a nervous Andy took it. "Frank wouldn't send you in if he didn't think you could do this."

Andy took a calming breath and smiled. "I know."

"Then what's goin' on in that pretty head of yours?"

"Just a little ironic that the daughter of a drunk waits tables and has a boyfriend that's either overly protective or possessive, depending how you look at it."

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Collins, you following her?"

" Uh, Sir?" Nick asked hesitantly.

Andy laughed softly at the pained look on Sam's face. Sam looked at her and growled "I survived Epstein," under his breath. "Pay attention, Army Boy, she just gave you her story. Keep it as real as you can when you're playing somebody you're not. Your job hasn't changed but the way you sell it has. She's just given you and your pretty boy smile an airtight reason to be there."

"Not sure I'm following, Sir."

"You're gonna walk through those doors "holding" your girlfriend tighter than you should and she's gonna push you away so instead of a love struck couple, people are gonna see a possessive boyfriend with an attitude."

"You think I should be grateful we're together."

Sam looked in the rearview mirror. "She's my girlfriend, Army Boy, so if anything happens to her ..."

Nick shifted under Sam's intense stare. "Yes, Sir."

A safe distance from the club Sam kissed Andy before getting out of the SUV with Nick getting in behind the wheel.

Inside the club Andy pushed Nick away and went straight for the bar, Nick following closely behind. Andy set a drink in front of Nick and he "grabbed" her wrist, she pulled away and one of the girls appeared to take Candi and show her around. Nick got up like he was going to follow and got told it was "employees only."

Andy knew from Gail that the stock room had eyes so Sam would see her when she pulled out her phone with the excuse of shutting it off in fear of the boyfriend texting her but she activated the mic so he could hear.

Sam was a little surprised when he heard a female voice. He couldn't help the smile when he heard Andy say, "He's not the guy I wanna be with."

The girl she was with smiled. "Sounds like a girl who has a guy in mind."

The girls were laughing as they went back out to the bar. Nick gave her a questioning look that Andy shook off before he heard Sam's voice in his ear.

When Nick went to the men's room and nobody was paying attention she snuck up to the office.

Sam knew as soon as he heard the door open it was Andy. He waited until she closed the door. "Not who you wanna be with, huh?"

Andy smiled. "I am now. How's it going?"

Sam flashed a dimpled grin. "I've had harder assignments."

Andy laughed and kissed his cheek before slipping back out the door.

A few hours later Steve called in to Sam for a heads up that trouble could be heading Andy's way. He passed the warning on to Nick as he scanned the cameras for Andy.

"Where's McNally?"

"Bathroom."

Sam was out of the office and into the bar in a heartbeat. He motioned for Nick.

"The one place we don't have cameras you let her go alone?! How long has she been ..."

When Nick couldn't give him an answer Sam took a deep breath. "Collins, you're the last person I thought we'd have to explain 'havin' your partners back' to, but I guess I do, but that'll wait til after we find her. For now get back to the Barn."

"But shouldn't we be looking for ..."

"You shoulda been this concerned about your partner before. Now ... get outta my sight."

He grabbed his radio. "Jerry, we got a problem, McNally's ..."

"McNally's what, buddy?"

Jerry's heart stopped before picking up again when he heard, "Missing." He wasted no time dispatching units.

When somebody made the mistake of suggesting Sam go home and let others look for Andy Jerry was the 'chosen one' to try to get through to Sam. Everyone was advised to give Sam space and let him do his thing. Hours later it was Oliver that got him to go home and get some sleep.

The next morning Parade had one case, a missing person - Andy McNally.

Nobody was surprised to see Sam in uniform. When asked about looking for her, he gave a sad smile and said he'd stop when he found her ... no matter how he found her.

Unlike Sam, the rookies couldn't look for her afraid of what they'd find so they worked with the Ds putting a timeline together and going over any evidence they had that might give them a clue. Nick was put on desk.