Welcome back, thank you all for your awesomeness! Sorry about delayed postings but life is just crazy!

Things are heating up with this fic from here on out so I hope you all enjoy!

Thanks to kelly2727, the twitter girls, the girls on FB.

Thanks to the regulars & most of all thank you to all the newbies that have been leaving reviews to my older fics, following me & adding me as a fav!

You guys are the reason I write!

Chapter 21- Demons & Dreams.

The drive home was made in silence while Andy stared out of her window and Sam drove.

Their heated conversation made his heart sag because everything had gone sideways so fast.

He would glance at Andy and see her reflection in the window, her own worry overflowing as it radiated from her.

Once at home she got out of the truck and took the single shopping bag that she had with her. Sam had put his from the pharmacy into the glove compartment so he grabbed it before following her inside and giving the house a quick once over to make sure that they were alone and not in harms way.

Once happy with their surroundings Sam headed for a closet in the hallway where he retrieved two duffle bags and took them downstairs.

He had them open on top of the counter when Andy came down, her strides moving to stoic as she looked at him.

"Are we packing? Or just you?" She asked.

"They're go-bags Andy".

Oh right, she was so caught up in seeing him with open bags that she hadn't thought that far. It showed that she was really considering the possibility that he may abandon them.

Go-bags were bags packed in preperation of making a run for it- they were prepped with cash, clothes, weapons and even if needed some medical supplies and non-perishable food.

"Trust me okay. You have so far" Sam said and she nodded.

She went back upstairs after that and left Sam to do whatever he was doing on his own.

As soon as she was inside her now bedroom Andy closed the door and walked over to the bed where she sat down.

Her hands ran up and down her thighs, the material of her jeans rough under her soft skin.

Her mind was flipping and shaking, all sorts of random thoughts coming to it.

She trusted Sam, she really did, she just didn't know if she trusted herself when it came to him.

Making a hasty decision she reached for her phone and called her handler, seven rings sounding before he answered.

"Hey, you guys hanging in there okay?".

"I can't do this" Andy said.

"Do what exactly?" Her handler asked.

"All of it. I can't keep Jared safe. I can't keep Sam out of this. I can't give Jared what he needs...or should have".

"Andy slow down, what happened?".

"How's Jerry?" She avoided answering his question and instead asked one of her own.

"He's okay, they're just keeping him in for observation".

"And he wouldn't have been hurt if he wasn't helping us".

"Don't go there". It wasn't a warning, it was more like friendly advise.

"I want it to end". She sighed.

"Kiddo, I know it's hard but it's nearly over. Just a few more weeks". There was a promise in that, but it wasn't good enough.

"We won't last a few more weeks...".

"Do you trust Sam?"

"What?" Andy rolled her eyes. Why was that even important to her handler?

"You know him don't you?".

"Yes. That's why I asked him to find you"

"You set him up? You're his handler?".

Suddenly more of this situation made sense to her. Sam wasn't a threat and neither were the people that wanted him to find her. They wanted her found because they were worried about her.

"Don't tell him Andy, please".

Andy ran a hand over her forehead. This changed things.

"Why? Why him and why now?".

"Sam's a good guy and I trust him as much as I trust Jerry. But..." There was the sound of a heavy breath before the conversation resumed "There are some concerns about Sam's honesty".

The silence that followed that made Andy's insides shake.

"What? You think he's on the take?".

No way, not possible. Sam wasn't that kind of cop- or person for that matter. Not from what she'd seen.

"Not me, but he's being looked into".

"No. Absolutely not" Andy found her feet and began pacing the floor in hasty steps while her fingers combed through her hair.

"I won't so don't even ask me to okay" she rambled knowing where this was going. "You set him up and you used me to do it, didn't you?".

It didn't take rocket science to figure out where this conversation was going; her handler was asking her to spy on Sam and gather intel to prove one of two things- his guilt or his innocence.

She was almost sure that this was what it looked like it was, and right now it didn't look good for either of them. Or from her point of view.

"Andy, listen to me. It wasn't like that but since word got out that he's somehow entangled with Boyd they're taking a serious look at him. Everyone knows Boyd's a bad cop even if it hasn't been proven yet, and now they think Sam is too".

"Then tell them how they're connected" Andy challenged. It was simple. If her handler explained that; then it would clear Sam so what was the problem?

"I can't". Her handler sounded regrettable saying that.

"Why not?". Andy stopped pacing and waited for the answer. She just knew that when it came she wasn't going to like it.

"He's up for review because he's in line for a promotion. If it comes out that he's helping you then Boyd will make sure that Sam's life ends as he knows it. Look at what he did to you".

"A promotion? That's why you won't tell them? Are you kidding me?". Her feisty side flared momentarily.

"It's complicated. The promotion just came up and if it comes out that Sam's hiding you then Boyd will destroy him Andy. This is all that Sam has left, I don't want to be the one that takes it away from him".

"What does him helping me have to do with his promotion?".

"Andy, you're wanted for murder".

That line was enough to make her breath catch in her throat.

Sam unpacked the pharmacy bag and split the pile of boxes into three. One went into each go-bag and the remaining one went onto the kitchen counter for use now. He'd gotten Jared some regular vitamins and some vitamin D and calcium supplements.

Next he went to his bedroom and grabbed two piles of his own clothes that would go into the go-bags too. Finding Andy coming out of her room looking a little pale Sam asked her to get two sets of clothes for herself and Jared before leaving her in the hallway.

She brought them down a short while later and Sam added them to the bags.

She also held out two coloring in books and two piles of crayons.

Sam nodded his head to the side and Andy followed his lead. He took them to the upstairs linen closet where he moved some towels around to reveal a wall safe that she didn't even know was in there.

He opened it and bent down, Andy's eyes watching him closely. "Combination is 5465" he said.

He dug his hand into the safe and pulled out two stacks of new notes, Andy's hand shaking when she reached out to take them as he held them out to her.

Her handlers words raced through her mind.

What if Sam really was on the take?

There was more money in the safe and there was easily over ten grand in each of the two piles in her hand. That was allot of money.

Sensing her question Sam spun around and stood up.

"They Payton's took out life insurance on themselves for me and Sarah. When they died we decided to put the money in here because we were both cops and it may look like a payoff".

Andy's eyes widened and she struggled to swallow at the thought of him reading her mind and saying payoff.

Sam bent down and pulled something out of the safe, a piece of folded paper held out to her a second later. "The lawyers statement" Sam said and Andy felt a world of relief flow over her. She shook her head and he put it back into the safe.

She didn't need to see the lawyers statement to know that Sam was telling the truth about where the money came from.

"Sam, I didn't think..." She tried to apologize but failed when Sam nodded her way. He understood, that was why the money was here. People's first impressions were always really hard to change.

"We kept it here because it was always our backup plan. Sarah wanted to do UC's, I already was, so if we ran into trouble or needed money it was here".

Andy nodded. Sam's sister had been really smart.

Sam focused on the safe again and then held out a gun to Andy with three magazines. Her hand took hold of the metal, and she shivered.

"There's one, so keep it on you".

Sam closed the safe and dug around in the closet. He pulled out a shotgun and a box of shells before looking up at Andy. "Ever used one?".

She shook her head.

Sam let out a light chuckle, somehow her answer wasn't surprising.

"Get Jared's overnight bag" Sam said before carrying the shotgun away with him.

Andy went and put the cash in the bags and then she checked the gun and stuck it into her jeans and a magazine into her pocket.

When she did, she felt the other item in her pocket shift around and become uncomfortable.

She took the magazine out and slid it into her other pocket before going to get Jared a bag for his night at the Epstein's.

Sam watched her shuffle around, a small object still visible in her pocket after she moved the magazine to the other one. The object was small, and oblong an unusual thing to carry around.

It wasn't lipstick, but was close to the same size.

Maybe a flashdrive?

But why would she keep it in her pocket?

Ten minutes later Andy declared that she was ready to head to the Epstein household with Jared's bag.

Sam did a scan of the front yard before letting either of them set foot out the front door. He took the shotgun with them and carefully placed it behind the seat with the box of shells going into the glove compartment.

Halfway to their destination, Andy looked up at him and smiled before she mumbled a "I trust you" and looked away. It was hard for her to admit that to him. Harder yet to admit it to herself first considering that the people she had trusted in the past had always screwed her over. Boyd was just one on the list of names...

Sam noticed that her hand ran over her pocket, as though she was checking on the contents of it.

He didn't think that she even knew that she was doing it.

Her words were random and unsettled him.

They came out of nowhere.

Once at the Epstein's house they said a quick hello to Jared before making a hasty retreat. Andy was the first to leave and Sam understood why. It was so hard for her to leave Jared here and she wanted to go before her weakness showed and she potentially upset Jared or set him off. He was making great progress and she in no way wanted to hinder him moving forwards.

Once back at their temporary home Sam started finishing off the go-bags with whatever he thought should go into them.

Andy did some laundry and started dinner by which time Sam realized that they had skipped lunch.

He would watch Andy and could see that something had changed. She was different.

He wasn't sure if it was because of Jared, or Jerry or because of the fact that he was trying to distance himself from her, or maybe it was the cash. And the first thought she'd had when she saw it.

She didn't keep her emotions or private thoughts a secret very well. Everything was always written all over her face.

He could see the cog's turning and she was in deep thought like she was fighting an internal battle and loosing against herself.

When dinner was done it was still early and Sam declined Andy's offer to eat so early.

She took up residence on the couch and he watched her send a text only to receive one back immediately. Her smile made him guess that she was talking to Chloe and that Jared was okay.

Sam went outside to pull the truck into the garage and when he came back he found Andy had fallen asleep on the couch.

She hadn't had much sleep and it had been an emotionally draining day so he left her.

Going upstairs Sam started closing windows and curtains as nightfall settled in. In Andy's room he had done just that when a small object on the top of the dresser caught his eye.

Giving it no consideration Sam scooped up the flashdrive and went in search of his laptop.

It took nearly half an hour to copy the files to his laptop before he returned it to the dresser.

There were hundreds of files on it, but he didn't open any of them. He just copied them and saved it to a folder named AM before shutting his laptop off and going to make sure that Andy hadn't seen him.

Watching her sleep was euphoric.

She looked so much more at peace that he even leaned a little closer at one point to get a better look at her smile.

It was probably insane that he was even sitting watching her sleep, but he was able to openly stare at her without getting into trouble.

Trouble, the word was on its own just a word.

But under the circumatsnces it was fitting.

He was already in more trouble than anything else when it came to her.

Andy groaned and turned over before settling down again.

Rubbing his hand across his chin, Sam forced the thoughts running through his mind away. They were in dangerous territory and he needed to stop.

He felt guilty for pushing her away, and turning on the cold but it was best for both of them. Best for him.

He also felt really bad for sneaking the files off her flashdrive, but they were important if she was hiding them and kept it on her.

Just as he let that thought trail off Andy let out a sob in her sleep and bolted up into a sitting position her eyes falling on Sam as she watched him watch her despite the fact that the TV was on.

Her hand flew up to her mouth as she tried to gain control of her breathing, her skin still a pasty white.

"You're okay" Sam tried to sooth her by speaking and leaning even more towards her in his chair, but his voice only seemed to unsettle her more.

She dropped her feet to the floor and staggered away at warp speed leaving a stunned Sam to watch her.

Andy made it to the bathroom just in time.

Her stomach revolted what little contents it had in it in a spasm.

She found her toothpaste and toothbrush and brushed her teeth before catching sight of herself in the mirror.

She rinsed her face off with cold water and took another look; her reflection just as bad as before.

"No, no" she said to herself in the mirror, denial entangled around her words.

She'd had a nightmare, one that's images were so real she woke up terrified.

This had started out as many of her previous nightmares had, she was tied to a chair in a warehouse, Boyd sitting in a chair across from her in the dark.

Words were exchanged between them but she could never remember them.

Next moment there was movement and Nicoli had Sam on his knees with his hands tied behind his back in front of her. From what she could see; Sam's downcast face was swollen and bloodied no doubt from a severe beating.

Boyd stood up and walked over to Sam. He lifted his head up by pulling on Sam's hair, dark, bloodied holes now where Sam's eyes had been. There were streaks of blood down Sam's cheeks like he'd been crying blood. But the worst was yet to come.

Sam spoke and said "You did this" before she woke up.

"You okay?" Sam's voice in real time from behind her startled her and she jumped and whimpered at the same time.

"Fine" Andy mumbled without even looking in his direction.

"Want to talk about it?" Sam pressed as Andy's hands clutched the basin.

She suddenly whirled around and Sam knew that she had seen something really bad in her dreams. Something that scared her, and hurt her.

"No I don't" she hissed and Sam felt a wave of anger replace whatever she was feeling as it crashed through the room.

Andy eventually looked up to see Sam looking well, like his normal self except for the concern that seemed evident. The nasty images of him that she had see in her dreams were far from how he looked now.

She had a hole in her stomach and her insides still shook because not only had she seen what Boyd and his goons had done to Sam in her dreams, but she'd felt real heartache at hearing what he said to her. She woke up feeling like she'd just had her heart crushed.

Reaching for the towel and covering her wet face with it she hid herself from Sam's questioning gaze for a moment. When he looked at her like that she wanted to tell him everything and then cry.

And then she knew.

She knew why her mind had played that sick little joke on her. She knew why she woke up feeling like her heart had just been ripped out of her chest.

She had been so busy falling for Sam that she didn't realize it until she faced the possibility that she could get him hurt or killed even if it was just in a dream.

Really stupid right?

Right.

Andy pulled her face out of the towel and hung it up, Sam following her every move like a hawk.

"Whatever it was, it won't happen" Sam said sounding so sincere that Andy's knees shook.

She doubted that he'd say that if he knew what it had been about.

"You have no idea okay. So don't even..." Even what? Think you're invincible? Because I just watched you get your eyes gouged out in my dreams and you blamed me for it?

Okay, maybe when this was over she should get a shrink.

Sam could see that she was really shaken up. Whatever she'd seen in her dreams had shaken her to the core.

"Just... Come with me?" Sam held his hand out and she looked at it in disbelief.

He suddenly remembered something and hoped that it would chase Andy's demons away for a while.

Sam took a step back when he realized that he was holding his hand out and actually wishing that she'd take it.

But she didn't.

He dropped his hand and took a few steps, Andy following with hesitation.

Sam led her downstairs and out of the house, his gun still tucked into his jeans in case.

The storm had created mud patches everywhere but he didn't care, he traipsed through them his footsteps squashing as he walked.

Andy followed and Sam heard her groan a few times. The mud was cold and she had probably gotten some in her shoes.

After a ten minute walk they disappeared into the trees and soon enough Andy was really close to his side as they tracked into the darkness the way lit only by moonlight.

When they reached a slight clearing in the trees Sam motioned to Andy to be really quiet. They stood still and silently, nightlife sounds like the crickets coming to life after a moment.

Sam watched Andy in anticipation, he couldn't wait to see her reaction when this entire section of the tree line came to life.

Maybe just maybe then for five minutes, she'd detatch herself from life and live in the moment.

**** thanks for reading! Hope you'll review?

Who's still here? Just wanna check that I'm not boring any of you yet?

Have an awesome day!

Jbj.