AN: Here it is! I hope you like it! I like it, so at least there's that! Keep on being the best readers on the face fo the Earth and keep reviewing! I wish I could update more, guys, but I have been swamped. I'm doing the best I can and I appreciate your patience! You're LITERALLY amazing!

As they continued their walk to the backyard, a few steps behind Sarah, Sam and Andy held hands until Sam put his arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Just breathe, McNally. you're going to be fine."

She did as she was told and took a deep breath. "Sammy, you should go see Nan and Pop," Sarah told him, turning around. She smiled when she saw his arm around Andy. "Aw, and you should take your breathtaking girlfriend with you," she said and Andy blushed. "Sorry, I will no longer call you pretty. You just have to understand how weird it is to see Sammy with a girlfriend."

"It's okay," Andy laughed, waving it off.

"Okay," Sarah smiled again. "Sam, take her to meet your grandparents."

"Okay," he said, looking around the yard.

"They're in the kitchen," Sarah told him and he nodded, turning him and Andy toward the house.

"I like her," Andy said once they were closer to the house.

"I thought you would," Sam told her, removing his arm from her to open the back door. He walked in first, knowing Andy wouldn't want to be the first one they saw. "Nan," Sam said, causing the old woman at the counter to drop the cupcake she was frosting.

"Sammy!" She called, bustling over to him and hugging him tight. He towered over her, but leaned down to meet her half way. "It's so good to see you, Sam."

"You too, Nan," Sam smiled, pulling back and reaching for Andy's hand. He pulled her closer. "This is Andy. I'm sure Sarah told you I was bringing her."

"Oh, she sure did," she said. "I'm Elle. It's so nice to meet you. Come here."

Andy looked quickly at Sam before walking closer to Elle, who enveloped her in a hug. "It's nice to meet you, too," Andy finally said when she pulled away.

"Why are you with my grandson?" Elle asked, causing Andy to look between them. Sam just shook his head and looked at his feet. "You're too good for him."

"Hey," he protested, stepping in. "You don't even know her. How could you possibly know she's too good for me?"

"Believe me, ma'am, I am just as lucky to have him," Andy insisted and she watched Sam's grandmother smile grow.

"How did you two meet, anyway?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking between them.

"We work together," Sam told her and she nodded.

"He was my training officer, actually. Taught me everything I know."

"And now he's a hot shot detective, right?" An elderly man said, turning into the kitchen. "Sammy, so good to see you."

Sam smiled and shook his grandfather's hand. "Ed, this is Andy," Elle said, holding onto Andy's hand.

"Andy, I'm Ed," he said, shaking her hand. "Welcome to our home," he said, sweeping his arms dramatically. "There aren't usually cupcakes on our kitchen floor, though," he said with a laugh, looking at the cupcake Elle had dropped.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elle said, bending down to get it. "I got so excited when I heard Sammy's voice. You two should go outside and mingle. We'll be right out."

"Great," Sam said sarcastically, putting his hand on the small of Andy's back. "I love mingling."

"Same old Sammy," Ed laughed as they walked away.

As they walked off of the porch toward a couple of seats on the edge of the yard, Andy took a look at her surroundings. The place was beautiful. She wondered how much time Sam had spent here. He seemed pretty comfortable. He pulled a seat out for her and sat next to her.

"So, you're Sammy here?" Andy asked with a slight smile.

"I am Sammy," he agreed and she held onto his hand that rested on top of the table.

"I thought that was something that the guys called you," she said and he shrugged. "I'm going to stick with Sam."

"Works for me," he smiled, leaning over to kiss her softly. He looked behind them and spotted the bar. "I'm going to grab a drink. You want something?"

"Surprise me," she challenged and he smiled before standing up. She was sitting along for a couple of minutes when someone sat down next to her.

"Hi," Sarah said, surprising her.

"Hi," Andy smiled, looking back at the bar to see Sam talking to someone.

"That's my husband," Sarah explained and Andy nodded, turning back to her. "I made him go over there to talk to Sam so I could come over here and get some alone time with you."

"Oh," Andy said, drawing out the word and Sarah put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," she said. "I don't bite."

"Okay," Andy laughed nervously.

"Sam's a really good man," Sarah said seriously and Andy nodded. "He's better than most."

"I know," Andy said, nodding again. "He's amazing."

"As his big sister who loves him more than anything, I just wanted to tell you that in person," she told her. "He must really like you if he brought you here, and I know you two are living together, so I know he's very serious about you and your relationship."

"He's the most important person in my life, Sarah," Andy insisted. "He and I have been through a lot together, but we're together now- forever."

"Oh, wow," Sarah sighed and they both turned to look at Sam. He was still talking and listening to Jake, but he was also watching them. "I just don't want him to get hurt. He's always been there for me and I want to be there for him."

"Me too," Andy smiled and Sarah reciprocated. "Honestly, Sarah, he's the best thing that's ever happened to me. It took me way too long to realize it, but now that I have, it's pretty much all I think about."

"Then I consider you worthy," Sarah said, bowing her head and Andy smiled triumphantly. "But don't hurt him. Because I know where you work."

"I'll keep that in mind," Andy said with a laugh and Sarah smiled. She stood up, waved at her husband, and walked toward their table.

"She's clever," Sam said when he sat down and handed Andy her drink."What was that about?"

"You," Andy shrugged and Sam shook his head. "Don't worry. I still like you."

"Good," he nodded before leaning over and kissing her. He put his arm across the back of her chair and played with the ends of her hair.

"So, are these your mother's parents?" Andy asked and Sam nodded. "Have they lived here long?"

"Since I was born, at least," Sam said with a shrug. "Pop was a doctor. Which is why, I think, my mother ended up marrying a criminal. Some sort of crazy rebellion. After he got sent away, the three of us moved in here until I got to high school."

"Then what happened?" Andy asked, really interested now. Sam was still playing with her hair, but he wasn't looking at her.

"We moved to the city," he shrugged. "Sarah and my mom moved back here and I stayed there."

"Why don't you come up here that often?"

"I don't know," Sam shrugged again, running his free hand through his own hair. "Sarah's got Jake to protect her now. My grandparents are really old, but are the healthiest people in the world and they don't really need me."

"They love you, Sam," Andy told him, squeezing his thigh. He finally looked at her and she smiled. "They're your family. They may not need you, but they like having you around. Didn't you see how excited your Nan was when she saw you?"

"I hate feeling like a visitor here," he told her and she nodded. "My life isn't here anymore, you know? I come when I need to, but that's enough for me."

"Okay," Andy said, looking around the yard. She'd only met three people at the party and she knew Sam didn't care about anyone else. She understood what he meant, but she also believed his family would love to see him more.

"Sammy, I need your help with something in the house," Ed called from across the yard where he was standing with Elle. Sam sighed and nodded before turning to Andy.

"You okay?" He asked and she nodded. "Okay," he said and he kissed her quickly before meeting his grandfather on the porch. Andy watched them walk inside and she felt someone new sit beside her in Sam's seat.

"Don't worry," Elle said, putting her hand on Andy's. "I'm not trying to trap you like my granddaughter."

"I wasn't worried," Andy smiled. "I don't mind getting to know Sam's family."

"Good," Elle said, squeezing her hand. "We're very happy you're here with him. It's good to see him happy. He and his sister had a tough childhood. They're father was a conman; he even led Ed and me to believe he was good enough for our daughter. Sarah and Sammy are the only good things that came out of that union."

Andy was surprised she was sharing so much, so she just nodded and waited for a change of subject. Elle looked as though she wasn't even paying attention to Andy until she physically shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Sorry," she said. "I just hate what he did to my family."

"I understand," Andy nodded. "Sam turned out to be an amazing man. I'm sure Sarah is just as amazing."

"They're both very special people," Elle agreed. "You be good to him."

"I promise."

Elle smiled triumphantly and sat back in her chair. "I have to make the announcement about the food being served. Save this table for the family, will you?" Elle asked and Andy nodded.

Elle made her announcement while Sam and Ed left the house. They joined Andy at the table, followed by Sarah, Jake and Jake's son. Sam sat down and pulled Andy's chair closer to his. She smiled at him, now nervous with the entirety of his family surrounding them.

"Andy, this is Jake and Roman," Sarah said, pointing to them on either side of her. "This is Sammy's girlfriend, Andy."

"Hi," Andy said, waving from across the table.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Jake told her and she smiled shyly. "We've heard absolutely nothing about you."

Sam nodded, looking into his lap while Andy laughed and rubbed his back. "It's nice to meet you," she said and Jake smiled.

"Don't mind him, Andy," Sarah said, slapping his arm gently. "We are really glad you're here."

"It's not a big deal," Sam finally said. "She's not the first girl I've dated, just the first you've met."

"That is a big deal, Sammy," Ed said and Andy noticed that he wasn't someone that Sam would argue with. She noticed it the second she met Ed; he was someone that Sam admired.

Sarah smiled and changed the subject to her wedding day. She claimed it felt like they had been together forever, when they'd only been married five years and together a total of six and a half. Andy asked what the wedding was like and the whole table helped her fill in the story. She was pleasantly surprised when she found out Sam was the one who walked her down the aisle. Without looking over at him, she reached out and held the hand that rested on his knee.

"That was delicious," Andy said, putting her silverware onto her empty plate.

"Thank you," Sarah smiled. "I catered it. Well, my company did."

"Wow," Andy smiled. "That's so cool."

"What would you do if you weren't a cop?" Sarah asked, leaning her elbows on the table.

"I don't know," Andy shrugged. "I've never wanted to do anything else," she explained, looking to Sam who was watching her.

"Don't look at me," he laughed. "I agree with you."

"We're pretty lucky, then," Sarah said. "We're all doing exactly what we want to be doing."

Andy smiled. It felt nice to be lumped together with Sam and with his family. They were all so welcoming and kind. Sarah and Elle were protective of Sam and his heart, but they were happy he was happy with Andy. They made an effort to include her in conversation. Whenever they spoke to her, they smiled.

Sam was happy with his family, too. She didn't expect him to admit it later, but she could see it in his face when he spoke to any one of them. He seemed to really get along with Jake and she could imagine the two of them hanging out at the Penny with Oliver. Jake was a doctor, like Ed used to be, and this was his second marriage. Roman was thirteen and lived with Jake and Sarah, but spent a lot of time with his mother on the other side of town. He and Sam got along really well, too. She didn't know why it still surprised her when she noticed Sam's ease with children, but every time she did it was like the first time.

"We should get going," Sam said to Andy about an hour and a half after dinner. "You're back on the day shift starting tomorrow."

"Finally," she smiled. "Last week was torture."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "For me too."

Andy smiled again and so did he. They turned back to his family who had been watching and listening and they were all pretending they hadn't been. "It was really nice to meet you all," Andy said and they all smiled.

"I'll walk you guys out," Sarah said. They three of them stood up, but Sam bent down to hug Elle and shake Ed's hand. Andy waved to the table and Sam took her hand before walking toward his truck with Sarah. "Thank you for coming, Sammy."

"Yeah," he nodded. "No problem."

"Come back soon," she told him and he nodded. "Please?"

"Okay," he shrugged. Sarah smiled and gave him a hug. "I'll talk to you soon."

"I'll see you soon," she clarified before turning to Andy. "Thanks for coming. I will see you soon, too."

"Thank you for having me," Andy said and Sarah waved her off and gave her a hug. She held onto her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"I'm really glad we got to meet you today," she said and Andy smiled and nodded.

"I'm really happy I finally got to meet you all, too," Andy said and it was Sarah's turn to smile. Her dimples that matched Sam's came out and it made Andy smile even larger.

"Okay," Sarah said, walking back toward the party. "Drive safely, Sammy."

"Thanks," he said. He opened Andy's door and she climbed in. He got into his seat and looked toward the back yard for a moment before starting the truck.

"That wasn't so bad," Andy said as he backed out of the driveway. He shook his head.

"Thanks for coming with me," Sam said quietly.

"Thank you for inviting me."

Sam shrugged and smiled and Andy leaned over the center console to kiss his cheek.