I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who left a review for the last chapter. I seriously appreciate all of the kind words… they really are my source of inspiration.
And as a reward, I'm posting my next chapter! Once again, it's a nice, long one. I actually combined two shorter chapters, so I'm hoping it's not too choppy.
And just in case it's not clear, the beginning of this chapter is supposed to reference the episode where the rookies all plan to go camping and then end up just camping on the roof.
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"Ready?" Andy asks as she bounces into Sam's room with the excitement practically radiating off her body.
"Mhm," he says with a nod, obviously not as enthusiastic as she is about their plans for the weekend.
"Wow, don't sound so excited," she quips.
"Sorry… camping just isn't really my idea of a fun weekend," he reminds her as he zips up his duffle bag.
"I know," she replies as she waltzes over to him and wraps her arms around his neck. "I really do appreciate you doing this for me, though," she tells him before she leans in and gives him a quick kiss. "And trust me, you will be properly thanked when we get back," she adds with a seductive smile.
"Why wait until we get back?" He asks with a grin as his hands travel under her shirt and up her sides.
"Sam," she giggles. "Come on, we don't have time… we're going to be late," she insists.
"We have a little time," he maintains after a glance at the clock. Truthfully, they have maybe five minutes before they need to get going, but he's hoping that she doesn't notice.
"Uh no we don't," she replies with a playful slap at his chest. "We have to leave in like five minutes," she reminds him.
"We can be ten minutes late," he offers as his hands continue their exploration of her body.
"Sam," she chuckles as she takes a step back in an attempt to wriggle out of his grasp. "We really have to get going," she chastises.
"Okay fine, let's go," he groans. "But you owe me," he tells her with a point of his finger, a raised eyebrow and a silly smile.
"Well, you know I'm good for it," she jokes
"A whole weekend camping in the woods with the rookies…" he muses with a shake of his head as he grabs his duffle bag off the bed.
"Oh come, it's not gonna be that bad. Jerry and Oliver will be there, too," she reminds him.
"Still… I don't know how you talk me into this shit," he contemplates.
"It's a gift," she quips with a great big smile before she gives him another quick kiss and then dances out of the room.
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"So… you survived the first day," Andy declares as she and Sam are snuggled up in their sleeping bag, several hours later.
"Only two more to go," Sam replies with mock enthusiasm.
"It's not that bad, is it?" She questions as she rests her chin on his chest and peers up at him.
"No, it's not," he assures her as his fingers travel down her spine.
She smiles at him and leans in for a kiss before propping herself up on an elbow so she's hovering over him. "Still, I know it's not exactly your idea of a good time, so… thanks for coming with me," she says as her hand slowly explores his chest.
"You're welcome," he says with a smile.
"You know…" she begins as a smirk appears on her lips. "If we're really quiet, I could probably get a jump start on all of that thanking I have to do," she tells him, suggestively.
"Oh yeah?"
"Mhm," she says with a nod before her hand starts to travel south.
"Well, by all means," he grins.
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The next morning, Sam is impatiently waiting for the water to boil so he can attempt to make some coffee when he overhears a particularly disturbing conversation.
"Look at him. He's totally smitten," He hears Chloe telling Dov several feet away.
"What are you talking about?" Dov asks with obvious surprise. "He's with Gail," he adds.
"For now," Chloe retorts.
And Sam's not really one to be interested in gossip, so he's not sure what makes him lift his head and look over, but when he does, he immediately gets this sinking feeling in his stomach.
Collins is sitting at a picnic table with Traci and Andy, who are giggling in response to whatever he just said. But it's the look on Nick's face that makes Sam uneasy. He's just sitting across from Andy and he's sort of… beaming at her. Yeah, he really does look kind of smitten.
"Oh come on, you're being ridiculous," Dov tells his girlfriend.
"No, think about it… I mean, how long do you really think it's going to last between him and Gail? Nick is so nice and she… isn't… and if he's so into Gail then why is he always following Andy around all the time?" Chloe argues, obviously unaware of the fact that Sam can hear everything she's saying.
"They're friends," Dov reasons with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Do you look at your friends like that?" Chloe asks, incredulously, as she gestures over to where Andy and Nick are sitting.
And yeah, Dov doesn't have much of a response to that.
"He's totally falling for her," Chloe adds.
"Well, he better cut it out… I wouldn't want to be him if Gail or Swarek catch on," Dov comments.
"God, that would not be good," Chloe agrees.
"Nope," Dov concurs. "Come on, we should probably go break up the love fest before Peck wakes up and sees him making googly eyes at McNally," he jokes before he stands up and pulls Chloe along with him.
And yeah, Sam's pretty much got his eyes on Nick for the rest of the day.
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"You okay?" Andy asks as she peers up at him, while drawing silly patterns on his chest. "You're being pretty quiet," she points out. "Actually, you've been kind of quiet all day," she considers.
"I'm fine," he assures her as he pulls her a little closer into his side.
"You sure?" She questions. "Are you having an awful time?" She wonders as she nibbles on her bottom lip.
"No, I'm having a good time," he promises.
"Really?"
"Yeah," he confirms with a nod. "What's the plan for tomorrow?" He asks, doing his best to change the subject.
"Well, Nick and I were talking and he said that there's a really great trail that loops around the whole campsite and takes you by this watering hole with a huge waterfall… so we were thinking that we could go for a nice hike and then go swimming," she explains.
"You and Nick seem to be getting pretty close," he points out.
Andy immediately pulls her head back and furrows her eyebrows, apparently more than a little taken back by the suggestion. "We're friends," she tells him.
"Yeah, I know," he responds, trying to sound casual.
"Okay, it's just… the way you said that… it seemed like you were… I don't know… insinuating something else," she says, carefully.
"I wasn't insinuating anything," he assures her. "I've just noticed that you've been spending a lot of time together."
"Okay… like I said, we're friends," she repeats
"I know," he replies.
"So… why'd you bring it up, then?" She wonders.
"I don't know," he shrugs. "Just making an observation," he adds.
"Okay…" she responds, not quite sure what to make of the conversation. "Are you… jealous?" She questions, after eyeing him for a moment.
"What? No," he dismisses. Although, he's not especially convincing.
A smile plays on Andy's lips as she inches closer to him. "Well, that's good because Nick really isn't my type," she informs him as her fingers graze up his chest.
"No?"
"No," she confirms with a shake of her head. "I prefer tall, dark and handsome… sarcastic and smart… pretends to be a hard ass, but really he's the sweetest man I've ever met," she grins.
Sam lets out a smile of his own as he tightens his grip on her and maneuvers her body so she's lying right on top of him. "Oh yeah?" He murmurs as his face inches towards hers.
"Mhm," she says with a nod and a smirk.
"Well, that's good to know," he remarks before pulling her into a kiss.
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"Sam," Andy exclaims as she follows him into his house, over two weeks later. "It's not like I've never disagreed with you before, I don't know why you're getting so angry about this," she adds.
Sam immediately comes to a stop, but still doesn't turn around to face her. Instead he leans against the kitchen counter with one hand and uses the other to pinch the bridge of his nose as he attempts to calm himself.
"Talk to me," Andy implores as she walks around him, so they are facing each other, and pulls at his arm so she can get a look at him.
"Andy, we're partners," he tells her after blowing out a breath. "We're supposed to back each other up, no matter what," he reminds her.
"I know," she replies. "But that doesn't mean I have to agree with you all the time," she maintains.
Sam rolls his eyes in response and turns around to grab a beer from the fridge.
"Sam, I'm allowed to disagree with you," she remarks.
"Yeah… you are," he replies after taking a sip of his beer. "But it would have been nice if you had come to me and discussed it instead of going off with Collins to try and prove me wrong," he retorts.
"Sam, that is not what happened!" She argues. "Wait… is that what this is about?" She wonders. "You're mad because you think I was taking Nick's side instead of yours?"
"Well, you were," he remarks with a raised eyebrow.
"Sam, we just happened to agree… and tomorrow, maybe I'll agree with you or maybe I'll agree with Dov or Oliver or who knows… just because today it was Nick… that doesn't mean anything," she assures him. "You know that Nick and I are just friends," she adds.
"Yeah," Sam says with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.
"I don't get it… if this was Chris or Dov, you wouldn't care… what do you have against Nick?" She questions.
"Yeah well, Epstein & Diaz aren't trying to get in your pants," he snaps.
"What?" Andy asks as she takes a step back, obviously surprised by his words.
"Come on Andy, Collins obviously wants you… everybody can see it," he tells her.
"Everybody can see it? What are you talking about?" She questions. "He… he and Gail just broke up," she reminds him.
"And I wonder why that is," Sam muses.
"It doesn't have anything to do with me!" She cries.
Sam blows out a breath and wipes a hand over his face. He's tired and aggravated and this conversation is going nowhere. "Look, I'm exhausted… I'm going to bed," he tells her, deciding that he's done fighting about this. He takes one last look at her before he turns around and heads towards his bedroom.
"Sam, we need to talk about this," Andy insists, as she reaches out and grabs his arm to stop him.
"I don't want to fight," he tells her after he turns towards her with this run down, defeated look on his face.
"Then let's not fight," she replies as she slowly takes a few steps forward and tentatively wraps her arms around his neck, as if she's afraid he's going to spook if she goes too fast. "Just talk to me," she pleads. "Tell me what's really bothering you," she adds.
Sam simply stares at her, seemingly considering his words, as the seconds tick by. Eventually, he lets out a sigh and then places his hands at the small of her back, tugging her close. "I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I just don't like to feel like… like I'm losing you," he explains.
"Sam, you are not losing me," she promises, completely shocked that thought would ever cross his mind. "I can't believe you would ever think that," she adds.
"I don't know," Sam shrugs. "You guys have been getting a lot closer," he adds as he shifts his focus to something behind her, obviously intent on not meeting her eyes.
"Hey," she says in an attempt to get his attention. "Seriously… Nick is just my friend," she continues, once she catches his attention. "And even if he feels differently, I don't," she insists. "I love you, okay? I love you," she promises.
"Okay," Sam replies as he leans down, presses his forehead against hers and tightens his grip on her waist. "I'm sorry," he repeats as he closes his eyes for a moment.
"It's okay," she assures him. "I just wish you'd talk to me instead of holding all of this in," she adds as she runs her fingers through his hair.
"I know… I guess… I guess I didn't even realize that I was," he explains.
"I just don't know why you would ever think that," she comments.
"I don't know," he shrugs. "Sometimes… sometimes I just worry," he admits.
"Okay… but when you do, you need to talk to me about it so I can tell you how insane you're being," she tells him with a playful smile. "Seriously… you don't ever have to worry about that," she tells him. "I love you and I don't want anyone else," she vows.
"Okay… good," he says with a smile before he presses his lips to hers and pull her against his chest.
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It's around six o'clock when Andy walks through his front door, tosses her keys on the counter and makes her way to the couch, where Sam's stretched out with a beer.
"Hey," he greets her with a smile as he lifts his head and glances over at her. Except, as soon as he sees the look on her face, it quickly disappears. "What's wrong?" He asks as she takes the last couple steps towards him.
Without a word, she maneuvers herself so she's basically draped half on top of him and half snuggled between him and the back of the couch. His hand instinctively lands on her back and he immediately starts to run his fingers along her spine in an effort to soothe her. Then, she buries her face in his neck and takes a moment to breathe in his comforting and familiar scent before preparing herself to explain the events of the day. Eventually, she blows out a breath and declares, "My mom is leaving."
"What?" Sam asks as he peers down at her.
Andy moves her head so her cheek is pressed against his chest as she holds onto him a little bit tighter. "She's moving across the country… to be closer to her daughter," she explains before lifting her head to meet Sam's eyes. "She just graduated from college in Vancouver and she's planning to stay… apparently Claire can't bear to be away from her, so she's moving out there… because evidently she has absolutely no problem leaving her other daughter," Andy continues as she attempts to fight back the tears.
"Shit Andy, I'm so sorry," he tells her as he slips his hand under her shirt and soothingly rubs her back in that way that she really likes.
"What is wrong with her?" Andy asks.
"There's obviously a lot wrong with her," Sam replies.
"Oh and what's even better is that she's moving in two weeks… and she already has a new job out there and a condo… but she only told me today. She's probably known for months!" Andy exclaims. "She seriously doesn't give a shit about me," Andy decides.
Sam continues to rub her back as he tries to think of something he can say to her that will make her feel better, although he already knows that those words don't exist. Really, all he wants to do is go find Claire McNally and tell her what a horrible person she is.
"I never should've let her back into my life… what was I thinking?" Andy muses as she props herself up on Sam's chest. "I should've listened to you…. God, I'm so stupid and naïve… I really thought she had changed, that she wanted to make things right between us… I'm such an idiot," she groans.
"Stop, you're not an idiot," he assures her. "You just… you always try to see the best in people," he tells her.
"Yeah… idiot," she snorts with a roll of her eyes.
"No…" he says with a shake of his head. "It's one of the things I love most about you."
And that's when he's finally able to get a small smile out of her and, honestly, he can't help but feel proud for putting it there.
"God, if I didn't have abandonment issues before…" she says as she rolls her eyes at herself. "I hope you realize that you can't ever leave me," she tells him. And her tone is completely lighthearted and playful, but as he looks into her eyes, he wonders if, deep down, she's even a little bit serious.
"I won't," he assures her. And he means it, he really does. He can't imagine ever considering it.
"Good, because I really couldn't handle that," she replies. And this time, there isn't even an ounce of humor in her voice.
"You're stuck with me," he promises as he cups her jaw with both hands, trying to get her to believe his words.
"Perfect," she says with a smile. "I love you."
"I love you, too," he replies before he leans in for a kiss.
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She knew this shift was going to be hell the moment it started.
Jerry needed Sam to go over his notes for an upcoming court date, which was fine. Yeah, she prefers being partnered with Sam, but it's also nice to switch it up once in a while. She was actually looking forward to being paired with Oliver or maybe Dov or Chloe… even Peck would've been okay. But when she found out she was with Marlo… yeah, she wasn't pleased.
She knows that she shouldn't hold a grudge. It's not like Marlo knew Sam was off-limits. It was an entirely innocent mistake. It could've happened to anyone.
Yeah, she knows all of this… but she still can't help but hold a bit of a grudge.
She swears it's not even just the Sam thing, either. They are just very different people.
So yeah, she knew today wasn't going to be fun. Except, never in her wildest dreams would she have predicted this.
It's barely three hours into their shift and she's stuck with Marlo in some art gallery, completely covered in anthrax and God knows what else.
Yeah, it's not exactly the day she had planned when she woke up this morning.
It's been about ten minutes since Frank informed them of the anthrax and they've barely said two words to each other. She just has no idea what to say to her. What are they supposed to talk about? They have nothing in common. And yeah, they might be dying so, seriously… what is there to say?
Thankfully, her phone rings seconds later and she's momentarily saved from the awkwardness.
"Hey," she says as she picks up her phone.
"Hey, are you okay? What's going on?" Sam asks, already in panic-mode.
"We're waiting for the Haz-mat team," she informs him.
"What do you mean waiting for the Haz-mat team? It's been at least ten minutes! They aren't there yet?" He questions.
"Not yet," she responds.
"She says the Haz-mat team isn't there yet," he tells whoever is standing beside him. "Jerry's gonna find out what's taking them so long," he conveys to Andy.
"Well, I'm pretty much covered in the stuff, so I doubt a few extra minutes will make much of a difference," she remarks.
"You're covered in it? Frank didn't tell me that," he replies, trying his best to sound calmer than he feels.
"Yeah, Nathan Barnes kind of threw it at us," she explains.
"Jesus," he says as he wipes a hand down his face. "I'm coming down there," he declares as she hears him grab his keys and begin to walk down the hallway.
"Sam, there's no reason for you to come down here… it's not like you can come in here. You'll get exposed, too," she reminds him.
"I'll just feel better if I'm over there," he argues.
She lets out a sigh, already knowing that there's nothing she can do or say to change his mind. "Just promise me you won't try to come in here," she implores.
"Andy…" he begins, already deciding that he won't make that promise.
"Sam, I'm serious," she retorts. "I'm sure we'll be fine… I mean, they have antidotes for this kind of thing, don't they?" She says, although she doesn't feel too confident in her words. "We're gonna be okay, right?" She asks, starting to get a bit anxious.
He immediately senses her nerves and starts to feel guilty for exacerbating her fears. "Of course you are," he assures her. "Just… you know… try not to breathe any of it in and keep it away from your eyes and mouth," he instructs. "Just to be safe," he adds, quickly.
"Yeah," she says with a nod.
"You're gonna be fine," he reiterates. "I just… I just want to be there for when you get out," he explains.
"Yeah, okay," she agrees with a nod before glancing over her shoulder at Marlo and then walking to the other end of the room. "But, you know… just in case…" she begins before taking a deep breath. "I love you, you know," she tells him. "I love you so much."
"Andy, you're gonna be fine," he repeats. "They're gonna decontaminate you and probably give you a bunch of antibiotics and then I'll be right outside waiting to take you home," he promises.
"Yeah," she says, unconvincingly, as she starts to make her way back towards Marlo.
"I mean it," he urges. "You're going to be fine," he says. "I'll get Frank to let us leave early and we'll pick up something for dinner… whatever you want… and we'll eat in bed and I'll even watch the Bachelorette with you," he vows.
She lets out a small laugh at his words. "I don't know, it kind of sounds like I'm dying… you making all of those promises," she teases.
"You're not dying," he guarantees.
"I know," she lies.
He lets out a sigh. "I love you," he tells her.
"I love you, too," she replies with a smile.
"You're going to be fine," he repeats.
"I know," she says again.
"Oh shit, Jerry is calling me… I'll call you back in a minute, okay?" He tells Andy.
"Okay," she agrees.
"Bye."
"Bye," she says before hanging up the phone and placing it down beside her. She sneaks a glance at Marlo who is sitting silently several feet away from her.
They spend the next minute and a half in awkward silence before Marlo looks over at her and finally opens her mouth.
"You really don't like me, do you?" She asks.
Andy turns to look at her, obviously surprised by her words. "I like you," she lies.
Marlo laughs. "No you don't," she argues.
"I don't know you," Andy shrugs.
"No… you don't," Marlo agrees. "But yet, you still don't like me," she adds.
"I don't have anything against you," Andy tells her.
Marlo lets out a sigh. "Look, I know you're upset because you think I was flirting with Sam when I first got to 15," she says. "And yeah, I was flirting with him," she admits. "But I had no idea the two of you were together… if I had known, I never would have done it… but I am sorry, okay?" She apologizes.
"It's fine," Andy says, unpersuasively.
"You guys clearly seem very happy together and I have no intention of trying to get in the middle of that… so, if that's what you're worried about… you don't need to be," she assures her.
"I'm not worried about that!" Andy retorts, a bit offended. Why would she be worried about Marlo getting in between them?
"Okay," Marlo says, attempting to call a truce. "I mean, now that I've been here a little longer and have seen the two of you together… it's obvious how much he much he loves you," she continues. "I probably should've seen it before, but… I don't know, I guess I was just seeing what I wanted to see," she admits.
Andy meets her eyes and, for a moment, she actually feels bad for her. "Marlo, it's okay… really," she assures her. And this time, she's more convincing.
Marlo offers her a small smile. "He seems like a really great guy and you seem like you're really happy together," she says.
"He is… and we are," Andy replies.
"How long have you been together?" She wonders.
"Two years," Andy responds, keeping up the ruse that they didn't get together until months after she was cute loose.
"Well… like I said, I'm sorry about before," she apologizes.
"It's okay… I get it… you didn't know," Andy tells her before she blows out a breath. "And I'm sorry, too… I guess I have been holding it against you a bit," she admits.
Marlo lets out a chuckle as a small smile graces her lips. "It's okay," she assures her.
Andy nods in response before another bout of silence falls over them. But at least this time, it's a more comfortable silence.
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Roughly twenty minutes later, she takes the most intense shower of her life, scrubs her skin practically raw, puts on a grey sweat suit provided by Howard and gets an insane dose of antibiotics. Afterwards, she's finally allowed to leave and immediately goes to find Sam.
"Andy!" He calls to her when he sees her walk out. He quickly makes his way over to her as she jogs towards him.
"Hey," she says as she jumps into his arms while Marlo slowly makes her way over to where Frank and Jerry are standing.
"Are you okay?" He asks as he holds her tight.
"Yeah," she says with a nod. "They said I'll be fine," she assures him.
"Really?" He questions as he pulls back to meet her eyes.
"Yeah, they gave us antibiotics as a preventative, but we'll both be fine," she assures him as he places her back down on the ground.
"I'm so glad you're okay… you really scared me," he says as he pulls her back into a hug.
"I know, me too," she concurs as she buries her face into his neck and relishes the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms. "Can we go home?" She asks, a moment later.
"Yeah," he agrees as he grabs her hand.
"And don't forget, you owe me dinner in bed and a whole episode of the Bachelorette," she beams as she lets him lead her to his car.
"Hmm… you remember that, huh?" Sam asks with an amused smile.
"Did you really think I'd forget?" She grins.
"I could only hope," he retorts with a smile as he pulls her into his side and kisses the top of her head.
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Well, like I said, I'm hoping that wasn't too choppy. Don't forget to leave a review! They really do motivate me to update faster! And the next chapter is already written & doesn't really need any edits, so I should be able to post it pretty soon.
