Chapter 2.

I do not own Rookie Blue or any of the characters.

AU. Andy/Nick.

After having just arrived home, Andy made herself some dinner and had a shower and changed and was about to start eating her dinner when there was a knock on the door. She knew that it wasn't Nick, because he was working on the front-desk at the station. It was Sam.

Sighing and wondering why he was there; Andy opened the door. "Hey, Sam. What's wrong? Is Mya ok?"

With his hands in his leather jacket, Sam nodded and replied, "Yeah, the baby's fine. McNally, I'm here to tell you I love you. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I-I just couldn't. I've been watching you and Collins for almost 2 years and now if I didn't tell you now, it'd be the biggest mistake of my life. But the biggest mistake was breaking up with you in the first place. McNally, I love you. I want to marry you and have kids with you. I know you still love me."

With her arms folded, Andy just stared at him for a couple of seconds, before saying, "Sam, you're too late. You're almost 3 years too late! You only told me you loved me when I was holding a bomb! What a crappy time to tell me! You couldn't tell me you loved be before that! You're so repressed, Sam. I never knew what you were thinking and it was exhausting! I'm with Nick and I'm happy. He isn't complicated and he loves me."

"But McNally, I love you." Sam moved closer to her, but Andy raised her hands in a way that told him not to go any closer. "I want to be with you, McNally. I lost you once, I'm not going to do that again."

Andy shook her head and fought against the tears in her eyes, "Sam, I know you love me and God knows I loved you. But it's too late. You can't lose something you've already lost, Sam."

Running his hands through his hair, Sam almost whispered, "I'm not giving up. I know you still love me."

"Sam, I did. But not now. It's over."

Sam sighed and asked, "Does-does Collins make you happier than I did?" The look in Andy's eyes was his answer and Sam felt his heart breaking. Was this how Andy had felt when he had broken up with her? He held his hands up in surrender and backed away. "Okay. I'll go. Letting you go was the biggest mistake of my life, McNally. I'll always love you."

He left and Andy slammed the door behind him, seething with anger. How dare Sam come along now and tell her that? He had no right! She had loved Sam, but, with Nick, she felt at home. He was the one for her and seeing Sam had only made that belief stronger, in her mind: Nick was the one with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life, so she called Tracey and asked her and Leo to come to help her with her plan. Her plan to propose to Nick.

After a 12-hour shift on the front-desk, Nick was so tired that he wanted to go home and just go to bed. He had Andy's engagement ring with him, but that was planned for this weekend, at the docks. It was all planned. Just as he was about to leave, Oliver caught him and said he needed to talk to him, urgently. Oliver told him that Sam had heard about his plan to propose to Andy and he wanted to speak to Andy. Nick knew that Andy would never choose Swarek over him, but he still needed to talk to the older man.

He was not surprised when Swarek answered the door very quickly, but the older man did not look happy to see him there.

Without waiting for the older man to speak, Nick snapped, "Did you go to see Andy to tell her you loved her? You had no right! You had your chance with her and you broke her heart! Andy and I are meant to be together and you have no right to do that to her! Do you have any idea how much pain you caused her?"

Sam laughed, in a humorous way and replied, "Collins, it doesn't matter. She shot me down. I guess she really loves you. She loves you more than she loved me. I don't think she'll want anything to do with me after that."

Despite himself, Nick smiled and returned, "That's not true, Swarek. You know she'll want to be your friend."

Sam laughed too and nodded, "Yeah. She will. McNally has such a big heart." He paused and Nick relaxed in a way as Sam asked, "So, you've got her a ring? May I see it?" Nick eyed the older man for a couple of seconds, before he nodded and showed the other man the engagement ring. The ring that was meant for Andy. Swarek was very still for a couple of seconds when he looked at the younger man in a very serious way and said, "Trust me, don't ever let her go."

Nick finally returned to the flat he and Andy shared and the ring was clutched in his hand. This was it. This was the moment. He opened the door and he was very surprised to see an array of candles scattered around the flat and Andy was standing in the center of the room, wearing the same dress she had worn to Noelle and Frank's wedding, when Nick had told her that he would wait for as long as it took, because she was worth it. She looked so beautiful. He was speechless as he walked over to her and even more so when, smiling from ear to ear with tears of happiness in her eyes, she knelt down on one knee and took hold of one of his hands.

"Nicolas Collins, your first day was when I was trying to be reinstated and we first met at the scene of a car accident and you asked Oliver who I was. And you spend most of the day at the hospital, until you jumped into the river after the suspect. In my wildest dreams, I would never have imagined that I'd end up falling in love with you. You're the best friend I could ask for, the kindest and most loving man I know and I love you so much." Andy laughed and brushed away her tears as Nick knelt down next to her and held out the ring to her and she kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes. I'll marry you!"

Without saying another word, Nick kissed her passionately, then slipped the ring onto her finger. "I said you were worth the wait, Andy. You really are the most amazing woman in the whole world." He smiled at her and Andy looked down at the ring, then he whispered, "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Me, too." Andy had never been happier than when she was with Nick. He was her person and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together and they celebrated that evening. Nick told Andy what his plan for the proposal had been, but how it had happened had been just as romantic.

Of course, Andy called Tracey and Chloe to tell them, as well as her parents, and she even called Gail and Andy decided to tell everyone on the morning shift, with Nick by her side. Sam was the first to congratulate her; he shook Nick's hand and gave Andy a quick hug, before he walked away. Years ago, Andy would have looked to see where he was going, but not now. Instead, she turned to face Nick and they shared their first kiss as an engaged couple in Division 15, with the rest of their lives ahead of them and they were going to live it, together.