"What was that like?" Andy asked Traci after she had admitted that she and Jerry had talked about getting married.
"It was weird. I mean I've never even thought about getting married, let alone to a womanier like Jerry."
"AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!" Andy screamed as two hands dug into her sides by her waist, and coffee splashed all over her.
"What the actual hell? Do you not know?" She started to ask before looking into the deep brown eyes with their amber flecks and stuttering "Dylan?"
"What's up pancake? Spill your drink?"
"You spilt my drink. What are you doing here?"
"It's a long story that leads me to asking you a favour."
"Ask away, doesn't mean I'm going to do it."
"Can I replace your coffee?"
"Sure."
Andy sat her spilled coffee on the desk and led Dylan out the door and to the coffee shop. Once they had placed their orders and sat at a table, Dylan looked at Andy.
"So how've you been?"
"I've been good. Really good."
"Andy, I know you well enough to know you are forcing that brightness. It's the same tone and face you used when we went to see Motorhead."
"Guy trouble, but we aren't here to talk about me. What's this favour?"
"I need a place to crash."
"What happened to Elaine?"
"Eleana."
"Whatever. Well?"
"I caught her in bed with someone else."
Andy snorted into her coffee.
"You think it's funny?"
"No. I just know how that one feels."
"The guy trouble?"
"No. Ex fiancée trouble. Guy trouble is something else."
"Please can I stay until I get something sorted out?"
"I thought you were living in the mountains?"
"I requested a transfer back to the city. Please, Andy I'm desperate."
"Alright. You can stay at mine. On the condition that you pull your weight and look for a place of your own."
"Thank you. Did I ever tell you I adore you?"
"Not for a few years. How's your mom?"
"Still not talking to yours."
"Well neither am I so it's all good!"
Dylan laughed at Andy's comment and Andy fished her keys out of her pocket.
"There's a rather intense looking guy in a police uniform coming over here."
Andy looked up to see Sam striding over to the table.
"Time to go McNally." He grunted, eying up Dylan from a little closer.
"Sam, this is Dylan, Dylan, this is my partner Sam."
"Nice to meet you Sam." Dylan said brightly, extending his hand out to Sam, who simply turned around and stomped his way back to the door.
"I better go."
"He usually like that?"
"Yeah."
A few days passed and Sam continued to be frosty towards Andy. He didn't want to say something he might later regret, and as much as he wanted to be the one to put a smile on her face, his biggest priority was to make her happy. With or without him. He would continue to stand by her side and have her back, but he was thrown right back into the feeling that tormented him when she was with Callaghan.
He saw Dylan arrive at the barn just before they finished their shifts and he could hear that whatever he was saying to Andy, she was not impressed. That's when he noticed how tired she looked and his blood boiled. If Dylan wasn't treating her right, he would have to have words.
"And who's that captivating McNally's attention?" Oliver asked, having sneaked up behind him and breaking the daze Sam was in.
"I have no idea. They seem friendly though."
"Know his name?" Oliver prodded, wanting to see how much research Sam had done on this new man in Andy's life.
"Dylan."
"Dylan?" Oliver asked, narrowing his eyes at the tall man as Sam nodded his confirmation. "No Way!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"What?" Sam asked.
Oliver waved him off and walked towards Andy and Dylan with his arms outspread.
"Do my eyes deceive me? Is that Dylan the Diva?"
Dylan's head snapped from looking at Andy to looking at Oliver, a look of embarrassed recognition on his face.
"Wally Ollie, Oodle all the day!" He called back, embracing Oliver like an old friend while Andy smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Sammy! Get your ass over here!" Oliver called, turning to find Sam had left.
Oliver found Sam nursing a scotch at the Penny later that night.
"He's her cousin on her mom's side. When her mom left, Tommy didn't think it was fair for Andy to lose her entire family, so he stayed in touch with his sister in law so Andy would still have her best friend. Apparently they were inseparable as kids."
"So how do you know him?"
"Me and Tommy had to get him out of trouble a few times when he was a teen. That's before he grew up and did law at college."
"Hmph."
"Sam, you need to talk to her."
Sam knocked his scotch back, stood up and headed for the door without another word.
"Andy! What happened?" Oliver asked as he saw her limp into the barn the following morning, causing Sam to turn around and investigate.
"Nothing. I'm fine." She replied.
"Say that with a straighter face and I might believe you."
"I'm going to go and get changed." Andy announced and hobbled down the corridor to the locker room.
Sam looked at Oliver and headed after her. He made sure she was alone before stepping into the tiled room and over to her locker.
He made it as she was buttoning her shirt up.
"McNally. What happened?"
"I fell over. It's no big deal."
"You fell over? And if you can't walk then you can't work."
Andy closed her locker and stood up, squaring her body to Sam's.
"I am fine. I just need to walk it off." She told him, not moving her eyes from his.
"You fell over?" Sam laughed, his eyes full of concern.
"Sam." Andy warned.
"I would recommend that you ask Frank to go on desk duty for the day."
"I'm fine. It's not even swollen"
"Andy." He breathed, studying her face for signs that she was lying.
"I'm fine so stop worrying! We're going to be late to parade." Andy told him, smacking him lightly on the side of the face and making her way slowly to parade.
Andy and Anderson we on their first call out of the day. The call was to a theft in progress at a store and even though her ankle was killing her, she refused to let Anderson drive. He had to earn it.
They arrived at the scene and the cashier indicated that the suspect was in aisle 7 so Andy indicated that Anderson should sneak around to the other side of the aisle and she would remain on the side they were on.
Once Andy saw that Anderson was in position, she cleared her throat.
"You do know stealing is a crime don't you?" she asked as the suspect put a DVD down his pants.
He looked at Andy startled before turning and running in the opposite direction towards Anderson. Once he saw Anderson, the suspect decided that Andy would be easier to take and turned around again and shoved the rack of DVD's into Andy who was forced to the floor. She scrambled back to her feet and chased after Anderson and the suspect, despite the burning sensation now spreading up her leg.
Andy caught up to them as Anderson was reading the suspect his rights and between them they manhandled him into the back of the car.
A/N: I know this is posted a little later than my usual time slot, but it is still Friday and I have just spent the last few hours sat in A + E with my little brother. Next update might not take so long as I try not to think about it...
... and thank you all adorable reviewers... over 100 in 8 chapters! It's definitely a PB for me!