AN – thank you to the readers who posted such encouraging messages. I'll keep on going with the story, and try to develop a thicker skin. I appreciate the support.

At The Penny the main topic of conversation was still the new project. Predictably Chloe was wildly enthusiastic, Gail sat sullenly, a sneer on her face; Dov made a hugely inappropriate comment about hoping the kids he escorted on the shopping trip were hot girls, and Chris just radiated excitement as he listened to the chatter.

Andy and Sam joined Oliver at the bar and ordered two beers. Oliver was shaking his head as he turned on his stool and surveyed his officers. "You'd think that after all this time on the job there wouldn't be anything that could get these cops excited, but just look at them! They are like little kids in a candy store."

"They sure are," Sam agreed. "For example, look at Peck over there – just a bubbly little Christmas elf!"

"She really used to bother me, you know, but now I just think it's so sad," Andy contributed. "Where other people look at the world through rose-coloured glasses, Gail's seem to be permanently fogged up, and if she could manage to see through them they wouldn't be rose-coloured, they'd be greige."

Oliver spun towards her on his bar stool. "Did you say 'greige", McNally?"

"I did," Andy laughed. "I didn't make it up – it is actually a combination of grey and beige, and personally I can't think of anything more depressing. I wish we could find a way to get Gail some new glasses."

"What do you think about this whole Cop Shop thing, Sammy?" Oliver asked, looking intently at his friend.

"Actually, Oliver, this whole idea has made me feel a little bit excited about Christmas, and that's something that I didn't think I would ever feel again," Sam replied.

Andy felt a little flicker of happiness, sensing that he seemed to be throwing himself willingly into the project. She would be grateful for anything that could help him past all the horrible memories of Swarek family Christmases. The only problem with her own had been her dad's drinking, and that didn't even come close to what Sam had gone through, seeing his father abuse his mother, and being on the receiving end of some pretty brutal treatment himself.

Oliver was looking very thoughtful, staring at his beer bottle with a little frown.

"What's up, Oliver?" Andy inquired, reaching over and smoothing the frown lines with her fingers.

"Geez, McNally, your hand is wet and ice cold! What are you doing?" Oliver asked, flinching away from her efforts.

"Oh, I'm sorry – I guess I shouldn't have used my beer-holding hand. Sorry about that. Here, let me dry you off. She scrubbed at his forehead with a couple of napkins until he swatted her hands away.

Oliver scowled at Sam. "Don't you dare laugh," he ordered. "Can't you make her behave?"

Sam, who had just taken a swig from his beer bottle, snorted and started coughing. Both Andy and Oliver started pounding him on the back until he held up his hand to fend them off. "Stop! I'm fine," he managed to get out. "I was just reacting to your suggestion that I – or anyone else, for that matter – could 'make' Andy McNally behave. Seriously, Oliver?"

"Oh how foolish of me," Oliver responded. "I wasn't thinking. What I was thinking, before McNally started pawing me, was who I could ask to organize the whole thing."

San frowned thoughtfully, looking over at the group that he still tended to think of as rookies. Andy just looked at Oliver with a quizzical expression.

"You can't think of who to put in charge? C'mon. Staff Sergeant, it's simple. You need Chloe to contact the schools, act as liaison with the mall, fill the kids' bags with their take-home stuff. And so on. And Gail can be the detail person, setting up the schedule of events, choosing the teams of officers – did you want them working in pairs? Or were you thinking a single cop with one or two kids?" Andy was on a roll, and Oliver and Sam looked at each other, nodded, and turned back to watch Andy, still talking and gesturing dramatically.

"Thank you, McNally," Oliver interrupted. "Excellent suggestions. I'll get right on that. But I do think that we need an overall co-ordinator, and it occurs to me that..."

"Good night, Oliver, we gotta go" Sam said heartily as he gave Oliver a one-armed hug, pulling Andy up and off her bar stool after stuffing her mouth with a few peanuts from the bowl on the bar.

"Sam!" Andy protested, although her words were largely muffled by the peanuts she was rapidly chewing. "I had a few more ideas..."

"McNally," Sam expostulated. "Weren't you ever taught not to talk with your mouth full? Just be quiet until you swallow."

Oliver watched Sam trying to wrestle Andy away from the bar to head for the door. His smile just kept growing as he noted the look of slight desperation on his buddy's face. It seemed to him that Sam was trying to avert the very strong possibility that Oliver was going to appoint his project co-ordinator right then and there.

"See you tomorrow," Sam called back over his shoulder as he half-led, half-dragged the reluctant Andy to the door. "Would you just stop for a minute?" he muttered at Andy. "Unless, of course, you want to be named Cop Shop Co-ordinator."

Andy's eyes widened and she swallowed hurriedly so she could speak. She immediately started coughing and Sam used his free hand to thump her back a few times. "There's a bottle of water in the truck," he reassured her. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks for being so considerate," Andy wheezed. "I just hope I don't die before we get there." She was still coughing sporadically and tears were streaming down her face.

Sam pulled her close to his side as they kept walking. "You'll be fine, McNally. I just had to stop your chatter and get you out of there."

"I do actually get your point, Sam," Andy spluttered. "Just because I get good ideas does not mean that I want to be the one in charge of arranging things!"

"Exactly," Sam said as they reached the truck and opened the passenger door. "Hop in."

As they drove through the busy streets Andy found herself enjoying the Christmas lights. "You know something?" she began. "All this talk about the Cop Shop project has actually improved my mood and I can enjoy some of the things that were annoying me so much. The lights are really beautiful," she continued.

"They are," Sam agreed. "Maybe I should put some up."

They pulled up in front of the house and Andy looked both ways along the street. There were a few undecorated houses but most had at least a string of lights around the windows. "That would actually be nice," she answered.

While Sam was checking the doors and windows, and turning off the lights, Andy headed upstairs. By the time Sam came up she was in t-shirt and boy shorts, brushing her teeth.

Sam came into the bathroom and stood close behind her, resting one hand against the basin on either side of her. She pushed back against him, trying to get a little more room to finish up, but he leaned forward with more purpose. It wasn't difficult for Andy to realize that he had something definite in mind.

Sticking her toothbrush in the holder she managed to push him just far enough away from her that she could turn around. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I like this new toothpaste," he said with a grin. "Very refreshing." He ducked his head and nuzzled into her neck. With one hand he started gathering up the bottom of her t-shirt, loosening his grip to tug it up over her head. Tossing it aside he returned his attention to her neck, nibbling gently on her ear.

Andy closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of Sam's strong arms holding her, and his warm mouth sending shivery waves of pure pleasure throughout her whole body. Then she pulled slightly away and tilted her head so she could look at him. Leaning back into him she lifted her mouth to his.

Sam's dark eyes gazed into hers, and he pulled her even closer, his lips touching hers softly at first, then with growing passion. The kiss lasted a long time, and when it ended it took Andy a moment before she could speak.

"Why don't we take this somewhere a bit more comfortable?" she asked breathlessly.

"Good idea," Sam agreed.

"First let's make this less one-sided in terms of clothing," said Andy, grabbing the bottom of his t-shirt, pulling it right up over his elbows so his hands were waving above his head. She took advantage of his position by tickling him all over his upper body, paying special attention to the area just above the waistband of his jeans. Suddenly Sam was able to get himself out of his t-shirt and he grabbed Andy, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.

"Just stop that," he growled, "You know I don't like being tickled."

"Come on, everybody enjoys a good tickle once in a while!" Andy retorted. "Don't be such a baby."

"A baby, am I? Let's see what this baby is capable of!" and he picked Andy up and threw her over his shoulder. Heading for the bedroom he tossed her into the middle of the bed and pounced, holding her down with one hand while he tickled her mercilessly until her shrieks of laughter turned into hiccups.

"Now look what you've done," she said, trying to look cross, but dissolving into laughter punctuated by "hics".

"Sorry about that – shall I try to scare them out of you?" asked Sam.

"I think you've already done enough, thank you very much," Andy retorted.

"Maybe not quite enough," Sam murmured into her ear, once again sending shivers all over her body as he bent down to kiss her. "Just a second," he whispered, "Let me lose these," and he stood up to get rid of his jeans.

Andy lay back against the pillow, enjoying the view. Sam folded up his jeans and was putting them neatly on the chair in the corner. Andy grimaced, looking back over her shoulder where a rumpled assortment of her clothing lay on the floor. Sam noticed where she was looking and laughed.

"I like having you around for reasons other than your neat and tidy habits, McNally," he chuckled. He came back to the bed and sat on the edge, reaching one hand forward and curving it gently along the side of her face. With the other hand he pushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear, then leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "No, my reasons have nothing to do with housekeeping skills."

"Oh, really? What do they have to do with?" Andy asked, trying to resist the urge to pull him down on top of her.

"Well," he drawled, "I do like the way you make peanut butter sandwiches, and..."

Andy stopped him in mid-sentence by putting her hand gently against his lips, shaking her head a little. "Sam, please just come here and kiss me," she implored.

His eyes widened a little, and whatever he had planned to say next faded away. "I could do that," he said softly, and leaned forward. Andy parted her lips as his mouth came down on hers, and as the kiss deepened she lost herself in the sensation. When it finally ended she gasped a little, slightly out of breath.

"Now would you please come into bed with me?" she coaxed. "Maybe we could do that some more."

Sam lay down beside her and gathered her into his arms. "We could definitely do that," he said thoughtfully, "Or maybe we could try some of this," he went on, one hand trailing down the side of her neck and over her collarbone until it could gently cup her breast. His fingers circled her taut nipple. "Or this," and he let go of her breast to continue over her ribs to her stomach. He paused there a moment until Andy reached down and covered his hand with her own. She guided it further still until she could press his fingers into the slick wet heat between her thighs. He curled them slightly so he could slide two deep inside her, and she moaned a little. "Yeah, maybe we'll keep on with this for awhile." Sam's voice was husky, and with his other hand he lifted her face away from his chest so he could see the effect he was having.

Andy's eyes were wide and her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed to be having trouble breathing. She raised one hand to the back of his neck and pulled his face down so she could kiss him again. The kiss went on and on, as Sam's fingers continued to stroke and smooth, spread and enclose, flutter and probe until every nerve and muscle was stimulated and Andy was writhing under his touch.

Then, for just a moment, as everything seemed to tremble and quiver, to spark and flare, and they gazed deep into one another's eyes, Sam raised his eyebrows just slightly, as if asking, "Now?" And Andy gave the slightest nod, "Now."

Their bodies fitted together as if made for only that purpose, and they moved with gathering urgency until they paused, holding still for one brief moment. Then with a final thrust Sam emptied himself into her, and Andy felt herself throbbing and contracting around him until at last they lay still and quiet in each other's arms.

As their breathing and heartbeats returned to normal, Andy sighed and stretched, then curled back towards Sam who lay motionless beside her. Her face pressed against his chest, she could feel the strong, steady rhythm of his heart. With the last of his energy Sam reached across her to pull her close, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.