savour the joy in this one, i don't think the next is going to be as lovey.

all of your reviews are so amazing, it makes me smile for days on end. thanks so much for the support!

Best Thing About Me


"Dov, wake up." Andy whispered hoarsely. She could barely move, her leg throbbing. But she knew she needed to wake him up. She first noticed something was wrong when she awoke to his body covered in goose bumps, and his breathing growing shallow.

"Wake up!" She tried to shake him as best she could, but with no success. His body began to shake softly and he tossed his head to the side. Andy took a deep breath and let out a blood curdling scream.

Dov jolted awake, and within a second he had lifted her into his lap.

"What happened? Are you okay?" His voice was raspy and panicked. She placed her palm on his forearm.

"Dov, I'm fine. You were having a nightmare, you wouldn't wake up." Andy searched his face for remnants of what he'd just witnessed while sleeping. He lowered his eyes a little.

"Well I'm awake now." He did his best to laugh.

"Tell me what happened?" Now it was her turn to make him face his fears. He didn't answer her, so Andy tilted his chin up, so his eyes met hers.

"I can't remember." He spat out, shaking his head. Andy ran her hands down to his shoulders.

"Are you sure you can't remember, or do you just not want to tell me?" Her eyes never once left his.

"Not sure yet." Dov said, releasing Andy and falling back onto the bed.

"I've been dealing with these for almost a month now. I won't judge." Andy assured him, still propped up on her elbows.

"How do you deal with them?" He tilted his head a bit to face her.

"I don't sleep." Andy admitted quietly. Dov hoisted himself out of bed and grabbed her crutches.

"Let's go get some breakfast." He smiled.

"Why? I can just make something here." Andy said, a little uneasy.

"What's wrong? You never turn down pancakes from that diner on Church." He said, his voice muffled by his shirt being pulled over his head. He looked over at her, still lying on the bed, and he knew what was wrong.

"Nothing's going to happen, Andy." He moved over to the bed and sat next to her.

"I just get scared sometimes." She pushed her hair back over her shoulders. "Trouble seems to find me, if you hadn't noticed." She nibbled on her bottom lip.

"How about the drive through at that other place, then we'll just go back to your place and wait for your boyfriend?" He was willing to compromise. The last thing he wanted was for Sam to come after him too, for traumatizing his Andy.

"That sounds great." Andy smiled. "Can you toss me the purple shirt from my bag, and those grey sweats?" She pointed vaguely to his left. He searched through her bag and found the desired clothing and tossed them at her. She squealed and stuck her tongue out.

"Turn around." She ordered, making little circles with her index finger.

"Come on, Andy. What are we, twelve? I've seen women in their underwear before." He walked over to his dresser and spoke to her through the mirror hanging on the wall in front of him. "Hell, I've seen you in your underwear many times before. What's different now?" Andy laughed.

"That was different!" She pointed at him.

"How? You've never hesitated to strip in front of me before. You barely wore clothes for half of our down time at the Academy." He laughed, searching through his drawer for socks.

"I'm getting fat." Andy shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. Dov scoffed.

"You, fat? Just change already, Andy." Dov said, fiddling with his belt. He was rewarded by a cheerful laugh.

"I mean, I'm just, whatever." Andy gave in and struggled to get her T-shirt over her head. Dov leaned against the dresser and laughed at her.

"Don't laugh at me!" Andy half whined, half giggled, her shirt stuck over her head. "Help!" She waved the hand that was visible over the top of her shirt.

"Women." Dov joked, walking over to help. "Jesus, Andy. What did you do here?" He said, trying to untie the knot that was preventing her from disrobing.

"I wasn't really concerned with my clothing last night. I must have just tied it in a knot instead of the usual bow." She mumbled through the blue fabric. Dov laughed as he slowly began to unravel the tie. Eventually, he did get her loose and he slid her top off over her head with ease. Andy grabbed the purple top off the bed and quickly put it on. Dov gave her a curious look, but she just smiled sheepishly in response.

After about five more minutes and countless laughs, Andy had finally managed to get her sweatpants on. Dov helped her out to the car and smiled to himself when he saw Dale watching from the front window of his house.

"She's so hot!" He mouthed. Dov just shook his head and climbed into the car.

"The usual?" He asked as they pulled up to the Daybreak Diner.

"What happened to the drive through?" She said, holding onto her seatbelt.

"I know you like this place better than that other one. I'll be right back." Dov hopped out of the car and jogged to the door, holding it open for an old woman before entering.

"Always the good guy." Andy laughed. About five minutes later, he re-emerged, his arms full with bags of food. He stuffed them all into one arm and opened the door, and Andy extended her arms to catch the almost falling bags.

"Whoa, there! Enough food?" Andy laughed as she pulled not four, but five bags out of his arms and piled them in her lap.

"Well, I was ordering, and then I realized that Sam was probably going to be really hungry. So I doubled up." Dov smiled his quirky smile and put the car in gear.

"Excited?" Dov asked as he pulled out onto the road.

"Yeah." Andy smiled broadly. "It's only been three days, and I miss him more than I could ever have imagined." Her face fell. "The latest word is that this op is gonna take at least three months." She chewed on her lip. "I really, really don't know what I'm gonna do." She sighed and entangled her fingers in each other.

"You can always stay with me, if you don't want to be at home." Dov said, taking a bite out of his hash brown while still trying to steer.

"Oh Dov, I could never. I've only been stayed with you two nights this week, and it's been hell. You need a life too. You need to sleep too." She took the wheel while he searched for a napkin.

"Andy, let's face it. After that whole thing yesterday, I will not be sleeping for a while. I had no idea how something could resonate like this, but if last night was any indication, sleep is not anywhere in my near future."

"Mine either, trust me." She agreed, tousling her hair a little.

"You didn't sleep last night?" Dov looked at her, his mouth full. She laughed.

"Dov! Chew, swallow." Her words barely comprehensible through her laughter. Dov's face immediately broke into a smile and he struggled to keep the food in his mouth while he laughed. When he did finally get the situation under control, he repeated his question.

"No." Andy admitted.

"At all?" Dov could've sworn she'd been asleep when he'd finally succumbed to the alluring idea of sleep.

"I don't think so. Sometimes, I'd like almost fall asleep, but something would startle me or scare me and I'd wake up. Then you started having nightmares so I just tried to make sure you were okay."

"Why didn't you just wake me up? I would've stayed awake with you." He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Because, sleep is good." She patted his cheek as they pulled up to the curb out front of her house. Dov got out of the car and walked around to open hers, but noticed a change in her demeanour. Her eyes were wide and glassy, her mouth hung open and her hands were wrapped into fists as she stared at the house. He opened her door.

"Just think about who will be waiting for you inside that door." He said softly. Andy looked up at him defiantly.

"Not Luke." She undid her seatbelt and got out of the car, taking Dov's hand firmly in her own. He helped her up the stairs, bags of food clutched in his other hand. She timidly reached out and unlocked the door, pushing it open. Dov took the first steps in, before putting down the food and helping Andy over the ledge of the door.

"You should use those crutches." He laughed, but Andy didn't hear him. Her ears perked up, and once again her eyes grew wide. Dov opened his mouth to speak, but she shushed him.

"Do you hear that?" She whispered. Dov listened for a minute, and sure enough a small noise could be heard from upstairs.

"Wait here. Don't move." Dov said. "I'll be right back."

"No!" She grabbed his arm. "I'm coming!"

"You have a mountain of plaster on your leg. How are you going to get up the stairs?" Dov pointed at her cast.

"Very carefully." She started towards the stairs. Dov stepped in front of her, feeling better now that he was first in the line of fire. The pair made it to the top of the stairs, and Dov felt goose bumps explode over Andy's body as they realized the noise was coming from her bedroom.

Slowly, quietly, Dov led the way down the hall, his body tensed and fists raised.

He stopped short when he entered the room to see Sam, on his hands and knees scrubbing Andy's blood off of the floor. Sam looked up and leapt to his feet.

Dov stepped aside as Sam rushed past him and wrapped Andy into a passionate embrace. Andy's arms tightened around his neck, pulling him into her. She started to cry.

"I miss you so much." Her voice was muffled from speaking into his shoulder. "I want you to come home to me." Tears overflowed her eyes, her fingers clawing at his back.

"I know, baby. I want to come home too." Sam whispered back, rocking back and forth slightly. "It's only gonna be a little while longer, I promise." Sam, himself, choked back a sob as he felt Andy's body shake against him. "I'll be home before you know it."

"I want you to come home now." She sobbed freely into him. Sam felt Dov's hand on his shoulder.

"There's food downstairs. You two go, I'll finish up here." Sam nodded at him and picked Andy up, carrying her down the stairway of their still new home.

Dov turned and rolled up his sleeves, picking up the brush Sam had been using. He dipped it into whatever lemon scented cleaner was in the bucket next to him, and began scrubbing.

Downstairs, Andy collapsed onto Sam on the couch.

"I don't want you to do undercover again." She ignored how selfish she sounded; she just never wanted to be without him again. "It's too dangerous." She whispered. He ran his hands up and down her back, his warm, soothing hands slowly calming her.

"It's not fair. They always pick you because you're the best. Well, the best needs a break. The best needs to stay home with me, not always be off saving the goddamn world." Andy whimpered, her breathing speeding up again. "It isn't fair. I don't, this is… what if, you. No." She stuttered, and settled for a single word.

Sam smiled at her and kissed her head.

"I'm safe, baby. I promise. And when this is over, and I get that huge bonus cheque…" Sam sat up and took her hands in his. "Let's go on the best, most extravagant honeymoon known to man." He looked deep into her eyes, which had widened drastically.

"Honeymoon?" She whispered, her breath catching. Sam's dimples made an appearance as he slowly lowered himself off of the couch.

Upstairs, Dov heard what was happening. He practically ran to the dresser, and began searching through the drawers. Eventually, he found a small blue box tucked inside a pair of socks. Quietly, he made his way to the top of the stairs.

"Andrea. When I was a little boy, I remember my parents being so in love. They'd dance in the living room, and sing to each other, they had nothing without one another." Andy's eyes watered as Sam knelt in front of her. "'I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you'. My dad would say it to my mom every night before they went to sleep. And she'd reply 'you are nothing short of my everything'." He gently took her hands in his. "Until the day I met you, I never thought I'd be able to say that to anyone. I was content with the loneliness that I'd felt for years. Now, I'll be damned if I didn't make you mine forever." He noticed Dov at the top of the stairs with the small blue box. A little puzzled, Sam threw away his suspicions and opened his hands. Dov tossed the box down and it landed perfectly in his palm. "I love you, Andy, and when you're in love, what more or less is a cloud in the sky?" He opened the small box, revealing a sparkling diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

Andy leaned down and kissed him, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Of course I will. The best thing about me is you." She whispered, and he kissed her tears away. He gently slid the ring onto her finger and she smiled brighter than Dov had ever seen.

Sam lifted her up into his arms and spun her around, grinning like a fool. Dov checked his watch, it was almost ten AM. He knew Sam wouldn't be able to stay much longer, so he returned to his scrubbing and prepared himself for the devastation that would rock Andy when she had to watch her fiancé walk out the door.

His heart ached for her; he knew how it felt to lose the one you love. He shook his head and cursed himself for losing Edie, but regained his composure. She was the past, and right now, he needed to focus on Andy.

A few minutes later, Sam came in to the room, sans Andy. He lowered himself onto the bed, his head resting in his hands.

"Dov, I need you to do something for me." He said, words pulling more weight than imaginable.


eeeep!