Author's note: SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad you're enjoying the story! We'll keep following Andy's point of view in this chapter. You all probably have a pretty good idea of the way Sam is feeling anyway.


Chapter 3

Thankfully, the next morning wasn't remotely as horrifying as the previous one had been for Andy. She woke up still not feeling one hundred percent, but at least she didn't feel like puking every second she moved her head.

The previous day, as they'd laughed at her poor state, Traci and her had concluded that they couldn't party like they were twenty-one anymore. At least she couldn't. AND she would never drink tequila ever again.

When Traci had left her apartment, Andy had spent the rest of the day watching boring television and had even forced herself into doing a little bit of cleaning, since she knew it would be a while 'till she'd get her next day off. Then she'd gone to bed, completely exhausted.

After a she'd taken a short shower and had gulped down a healthy dose of caffeine, she'd left her apartment and gone to work.

For once, she made it to parade with a few minutes to spare, but apparently, it was Sam's turn to be late. She thought it was odd, since he always seemed to get there before she did, giving her a small wink or a crooked grin as she nearly ran into the room. She grinned, making a mental note to tease him about it.

She sat down next to Chris and Traci and joined in their small talk, but always keeping an eye on the door. Her smile grew when she finally saw him walk in, closely followed by Best, who didn't waste a second before starting the meeting. Andy's large smile turned into a frown, as Sam never even glanced her way. His face was cold and showed absolutely no emotion. He stayed close to the door, leaning back against the wall in a tense posture. Sam wasn't the most joyful person, but she could see something was definitely wrong. She turned around and tried focusing her attention on Frank, eager to get out of the room and talk to Sam.

Parade was short and ended with Best giving them their assignments. Apparently, she wouldn't get the chance to ask Sam what was wrong, since she wasn't paired with him. She was stuck working front desk with Dov.

Disappointed, she turned around to look at same, but found that he'd already left the room. She stood up quickly and tried catching up with him, but she never found him anywhere. He'd left before she could talk to him.

She sighed moodily as the other officers walked passed her, getting ready to get to work. This would be a long day.

XXXXX

"Hey, how was your shift?" Traci asked her as she joined her into the locker room.

Andy gave Traci a crooked smile. "Exciting." She answered sarcastically.

Just like she'd planned, her day had felt like it would never end. Not that Dov hadn't been good company; he was probably the only thing that had kept her in a good mood. But now, she was more than happy to be done with it, and could just wish she wouldn't have to spend another day like this one any time soon.

The look she'd seen on Sam's face that morning hadn't helped the day go faster either. Her mind had been in overdrive as she'd tried to find an explanation for his dark mood.

Her friend snorted at her and opened her own locker to get her shower bag. "You going to the Penny?"

She wrinkled her nose, not liking the idea that much. "I don't know…" she answered as she remembered the way she'd felt just the previous day.

"Come on, I'll buy you a coke!" she told her, giving her a huge smile. "Come on, Andy. Just a couple of hours."

She sighed. "How could I say no to such a heartfelt offer?" She didn't really feel like going, but she knew she'd probably get to see Sam there.

The bar wasn't too crowded as they made their way to their usual table. As promised, Traci got her a coke which she sipped on happily as her friends got themselves a few beers. They chatted and laughed, exchanging stories about their day.

But as much as she enjoyed her friends' company, her mind wasn't with them. An hour had passed and Sam still hadn't walked into the bar. She'd had enough. "Hey, guys, I think I'm gonna get going."

A chorus of complaints followed, which she ignored, shaking her head decisively. She turned down Traci's offer for a ride, telling them she needed some fresh air after her day locked up in the station.

She wished them a good night and walked out, instantly reaching for her phone. It was almost ten, not too late to call. She dialed Sam's number and bit her lip anxiously, waiting for him to answer, which he never did of course. She groaned, irritated. She was his friend, right? It wasn't even about her anymore, she couldn't care less if she'd danced on her coffee table or babbled endlessly when he'd taken her home. Her concern, now, was making sure her friend was ok.

It took her a little more than twenty minutes to reach his house. The lights were still on, which was a good sign. She went to climb up the stairs, but hesitated. What was she going to say? 'Hey! I was just walking by your house and decided to knock at your door late at night to know if you're doing ok?'

Lame.

She sighed and shook her head at her own hesitation. Sam was her friend, she repeated to herself again. She was just checking up on a friend.

She knocked at the door and waited, trying to hide her nervousness.

Andy wasn't prepared for the welcome Sam gave her. The moment he opened door and realized who was waiting on his porch, she saw his face turn from curious, to surprised and then to irritated. His dark eyes flashed with a mixture of anger, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. Was it hurt? Regret? Jealousy?

Slightly taken aback, she forced a friendly smile to her lips. "Hey!"

"Hey." He repeated, his demeanor not changing one bit.

Her grin wavered. "Am I interrupting anything? I don't want to be a bother or anything…"

He sighed irritably and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you doing here?"

Her face fell at his cold tone. "Well… I… I wanted to know…" she stuttered. "You're not answering your phone." she blurted out, frowning.

"Yeah, I've been busy."

"Ok… well, I just… since weren't paired together today, I just wanted to know if everything was ok." She tilted her head, concern filling her voice. "You looked bothered by something this morning." she added.

He gave her a tight grin, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm great. Just peachy."

She sighed, not about to let go that easily. "Are you sure? Sam, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

His face stayed stone cold. "Anything else you want? I've got things to do." He told her, sounding annoyed.

"Sam! What's going on with you?"

He just shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing."

She let out a bitter laugh, nodding her head sarcastically. "Right. So all of a sudden, you've decided to start acting like an ass." She didn't want to start a fight with him, but the way he was acting was irritating and hurtful.

He snorted and rolled his eyes at her. "I'm not in the mood, Andy."

She frowned. "Is it my fault? Did I do something wrong?"

"I said I'm not in the mood, McNally." He repeated through clenched teeth.

She sighed angrily and threw her hands up. "You know what? FINE! You don't want to tell me why you're treating me like shit, well I'm not the begging type." She nearly shouted, before turning around and walking down the stairs. "I'll see you at work!" she added, already marching away from his house.

She didn't look back when she heard his door slam violently. She could swear steam was coming out of her ears as she walked quickly on the sidewalk, fighting the urge to turn back around and scream her mind at him. But even if she did turn around and demand for an explanation, the little voice inside her head reminded her that Sam was as stubborn as she was, if not more. She slowed her pace down and raised her hands to her head, brushing her hair away from her face while taking deep, calming breaths.

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd felt this angry at someone. The fact that this man could get under her skin and affect her so deeply was…. destabilizing.

Hopefully, what was up his ass would pass and he'd go back to the old Sam she loved spending time with. She knew him; he'd tell her what was wrong when he'd be ready to do it. She just hoped it would be soon, 'cause, last she remembered, he was still her partner.


Soooo? Liked it? Hated it?

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!