Author's Note: As always, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Your feedback is so encouraging and always, always appreciated.

Author's Note 2: Holy hot McSwarek action! Was the last episode not awesome? I cannot wait for the next week!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

The first thing Sam noticed when he woke up was Andy's very warm body pressed against his. The second thing he noticed was the fact that he had lost all feeling in his left arm, the arm that Andy was using as a pillow.

He tried to stretch his arm out without disturbing her. When he couldn't figure out how to do that, he tried opening and closing his fist rapidly. His hand finally started tingling as blood returned to the extremity.

He checked his watch, squinting into the darkness, and found that they had only been asleep a couple of hours. As nice as it was to be curled up with Andy, Sam knew there was no way they could spend the whole night on the sofa.

Doing his best not to wake her up, Sam held her head up with his free hand while slipping his arm out from underneath her. He climbed over her so he could stand and then, bending down to hook one arm under her knees and the other under her neck, he lifted her into his arms.

She stirred, waking up. "What's going on?" she asked groggily, not fully awake.

"We fell asleep," Sam told her, whispering. He carried her towards the stairs. "I'm going to take you to your bed."

"Go to your room," Andy said, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his chest. "I want to stay with you."

Sam stopped walking. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Andy just yawned and nodded. "I was going to sleep on the couch with you, might as well sleep in your bed."

Sam was too tired to question her, not that he really wanted to, so he continued walking towards his room. He pushed the door open with his foot and carried Andy in, laying her on the bed and watching as she curled to her side.

He climbed in on the other side, intending to put space in between them, until he heard her say, "Sam, don't be stupid. Come over here." She reached her hand back to him and he took it, crawling over to where she was.

She pressed a kiss against his hand and then wrapped his arm around her waist, snuggling back into his chest. "Goodnight Sam," she whispered.

Sam tightened his hold on her. "Goodnight Andy."

A day later, the morning of his birthday, Sam woke up and without even opening his eyes, reached out to where Andy was supposed to be.

They had stayed passed their shift that day at work, helping Jerry prepare for a court case. Afterwards, they'd stopped by the Penny to see everyone and then they had eventually made their way home, exhausted. When Andy had looked at him, with those big brown eyes of hers, and asked if she could stay with him again, he'd grinned at her.

"You trying to get in my bed McNally?" He asked, She smiled back and he could have sworn that he saw a faint blush tint her cheeks. Without waiting for her to answer, he tilted his head towards his bedroom door and winked at her. "It's all yours."

Instead of finding her, the sheets were cold. He opened his eyes and rubbed them before reaching for his glasses on the nightstand. Padding out to the kitchen, he found her cooking something on the stove.

"Well there's something you don't see everyday," he joked, coming up behind her and kissing her neck.

"Haha, you're hilarious," she said, turning in his arms and kissing him quickly. Before he could pull her closer to him, she swatted him with the spatula. Pointing towards the counter stools she instructed, "You have to wait over there."

"What are you making?" He asked, obediently taking his seat at the counter. She handed him a cup of coffee and he smiled his thanks.

"Pancakes," she replied, taking a plate down from the cabinets above the sink. Careful to hide what she was doing from him, she topped the pancakes with whip cream and sprinkles and then stuck a candle in the stack, lighting it quickly with a match.

She turned around and grinned, "Happy Birthday!"

Sam laughed. "What the hell is that?"

Andy set the plate in front of him and explained, "Birthday pancakes."

"You know I'm forty, right?" Sam said, wrapping his arm around her waist, "Not eight?"

"It doesn't matter," Andy told him, "It's your birthday. It should be special. Now hurry up and blow the candle out, it's getting wax all over the pancakes."

Sam, fighting hard not to roll his eyes, humored her and quickly blew out the candle.

"Did you make a wish?" Andy asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Yep," Sam said, poking at the pancakes with his fork. "I wished I wouldn't have to eat these things. I think I may end up in a sugar-induced coma."

"God, you're such a grouch," Andy muttered, rolling her eyes. She let it slide because it was his birthday. "Here," she said, plating a stack of normal, non-whipped cream pancakes. "Eat these. I'll eat those."

Sam gratefully switched plates with her. She climbed onto the stool next to him, eagerly cutting into the pancakes. "Hey," he said, reaching over to take her hand. "Thank you. No one has ever made me birthday pancakes."

Her lips crooked into a small, shy smile. "You better get used to it then," she said, "Its kind of a tradition."

He raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress a grin. "So you think you'll be around for more birthdays, then?"

Andy shrugged noncommittally, "I was thinking about it." She answered. "What do you think about that?"

Sam also shrugged. "As long as you promise not to make me eat them," he said, "You can make me birthday pancakes for as long as you'd like."

Andy laughed and leaned over to kiss him. "I promise," she said.

Later that night, Andy entered Sam's room as she was putting on her earrings. He was behind the partially closed bathroom door and she called out to him, "Hey, you better hurry. Sarah will be here any minute."

"I'm ready," Sam grumbled, coming out from behind the door. "I'm ready."

When he stepped into the bedroom, Andy's eyes widened as she slowly swept them over him, from his feet all the way up to his hair, subconsciously pulling her bottom lip through her teeth.

Sam smirked. "Do I look okay?"

Andy nodded quickly, swiping her tongue over her lip. He stood before her in a dark gray, perfectly fitted suit with a white shirt and blue patterned tie. "Oh yeah," she said, taking a step towards him. "You look very handsome."

"You don't look so bad yourself, McNally," Sam said, trailing his fingers over the silky material of her dress. He looked back up at her and grinned, letting her know that she looked far better than not so bad. "Aren't you going to be cold though?" He asked, running his hand down her bare arm.

"Well," Andy said quietly, wrapping her arms around his waist, "I do plan to wear a coat."

"Oh," Sam said, raising his eyebrows as he leaned in to kiss her. "Always thinking, that's what I like about you."

She grinned back at him and was about to kiss him when the doorbell rang. "Sarah's here!" She exclaimed, turning and quickly walking towards the doors.

Sam laughed and followed, catching up with her just as she was opening the door. Sarah stood on his front porch, bundled up against the cold but wearing a brilliant smile. She looked just like the picture Andy had seen of her- dark curly hair and dark eyes.

"HI!" Andy said, holding the door open so Sarah could come into the house. "I'm Andy," she said, reaching out to hug the other woman, "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Sam looked on, amused, as Andy enthusiastically greeted his sister.

"It's nice to meet you too," Sarah said, chuckling as she pulled back from Andy and turned to Sam, holding her arms open.

"Sarah," Sam said, wrapping his arms around his sister. "It's good to see you."

"You too little brother," Sarah replied, taking his face in her hands. "You cleaned up well."

Sam looked down at his suit. "Well you know," he smirked, brushing his knuckles against his chest confidently. "I do try."

"Can I take your coat?" Andy asked Sarah, grinning widely.

"Well," Sarah said, looking at Sam, "I think we should probably go to the restaurant, right? I was running late because of traffic and we don't want to miss our reservation."

"Oh right," Andy said, laughing, "Of course. Let's go to the restaurant!"

"Okay," Sarah agreed, turning towards the door. She grinned at Sam on her way out, obviously entertained by Andy.

Sam held Andy back as Sarah walked out the door. "Nervous?" he asked, holding her coat as she slipped into it.

"Is it that obvious?" Andy asked. Sam raised an eyebrow. "Of course it is," Andy groaned, knowing the answer. "I'm sorry, she's your sister. It's just kind of a big deal."

"Why?"

Andy rolled her eyes. "Well I want her to like me."

Sam just laughed. "Relax," he said, taking her hand as they walked out of the house. "I promise you'll be fine. My sister is a lot nicer than I am."

Sam was right and they ended up having a perfectly lovely dinner. Andy eventually relaxed and felt more comfortable around Sarah, who was warm and friendly. Sarah enjoyed teasing her brother, telling Andy stories from when they were little and all of the trouble that he would get into.

She sobered though, when Sam excused himself to go to the bathroom. "Andy," she said, wiping her mouth with her napkin before setting in her lap. "You need to know something."

Andy set her fork down. "Okay."

Sarah studied Andy intently. "Even though he's my little brother, Sam has taken care of me my whole life," she said. "Once you get past the stubbornness and sarcasm, and trust me, I know there's a lot of it… but once you get past that, he's the most generous and kind man I know."

"I know," Andy said, nodding adamantly.

"He's only introduced me to one other woman," Sarah told her. Andy raised an eyebrow, surprised. Before they were even... whatever they were, Sam had invited her to dinner. "That little tart, what was her name..." Sarah thought for a moment, "Monica."

Andy nose wrinkled before she could control her reaction. "I've met her," she replied cooly.

"I did not like her," Sarah said, shaking her head. "She was fine, don't get me wrong, I just felt like there was something missing, like Sam wasn't really happy."

Andy nodded slowly, trying to understand what Sarah was telling her. "Okay."

Sarah smiled and put her hand over Andy's. "Sam's happy with you," she said simply.

Andy didn't get the chance to respond as Sam returned from the bathroom. Sarah removed her hand and then two women turned to Sam, both smiling.

He looked back and forth between them suspiciously. "What's going on?"

Andy just grinned. "Nothing," she said dismissively, "We were just commiserating over how stubborn you can be."

"Oh," Sam answered easily, perfectly fine with the line of conversation. Andy looked over at Sarah and smiled, hoping she could communicate how just happy Sam made her.

They said their goodbyes at the restaurant, Sarah explaining that she had to get back for work. She hugged both of them tightly before heading for her car.

Sam wrapped his arm around Andy's shoulder as they walked towards his truck. "See that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked, kissing the top of her head.

Andy shook her head, circling her arms around his waist. "Nope, not at all."

When they made it back to the house, Sam went around to the other side of the truck and opened the door for Andy, helping her out. They huddled together against the cold as they made the short trip to the front door.

"McNally, I have to admit," Sam said, sweeping his eyes up and down the road, "I'm a little disappointed."

Andy's forehead wrinkled. "Why?"

"Well," he said, tightening his arm around her shoulder as they walked up the porch stairs. "I half expected a rave to be going on at my house when we got back from dinner."

"You said you didn't want a party," Andy reminded him, keeping her voice light.

Sam snorted. "You never listen to what I say."

"Please," Andy grinned, "I always listen to what you say."

Sam stopped on the top step. "Would you like a list of the times you have not listened to what I've said?"

"You actually have a list?" Andy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I haven't written it down or anything," Sam said, "But it starts with the very first day I met you, when I asked you not to arrest me."

Andy rolled her eyes, "Like I was going to listen to a drug dealer."

"Well, then the first day we worked together I told you to go back to the barn and wait for me there and did you do that? No," he said, answering his own question. "You didn't. Then there was the whole hooker detail, and the time I told you to be careful working with Callaghan and you ended up getting shot at. And the time you almost got beat by that homeless guy because you didn't draw your gun."

"Wow," Andy said, nodding with a tight smile, "You actually have a list."

"Three words McNally," Sam continued as he started to unlock the door. "Ray Donald Swann…"

"Okay Sam," Andy bit out. "I get your point."

"I'm just saying," Sam said, looking back at her as he pushed the door open, "You don't have the greatest…"

"SURPRISE!" The noise rang out when Sam flipped the lights on, cutting off his sentence to Andy.

"What the hell?" His eyes widened as he turned to look at all of the people in his house. It seemed like the entire station was there. The rookies, Best, Noelle, even Boyd was there. Some were wearing party hats, some were holding kazoos and noise makers. All were grinning and waiting for his reaction.

"Happy Birthday!" Jerry shouted before blowing into a horn.

He smiled, shocked, and turned back to Andy. She forced a smile for the party guests. "I guess you can add this to your friggin' list," she said through gritted teeth as she pushed past him and made her way into the house.

Sam closed the door behind her and Oliver came up and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leading him into the living room. "Now," he said, "We all know how much you hate parties, but we couldn't let your fortieth birthday go by without being celebrated. Or at least," he said, grinning and pointing his beer bottle towards Andy, "That's what McNally's been telling us."

Sam knew that he had screwed up, big time. He sent Andy a small smile, which she ignored before turning her back to him to talk to Traci. Oliver, missing the exchange, laughed and pulled Sam along, saying, "Let me get you a drink buddy."

It wasn't too long before Sam noticed that Andy had gone missing. He tried to subtly look for her in the living room and kitchen, laughing and mingling with the different groups that had gathered, before heading towards his room. He found her there, sitting on the edge of his bed, staring straight ahead at the picture above his dresser.

Her eyes flicked over to meet his when he walked into the room but she remained silent, her mouth drawn in a tight line.

"Are you hiding out from your own party?" Sam asked with a small, guilty smile.

"It's not my party, it's your party," she said quietly, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "And I'm not hiding out, I'm just taking a second so I can go back out there and be nice to people."

Sam leaned against his dresser and folded his arms across his chest. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."

Andy looked down at her hands. "I just wanted to do something nice for you."

"I know," Sam said, gently. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied, still not looking at him.

He held out his hand to her. "Will you come back out there with me, please?"

She looked up at him intently for a moment and then shook her head. "I just hate that you listed that stuff off so easily. It's so… embarrassing." She lowered her head again, ignoring his outstretched hand.

"Andy," Sam said, grabbing her elbow and tugging her up to him. She put her hands out against his chest to stop him from pulling her too close. "I'm sure you could rattle off a list of embarrassing, asshole things I've done if you wanted."

Andy thought for a moment before agreeing, "Probably. Including tonight." She paused. "But that doesn't mean I would."

Sam winced. "I know."

"Is that really what you think about me?" Andy asked, dropping her hand into her hands. "All the times I've screwed things up and…"

"Andy, no," Sam said, interrupting her and pulling her hands away from her face. "No, that's not what I think of you, you know that. I was just talking, I'm sorry."

Andy didn't reply, just reached up to adjust his tie.

Sam sighed. "I have another list, you wanna hear it?"

"I don't know," Andy said. "Is it going to piss me off?"

Sam grinned and shook his head "No, I don't think so."

Andy bit her lower lip and then agreed, "Fine."

"Okay," Sam said, circling his arms around her waist. "There was the time that you tackled me…"

"Sam…" Andy groaned, shaking her head and trying to push away from him.

"No, just listen," he said, holding against him. "The time that you tackled me, and then when you came to find me in the locker room. When you showed up at Anton Hill's restaurant with Emily's USB drive. When you trusted your gut about the little girl in the ice cream truck. When you turned Detective Bibby in. When you interviewed Rebecca Lee's mom. When you volunteered to be go with me in the Landry thing and then later, when you pretty much saved my life. When you got shot, when you went into that burned down building after the guy's wife and then sat in there with her and his corpse…"

"Sam," Andy said, interrupting him. "What is all this?"

Sam put his hand under her chin and tilted it up so she would look at him. "All the times when you have been brave," he told her, "And when I've been proud to be your partner."

"Oh," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"There's more, you want to hear?" He asked, continuing before she had a chance to answer, "There's the storage locker, the equine training…"

"Equine training?" Andy asked.

"I hate horses," Sam confessed, making Andy laugh. "Why anyone would want to get up and ride one of them is beyond me."

They were quiet for a moment, just looking at one another. Andy finally relented and gave him a small smile. "That was a much better list."

"I thought so," Sam said, hugging her too him. "Forgive me?"

Andy exhaled heavily. "I guess so," she agreed, smiling as she pressed her lips against his in a soft, gentle kiss. "So do you have any other lists?"

Sam grinned. "Less like lists," he admitted. "More like… images."

"Images?" Andy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam nodded and bent his head to whisper in her ear. "Like the image of you sticking your hand down my pants the other night?" Andy blushed furiously but Sam just chuckled and pulled her against him. "That one will probably be with me for a while."

"Yeah?" Andy asked with a wide smile. "What else?"

"Hmm, let's see," Sam said, pretending to think. "There's that outfit you wore for Boyd's thing."

"Oh," Andy purred, trailing her finger down the line of buttons on his shirt. "You liked that did you?"

"Oh," Sam nodded, "I did. And your Edie get-up? I liked that one…" He paused and pushed a strand of hair from her face, "Very much."

"So tight and low cut," Andy asked, slipping her hands around to his back, "That does it for you, huh?"

"Not just that," Sam said, pressing his lips to her neck, "I'm pretty partial to those pajama pants you always wear."

Andy laughed, "I thought you said flannel wasn't sexy."

"Well, I was lying," Sam told her, peppering her face with kisses. "Because they definitely, definitely do it for me."

Andy smiled and stood to her tiptoes, wrapping her hand around to the back of his head. She kissed him, pulling back before he could deepen it. "We have to get back out there," she said, "People are going to be wondering where we are."

"Nope," Sam said, shaking his head. "Oliver is telling stories, no one will even notice we're gone. Let's stay in here," he said, easily picking her up and dropping her on the bed before crawling on top of her. He grinned down at her and waggled his eyebrows. "We'll have our own party."

Andy laughed as he dipped his head and began attacking her neck with his lips. "Sam!" she exclaimed, trying to push him off of her. "Sam! You're gonna wrinkle my dress!"

"You can just take it off," Sam suggested, nibbling across the exposed flesh on her shoulder. "That would solve the problem."

"Maybe I'll let you take it off me," Andy said. When his eyes flew to meet hers she winked at him and added, "Later." Sam groaned and Andy used his distraction to her advantage, wrapping a leg around him and easily flipping them over so she was on top, straddling his waist.

She wiggled against him playfully until his hands came up to grasp her hips, forcing her to stop. "McNally…" he warned.

Andy smiled and then leaned down, placing one hand on either side of his head. Her eyes were gleaming mischievously. "You want another one of those images, birthday boy?"

Sam grinned up at her and then bent his elbows, clasping his hands behind his head. "Always."

She dipped her head down and traced the shell of his ear with her tongue, making him shudder, before whispering huskily, "Black lace."

Sam swallowed hard and his eyes widened, but he recovered quickly. "See, that's not so much of an image as it is a fantasy," he explained, slipping his hands under the hem of her dress and running them up her silky-smooth thighs. "I'm going to need something more tangible." He traced his thumb along her inner thigh, watching with satisfaction as she trembled and bit her lower lip to suppress a moan.

Andy felt his eyes on her and, not wanting to let him get the upper hand, she grinned wickedly down at him. "Sam?"

His hands stilled and he looked up at her. "Yes?"

She cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Who says I'm wearing panties?"

Sam groaned and Andy pushed herself off of him, laughing. "Come on," she said, holding her hand out to him. "We really have to get back out to the party."

Sam looked at her in disbelief. "You expect me to go back out there after that?"

"Yes," Andy insisted, "I worked hard and you are going to enjoy this party whether you like it or not."

"Fine," Sam grumbled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and taking her hand. She started to walk towards the door but he tugged her back to him, circling his arms around her waist. "Birthday boy, huh?"

"Well," Andy smiled, running her hands up his chest, "Like I told you, birthdays should be special."

Sam grinned and then bent his head down to kiss her. "I think I could actually get used to that idea."

When they walked back out they found Oliver holding court in the living room, just beginning another story. "Let me tell you about our first undercover gig," Oliver said. He noticed them walking in and waved Sam over, "Sammy, come here. I was just getting ready to tell everyone about Mizz Diamond Ruff."

"Oh god," Sam groaned, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Not this one."

Oliver just nodded, "Oh yes, my friend. Who wants to hear it?" He asked, holding up his drink. He was met with applause and cat-calls, and a whistle from Andy, so he grinned and continued his story. "We were probably out of the academy, what…" he looked at Sam, "Maybe three, four months?"

Sam held up his hands and shook his head, "Something like that."

"Anyway, we were supposed to be buying drugs. Now Sammy over there," he gestured towards his friend, "Found a lady named Mizz Diamond Ruff who sold him some coke. When Sam busted her and was patting her down, he yelled out that she had a weapon."

"Oh god," Sam repeated, rubbing his forehead. Andy just grinned at him and rubbed his shoulder sympathetically.

"So Sammy, of course, reached for the weapon and pulled really hard on it," Oliver said, starting to laugh, "And Mizz Diamond Ruff let out a scream like I have never heard before. And that was when Sam found out that Mizz Ruff was actually a pre-op transsexual and that he was most definitely not pulling on a weapon."

By the time Oliver finished his story Sam was beat red and everyone was roaring with laughter. "It's my birthday," Sam called out, "I thought you were supposed to say nice things about me!"

"You know I love you buddy," Oliver replied, winking at his friend. "But now," he said, pointing everyone's attention towards Traci, who was carrying in a large sheet cake full of candles, "I think it's time for cake."

Sam took Andy's hand and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You got me a cake?"

"Well you can't have a birthday without cake," she replied, grinning back at him.

Chris and Dov led everyone in singing "Happy Birthday" to Sam, and insisted that he blow out the candles. Sam squeezed Andy's hand and winked at her before taking a huge breath and blowing, extinguishing all but a couple of the candles. He quickly took another breath and blew those out as well.

Everyone enjoyed the cake and the party but eventually, one by one, they all started to leave. Sam stood out on the front porch, making sure people were able to get cabs and waving goodbye.

Oliver was the last to leave. "Happy Birthday, man," he said, stepping out onto the porch and slapping Sam's shoulder.

Sam smirked and opened his arms, enveloping his friend in a hug. "Thanks for everything, brother," he said.

"You're welcome," Oliver replied, patting him on the back. He stepped away from Sam and added as he walked down the steps, "Now go back in there to your lady."

Sam just chuckled as he walked back into the house, making his way to the kitchen. Soft music floated towards him and he recognized it as some female singer Andy liked to listen to. He turned the corner into the kitchen and the scene he was met with caused his breath to catch in his throat. Andy didn't hear him return so he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, content to just watch her.

She stood at the sink with her back towards him, washing dishes as she hummed along with the music, occasionally singing a line or two. At some point she must have slipped off the strappy heels she had worn and let her hair down. Sam watched as she lifted one leg, using her toe to scratch the back of her calf before delicately setting her foot back on the floor. Her dark hair fell in curls down her back, accenting the low cut of her navy dress. Her olive skin looked warm and smooth and Sam ached to reach out and touch it.

When he could take it no more, he coughed to clear his throat. "McNally," he called, his voice low and ragged.

Andy slowly turned to look at him, a lazy grin spreading across her face.