Though it is long...still...another one to go. Final chapter tomorrow, I promise. At least I hope it's only one more to go. :)

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Cheers.

Sam pulled into the back parking lot of the Penny. He turned the engine off and sat there for a moment. His hands clenched onto the steering wheel. He wasn't ready to go in yet.

He closed his eyes, tilted his head back and exhaled loudly. Ah man I don't want to do this. Why did she have to get drunk tonight?

Why do you think she's drunk? Did she go out drinking after breaking up with Callaghan? No! She's out drinking because of what happened today.

Thinking of that, at least partially made him feel slightly better. Or worse. Was he such a dick that he actually drove her to break her own code and overdo it? Andy never drank more than a couple and the closest he had ever seen her to inebriated was that night here, the first official day they worked together. Even then she seemed more buzzed than anything.

So now she's here…drinking it up…and somehow…once again…this is going to be my fault. Hell…lately…everything is my fault. Can't look out for her and try to be a good friend as well as a partner…because I'm trying to break up their relationship.

Why do I have to the bad guy? If that relationship was so freaking wonderful…nothing I said or did would have ever broken them up and besides…she came to ME…every freaking time…she came to me with the problems and her doubts…I tried to help her…and look where it got me?

All right…HELL yeah I don't want to see her with him…but what was I suppose to do? Where the hell was my choice in all this? I didn't choose to have her show up at my door or have her come to me with her problems.

Hell I didn't even have a choice when I fell in love with her. Oh Christ Swarek, don't start thinking about that crazy shit right now. She doesn't want you remember? You're the last man she'd ever want.

Hell that's probably why she's been so nuts…she wants that asshole back. She's probably been getting pissed because he hasn't come back yet. So why didn't she tell you about the break up? Oh hell, I don't know anymore…I don't know anything anymore.

Sam tilted his head back to stare ahead at the bar and nearly jumped out of his seat. Standing in front of his truck with his arms out questioning was Jerry.

"What the hell are you doing Sammy?" Jerry asked.

Sam groaned as he reached for the door handle. He opened the door and slid out of the truck.

"Damn Sammy," Jerry said looking at his watch. "I've been waiting…what do you fall asleep in there?"

"Shut up all right? I'm here to help you remember that?"

"Yeah…hey man sorry, I just want to get out of here and go home."

"How did you end up mixed up in all this anyway?"

"You know that little Italian joint you love so much?"

"Sabintino's?" Sam asked.

Jerry nodded in agreement. "You got me hooked on their ravioli…man I love their ravioli…"

Sam moved his head and raised his brow at Jerry as a silent plea to get to the point.

Jerry snapped out of his ravioli thoughts. "Anyway, I stopped in there this evening…I was going to pick up some ravioli to take home and Traci and Andy are sitting in there."

It kind of burned Sam that the only reason Andy knew about Sabintino's is because he took her there for lunch. Now she's going there without him? I wonder if she ever took that asshole there? My Italian restaurant; that was my secret place!

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as Jerry continued. "So I asked them what their plans were, they said they were having dinner and then heading to the Penny. I gotta say…Andy didn't look to good and then after I called Luke tonight…I guess it makes sense now."

"Them two seemed hell bent on going out tonight and tying one on…I figured I better come down here. Besides I'm still trying to talk Traci into getting back together."

"Yeah." Sam said absent-mindedly. He thought for a moment before asking. "Does she know I'm on my way up here?"

"Ahh…yeah. I just told them that you were coming up…not to help out or anything. Traci starting laughing hysterically and Andy looked like she swallowed a frog. I…well…is she mad at you?" Jerry asked cautiously.

"Why?"

"Because once Traci stopped laughing she said… 'this was gonna be good, glad she was sitting ringside' or something like that. Andy just said a few uncomplimentary things about you."

Sam bent his head…obviously the liquor hadn't helped her disposition. Jerry stood waiting for him to say something. "We got into it today, okay?"

"If she and Luke have been broken up for almost two weeks…ahh…why haven't you…you know?"

"First off…none of this is any of your business…but if you most know Mom…she didn't tell me about the break up. Maybe she thought they were going to get back together." He wasn't going to go into detail about the fact that he knew already or any of the earlier argument. He told Jerry just enough to shut him up for a while.

Jerry seemed to except that. "Well? Ready?"

Sam and Jerry started walking towards the back entrance to the Penny.

Again, earlier that day…

Andy and Traci walked out to Traci's car. Thankfully she didn't run into Sam on the way out. Once they got in they talked about getting something to eat before heading to the Penny. It was an unspoken agreement that they intended to drink a little more than usual tonight.

"Hey? Sam took me to this awesome Italian place, it's tiny but the food is amazing…pasta is a good before drinking, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, point the way." Traci said as she pulled out of her parking spot.

They were sitting in Sabintino's when Jerry walked in and approached the front counter.

"Jerry's here." Andy said nodding and speaking quietly to Traci.

She had just been relaying some of the things that were said in the car earlier today. Traci was shocked that Sam had called Andy Luke's doormat but she was even more shocked when Andy told Sam that Luke blamed him for everything. Traci's jaw fell open when Andy repeated what their last final words were to each other.

When Andy said that Jerry was here…Traci decided she definitely needed a drink, now more than ever. Jerry had been trying that 'well if you won't date me, somebody else will' tactic on her lately. Instead of tactics Traci wished that Jerry would just tell her how he felt, really felt, about her.

The restaurant was so small that Jerry couldn't have been standing more than a few feet away from them. So when he looked up to glance around the room, his eyes immediately made contact with Andy's. Seeing whom her dinner companion was, Jerry smiled and headed over.

"Here he comes." Andy said under her breath.

"Hey girls, how are you this evening?" Jerry asked as he reached the table. It was a table for four so Jerry pulled out a chair and sat with them.

Traci just stared at Jerry for a moment, not liking that he didn't wait to be asked to sit. Noticing her look he lowered his eyes and quietly said, "Sorry about that."

Instantly Andy compared him to another man, one who wouldn't have apologized for sitting. Overwhelmed for a moment, she stood up and said she was going to the ladies room and left them to talk.

"She doesn't like too good." Jerry said after Andy had left the table.

"She's got a lot going on right now." Traci said.

Luckily Jerry was more interested in using the time alone with Traci to plead his case then to question what was wrong with Andy.

"Traci…I…I've missed you." He said reaching for her hand. "I don't want to play games anymore, I care about you."

"I thought you were going to start seeing other women?" She asked but she did not move her hand away.

"I just said that because I trying to push you, I don't want to see anyone but you. I care about you, you and Leo. I miss that kid." He said earnestly.

Traci's heart warmed slightly but Jerry was going to have to do better than that this time. "I don't know Jerry I've got a lot of responsibility, you know? I tried with Dex, I really did. But it just didn't work and Leo was not happy about that at all. I can't keep bringing men in and out of his life. The next guy I have to make sure is going to stick around for a long time. I just don't think you're ready to make that kind of commitment."

Jerry was going to speak but Traci stopped him by squeezing his hand. "Andy and I are going out tonight, we've both had a pretty rough week. Maybe you could stop up there, at the Penny? We're going to be there late, that much I can say!" Traci finished with a laugh.

She didn't want him there spoiling their whole night. Jerry needed time to think about what she had just said anyway. Traci was serious; she was not about to let Jerry back into her life unless he was ready to make some kind of commitment.

Jerry nodded his head in agreement as Andy approached the table, she noted that they were holding hands. Once again, she thought about Sam. Would she ever stop thinking about Sam, she wondered to herself.

As Andy was sitting down Jerry was rising to his feet. "I'll see you girls later okay?" he asked.

"Much later okay?" Traci stated.

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, "I'll be up after twelve, how's that sound?"

Traci looked at Andy and she shrugged her shoulders in agreement.

"Okay, I'll see you then." Traci said before Jerry turned to go back to the counter to pick up his to go order. He left after that.

"Well? What happened?" Andy asked.

"I told him!" Traci had already told Andy what she intended to tell Jerry.

"Good for you, what did he say?"

"I didn't let him answer, he needs to think about it. Really think about it. I'm serious…for Leo's sake as well as my own, I need a commitment."

"Wow Trace, I'm so proud of you." Andy said excited for her friend. "You know what? I think you're going to get that commitment too. The way he was looking at you when I walked up to the table…he's smitten."

"Smitten? Andy does anybody besides my grandmother say that anymore?" They both giggled together. They finished their meal and left for the Penny.

Dov and Chris were already at the Penny as well as Gail; they were in the back by their usual table, shooting darts. Traci and Andy joined them.

Chris always the gentleman asked if they would like their usuals. They laughed together and said no…tonight they were doing shots. All three pairs of eyebrows were raised as Andy and Traci stood up to go to the bar.

They both ordered shots with beers chasers; even the barmaid raised her eyes at them. These two were noted to be light drinkers. She set their drinks on the bar with a smile. They turned to each other, Traci picking up her shot of vodka to toast.

Andy put her hand on Traci's arm stopping her for a moment. "I almost forgot…okay well I didn't tell you this before…"

"Okay, what?" Traci asked intrigued.

"Remember when I told you about the fight I had with Luke? Well I left something out…"

"Oh man…you better tell me now!"

"Well he called me stupid because I refused to see that Sam was trying to break us up…" Seeing Traci get upset by that Andy squeezed her arm. "It's okay Trace, really, because I said he was right I am stupid, he was right about everything because I am in love with Sam."

"Oh my god!" She was stunned for a moment before realizing only what a true girlfriend would understand, she again reached for her shot glass, raised it and said, "Well hell girlfriend, now that is something to drink to."

They both laughed as they clinked their glasses together and drank. After they quickly sipped some beer to help get their shots down, Traci looked over at Andy and asked. "Ah…if you're so in love with Sam…ah…why did you wait so long to tell him and then tell him off instead?"

"Because…I…he…well?"

"Because you were scared." Traci said plainly.

Andy finally let the breath she was holding out. "Yeah…I was."

"He loves you too and honestly I don't believe for a minute he was trying to break you two up. Sam's a smart guy…he knew Luke would do that all on his own…and he did."

"I don't know." Andy said looking across the bar to where Sam would normally be sitting; she was missing him.

Traci dragged her back to the table with their friends. They played darts, had a few…shot a couple of games of pool, had a few. Later on the music started they danced and had a few more.

By time Jerry showed up at midnight, neither one was very sturdy on their feet.

Andy didn't tell Traci but she watched the front door of the bar all night, hoping he would come. Her alcohol soaked thoughts convinced her that he should be here, regardless. They fought all the time, so what…he should be here begging for forgiveness…or something, she couldn't remember what now. But she was here and that meant he better damn well be here too.

She thought about calling him…and then she remembered the doormat comment. Oh yeah…I almost forgot about that…I'll be making innuendo comments about doormats for a long time. He has his nerve…damn I wish he was here, just so I could tell him off again!

Andy was about to tell Traci that Sam should be here, if he really loved her when she noticed Jerry walk in.

"Oh look Traci…your dad is here." Andy said motioning towards the front of the bar.

Traci looked to see Jerry heading over to them and she burst into laughter. "Good one!" She said to Andy. They had just got done dancing, at least to them, they thought it was dancing and they were now stumbling back to the bar. Where they would wait for the next song where one would turn to the other and say, 'Ah…I love this song! Let's go dance!'.

After three more dances at which Jerry was getting more and more worried that if those two decided to keep dancing…someone was going to get hurt. Either one of them with their arms flailing around was going to hit someone or each other or they would just fall down.

He tried to get them to sit down with him at the bar; he had already cut them off. They were none to happy with him when he asked the barmaid to make coffee and said not to serve them anymore. So when he asked them to sit down…they were having none of that. They both just laughed at him and called him dad.

Jerry knew if he could get Traci and Andy separated he'd have a better chance on getting some control here. He tried calling Luke and that's when Luke told him that he and Andy were no longer together and that he should call Swarek. Right before he called Sam a few names Jerry wouldn't repeat to Sam and hung up.

Jerry then called Sam.

"Well ladies…Sammy's come up here." He announced to them after he walked back into the bar.

Traci started laughing, Andy felt like she as just pole axed. "Well this is gonna be good, I'm glad I'm sitting ringside!"

Andy found her voice. "If he comes up here he better not talk to me! That rotten creep, he's got a lot of nerve…after today…he's lucky if I ever speak to him again." She said trying to sound convincing…inside she was dying to see him.

She couldn't wait for him to get there and she couldn't ask Jerry why he was coming up there, she didn't dare give herself away. So instead she just continued to go on and on about that a jerk he was.

After quite a lot of time had past Andy looked at Jerry and said. "I thought you said he was coming up here?"

He didn't say anything but he looked at his watch and stepped outside to look for Sam. Andy reached over and handed her keys to Traci. "Here," she said, "put these in your purse."

Traci looked confused for a moment before it dawned on her what Andy intended. Traci giggled and put Andy's keys in her purse.

So Andy had some guts after all, Traci thought.

A few minutes had past before the back door opened again. Andy squinted her eyes, the alcohol was no help to her trying to see a short distance away. Jerry walked in and then…he was there.

Andy's heart jumped at the sight of him…then she saw the look on his face. He was still mad; it showed on his face, in his body language. He looked like he was there to take it out on someone and she already knew who that someone was.

Okay...at least I got him inside the bar...more soon!