A/N: Huge thanks to Sairs J for reading this over and giving your feedback. I truly appreciate it. Thank you to everyone who has read this story thus far. I hope you enjoy what's coming up next.

I'm sorry it has taken so long to update this story. Here's a quick recap of things since it's been a while.

Perrick abducted Gail while he had another woman in his basement, but soon after her arrival, Gail became the only living hostage.

Some mysterious criminal, Ray, a pimp of sorts, poisoned Perrick when he viewed him as a liability, and attempted to make it look like a heart attack.

Jerry followed a lead, which led to him being severely wounded. The white shirts have decided that it is best that he appear to have not made it through surgery, and have transferred him to a safe house.

Superintendent Peck decided it was best to have Perrick's unknown killer feel a false sense of security, thinking that the medical examiner deemed Perrick's death a result of natural causes, and the Detective's murder was on Perrick's hands alone. She also wanted to be completely sure that anyone who had anything to do with her daughter's kidnapping would be brought to justice.

Gail knows that Jerry is still alive, and had an incredibly difficult time helping Traci give his speech at his wake for various reasons.

Sam broke up with Andy, not knowing how to deal with his grief, partly wanting to ensure he would never have to feel the pain of losing her like Traci did Jerry, and not knowing how to cope with such extreme emotions.

Sam and Andy are called to go on an undercover assignment together, and before they leave, Sam comes to some big realizations, to which he apologizes to Andy for. Instead of jumping right back into a relationship, they decide to take things slow and think things out.

Also, please be aware that the timeframe is different from that of the show. For the purposes of this story, Jerry's stabbing and his "death" occur on the same day, and the funeral and wake occur a couple days after Jerry's "death."

The long ride to the safe house was silent. Too silent. Sam was used to Andy's constant jabbering, but he couldn't really blame her for not saying anything at the moment. It was a lot to process. Hell, he hadn't even fully processed everything yet.

He was on autopilot, expecting to walk around the corner of the precinct tomorrow, only to see Jerry making lovesick googly eyes at Nash. If he let his mind wander, Sam was sure he'd be getting a butt dial from his buddy since he hadn't figured out how to use his phone after months of owning it. Closing his eyes, knowing that at the moment, all he had was time, Sam tried to focus on the calming fact that Andy was right beside him. She was safe, and whatever was going to happen, they'd be in it together. No matter what he had said the night before, there was no place he'd rather be than by her side. There was no one else he'd rather walk through any door with.

Andy, being the over-thinker that she was, couldn't stop her mind from going a million miles a minute. As much as she tried to sift through everything that had happened over the last seventy-two hours, she didn't even know where to start.

Her thoughts jumped haphazardly from seeing Jerry bleeding to death on the tiled floor, to seeing her best friend completely broken after losing the love of her life. She recalled the pain she felt, the literal ache in her heart, when Sam shut her out and drove off, the pouring rain mixing with the tears that streamed down her face.

It had only been a couple hours ago that she heard Sam's confession to Oliver about how much of a mistake he'd made. Sam told her that he would respect her wishes, but he seemed to want to take back all the cutting words and go back to what they had before. Andy felt like her emotions were being taken on a rollercoaster ride, or a yoyo being thrown around by an overenthusiastic kid.

Time. Sorting out all of her thoughts and feelings would take a whole lot of time. She wasn't sure how it would work out between them, with all of their baggage and the recent heartache, but they'd have to figure it out together. One could only guess how long this op would last, and until it was over, they'd have no choice but to work closely together on a daily basis.

Andy had to admit that even though she felt her heart break when Sam drove off in his truck, she hadn't stopped loving him. She knew that he would always hold a special place in her heart, and the thought made her uneasy. He had the power to truly break her. She had given her heart to him, and in the heat of the moment, and when times got tough, he had tossed it aside. Sam had issues; she knew that. She definitely had her own as well. Andy just hoped that this would be a breakthrough for them, that they could finally be open about everything. If not, she couldn't imagine the alternative.

Jerry wheeled himself around the place he'd be calling home for the next few months, possibly longer. The long list of questions he had since being told he was "dead," continued to grow.

When Superintendent Peck said gave him the news of his "death," he really had no idea how to respond to that. He'd seen it in a show once, killing off one of the characters in order to bait some criminal to come out of hiding. Never in his life did he expect to be in that position.

Jerry fought long and hard with the Superintendent, not caring about the position she held. He didn't flinch at what questioning her methodology and authority would mean for his job. It wasn't until she mentioned the safety of Traci and Leo that he finally quieted down and agreed to the crazy idea of playing dead.

"If whoever was there knew you were alive, they might try to tie up loose ends. With both you and Perrick out of the picture, along with the news reports saying that your death was at the hands of deceased suspect, the bastard won't do a thing. We'll use it to our advantage to bring whoever is involved down. If you were to live, he may come after you. He killed Perrick without a second thought. We probably wouldn't have connected them at all if it wasn't for Gail's observations and running every test possible, even though it was supposed to be a heart attack. Think about it… If this guy comes after you, what's going to stop him from going after Traci?"

Traci… His first thoughts when he woke up, besides the ones that questioned where he was and the awful object down his throat, was of his fiancé. More than anything, he wished things could be different. As much as he could, he tried to block out the pain he knew she would be feeling, thinking that he had died on the operating table. He knew that the pain he was experiencing at being away from Traci and Leo was nothing compared to what they were enduring. They thought he was dead. At least he knew they were alive. And although he wasn't there to keep them safe, they had the entire Division to protect them. He was confident that his fellow officers would be even more vigilant at keeping them out of harm's way.

As Jerry continued to anxiously wheel himself around the house, he found himself still at war with the decisions that were made, ones that would affect the lives of everyone he cared for. He knew that as hard as it was, this was their best option. If he "survived," the news would go crazy. A severely wounded officer who nearly died in the line of duty miraculously survives an almost fatal stab wound. There would be no way the perp could miss that kind of headline, and that would only mean Jerry would have a target on his back. Everyone he loved, his friends, his family, his fellow coppers would be collateral damage. No matter how much he wanted to be back in Toronto with Traci, he couldn't risk countless lives so that he could be a happy camper. No, he had to do this.

Making a firm decision, Jerry knew he would do everything in his power to solve the case as quickly and efficiently as possible so he could get back to his family. He could only hope that the people sent to work with him would be competent enough to help him get this done, fast.

A soothing touch to her arm brought Andy out of her dreamless sleep. For a moment she forgot where she was, then it all suddenly hit her. She had hoped it was all a terrible nightmare, but the second that the sleep faded, Andy knew it was real.

She looked over at Sam whose warm hand had just moved from her shoulder, and couldn't help but give him a small, yet reserved smile. Sam was trying to be there for her, she knew that, but everything was still such a mess.

"We're here…" Sam whispered, knowing that her hearing was really sensitive when she first woke up. During their many nights together, he found that she hated alarms, and woke up best to a tender touch or loving kiss.

"Where's here?"

"I'm not really sure. I think we're just outside Toronto. I know we were hitting the back roads for a while, but after we did the car switch about two hours or so ago, I dozed for a bit myself and lost track."

Upon hearing the officer knock on their window, letting them know the perimeter was cleared, they grabbed their bags and headed to the house from the driveway where they were parked.

"Detective Barber, there's a car coming up the road. I'm going to need you to head to the back room. Stay there until I give you the all clear, yeah?" the officer told him, as he pulled his gun from the holster.

"Yeah, okay," Jerry relented, feeling like a sidelined quarterback, knowing he was too injured to do much defending if things went south.

As he waited in the spare bedroom, he wondered if the car that was headed toward them was the one that held the officers he'd be working with. Before he knew it, a knock on the door signaled it was safe to move around the house again.

"The new guys are here, so that's my cue to leave. The detective with them has been briefed, and will go over everything with the three of you together. Good luck, and hope to see you back in action soon, Detective."

"Thanks, man."

Sam sat on the barstool in front of the island in the middle of the kitchen while Andy searched the cabinets for glassware. He wondered who the third member of their team would be. During the long drive to wherever it was they were, all they were told was that they'd be transferred to a secure location, where they'd be working on the details of a UC mission with another officer.

The sudden sound of Andy gasping for air caused his heat rate to skyrocket. Her face was pale, her eyes huge. One hand was placed over her mouth, while the other grabbed at her chest, and her balance faltered. Fearing the worst, Sam quickly jumped off the stool, and reached out for her, catching her before she completely lost her footing.

He noticed her eyes were fixed on something straight ahead of her. Following her line of sight, what he saw nearly brought him to his knees as well.

Sam wrapped his arms around Andy as they slowly slid to the floor. He had to be losing it. The emotional trauma was making him hallucinate.

"Jerry?" Andy squeaked, as she slowly crawled out of Sam's embrace and walked toward the man in the wheelchair.

Tears began to flow from her eyes as her mind warred with what she thought she was seeing.

"Jerry, is that really you?"

Andy kneeled down in front of the wheelchair and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing, praying that he really was there, that he wasn't a figment of her imagination.

The arm that soothingly rubbed her back made her realize that it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her. Jerry was alive. Her best friend's fiancé was supposed to be dead, but he was very much the opposite. She couldn't understand what that meant, but was grateful for that miracle.

Sam stood on wobbly legs and made his way toward Andy and Jerry. He knew that his thoughts must've mirrored Andy's. It was just a day ago that they buried him, yet there he was, obviously alive, right in front of them.

"Sammy… McNally… I'm really sorry that it had to be this way. Believe me, if there was anything I could've done to change the way things went down, I would have."

The voice of Detective Morris broke the emotional haze that hung over them like a storm cloud. Andy slowly pulled herself away from Jerry, wiping her freshly fallen tears, forcing new ones to remain unshed.

"If you could follow me, I'm sure you would all like an explanation…"

The four officers sat uncomfortably in the living room, each having their own sets of thoughts and emotions.

Andy looked between Sam and Jerry. She figured Sam was going through the same feelings as she was, thinking that the man who now sat only a few feet away from them was supposed to have been dead. All the pain, regret, grief, and heartache were still very fresh. Knowing that he needed the support just as much as she did, she slowly reached toward him, grasping his large hand in her small one, giving it a reassuring squeeze. It was a reminder for both of them that they were in it together, whatever it was.

"Ross Perrick was not only involved in the abduction of Officer Gail Peck, but we have determined that he has been linked to the purchasing of female companions from Ray Marshall, whose fingerprints we found at the scene. It was determined Perrick was poisoned by Marshall right before Detective Barber arrived on scene. Upon your arrival to Perrick's residence, Detective, Officer Peck recalls what she could only imagine to be Marshall fleeing the scene."

"Looking into his background, there's nothing that would make us think he isn't a regular law abiding citizen. He doesn't have any criminal background, or even a speeding ticket. His cousin, Johnny Marshall, however, has an extremely colorful rapsheet. Preliminary intel says Johnny Marshall works for a sleazeball we have failed to previously apprehend. That's where you two come in," he paused, looking between Sam and Andy.

"Although we have yet to make a definitive connection, we are almost certain that Marshall has a connection with Anton Hill, and is likely living under an alias, thus keeping his record as Ray Marshall clean as a whistle. Officer Swarek, your background knowledge of the ins and outs of Hill's operation will be of the utmost importance when we attempt to send in UC officers. And Officer McNally, you have come highly recommended, as your previous work with Officer Swarek here have proved you both work well as a team."

Andy's head was spinning yet again as she tried to take in everything that was being said. She had heard a little bit of what happened, which must've been what the white shirts wanted to be let out. Everything she thought she knew was a complete farce.

She felt Sam's grip tighten on her hand, yet his face remained neutral. Andy knew that he was doing everything in his power to keep it together. They had been fed lies upon lies, and now to find out the truth, learning it was somehow connected to his white whale…

"Here are the files of everything we have for this current case, along with the files from Swarek's op from a couple years back. We need you to determine the best way to infiltrate the group. Because both Marshalls are connected to Hill, we have to figure out if Hill is behind this most recent incident too. The higher ups want to take them down, starting from the top. Cut off the head of the operation, and the rest of the body will die."

"Swarek, you were the closest we've ever been to nailing Hill, and this may be our last chance to send someone in there. This has to be it. Superintendent Peck and I will be checking in, and you can reach us via the secure line we have set up to HQ. We're counting on you to get the job done. Let's not make Jerry's disappearance be for nothing."

Detective Morris stood up, shaking the hand of each team member, leaving them to stew over the information he had given them.

Three hours later, a beer in each of their hands, Sam and Jerry sat together in the living room, easily finding their camaraderie they almost lost. Once the initial shock wore off, and they were debriefed, Andy excused herself, giving the guys a chance to catch up.

"Okay, so let me get this straight, one more time. You were such a dumbass that you pushed McNally away? God, Traci is going to rip you a new one when we get back, you know that right?"

"Thanks, Brother. Like I'm not already beating myself up enough as it is," Sam bit out sarcastically.

"And just because you're so-called dead, doesn't mean I can't kick your ass once you're out of that chair. I get it. I screwed it up, like I always do. I already got a lecture from Ollie, and boy, is he protective of her. And just to clarify, I'm going to do everything I can to fix it, to show her that I made the biggest mistake of my life."

"Good thing you're nearly half as good looking as this dead guy. You might just have a little bit of a chance," Jerry joked, hoping to ease the tension he felt radiating off his friend.

Sam shook his head at his buddy's teasing, thankful that it was like they lost no time at all. Of course it has been a complete shock to see his best friend standing in front of him when he supposed to be six feet under. He found himself almost joining Andy in her emotional upheaval, but was able to push the emotions down before he too became a basket case.

"And forget about Traci ripping me a new one. You better watch out for yourself. The way Andy reacted to seeing you… I can't imagine how Traci's gonna react. She's either going to be so pissed and kick your ass, or knock you off your feet and jump your bones, or both. And I'm not sure in what order."

A/N: So… How was it? Was it worth the wait? I sure hope it was. Please let me know what you think. For those of you who follow my other stories, please know that I haven't given up on them, and they're being worked on. Have a great week!