I am working on the other one but it's just crawling along and I'm fighting boredom with it. This could sort of be a sequel to 'Just Practicing' but it doesn't necessarily have to be. It's got a different tone, and one which is not my forte but Jerry just lacks a lot of the comic relief Oliver brings. It's too bad really since he's one of the more interesting characters. It's set after 2x13 and is another one-shot.
Jerry has some concerns.
I still own nothing.
Jerry wasn't at all sure of this. The more he mulled over the idea the more uncertain he became. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sam's judgment, he really did. Sam had saved his ass on numerous occasions and after his divorce no one had done more for him than Swarek. Sam wasn't fickle and this whole thing wasn't a passing fancy. Jerry knew that the thought should comfort him, but it didn't. It wasn't that he thought Andy was a bad person either. She was kind and funny and taught him some great poker tricks at Traci's that one night. Admittedly he hadn't liked her much her first year. She was always with Traci and she hadn't seem to like him much either. That had changed of course over time. She was a good cop and honest. He could respect that. He just couldn't bring himself to think that Sam Swarek in a real relationship with Andy McNally was a good idea.
Traci would probably be shocked to know he felt that way. He kept a pretty neutral stance through the past two years. He wasn't blind. He saw how things changed when that class of rookies arrived. At first he hadn't been sure what had been the culprit for the change in Sam. He knew Sam was furious after his cover was blown. Andy took the bulk of his wrath for that but Sam managed to save enough scorn to bust his balls for a solid month over the screw-up. It seemed every poker game Sam was out for blood and he made a point to comment on his relationship with Traci. He didn't cross any lines of friendship but it was close numerous times. Jerry regretted busting Sam for that reason alone. His time undercover, or maybe just the time back had made him bitter and angry.
It was two months after he'd been back that Jerry noticed the change. Actually, in fairness, Traci had noticed it for him. She mentioned Sam had wandered into the women's locker room and turned up the heat on McNally. Originally he's thought it was just Sam being Sam and giving her a hard time but during the actual John Sweep, Oliver said Sam was jumpy as a cat. It was right around then that something pinged with Jerry. Sam wasn't jumpy, ever. He was unflappable; it was part of what made him so good undercover. His poker face never slipped. That Oliver had thought to mention it at all was a sure sign of things to come.
Retraining was the next obvious clue. Rumor, as confirmed by Traci, had it that McNally had hooked up with Callaghan. When the detectives were invited to spar by the patrol cops, Jerry hadn't thought too much of it. Actually it would give him a chance to shut Sam and Oliver up about his "girlish figure" and "pansy shoes" and "grandma facial hair". Traci had assured him she liked his Italian leather shoes and they were just jealous. Jerry had his doubts on that theory but it's not like either man hadn't benefited from his style expertise. Zoe loved his taste which Oliver took advantage of more than once when planning something nice for his wife. Even Sam had asked for his input on the rare occasion. Retraining had gone well enough. In any event he got to watch a few smackdowns and could laugh as his fellow detectives were pretty universally pummeled. When Sam and Luke were called up together he'd thought nothing of it, until Sam took it to another level. It was really rare for Sam to lose his cool and that day he'd lost it in spectacular style. Without much preamble his thoughts had jumped right to McNally. The previous few weeks had Oliver commenting on Sam's nurturing side and through the pain meds just last week after the shooting a telling speech on Sam never allowing Andy out of his sight again. That would make this beating make sense. Well crap. Jerry had bent the rules with Traci. He wasn't about to rat out his friend if they were having a relationship but the degree of Sam's anger didn't suggest he and McNally were actually a 'we'.
Months passed and Jerry watched as Sam played knight in shining armor to a clueless rookie. Looking in from the outside it wasn't necessarily noticeable. Sam was ornery as always. He brushed off Oliver's attempts to get him to talk. Jerry hadn't bothered because if Ollie hadn't succeeded he wasn't going to. Traci said if she didn't know better she'd think Sam was pulling Andy's pigtails for attention. Jerry scoffed not wanting to encourage that thought. If it spread, Sam would be at risk of losing his job. Somewhere in the midst of that he'd messed things up with Traci, badly and been in a funk. He put Ray Swann away and was surprised to see Sam at the trial. He found out from Oliver later that McNally had let him escape and nearly been killed in the process. Sam was tying up loose ends as he was prone to doing. He eyed Sam a bit closer after that.
He was certain by the time Diaz and McNally busted Gabe accidentally that Sam was a lost cause. Boyd was admittedly, not his favorite person. To be perfectly frank, the guy was a tool and no one he liked having around. The way he went after Andy and Chris was completely uncalled for, frustrated or not. He had to give McNally credit, she gave back as good as she got, but Boyd was on a roll. When she'd volunteered to go under with Sam though, he just envisioned the hooker detail fiasco. The look she'd given him when he'd reminded her she couldn't give it away could have fried him on the spot. "What exactly do I have to do, be his girlfriend? I think I can manage that," had been her exact words. How indicative of the future they were, as was Sam's immediate faith and defense. When she'd come bursting out of The Mermaid, screaming about Sam being killed he hadn't thought she'd turned her back on an armed kid. Reading the report afterwards had been an eye opener. She'd saved Sam's life, but if you asked him she was still bad news. Three days after she'd moved in with Callaghan he'd found Sam drunk on their usual poker night and in no state to play cards. In front of him was a copy of the report from bust the previous week and Oliver sat next to him, sipping water and watching the hockey game rerun.
Summoning Ollie out with the pretext of helping him pull more beer from his car, he attempted to get the story. "How long has he been like this?" Jerry asked. He's been a little preoccupied for the past few days.
"Couple of hours maybe," Oliver shrugged unconcerned.
"What the hell triggered this?"
"Frank wanted him to sign off on the full version of events from the bust after shift today. I guess McNally neglected to mention she turned her back on a guy with a gun."
"McNally. Of course, I should have guessed," Jerry scoffed shaking his head.
Oliver just raised his eyebrows at the unusual bit of attitude from Jerry. "She's a good rookie. She saved his ass and while he doesn't admit it, I've never seen him care about anyone as much as McNally, except maybe Sarah."
"She's also with Callaghan who happens to be a nice guy. She's a man-eater, Ollie. She's going to chew Sam up and spit him out when she gets a better offer," Jerry predicted glumly.
"You're wrong. She's young and Sam has not been forthcoming about what he wants. This is just the push he needs to tell her how he feels," Oliver predicted grabbing one of the beers from Jerry's hands before wandering back to the living room and their incoherently drunk friend.
The rest of the evening was spent watching hockey and attempting to drink away the past few weeks.
Months later He watched his friend fall further and further under McNally's spell and just couldn't take the none-too-subtle manoeuvring by Oliver anymore. Like a mother duck herding her younglings to the water, Ollie seemed to feel the need to push Sam and Andy together lest they wander off and get hit by a car. When Jerry finally told him he was becoming a bad meddler, he just shrugged. "It's going to happen. I've got a bet with Noelle still running if you want in. Just wait," Shaw assured him confidently.
It was the 'Just wait' that set Jerry on edge. Unable to take it anymore Jerry called in a big favor. Boyd arrived a week later to convince Sam to go back under. Once he finally yanked Boyd over Jerry had thought it would be a no-brainer. McNally was involved with Callaghan. There seemed to be no end in sight. Sam was miserable. Sam should want to go under. Boyd wanted Sam because Sam was the best at what he did. You would think it would be an easy decision. Sam's reluctance baffled him. If he really stopped to think about it he would probably be ashamed of his actions. He didn't normally believe in getting this involved. He suspected by the dirty look Oliver shot him he'd had an inkling why Boyd had suddenly appeared. Well, sorry to derail your Cupid plans Ollie, but this is not going to fly. Then, like the trouble magnet she was, Andy managed to get shot. She was fine, if traumatized. Sam was by far the more shaken of the two. When he saw his friend drinking with Jo he'd hoped for the best but he watched as Sam turned around to stare at McNally and knew it was hopeless.
The next few months passed in a blur. Somehow some speech that McNally gave when playing Suzie Cocktail had touched a nerve for Traci and she agreed to take him back, if secretly. Andy also seemed to be encouraging Traci in her pursuit of happiness which helped him like her even more. She was just too hard to dislike. He also had to admit, however reluctantly, that her people sense was top notch. After her inadvertent assistance during the incident at Vestibule his opinion of her softened; It didn't hurt that she was engaged to Luke, who while hospitalized was on the mend. An attached McNally meant he had some peace of mind for Sam. He knew Ollie was subtlety trying to get Sam to talk to her before she actually married Callaghan. He made the odd dig at the Black Penny or at poker and he would watch Sam's jaw tighten and then relax, perfectly aware of what Shaw was attempting to do. Traci had actually told him that Swarek had given Andy a hard time about the engagement. She didn't have to share her suspicions of Sam's ulterior motives; they were conveyed in a look. Jerry'd had to shrug and feign ignorance. There were some things just weren't his to share.
Less than a week later, as though she were marked by a black spot, McNally managed to get into a collapsing building. Oliver had told him pieces of the incident and he'd gathered the rest from Jo's summation of "That cop with bug up his ass over that rookie". Not exactly a charming descriptor but it was succinct and accurate. Jo was less than kind about McNally but he refrained from mentioning that aspect. He knew the old gossip about Luke and Jo and he wasn't about to get involved. The last time he'd tried had cost him playoffs tickets; Never again. After that incident he knew Oliver had set Zoe on Sam to try to straighten him out with little success. When Jerry commented Oliver had shrugged him off. "Sam has apparently made up his mind to be a martyr but it won't last," Oliver said confidently before walking off.
When the, as Ollie would describe it, inevitable happened and Callaghan was dropped, Jerry assumed it would only be a matter of time. Never one to do the expected though, Sam kept quiet and steady. During the quarantine he'd pushed McNally to confront her anger. He'd been a source of comfort during the equine training nonsense. Oliver told him of the burnt out car and Sam's near panic in finding her. Just when Jerry thought he may have been wrong his moron of a friend went undercover and a series of events happened that he would never have predicted occurred. So here he sat at a table of his friends in Sam's basement. After Sam's suspension, poker had been put on temporary hold. It seemed wrong to have it with one of theirs absent.
Just the previous weekend they'd witnessed an awe inspiring sight. Ollie, somewhat out of the loop due to work and general lack of communication had ripped Sam a new one over McNally. Jerry enjoyed a good play and the drama that Ollie had presented that night had been fabulous. Oliver ended up feeling like a fool but if you'd asked Jerry he would have said they should have charge admission. The evening finished and Traci and Andy were soon out the doors in front of him. When they finally left, Traci somewhat drunkenly announced that she couldn't wait for Andy to marry Sam.
"I'll make the best Maid of Honor," Traci told him when he just nodded at the first comment.
"I'm sure you will," Jerry replied leading her around to the passenger side door.
"You'll be a good usher," she told him with a nod.
Jerry couldn't help but be somewhat offended. "Am I not good enough for Best Man?" he asked her before coming around to the driver's side.
"Oliver called dibs weeks ago," Traci informed him. "Plus, Sam thinks you dress like a maître d'" Traci informed him.
Jerry just rolled his eyes before driving home.
At home he'd re-thought Oliver's speech and found he couldn't help but agree. Jerry could barely contain the shudder when he thought about the events that had lead up to all of this. He'd been in the apartment Sam had been living in. He'd never been more shocked in his life than when Andy burst in and began calling for Sam. He hadn't been entirely sure of the situation but the implications were obvious and by Boyd's rolling fury it seemed the rest of the story was nothing good. He quickly grabbed Andy's arms and had to physically remove her from the space. She fought him for a moment and he'd been concerned he was going to have to hurt her to get her out of there. Oliver came to his rescue by the stairs and managed to help stuff her into a car while she shook and stared at the bars without saying a word. He cursed his friend in his head knowing that Andy could not have done this alone. He made up his mind at that moment that he would keep her out of the gossip mill as best as he could. It was the least he could do for Sam. She'd be Candice unless absolutely necessary. That necessary had come up sooner than he'd expected. Having to tell a friend his ex-fiancée was sleeping with your other friend was as awkward as one might expect. The rookies managed to pull it together though. Traci had kept him in the loop and he was shocked at the revelations they uncovered. Boyd was a twisted bastard and he'd nearly gotten one of his own killed and for that Jerry would carry a lot of guilt. If he hadn't pushed so hard, maybe Sam would have stuck around.
When they all came back with Brennan in custody, Jerry felt himself release the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. It would be a long time before Jerry would get those visions from his head, if ever. He wasn't at the rescue but he wasn't stupid. For Sam to be in such bad shape the situation had to have been beyond awful. Traci had said Andy was essentially catatonic. She ran through the motions before being dragged in front of Best. Jerry had been busy with a ridiculously cooperative Brennan at that point. The guy had functionally given up all of his contacts. He saw a man who was truly crushed. He'd lost everything and didn't care anymore. The more time he spent with Brennan the more he saw Sam in the man. Brennan sacrificed his freedom for his lost family. Sam nearly sacrificed his career for a girl he wasn't even committed too. What would he give up now that they were involved?
Not really pleased with the direction of his thoughts Jerry stood to get a hotdog. The winter barbecue at Sam's had been an unexpected invitation. Much of the division was there as was Andy's father and Sam's sister Sarah. It had been a good night of music, alcohol and more food than anyone expected all conveniently served in Sam's basement which he had finally finished during his suspension. Sam had called the impromptu party a "You survived a murderer poker barbecue". Unsurprisingly only a few of them (e.g. Epstein) found the humor in that title.
Their suspension had finished the week before but Sam and Andy were still the proverbial red-headed step-children of the division. Despite his efforts, some less than kind rumors had begun and according to Traci, Andy had shouldered the majority of the comments. No one had the guts to say them to Sam. She stood up well though and clearly she took some of her strength from Sam who, while not overly demonstrative was obviously a source of comfort. They sat together at one of the poker tables and chatted with their friends.
Jerry had been watching his friend carefully for any sign of discontent, cataloguing what he saw. Traci had told him to stop looking at them like they were on a microscope slide but he couldn't help it. The more he looked the more he found to justify his concerns. They moved as a unit. They were hyperaware of one another. Sam easily spent half their time looking at her. All sure signs of the hopeless romantic Oliver had insisted lived inside Sam Swarek. Traci told him Andy was transparent in her feelings for Sam. She 'lit up' when he was around. The more justifications he found though, the more he felt his uncertainty fade. It was perverse but what had worried him most about Sam was now a comfort. He had found someone just as self-sacrificing and emotionally stunted as himself. Oliver was right (though he would never hear it from Jerry if he could help it). Andy threw herself on her sword for Sam when she didn't have to. She stood up in front of her Staff Sergeant and admitted something that could have gotten her fired and had certainly put a black mark on her record. She saved Sam's life as frequently as he saved hers. Maybe they were as 'just about perfect for one another' as Traci had said, he admitted reluctantly. Oliver would never let him live this one down, he thought as he took another bite of his hotdog.
"Nice suit there M. Maître d'. Care to join the party or are you waiting for that party of five to arrive?" Oliver called out as he started to deal the cards.
Jerry just rolled his eyes before wandering back over, "Says the man who cried during "Winnie the Pooh".
The table collectively snorted earning them all a glare from Shaw. Jerry refused to feel guilty. Oliver would have more than enough to gloat over when he was proven right.
*A black spot is something from a lot of pirate lore. It usually means nothing good.