A/N I know, I know. I'm so sorry about the late update. Went on vacation, got sick, then published a new story (called Her Broken Lover if you want to check it out) and was so…emotion-ed out from that, I didn't have the energy to write another chapter of this one. Alas, here is the late but still published Chapter 5. Hope you enjoy and thank you everyone for their support and reviews! You make me want to write. :)

"Andy?" he asked, after recovering form his shock and realising that if his own mind was working so far overtime, Andy's could only be going to all sorts of depressing places, without any basis in reality. And though he couldn't quite wrap his mind around it, he wasn't going to let her overambitious brain run away with a moment he had waited two years for. She wanted to be with him. She wanted him.

"Go out with me."

Andy for her part had spoken almost on impulse. Almost. There had been a moment where she stopped to wonder if she should cross this line. And in that almost, she realized that it wasn't even really a question. That Luke had been a poor substitute for the passion she had felt with Sam right from the start. That Sam was right. That this, he, was what she wanted. And probably what she needed.

"Yes."

Both rolled onto their backs, grins spreading over their faces, hearts racing. The only traces of exhaustion left were aching muscles and a raspy cough; their minds had been shocked awake with jumper cables. And Sam's right side of the bed had never seemed so empty. Not when he knew her dark doe eyes could be staring into his one day.

"Yes?"

"Yes, Sam," she laughed brightly, ignoring the rawness of her throat.

"Sam?" her voice broke him out of his reverie.

"Yeah?"

"Where are we gonna go?"

He laughed quietly, "Let me worry about that."

She pouted, she wanted to know now.

"Fine. When?"

"We have day after tomorrow off. Howa bout then?"

"Perfect."

"Hey, McNally?"

"It's like 1. We're gonna be so screwed for tomorrow."

"Don't care," she said simply.

"WHAT?!" a shriek echoed loudly throughout the women's locker-room.

"Shhhh!" Andy hissed.

Traci laughed excitedly, hugging her friend, "That's so great. Wow, girl, can't believe you finally told him."

"There was more to it than that. A story and all, but I'll tell you at the Penny. We're gonna be late!"

Traci grinned and rolled her eyes, "You just wanna sit next to Swarek."

"Trace!"

"So did you have that talk with her?"

Sam swung the coffee out of Oliver's grasp, debating on his answer. "Yeah, I did."

They walked through the doors of 15 and he studiously ignored Oliver's mixed look of awe and smugness.

"And…?"

"I might have to miss poker night this Tuesday, Ollie," his perfected nonchalance not betraying his inner excitement.

Oliver stopped momentarily in astonishment before running back to catch to him, and with a broad grin he nodded and slapped Sam on the back.

"I give you permission, brother."

Sam just laughed.

"So what do I wear?" Andy asked, sipping on the coffee Sam had surprised her with.

"McNally. You could wear your pyjamas and I wouldn't care," he told her simply, chancing a glance away form the road and smirking slightly as he took in her lightly blushing cheeks.

"Saaaaam," she whined, "That's sweet, but I really do need to know."

Sam thought for a moment. "Wear something casual. Comfortable. Not like…athletic or anything though." He pulled a face of confusion, the one males get when they think too long about clothes. "I don't know, McNally."

She rolled her eyes, "Real helpful, Sam. Can't you just tell me where we're going?"

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"I hate surprises."

Sam raised his eyebrows, "No, you don't. I hate surprises. You just hate waiting."

Andy couldn't help but smile at his assessment, "Sam –"

"McNally, I'm not telling you anything. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 6."

"But…"

"No."

"There. All done."

"Yeah, so I called him and asked him to tell a story and he actually did it. The story ended up being basically about us. And that's how it started. Then after the Laundromat incident, he basically told me how he felt. And I said that I wanted him to be my person. But as a character in the story. D'you know what I mean? Wow Trace, it looks awesome," she rambled excitedly, spinning her desk chair around to see the magic Traci had commanded over her makeup and hair. It was twisted in a low bun, some loose curls escaping while her eyes sparkled with a tasteful addition of mascara and liner, with her glossy lips to complete the look. It was Andy; simple, but beautiful.

Traci clicked her tongue, her motherly instincts shining through her young exterior.

"Andy, you have waited too long for this. And you know I only want what's best for you. So listen up. Sam? He really wants this, you have to see that. He waited two years for you. Nobody does that if they're not serious."

"I know, Trace. I really want this too. I made a mistake with Luke, but Sam's just…different," Andy interrupted her friend, earnestly.

Traci handed Andy her purse and set her earrings down on the dresser, "Okay, good. But just don't let it all scare you, okay? Even if it becomes hard and intense and scary. Even a blind man could see you two belong together."

Andy smiled brightly and looked her friend in the eye.

"Traci, it already is scary. We haven't even been on a single date yet and already…I don't know. Sam makes the butterflies I felt before other dates feel like…I don't know. Like mosquitoes or something."

"Girl, you are so done."

The two women looked at each other then burst out laughing as Traci showed herself out the door, leaving Andy anxiously waiting Sam's arrival. She sat on the couch, fidgeting with her hands. She sat on the counter kicking her feet against the bottom cupboard. She sat on her bed, nitpicking over her hair. She sat on the table then got off quickly. The doorbell rang preventing her from having to find another place to sit. She waited about 30 milliseconds before rushing to the door.

"Hi," she smiled and Sam swore she lit up the room brighter than a thousand light bulbs ever could.

"Hi," he grinned back, his dimples denting a lightly stubbled cheek.

They stood in the doorway for a moment that felt like a minute, eyes locked, bodies on opposite sides of her door frame.

"I…uh, this is for you," he told her, handing her a few multi-coloured daisies and her smile grew even wider and she gently took them from him to put in a vase. He shuffled from foot to foot and as she turned back to look at him, a realisation hit her. He's nervous. At least she wasn't the only one. She walked back over to him and linked her arm in his.

"You gonna tell me where we're going yet?"

They pulled up at Sugar Beach and she immediately slipped her sandals off and ran off into the sand, before turning around and meeting Sam's eyes.

"Sam, this is amazing," and she felt just a little more special when she saw the picnic basket in his hand.

Sam smiled, a genuine, half-embarrassed, shy yet proud smile creating a look that, while she'd never quite seen it before, Andy couldn't imagine on anyone else. He met her in the sand, and pulled out a blanket from the basket, pulling her down to sit with him on it.

"It's not quite checkered, but hey…" he started, trailing off as he watched her tip her head back and stare at the stars.

"I could've worn a dress for this, you know," she teased him after simply star-gazing for a few moments.

Sam's slightly awe-struck look changed momentarily into a small frown, "I didn't know, McNally. Most girls don't ask me what to wear."

"Teasing, Sam. It's perfect. Really."

Sam began to pull food out of his basket; two burgers and fries from that place they always went to on patrol. Andy grinned at him and her smile momentarily abated the nervousness that he felt as he took out the half-homemade food.

"I know it's not the typical romantic picnic thing with champagne and strawberries and whatever you serve with that," he mumbled, "This just seemed like us…you know?"

They ate on the beach, in comfortable conversation and comfortable silence, looking out at the moonlit water, the giant Redpath Sugar factory a sharp contrast to the calm beach. There were other places for a picnic, probably better places for a picnic that he could've picked, but there was something about this place. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't paradise. There was a factory and an undeniable reminder that they were in the middle of a city. But they weren't perfect either; they were real. A moment of paradise in the midst of a bustling city – an escape from the realities of their lives, their jobs, even their history. It wasn't said out loud, but both Sam and Andy understood it.

She pulled her hair out of its bun and laid back, not caring that tiny sand granules were probably going to stick in her hair and force her to wash away all of Traci's hard work, and she picked up the basket and put it on the side, leaving just her and Sam on their makeshift picnic blanket. Sam followed, lying on his back, their hands barely touching as they stared up at the sky. Andy rolled back over on to her stomach, inadvertently bringing her closer to Sam, and a shiver ran up her spine as his dark eyes locked with hers.

"You bring all the girls here on your first dates?" she asked and hating herself for how insecure that sounded, despite trying to play it off as teasing.

His eyes hardened slightly, and what looked a little like hurt ran through them.

"You know me better than that, McNally," and her question sent an inexplicable shot of irritation through him. As if she didn't know he'd been waiting for her. Still, his face softened as he reaffirmed, "You're the first, Andy."

She wasn't sure when their light-hearted banter had turned so serious, and he couldn't quite explain why he had chosen honesty over sarcasm. And maybe it was the phone call to Sarah and her annoying sisterly moments telling him to be honest, not to be so serious, that he deserved a chance to be happy. Maybe it was the way the moon in his eyes, and the gentleness of his actions in contrast with the roughness of his skin that took her breath away. And maybe, just maybe, it was the slight nervousness in her hands as she tenderly slid closer to him to rest her head on his chest or the way his fingers hooked in between hers.

"Besides, I don't really consider this a first date," he commented with twinkling eyes, continuing on when he received only a questioning glance in response. "Hell, McNally, you tackled me in an alley and tried to kiss me, we ride together every day and thank god you got your 20 questions out of your system on the way to Sudbury, I've met your dad, you know about your sister, I beat up an ex for you, we've already kissed. I'd say it's more like the 3rd or 4th date."

Andy took a moment to consider it; god, they really did have a history. And just thinking about it all brought up so many conflicting emotions. Between Luke and the blackout and her own messed up feelings, she couldn't believe they were here.

"Thank you, Sam."

"For what?"

Again she craned her neck to look up at him, "For waiting. For helping us get here. I know it hasn't been easy. I'm just…I'm sorry, that I made you wait so long. I'm surprised you're still sticking around to give this a chance after all I put you through. Luke was…safe and sweet and I loved him," she felt him tense up, before laying her head back down to finish quietly, "But he was never you."

Sam sighed heavily. Who'd have thought they would be getting into this now. On a first date. Well, a third date. Whatever it was, on a perfect night like this. And he had waited so long to hear her say those words, and as much as he'd like to just agree and move on, he knew by the guilty look in her eyes that it wasn't a one-time issue. So he settled for running his fingers through her hair and replying softly, "I should've said something. I pushed you to him. But it doesn't matter now. He lost his chance…and now I have mine."

They lay there quietly for a few minutes, his hand combing through her hair while she listened to the rhythmic beat of his heart. He had to admit, he was impressed by her seemingly evasive ability for silence.

"Sam?"

"Mmhm?"

She pushed herself up on one arm, still laying half her body on Sam's.

"You said we'd already kissed."

Sam nodded, wondering where she was going with this – they both couldn't forget the blackout night, despite their attempts to disregard and ignore it.

"The last time, it was just messy, you know?" her eyes locked with his, "Let's make a new memory of our first kiss. And if not us, then Graham and Sandy, at least."

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He watched her eyes flutter closed, and he saw the way the moonlight hit her skin. He felt her soft lips touch his, no tears, no shootings, no blackouts. Just them. Sam and Andy in their urban paradise, rewriting one of their own stories.

A/N So I actually have no idea what Sugar Beach looks like in person or anything. I just read about it online. I'm a GTA girl, so forgive my lack of knowledge about that. You get the idea though. And not sure I'm entirely happy with this chapter. It's a little fluffier than I think Sam and Andy would be in real life, well, real TV life, but I suppose that's what fanfiction is for! Reviews make my day, seriously. Thanks for reading! :)