A/N: I am so so so sorry! I got completely overwhelmed with my university work and had to put this aside, no matter how badly I wanted to write. Anyways I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but I hope you guys enjoy. Thanks so much for your continuing support and I assure I plan to get back on track with the chapter (the plan is prepared).

Anyways, Let me know what you think :)

Chapter 9 – Rules.

She found herself wandering the hall, her eyes scanning every door. 104…105…106…107…108…. She sighed heavily when her eyes finally landed on those three numbers, 109. She let her fingers wander out in front of her, quickly tracing the chipped golden metal that formed the numbers. She hesitated slightly, before curling her fingers and knocking on the door quietly. She held her breath, listening intently for his movements.

She watched as the door opened slightly. He looked up, met her gaze and then walked back into his room, leaving the door open. She let out the breath she was holding onto, before following him in. She stood, watching him lean against the back of the couch facing her.

"You can't keep doing this McNally" he sighed.

"Doing what?" she asked quietly.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "This" he motioned between them "Showing up on my doorstep with those bambi eyes. It's not fair"

She looked at the man in front of her. He looked worn, hurt, rejected. "I know." She replied softly.

He met her gaze for a few seconds and neither spoke. She gently passed by him and went to stand next to the window, similarly to how she had been just minutes ago in her own room. "You know you left me in silence back there?" she asked.

"Got thinking, huh?" he asked, watching her as she began trailing her hand across the glass, following the trail of the rain.

"Yeah…" she said quietly.

"About what?" he pushed.

"A promise"

"A promise?"

"Yeah, after Luke left, Traci came over and she made me promise something"

"What did you promise?" he asked, sighing quietly in frustration.

"To be happy, even if it means breaking the rules" she explained.

He stepped closer to her, standing a mere two steps behind her as she continued to gaze at the rain, "So what's stopping you? Us?" he asked.

"Nothing" she replied softly, but refused to turn around.

"So why do you keep stopping me? Stopping yourself?" he pushed, frustration now beginning to leave his tone.

"There are rules, Sam."

"You just said…the promise?" he sighed, "D'you think I care about some rules?" he asked, disbelief lacing his words.

"No…but I do" she sighed "Look, the rules are there for a reason. What happens if we got too overprotective too distracted when we're working? We could lose our jobs, get ourselves killed" she explained.

"We're not that stupid." He retorted.

"What if it gets out? The McNally name isn't worth much these days, but yours… you've got a good reputation, d'you really want to wreck that?"

"It wouldn't get out. You've made a good name for yourself. I don't care about my reputation" he listed off the answers as though he had them prepared.

"It's not that simple." She disagreed.

"Only because you insist on making it complicated" he explained. She felt two strong forearms lace their way around her waist "McNally, I can't force you to do this. I want you; I've wanted you for a while. I don't do this. I don't chase women…so stop running."

His warmth breath tickled her neck causing small goosebumps to raise, and he felt her body relax against him. She leant into him, feeling the hard muscles mould to her body. This felt right and she wondered how anything this right could be against the rules. They stood against one another for a few seconds, both lost in thought as they watched the flecks of rain race against one another on the window. Sam had just let his eyelids flutter closed in contentment when she finally spoke.

"If we're gonna do this" she began, releasing herself from his grasp "then we're gonna need some rules of our own, y'know just till I'm cut loose" she explained making her way over to the couch area.

"Rules? Really, McNally? What is it with you and these damn rules?" he questioned, although the small smirk indicated that he was well aware she had just admitted that they were gonna do it.

"I like them okay?" she retorted, as she searched the small coffee table drawer. "Do you have some paper and a pen?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" he asked, confused etched upon his features.

"To write some rules" she explained as though it was completely obvious.

"Okay… so let me get this right" he pinched the bridge of his nose, "you're not only given me rules that you know damn well I won't follow, but you're gonna write them down as well?" he asked.

"Yeah"

"Really?

"Yes"

"But why?"

She sighed before making her way back over to him, "Look Sam this is what I do, okay? Please just play along…" she looked up at him hopefully.

He shook his head slightly in amusement, reaching his hand into the back pocket of his uniform pants he grasped the small notepad and pen that hid there, "C'mon on the Officer McNally, what's the rules?" he asked.

Making their way over to the couch, she let out a huge smile that Sam found powerless to resist and he leant over to pull her into his lap. She pushed her way off of him and settled next to him, "Okay so that" she motioned between them "is rule number one."

"What?"

"Touching" she explained, taking the lid from the pen and began scribbling away.

"So I can't touch you?" he asked,

"Of course you can touch me…just not like that" she explained.

"Like what?" he asked, a small smirk settled on his lips as his hand reached over to rest on her thigh.

She glanced down to the calloused hand before raising her gaze to meet his, "Like that…People can't know we're in a relationship"

"I know that…We'll just hide it well"

"Yeah, we can hide it…if we don't do things like that" she explained, smiling sweetly at the end.

"This is stupid" he stated.

"Saaaam" she whined, "please" she pouted.

"This is just in public, yeah?"

"Yeah" she agreed.

"Fine, what's rule number two?" he replied, defeated.

He settled back into the couch as she leant over the arm of the chair to lean the notepad on the small coffee table next to it.

Ten minutes late found Andy sighing happily, "Done" she stated.

"Can I actually see these rules then?" he asked, he had known nothing since Rule Two as she had worked in silence.

"I suppose" she replied sarcastically, handing over the piece of paper.

She settled against his side, as his eyes scanned the paper.

No touching in public.

No flirting in public.

No kissing in public.

No telling anyone – ANYONE.

No sitting together at the Penny.

No talking about anything relating to us at work.

No dates.

No sex.

"Woah, woah, woah" he exclaimed, "what's this last rule all about?"

She instantly felt the heat rush to her cheeks, "No sex" she explained.

Their gazes met, "This just means at work, right?"

"No, it means – no sex at all."

"I don't understand" he replied.

"What's hard to understand Sam? We just can't have sex until I'm cut loose" she explained, feeling the heat now burning her cheeks.

"But why?"

"Sam" she sighed, "if it gets out that I've slept with you, I'm just gonna be one of those rookies who only got ahead cause she slept with her T.O. I don't want that, please...if you can't stick to any other rule, just please stick to this one?" she pleaded.

He looked down to the face that was gazing up at him. He noticed the flecks of hope shimmering in her eyes as she pleaded with him, he sighed "Fine" before leaning down to capture her lips with his own.

"Rule number two" she murmured against his lips.

"We're not in public" he whispered against the corner of her mouth, his tongue begging for access.

She giggled at his quickness and he took the opportunity to gain access. They fought for dominance and control, neither wanting to be outdone. Their lips moved together in a swift motion, fitting together perfectly. But all too quickly, the need for air became too much for either to bear and so their unwillingly removed themselves from one another, "Does that mean you agree to the rules?" she smiled as their foreheads rested against one another.

"It doesn't mean I like them" he brushed his nose against the cold skin of hers, "but I suppose" he resigned, before placing a chaste kisses against her slightly swollen lips.

She reached her hand up and ran her thin fingers against his stubbly jaw, tracing the defined muscle "thank you" she whispered.

Half hour later found the pair huddled together on the small uncomfortable couch; his fingers were lost in her waves of brunette locks as she absentmindedly traced patterns on his chest, near to where her head lay. The 'rules' resided beside them, the paper thrown on to the coffee table long forgotten, for now, she thought. The rain had now ceased but the winds continued to hit the glass with a great force. They had lost themselves to silence a few seconds ago as the laughter from one of Sam's story of Oliver's great mishaps had just faded away.

"I don't want to go back tomorrow" she announced quietly. She peered up at him to see a questioning expression plastered on his face. "What? I mean I know this place isn't the best" she explained looking around at the crappy room that had clearly overused by the wrong type of people, "but it's kinda nice pretending there's no rules against this" she finished.

"Ahh but that's where you're wrong! We have all these lovely rules here" he indicated to the paper that lay on the coffee table.

"Ha ha" she replied dryly. "I was just about to tell you how much I enjoyed our little holidate, but you can forget it"

"Our what?" he asked.

Andy felt a small heat grace her cheeks as she lifted her head to look at him, "It was just something me and Traci called our trip" she muttered.

"A holidate, huh?" he mused "Ahh but this can't be a holidate" he pointed out, "rule number seven"

"You're not gonna let this rules-thing go are you?" she asked, already well aware of his answer.

"Nope" he flashed his dimples.

She shook her head with a small smile before turning to peer at the black watch that lined her wrist. "It's getting late, we should probably turn in?" she asked.

He merely nodded as she looked at him, "You...uh…wanna stay here?" he asked, a touch of unfamiliarity evident in his expression "or is that against the rules?" he recovered quickly with a flash of his dimples.

She glared at him playfully before softening "I think I could manage that."

He leant forward to capture her lips with his own again, leaning in further to grip her hips with his strong hands, becoming more confident and familiar with the fluid motions of her lips. She relaxed against him, allowing him entrance to her mouth more freely. He applied more pressure against her lips, as his left hand travelled up the small of her back lazily tracing patterns beneath her academy t-shirt whilst his right hand remained gripped to her hipbones. The desperateness of their first kiss was gone, although the intensity remained. Breaking away for air, he placed delicate kisses along her jawline before strengthening his grip and lifting them both off of the couch. Locking her legs around his waist and running her hands through his hair, she peered down at him through hooded eyes. He discontinued with his small kisses to meet her gaze for a few seconds. He smiled slightly before leaning in to place his lips against hers tenderly. Their lips remained pressed against one another's as he manoeuvred their way around the crappy room till his knees finally hit the soft mattress. He gently lowered her back into the material, pinning her against the mattress he continued to place small chaste kisses across her jaw, neck and neckline. He ushered them both sit comfortably at the top of the bed as he lay down beside her. They began with lazy kisses, allowing themselves to explore, to learn as their hands explored the little skin either had access to. He pulled away causing her to open her eyes. Their gazes met as he leant in for another kiss, a different kiss. It wasn't lust that drove this, but hope and promise. He pulled back slowly, brushing her nose with his "Goodnight McNally" he whispered.

She smiled softly, happily. She turned away resting into his side before he manoeuvred himself slightly so that they fell into a comfortable spooning position. She felt his heavy arm wound its way around her waist, and fell asleep to the reassuring rhythm of his breathing.