Notes: A BIG thank you to CytheraofNaxen for betaing the story for me! I also have to confess that the last part was completed without a beta and all mistakes are mine (I really shouldn't work without one).

I also wanted to thank everyone for reading this, and all the feedback and PMs. I want to finish this for myself and I didn't think anyone would care once the show had finally gone where we wanted it to!

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The Club

The steady beat from the club music was vibrating the walls but somehow to Sam it sounded like it was coming from down the street instead of the bar above them. He placed the empty bottle on Johnny's desk as he pulled his vibrating cell from his pocket, it wasn't the message from Andy that he had been expecting; the sender read Gary, the cover name for Boyd.

Your apartment been checked. Cover team on its way. They will stay back unless required.

Chase had been in to check out his apartment, 'Well that explained the late night beer. A just want to make sure check.' Sam thought as he deleted the message.

What he needed to do now was get himself out of here, he'd been worried that Andy would go to his place instead of calling and he didn't want her finding Chase there. However the image of Andy sitting at his front door waiting for him brought a smile to his face. Sam knew that Johnny would want to wait until Chase came back to the club so Sam didn't find anything unwelcome in his apartment. 'It shouldn't be long now.'

"Simple setup you have." Johnny said as he placed the next bottle in front of Sam.

"Best way."

"And quick." Johnny said as his phone beeped.

"Less time you spend with the 'cargo' the better for everyone."

"You always send your girl with them?"

'He is relaxing a little', Sam smiled at the thought. "Depends. Your boy seemed like he was having trouble with one of them."

"You normally get that." Johnny replied checking his watch. "One that wants to save the lot."

"It's like I said, having a girl around just makes everything run smoother." Sam emphasized the last word before he drank the last of the beer and stood. "Thanks but I need to check that Ally has everything filed away."

"Where's that?"

"What?" 'Buy Chase enough time to get out or set up to take him down.' Sam thought playing along for the moment.

"Ally's?"

"Not far. Be done in an hour." Sam said as he let the office door close behind him. With his phone still in his hand he turned it over again to check for a message, still nothing from Andy.

Once the back door to the club was closed behind him, along with the noise, he hit speed dial one. By the time he was at his car her phone had timed out, he typed a message and hit the call button before the message had even finished sending. "Ally where the hell are you?" He had just guessed that she would be waiting for him but now he wasn't sure. Now he was worried.

He scanned the street as he stood outside his car until he found his cover team. Turning to his phone again, this time he searched and found Gary in his phone. "Where's Andy?" Was all Sam managed as he dropped into the drivers seat. "Where'd you drop her off?"

"End of your street." Boyd replied.

"You dropped her at my apartment with Chase there?"

"I didn't know he was there and I checked the cameras, she hasn't gone anywhere near your place. She must have spotted his car or something."

"What about her apartment?"

"What about it?"

"Did you check to see if she made it there?"

"I don't know. I've been busy getting your cover team in place." Boyd's tone was starting to indicate he was also angry.

"Well check the cameras." Sam shouted into the phone as he hit the end button and threw it onto the passenger seat.

The cover team was just behind him as he pulled into the one-way street that led to his apartment. Half way down the street he saw Chase's car parked and he wasn't in it. Sam used a driveway to turn his car around and he was now heading the wrong way up the one-way street, and with that simple move he'd lost his cover team. That hadn't been his intention, but he wasn't driving the long way around to Andy's apartment.

Not now, the things running through his head were scaring the hell out of him, and he needed more than ever to know she was okay. He'd left her with Boyd so she wasn't mixed up with anything that went wrong at his end. If Chase had worked out they were police or if one of the immigration officers jumped the gun, Andy was fine with the girls and Boyd. So what did Boyd do with that? He left her on a street in a place he wouldn't have left her if she were in uniform with her gun.

As he pulled out of his street he caught sight of two people half way down the block. It wasn't until he saw the taller grey figure in the dark strike the shorter one and it was as she fell limp that he realized it was Andy and the worst of his imaginations were coming true. Chase was the one standing over her. "Shit!" He had her trapped against the chain link fence.

For Sam it all seemed to happen very fast, he was down the street and out of his car in what seemed like seconds. He grabbed Chase and spun him around and with one punch he was on the ground, blood coming from both his nose and the corner of his mouth. "Stay there." Sam yelled at Chase as he tried to get up. The cover team that he thought he'd lost so easily were now on top of Chase.

"Sam." Andy mumbled her voice barely audible above the yelling between the cover team and Chase.

"Shhh, Shhh." Sam placed a hand on each of her shoulders, waiting just moment before pulling her into him, one hand wrapped around her back and the other stroking her hair. "Shhh. It's okay." He was trying to calm the waves of anger that were pulsing through him as much he was trying to soothe Andy. With a deep breath he let his hands travel back to her shoulders before pushing her far enough away that he could take in her appearance. He ran his hands up her neck lifting her head he saw her lip was cut and bloody, her shirt was torn open, he wasn't sure but he thought he could make out red marks on one thigh where her leggings has been ripped, the concerning thing was the trembling. "You're freezing." He said as he took his jacket off and wrapped Andy in it knowing that wasn't the reason but wanting to protect her.

"Jesus! Less than two blocks from Johnny Hail's club!"

Sam had been so focused on Andy he hadn't noticed Boyd show up. "Boyd." Sam said trying to keep himself clam.

"Every time. Hell do you set out to sabotage every operation I run." Now it was Boyd yelling as he pointed past Sam at Andy following them to Sam's car.

Sam tucked Andy into the passengers seat and closed the door to shut Boyd out before he turned and stepped himself a few inches from Boyd. "I left her with you so that something like this couldn't happen."

"Yeah well it was your mistake that landed her here in the first place, we're not set up to cover two locations." Boyd countered without any sign of flinching.

"This is your mess … you clean it up." Sam dropped himself back into the drivers seat and for a moment they were both silent as they watched Boyd. Sam knew what he doing, scanning the area, trying to work out who'd seen and heard what had happened. Trying to work out how he was going to save the operation.

"I'll take you home." Sam said as he started the car.

"No." Andy looked at him; the panic in her voice was matched only by her scared, wide eyes. "I don't have a home … I don't have anything."

"Andy?" Sam lowered his voice.

"Please just get me out of here."

"Andy." Sam wasn't going to let her put him off, and as much as he wanted to just give her whatever she wanted right now he needed to know what he'd done to her. "Did he … do we need to go to the hospital?" Sam looked straight ahead not wanting to pressure her.

"No."

"Do you want to talk to someone, Nash?" Sam changed his tone, lowered his voice and paced his words as he continued. "I can take you to Traci's … if you'd be more comfortable talking to a girl … that way if you needed to go anywhere you might … it might be better to have …"

"No. Please, Sam, just get me away from here."

Sam watched as she pushed her hair away from her face, her whole body tense and shaking. "Okay." He reached over and pulled her hand into his, squeezing it gently. When she flinched a little, he started stroking her palm with his thumb hoping to relax her. "We'll just drive then?"

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Andy wasn't sure how long they'd been driving for and at first she was focused on his jacket, she'd just wanted to cover herself, wanted to make it so no one could see her. The closest she could get to that was to close her eyes and try to block out the pain of what had happened. It didn't work; the sight of Chase's determined face had caused her to open them just as quickly as she's closed them.

At first she thought Sam was doing as he said and just driving them around until he would eventually end up back at her cover apartment. He'd looped on and off the expressway twice but it wasn't until they pulled off it for the third time that she realized where he was taking her and another 10 minutes before they arrived.

"We shouldn't be here." Andy looked forward as he pulled the car in behind his truck.

"No one's followed us." Sam said as he leaned across himself released his seatbelt. "No one will know you're here."

"Sam." Andy looked down at their hands, all the time in the car and he hadn't let go of her hand. "Can you … I don't want to …" She didn't know how to ask him for what she wanted.

"I'm not going anywhere." Sam paused for a moment. "Let's go inside. It's freezing out her." Sam released her hand and reached under his seat and pulled out the spare set of keys.

She waited behind him as he opened the front door and disabled the alarm. She was still standing on the front step, not really sure what she was focused on when he reached out and pulled her inside. For the first time since Boyd had dropped her off she felt calm. "What happens now?" Andy asked her voice still shaking even if her hands had started to still. But he didn't answer her, she just watched as he disappeared into his bedroom and left her standing alone in the small hall.

"Now." The sound of Sam's voice caused her to jump, "here." Sam lowered his voice. "The shower is running. Take your time and I'll get us some food."

"No."

"Andy you're safe here." Sam again rested his hands on her shoulders. "You need to eat and there's nothing here. Go, have a long hot shower."

He turned her around and at first she pushed back as he tried to guide her toward his room, only to give in as soon as he placed a hand on the small of her back. With just enough pressure to make her take a step forward they made it to the door of his room. "Sam."

"I'll only be gone a few minutes."

"Thank you." Andy watch him as his only reply was to smile at her and pull the door closed once again leaving her alone.

The sound of the shower running pulled her away from the closed door and into the bathroom. A bathroom that was full of steam and neatly folded on the vanity next to the towels was a pair of sweats pants, a long-sleeved shirt and a thick hoodie.

This was the first time she'd been near a mirror; with one of the towels she wiped away fog. The corner of her mouth had started to bruise, and the cut clotted with dried blood. Apart from her ripped shirt it was the only outward sign that anything had happened to her. That was all it took, the tears that she'd been able to hold back finally started to fall and she began to all but tear off the clothing she was wearing, in an instant she wanted to get them off her, hoping the smell and feel of night would go with them.

In the shower she was able to hide the tears, the water washing them away as they fell.

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"Andy?" Sam tapped on the bathroom door again. "Are you okay?" He was worried that she's been in there too long. He'd hoped it would make her feel better, give her some time to process what had happened. "Andy." This time he opened the door.

"I'm sorry. I'm getting out."

"No." He wasn't sure what to do now, "I just wanted to … do you need anything?" He heard the water stop running and he pulled himself back behind the door and all but closed it.

"No, thanks."

Sam tapped the door handle a few times, he really was lost now. Should he stay and wait or leave her, it had taken him the better part of 20 minutes to talk himself into even knocking on the bathroom door. 'Leave.' He decided as he walked back to the kitchen and pressed his hand onto the bench and focused on the world outside the kitchen window. "What are you doing?" He mumbled.

"What?"

The sound of her voice spun him around to face her, she was standing directly behind him, her wet hair pulled back in a messy bun, his pants rolled at the tops of her hips and one hand was nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of the shirt at her other wrist. "Here." Without warning Sam lifted her onto the kitchen bench and pulled a small first aid kit from the cupboard above the fridge. "This is gonna hurt a little." Sam said as he pressed some liquid onto a cotton pad.

"I ruined the operation … I should have been paying attention. I didn't see him until it was too late."

"We don't know if Johnny even knows anything yet and if the case is ruined Boyd managed that on his own … He's careless." Sam said as he gently pressed the pad to the cut on her lip, Andy wincing as he did. "Now" he lifted her hand and placed it on the pad, "hold that." As soon as he stepped back from her she let her hand fall.

"I couldn't do anything." The strain of the night returned to her voice. "I was going to see you and he just pulled up, I didn't even see him before … he was just there in his car."

Sam paused as he pulled the ice pack from the freezer, he wanted to let her talk. Let her get out what had happened, he needed to know what happened, but he also needed to control himself. He pulled a soft cloth from the drawer and wrapped it around the ice pack before he turned back to face her.

"I turned and started to walk in the opposite direction, I didn't think he'd follow … maybe I should have run to your apartment or through the back of the block instead of staying on the street … I mean I could have-"

"Hey." Sam cut her off, "None of this is your fault." He positioned himself between her legs and held the icepack to her lip with one hand and used he the backs of his fingers on the other to brush against her cheek, softly and slowly repeating each stroke. "You might not have made it to my apartment and I wouldn't have found you if you hadn't stay on the street." Sam stopped himself, what he was about to say was 'in time' and they both knew it. "You were left on your own and I shouldn't have let that happen."

"Once he …" Was all she managed as she let her hand fall again, solely focused on her fingers as she continued to fidget with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Andy." He used his free hand to lift her head. "Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" He paused for just a beat and softened his voice. "We don't have to report anything … no one will ever need to know."

"He didn't … he said he was …" Her voice started to choke as she continued. "That I give it to anyone so I could give it to him."

Sam moved his hands so he gripped each of her hips, her legs still rested either side of his hips, he stepped back from the bench, just enough to allow for her to fit between the bench and himself. "Here." He repeated the same warning just before he's placed her on the bench, only this time he pulled her into himself, letting her slip down him and left his hands on her hips now that she was trapped between him and the bench. "I'll bring the food in." Sam managed to flick his head indicating the he was talking about the couch, keeping his lips close enough to hers that he could feel her hot breath on them. He held her there for a moment before he suddenly stepping back and letting her go as he remember how they came to be in his house.

'Keep torturing yourself' Sam thought as he poured the contents of the foam containers into the bowls, he took a moment to take in a few deep breaths. Even if she wanted this he couldn't do it, not now. The combination of what had happened, the possibility that he was staring down another few months under and regardless of what she said, she wasn't over Callaghan. He wasn't looking to be the rebound.

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Andy looked at the couch and instead of settling on it, she lowered herself onto the floor. She knew that Sam was right and that no one would know where they were, not even Boyd, but sitting on the floor she felt a little more protected. She wasn't even surprised when all Sam did was raise an eyebrow when he found her on the floor.

"Here." He held out a bowl for her to take. "It's just chicken soup, Gillian use to make it for us whenever we were sick or … down."

"Gillian?" Andy asked as she watched him reach over his head and pull the blanket down from the back of the couch.

"My stepmom." He pointed to a framed photo on his wall before he spread the blanket over their legs.

It wasn't the first time that Andy had noticed that Sam never talked about his family. She often thought that he only told her about Sarah because he felt guilty about the way they had been treading each other, not because he wanted her to know. This was the first time he'd ever spoken of his parents, even if it was a stepmom. "I didn't know you have a stepmom?"

Sam picked up the remote and turned on the television. "My mother died when I was three, I don't really remember her and my dad married Gillian when I was eight."

"Do they live in St Catherine's as well?" Andy realized her mistake as soon as the words were out of her mouth, there was only one reason he would have to buy out Sarah's half of the house.

"They were killed in a car accident seven years ago. It's just Sarah now... and her family."

And then it was over, it was just like him to tell her something important out of nowhere and pass it off like it was nothing. She didn't know what to say and now he was focused on the replay of Saturday's game, he was all closed back up. He was back to Sam.

The problem was she knew how much he cared about the people around him, regardless of how he tried to play it and not just Sarah but she could only guess how protective he'd been with her. It was that thought that made her wonder if that's where he'd learnt to balance letting someone be free to make mistakes and always being close enough to catch them when they fell.

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Sam glanced over to see Andy still had her arms wrapped around the cushion her head rested on, her eyes closed. He quietly picked up the remote and flicked the television off, smiling softly at her as he gathered up the bowls. Stepping carefully to avoid disturbing her, he made his way to the kitchen and rinsed them deciding anything more could wait till morning. He carelessly tapped the bench a few times as he stared back into the living room, it took a moment before he realized he wasn't able to see her anymore and guessed that she had herself curled up on his floor.

The last time they were here together he'd lay with her in his bed until she'd fallen asleep. It never ceased to amaze him how much it hurt to have something you wanted so close and not be able to have it or how willing he was to continue to put himself through it. He walked into his bathroom, brushed his teeth and soaked a towel in cold water and pressed it to his face. He hoped the cold would clear his mind; it didn't.

From the bathroom door he focused on his bed, wanted nothing more than to crawl into it. But he knew he couldn't, not tonight. So with that thought Sam stepped into his room and pulled back the sheets back, and grabbing his pillow and an extra blanket from his closet. He flicked on the lamp and as he turned off the main light, leaving the room in a soft glow.

He dropped the pillow and blanket on the couch and stood above her, she still gripped the cushion and even with the limited light in the room he could tell she wasn't asleep but at least she looked a little more relaxed. "Come on." Sam crouched down next to her. "It's time for bed." He brushed her hair away from her face and followed her eyes to the pillow he had just dumped on the couch.

"What are they for?"

"I thought it would be better if I slept out here." He couldn't read the expression that washed over her face, he thought it was relief mixed with something but he wasn't sure. All he could do was watch as she pulled herself up and silently disappeared into his bedroom. "Night." He called after her and waited a moment for a response that didn't come.

Sam stared at the couch, he'd only ever slept on it once and that was when he'd been too drunk to make it the few feet to his bed. With a sigh he spread one blanket on the couch and dropped the pillow at the far end before turning the lamp off, now he was left with the shadows of light coming from his room. He reached over his shoulder and grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling it over his head in one motion. He carefully folded it before dropping it onto the coffee table.

Sam settled himself onto the couch, the second blanket only covering the bottom half of him. He absently ran his hand over his chest before folding them under his head. It took a moment for his eyes to focus in the darkened room, and they were drawn to the dark shadows that fell across the ceiling when the last of the light was lost as the lamp in his room clicked off. He wondered if he was going to be able to clear his thoughts, he wasn't sure how but he was getting Andy out of this. He smiled as he thought that maybe they were both out, Sam couldn't see a way for Boyd to save the operation but he knew that if anyone could save it Boyd could.

The cell phone that had been resting on the coffee table flashed and vibrated into life. 'Could only be one person.' Sam thought as he reached to grab it.

'We've got 48 hours, Johnny's not looking for Chase.'

The message was short and as usual with Boyd light on details, however it looked like they were going to hold Chase for as long as they could without letting him contact anyone. Sam wasn't sure how Boyd was managing that, but he was guessing that he'd been entered into the system as a John Doe. Knowing Boyd, it was possible he hadn't entered him at all and Chase was going to spend the next 48 hours touring the cells in every division Toronto had to offer.

Depositing the phone back on the coffee table Sam was looking forward to seeing Chase finally enter the prison system once this was over. He was sure that Chase wouldn't do so well in the system; a smile spread across his face as he thought about him receiving what he'd been happy to dish out. As happy as that thought made him, only having 48-hours was going to mean he would have to push to get what they needed. Every time you pushed you put yourself in danger.

No matter how much he tried to focus on what he was going to have to do tomorrow he thoughts always ended up back in the same place. Andy. The what ifs wouldn't go away, the sick feeling of fear had settled into his chest, and no matter how many times he'd told himself that she was fine it wouldn't go away. He wanted her out. He told himself over and over that he was getting her out. Only problem with that was he wanted her close. If he'd kept her with him tonight nothing would have happened, Chase would never have been able to get that close to her.

Sam closed his eyes; he needed rather than wanted to go to sleep, and now his brain was playing tricks on him. At first he thought he was just hearing things, his brain giving him a reason to stay awake. Suddenly he realise that the soft padding of bare feet on floorboards was very real, he wasn't dreaming. When they stopped, he knew she was standing at the end of the couch, he just didn't know what to do.

He opted for leaving his eyes closed and waited, not wanting to push her. Not sure what she wanted. For a minute he waited, neither of them moving and he thought for a moment that he'd left it to long as he heard her feet shuffle. It took all of his self-control not to jump as she pulled back the blanket and settled herself into the limited space next to him. With her body turned on its side she used the crook of his shoulder as a pillow and her free hand rested on his chest.

The way she'd positioned herself allowed him to wrap one arm around her back pulling her tighter into him. With the other he pulled the blanket the rest of the way up to cover them both before slipping it under and almost without thinking he started lazily stroking her arm that stretched across his chest. After just a few minutes her breathing had evened out and her fingers had stilled on his chest. Having her with him seemed to relax him as much as it had her.

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I think we may have a delay in the next part. I had a small run in with Apple Care and the very nice man that was trying to fix my backup and trash problem wiped my Mac. I lost my fiction folder (and everything else), the next part and all notes for this one. The back up I had was old (that was my fault I should have had it on a USB stick).