A/N: Here's the new chapter. I hope you'll all enjoy it.
XX
''I like this one,'' Andy said as she let herself fall down on a couch. ''It's comfy.''
''It's yellow,'' Sam shot back.
With a sigh Andy stood up again. She walked to the end of the couch and picked up a book. ''It's available in other colours. Black, brown, red. All perfectly fine colours. What do you think?''
''It's your couch,'' Sam answered. ''You should pick whatever you want.''
''I brought you because I want your opinion.'' Andy put down the book again and looked around the store. ''Which one would you pick?''
Sam took a look around and shrugged. He really didn't know anything about decorating. Definitely wasn't interested in it either. ''I don't know,'' he said. ''Maybe that leather one.''
''That looks like it belongs in your place,'' Andy protested. ''It's just not me. I don't want a leather couch. I want one that's really comfortable.''
''My couch is comfortable,'' Sam argued. ''You slept on it last week.''
''If I remember correctly I slept on top of you,'' Andy sweetly smiled. ''And you complained about your back the next day, all day long. So I think you have to get your facts straight.'' Andy quickly walked to the next couch and sat down again. ''Come sit with me.''
Sam sighed and dropped down next to her. ''This one is nice too,'' he said. ''And not too big either. I think that other one won't fit into your place unless you get rid of your bookcase.''
''Are you calling my place small?'' Andy asked with a quirked eyebrow. ''I love my place.''
''I don't get why you need a new couch now?'' Sam asked once again. ''You're at my place most nights anyway.''
Andy looked at him and stood up. She held her hand out to pull up Sam and then walked to the next couch in line. ''The fabric ripped at mine. It looks horrible. And it's right in the middle so it's not like I can put a throw pillow on it to cover up.''
''Maybe that will teach you to not buy your furniture at IKEA next time,'' Sam teased. ''That's not exactly stuff that will last you a lifetime.''
''My budget wasn't exactly big,'' Andy defended her choices. ''I didn't want a second hand couch, but I also couldn't afford to buy anything expensive. I had three suitcases with clothes and a coffee table. That was it. I had to buy everything I needed. I gave away my stuff to charity when I moved in with Luke.''
As much as Sam didn't want to talk about Callaghan, he was curious about it. ''Why didn't you bring any of your stuff to his place. It's not like he didn't have any space there?''
Andy shrugged and looked away. ''He already bought the house and the furniture. My stuff didn't really matched with what he picked out. We didn't exactly have the same taste, so.''
She looked back at the couch and then looked back at Sam. ''Which one do you like? I'm doubting between that one and the grey one over there.''
''Why buy one now?'' Sam wondered again. How long will you still live at your place anyway?'' he asked without thinking. When he saw Andy's eyes widen he realised what he had said. ''I mean, you know.''
Andy shook her head and looked a little bit shocked, but also a little bit amused. ''No, I don't think I know.'' She stepped away from the line of couches and looked at the rest of the store. ''Where do you think I'm going to live?'' she asked teasingly.
He never was one to get flustered, but right now Sam definitely had a little colour on his cheeks. ''Somewhere else,'' he quickly said. ''You know. You can't stay in the toilet factory forever. You have your five year plan, remember?''
''You have a plan like that too?'' Andy asked with a grin on her face. When Sam didn't answer she poked her finger between his ribs. ''Am I rubbing off on you detective Swarek? You making plans for the future? Because I would like to know more about that.''
''Just pick out a damn couch McNally,'' Sam answered quickly.
The rest of the day Sam was pretty quiet. At first Andy thought it was amusing, but after a while she was getting worried. Things between them were going extremely well, but she feared that she had pushed him too much.
Of course moving in together would be the next logical step, but she wasn't in a hurry. She was ready for it, but she wanted him to be too.
After all, this time it was all about giving each other what they both needed. And even though Sam had grown a lot, he definitely wasn't an open book yet. Probably never would be either, but Andy loved him. No matter what.
When they finished dinner Sam started to clean the table without saying a word. At dinner he had barely said four words too and Andy was beginning to get frustrated.
''You know that I'm not expecting anything, right?'' she asked after she followed Sam into his kitchen.
''What?'' he asked as he turned around. ''What do you mean?''
''You know what I mean.'' Andy crossed her arms in front of her chest. ''Ever since we've looked at those couches you've been giving me the silent treatment.''
''I don't know what you mean,'' Sam said while he shook his head. ''I didn't talk any less than I normally do. You always are the one talking.''
''Sam,'' Andy sighed. ''Please.''
Sam turned around and started to put the dishes into the dishwasher. When he was finished he knew that Andy was still standing behind him. She didn't back off that easily. So Sam took a deep breath and faced her again. ''It's not such a weird thought, right?'' he asked.
''What?'' Andy was still looking at him with her arms crossed.
''Eventually, we'll live together,'' Sam filled in. ''That's supposed to be the next step.''
''So why does that freak you out?'' Andy wondered. ''It's not like we hardly spend any time together. Last week we only were apart for one night.''
''It doesn't freak me out,'' Sam protested. ''It just wasn't the best way to bring it up. We never discussed it.''
''But it's kind of the logical next move.'' Andy said. ''It doesn't have to happen today. It doesn't have to happen tomorrow. Just as long as we're heading somewhere.''
Sam took a step forward and put his arms around Andy's waist. He leaned in and rested his forehead against her. ''What do you want?'' he asked.
Carefully Andy smiled a little. She was so sure of their relationship this time. It was almost scary that it didn't scare her. Somehow she felt like she should want to run, but she had no desire to leave at all. She was completely happy with the progress they made.
''I'm ready when you are,'' she answered. ''And there's no pressure. No rush.''
Sam moved his forehead away from hers and softly kissed the abandoned skin. He pressed another kiss to her temple and moved his mouth next to her ear. ''How about you don't buy that couch?'' he asked.
She knew what he was asking, but still she needed to be sure that he was really asking her to move in together. ''What?'' she asked.
After taking a deep breath Sam took a step back and looked Andy in the eye. ''If you really are ready, then I want us to live together,'' he confirmed. ''We've been together for almost six months. We've been together for almost a year before this. I think we know each other well enough and I want to stop running from one place to another.''
Andy gently bit her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from grinning like a fool. ''It's a really big step,'' she said. ''You sure?''
''I'm sure of you,'' Sam promised. ''I think we've wasted enough time.''
A squeal escaped Andy's mouth as she launched forward and practically threw herself at Sam. ''Yes,'' she answered. ''Let's do it.''
It was as if a weight was lifted from Sam's shoulders. He had been thinking about this for a few weeks, but he never knew how to bring it up. Hearing her say yes was definitely the best thing he ever heard.
XX
That night Andy was laying on her side in bed. Her heart was beating rapidly. She pulled the covers over her and Sam and snuggled a little closer to him.
''Was that the kind of celebration you had in mind?'' Sam joked.
Andy playfully slapped his chest and laughed. ''Shut up,'' she said. ''You were the one that threw me on the bed.''
''Didn't hear you complain,'' Sam argued. ''Actually think it was quite the opposite.''
''Shut up,'' Andy said again. She let out a content sigh and laid her head down on Sam's chest. ''I'm happy.'' She laced her fingers through Sam's and lifted them so she could play with his hand. ''Not that I wasn't happy before, but it just feels good to take this new step. I think we're ready.''
''We are,'' Sam confirmed. ''We've waited a long time for this.''
A comfortable silence washed over them. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Both were thinking about just how lucky they were. Andy watched as Sam's eyes threatened to close. She wasn't quite ready to go to sleep yet, so she gently nudged him a little.
''Do you want me to move in here?'' she whispered.
Sam rolled over to his side so he could face her. ''If that's what you want,'' he answered. ''We could look for something together too if you're not comfortable with living here.''
''You want to buy something together?'' Andy asked, a little shocked.
A chuckle escaped Sam's mouth when he saw her response. ''What?'' he asked. ''Is that so surprising? I did just ask you to live together.''
''Well, I kind of had to drag it out of you,'' Andy teased. ''You weren't really getting anywhere.''
''Hey,'' Sam warned. ''I was just wondering if would be able to handle you 24 hours a day. You really are a hand full.''
Within a second the covers were back on the floor. Andy sat up and put her hair in a messy bun on the top of her head. ''If that's what you think,'' she said. ''Then I should probably go.''
Without warning Sam pulled her back into bed and threw the covers back over them. ''You're not going anywhere,'' he grinned. ''You're still a crappy liar McNally.''
''You say that like it's a bad thing,'' Andy smiled. ''I think it's a very positive quality.''
''It is,'' Sam agreed. He gently kissed her one more time, but backed off before things became too heated again. ''So?'' he asked. ''What do you want to do?''
''We both have our own place,'' Andy mused. ''It's really unpractical to sell both of them. The house market isn't great right now. And my place is on the small side, so maybe we should just move in here.''
Sam moved her hair from her face and gently kissed the top of her nose. ''If it was totally up to you, what would you want? If you had nothing else to take into account?''
She took a moment to think about it and then Andy smiled. ''I would really love it if we could buy something together,'' she admitted. ''Pick out something that we both want. Decorate it with both our stuff. Just make sure it's us, you know? But for now this is great. We can always look for another place in the future.''
Both were silent for a few moments. ''Have you been thinking about this for long?'' Andy asked him. ''Or was this a heat of the moment thing?''
It took Sam a second before he answered. ''I thought about this for a long time,'' he admitted. ''Even before..''
''Before what?'' Andy softly asked. She enjoyed the moments where Sam would open up. They didn't come very often, but that made the moments where he did open up even more meaningful. Lately he had been really trying though, so she had no reason to complain.
''Just before,'' Sam vaguely answered. ''Even when things between us were at its worst. Every time I pictured my future you were the one I saw.''
''What did you see?'' Andy curiously asked.
Again Sam took a moment before he answered. Just when Andy thought that she wasn't getting an answer to that particular question he spoke up. ''Kids. Sunday's in the park. Real life, with you.''
Andy swallowed and a smile overtook her face for the umpteenth time that day.
''I've wanted this for a while Andy,'' Sam confessed. ''I promised you that I'd do anything to make it work and that's what I'm going to do. For as long as you'll let me.''
XX
The next day Sam walked into his office a happy man. When Oliver came to find him he immediately saw the smile on Sam's face.
''Good day buddy?'' Oliver asked.
''Good day,'' Sam confirmed. He looked up and noticed Oliver's curious expression. ''I asked Andy to move in with me. Or actually, live with me.''
Oliver smiled widely and clapped his friend on the back. ''It was about time,'' he said. ''So she's moving in with you?''
''That's the plan for now,'' Sam confirmed. ''Not sure that it was exactly what she wanted, but for now it seemed like the most logical thing to do.''
''What do you mean?'' Oliver wondered. ''What would she rather do?''
''We discussed buying something together,'' Sam told him. ''But then we would first need to sell both of our places and with the economy right now it just seems better to stay at mine for a while. I'm not sure it's what she had her heart on though. She says she's fine with it, but before she told me about when she moved in with Callaghan. That nothing in his place was hers.''
Oliver leaned against the edge of Traci's desk and opened a bag of wine gums she had lying on her desk. ''Happy wife, happy life brother,'' Oliver repeated. ''Just sell the place and buy her whatever house she wants to live in.''
''This was her idea,'' Sam argued. ''I told her that I would do it if that was what she wanted.''
''That's basically telling her that you don't want it,'' Oliver told him. ''Why don't you just put your place for sale? If it doesn't sell right away you can always live there for a while. But you live in a good neighbourhood. And with the remodeling you did to the place, I wouldn't be surprised if you would sell quickly.''
Sam knew that Oliver had a point. Houses in his neighbourhood were still sold for good prices. And he had put a lot of work into his place. For him that was a way of relaxing. Whenever he had had a bad day he just grabbed a toolbox and worked on the house. After fifteen years of living there it had really paid off.
He wasn't emotionally tied to his place though. He would be more than happy to move if that would make Andy happy. As long as they stayed together and between the city limits of Toronto, he considered himself a happy man.
''She just wants to start fresh with you,'' Oliver said when Sam didn't answer. ''You've lived at your place forever. For her it will probably always be yours. And technically that would be true.''
''Happy wife, happy life?'' Sam asked.
''That's the key brother,'' Oliver said before walking away. ''That's the key.''
XX
''You're late,'' was Andy's first comment when Sam walked into the living room that night. ''Did you have a busy day?''
''Nagging me already?'' Sam answered. ''We might have to revaluate our plans.'' He quickly kissed her and shrugged off his coat. ''The entire week has been slow. Nash even went home three hours early.''
Andy smiled and when Sam sat down she moved to stand behind him. She slowly massaged his shoulders. ''I called a realtor,'' she told Sam. ''She told me that my building is actually pretty popular, but the prices have gone down in the last year because it's harder to get a mortgage.''
With his eyes closed Sam listened to what Andy was telling him. ''So it's for sale now?'' he asked.
''Not officially. Still have to go over there to sign some papers. And they want to come take pictures to put on their website. Just a matter of time though.'' A small smile played on her lips as she slowly started to massage Sam's scalp. She loved the thickness of his hair. She continued for a few minutes and then pressed a kiss on top of his head. She sighed and dropped into his lap. ''You still sure you'll be able to put up with me all the time?''
Sam smiled and put his arm around her waist. ''Pretty sure,'' he confirmed. He cleared his throat and looked serious again. ''I have been thinking though.''
''Should I be concerned?'' Andy asked, slightly nervous.
''No,'' Sam quickly said. ''I just think that maybe it would be fair if I sell my place too. Then the new place will be ours. We'll make all the decisions together.''
Immediately Andy shook her head no. ''You don't have to do that,'' she warned. ''It's fine like this. I like your place and as long as I'm with you I'm happy.''
''What if I want to?'' Sam asked. ''I know that our timing isn't great, but we can always stay here until we sold this place. I just want to find something together with you.''
The sparkle in Andy's eyes told him all he needed to know. ''Really?'' she said with excitement. ''That means lots of trips to look for furniture and decorations. Bickering about all those things, probably.''
''We all know you'll end up getting what you want,'' Sam gave in. ''So, yes.''
Andy threw her arms around his neck and smiled widely. ''We're buying a house together?''
''We're buying a house together.''
XX
A/N: I thought it was about time to have them take the next step..
Let me know what you think.