Disclaimer: I owneth-not Rookie Blue. (I do owneth, however, a love for speaking faux-Shakespearean-like. :))

Chapter 4: Day 14

Andy McNally came to a breathless stop at the bottom of the steps that led up to her house, resting her hands against her knees as she stared up at her front porch. She had never been one to be a fan of running for running's sake, but the morning had been nice—warmer than average, sunny, slight breeze. Perfect running weather. Besides, she'd been cooped up in her apartment for the better part of the last two weeks, and the run had been a welcome respite from the boredom of being stuck in her house all alone.

Besides, in two weeks, she would be back at work, and she wanted to be on top of her game. She'd never been away from work for this long, and it was easy to let herself go. She wanted to be ready when this month of solitude and boredom was over.

Apparently, she was already more out-of-shape than she thought she was.

She forgot all that when she saw a huge cardboard box sitting on her front porch, right in front of the door. A wide grin covered her face, and hurried up the three steps to the porch. She ran her fingers over Sam's familiar scrawl on the white piece of paper he'd taped to the top of the box.

To my Cinderella (hey! I may not be a prince but you are still a beautiful princess…). Love, Sam.

Andy giggled at that. So he was completely corny sometimes. But if his corniness could make her so happy on the inside, she didn't even care. What in the world had he put in such a large box, though?

She twisted her key into the doorknob and pushed the door open, not wanting to share this gift with the rest of her neighborhood. She lugged the box into the house and kicked the door shut with her foot, depositing the box on the floor by the couch in the living room.

She pealed off her hoodie and kicked off her shoes, discarding the hoodie on a nearby chair. She sank down into the couch and began fiddling with the box, trying to figure out how to open it without having to get up to get a pair of scissors from the kitchen. Of course Sam would be the one to tape every possible flap, edge, and crease possible on that box.

She finally wrenched it open with her set of keys and pulled back the cardboard flaps, and her heart melted at the sight before her.

"Aww!" she squealed, reaching in to pull her gift out of the box. It was an off-white, plush, larger-than-life teddy bear, complete with a checkered lilac-and-white bow around its neck. She hugged the bear tight and buried her face in its soft fur. Sam really knew how to pick a good stuffed animal. This one was adorable, and so soft.

Then, in an instant, a realization hit her. She breathed in the smell of the bear more deeply, and tears filled her eyes.

The bear smelled just like Sam.

That same masculine, musky scent. Quintessential Sam. It made her go weak at the knees, especially since she'd seen him that night at the Alpine Inn. She loved that smell.

She clung tightly to the bear. She just missed Sam so much. She didn't understand why it was so important to keep them apart for so long. She never would have done anything so stupid if Boyd hadn't taken Sam away in the first place. Sam made her a better cop, a better person. Andy didn't feel like herself without him. Corny as it sounded, Sam completed her, and these weeks had been torture.

She wished she could be hugging Sam instead of some cheap imitation bear.

Okay, so the bear probably wasn't cheap. And she actually loved that Sam bought it for her. She just wished she could be with him, not all his wonderful, inspired gifts.

She stilled when she noticed a piece of paper in the bottom of the box. She reached in and grabbed it, smiling a little through her lingering sniffles when she recognized Sam's handwriting filling the page.

Another letter. His letters actually made this separation bearable. She'd never thought she would be the one to actually receive a love letter from anyone, but here Sam was, pouring his heart out to her—well, as much as Sam poured his heart out to anyone, that is—in letter after glorious letter.

Hey, baby.

I stumbled across this guy while I was buying Leo's very "AWESOME birthday present" this morning and I thought it was perfect for you. I don't want to ever be away from you again, but with our jobs, I know that's not possible. Hopefully when I can't be there, he'll make you feel less lonely. When Oliver saw the bear, he decided he had to spray my cologne all over it, too, so now the bear even smells like me. (Lucky for you, huh?)

I loved your little message, babe. I'm counting down the days, too. You know, I … uh, I dreamt about you that night? You came over at some ungodly hour in the morning, demanding I move over so you could sleep in my arms. You said you just couldn't stay away anymore. It was SO real. When I woke up and you weren't there, baby, I thought I was going to kill somebody.

I miss you so much it hurts sometimes.

When I went to go check the mail and I saw chalk all over my sidewalk, I thought I was going to kill the kids just down the street. Kate and Lila are always playing with chalk the whole way down the block, and all I needed was chalk to clean off my sidewalk. Then I noticed it was your handwriting… baby, you made my day. I'm thinking of covering it with clear plastic or saran wrap or something so even the snow or rain can't get rid of it.

And you're right... I probably would have thought the clown thing was funny. As long as they didn't try to spin ME around. They'd be arrested before they knew what happened if they tried that. But you know what would have been the best part about the whole thing, if I had been there with you? Seeing that look of complete awe and wonderment shining on your face. Andy, you must have been so adorable, so beautiful, standing there, watching it all go down. I would love to be able to watch your face, your joy and sweetness and wonder, forever.

I haven't been up to much, really. I had poker night with Ollie and Jerry last night. I'll probably go down to see Sarah sometime next week. She's been begging me to come see her for months, and I'm pretty sure, if she had her way, I would have spent all my suspension down at St. Catharine's. Besides, next Tuesday is my niece's birthday. I'm pretty sure both Sarah and Alice will be over-the-moon to see me. Besides, I haven't seen Olivia, my other niece, since she was born nearly two years ago.

Other than that, not much. I hung out with Leo for a few hours yesterday afternoon so Traci and Jerry could have some time alone. Things have been a bit crazy for them in the past few weeks, I guess. Apparently, I gave him the "best present ever," so maybe he'll let you borrow his chalk again for good measure. I know I wouldn't mind another note. :)

Andy, there's so much more I want to tell you, but I want to wait until I can see you in person. A relationship shouldn't be born out of the strangest forms of communication possible—and that's what I want with you—a real, beautiful, perfect relationship. (By the way—old man? Not cool, Andy, not cool. Just because I'm eight years older than you doesn't mean I'm old…) I can't wait to see you. By the time you get this, it will only be 14 days. Fourteen days. The time can't fly fast enough.

Miss you,

Sam

Andy grinned to herself as she finished the letter and folded it up. So maybe his letters were amazing.

She pushed off from the couch and made her way back to her bedroom. She placed her latest letter from Sam in the box with all the rest and deposited the bear at the seat of honor on her bed.

Andy studied it for a moment, her hands folded over her chest. She needed a name for the bear. Some people felt no need to name stuffed animals or dolls, but she always had. Besides, this was a special bear—it needed a special name.

Andy thought for a moment, and then a mischievous grin covered her face. Sammy would work. The bear was supposed to remind her of Sam, right? What better name could there be? Besides, it would cause Sam fits to know that he was the namesake for such a girly, feminine bear.

Giggling to herself, she made her way to the bathroom. If she was going to get her next surprise to him before he left to go see his sister and niece, she had a lot of work to do, and she wasn't doing anything smelling like this.

A/N: Tada! These are just so easy to write. I should be studying for my Astronomy exam that's in less than an hour, but here I am, writing this instead. :) I hope you like it as much as I do.

Review, please!