So, once again, this chapter consists of two different stories. The first one takes place maybe fourteen to fifteen months after the finale and the second one takes place a couple years after that.
Enjoy
==============AFTER==============
"Hey," Sam says, softly, as he lifts Andy's chin so she'll meet his eyes. "It's only been three months and the doctor said it could take some time," he reminds her. "We'll just keep trying," he assures her as his other hand squeezes her thigh.
"I know," Andy replies. "I just… I really thought I was pregnant," she explains.
She really did, too. She was so sure of it.
It's hard to explain really, but she just felt it.
And she was just so happy. And she could see how happy Sam was, too.
She thought it was finally happening… everything they had been wanting…
But then, this morning she got her period and she's been in a funk ever since.
"It'll happen," Sam promises as he runs his fingers through his wife's hair.
"Yeah, I know," Andy says with as much of a smile as she can muster. And yeah, it isn't much.
Sam's just about to say something else when the baby monitor cackles to life with Mya's sleepy voice.
"Dadddddy," she says, announcing to everyone that she's awake from her nap.
A smile graces Sam's lips as he hears his daughter calling her. "I better go grab her," he tells Andy before he kisses the top of her head. "I'll be right back," he adds before he gets up off the couch to go get Mya.
Once he's out of sight, Andy closes her eyes, blows out a breath and leans her head against the back of the couch.
She's really got to get out of this funk.
It's just hard. She's just so disappointed.
She blows out another frustrated breath and starts to massage her temples, while her eyes remain closed. And it's maybe twenty seconds later that her wallowing is interrupted by the sound of Sam's footsteps coming down the stairs. She opens her eyes and glances over at him to see Mya snuggled against his chest with her face buried in his neck. And even with her foul mood, she has to smile at the sight.
She and Sam have had quite a few conversations about this and they both agree that Mya is at her cutest when she's sleepy.
Yeah, she's pretty adorable all of the time, but when she's sleepy and snuggly, it's almost too much.
Sam carries Mya over to the couch and then sits down next to Andy, while still holding Mya against his chest. The little girl turns her face a little so she's looking at Andy as she rests her head against Sam's shoulder while sucking on her pacifier.
"Hi, sweetheart," Andy says as she gently rubs her back.
"Hi," Mya whispers around her pacifier before she goes to rub her eyes a bit.
"You have a good nap?" Andy inquires.
"Uh-huh," Mya says with a small nod.
"That's good," Andy responds with a small smile. "You wanna watch some TV while you wake up?" She suggests as she picks up the remote.
"Mhm," Mya confirms before she starts to wiggle in Sam's grasp. He quickly gets the hint and maneuvers her around so she's snuggled at his left side while Andy is on his right. He wraps his left arm around the eighteen month old and she rests her head against his ribs while she hugs her stuffed elephant and continues to suck on her pacifier.
Andy turns the television on and then changes it to one of Mya's favorite shows as Sam soothingly runs his hand up and down her thigh. Once she throws the remote back down on the couch, she chances a look at her husband.
And yeah, that was a mistake.
It's the way he's looking at her… it instantly reminds her of everything she'd like to forget. His concern for her is obvious as he searches her eyes, apparently trying to read her thoughts. And he's squeezing her leg a bit harder, too.
She's working overtime to fight the tears and, of course, he notices.
"Hey, it'll be okay," he whispers as his hand caresses her cheek.
"I know," she replies with a sniffle. "I just wish…"
"I know," he interrupts. "It will happen… I promise."
"Yeah," she agrees, half-heartedly.
"It will," he says a little more forcefully.
"Okay," she replies, before he leans in and places a kiss on her forehead.
She briefly averts her eyes in an attempt to get some relief from his worried gaze and in doing so, she notices Mya trying to get down from the couch.
"Where ya going, sweetheart?" Sam asks, after feeling her moving from his grasp.
She looks up at her father, but instead of answering she shimmies off the couch, takes out her pacifier and places it on the coffee table before she walks around Sam's knees until she's standing in front of Andy.
"What are you doing, Mya?" Andy wonders as she looks down at the little girl.
Mya is trying her best to boost herself up on the couch, but she's obviously having a bit of trouble so Andy leans over and reaches out for her. "You need help?" She asks before she goes ahead and lifts her up. Then, she places Mya right next to her on the couch, but Mya apparently has different ideas. She immediately stands back up and then plops herself down in Andy's lap before she looks up at her step-mother with a slight frown on her face.
"Why cryin'?" She wonders as she lifts her tiny finger and wipes the moist spot under Andy's eye.
For a moment, Andy is pretty stunned. The fact that Mya has picked up on her grief… well, now she's definitely getting emotional.
"I'm okay, sweetheart, don't worry," Andy assures her, as she does her best to sell it to the little girl.
But, she's not exactly sure that Mya buys it because a moment later, she's resting her head on Andy's chest and hugging her as tight as she can.
Again, Andy is surprised, but she quickly wraps Mya up in a hug before glancing over at Sam, who's got an adoring smile on his face.
"Love you," Mya tells Andy in her sweet little voice, as she continues to hug her.
And yeah, now Andy is really getting emotional. "I love you, too," Andy replies as her eyes start to water while she rubs Mya's back. She quickly closes her eyes in an attempt to hold in the tears, while also trying to completely soak up this moment. She feels Sam's hand rubbing circles on her upper back and she leans into his touch as she holds onto Mya just a little bit tighter.
The three of them sit on the couch like that for another minute before Mya pulls away, causing Andy to open her eyes and look at the little girl in front of her. Mya examines her step-mother's face for a second before she leans in and gives her a kiss.
"Bedder?" Mya wonders.
Andy smiles and pushes some hair out of Mya's eyes. "Much better, thank you," she tells her.
Suddenly, Mya is smiling, big and proud, obviously very pleased with herself for making Andy feel better. She leans in and gives her one last hug and a little peck on the cheek before she wiggles out of Andy's lap and sits right in between her and Sam.
Sam looks down at his daughter with an affectionate smile as he caresses the back of her head with his hand before leaning down and kissing her temple. When he pulls away, he glances over at Andy and gently squeezes her shoulder before sliding his hand around her neck and giving her a bit of a massage. "Love you," he mouths to her.
She smiles at her husband and leans into his touch. "Love you, too," she whispers.
Yeah, she really can't wait to be pregnant, but there's no way she could be anything but extremely grateful for the life she has now.
==============AFTER==============
When she hears the creak of her bedroom door opening, she assumes that it's Sam coming home from his shift. He's working the late shift tonight and she figures that since it's almost 11:30PM, he should be home soon.
He usually has to work one of these late shifts every month, but they are typically able to work it out so it coincides with a night that Andy is working, too. Except this month, they unfortunately weren't able to make that happen.
So yeah, she assumes that it's Sam walking into their bedroom, but then she hears the sound of little feet walking towards her and opens her eyes to find Mya's staring back at her.
"You okay, sweetheart?" She asks the three year old as she lifts her head off the pillow.
"No," she says as she shakes her head and sticks her lip out in a little pout.
"What's wrong?" Andy questions as she sits up in her bed.
"I had a scary dream," she tells her.
"Oh honey, it's okay," she assures her. "Come here," she says as she reaches out, lifts Mya up and places her on her lap. "Tell me what happened," she encourages as she gently runs her hand up and down Mya's back.
"Monsters were chasing me," she declares with a nervous quiver. "And… and… Daddy wasn't there to save me," she adds as she starts to nibble on her bottom lip.
And yeah, Andy's heart is just about breaking.
That was the other thing about Sam's shift tonight. Since he always makes it a point to be home for at least a couple hours before Mya's bedtime, Mya was very upset when he wasn't there to tuck her in. And even though Sam called to say goodnight to her and promised that they would spend the whole day together tomorrow, Andy had a pretty rough time putting her to bed.
"When's Daddy gonna be home?" Mya inquires, not for the first time tonight.
"He's gonna be home really soon," Andy promises.
"But when?" Mya asks, impatiently.
"I don't know, sweetheart," Andy tells her, apologetically.
"I'm scared… I want Daddy," Mya whimpers.
"I know," Andy replies as she continues to rub her back. "Why don't you lie down here with me and I'll protect you from the monsters until Daddy gets home, okay?" Andy suggests. "And I'll even wake you up when he's here, so you can see him," she adds.
"Pwomise?" Mya asks.
"I promise," Andy replies.
"Okay," Mya agrees before maneuvering around Andy's body, getting under the covers and then snuggling up against her. Andy smiles and wraps an arm around the little girl so she can continue to rub her back and coax her to sleep.
Surprisingly, it only takes about five minutes before they are both fast asleep.
It's almost midnight when Sam walks through the front door, exhausted and annoyed. He just hates when he has to work on the days that they have Mya. And the fact that he had to work into the night, made it even worse.
When he called to say goodnight to her, it was obvious she was upset that he wasn't there to tuck her in. And yeah, it made him feel like a horrible father. He just hates letting her down. And he hates not being there for her.
He already feels guilty that he only gets to see her a few times a week. And sure, he calls her every night before bed, but it's just not the same.
So, he spent the entire car ride home coming up with different ways that he can make it up to her tomorrow. He's thinking that ice cream will definitely be involved and maybe he and Andy could take her and Lucy to the zoo or something. She'd probably love that.
But anyway, he's just exhausted. Mya will undoubtedly wake him up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, so he really should have been in bed about two hours ago.
Once his coat is hung up and his shoes are off by the front door, he quietly makes his way up the stairs and walks down the hall towards his bedroom. He quietly pushes Lucy's bedroom door open and peeks at his five month old daughter sleeping in her crib before he sneaks out and makes a stop at Mya's room, so he can give her a kiss goodnight. Except, when he peers through her door, he finds her bed empty.
He furrows his brows in confusion and glances over to the bathroom, to see if the light is on, but it's not. He's starting to get a bit concerned as he makes his way down the hall and walks through his bedroom door.
Andy's back is to him, but she doesn't move when he walks in, so he assumes she's asleep. He walks over to the bed and is about to wake her up so he can figure out where Mya is when he sees his daughter snuggled up against his wife.
And he can't help but smile at the image.
Mya is wearing her favorite pajamas- the ones with the unicorns on them- and is sharing a pillow with Andy, who has her arm protectively wrapped around her while Mya is clutching the side of Andy's t-shirt.
He's not sure how long he stands there, just soaking it all in, but it's at least a couple minutes. He honestly cannot get enough of seeing Andy with his girls. Sometimes he just can't believe how much he loves them. The three of them are his entire world and he loves them more than he ever thought he was capable. So yeah, he just watches Andy and Mya for a bit. But then he remembers how exhausted he is and the fact that he'll probably be up at 6AM and decides to get ready for bed.
He quietly changes into a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants, brushes his teeth and then slowly gets into bed, trying not to wake his wife or daughter.
"Hey," Andy whispers, just as he's pulling the covers over him.
Well, so much for that.
"Hey," he replies. "Everything okay?" He asks as he gestures towards his daughter sleeping between them.
"She had a nightmare and was missing you… I told her she could sleep here so she'd see you when you got home," she explains.
Sam nods his head and gives her a small smile before running his hand down the back of Mya's head.
"Mya," Andy whispers. "Daddy's home," she adds, causing Mya to stir.
It takes about thirty seconds for her to actually wake up and comprehend what Andy's saying, but when she does, she turns her body to confirm that Sam is actually there.
"Hi Daddy," she says with a smile.
"Hi sweetheart," he greets her with a smile of his own. "Andy said you had a nightmare," he tells her.
"Mhm," she nods.
"You okay?" He asks.
"Yeah," she tells him. "Andy protected me from the monsters," she adds.
"She's pretty good at that, huh?" He asks as he steals a glance at his wife and smiles at her before returning his focus on his daughter.
"Yeah," Mya agrees, sleepily.
"Alright, well let's get you back in bed so you can get some sleep, okay?" Sam suggests.
"Can you carry me?" She asks, sweetly.
"Sure, sweetheart," he agrees with a smile before he lifts her up and carries her to her bedroom. Then, he gently places her in her bed and pulls the covers over her before placing a kiss on her forehead. "Love you," he tells her.
"Love you, Daddy," she replies before she lets out a big yawn.
"Goodnight," he whispers before leaning down to give her one more kiss and then walking out of her bedroom and back towards his own. And it's only a few seconds later that he's crawling into bed with his wife.
"Hey," she says with a smile as she leans in for a kiss.
"Hi," he replies.
"How was your shift?" She asks.
"Okay… missed you guys," he tells her as he pulls her close.
"Mm… we missed you, too," she concurs as she snuggles into him and rests her head on his chest.
A smile graces Sam's lips as he runs his fingers through Andy's hair and kisses her forehead. "I was thinking we could take the girls to the zoo tomorrow," he suggests as his fingers skim her back.
"Oh yeah?" She replies as she lifts her head to glance at him.
"Yeah… and probably stop for ice cream, too," he adds.
"Ah," Andy says with an amused smile.
"What?" He wonders.
"Someone's feeling extra guilty tonight," she muses.
"I just don't like missing bedtime," he says with a sigh.
"I know, but it's not like it happens very often… you shouldn't worry about it too much," she assures him.
"Yeah, it's just… I already miss so much with her and then I'm not here during the small amount of time I have?" He says. "It makes me feel like a shitty dad," he admits.
"Sam, trust me… you are not a shitty dad," she declares. "If you were, I never would've let you knock me up," she says with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
He chuckles at that and leans in for a quick kiss before settling back on his pillow.
"You are an amazing dad to those girls, okay?" She assures him.
"I just don't want her to think that I don't care about spending time with her… I don't want to be one of those dads that's always putting their job ahead of their kids," he explains.
"You aren't," she maintains. "And I'm sure that thought has never even crossed her mind… she knows how much you love her," Andy assures him.
"Yeah…" Sam replies, but Andy can tell that he's not entirely convinced.
"You know… my dad missed a lot of stuff when I was younger… and yeah, it sucked, but I always knew that he loved me," Andy mentions. "And you don't miss anywhere near as much as he did… you've probably missed a total of three bedtimes," Andy reminds him. "And you always call her to say goodnight," she adds.
"I know," Sam responds, but he's obviously still doubtful.
"Yes, she missed you and she wished you were here to tuck her in, but she wasn't angry, okay?" Andy tells him. "I really wouldn't worry about it," she assures him.
"Yeah, okay," Sam concedes.
"But we're still going to the zoo tomorrow?" Andy asks with a knowing smile.
"Yeah," he confirms as a smile touches his lips as well.
"Figured," she replies with a laugh.
"Well, it can't hurt, right?" He jokes.
"Definitely can't hurt," she agrees.
==============AFTER==============
Well, hope you guys liked this one.
Don't forget to review! I always love to hear about your favorite parts… and even what you may not have liked as much. It helps me become a better writer
Thanks!