A/N: For some context- this is happening right after Jerry died/Sam broke up with Andy. Andy and Nick are close because Gail ended up getting suspended and left for Europe leaving Nick. This is also right at the beginning of Chicago Fire right after Andy Darden died in the house fire.

Two days later, Andy McNally walked into the station for the first time since finding out about the death of Andy Darden. They had been best friends since middle school, practically inseparable, so his death was particularly difficult for her to deal with.

She kept her head down, trying to avoid having to talk to anyone. She made it to Frank's office without any difficulties. Frank looked up when he heard a knock on his door only to see one of his finest officers looking absolutely broken; the pain clear in her eyes.

"Come in." He waved her in and watched slowly walked in, keeping her head down and whispered, "Sir, I would like to put in a request for indefinite leave of absence."

"Is everything okay, McNally?" Frank asked. He had rarely seen someone looking as broken as his officer did right now, the light completely gone from her eyes.

"Yes, sir. I just need to go and deal with some stuff. I don't know how long it will take or if I will even come back. Please don't tell anyone, I don't want to have to explain anything yet," she said in a near whisper, her voice cracking as she talked.

Frank's heart ached for her, but despite his curiosity of what could possibly extinguish that lion's heart so quickly; he bit his tongue and stayed quiet while she talked. "Of course Andy, I'll work it out myself."

"Thank you, sir. Have a nice day."

"You too, McNally. And if you ever need anything, we're all here for you, even Sam."

She took a deep breath as she turned around, trying to keep the tears at bay. Now wasn't the time to think about Sam. She had to meet Kelly and head to the airport to fly to Chicago. Without saying a word, she opened the office door and left. Walking back through the bullpen, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, her mind lost in memories of all the adventures she had with Darden and Severide throughout middle, high school and college. They had been best friends from the moment she joined their sixth grade class.

She thought back to how she got there. After her mother left, Tommy McNally started swimming his way to the bottom of a bottle, and after a short time, on a particularly sober day, decided he wasn't fit to take care of Andy anymore and sent her to live with his sister in Chicago. Two weeks after she started living there, winter break ended and she started her spring semester of sixth grade at Taft Middle School. Her first day of school, she was joined at her lunch table by two boys. All of them were new to the school. Kelly Severide had just moved from Springfield with his mom, after his dad left them; and Andy Darden had transferred schools because he had gotten into a fight with a kid who had been bullying his little sister.

All of them being new to the school, they quickly became friends, often hanging out after school, doing homework and playing sports together. Kelly dubbed Andy Darden "Drew" to distinguish the two of them. From that first day on, they became the three musketeers.

Andy was shaken from her thoughts when she ran into someone. "Sorry" she muttered quietly and continued her trek out the sally port to the waiting taxi.

Sam watched her as she walked through the bullpen, pain etched on her face. His whole body ached for her. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and make it all better. She never even looked up, he noted, just apologized quietly and kept going, obviously still preoccupied with her own thoughts. He was worried about her; all of them had been since her sudden departure two days prior. As he continued to make his way to parade, his thoughts stayed on her and how he had made the biggest mistake of his life leaving her in that parking lot.