A/N: So, several things. 1)This is probably somewhat/very OOC, but that's okay. 2) Some of the military/detail stuff might be wrong now and in later chapters but I'm doing my best. The next chapter will have a scene with Sam and Andy. I'm not romantically pairing Severide and Andy because I think they are better as best friends. I still ship Sam and Andy. I try to write when I can but some chapters come to me faster than others, so bear with me. Reviews are appreciated.
Sam sat at his usual spot at the bar picking at the label on his beer. The Penny had been quiet since Jerry's death and had become even quieter since Andy left. Even when she had been quiet, she projected warmth and love that made everyone feel better. Sitting there, Oliver to his right, the rookies at a table nearby, all Sam could think about was what he would say when he finally got to see Andy. She was supposed to be coming home in two days and would spend her final week here. He vowed to himself that no matter what, he would find a way to tell her how he feels and apologize before she left. He would do whatever it takes to win her back.
He continued sitting at the bar, head bowed in silence, staring at his beer. All of a sudden, a complete silence fell over the patrons of the bar. Sam looked up in time to see two camo-clad figures step into the bar. He recognized one as the man that had met Andy at the barn all those months ago, but the other figure was absolutely unmistakable. With her long chestnut hair pulled into a sleek, high ponytail, and he beautiful hazel eyes shining, Sam thought she looked even more beautiful than he remembered. She had lost weight, he could tell, but she was also more muscular. The bags under her eyes were very faint and her skin was a beautiful golden tan. Sam felt a pang of jealousy in his gut as he watched the duo walk through the door, with Kelly's hand on the small of her back.
Everything was frozen, until a shriek broke the deafening silence that had filled the Penny since the door opened. Sam watched as Traci jumped out of her chair and ran toward Andy, where the two embraced for a full minute, rocking back and forth, before breaking apart. Chris, Dov and Nick all surrounded her in a giant group hug. Oliver got up from Sam's side to give Andy a giant bear hug. Over the last few years, he had come to think of her as another daughter and had more than once called Sam an idiot for what he did to her. He had been worried since her sudden departure.
The reunion was broken up by someone clearing their throat behind the group, followed by a humorous chuckle.
"Oh guys, this is Kelly Severide. Kelly, these are my friends, Traci Nash, Nick Collins, Chris Diaz, Dov Epstein, and Oliver Shaw."
"Nice to meet you guys. Andy's told me a lot about all of you."
"I wish we could say the same," Traci replied, "How do you guys know each other exactly?"
The group watched as Andy wrapped her right arm around Kelly's torso and he put his arm over her shoulders in a one armed hug. "After my mom left, my dad sent me to live with my aunt in Chicago. That's where I met Severide. We went through middle and high school together. Afterwards, I went to Chicago University and Severide went to the fire academy. Following daddy's footsteps too," she joked, lightly punching Kelly in the shoulder with the arm that wasn't still embracing him. After seeing the confused expressions on her friend's faces she explained, "His dad was a hosemonkey too."
"Hey, hey, hey," piped up Kelly, "Want me to tell Mouch or Hermann you called us that, huh?" he joked.
After sticking her tongue out at him, she continued her story, "During college, I would spend a lot of time with them at the firehouse. All the guys there are my family. But then, you guys already know that, don't you?" Andy asked, finally unwrapping her arm from Kelly to look at the sheepish expressions her friends were wearing. "Yeah, Antonio told me you guys were checking up on me when he came to our sendoff before coming here. Don't worry, I'm not mad. I would've done the same thing. Let's grab a seat. Kelly, you want draught or a bottle?"
"Are you kidding me? We've only got a week. Get the good stuff," he said with a wink.
Andy made her way to the bar to order her drinks. Sam could feel her right next to him. Even without looking up. He could always sense if she was nearby, even when she was just his rookie. After asking for two shots of Captain Morgan and beer chasers, she finally turned to face him.
"You look like shit."
Sam just stared at her, mouth hanging open. Of all the things that could have come out of her mouth, this wasn't one of them. He had expected her to yell at him or completely ignore him, but definitely not this.
"C'mon, Sam, come sit at the table with us. Stop drinking alone like a loser. We'll talk later, okay?"
"Umm, yeah, sure," came Sam's hesitant reply, but when Andy's drinks came and she headed back to the table, he followed.
"Here you go," she said putting down a shot glass or rum and a beer in front of Kelly. "Bottoms up."
With a cheer of "Hooyah" and clink of glasses, the two downed their shots and grabbed for their beers in perfect synchronization. The group surrounding them stared in awe of how similar these two people were. Oliver was the first to speak.
"Since when in Captain Morgan 'the good stuff'?" he asked. "Trust me," came Kelly's laughing reply, "for her this is the good stuff." He nudged his shoulder against Andy's. "I had to wean her off of shitty vodka onto this stuff because Svedka was all she could afford in high school. When she started living with me her sophomore year of college, I finally made her stop drinking that rubbing alcohol stuff and at least try something that won't make her shitfaced immediately."
"Andy, shitfaced? Really? This I've gotta see," Dov piped up from across the table, "You got any pictures?"
"Kelly Benjamin Severide if you show them even one picture I will give Otis pictures of you from Halloween senior year and you will never live it down," she told him with a fierce glare and a pointed finger.
"Sorry, buddy. No can do if I want to avoid the McNally wrath," Kelly told Dov, with barely concealed humor.
The group continued watching the banter between Andy and Kelly, all enjoying seeing a happy, carefree Andy. Her light had been missing from the group for far too long. Three shots and two beers later, the group was surprised when, all of a sudden, Andy turned to Kelly. "Oh my god, you're like a horny teenager. Just go," she told Kelly, whose leg hadn't stopped bouncing, with a fake groan of annoyance, "You know the rules. Don't bring anyone back to my place, use your key so you don't wake me up, and you owe me breakfast tomorrow. I want your mom's chocolate chip blueberry pancakes."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Love you, see you tomorrow," he told her, and with a kiss on the cheek, he was out the door.
"Bye," she called after him.
"Where's he going?" asked Nick.
"Probably a sports bar somewhere, I don't know. He's already slept with half of Toronto, so I'm sure he has his favorite places," she told them in an amused tone. "After his first visit when I moved back, we made rules about his one night stands because there was a…incident that we didn't want to repeat."
As the night wore on, the group was content to just sit and drink, avoiding the questions that loomed in the back of everyone's mind, at least for the night.
"Hey Sam, Antonio says you've gotta visit him and see the kids. Diego wants to meet the famous Sam Swarek that his dad's always talking about," Andy drunkenly said. Having passed tipsy several shots before, she was well on her way to a killer hangover the next morning. "Alright, I will. How bout I take you home McNally, I think you've had enough."
"I think you're right," she giggled. "Goodnight guys. I'll stop by the station tomorrow after my pancakes. I promise I'll tell you everything that Oliver has barely managed not to ask about today."
They payed their tabs and with a wave to the group, they were gone.