Wow, the response to this story has given me like a permanent smile over the last couple days. Thanks to everyone for reading, and for all the reviews, alerts and favorites!

This chapter takes place between episodes 2x01 & 2x02. Please let me know what you think. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue.

Chapter 2

Andy woke up the day after being shot to the hustle and bustle of the Nash house, as Traci and her mom got Leo ready for school, despite his many attempts to stall. Somehow they all made it out the door in time to get to school and work on schedule.

"Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I'll be home after I pick Leo up after shift. If you need anything, just call," Traci instructed before running out the door.

Andy made breakfast and showered before flipping through some horrible daytime television. How could Jo watch this crap for days on end, she thought, remembering how the detective told her she watched tons of soaps when she had gotten shot. She turned the television off and picked up a magazine Traci had left lying around.

Her phone rang for the third time that morning. She sighed when she saw who it was again – Luke – and ignored the call. Andy knew he would call, but didn't want to talk to him. She said all she had to say last night. She felt bad, had never wanted to hurt him, but it was over. An hour later, when he called yet again, she reluctantly picked up.

"Andy, tell me last night was a mistake," Luke pleaded.

"It wasn't. I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt you," she replied honestly.

"Look, I don't know what happened, if you thought you saw something yesterday. But Jo and I were partners years ago, just old friends," Luke said. After spending the night thinking about it, he was worried Andy saw Jo flirting with him.

Jo? What did she have to do with any of this? Andy wondered. "No Luke. Like I said last night, it has to do with me."

"Then you should know, I'm going to fight for you. I want you back," he said.

"Luke –"

"Don't say anything right now. Just know that," Luke said, pausing before continuing. "I'll let you go. Get some rest."

Andy put her phone down and frowned. She didn't want Luke fighting for her. It was a losing battle for him.

It was nearly lunchtime when her phone rang again, but Andy smiled when she saw it was Sam. "Hey."

"Hey there McNally. You doing okay?" Sam asked.

"Bored out of my mind. I wanna be back at work," she whined.

"You know the deal. A week," he said, knowing Frank would not budge on how long Andy had to stay home. "How about I come over with some Chinese food?"

"Aren't you working?" Andy asked.

"Switched swifts. So, how about it? Want some company?" Sam wanted to spend time with Andy, so he had begged an officer on the night shift to switch with him for the day.

"When can you get here?"

"I'll be there in half an hour. Want your usual?" They often got Chinese food on shift and Sam knew she almost always ordered the same thing.

"Yeah. Thanks Sam."

True to his word, 30 minutes later Sam was knocking on the door carrying a bag of Chinese food. "Hungry?" he asked as he placed the take-out containers on the coffee table.

"Starving," she said, carrying a couple sodas from the kitchen. "I never ate dinner last night and Leo's fruity cereal wasn't very filling this morning."

"You gonna stay here for a while?" he asked, digging into one of the takeout containers.

"Yeah," Andy replied, stuffing a forkful of food into her mouth. "I don't want to burden my dad, he's doing so well right now. And hopefully it won't take me too long to find my own place."

"Good, that's good." Sam was worried that after a night to think about everything Andy would return to Luke and the life she led 24 hours earlier.

They continued to chat, with Andy teasing Sam about who he'd get stuck riding with while she was on sick leave. Andy thought about how normal things felt despite all of the heaviness of the previous day. Between getting shot and breaking up with Luke, she thought seeing Sam might be awkward. She was glad it wasn't because she loved being around him. When Andy got quiet, Sam knew her mind was hard at work thinking about something. But when he saw a small smile creep up on her lips, he knew whatever had her mind over thinking was nothing for him to worry about.

"How are you feeling? How's the bruise?" Sam asked.

Andy raised her t-shirt to show Sam. "Hurts like hell, especially when I laugh."

"So, I shouldn't pull out anything from my joke book, huh?" he teased. That made Andy laugh, which caused her to grimace in pain.

"Sorry, sorry," Sam apologized, placing a hand on her leg.

"It's okay, Sam. It's just sore. They said it will be for a few days," Andy said.

Before Andy could lower her shirt, Sam grazed his knuckles lightly against the bruise. He hated seeing her hurt. Andy could see the sadness in his eyes and she slowly lowered her shirt. "Sam, I'm going to be alright."

He pulled his hand back quickly. He was here to cheer her up, not make her dwell on what happened. "So, what do you want to do this afternoon? I'm free until the night shift."

"It hurts to move around a lot. Can we just sit here?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, moving closer and putting an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head on Sam's shoulder and briefly closed her eyes. She could stay there forever.

"Are you okay with everything that happened last night?" Sam asked. He had to make sure she didn't have any regrets, that anything she said or did wasn't caused by the heat of the moment after a traumatic experience.

"Would I have invited you in if I wasn't?" she responded as her lips curved into a smile.

When she tilted her head to look up at him, she saw Sam giving her one of his TO looks. The one he gave when he wasn't impressed with her answer to a question. She rolled her eyes.

"As long as you're okay…" Sam didn't know how to finish his thought, but he needed confirmation. He couldn't feel like he did after the night of the blackout, not again. It hurt too much.

"I'm okay. I want you here," she reassured him. She absentmindedly began drawing circles on his leg.

"You, uh, you want to go out to dinner when you're not in as much pain?" he asked hesitantly. Andy had been waiting for him to ask her out on a date. She smiled and began to nod when the top of her head connected hard with Sam's jaw.

"Oh my god, Sam! I'm so sorry!" she shrieked and pulled back to see him wincing and rubbing his jaw.

"Don't worry. I'm used to your abuse, McNally," he smirked. "It started the day we met when you jabbed your knee into my back when you tackled me."

Andy snorted. "I thought you were a criminal."

"Uh huh."

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, but you do have a hard head," he said smiling.

She pulled his hand away from his face and began placing light kisses along his jaw. She intertwined her fingers with his as he nuzzled her nose before bringing his mouth to hers. The kiss deepened quickly and Sam shifted to lie down on the couch, bringing Andy with him, careful she wasn't putting weight on her bruised left side. Andy got lost in the kiss, sliding one hand up so her palm rested on Sam's chest when she felt something fall onto her back. She tried to ignore it but it felt like a blanket. I don't have a blanket on my couch, she thought. What the - crap!

She bolted up, wincing as she held herself up with one hand pressing on Sam's chest.

"Sam. We can't," she said breathlessly. "We're on Traci's couch."

As if just realizing that himself, he helped her sit up and grabbed the crochet blanket that had fallen off the back of the couch. "Right," he said, taking a deep breath to try and regulate his pounding heart.

Andy scooted to the other end of the couch and Sam saw the blush creep over her face. She felt like a teenager just caught by her parents making out with her boyfriend. She was biting her bottom lip, but started giggling as she looked at Sam and then back at herself.

They stayed at opposite ends of the couch until Sam had to leave for work.

Sam called Andy the next day. Told Oliver he was just checking on his partner when his friend looked at him curiously. So, maybe that was the second time that day he was checking on her. Sam ignored Oliver's stare as he chatted with Andy. He didn't know what he and Andy were yet, so why broadcast it, he figured.

The day after that he was partnered with Traci. At least he didn't have to hide the calls to Andy. She was complaining to him about being bored and going stir crazy. He sympathized, knowing he'd be the same way.

On her fourth day at Traci's, Andy was raiding through the small amount of clothes she had with her when Traci came home after shift. "I have nothing cute to wear tonight," she complained.

"Did he tell you where he's taking you?" Traci asked.

"Someplace casual. He knows I didn't take any of my fancy stuff when I left Luke's," she replied.

Traci thumbed through the pile of clothes, finding what she called Andy's 'sexy jeans,' and handed them over. "What, am I supposed to go naked on top?" she joked, taking the jeans.

"As much as I'm sure Swarek would love that, no," Traci laughed. "Let me see if I have anything in my closet." She came back a few minutes later with a dark green short-sleeve chiffon blouse. It was simple but slightly fitted, so Traci thought it would help show off Andy's curves, which was perfect for her first official date with Sam.

"Thanks Trace. I'm so nervous." Butterflies had been fluttering around her stomach all afternoon and she took another deep breath to try and calm them.

She quickly showered and dressed, taking a little more time than usual. She was just finishing when there was a knock at the door.

Traci hid in her bedroom to give Andy and Sam privacy. When Andy opened the door, she was nearly bouncing with excitement, or nervousness, she wasn't sure exactly. Sam was flashing his dimples, which caused Andy to grin. "Hi," she said, looking him up and down, from his jeans, to the black shirt that hugged his muscles, to the leather jacket that completed his badass sexy look.

"Hey," Sam said, placing a quick kiss on her lips as he walked into the apartment. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me just grab my coat." Sam watched her walk to the closet, her chestnut hair falling loosely over her shoulders. He continued to admire the view of her long legs in the tight jeans as she shrugged into her coat.

Sam led her down to his truck and helped her in, not taking his eyes off of her the entire time. They rode in relative silence until reaching the Mexican restaurant he had chosen. It was one of his favorites and hoped Andy would enjoy it as much as he did. Andy saw where they were and couldn't remember if she had ever told Sam how much she enjoyed authentic Mexican food. She probably said something in passing and in true Sam fashion, he held onto that nugget of information. The aromas floating through the air were amazing and Andy was thrilled with his choice.

"This is delicious," Andy said after a few forkfuls of the food they ordered. "Seriously, this might become one of my favorite restaurants."

"I'm glad you like it," Sam said, pleased with himself that he made the right choice.

"How was work today? Who'd you get stuck patrolling with?" If Andy couldn't be back at work yet, she at least wanted to know what was happening back at the station.

"Oh it was a blast," he said sarcastically. "I was stuck in a car with Diaz. Let me recite you the rule book Diaz. It's gonna be my goal to loosen that kid up."

"He just wants to be a good cop," Andy said, thinking about how Chris' by the book methods and Sam's I-have-no-rules attitude could put the two at odds.

"Yeah, well, I can only take him in small doses," Sam replied. "Thing is, he has good instincts, could be a great guy for undercover work."

"Maybe you should take him under your wing, teach him a thing or two," Andy suggested.

"Why are we talking about Diaz again?"

"You were telling me about your day since I'm living vicariously through you and all my friends for now," Andy said.

"It wasn't too exciting. Arrested a couple drunk drivers and followed up on some evidence Jerry needed for a case," Sam said.

Conversation continued easily through dinner, with Sam and Andy sharing stories and laughing with each other. As Sam paid the bill, he glanced at his watch. "It's still early. Do you want to come back to my place? We could watch a movie or something," he suggested.

Andy was hoping he wouldn't take her back to Traci's yet. She wasn't ready for the night to be over and wanted to spend more time with Sam. "I'd like that," she said, sliding her arm through his as they walked to his truck.

When they arrived back at Sam's apartment, they shed their jackets and shoes before walking into the living room.

"Thirsty, hungry?" Sam asked nervously.

"No. We just had dinner," Andy replied with a small smile.

"Right." Why was he so nervous? Andy had been in his apartment before. "We could watch a movie, or, uh…"

Andy shook her head and stared into Sam's eyes. She knew what she wanted and was pretty sure he wanted the same thing. Seeing the invitation in her eyes, Sam walked over and slowly leaned his head down so his mouth hovered over hers for a moment. He nuzzled her nose with his before pressing his lips to hers. As the kiss deepened, Andy's hands cupped the back of his head and Sam's hands slid up her side and grazed her chest before coming to rest on her face.

Sam couldn't get enough of Andy, her touch, her scent, the way she relaxed under his hands that roamed her body. He began sucking gently on her neck and smiled when she moaned. He nuzzled her nose again and her eyes flickered open when his face remained there. He stared into her eyes, as if asking for permission and Andy nodded with a smile.

Before she knew it, Sam had picked her up bridal style and was carrying her to his bedroom. He laid her down gently on the bed, hovering over her for a moment before pulling back so he could remove his shirt. Andy laid her hand on his chest as he hovered over her again. Placing kisses along her jaw and neck, his hand found the hem of her blouse, tugging on it a moment before sliding underneath and splaying his fingers over her stomach. Andy ran her hands through Sam's hair as his lips found hers again and their tongues danced together. As he pulled her blouse over her head, Sam knew this was the point of no return. "Are you sure?" he asked between kisses.

"Mmmhmm," she sighed.

He needed to hear her say it, to be sure she was ready for this and wouldn't run away later. "Andy?" he said, pulling back from her. "Andy?"

"Sam," she said breathlessly. "Now, who's allergic to silence," she smiled. "I want this, Sam. So, shut up and kiss me."

Smiling, he brought his lips to hers and soon all their clothes were in a pile on the floor.

They lay together, legs intertwined, Andy partly on top of him, Sam's arms circled around her. She propped her head on her hands, which were flat against his chest. Andy smiled up at Sam, as he stared at her, thinking how beautiful she was. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked.

Sam started drawing circles on her back. "You're beautiful," he said, making Andy blush. She lowered her head so her cheek was touching his chest, and her hand moved up to rub his neck softly.

"I'm happy," she said. "For the first time in a long time, I'm really happy."

"You deserve to be happy."

"I'm sorry it took me so long," she said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Ya know, to realize this," she said, waving her hand between them, "was what would make me happy."

Sam hugged her tighter and Andy responded by kissing his chest.

"Go to sleep, you're still healing and I won't be the cause of delaying your return to patrol. I can only deal with the other rookies for so long," Sam joked.

Andy giggled, but closed her eyes, and as her breathing evened out, it lulled Sam to sleep.

When Andy walked into Traci's apartment the next morning, Traci thought her friend exuded happiness. "How was your date?" she asked, as she prepared breakfast for Leo.

"It was great. We went to this cute little Mexican restaurant," she said with a toothy grin. "There wasn't any awkwardness. It was just us, it was perfect."

"I'm happy for you Andy, for the both of you," Traci said, hugging her friend.

"Thanks Trace. I'm just sorry I had my head in the sand for so long and missed seeing what was right in front of me," she said.

"Was it good?" Traci asked, obviously referring to the activities that kept her friend from coming home last night.

Andy blushed and glanced at Leo, who was intently eating his cereal, before responding. "Heavenly!"