This chapter takes place during episode 2x02. Reviews are wonderful little gifts, so please let me know what you think. :) Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites and alerts!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue.

Chapter 3

She'd been back at work a week when Andy saw Sam, Chris, Oliver and Frank talking to some guy she'd never seen before. Traci told her he was Patrick Murphy, a former cop and the owner of a club that had some problems the night before. Andy wondered why he was here, but shrugged it off and headed to the homicide detectives' office. It was just her luck that she'd been assigned to help Luke and Jo with a case. And of course it had to be the last big case the two detectives worked on before Luke came to 15 Division.

An hour later she sat listening to the most boring interrogation ever. And if Jo came by joking about the hitman's "I'm not saying anymore scum bucket" comment one more time, she might throw her coffee at the detective. Andy sighed and hit rewind, realizing she tuned out the last minute or two of the recording. Refocusing, she hit play and continued making sure Luke and Jo's notes matched up with the interrogation.

Sam found her hunched over the desk, headphones on, eyes focused on a file in front of her. As he stood in the doorway staring for a moment, Andy could feel his eyes on her. She had this odd way of always knowing when he was staring at her; she could just feel it, like his eyes were touching her. Sam didn't know how she did it, how she knew he was nearby before he could make a sound. He guessed it was some sixth sense, the same one that allowed them to communicate with each other with only their eyes.

She clicked off the tape recorder and pulled off the headphones as she looked up at him. "Please save me," she begged. Her doe-eyed stare would get him every time, but this time it wasn't even needed. Sam had been instructed by Frank to inform Andy and Gail about their latest assignment.

"I'm always here to save the day," he said, smiling. "I need you and Peck for an undercover operation tonight."

"Really?" she asked, eyes wide open. Sam smiled at her surprise.

"Yup. Frank's wants you and her to find out who's dealing drugs at this club owned by a former cop. Meet me at my desk in five, and I'll give you all the details," he replied. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he quickly leaned down to steal a kiss.

"Sam!" she squealed, blushing.

He chuckled as he left the office to get the equipment Andy and Gail would need.

Andy feigned annoyance and thought back to the conversation they had when they spent Sam's day off together, the day before she came back to work.

"I've been thinking –"

"Over thinking things again?" Sam teased.

"I'm serious," Andy said, as they held hands walking through a park.

"Sorry, go on," he said, curious where this conversation was going.

"I'm back at work tomorrow, and I don't, uh, want everyone knowing my business. I mean, no one really even knows I broke up with Luke yet, so, um." Andy didn't want Sam to think she wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but she also didn't want to become known as the slut of 15 Division either. "Can we just not, uh, announce 'us' yet? Just keep it professional while we're at the station. Just for now."

Sam figured this was going to come up at some point. He'd be willing to shout from the rooftops that they were together, but he knew where she was coming from. She was still considered a rookie and had a lot to prove, while trying to overcome any preconceptions people had of the McNally name from her father. He put his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "I get it, okay. We'll keep this quiet while we're around our co-workers until you're ready."

Andy was so thankful he understood, but she shouldn't have been surprised. He always got her, knew what she was feeling, sometimes even before she did. She turned so she could place a kiss on his lips. "Thank you."

"I guess this screws my plan for afternoon make-out sessions in the interrogation room though," he joked, flashing his dimples.

Andy rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but laugh.

Getting up from the desk she was sitting at, Andy went off to find Gail so Sam could clue them in on their undercover mission.

Sam informed them they'd be going undercover as cocktail waitresses and needed to find out who was dealing drugs at the club, and get picture or audio evidence if they were able to. They were given clean phones to use with microphones in them that would broadcast any conversation into the cover van, where Sam, Jerry and Traci would be providing backup. After getting some tips from a frustrated Traci, who knew she would have been great at the operation if she hadn't been burned at the location the night before, Andy pulled out the black top and skirt that would be her uniform. She was slipping into her three-inch heals when Sam walked into the locker room.

He needed to catch his breath after seeing how sexy Andy looked. He swallowed hard, trying to get the thoughts out of his head, otherwise they'd never make it to the club. "You ready for this?" he asked.

Andy saw the heat in Sam's eyes and quickly threw her jacket on. "Yup, all set," she replied.

Andy and Gail drove to the club with Sam, Jerry and Traci trailing them in the cover van.

An hour into their first shift, Andy realized how horrible of a waitress Gail was. But Andy tried to focus on herself and the job, trying to remember all the drink orders as she casually prodded for information that might help them figure out who was dealing the drugs. Frank had told them he wanted answers quick, but Andy and Gail came up empty the first night. It wasn't until night two that they made some headway, when Andy was able to show Sam a photo of the bartender's boyfriend, who they thought was dealing the drugs. Their hunch turned out to be correct when Sam found out the boyfriend was none other than drug dealer Russell Mackie, who was wanted for trafficking and conspiracy to traffic. Unfortunately, that was going to make things more difficult, as was Gail getting fired for abusing a customer.

Before Andy headed to the club for her third shift, she sat at her desk eating dinner. Sam slid into the chair next to her and swiped some chips from the bag lying next to her sandwich. "You okay going in there alone tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course. It'll be fine," she replied between bites. "I mean, you'll be there, right outside."

Sam knew he shouldn't be worried. She was a great cop. But she would be in the club without backup and without a wire. He wished he could be in there with her. "Look, uh, just, you know, be safe."

"I will. Maybe with Gail gone, it'll be easier to get Tori to open up to me," she said, referring to the bartender who was Russell's girlfriend.

It turned out that without Gail, Andy had double the tables to handle and she found there was even less time to talk to Tori. Once the club closed for the night, Andy took her time restocking the alcohol, hoping she could find a way to start up a conversation with her. As if reading her mind, Tori asked if she wanted a drink.

Andy sat down with Tori and listened to her talk about her boyfriend. When she paused to text him, Andy took the opportunity to turn on the microphone in her phone. Sam, Jerry and Traci were impressed when they heard Andy's voice coming through the speaker in the van.

"Yeah, and he's probably really sexy, right? And smart and funny, and you can't keep your hands off of him," Andy said, thinking about Sam. He told her to keep it real, tell the truth, and she smiled thinking about how true her comment was.

"Sounds like you know him," Tori responded with curiosity.

"Mmhmm, I know the type," Andy replied. She needed to find a way to get more information on Russell. "So, um, what does your guy do for a living?" Andy asked.

"Oh, he does all kinds of things, most of them illegal," Tori admitted, taking a sip of her drink.

"That must be hard," Andy replied, hoping she'd elaborate on her boyfriend's illegal activities.

"It's hopeless. I keep trying to end it and he just ignores me for weeks. I don't hear from him, he doesn't call and then he just shows up. Ya know, Russell's never even said he loves me," Tori said sadly.

Andy didn't really care whether Russell loved Tori or not, but she had to keep up the girl talk in hopes of getting the information she needed. "I'm sure he does," she reassured her.

"Why can't guys like that just come out and say the way they feel?"

"I wish I knew," Andy said, taking a sip of her drink.

"So, your guy's like that?" Tori prodded.

"Uh, Sam, no, he's great," Andy said.

"He tells you he loves you?"

"We're, uh, we're not there yet," she replied. Andy thought back to when she said 'I love you' to Luke. He had said it first. She hadn't been prepared to say it, but it seemed like the next step, part of life's plan, like the thing she was supposed to do. So, she said it. But it was just words, there was no feeling behind it, at least on her part. She'd repeat it from time to time, mostly when Luke said it first, because that was what she was supposed to do. The next time she said those words, it was going to be because she couldn't imagine life without that person. She was going to let her heart tell her when to say it.

"I don't want to hear it just to hear it, ya know? I want him to mean it. I want to mean it when I say it," Andy continued.

Sam sat in the van listening to Andy speak about love. He already knew he loved her, but was afraid she'd run if he told her this early in their relationship. And her words confirmed that for him. He was going to have to wait, maybe let her say it first.

Andy was uncomfortable talking about love and Sam, especially when he was listening along with Traci and Jerry, but couldn't figure out how to get the conversation back to a place where Tori would talk about Russell and his illegal activities. So, when Russell came bursting in at that moment, she was a bit relieved, until he started waving a gun around.

Sam left the observation room after watching Oliver talk to Patrick Murphy and ran into Andy as she was walking through the squad room.

"Good work tonight. Smart, kept it real," Sam said. Even if the job hadn't gone according to plan, he was proud of Andy, how she acted through the whole operation.

"I just stuck with it, the way I was taught," she replied, smiling.

"Must've had an awesome TO," he smirked.

"Eh, he was okay. Kinda full of himself," she teased.

"Yeah, then who taught you how to be amazing?" he asked.

"This smart, funny, sexy guy I work with taught me how to be a great cop," she said with a seductive grin.

"I bet if you wait about 10 minutes, this smart, sexy guy could meet you at his truck and drive you home."

Andy started to walk away, moving backwards so she still faced him. "If he's lucky, maybe I will," she said, winking before she turned around and headed outside.

A week later, Andy spent her day off with Traci packing up the rest of her things from Luke's. She was thankful he was at work so she wouldn't have to face him. Sam had reluctantly allowed her to use his truck because she knew all of her stuff wouldn't fit into Traci's small car. She smiled, recalling the conversation from the night before.

Andy was curled up next to Sam, her head comfortable in the crook of his neck. Knowing Sam was in a very good mood, she took a chance.

"So, uh, tomorrow Traci and I are packing the rest of my stuff up at Luke's," she said.

"Yeah? Good. I'd offer my help, but probably best I'm not there," he replied.

"Uh, yeah, but you could still help me out. Like, if I could borrow your truck so we didn't have to make multiple trips with Traci's car." Andy bit her bottom lip while she waited for his response.

"You want to borrow my truck?" he asked incredulously with eyes open wide.

Andy looked up at him with a hopeful smile. Sam knew he shouldn't have looked down at her. It was his weakness. That smile of hers, the deep brown doe eyes. He'd give her the world, if she asked for it.

"Just remember, the brakes –"

"Are touchy. I know." Andy leaned up to kiss him. "Thank you."

Sam shook his head. If Oliver ever knew how wrapped around her finger he was, his friend would never let him live it down.

Andy and Traci packed up the few things of hers in the living room and kitchen, and while Traci took those boxes out to the truck, Andy started packing up her clothes. She dug her large suitcase out of the closet and quickly threw everything into it.

Andy packed the last of her clothes and placed what little jewelry she had in a small pocket on the inside of the suitcase. She zipped the suitcase closed before realizing she forgot about her grandmother's earrings that her dad had given her years ago. They were a family heirloom and Luke insisted on putting them in his lockbox because they were so valuable.

Opening the lockbox, Andy grabbed a small felt box containing the earrings, but it was another small shiny silver and gold box that caught her eye. It was shaped like a small present and Andy couldn't help but pick it up, fingering it in her hands for a few moments before opening it. She didn't have time to process the engagement ring inside when a figure appeared in the doorway.

"Andy," Luke said. "This wasn't – you weren't supposed to see that."

"What is this Luke?" she demanded. "You wanted to get married? You were going to propose?"

Luke made a split-second decision. She didn't need to know when he bought the ring or who he had offered it to first. If finding it kept her here, he was all for her finding it. "Yes. Obviously, not like this, but I love you Andy. I want you in my life. Stay."

Andy was shocked. What if he had proposed before Sam kissed her? Would she have said yes? "I, uh, I can't. I broke up with you," she stammered. She started to hand the ring box to Luke, but he stopped her.

"Keep it, think about it. Please. I love you, Andy."

Traci came up the stairs at that moment, saving Andy from further conversation. "Ready to go?" she asked.

Andy stuffed both the earring and ring boxes in her suitcase before Traci could notice what was in her hand. "Uh, yeah, all ready," she said, lifting her suitcase and following Traci downstairs, all the while consciously ignoring Luke.