This chapter takes place during episodes 2x04 and 2x05. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the alerts, favorites, and especially reviews. They encourage me to keep writing. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

Chapter 5

Sam watched Andy leave the parade room with Chris and was annoyed to be stuck at the station instead of on patrol with her. But he was forced to work with Jo since she needed information that only one of Sam's CI's could provide. He didn't pay much attention to the chatter about the fire at the Laundromat until Frank announced he wanted everyone at the scene since it looked like arson.

Sam was already on his way when he heard Oliver over the radio calling for Andy. All color drained from his face and he immediately flipped on the lights and sirens as he sped to the scene, screeching to a halt in the parking lot when he arrived.

Oliver saw Sam jump out of the cruiser and knew he had to work damage control before his friend did something stupid. "You're not going in there. Anybody barges in, the roof could come down. Okay? Fire's called for backup," Oliver said, debating whether he was going to have to physically restrain his friend or not.

"What the hell were you doing, letting her go in there in the first place?" Sam demanded.

"Obviously, I didn't let her. Sam, she's fine," he said, not insulted when Sam accused him. He knew what Andy meant to his friend.

Sam restrained himself from going into the burnt out Laundromat and let the firefighters do their job as they waited for backup to arrive. He may have taken a step or two toward the building a few times, but he fought the urge to barge in and rescue her himself. And not for a second did he stop thinking about her and worry that she was hurt.

He spoke to her a couple times, over the radio and the phone, trying to reassure her everything would be okay. He could tell she was scared by the sound of her voice. No one else would notice, but there was a slight tremor as she spoke, as she told Sam they were uncomfortable. So, he did what he did best, gave her his TO voice, instructing her about things he realized she already knew, but hoped it would help her stay calm. Keep her focused on standing still, focused on preventing the wife from touching anything, not the possibility that the building could collapse on top of her at any moment, he thought. Maybe it was to keep himself calm too.

"Where the hell is backup?" Sam muttered, looking at his watch. He knew he wasn't going to be of any help to the investigation going on, so he just stood there thinking about how scared he was to lose Andy. Not just today, but anytime she found herself in danger.

Oliver saw his friend sulking near a fire truck and walked over. "They're gonna get her out of there. Sam, these guys know what they're doing," he said.

Sam didn't want to talk. "I know," he said, hoping Oliver would get the hint and walk away.

"Good. When she's out might be a good time to talk to her," Oliver said.

"About what?" Sam asked, half amused that his friend was actually going to vocalize his thoughts about Andy instead of giving him weird pointed looks in her direction.

Oliver couldn't believe Sam was making him spell it out for him. He knew good and well what he was getting at. "About, I don't know, whatever," he ended up saying.

Sam felt bad. Oliver was just trying to nudge him, not knowing he no longer needed the help. He couldn't let his friend struggle trying to find the right words any longer, so he spilled the news. "We already talked," he said, trying to keep a straight face, but failing miserably as a huge smile broke out.

"What?" Oliver was genuinely shocked.

"We haven't gotten around to telling everyone, but yeah, the day she was shot we talked. She broke up with Callaghan and, well, you know, we're, uh, we're good," Sam explained.

Oliver slapped his friend on the back. "Good for you brother, good for you," he congratulated before pointing at a fire truck arriving on scene. "Look, backup's here."

As Sam followed the firefighters into the Laundromat he ignored Oliver calling out to him. He had to be there when they pulled Andy out. When a hole in the wall was cut away, Sam didn't see Andy immediately. He saw the wife and held his hand out to help her through the opening, but his eyes searched the rest of the room. And then he saw her, chestnut hair pulled back in a braid and full of soot, face smeared with dirt, eyes filled with worry and relief. He resisted the urge to jump through the wall and carry her out. Instead, he braced his arms on her waist to help her through the opening as she reached out for him.

Andy wasn't surprised that Sam was there, probably disobeying orders to join the firefighters in the rescue. He was always there for her. She was afraid her voice would be too shaky from emotion if she tried to speak, so instead she hoped Sam could read the appreciation in her eyes. He could. The firefighters began leading the way out of the building, but Andy hesitated. She threw her arms around Sam in a hug, hands pressed firmly against his back. Sam ran one hand down her braid while the other circled her waist.

"Thank you," she mumbled into his chest.

"We gotta get out of here," he said, gently urging her to follow the firefighters with a hand placed at the small of her back.

As her feet splashed through the puddles of water in the Laundromat Andy thought again about how Sam was always there for her, always there when it mattered. She regretted ever entertaining the idea of going back to Luke and accepting his lame ass proposal. She didn't care what the universe had to say, she wasn't letting Sam go.

He walked her over to the ambulance, insisting she get checked out despite her protests that she was fine. "Sam, I'm fine. Really. It's just dirt," Andy said, brushing soot off her clothes.

Sam stared at her and she recognized the 'not taking no for an answer' glare in his eyes, so she reluctantly sat on the bumper of the ambulance and let a paramedic check her out. Sam stood only inches from her. "What were you thinking going in there?" he asked, forcing himself not to yell at her.

"I was doing my job. An innocent woman ran in the building looking for her husband," she replied. "What was I supposed to do?"

The paramedic gave Andy the all clear and she stood up, pulling Sam behind a fire truck where there was more privacy. "Sam. Sam, look at me." She nudged him with her shoulder when his eyes continued to focus on something in the sky.

When he eventually moved his gaze down to her face, she saw that his eyes were glistening. "I almost lost you," he said, circling his arms around her waist and pulling her close as he leaned back against the fire truck.

"But you didn't," she said softly, bringing her hands up to rest on his chest. "I'm okay."

Sam lowered his lips to Andy's for a kiss and she slid her hands up to the back of his neck. When they parted, Andy spoke again. "It's part of the job. It's part of what we both face every day."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it or it'll ever get easier," Sam said, resting his forehead on hers.

"Nope." Andy couldn't fault Sam for being so concerned. She knew she'd be the same way if the roles were reversed. She also knew there was going to come a time when Sam was in danger and she would be freaking out. It was bound to happen someday with their jobs.

Sam took a deep breath. "Jo's gonna be looking for you," he said, although he was reluctant to let Andy out of his arms.

"I should go get that over with then," she replied. Andy kissed Sam quickly, before backing away to go find the detective.

When Andy got back to the station, she couldn't wait to shower. She felt disgusting with all the dirt and soot on her. As she showered and changed, she thought back on the afternoon. Jo may not have believed her, but Andy trusted her gut, and she and the other rookies had gotten to the bottom of what happened. She felt good.

As she slid her boots on, Andy thought about her conversation with Ron Hannah's wife Lidia. In trying to keep the woman calm, Andy told her that it didn't matter if life didn't work out how she planned it, but what mattered was her and her husband loved each other. That was when Lidia cried because she had never told her husband she loved him. Andy thought about what could have happened at the Laundromat. The building could have collapsed and she could be dead, and Sam would never know she loved him.

Andy walked into the men's locker room and grinned when she caught a glimpse of Sam's bare chest as he pulled his shirt on. She sat on the bench near his locker, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them with her arms. "Thanks again for rescuing me," she said, smiling up at him.

Sam wanted to yell at her for going into that building, for risking her life, but he could only smile as she sat there so innocently, her big brown eyes looking up at him. Ignoring the danger she put herself in, Sam was proud of her for trusting her instincts. "Good job tracking Ron Hannah's friend down, getting him to confess," he stated.

"Who does that? What kind of person actually…" Andy couldn't get over the fact Ron's friend lit the fire.

"Time and space McNally. You said it yourself, none of us are experts," Sam said, throwing stuff into his bag.

"Well, except you. Time and space and you're a bona fide savant," she said, looking up as he closed the door to his locker.

"I'm there when it matters." He turned to walk out of the locker room, pausing next to Andy, expecting her to get up and follow him.

"Sam?" Andy had felt this tugging of her heart since Sam rescued her. She was ready. Her heart was full, her mind was happy. He had stolen part of her heart long ago. She couldn't risk something happening to either one of them before she told him she loved him. She had to tell him now.

He looked over and was surprised to see her still sitting in the same position. "Yeah?"

She glanced up at him before fixing her eyes on the metal bench beneath her feet. She was scared. But she wanted this, so she pushed herself to speak the words she repeated in her mind over and over.

She looked back up, her eyes meeting his. "I love you."

Sam moved the hand that hung at his side over Andy's fidgeting hands. "I love you too." Gently pulling her hands, he brought her to a standing position so they were squeezed close between the lockers and the bench. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I love you," he repeated slowly. Andy smiled while her hands slid up Sam's back.

Sam woke up the next morning as sunlight peeked through his curtains. He rolled onto his side and stared at the beautiful creature lying next to him. Andy's eyes were still closed and her mouth was slightly open as she slept. He watched and listened to her breath for several minutes before glancing at the clock and realizing they still had a few hours before they had to head to work. He leaned over to place soft kisses on her eyelids, then her nose and as her eyes fluttered open, her lips.

"Morning," she said groggily.

"Good morning," he said smiling.

"What time is it?" she asked, closing her eyes again.

"A few hours before we have to be at the station," he replied.

He leaned in for another kiss and deepened it as his fingers grazed up and down her side. Andy reached her hand out, placing it behind Sam's neck to pull him closer.

By the time Sam and Andy finally got out of bed, they were running late and there was no time to stop at Traci's for clothes on the way to the station. She was glad she had been keeping extra clothes in her work bag in case she stayed over at Sam's because she really didn't want to walk into the station in the same outfit she wore the day before. As it was, she had barely enough time to shower and was throwing her hair into a ponytail as they rushed out the door.

"It's your fault if I'm grumpy today," she huffed as Sam pulled away from the curb.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, because you deprived me of my morning coffee," she replied, pulling the visor down to check her makeup.

Sam snorted. "I deprived you? Pretty sure it's the other way around."

"You didn't set your alarm," she said, feigning anger and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Moot point, we were awake in plenty of time," he said, glancing over to see Andy blush. When Andy didn't come back with anything, he decided to play nice. "I'll get you your coffee when we get to the station."

"That's not morning coffee, that's morning sludge," she laughed.

They pulled into the station's parking lot and quickly made their way to the locker rooms to change into their uniforms. Somehow they both made it to parade in time.

As Andy took a seat next to Traci, Sam walked over placing a cup in front of her. "McNally, your morning sludge," he said, flashing his dimples.

Andy's lips curved into a smile, but she didn't have a chance to thank him as Sam was pulled away by Frank. The sharp elbow poking her side pulled her eyes away from Sam and she turned toward Traci. "What was that about?" Traci asked.

"Oh, um, nothing. Just didn't get coffee before we left this morning," she replied.

Traci looked at her like she wasn't telling the whole story. "What? We just didn't have time to make it before we left Sam's and I warned him I'd be grumpy today because of it," Andy explained.

"Spending the night at Swarek's. Rock 'n roll McNally," Dov blurted, having eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Dov!" Andy squealed as she blushed.

"Yeah Dov. We all know you have a man crush on Swarek, but he's taken," Traci teased.

Dov ignored Traci and took a seat next to Chris, and as parade started Andy wondered why Sam was standing at the front of the room. She soon found out he was coordinating a sting they would all be participating in to arrest suspects who had outstanding warrants. Andy, Traci and Gail were delegated with making phone calls notifying the men and women who had "won" a car as part of Sunray Motors' grand opening. Meanwhile, Sam, Chris and Dov were getting the showroom ready, and Oliver and Noelle were getting the surveillance equipment set up.

Shortly after the girls joined everyone at the dealership, suspects started coming in for the "free" car they expected to receive. Sam, Dov, Andy, Traci, Gail and Chris took turns in teams to bring the suspects into the backroom where they were arrested.

Traci noticed Andy and Sam giving each other looks all morning and shook her head. "Keep it in your pants, McNally," she teased.

"What?" Andy said, a shocked look on her face.

"You know what. I'm sure you had plenty of sexy time last night since I didn't see you on my couch," Traci said.

Andy blushed, but her friend was right. "I'm bored," she whined. "And can I help it if my boyfriend is so sexy I want to drag him into a back room and – "

"Do not finish that sentence. I don't need those images in my head," Traci laughed. When the two friends stopped giggling, Traci got serious. "So things are good with you two?"

"Yeah, I don't know why I waited so long for this. He makes me happy," Andy said, grinning.

The chime of the showroom door echoed as a man and woman entered. Sam nodded at Andy for her and Traci to take the woman, while he grabbed Dov to handle the man. After chatting for a few minutes, Andy thought the woman, Leigh Senett, seemed nice and couldn't believe she had outstanding warrants. That's when she heard Oliver's voice in her ear saying "Bohemian Rhapsody," the code to arrest the suspect. Before getting her into the backroom, Leigh insisted on seeing the car's engine, so Andy and Traci awkwardly opened the hood and stared down at the inner workings of the car. Andy was trying to make something up about the engine to sound intelligent when she saw a man running around the cars.

As they all tried to catch the guy, Andy and Traci lost sight of Leigh and when Sam finally had the guy on the ground, they looked at each other before their eyes darted around the showroom. Andy muttered curses under her breath as she raced outside and then back in the showroom. They had lost the woman.

They traced Leigh to a house nearby, but found out she no longer lived there. Having looked everywhere they could think of, Andy and Traci thought Leigh had disappeared into thin air and returned to the dealership frustrated. "Best is going to kill us," Traci said.

"Yeah, probably. But based on the look on Sam's face when we left, he might kill us first," Andy replied. She hated failure, especially when she was working with Sam. Even though he wasn't her TO anymore, she always wanted to make him proud of her.

Relief flushed through their bodies as they saw Leigh trying to escape in her car. They brought her back to the station and hoped they could help her avoid jail time since she was living in her car and the warrants were only for money owed to collection agencies and parking tickets. Before they could convince her to call her daughter, Andy received a panicked call from Chris.

"It's Dov. He's on a booby trap, it could explode. They won't let me near him," he said, speaking so fast Andy could barely understand what was happening.

"Chris, calm down. What happened?" she asked.

"We were investigating a grow house, but there wasn't one. It was a meth lab," he said, speaking more calmly now. "There was a gun booby trapped and we got out of the way, but when Dov got up he stepped on another booby trap that's going to set a bomb off if he moves."

"Give us the address. We're on our way," Andy said. Their friend was in danger so Andy and Traci didn't hesitate to jump in a car and head to the scene. Even if there was nothing they could do, they had to be there.

And there wasn't anything they could do. They were kept behind barricades across the street for safety reasons and could only stand and wait while the bomb squad rescued Dov. Chris had his arms around Andy, Gail and Traci as they tried to comfort each other while they waited. Andy looked over to see Sam, Oliver, Noelle and Frank standing nearby. There was nothing they could do either.

"What's happening? Why won't anyone tell us what's happening?" Andy asked.

"He'll be okay. I know it. He's going to be okay," Chris reassured his friends, feeling more confident now that they were all together.

The minutes seemed like hours as they stood there waiting. Finally, they heard someone say "All units move in" and a bunch of guys in ETF suits headed toward the house, but still no one would tell them anything. "What does that mean? If the bomb went off we would've heard it right?" Gail asked. Chris looked down at Gail, but he had no answers so he remained silent, as did Andy and Traci.

Finally they saw Dov walk out of the house and Andy, Chris, Gail and Traci ran over to hug him. Frank, Sam, Oliver and Noelle all let out deep breaths as they watched the reunion. None would openly admit they had been just as scared as their rookies.

"Looks like I'm back as the rookie screw up," Dov said, frowning at his friends.

"Shut up, Dov. It could've happened to any of us," Andy said, hugging him.

"Andy's right. We're just glad you're okay," Chris said, slapping his friend on the back.

Chris glanced at the woman standing a few feet away from them and Dov followed his gaze. He smiled at her and waved her over. "Guys, this is Sue. I promised her a cup of coffee for saving my life, so how about we all go out after shift," Dov said.

They all smiled at Sue, but it was Andy who spoke first. "She just saved your life, Dov, she deserves a heck of a lot more than coffee," she teased. Laughing, they walked to their cruisers while Sue rejoined her ETF team with a promise to meet up with Dov later.