Thanks to everyone reading this story. I'm glad people are enjoying it so much. This chapter takes place during episode 2x07. Leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue.

Chapter 7

When Andy arrived at parade, she knew they'd be briefed on the latest with the case that started the night before when she and Sam responded to two break-ins at Sophie Lewis' apartment, the last of which left the woman hospitalized. Andy mentally compared it to the Zoe Martinelli case as she sat waiting for parade to begin. They were very similar, and Luke was convincing when he said the two cases were connected and Ray Nixon had committed both crimes.

When Sam and Andy got into their cruiser to head to Nixon's apartment to execute a search warrant, she noticed every little thing was annoying Sam. "This lack of coffee is really making you cranky," she said after several minutes.

"I'm not losing this stupid bet to Ollie. And I am not cranky," he replied, quickly glancing over at her before bringing his eyes back to the road.

"You just swore at an old lady who you thought wasn't walking fast enough through a crosswalk," she said, fighting back a laugh.

"Yeah, well you go more than three days without caffeine," Sam huffed. "I'm sure you'd be peachy to be around."

Andy rolled her eyes and laughed despite the glare she received from Sam. She had to find a way to tempt Oliver into drinking a cup of coffee so Sam could win the bet and life could get back to normal.

When they arrived at the military base, Andy and Sam helped with the search of Nixon's apartment and office before ending up at his car. As she began searching the vehicle, Andy asked Sam what he thought about the two cases since he was more familiar than her with what happened to Zoe Martinelli. "I think we need to find evidence, otherwise all of Callaghan's suspicions mean nothing," he said, watching her dig through the front seat. He didn't have a gut feeling about Nixon like he did on other cases and he had to admit he wasn't 100 percent convinced the Martinelli and Lewis cases were connected.

"So, you think he's innocent?" Andy asked.

Sam looked over at Nixon and found him eyeing Andy up and down, so Sam shifted his body to block his view. "I didn't say that. But if we can't find evidence, we're gonna have to move on to other possible suspects, like Sophie Lewis' neighbor," he replied.

Andy moved to search the backseat while she continued to think about the two cases. Her gut told her Nixon was guilty, but she understood where Sam was coming from.

An hour later, Andy, Sam and the other officers at Nixon's apartment left empty handed. When she arrived back at the station with Sam, she saw Luke in Frank's office and found out he'd been kicked off the case, leaving Jo in charge.

She knew Jo didn't think the two cases were related and for some reason already felt defensive when she sat down on the table in the parade room. When Jo wanted to start from scratch and disregard all the similarities between the two cases, Andy became annoyed. Later she'd realize it probably wasn't in her best interest to talk back to the detective, even if she felt she was right.

When Andy stood her ground, Jo thought about all the yearning looks Luke kept giving the girl who dumped him and decided she didn't feel like dealing with Luke's ex anymore. "You can't get Zoe Martinelli off your brain, maybe you need a little break. Here, go get us some pizza," she said, pulling cash out of her pocket. "It's going to be a long day."

"Anything I can do to help," Andy spit out. She snatched the money from her hand and stormed out of the room.

Sam's eyes flew wide open at the exchange between his girlfriend and the detective. Unsure if he should run after Andy or defend her, he simply stood and crossed his arms, all the while glaring at Jo.

Hours later, after they had confirmed Nixon's alibi, Sam was frustrated they couldn't find a lead with the case. Not to mention they were running all over the city in cold and rainy weather without a good cup of coffee. It's turning into such a fantastic day, he thought sarcastically. Thinking food might help his mood, he stopped their cruiser near a hotdog stand. "Want anything?"

"No, I'm good. Everything okay, Sam?" Andy asked, following him as he got out of the car.

"Just dandy. I'm hungry," he replied shortly.

While Sam waited for his hotdog and piled topping after topping on it, Andy shared the idea she had about storage lockers. Told him how Luke said Nixon is a collector and probably has everything he took from the victims neatly catalogued away somewhere. "He'd bet his career on it and that says a lot," she said. "I mean, when we were together, his career was even more important than I was to him."

Not getting the response she wanted from Sam, Andy tried again, making sure he remembered the alibi telling them that most people in the military have a storage locker. She ignored Sam's bad mood and kept pushing the matter, which she soon regretted.

"Why are you doing this? We're wasting our time trying to pin this on someone who didn't do it, for what? For who? For Callaghan, the guy you supposedly don't love anymore?" Sam spit out as they walked back to the cruiser. The words came out of his mouth before he could think about what he was saying. It was stupid really. They were all working toward the same goal, but Sam couldn't help but feel Andy was taking Luke's side. That she regretted leaving the detective. That soon she would walk of his life. He was just sick of hearing 'Luke said this' and 'Luke believes that.' And it all boiled to the surface at that moment.

"Supposedly? What – where did that come from?" Andy asked, narrowing her eyes. "Sam, this isn't about Luke. I don't love him. You know I love you. This is about a gut feeling I have about the case, about Ray Nixon."

"Whatever. Look, take the car. Do whatever you want to do. I'll walk back to the station. I could use a little space," he said, tossing the keys to Andy before stomping away. His own insecurities clouding his judgment as he left his partner alone. No longer hungry, he tossed his hotdog into the nearest trash can and never looked back. If he had, he would have seen Andy's confused face and her eyes blinking away tears.

What the hell just happened? she wondered. Sam always had her back, told her to trust her gut, so why wasn't he there for her now. She slowly got into the cruiser thinking that she could either dwell on Sam leaving her or focus on solving the case. Quickly choosing the latter, she called a local storage company and found the dead Zoe Martinelli had a locker.

When Andy found evidence against Nixon in the storage locker, she thought about who to call for help. She always called Sam, but after the incident earlier, she hesitated. Maybe she should call Traci, Chris or Dov, maybe even Luke or Jo. She opened her phone and her fingers instinctively hit Sam's speed dial. He was always there when it mattered and she hoped it was true this time.

"Yeah," he answered gruffly, which made Andy sigh. He was in no better of a mood now.

"Sam, listen, I found a storage locker under the name Zoe Martinelli and – "

"What?" he interrupted.

"I'm at Vessel Storage and there's a locker here with all the trophies Nixon has saved," she said.

"You're there now?" Sam asked, dumbfounded. He knew he told her to take the car, but had expected her to drive around for a bit before coming back to the station, not to go search for Nixon on her own.

"Yes, get Jo or someone to get a search warrant. Locker C1084. Everything is here. Everything," Andy said.

"Okay, I'm on my way. Be careful!" Before Sam even hung up, he was grabbing the closest officer in sight. "Diaz, do you have keys to 1509?"

"Yeah, right here, Sir," he replied.

Sam grabbed the keys out of his hand. "Great. Get everyone to Vessel Storage right now! And get Jo to get a warrant. McNally's there with evidence on Ray Nixon." Sam flew out of the station, hoping Chris would do as he was told.

Andy sifted through more of the containers after hanging up with Sam. She couldn't believe how much was here. As she was thinking about how Nixon would be put away for life, she heard a noise behind her. She didn't have time to turn around or grab for her gun before she felt a foot kicking her hard on the back. She lost her balance briefly, but was able to turn around to see Nixon right in front of her. She fought with him for a minute until he grabbed her head and threw her toward a metal pole. Just as she heard the loud crack of her head against the pole, the world went dark.

When she woke up she didn't know how much time had passed and the pounding in her head made it hard to think. She opened her eyes to see Nixon's back facing her. He was mumbling something she couldn't understand. She tried moving her hands and feet, but realized he wrapped duct tape tightly around her wrists and ankles. He must have heard her struggling to move because he turned around to look at her. Realizing she was awake, he crouched down in front of her, placing his hands around her neck. She tried screaming, but the duct tape over her mouth prevented much sound from escaping her lips. When she refused to close her eyes as Nixon ordered, he tore off more duct tape and placed it over her eyes.

Slivers of light found their way under the duct tape as Andy was faced with the thought this was how her life was going to end. She felt Nixon's hands circle her neck and start pressing, and a tear escaped her eye. This is how I'm going to die, she thought. It was getting harder and harder to breath when she heard the door of the storage locker being thrown open.

Sam was out of his car in seconds when he arrived at the storage facility. When he found locker C1084, he saw the door was closed and knew Andy wouldn't have closed herself in there. He feared the worst, taking out his gun as he gripped the door's handle and ripped it open.

"Police, freeze!" he yelled when he saw Nixon's hands around Andy's neck. "Step away from her, now!" Hearing Sam's voice, Andy felt her body relax.

When Nixon stood up and placed his hands on his head, Sam took out his handcuffs and grabbed the man's wrists, quickly cuffing him. As Nixon struggled and tried fighting him, Sam hit him over the head with the butt of his gun, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. When he was sure he was staying put, Sam raced over to Andy.

"It's me, Andy. It's me," he said as he carefully pulled the duct tape off her eyes and mouth. He framed her face with his hands and brought his lips to hers. "It's okay. You're okay." He brushed her tears away with his thumbs.

"Sam, my hands," she said quietly. Understanding, he pulled a knife out of his utility belt to cut the tape, and free her hands and feet. He helped her to her feet, catching her as she swayed from the dizziness caused by the hit to her head.

Andy quickly explained what happened, how Nixon had knocked her out. "He was going to kill me," Andy whispered, looking down at Nixon.

"You're okay now. I'm here. You're okay," Sam replied, hugging her close.

Sam was glad to see Oliver, Dov, Chris and Gail racing down the hall. Glancing down at Nixon, who was still unconscious, Oliver raised his eyebrows in question at Sam.

"What? He tripped and hit his head," Sam said.

"Uh huh," Oliver replied, giving him a knowing look as he and Dov tended to the handcuffed man.

Gripping Andy's waist, Sam helped her walk down the hallway and exit the storage facility. The ride back to the station was silent and Sam knew Andy was mad at him. He left her. He left his partner and didn't have her back. He was an idiot. He let his insecurities and frustration get the best of him. Deep down he knew she loved him and not Luke. He didn't know why he said what he said. He wanted her to yell and scream at him, to smack him, to do something. He couldn't handle her silence. When he parked the cruiser at the station, she got out silently and made her way to the locker room. He didn't know what to say, what could make things better. He grabbed a bottle of water, along with some aspirin and headed to the women's locker room. Andy had already changed out of her uniform and was throwing on her hoodie when he entered. Sam held out the water and aspirin, knowing she must have a monster headache.

"Thanks," she said, taking both from him and swallowing two pills.

"I'm sorry I left you," he said, figuring an apology was the best way to start the conversation.

Andy glanced over at Sam as she zipped up her hoodie and closed her locker. "It's okay." The tone in her voice told Sam it was everything but okay.

"Andy," he sighed.

Her head was pounding and she just couldn't deal with this conversation right now. Couldn't deal with more accusations from Sam about her being in love with Luke. His actions really hurt her and she wasn't sure how to get past it at that moment. "I can't do this right now," she said and pushed pass him to walk out of the locker room.

She decided to walk to Traci's rather than waiting around for her friend to get back from patrol, but halfway there she remembered her spare uniform was at Sam's apartment. He had picked it up with his dry cleaning a couple days earlier. Andy sighed. She knew she needed to get it because the uniform she wore today had drops of blood on it from her head wound and she needed the clean one for work tomorrow.

Knowing Sam hadn't yet changed out of his uniform when she left the station, Andy thought that if she was lucky she could make it to Sam's, pick up her uniform and leave before he got home. She let herself in with the spare key he had given her and was in the bedroom when she heard the door open. Crap, I'm the unluckiest person alive, she thought.

Sam was briefly relieved when he found his door unlocked, knowing Andy had come here instead of going to Traci's. But that was quickly replaced by sadness as he saw the look on her face as she walked out of his bedroom with her uniform.

"I, uh, just needed to get this for tomorrow," she said, walking toward the door. He knew he couldn't let her leave and stepped in front of her, blocking her exit.

"Sam, don't." She shook her head as she put a hand on his chest.

"Andy, I need to talk to you. I'm sorry. Please just listen to me," he said, grabbing the hand on his chest with his own. When she looked over his shoulder at the door and refused to budge from the spot she stood in, Sam resorted to begging. "Please. Just give me five minutes. I need to explain."

Andy closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pounding in her head, and sighed. "Fine."

Sam led her to the couch, taking her uniform from her and placing it over the back of a chair. When they were both sitting on the couch, he took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm sorry. I know I can't apologize enough for leaving you. I just – you were siding with Callaghan and it, uh, I was jealous. You were taking his side, even though no one else in the department believed him."

Andy's eyes opened wide. She couldn't believe he was jealous of Luke. "I –"

"No, let me finish," he interrupted. "It's stupid, I was stupid. And you were right. You alone found the evidence to put Nixon away for a long time. You trusted your gut and I should have listened to you. I'm sorry."

"You once told me you were always there when it mattered, but today you weren't," she said softly. Andy closed her eyes briefly, fighting back tears. "You abandoned me because you were jealous."

Sam reached out, placing Andy's hand in his and rubbing circles on it with his thumb. "I know. It's the stupidest thing I've ever done. I love you too much and the thought of losing you back to him made me crazy."

"I'm never going back to Luke. I love you. But there might be times I agree with Luke on a case. We all work together Sam. I need to know you won't abandon me again over something stupid," she said, worry written on her face.

Sam knew she'd been abandoned many times throughout her life. He didn't want to be another name added to that list. "I won't, I promise you. I love you too much to let you go. What can I do to convince you?" When she remained silent, Sam got up to pace behind the couch. He didn't know how to convince her he meant it and that it wasn't just words coming out of his mouth.

Andy had seen the truth in his eyes. He didn't have to say anything else. She knew he was sorry and believed it when he promised her. "Ask me to stay."

Sam stopped pacing and looked over at Andy, who was still sitting on the couch. He placed his hands on the back of the couch so they were on either side of her. Feeling him behind her, Andy leaned back so her head rested on the back of the couch and tilted her head so she was looking up at him. Sam bent his arms so his face was only inches from hers.

"Stay," he whispered.

Andy's lips curved into a smile. "Okay."

He closed the distance, rubbing his nose against hers before bringing their lips together in a kiss.

"So, that's all it took, huh?" Sam asked when they parted.

"I believe you, that you're sorry and won't do it again. And I love you, so I don't think I'm capable of staying mad at you for long," she said smiling.

Sam wasn't sure how he got so lucky to have Andy in his life, to have someone who loved him as much as he loved her. As he stared into her eyes at that moment, he knew they'd have their ups and downs, but they could get through anything. When she closed her eyes and grimaced, he remembered how she'd hit her head earlier. "How's your head?"

"It's still pounding. The aspirin didn't do a thing."

Sam tilted her head so he could get a better look at her injury. "You've got a pretty good sized bump here," he said before kissing the top of her head. He made his way around the couch and sat next to her.

"Did caffeine withdrawal play a part in your mood today? Cause if so I'm forcing you to drink a cup of coffee immediately," she teased.

"Doesn't matter, Oliver won," Sam replied, putting an arm around her shoulders. At the confused look on Andy's face, he explained. "Jo was looking for you. Told her you were out buying me coffee."

"You lost your bet covering for me?" His protectiveness never ceased to amaze her.

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, you two had already been through one sparing match. Didn't think we needed to witness another."

It was little things like this that made it easy for Andy to forgive Sam. These little things just showed how much he loved her. She took a deep breath and leaned her head back against Sam's arm that was around her.

"Can we just not talk for a bit? Our voices are like jackhammers in my head right now," she said, closing her eyes.

Sam grabbed a pillow from the side of the couch and placed it on his lap. "I'm shutting up," he said as he pulled her down until she laid on her side and her head rested on the pillow. He brushed the hair off her neck gently and saw the beginnings of a bruise forming. He hated that he was the reason Nixon ever had a chance to put his fingers around her neck. He shook his head, angry at himself, and began to gently massage her temple, hoping it would help her headache go away.