This chapter takes place during episode 2x10. Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites and alerts. Reviews are wonderful, so please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

Chapter 9

Sam was late to parade and Andy wondered why since they had arrived at the station together. He was quiet as they walked to their cruiser, thinking about the conversation he had in the locker room. He hadn't expected Boyd to pop up and invite him to be part of a deep cover operation, especially one on a criminal who hadn't done anything illegal in years. Sam knew he and Andy would eventually have to have a conversation about if and when he went undercover again, but he never thought it would be this soon.

Andy watched him as he pulled out of the station parking lot and saw the creases in his forehead that meant he was deep in thought. She was trying to decide how to ask him what was up when the radio sprung to life, requesting them at the scene of a shooting at a kids' playland.

It didn't take them long to interview the victim, a guy who was dressed like big bird in his Party Town Amusements costume. They began searching for the car the suspect was believed to be in, but Sam felt like they were looking for a needle in a haystack. Things only got worse when they found out the shooting was also a kidnapping.

Sam had hoped for a quiet moment to talk to Andy about his conversation with Boyd, but knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Here goes nothing, he thought as they drove around looking for the suspect's car.

"Saw an old pal of yours this morning," Sam said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Who?" Andy asked, a bit excited.

"Donovan Boyd."

"What'd I do wrong this time?" Andy asked, rolling her eyes.

"He's setting up a UC operation, cover apartment, new identity, whole nine yards," Sam said. He quickly glanced at Andy and saw disappointment on her face.

"Cover apartment, huh?"

"This one is off the grid, only contact is with Boyd and the team," he said.

"Yeah, for how long?" she asked, fearful of the answer.

"Weeks, months, maybe longer." Sam took a long pause before continuing. "Told him I'd have to think about it." He used to see an opportunity like this and take it without question, but with Andy in his life it was different. He didn't have the urge to suddenly rush into another deep cover operation anymore. He still loved undercover work, but there was something, rather someone, he loved more.

"Really?" Andy was surprised. She knew he loved undercover work and assumed he'd said yes the minute Boyd asked him.

"I wanted to talk to you about it," he said, glancing over at her as she looked out the window. "You didn't think I'd just say yes without discussing it did you?"

Andy knew if she spoke, the tears she was holding back would start flowing. She always knew Sam would go back undercover, but she thought she'd have more time with him. She hated the thought of him leaving, but she would not prevent him from doing what he loved.

When she remained quiet, Sam spoke again. "Andy? Andy?"

When she finally looked over at him, he could see her eyes glistening. He knew what she was thinking, that he was going to leave her. He didn't want to, didn't want to spend a day away from her, which is why he came up with an idea.

"I want you to come with me," Sam said, taking Andy completely by surprise.

"What? How?" she asked, her mouth hanging open as she couldn't believe what he had said.

"Well, thought I could use backup. I mean, last time I was in deep cover, I got chased down and tackled by a girl," he joked.

Andy laughed, remembering her first day on the job. "But how? Boyd hates me. He's never gonna let me be part of his team," she said.

"Tough. We're a package deal. He wants me, he gets the both of us," Sam responded. "That is, if you want to."

Andy didn't get a chance to respond, as they came upon an accident and were shot at as they tried to investigate the scene. Sam left her with the accident victim, while he went to check out where the shots had come from, believing it was the guy they were after. As she sat in the car, keeping the woman alive while they waited for the paramedics, Andy had a lot of time to think. Could she leave her father, her friends, a normal life for weeks or months? Was she even cut out for deep cover work? Did she even want to get into deep cover work? She had no answers, so she kept focused on the job, making sure Leslie was alert and alive. But it didn't take her mind off of Sam's proposal. In the few minutes between pulling Leslie from the car, which had caught fire, and the first ambulance arriving, Andy found answers to the nagging questions. Facing death and seeing Leslie continue to put off her dreams gave Andy clarity. Now, she just had to tell Sam, who was still out looking for the missing boy.

She was saying goodbye to Leslie as the ambulance was about to take her to the hospital when she heard Sam calling for her. "Andy? Andy!"

Coming out from behind the vehicle, she saw him coming towards her. "Sam, I'm okay. I got her out, like, just before it went up."

"If I had known the car was going to catch on fire –" Sam was interrupted by Andy.

"It's okay. The medics say she's gonna be fine," she said. Sam wasn't as concerned about the accident victim as he was about Andy. If she had been trapped in the car when it went up, he never would have forgiven himself.

"You should've radioed," he said.

"You were miles out, and ya know, the car was on fire, I had that whole thing to deal with. But, did you get the boy?" she asked. Always more concerned about others than herself, Sam thought.

"We found him, yeah," he said.

"Good."

They shared a brief kiss before Andy pulled away. She put her hands on his chest. "Wait, I need to say something," she said, taking a long pause before she continued. "Yes."

Sam looked at her in confusion.

"Yes, I'll come with you if you want to take this UC assignment. I'll do whatever I need to do to back you up," she said. Sam smiled and placed a hand on her back as they walked to their cruiser.

The next day Sam and Andy sat with an annoyed Boyd in an office at the station. "No, we're not doing that," Boyd said, getting up to pace in front of the couple.

Andy frowned even though this was the response she expected. Boyd hated her and there was no way he was going to let her go undercover with Sam. She knew he'd never agree to Sam's plan, but she'd been hopeful nonetheless.

"McNally backs me up or I don't go. That's the deal, Boyd," Sam stated.

Boyd stopped pacing to stare at Sam. He knew Sam was stubborn and it was either all or nothing right now. His choices were to lose one of his best undercover cops, maybe forever, or let him take his damn girlfriend with him. Does it have to be McNally? Out of all the cops, it has to be her? he wondered.

Boyd shook his head. "Fine." Staring directly at Andy, he continued. "But if you ruin this operation like all the others you touch, I swear –" He cut his sentence short when he saw Sam glaring at him. "I'll have your cover identities ready to review by the end of the day."

When Sam and Andy returned from patrol at the end of shift Boyd called them into an office and handed over folders that contained information about their cover IDs. Andy stared at her name, before scowling at Boyd. "Candace, really?"

He ignored her, choosing to go over their story. "Here's how it's gonna work. Sam, my CI will introduce you, as J.D., to Jamie Brennan. He'll help you get the job in the warehouse and then you start making friends with Brennan," Boyd began.

He explained that Brennan was a known gang enforcer and the primary suspect in at least six murder cases. While he had been out of the life for a while, Boyd told them that an informant let him know Brennan started going back to his old life after his wife and daughter died in a car accident about two months earlier. Sam and Andy needed to gather evidence on his current illegal activities and, if possible, get something that would help them convict Brennan on his past murders.

"Sam, we'll need you under for a few days, maybe a week, before McNally gets sent in. It's too risky to send you both in at once, too many new faces. We'll figure out the details for a meet later," Boyd continued. "Andy will go in as an insurance agent visiting from out of town. You meet up, shack up and are only there to back Sam up."

Andy narrowed her eyes at his choice of words, but held back from saying anything.

"Once I get in and feel Brennan out, we'll know the best way to bring you into the situation," Sam explained. "We have to be careful so he's not suspicious, but I'll get the info to Boyd, who will update you before you're sent in."

"Okay. Simple enough." As the words left Andy's mouth, she knew it was the wrong thing to say in front of Boyd.

"No, it's not simple. This guy is a pro, which is why I picked Swarek, cause he has a fighting chance. Thing is McNally, I don't think you do. If you do anything to screw this up I'll have your badge," Boyd threatened.

"Boyd, out of line. She wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think she was ready, if I didn't think she could do it," Sam said, protecting her.

"Yeah, well, under the circumstances I think your judgment's clouded," Boyd said, and walked out of the office.

"Hey, you okay?" Sam asked when Boyd was out of earshot.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm just there shacking up with you," she said, repeating Boyd's words with disgust."I'm sure I can manage that."

"Ignore him, Andy. You're there to back me up. There might be info you can get that I can't if Brennan just sees you as my girl. You can do this. Trust me, I wouldn't have asked you to come if I didn't think you could do this. It's a risky operation and I would never put you in harm's way if I had any doubts," he said, reassuring her.

"I know he hates me, but would it kill him to have a little faith in me?" Andy pouted.

"When we take Jamie Brennan down, he'll owe you, believe me. This is a big case," Sam replied.

As they got up to walk out, Sam turned to Andy and flashed his dimples. "So, Candace, huh? Can I call you Candy?"

Andy stared at him, not amused. "If you want live through this, you will never utter that nickname again."

Sam chuckled as they headed to the locker rooms to change out of their uniforms.

The next night, Andy was at Sam's reviewing their cover stories after he had cooked them dinner.

"So, I'm Candace, from Wisconsin. Have a few arrests on my record for possession and stealing when I was younger. I'm an insurance agent in town for a conference. Life isn't too happy, so when I meet you I don't want to go home," she said, repeating information from her file.

"Be ready to explain your troubled past and what your not so happy life is like. You might need details," Sam suggested.

Andy nodded. "Okay. Why do I feel like Boyd hasn't given me enough information here?"

"You need to fill in the blanks, but tell the truth whenever you can, or close to it. Remember, keep it real because it makes it easier to remember the story and there's less chance you'll contradict yourself at some point," he said.

Andy was nervous and wondering if she could really do this. Sam saw it in her eyes. "You need to be confident in what you say. You can't seem like you're questioning yourself," he said.

"Got it," she replied. She glanced down at the files and then up at Sam wondering something. "What was your first undercover job?"

Sam put down the file he was reading and turned toward Andy. "The first deep cover? I was Ernie the zamboni driver. We were trying to stop a gang focused on selling drugs to teenage hockey players," he replied.

"Ernie?" she said, laughing.

"Hey, don't make fun of Ernie, Candace," he said, joining in her laughter.

"Was it a success?" she asked.

"Yeah, we saved a lot of kids."

Andy smiled. Sam was a natural at undercover work, so of course his first deep cover assignment was a success. She grabbed files about Jamie Brennan off the table and hoped she could be as successful on her first real assignment. The files included a lot of photos of the men and women tortured at Brennan's hands, which sent an uneasy feeling through her body. She continued flipping through the pages, finding information about his current legal activities, the illegal activities he had been connected to years ago, and the report on the accident that killed his wife and daughter.

She had just started reading the information in detail when there was a knock at the door. Sam put the file he was reading on the coffee table and got up to see who it was. He opened the door and saw Boyd standing there, looking impatient. "Tonight's the night," Boyd barked. Sam stood aside to let Boyd in. "Let's go, you're going under now," he said.

"Usually I get some advance warning. Thought I'd have more time to review the files," Sam said, closing the door.

"You knew you were doing this assignment. That was your advance warning," Boyd said, getting annoyed.

Sam glanced over at Andy, who was pretending to be absorbed in reading a file. "Give me a few minutes," Sam said.

"Fine. I'll be out in the car," Boyd replied and stormed out the door.

"Boyd has a stick up his ass tonight," Andy commented, not looking up from the file in her hand.

Sam walked over to the couch, took the file from her and placed it on the coffee table, before grabbing her hands and pulling her to a standing position. "We knew I'd be leaving first. It'll only be a few days, a week at most, before you meet up with me," Sam said, cupping her face with his hands.

"I know," she said softly. She brought her hand up to Sam's cheek and rubbed his jaw with her thumb. "I'm gonna miss you."

Sam looked deep into her brown eyes and nuzzled her nose. "I'm gonna miss you too." He brought his lips to hers as Andy ran her hands through Sam's hair. Their lips stayed fused together as their hands roamed each other like they were afraid they'd forget how the other felt and tasted, like it was the last time they'd see each other. Knowing he wouldn't be able to stop if this continued much longer, Sam pulled back, his hands gripping Andy's waist.

"Be safe. I love you," Andy said, her eyes roaming his face for one last look.

"I love you too," he said and grabbed his keys off the coffee table. "You can stay here while I'm gone if you want."

Andy shook her head. "No, I'll be fine at Traci's."

Sam took her open hand, placed his keys in it and wrapped her fingers closed around them. "If you change your mind, it's okay. I love you." He placed another quick kiss on her lips before backing away and walking to the bedroom. Andy stood in the same spot, watching as he returned with a suitcase he packed earlier and opened the door. He glanced over his shoulder with one last smile before closing the door behind him.

Andy collected their undercover files, stuffing them into her work bag. On impulse she went to the bedroom and grabbed one of his black t-shirts and his pajama bottoms, and put them in her bag. She shut off all the lights and carefully locked the door and placed the keys in her jeans before heading to Traci's.

Later, Andy sat on Traci's pullout couch long after her friend had gone to bed. She put the undercover files she had been thumbing through away and pulled Sam's clothes out of her bag. She changed into them and got under the covers, lifting the neck of the t-shirt so it covered her nose. Breathing in Sam's scent, she fell asleep.

The next day Andy was partnered with Chris and they were really a perfect pair. Both moping around because of their significant others. Chris went on and on about Gail and Dov, and Andy wasn't even really sure what had happened, but it was clear something had. She felt bad. Chris deserved to be happy and even though she wasn't sure if Gail had in fact cheated on him, something had obviously happened between her and Dov.

"Maybe you should give her another chance," she suggested. Gail wasn't her best friend, but Andy had seen how happy she made Chris and she hated seeing his smile gone.

"No. She let him in. She doesn't let people in," he said, as he drove around the city.

"What about Dov? You've refused to talk to him for days."

"Yeah, well, he was high on painkillers so I don't know. But I guess I can't blame him," Chris said, sighing. "When did life become so complicated?"

"I wish I knew," Andy said, shaking her head.

"Are you okay with Swarek gone?" Chris asked, glancing over at Andy who was now looking out the window.

"Yeah, I mean, I know I'll see him soon. I guess I didn't think it would be this hard to be away from him." Andy looked at Chris, knowing she could open up to him. "I love him like I've never loved anyone."

Chris smiled at Andy. Even though she was moping today, he knew deep down she was happy. "Let's go find some bad guys to take our mind off them." Andy laughed, but as if on cue, the radio came to life requesting them at a motor vehicle accident.