Ok, tonight's episode has be all in lather. I'm quite irritated and I can't muster any sympathy for Luke. In fact, I think I actually went from disliking him to hating him. (Now don't I feel especially mature right now :-P Any way... I think my foul mood rubbed off a bit on this chapter... I hadn't imagined it getting quite so … mean. But it will all work out in the end...

I also forgot to mention that much to my surprise the aim screen name "McSwarek" was somehow not taken... so I took it :) Say hi if you'd like!

Thank you so much for the reviews and the alerts, etc. I am overwhelmed and extremely greatful for all of your support as this story begins wrapping up!

Thanks,

Nikka!

O o o

Something was tickling his nose so he reached up to brush it away, but it kept tickling his nose more. Sam tried blowing the offensive object away from his face but it came back. He twisted a bit and tried to free his arm from the heavy object that weigh him down.

His eyes snapped open. He jolted himself awake in a panic. The last thing that he remembered was leaving Sarah's rehearsal dinner with McNally driving him. Without looking he let his body feel the object laying on top of him. It was definitely feminine. Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he couldn't believe he had done the unthinkable. Andy and Luke were over, well at least that's what everyone including Andy had assumed after she decked him. He had disappeared without explanation before she could say the words to him.

And what had he done? He'd brought someone else home and he was pretty sure given the fact that she was in his bed that he'd slept with her. If he'd had his gun handy, Sam might just have shot himself in the leg, that might be less torture then knowing he'd hurt Andy like this and quite possibly blown their chance together.

"And you yell at me for thinking too much," the familiar muffled voice sounded off. "You're thinking so loud you woke me up."

"Andy!" Her spoke her name like it was prayer and he'd been saved. He felt her shift as she pressed closer to him as she adjusted herself to face him. He looked down to see her sleep laden face.

"You don't seem very happy to see this morning Sam," she mused.

If he hadn't been so worried about her words he might now have seem the mischievous gleam in her eyes. "McNally, I ..." he struggled with the words not knowing what to say. "This is not how I wanted this to happen."

He felt her tense up and then pull away from him sitting up. As she sat up Sam felt a rush of coldness replace the heat of her body against his. It was enough to make him feel like he'd been punched in the gut. "It's okay Sam," she did her best to keep her voice normal as she sat up facing away from him. "I know you think this was a mistake and it was just the alcohol."

Sam nearly gasped at her words as he shot up and caught her arm before she could get out of bed. In his nervousness, he nearly shouted at her, "McNally! That's not what I mean. It's just that this isn't how I wanted it to be for us …. I want this just not like this. McNally! Look at me!"

Andy couldn't contain it anymore, she turned to Sam with a saucy smile and laughed. He looked at her like she had completely lost his mind. "You should," she was laughing uncontrollably now, "You should see your face...Oh my God Sam!" Her laughter was increasing and her body was shaking now. Tears began pouring down her face. Seeing his confusion she tried to sober up "Sam we didn't sleep together!"

He looked at her for a minute like she had lost it for real. "But," he looked at her again. She was wearing one of his old police academy tshirts and he was pretty sure he could see a pair of his boxers being used as sleeping shorts. He looked down to see that he was in a very similar outfit and looked back up at her. "We didn't sleep together?"

"Nope," she grinned at him. She reached over to pat his hand reassuringly. "It's okay Sam. I know you don't feel that way about me, and you're definitely not attracted to me. And quite frankly, I'm definitely not..."

Andy didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence. Sam had grabbed her arm and yanked her roughly towards him. In one swift, aggressive moment, he pinned her beneath him and captured her lips in a kiss that could be called anything but gentle. They continued kissing until the passion made them both break apart, chests heaving as their lungs desperately tried to refill themselves with vital oxygen.

He quirked an eyebrow at her and the dimples were in full swing. "You were saying that you're definitely not what now?"

She smirked up at him feeling her defiance flare up. Andy loved goading Sam. "I'm definitely not attracted to you."

"Liar!" He claimed her lips again feeling the intensity began to build quickly again. Sam was determined to kiss her until she gave in to him. When they broke apart this time, Sam leaned his forehead against hers and concentrated on breathing to try and force the dizziness to abate.

His head whipped up to meet her eyes when he heard her groan. "Do you always have to be right?" She nearly whined.

The dimples came out in full force then as he tried to contain his laugh, "You know it McNally." He bent his head in to kiss her again.

Before he could taste her lips again, both of their phones when off simultaneously. The wedding march was blaring from both of their phones in unison. Sam reluctantly pulled away from her and went to retrieve the phones shutting them both off before turning to her again. "I'm going to kill Sarah you know."

Andy merely laughed at him and got out of bed.

O o o o

A half an hour later, Sam pulled his truck up to the curb outside of Andy's apartment. Neither of them had bothered to get dressed beyond Sam pulling on sweats since their clothes for the wedding were at Sarah's hotel.

As Andy went to jump out of the truck, Sam reached for her hand with an easy smile that seemed to be ever present on his face this morning. "I'm going to get a coffee and be right back. Try to shower quickly so we're not late please." Andy smiled at him and climbed out of the truck. Just as he was about to pull away he shouted out the window to her. "Lock your door McNally!"

She smiled at him and stepped towards his open window and held out her keys for him. "I will." She smiled her dazzling smile at him. "I can pick a lock you know," she said to his confused face before turning and bounding up the stairs to catch the door as her neighbor was coming out.

Sam waited for her to slip inside before he pulled off of the curb. He was too busy being excited about his morning with Andy to notice the curtains move in her apartment window as he was pulling away.

O o o

Andy finished picking the lock to her apartment door and bounced inside. Her mind was on rushing to finish with her shower before Sam got back. On second thought, maybe she didn't want to rush. Maybe she wanted Sam to find her in the shower, maybe just maybe they could indulge in what he thought they had done last night.

As preoccupied as she didn't notice that something just wasn't right in her apartment. Heading towards the hallway she nearly jumped out of her skin as she caught sight of a man sitting at her kitchen table.

"Relax!" He put his hands up in a reassuring manner. "It's just me Andy."

"Luke!" she exclaimed chest still heaving from fright. "What are you doing here?"

"Andy I wanted to talk. We need to talk," he stated desperately as he stood in front of her. "I'm sorry Andy. I want us to fix this."

Andy took a step back. She honestly felt badly for Luke, but she was not going to cave in on this issue. "No Luke, it's done," she stated firmly. "We're done."

His body language displayed not only his discomfort but also his frustration. "You haven't been home in a couple days, I was getting worried. Where have you been?"

"No one wanted me to stay alone after what happened Luke, I haven't been here. How did you get in?"

"I still have my key." He dead panned. His eyes ran over the length of her making her uncomfortable. They were taking in her appearance and forming conclusions. They landed on the dress that was handing over arm and then he noticed her bare feet. "What are you wearing Andy?"

She noticed how his voice hardened and it made her bristle. "I didn't have anything to sleep in, so I borrowed clothes."

He took a step towards her successfully making her feel skiddish. "Who's clothes are they Andy," his voice had taken on a menacing tone that she hadn't failed to notice.

"Luke you should leave now," she said coolly standing her ground. Andy refused to let him see that he was freaking her out.

Her avoidance of the answer was starting to piss him off. He nearly spat at her as he said "They're Swarek's aren't they?" As she merely looked at him defiantly, he took another step closer to her. "Aren't they?" His voice was nearly booming.

"Get out Luke," she told him as she stepped past him leaving him closer to the door.

He reached out grabbing her arm roughly spinning her to face him. His grip only tightened on her arm as she tried to pull away from him. He tugged her closer to him as he glared down angrily at her. "Are you sleeping with him," he demanded. "Have you been sleeping with him all along?"

"No," Andy stated hotly as she tried to tug her arm away from him. "Not that you deserve to know that , but no, we have NEVER slept together."

"I don't believe you."

"That's your problem."

"So what am I supposed to think huh?" He let go of her arm and his voice raising with each word. "He drops you off before 9am, you come strutting in wearing his tshirt and boxers, your carrying a dress that I've never seen before, you haven't been home in days. What the hell am I supposed to think."

"Whatever you want Luke," she ground out. "But what you're implying never happened."

"I'm not stupid Andy," he shouted again. "You two have been dancing around each other for months. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"You know what Luke, I don't know. You were never there for me. I shot that man, you weren't there you went to the scene. When I went under cover you gave me a hard time, and I when I thought my partner got killed, you said nothing! Hell even when I had gotten shot it barely seemed to phase you!"

" I cared! I love you damn it."

He knew that he had successfully goaded her when he saw the anger flash in her eyes. "Well you sure as hell have a funny way of showing it!"

"You're just one of his conquests you know that? Another notch for his bed post."

"Funny, while he was busy trying to patch us up, he tried to sweep it under the rug that you have a thing for rookies."

Luke hadn't even realized what he was about to do. He just knew that Andy had pushed him well beyond any reason. Not one to normally lose his temper, he couldn't believe it when his hand shot out and slapped her in the face.

As soon as he heard the sound of his hand hitting her face he thought he was going to throw up. He took a step to rush forward. "Andy I'm so sor-"

Luke never got the words out and never got more then a step closer to him before he felt hands on him. He was being shoved up against the wall by an infuriated Swarek who had open Andy's apartment door just in time to see that fateful slap.

Sam shoved him into the wall and lowered his voice to a dangerous level. "Give me a reason to beat you with in an inch of your life."

"I didn't mean to," he gasped clearly still shocked. "Andy I'm sorry!"

"Sam," her hoarse voice caught his attention causing him to look towards her rubbing her cheek. "Let him go. He was just leaving."

Sam released Luke but his whole body was humming with a dangerous energy that would allow him to snap any second.

Luke turned to look at her with a horrified look on his face. "Andy, I'm so-"

She held up her hand to him effectively stopping what he was about to say. "Yep," she said shortly. "You're sorry. Got it. Now please go. And leave the key will you?"

They both watched in disbelief as Luke placed the key on the table and quietly made his way out of her apartment. Sam immediately turned to her stepping quickly in front of her and gently touching her cheek.

It hadn't bruised, but it was a bit red. She looked up at him and smiled. "thank you Sam."

He shook his head at her words failing him at the moment. He watched as she went to her freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen vegetable to put on her cheek. "I don't think it will bruise at all, and I might even be able to get the swelling to go down. Sarah might not kill me."

Sam looked at her and in a dull voice told her that "Sarah can go to hell right now."

She playfully slapped Sam's arm and tried to smile despite wincing at the movement of her cheek. "Relax Sam, it's finally over." When he didn't look relieved she couldn't resist. "Besides, he slaps like a girl."

Sam knew that the smile he gave her was more of a grimace, but he hadn't gotten over his fear for her, or his anger at Luke. Instead he pulled her in for a hug and just breathed in the scent of her thankful that nothing more had happened.