Author's Note: I'm back! Thank you all for the sweet well-wishes after the last chapter. I had a fabulous trip, got to see a good friend get married and visited with friends and family I haven't seen in years. It is always good to come home though!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

When Lindsey knocked on Andy's door one Saturday morning, she wasn't expecting a tall, blonde, blue-eyed man to answer it.

"Oh, hi," she stammered, caught off guard by his presence.

He smiled and his teeth were perfectly straight and gleaming white. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she returned the greeting out of instinct. "Um. Is Andy home?"

The man glanced over his shoulder and then looked back to her, smile still in place. "She's taking a shower," he said. "Do you want me to tell her that you dropped by?"

"Sure," she replied. "I'm Lindsey."

The man's eyes widened with recognition. "You must be Sam's niece. Andy's told me all about you."

"Right," Lindsey said, furrowing her brow intentionally. She looked at him suspiciously and feigned ignorance. "And who are you?"

She knew who he was. Even though she'd never met him or, for that matter, ever seen a picture of him, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that only a family member or significant other would open a person's door so casually.

The man's smile faltered slightly but he answered, "I'm Luke. Andy's boyfriend."

"Oh," she replied, emotionless. Her dark eyes shifted up and down, carefully scrutinizing him.

Luke found himself squirming under her gaze, shifting his feet, disconcertingly intimidated by the girl's stare. It was one he'd seen her uncle use before. Against criminals. "Hasn't Andy told you about me?"

Lindsey shrugged, "Not really." It wasn't a complete lie. It wasn't like he was a regular topic of conversation.

His face fell. "Oh. Well, did you want me to tell her something or…" he trailed off in question.

"I was going to see if she wanted to carve pumpkins with us," Lindsey told him.

"Well, I think Andy's going to be busy today, but I'll let her know."

"Okay," she regarded him coolly. "We're going to go get the pumpkins soon so if she wants us to get her one, she can call my uncle." She paused for a beat and then informed him, "She has his number."

"I'll pass along the message," Luke replied, smiling patiently.

"Or she can just come over and tell us," Lindsey continued, pointedly reminding him, "We live right next door."

Luke nodded, his patience waning. "Okay. It was nice to meet you Lindsey."

"You too." She smiled tightly and then turned on her heel, marching home. He watched her go, feeling slightly taken aback by the encounter.

"Who was that?" Andy asked, coming out of the bedroom. Fresh from of the shower, she was wearing a robe and using a towel to squeeze the water out of her hair.

Luke closed the door and looked back at her, a funny expression on his face. "Lindsey," he told her. "She wanted to know if you wanted to carve pumpkins with them."

Andy perked up. "When?"

"Today sometime. She didn't say exactly."

Andy looked thoughtful, moving the towel through her hair. "That sounds like it could be fun. I haven't carved pumpkins in… gosh, at least five years."

Luke moved over to her and slid his hands around her waist. "I was kind of thinking that we could spend the day together," he pouted, bending down and mumbling against the skin of her neck. He pulled on the ends of the belt, loosening it enough to slip his hands inside.

His cold fingers tickled her warmed skin and Andy giggled, slapping at his hands and moving away from him. "I thought you had to work?"

"I don't have to work," he told her, following her into her kitchen. "I was just going to go in and get caught up on some paperwork."

She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice. "Oh," she said, her voice losing the lightness it held just a few moments earlier, "Well, if you're not going in then I'll just stay with you. Juice?"

He nodded and she retrieved two glasses from the cabinet. He took in her expression - lips turned downwards in a small frown, brow furrowed slightly – and was surprised to realize that she seemed disappointed about spending the day with him rather than carving pumpkins with Sam Swarek and his niece.

Surprised and concerned. Andy normally jumped at the chance to spend the day together. Luke rested his hip against the island in the center of the kitchen and folded his arms over his chest. "Is something wrong?"

Andy looked up at him from beneath her long lashes. She pursed her lips, hesitating, and then asked, "Are you staying home because you want to stay with me or because you don't want me to go over to Lindsey and Sam's?"

"Because I want to stay with you," he answered immediately and with sincerity that rang false in Andy's ears. "Of course. I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks."

Andy's eyes widened slightly but she schooled her expression as she poured juice into their glasses. "That's not my fault."

Luke huffed. "I've had to work, Andy, you know that."

She nodded, handing him his drink. "I know." As she took a sip of her juice, she debated whether or not it was worth even getting into the inevitable argument that would occur if she continued questioning him. "It's just odd that before I got into the shower your plan was to go to work and then when I got out, your plans changed."

"Well, plans change sometimes Andy," he said testily. "I thought you'd be happy."

She relented slightly. "I am," she said, forcing a smile.

Luke should have stopped there, but he continued. "And you seem to spend a lot of time with Sam and Lindsey."

Her smile fell and she stiffened defensively. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he quickly recanted.

She looked at him and he couldn't make out what she was thinking. Her eyes narrowed slowly, as if she was understanding something for the first time. "Are you jealous?"

Luke rolled his eyes and scoffed, "No. "

"Good," she responded firmly, as if the very idea of him being jealous was insulting.

"It's not entirely outrageous that I think it's strange that you spend so much time with your single, male neighbor."

"It's not like I'm alone with him," Andy said evenly, trying to control her reaction, "Lindsey's there too."

"Still, Andy," Luke persisted, "You're over there all the time."

"First of all, I am not over there all the time," Andy said, "And second, Sam and I are just friends, nothing more. I don't think I should have to defend myself when… " she broke off, losing her nerve.

"When I what?" Luke asked.

At his challenging tone, Andy set her jaw and shot back, "When you spend all day with your ex-fiancé!"

"I work with her Andy," he replied, sounding exasperated, "She's my partner."

"I know, I know." Andy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't want to get in a fight about this."

Luke sighed and reached his hand out, wrapping it around her waist and drawing her to him. "I don't either," he muttered.

Andy rested her hands on his chest, fingering the top button on his shirt. "I'll just call Lindsey and tell her I can't come. It's not a big deal."

He could tell that she was disappointed, which left him with an uneasy feeling. Andy's relationship with Sam Swarek and Lindsey was not one that Luke was entirely comfortable with; he just didn't understand why Andy would chose to spend time with the man, much less his teenaged niece. He felt certain that there was more going on than what Andy was telling him, no matter how innocent she tried to make it all seem. "How about this?" he proposed after a moment, peering down at her. "How about we both go over and carve pumpkins with them?"

Andy balked immediately at the idea, pushing away from him. "I don't thinks so Luke," she said, shaking her head, "You and Sam…"

"We're adults Andy," he told her, "We can get along. This way you can spend time with Lindsey and I can spend time with you."

She hesitated, somewhat suspicious of his motives. "Um…"

He continued, "And you know what, if Lindsey's going to be a part of your life, I should probably get to know her." He smiled broadly, hoping to convince her of his selfless, noble intentions.

"I don't know," she replied uncertainly, doubt still heavy in her voice.

"Just call him," Luke said, determined. "Can't hurt to ask."

Andy pressed her lips together in a tight smile. "Fine," she agreed after a moment. She slipped from his arms and moved around him so she could grab her cell phone.

- Ten Minutes Earlier -

The front door slammed and Sam looked up from the newspaper he was reading. A few seconds later his niece appeared in the kitchen, hands on her hips.

"Well," she said somberly, "I met him."

"Who?"

She arched an eyebrow. "The other man."

He folded down the top of his newspaper and rested his forearms against the table. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Lindsey heaved a heavy sigh, clearly exasperated with her dense uncle, and told him, "I just went over to Andy's, to ask her about coming over to carve pumpkins."

"Ah," Sam said, understanding. "You met Luke."

"Yes, I did."

"You weren't rude, were you?" Sam asked, his forehead creasing with worry.

"No, of course not," Lindsey answered easily, climbing up onto the counter to reach a bowl. "I did stare him down though. He squirmed like a little girl."

"Oh geez," Sam said, pressing his fingers between his eyes. "You can't do that to people, Lindsey. It's rude."

Lindsey rolled her eyes and began pouring herself some cereal. "Well, he looks like a tool," she commented, scrunching her nose in distaste. "He was wearing plaid. And khakis. On a Saturday. Who does that?"

"Lindsey," Sam warned, his tone firm. "Be respectful."

"I'm just being observant," she insisted, sitting down with him at the table and pulling her knee up to her chest. "And I observed that he looked like a tool."

Sam struggled to suppress a grin, but she caught the way his lips twitched at the corners.

"Ha! See! You agree with me." She took a big bite of cereal and, with her mouth still full and her words marbled, argued, "He's no good for her."

"First of all, that's disgusting," he said, pointing at her mouth, "Chew your food. Second, you met him for what? Two seconds? You don't know if he's good for her or not."

"I can just tell these things," she replied. "Call it women's intuition."

He raised an eyebrow and humored her, "Ah. Okay."

"So," Lindsey said, absently swirling her spoon through the milk in her bowl, "What are you going to do about it?"

"Do about what?" He asked naively.

"Luke, Uncle Sam," she answered, frustrated. "What are you going to do about Luke?"

"I'm not going to do anything about Luke," he replied, going back to his newspaper.

Lindsey narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. "So you're fine with her dating him?"

"Andy can date whoever she wants to date Lindsey," Sam said, his eyes scanning over the front page.

"But… but…" She sputtered, "But you want to date her." Sam looked at her over the top of the newspaper. "You do," she insisted, "I know you do."

Sam just "hmmed", neither confirming nor denying his niece's claim, and continued reading. Truth be told, he hadn't allowed himself to think too much about his feelings towards his neighbor. There were things he didn't try to deny, like the fact that she was attractive or that she was good with Lindsey, but there were other things, more complicated things, like how naturally she fit into their home and how easily she'd gotten him to open up about things he hadn't shared with anyone else, that he wouldn't let himself dwell on. Some things were just easier not to deal with.

Lindsey groaned. "You're impossible," she declared. She took another bite of her cereal and then commented, "I think she likes you too."

"She has a boyfriend Lindsey," he replied, his tone unaffected.

"That doesn't matter," Lindsey maintained. "She likes you. I can tell."

Sam slowly set his newspaper down. He didn't necessarily want to encourage his niece's match-making efforts, but his interest was piqued. "What makes you think she likes me?"

Lindsey grinned, eager to share her observations with her uncle. "She giggles and she touches your arm, like this…" Lindsey imitated Andy, her voice high, "Oh Sam, dinner was soooooo good. You're such an amazing cook."

Sam laughed at the impression. "She does not do that," he feebly denied.

"Yes she does," Lindsey said. "And she told me that she thinks you're handsome."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, part hopeful, part disbelieving.

"Well, no," Lindsey admitted sheepishly. "But I'm sure she thinks you are."

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "You're crazy," he teased, affectionately ruffling his niece's hair as he stood from the table.

Lindsey quickly fixed her hair, shooting him an annoyed look as he refilled his coffee mug. His cell phone rang and he reached for it, checking the caller I.D. "Guess who it is?"

"Andy?" Lindsey said hopefully.

He nodded and then answered the call with a typical gruff greeting. Lindsey's eye widened as she listened to her uncle's conversation and when he finally hung up, she looked at him expectantly.

"Well, Lindsey," he said, tossing the phone back on to the counter, "Andy's going to come over to carve pumpkins."

Lindsey's eyes lit up. "She is?"

"Yep, she is,' he confirmed. He paused a beat and then lowered the boom, informing her, "So is Luke."

The drastic change in Lindsey's countenance would have been humorous to Sam if he didn't share her dismay. Her smile vanished, her eyes darkened and her face pinched. "What?" She groaned dramatically, flinging her arms out and dropping her head to the table. "Nooooooo!"

Sam passively took a sip of his coffee, refusing to indulge his niece's hysterics.

"Why did you say he could come over?" Lindsey asked, her forehead resting against the table.

It was a good question, one he had asked himself as soon as he heard himself agree to it. "I'm not sure," he answered honestly. After realizing what he had done, he couldn't say he was happy about the idea of having the detective in his home and around his niece.

Lindsey heaved a deep sigh. "This cannot be happening," she moaned, banging her head against the table.

"Cut that out, you're going to give yourself a headache," Sam said, sliding his hand under Lindsey's forehead and lifting it off the table, forcing her to look at him. "It won't be that bad," he promised, not entirely believing himself.

"Yes it will be," Lindsey insisted. "It's going to be the worst thing ever."

"Okay," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "Now you're just being silly. We're carving pumpkins, not going off to war. It's going to be fine."

"That's what you think," Lindsey sneered, taking an angry, aggressive bite of her cereal and chewing loudly.

"It's your fault you know," Sam told her.

"My fault?" She squeaked. "How is this my fault?"

"You're the one that told him about it."

Lindsey groaned again. "I just can't believe this."

"Hey, listen to me. Ground rules," Sam said, pointing his finger at his niece. He waited until he had her full attention. "You will be nice and respectful to him, understand me?"

"Why do I have to be nice to him?"

"Because," Sam reasoned, "Sometimes you have to be nice to people you don't like."

"You don't like him," Lindsey responded, "Are you going to be nice to him?"

Sam's mouth opened, getting ready to respond, but then it closed. He thought for a moment and it opened again, "I'm an adult. And it's my house."

"So that means he's your guest," Lindsey informed him. "Even more of a reason to be nice to him."

"Well," Sam stammered, admitting reluctantly, "That's true."

Lindsey thought it over and decided, "If I have to be nice to him, you have to be nice to him."

Sam eyed his niece. "How about this?" he suggested, "You don't have to be nice to him but you can't be rude to him."

"Deal," Lindsey accepted with a grin.

"Good. Now, get your coat," Sam instructed, downing the last of his coffee, "We've got to go get these stupid pumpkins."

Two hours later there was a knock at the front door and as Lindsey rushed to open it, Sam once again reminded her not to be rude.

"I know, I know," she muttered. Plastering on a big grin, she threw the door open. "Hi!"

"Hey Lindsey," Andy said, smiling widely. She glanced at Luke anxiously, signaling for him to acknowledge the young girl.

"Lindsey," Luke said, tipping his head. "Good to see you again."

A flash of a smirk crossed Lindsey's face but when she felt Sam come to stand behind her, it transformed into an exaggerated grin. "I'm so glad you could both come over," she said. Sam nudged her and she shot him an irritable look before turning back to their guests. "Come on in," she said, opening the door wider so the couple could slip into the foyer.

The tension in the small room was palpable and the nervous churning Andy felt in her stomach became stronger, especially when Luke slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him possessively. It felt like they were in a silent staring contest; Andy and Luke on one side of the small room and Lindsey and Sam on the other.

Sam read Andy's uncomfortable expression and, with a little encouragement in the form of Lindsey elbowing him in the stomach, finally extended his hand. "Callaghan."

Luke released Andy and gripped Sam's hand with deliberate, unnecessary strength. "Sammy," he replied.

The muscle in Sam's jaw twitched at the nickname, but he didn't comment on it. Instead he put his hand on Lindsey's shoulder and suggested, "Lindsey, why don't you take them outside?"

"Come on, my uncle said we had to go to the back porch," Lindsey said, waving her hand and ushering them through the house. She looked over her shoulder and explained with a wry grin, "He's afraid we're going to get pumpkin guts all over the house."

Andy winked and shared a knowing smile with Lindsey before the girl faced forward again, leading them through the living room. When Andy saw the puzzled look on Luke's face, she quietly let him in on the inside joke, "Sam's a little bit of a neat freak."

"Ah, gotcha," Luke replied, his chest tightening at the noticeable familiarity between Andy and the Swareks.

Lindsey slid open the porch door and they all stepped out onto the back porch. It was an unusually beautiful fall day; the air was crisp but just warm enough not to need a jacket and the sun was high, unobscured by the few white, fluffy clouds that hung in the brilliant blue sky.

Andy chuckled when she saw that the floor had been outlined with newspaper. "I tried to get the best pumpkins they had," Lindsey told them, gesturing to the four pumpkins that sat on the small outdoor table, "But there wasn't much of a selection and someone wouldn't go to another farmer's market." She pointedly looked towards her uncle, her lips pursing in frustration over the fact that he didn't take picking out pumpkins as seriously as she did.

Sam just shrugged, unconcerned with his niece's exasperation with him, and Andy thought that the fact that Lindsey had been able to convince Sam to go to even one farmer's market was impressive enough. She couldn't imagine that the idea or desire to carve pumpkins had ever even crossed Sam's mind.

"These are great Lindsey," Andy assured her. "Thank you for getting them for us."

Lindsey nodded and picked up a perfectly plump, round and smooth pumpkin. "Here's your pumpkin, Andy," she said, handing it over. Then she picked up a tall, skinny pumpkin with a big knot on the side. "And here's yours, Luke."

The difference between the two pumpkins was stark and as Luke accepted his pumpkin from Lindsey he let out a short, ironic burst of laughter. Lindsey looked at him curiously, intentionally oblivious to the reason for his laughter, and he clamped his mouth shut.

When she saw the misfit pumpkin Lindsey had picked out for Luke, Andy suppressed an amused smile, glancing over at Sam who was leaning against the back of the house, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He cut his eyes over to her and his lips curled into a small grin as he acknowledged the not-so-subtle undertone of Lindsey's choice. He shook his head slightly, almost imperceptibly, in an unspoken apology for his niece.

Lindsey pointed out the various tools and knives that she had gathered to carve the pumpkins and they all got settled in, sitting cross-legged on the newspaper-covered tile. After the forced, polite conversation had passed, a tense silence settled over the group, no one really knowing what to say to the others. It wasn't "the worst thing ever", as Lindsey had predicted it would be, but it was undeniably uncomfortable. Andy tried as best she could to bring up topics to talk about, but Luke seemed to be growing more and more agitated, Sam had reverted to his monotone, indifferent self and Lindsey was absorbed with meticulously tracing a sketch onto her pumpkin.

After one particularly inane attempt at conversation, Sam glanced up at Andy, amusement dancing in his brown eyes. She caught his gaze and narrowed her eyes, suddenly overcome with the desire to hit him for taking pleasure in her obvious discomfort.

He excused himself not long afterwards to grab some paper towels and Andy quickly got to her feet, following him inside. She caught up with him in the kitchen and, with her hands on her hips, said, "Could you be any less helpful?"

He turned to her and innocently asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," she said, "I'm out there, trying to get everyone to talk because I know this is weird and awkward…"

He interrupted her. "You know, you're the one that's making it awkward."

Andy's jaw dropped. "I'm doing everything I can just to make it feel even a little bit normal," she argued, pinching her fingers together for emphasis. She sighed and dropped her head into her hands. "This was such a mistake. I knew it, we should have never come…"

"Would you calm down?" he asked, his fingers encircling her wrists to pull her hands away from her face.

"Why did you say yes to this?" She hissed, pulling her hands from his grip.

Sam's eyebrows shot up, "What? You're the one that asked if he could come over!"

"You were supposed to say no!" She replied. "You don't even like him, I never thought you would agree to it!"

Sam stared at her, dumbfounded. "I agreed to it because you asked, Andy," he answered simply. "Why did you invite him if you didn't want him to come?"

Andy groaned and leaned back against the counter. "I didn't invite him," she mumbled miserably. "It was his idea." She wished she had trusted her instincts, hadn't given into the pressure Luke had put on her to ask Sam if they both could come over.

Sam was quiet, letting her words sink in. "What?"

She sighed heavily and crossed her arms in front of her, looking at the ground. "He thought it would be a good idea to get to know Lindsey."

Sam moved to stand in front of her. "Why?" he asked, confused and more than a little skeptical.

She shrugged. "He's making an effort to be more involved in my life," she said, not completely understanding his reasoning herself.

"That's…" Sam struggled for a word. "Good."

"Yeah," she agreed, trying to convince herself it was what she wanted. "It is. I guess."

"Look," he said, reaching out to place a hand on her upper arm in a comforting, reassuring gesture, "I wasn't raised by wolves, okay? I can be civil to the guy."

"I know," she nodded.

Sam grinned a little, lightening the mood. "I can't make any promises about Lindsey though."

Andy laughed. "I think she's made her feelings perfectly clear. That was the ugliest pumpkin I've ever seen."

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention when she picked them out," Sam admitted.

"And here I thought you were all about the pumpkin carving," Andy teased with mock surprise.

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "No, Lindsey is all about the pumpkin carving. It's a tradition apparently." He glanced away from her and a faraway look passed through his eye. When she caught his gaze again he gave her a small smile. "She can be very insistent when she wants to be."

Someone coughed, clearing their throat, and they both turned to look towards the entrance of the kitchen. Luke was standing there, scowling and glaring at them with accusation in his eyes. She didn't understand why he seemed so upset but Sam's hand immediately dropped from her arm and he took a step back, away from her. Andy hadn't even realized they had been standing as close as they were and when she did she cursed under her breath, knowing how it looked and the assumptions Luke would jump to.

"I'm just going to go supervise Lindsey, make sure she doesn't cut anything off," Sam told them evenly, his voice unaffected by the obvious tension of the situation. With a slight nod, he grabbed the paper towels he had originally come for and walked out of the kitchen, brushing passed Luke who made no attempt to move out of his way.

Andy took a deep breath and looked up at Luke. "Whatever you're thinking, please… just don't."

Luke arched an eyebrow. "What am I thinking?"

Andy sighed again, closing her eyes. "Luke…"

"Certainly I'm not thinking that my girlfriend is in here cozying up with another man."

Her eyes snapped open. "Excuse me?"

"That was a very comfortable little scene I just walked into," Luke said.

"Don't be like that Luke, I just came in here to make sure everything was okay."

"Why would everything not be okay?"

Andy groaned, wondering why he was being so purposefully difficult. "Because you and Sam don't like each other Luke. You've both made that perfectly clear. I just wanted to make sure he was okay with you being here."

Luke's jaw tensed. "And you had to be touching each other to make sure he was okay?"

"No, that's not…" Andy paused and regrouped. "I know it's a lot to ask, but can you please just trust me that it was perfectly innocent? We were just talking."

Luke rubbed his hand over his jaw, taking a moment to think. "Fine," he agreed. He could always bring it up later, when they got home.

"Yeah?" Andy looked at him hopefully.

Luke nodded sharply.

"Can we go back outside now?" She smiled and held out her hand, telling him, "So far my jack-o'-lantern only has eyes. I think he'd appreciate the rest of his face."

Luke took Andy's hand and he begrudgingly allowed her to lead him out of the kitchen and through the living room.

They both stopped in their tracks at the scene they saw through the glass patio door. Lindsey and Sam were facing one another, obviously in some kind of heated argument. Lindsey stood with her hands on her hips, yelling something at her uncle and Sam was pressing his fingers to his forehead. When she was finished he threw his arms out, saying something in response, and Lindsey's eyes widened until they were huge and filled with anger.

"I wonder what's going on," Luke muttered.

"I have no idea," Andy replied slowly, worriedly, her eyes glued in front of her. "Did she say something when I was gone?"

Luke just shook his head. Andy's grip on his hand tightened as Lindsey bent down to pick up her pumpkin. Before Sam could reach out and stop her, she lifted it high above her head and then smashed it to the ground, sending pieces of orange rind and flesh all over the porch. Sam recoiled automatically, stepping backwards and clenching his fists at his side, physically reigning in his temper.

Andy let out an audible gasp and she sprang forward, sliding open the glass door. "Lindsey!" she exclaimed. "What in the world going on?"

The young girl turned to her and Andy could see that she had angry tears in her eyes. "Nothing," Lindsey said, stomping passed her into the house.

Andy watched her go and then turned back to Sam. Anger, frustration and concern were playing across his features, fighting for dominance.

"What happened?" she asked, bewildered.

He looked at her, hard, wanting to tell her, but then his eyes flickered over to Luke who had stepped out onto the porch. Andy watched as his face became stoic, expressionless. He cleared his throat and then knelt to pick up the pieces of the broken pumpkin. "Nothing," he replied, echoing his niece's answer.

Andy bent down to help him, but he held his hand out. "I've got it," he said. "I'm sorry, why don't you guys just go home? You can take your pumpkins if you want."

Andy stared at him a moment and then turned to Luke, "Can you just give us a minute?" she asked quietly, pleadingly.

Luke pursed his lips, irritated and not at all happy about the prospect of leaving the two of them alone, but he nodded his head. "Sure," he replied. "I'll just go back to your house."

She granted him a small, thankful smile, grateful he hadn't made an issue of her staying. "I'll be right there," she promised.

Luke stepped back into the house, closing the door behind him, and Andy knelt down beside Sam. "What happened?" she asked, again.

"She's just upset."

"Is it Luke?" she asked, trying to pull more information from him.

Sam sighed and dropped his head. "No, she's mad at me," he explained without elaborating. "I'm sorry you guys saw that."

He sounded embarrassed and Andy's brow furrowed, disconcerted. "Don't be sorry," she said, "It's fine. Do you want me to go talk to her?"

Sam shook his head, "No, she just needs some time I think. It was just... Too much."

Andy nodded slowly even though she didn't really understand. Lindsey had been fine when she left, following Sam into the kitchen. Not ten minutes later she was yelling and throwing things. "Sam…"

He looked up at her and she could see the walls that had been slowly torn down being built right back up. "Just go home Andy," he said, "You were right, this was a mistake."

"Sam," she repeated.

He stood, facing her. His tone was firm but not rude. "Just go home," he urged, "Please."

Andy blinked, taking in his resignation. She knew she wasn't going to get anything out of him, knew he wasn't going to confide in her. "Okay," she said, agreeing even though she knew it wasn't really a choice. "If there's something I can do…"

Sam nodded. "I'll let you know," he promised. He opened the glass door, ushering her through it.

Andy didn't want to go, didn't want to leave things the way they were, but with a final glance at Sam and the messy porch, she stepped back into the house and made her way out.

Luke sat in a chair in Andy's living room and drummed his fingers against the armrest rhythmically, gathering his thoughts, piecing together what he'd learned that afternoon.

He hadn't given his girlfriend's burgeoning friendship with the man much thought to begin with. In all honesty, it made things easier on him… he wasn't met with pouts and arguments when he said he had to work late anymore and he wasn't questioned when he cancelled their plans. It wasn't until Jo had mentioned that Sam was asking around about Andy's training officer that Luke had started really paying attention to the amount of time Andy spent with them. He'd started asking her questions about it here and there but she'd insisted that she was really just trying to be there for Lindsey. When he'd asked specifics about why Lindsey was living with Sam, Andy told him what he already knew; that Lindsey's mother had died and that Sam had custody now. He'd pressed for more information she'd tensed up and replied that it wasn't her place to tell him.

That had really pissed him off, the fact that Andy and Sam shared something that she wouldn't share with him. It wasn't right. He'd told her how he felt about it, but she'd simply and firmly held her ground, refusing to tell him any more.

When the opportunity presented itself to spend time with them, Luke couldn't resist. Their time at Swarek's house did little to quell his fears about his girlfriend's relationship with them. The more Andy tried to get them to talk the more irritated Luke had gotten, wondering why it was so important to her that they all got along. He knew that part of it was just her personality; Andy was a peacemaker and craved harmony in her life. That part was understandable, but it was the way she had been so anxious, so unable to just relax, that had really thrown Luke. As if she was desperate that they accepted one another. Or, more specifically, desperate that they accepted him. As if he had to fit into the life she'd created with them rather than the other way around.

If it was up to Luke, that was never going to happen. Truth be told, he detested Sam Swarek and didn't really understand why Andy enjoyed being around Lindsey so much. She seemed like a rude, sarcastic teenager to him.

When he found Andy in the kitchen with Sam and then later when he'd followed her out onto the porch after the argument, he'd realized with startling, certain clarity just how close she had become to the man, how emotionally invested she was in him and his niece. It was not the innocent friendship she'd lead him to believe they shared and she certainly wasn't just in it for Lindsey's sake. He'd seen it in Sam's eyes too; the man was open and vulnerable when it was just Andy but as soon as Luke made his presence known he'd become guarded, closed off.

It didn't take a detective to recognize the familiar, even intimate, connection between the two.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sounds of the front door opening and he heard the click of Andy's shoes against the wooden floor as she moved through the house to join him in the living room.

She slumped onto the sofa, letting out a heavy sigh before reaching down to remove her boots.

Luke regarded her carefully. She seemed tired, drained. He almost regretted what he was about to do. "So," he said, "Are you sleeping with him?"

Andy froze and then slowly lifted her head, blindsided by the accusation. "Excuse me?"

"With Swarek," Luke clarified. "Are you sleeping with him?"

She blinked. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Oh come on Andy," he spat as he stood up, suddenly irate, "I'm not blind. There is something going on, something you're not telling me!"

"No, I'm not sleeping with him!" She replied, getting to her feet to face him fully, their argument quickly escalating. "How dare you even suggest something like that?"

"So you're telling me there's nothing going on?"

"Yes," she hissed, "There is nothing going on."

"You and Sam seemed awfully close for two people that aren't sleeping together."

"We're friends," She insisted, yelling, "God, how many do I have to tell you that?"

"Sam Swarek does not want to just be friends with you Andy," he yelled back, "Its obvious he wants you to fulfill some weird wife and mother role and you seem more than happy to be playing house!"

"You cannot be serious," Andy replied. "That is absolutely absurd."

"Oh really? How many times have you babysat for him?"

"Lindsey doesn't need a babysitter, Luke," Andy said, avoiding the question, "She's twelve."

"Well how many times have you stayed with her when Sam's not there?" He rephrased, not dropping the point.

She swallowed hard and then admitted, "Four times."

"And how many times has he paid you?"

"You are being ridiculous," she claimed, folding her arms over her chest.

"How many?" He persisted.

"Never, but he's offered…" Andy tried to explain, but he cut her off.

"Of course he offered," Luke exclaimed, flinging his arms out, "He knew you would say no!"

Andy took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger that was rising in her chest. "I have a job, Luke, I think I can manage without the thirty bucks of babysitting money I'd get." Not to mention the fact that Sam regularly fed her. "Besides, I actually like Lindsey and I enjoy hanging out with her. It's not like it's a burden to spend time with her."

"She's twelve, Andy."

"She's special, Luke," Andy retorted, a bite to her words. "And she needs me."

"You are not her mother!" Luke yelled.

"No, I'm not," Andy replied with equal volume, "But her mother is dead!"

"I know that, trust me, you've made it very clear."

"Well, you don't seem to get it!" she shouted. "Why are you fighting me about this? Why can't you just trust me?"

"Because I saw you with him and everything in my gut is telling me that there's more there than just friendship!"

"And you don't think that I wonder about you and Jo?"

He looked at her, his expression truly perplexed, "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Everything in me tells me that something's not right, that you still have feelings for her. Other people say the same thing," Andy responded, pointing at him, "But I've trusted you when you tell me that you don't. I trust you to be around her, to spend hours and hours with her every single day."

"Well, I don't trust you that much!" He responded, the words slipping out before he could censor himself.

Andy let out a short, indignant huff and then set her jaw. "What are you trying to say?"

He hesitated. "I don't want you going over there any more."

"That's not fair," she said, looking down at the ground. "I can't believe you'd even ask me that."

"I'm not comfortable with it, Andy."

Her gaze rose to meet his and she fixed him with a hard look. "You can't seriously be forbidding me to see them."

Luke shrugged, letting his silence speak for him.

She bit her lowered lip and shook her head. "Well, I'm not going to agree to that."

"As much as you think they do, they don't need you Andy. They'll be fine without you."

His words were hurtful, cutting her deep. "I know they would be," she replied honestly. "But this isn't about that now. It's about you and me." She took a deep breath, finding sudden clarity in the rush of air she took in. "I don't want to be with you if you can't trust me."

Luke stared at her in disbelief. "You're serious?"

She nodded, determined. "I've tried so hard to make this work, told myself that it was okay that you always, always chose work over me, made excuses when you weren't there for me when I needed you, didn't listen when people tried to warn me about you…" she trailed off, shaking her head sadly, "It's not worth it."

He chuckled humorlessly, not hearing or accepting her reasons, "You're breaking up with me, for them?"

"No," she replied, her chin high, "Not for them."

"But you are breaking up with me?"

She nodded again.

His lips settled into a tight line and he grabbed his coat. "If I walk out that door, it's over," he challenged.

Andy's eyes locked with his and an unexpected lump formed in her throat. She swallowed, pushing it back, and told him, "I think you need to go."