Andy dealing with HR took longer than she thought, by the time she was done and officially signed out and off the Toronto PD, Parade was starting.
She decided to go into Parade for the last time and just stand at the back and catch all her friends when they were on their way out to tell him her news.
She walked in and hung at the back, seeing everyone facing Frank at the front. Sam and Oliver both saw her out of uniform and wondered why that was. Marlo and Nick were partnered together sitting together, then Tracy was to the side on her own. Chloe, Dov, Chris, Gail all sitting around.
Frank noticed Andy was in the room, looked at her and before he finished decided to address her.
"I'd like everyone to give a round of applause for one of the best rookies we've ever had. Today's her last official day at 15 Division before she moves onto a new path and eventually another PD. Andy McNally." He said starting to clap as her friends turned and looked at her in shock. Sam also in disbelief and looking hurt. Oliver looking like he understood, he had figured out something was up before she had left for her trip. The other officers she wasn't close to all stood and clapped and she smiled thanking them. They started filing out, with her friends staying behind.
"What the hell, Andy?" Nick said coming up to her. Not understanding where this announcement was coming from.
"Andy, what's going on?" Tracy asked. Tracy figured something was going on with Andy before she left, but she didn't expect this.
Andy looked around the room and figured this was not her ideal way of letting them all know, but Frank gave her a good gift. This was like ripping the band-aid off really fast dealing with them all at once.
"I'm sorry you all had to find out that way, but I'm going to California to stay."
"No, you can't McNally." Sam said as Andy looked at him in confusion. He had no say. Marlo also stared at her boyfriends reaction.
"Yes, I am. My family needs me right now. I need to be in California. I'm back to just pack up and get stuff taken care of, but I'm leaving for California on Friday." She told them.
"Hey, you all have a job to do. You can say your byes to McNally on your own time." Frank called out at the group of cops that needed to start their shift.
Chloe came over and hugged Andy, "it was nice getting to know you." She told her genuinely.
"Thank you Chloe." Andy smiled at her.
"I don't know what to say." Dov said sadly. "We just got Chris back and now you're leaving?"
"I have to do it Dov. We will get together at the Penny one night before I go, how about that. Have a good bye." Andy suggested. Realizing if she met up with them they may not come to her apartment.
"Sounds good. I'll plan it!" He said following Chloe out the door.
"We need to talk about this, Andy." Tracy told her as both Nick and Gail stood next to her.
"What, is this you're trying to run away again?" Sam said getting mad at her.
"I'm not running away, I'm going home." She said honestly and angry at him. "I'm going home to my family who need me and who I want to be with. If any of you can't understand that, then I feel sorry for you."
Andy said turning around and walking out of the room. Leaving them all behind.
Instead of going back to the apartment she decide to just bite the bullet and deal with her father now too. Get all the anger at her over in one morning.
She looked at the time and realized it was still really early in Charming. Too early for her to call Jax, she didn't want to wake him or Abel up. So she decided to wait until after she was back at the apartment with Juice and Halfsack to call home.
"Hey dad." She tried to smile as she walked into his house.
"Welcome back, sweetie." He told her giving her a hug.
She stood there looking at him, biting her lip and he knew exactly what she was going to say. Saying it before she could.
"You're going back to Charming for good." He told her flatly as he sat down.
"I'm going home to Charming for good." She said with a smile.
"Can't say that I'm surprised." Tommy told her rolling his eyes.
"You can come visit, see our house, the beach, the California weather, your brother, and the rest of your family." She told him trying to butter him up as he didn't look impressed.
"Yes, my outlaw brother and nephew, along with Jax Teller head mob king. I can't wait." He muttered.
"Dad, I love him. I've always loved him. I'm happy, we have a house and a son. He's the most beautiful thing in the world." She said pulling out a picture from her purse of Abel and showing him.
"You're raising Jax Teller's kid with some other woman. Great." Tommy said standing up and walking around.
"Dad, he's mine. In every way that matters." She told him seriously.
"So what is this plan you have, be the gang members wife and still be a cop? Or do you give up your entire life for him to raise his kid and hide bodies for him?" Tommy asked her getting mad.
"Don't do this, don't lash out at me and make us leave on a bad note. Please, dad." Andy said tearing up. Tommy sat back down and put his arm around his daughter.
"I'm sorry. I'm just going to miss you." He said quietly.
"And I'm telling you, you don't have to miss me. You can call, write, come visit. It doesn't have to be awkward and hurtful. Don't make me choose."
Tommy nodded his head understanding how hard this was for her and knowing her mind was made up. So he could either support her or lose her forever.
"And to answer your question, I'm not giving up my entire life for him. We're going to build one together. I'm going go back to work too, but after Abel's a bit bigger" She informed him.
Tommy nodded his head, taking the photo out of her hand.
"He's handsome."
"Yes, he is." Andy smiled. "I miss him so much already."
"That happens when you're a parent."
Andy nodded, both of them reaching an understanding.
"When do you leave?"
"Next Friday." She told him as he looked down.
"Piney's good?" He asked wondering about his brother's health.
"No, not at all. He keeps drinking tequila." She told him as Tommy didn't look surprised.
"I'll give him a call. Check in on him." Tommy said extending the olive branch to try and repair their fractured relationship for Andy's sake so she wouldn't be stuck in the middle.
"Good, you're both not getting older. You need to make up." She said standing up looking at her watch. "I need to get back home, have a realtor coming later."
"Ok, can we meet up? Dinner or something?" He asked wanting to spend time with her before she left. Although he was still full of anger.
"Sure, that would be great but I'm not alone." She smiled, "I have a couple of the guys with me." She told him watching his face tense up.
"Jax is here?" He asked in disdain and shock, he had never met the man before. He had seen his mug shots and FBI surveillance photos, but never spoken a word to him or anyone else in Sons of Anarchy other than the tense conversations with his brother.
"No, he's home with Abel, he's busy. He sent a couple of the other guys in the club."
"Oh." He said, not really wanting to invite them to his house for dinner. Also not wanting to know or bring up what Jax was too busy doing because it would make her mad.
"I'll order some take out and you can come over for a good bye dinner on Thursday? How about that?" She asked trying to find a middle ground.
"Great." He said still not wanting to eat with them but gave in reluctantly and went to hug her good bye. Sighing that she was moving to California to be apart of this illegal business of a motorcycle gang.
"Hey we had no idea what to pack." Halfsack said as Andy opened the door walking into the apartment to see them sitting on the couch watching tv.
"I don't know either." Andy said sighing and sinking down next to them on the couch. Grabbing her cell phone and dialing home.
"Morning." Jax said to her instantly making her smile.
"Good morning." She smiled back, standing up and walking over to the kitchen for some quiet.
"What's all the noise?" Jax asked.
"Just Juice and Halfsack watching tv. How's my baby?"
"Mom's feeding him, he keeps looking around. I think he realized you're missing. He's fussing a bit." Jax told her honestly.
"Aww, do you think putting the phone near him will help?" She asked hurting for Abel and missing him just as much.
"It may just make him cry more right now." Jax told her and she agreed.
"Yeah, you're right. He hasn't figured out phones yet." She laughed.
"How was your morning?"
"You have no idea," she sighed before continuing. "I'm not a cop anymore, so that's a good thing with the Feds sniffing around. Frank agreed to my resignation pretty fast. Then it just went down from there."
"Your friends?" He asked wanting to know how they took it. Hearing that she sounded down.
"Friends, dad, did them all in a lump. Some of my friends were ok, some thought I was crazy. Dad was just angry but then I think he got better, Oliver I think knew from before I left. I'm just scared they'll show up here later. I'm thinking I'll take Juice and Halfsack out sightseeing to avoid that."
"You start your packing?" Jax asked going into their bedroom because he didn't Andy to hear Abel's crying. He barely cried since they brought him home but with Andy gone he was doing it a lot more. He didn't want her to worry when she had enough going on.
"I don't know where to start. It's not like we need any of this stuff. I'm just going to sell it furnished, so it's basically just my personal stuff we need to pack up. Anything that doesn't fit in the suitcases, we'll put in boxes and ship." She told him as she looked around the kitchen seeing if there was anything special she wanted from in here. She pulled out some mugs and cups that were souvenirs and grabbed some of her magnets from the fridge, sticking them all in a pile.
"Andy you need these?" She heard Juice yell out to her. She looked up noticing that he had picked the front closet and was pulling out all her winter stuff.
"Hmm that's a good question." She yelled back. "Just make a pile of all the winter stuff." She told him.
"Winter stuff?" She heard Jax say in amusement. "We don't need that here."
"Well what if we go to Vancouver or take Ab snowboarding?" She asked seriously.
"You're bringing all your winter clothes aren't you." He said not even going to fight her on it.
"I'll see, may be just some. I better go to see what Juice and Halfsack are doing to my closet." She said sighing hating to have to hang up.
"I miss you." He told her.
"I miss you too, see you soon and talk to you later." She told him before they hung up.
She walked out of the kitchen raising her eyebrows to see Juice standing over a pile of winter gloves, scarves, hats, boots and coats. Not realizing she even had that much.
"Ok, we take all that back with us and Jax will shoot us. So we need to make a salvation army pile now." Andy told them going to sort through the winter stuff seeing what she wanted and what she was going to leave.
3 hours later, they had made up 6 large boxes of stuff for donation and they had filled one suitcase with winter stuff. Andy picking to keep a couple winter jackets, all her spring and fall jackets and all her jean jackets, some of her gloves, hats and scarves, all her Ugg boots,her hiking boots and all her leather flat and heeled boots. She shoved her kitchen stuff she had kept in the winter jacket sleeves and zipped up the suitcase.
"All outdoors stuff, done." She smiled at them.
They then moved onto her bathroom and closet when they heard a knock at the door.
Juice grabbed Andy's service revolver that she had left out for them before walking to the peep hole. He looked through seeing a guy in a suit. Andy came over and looked realizing it was the realtor. She waited for Juice to put away the gun in his pants before opening the door and greeting him.
They walked around the apartment and she let him know she would leave it furnished. He told her that she could sell or she could rent. Giving her the option.
To her renting would just be a hassle, she'd still have to deal with it if things broke or if tenants left. So she told him she wasn't coming back, so she just wanted to sell because she was leaving in a week. He let her know he'd put it on the market as soon as possible and he didn't think it would take long to sell. He left, leaving the 3 of them to continue their packing. Andy looked around realizing that there wasn't that much to do.
DVDs, CDs, electronics, all her clothes and shoes in her closet can be done really fast, all the clothes in her drawers she'd just have to dump in a suitcase.
She wanted to go out and show the guys Toronto and avoid anyone who wanted to drop by unannounced after their shifts.
"Hey, you guys want to leave this until tonight or tomorrow? We have lots of time to do it. Let me take you out to show you the city." She smiled and told them.
"You're on!" Juice told her running to go put on some better clothes.
"Can we go up the CN Tower?" Halfsack asked excitedly.
"Sure, that could be our first stop!" She laughed and told him as Juice came out ready to go and they all left the apartment.
Andy locking the door behind her.