I own nothing from the tv show. Thank you guys for the support!I love reading what's up your mind, please please please keep doing it.

I am sorry to post only right now, but I graduated for the second time last week and I had to deal with a lot of stuff.
I hope what I write make you want more of my story. Here's a new chapter.
Enjoy it and comment, comment and comment again!

It had been a very long week for Andy and she hadn't arrested the suspect yet. She knew who killed the girl, but she didn't have enough evidence to arrest him.
"Boss, what are we gonna do now?"
She went on every single detail over and over again: the suspect was a work colleague she had rejected his sexual advances many times and then he killed her for her rejection.
The forensics had found a partial finger print on a piece of plastic gloves in the grass: the problem was that the match with the finger print was below 50% and a jury would have judged it insufficient to proceed with the charges and Andy knew that very well.
So, Andy had followed any possible route that he could have done by foot, by car and by bicycle from his office to the entrance of the park: they checked cameras at every angle, but they found nothing. The tracking of the phone revealed that he left the office at 7 and went straight home. How could it be possible if they had that finger print? The guy was lying, badly.
They searched his house, his office, his car, his mom's house and found nothing: the weapon used for the homicide was still missing.
"Kevin and Kate, I want you guys to go back to the part and look for something that the forensics may have missed. Please make every possible path she may have done before being killed and search around each area. We are looking for something that may link him to her death. Take some extra officers with you."
"Fiona, go and bring here all his friends, we will interrogate them all again" Fiona seemed surprised at that request, but she followed her orders without complaining.
Andy had a plan and needed the best officers of the division, which meant only 5 left. She was mobilising the entire station to solve the case, and she could do that, since the staff sergeant was there only three days a week: he was leading 32 division too.
She was the boss, with all responsibility on her shoulders, but that was a challenge and Andy was ready to take it. He smiled and jumped out of the office to call everyone and give instructions to prepare 4 different interrogatory rooms they didn't have. This meant placing covers over the wall glass separating the offices, at least those on the same floor.
"Boss, I mean… you sure will it work?"
"It has to, Ray. We have no chance."

Andy was sipping her soft drink from a nice iced glass when she felt a hand placing over her shoulder. She was at the penny waiting for Trace and the crew, but it was a bit early.
"Congratulations, detective!" Andy turned around to meet a smiling Luke.
"What do you take?"
"Scotch, please" she said to the bar girl. "So…"
"well, I should say thank you. You taught me a lot."
"True, but let me say that you have the right gut to do this job, and you do it well! You solved the first case at that division!" the girl went back with a glass with some dark liquor inside.
Luke picked it up and they cheered.
"Well, it's not been easy, Luke."
"It's never easy Andy. Never. Why don't you come back? We need someone like you.."
"Luke, please don't say the same things people keep telling me over and over. I made a choice you guys must respect."
Luke moved closer to her and whispered "Sam, is it the reason you left, uh?" she looked at him in the eyes.
"I hate detectives, Callaghan!" he laughed hard before noticing detective Peck and leaving her sipping her drink.
In the same moment, Trace stepped in. "Oh, Oh, look who's here" she hugged her friend, with a piece of newspaper in one hand.
"you heard, the new detective of the 34 solving an impossible case in less than a week? Look at the photo, very sexy, eyes half closed saying I'm the boss, move!" she was showing her the article the Toronto Today had published.
"Ok, to be precise, it took me 8 days, which is more than a week, so.." Trace was faking the modesty with funny moves.
"Ms Honesty, have solved the case in 8 days!".
Oliver approached, open arms "Congrats, pal! We are proud of you!" she hugged him back "Thanks, Ollie!" she was all smiles when she saw Sam coming in and her heart stopped.
He was slimmer than the last time she had seen him, and he was making his beard grow. She found that very non-Swarek when Trace noticed her expression and asked her if she wanted to leave.
"no, it's fine".
He approached the group of friends to congratulate to Andy for her success. They had a drink together, but Sam kept being quiet and simply observed her for a while. She felt the tension growing in her body, but she did everything to control it, not succeeding much of it.
While Andy was in a deep conversation with Ollie, Trace signed to Sam that she didn't say a word about the episode of Tom's aggression to Andy.
She turned around just in time not to be noticed.
"so, what's the plan, McNally?" Oliver asked her.
"going to Alberta tomorrow morning"
Trace leaned against the chair to complain "you should stop to do that or you'll become a solitary cop like your father. Come on Andy, you're young and beautiful, why don't you have one of that girl's night we used to have! You know what, I must convince you to stay over my place for the weekend. We'll have lots of fun!" she stood up and approached the bar to take some other drink.
"how you did it?" Sam asked her.
"did what?"
"how did you catch the guy?"
"I conduct 4 interrogatories at the same time mixing up details from one to the other until one of the guys contradicted his version." He was all ears and she continued " So I pushed him until he talked and we had been lucky because he was the one knowing details. The knife that my rooks found in the park confirmed out suspect. It's been a big job they all took part to, not just me. I'm sorry that article doesn't say it"
"Andy… you lead and you take the responsibility. Be proud once in your life, you deserve it."
She lowered her eyes, perplexed. That wasn't part of her nature, the pride wasn't in her vocabulary.
Trace got back with four glasses full of beer. "My friend, this is just the beginning."

Two weeks later, Andy was in the middle of an investigation when all started. The case involved a lonely man found dead on the floor of his leaving room. The body was already decomposing and the police had found him thanks to the hard smell people were starting to find annoying.
"Kevin, any advice?" it was the third time that Andy and her two rookies visited the house, to find something that could suggest how things might have gone.

"Boss, I don't know, honestly. We looked everywhere" he looked around in search of inspiration. "what if the body has been brought here later? Or maybe he was just a lonely man who died alone!" The two rookies were looking at each other, Kate gesturing him to shut up and wait for Andy's next move.
"No, no." she walked around the room "Ok, let's wrap up what we know…. We have found no sign of injury on the body, no knife cut, no natural death, no poison has been found in the toxicologic analysis, there are no signs of fight and he was perfectly lying on the floor. And we know that his position was unnatural. I suggest repeating the blood test, looking for any type of drugs, pesticides, whatever may have caused his death." It was a lot to go through.
"The problem of the position the body remains. Too perfect, you're right, Kevin. Someone has put him this way. But the question is who?".
She paused and then added "His wife died years ago, no friends… every single day he made the same things: went down the street, he bought the newspaper, came back, watered his plants, smoking in the noon until dinner…who wanted him dead?"
She took the phone and dialled forensics headquarters and requested a second analysis.

That night Andy was lying in her bed with a good book, but she kept thinking about that man. It was becoming an obsession and she didn't want her job to interfere in her life like that.
Fortunately, an incoming call from Nash interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey, bestie, how you doing?"
Trace sighed noisily "Huge day today. 5 hours spent in the interrogation room, a nightmare! you?" Andy closed the book lying on her lap.
"I had a bad day too. I can't solve a case. I mean, I have no clue at all, this time!" she was pissed, and that little surge made her feel better.
Trace was chewing something when she changed topic and Andy sit up interested "Nick is gonna propose to Peck!" her friend knew she was already smiling big.
"Nooo! When? Did I miss it?"
"No, it's next Friday. He told me to tell you. You'll be there?"
"Nash, there? Where's this 'there'?"
"At the Millennium Castle, it's where they met years ago. Did you know that they have already got married once?"
"Really?"
"Yeah.."
"Trace, are we chatting like teenagers?" Andy really hated that, never been a fan of.
"How does make you feel, McNally?"
"Kind of good, but just because it's been a long day!" they laughed together.
"How's your boy? You should show up here for dinner sometime next week."
"Yeah, not bad idea. Listen, don't cook, I'll buy the taijin at that place on the Queen's you really love."
"That would be fabulous!" Andy thanked her friend and promised to call soon.
She switched off the lamp and closed her eyes. 'Tomorrow we'll understand more', she thought before falling asleep.

"Boss, I have the toxicology results!" Andy stood up and approached Kevin as he announced the news.
"You were right: they have found a small, residual trace of methylene-dioxy-methamphetamine" he announced.
"MDMA. That's not normal. An eighty-year-old man consuming ecstasy?"
"the toxicologist says he probably died for an overdose last month. It would explain the blue at the back of his tongue"
"Ok, send back to his house the forensics once again and ask them to look for any trace of this drug. We need to understand if he consumed it, in that case we will find something."

Three hours later Kevin, Andy and Kate were on their way to the station, discussing about how it was possible to find no trace at all.
"Someone wanted to make it appear natural death: whoever is behind, he or she is covering something… wait… we know that he had a social assistant visiting him regularly… "
"Boss, we questioned her at least three times.. we found nothing…"
"you know what? She is the only contact with the victim. It must be her, there is no way. Call her back and tell her we need to write down the report again, because we lost it. She will be pissed, so be nice and gentle as much as you can… I want Kate on this, you know how to be touchy!"
Kevin smirked, hoping to receive some better order.
"You and I will search in her bag and coat for MDMA trace. " he looked at Andy for a couple of seconds before reminding the boss that they needed a warrant.
"I know, but if we ask for a warrant right now, we won't find anything. She will clean up everything and she has probably already done it, so at this point our chances are even smaller… "
They parked the car at the station.
"If anything happens, it's my responsibility, just mine. Don't talk or say something to anyone. Understood?"
"Yes,sir!"
They little conversation was suddenly interrupted by 8 cars riding toward the 34th. All that rush made them jump out immediately.
Andy was really surprised by seeing Sam, Callaghan and Frank walking toward the entrance. They waved their hands to her, but didn't stop to say hello.
Andy gave a look to her rookies and they knew they had orders to follow.
Meanwhile she run directly to the sergeant staff office, where the three were already there.

"McNally is already on the case…" the sergeant was telling them.
"What's up?"
"Detective McNally, I am sure you don't need to be introduced"
"McNally, how you doing?" Frank held his hand for her and she friendly accepted it.
"I'm good, sir."
"The guy you are investigating over… he's only the fifth victim of the week… we are putting together all of them, they all died of"
"MDMA, right?" her answer captured their attention.
"Exactly, what you have?" she hesitated.
"It's the social assistant. I mean, I have nothing linking his death to her, but it must be her. " the sergeant rolled his eyes and sat back behind the desk.
"McNally, your theories… you perfectly know that you need proves.." Sam was reminding her not to go down that road.
"I have a plan, but I need a warrant… otherwise what I will find will be useless in court… the problem is that there is not enough to justify for a warrant…."
"McNally, don't mess up, what is going on?" she dialled Kevin number.
"Whatever, you're doing stop it right now." She closed the conversation and looked back at the three, perplexed, Sam was the one more concerned about which trouble she may have ended up in.
"The plan was searching her bag, looking for drugs trace while Kate re-writes the report, we mistakenly lost" she said with emphasis.
"and you wanted to do it without a warrant?"
The sergeant raised his voice by a tone, pissed by the idea she had.
"Sir, by now we know that there have been many victims. She can't have done all this alone. So, if we find something, we can go on digging and find more. If the all thing comes out, it's over. We will cover it with the next findings.."
"Absolutely not."
"Sir, it's the only chance we have, I have already checked her phone, house, contacts, family, habits…"
"Then, it's not her, McNally and we would waste our time…" At that point she stood up, convinced of what to say.
"Sir, I may not have enough experience, but I know I'm right. We have worked really hard about this…"
"you're right McNally, you don't have enough experience and you know what? You may stay in the case, under their lead or leave it to them, your choice." She stayed right there, open mouth.
"I'm out."
That answer moved then even more than her previous reaction.
"You will find all the documents you need on my desk and at the briefing room. My rookies will tell you all the details you need to know."
She left the room almost running. They had no right to doubt about the quality of her job like that. Yes, she knew she was risking a lot and following a road outside the legal rails, but she thought about it a lot before taking that decision, she wasn't so stupid.
"McNally, wait, we need you, not a rook!" Sam was right after her, trying to repair the damage of their conversation.
She stopped and turned to look at a man that was trying to involve her because he knew she was right at some point, and already sorry for what he had just said.
"Sam.." she said closing her eyes.
"Let's do this. Go home, let me look at what you guys did. If I find out the very same conclusion I call you in and you lead us, ok?" she looked down, weighting his proposal.
"Ok" he smiled back and patted on her shoulder gently.

She was home for 5 hours when Sam called to come back to the station.
"We have the warrant" he said, she was surprised, how they did it?
"The assistant is on her way here. You lead the thing the way you planned it and while you do it we look into her life again" indicating they would have stayed upstairs.
"Sam, how did you get the warrant?"
"Later, Andy." He took the stairs before she could press him more.
He would have told her easily, but Callaghan instructed him not to. He was the boss of the operation at the fifteen, but he hated lying, especially to Andy.

They found trace of MDMA almost immediately, and the detectives found a contact on the phone linked to a local drug dealer arrested many times for trafficking.
ETF broke into his house and found tons of drugs packed and ready to be sold.
The assistant was using her patient's house to store it until they had found it.
Andy arrested her, reading all the charges and she finally asked for a lawyer.
They all finished to write down the report around 3 in the morning, exhausted when Sam stayed there helping around even if he could have gone home hours before.
"Sam, you can go it's late" he smiled to her, keeping piling the documents, ordering them.
"My rookies can do it tomorrow" he stopped and closed the last box, struggling about what to say, but he wanted to apologise to her.
"I'm sorry for today." Andy continued signing a couple of papers, filling them with some data.
"Andy, I really am."
She stayed in her silence for some seconds, trying to find the right words.
"The only thing that matter is that we have closed the case and we can go home to sleep."
She was already taking her coat and her bag when he stopped her, positioning in front of her. They were facing at each other.
"You're good, but a detective need to be careful, Andy, and you have risked a lot."
"What you think that I don't know?" he inspired noisily with eyes closed at those words.
"Yes, you do, but sometimes consequences are bigger than what we imagine. You're just at the beginning of your career and such a mistake may make you appear fragile or even unreliable in court.. Being so reactive it's normal. You've been a cop for many years and you'll need a while before getting rid of that cop feeling that tells you not to wait, not to hesitate"
She put down the bag, knowing he was right.
"Look, I will be more careful and less instinctive next time, ok?"
They held their gaze for some time, before he nodded and gave her a little smile. He made a step back and let her collect the bag.
"You need a ride home?"
"No, thanks, I've bought a car." He was surprised to the news.
"Yep, I did, Swarek, I can afford it now, and the ride on the bicycle is too long, so.."
"Cool… wanna drink something together?" she raised her eyebrows a bit, theatrically showing her watch, signing half past three.
"Ok… another day, this week, what you think?"
"Well, this week.. I don't know, there's Collins' wedding proposal to Peck, so… I think I'll meet you there, we can have a drink right there, if you like".
"right" he said disappointed, thinking that there would have been other occasions.
His reaction was so evident that she didn't miss it. However, she didn't say anything as she knew how that man could affect her and she was finally starting to build her own emotional stability, she was reaching control over it and she didn't want to lose it.
Things were going better for her and she was happy about this.
"See you there, then" he looked at her and wished her goodnight.

It was half past six when Trace called her from the living room for the tenth time to tell her they were late. "I'm coming, I'm coming!".
She was studying herself in the mirror to check if everything was ok. She had a long blue dress, covering her shoulders just a little, with some sparkles here and there, capturing the light and shining as little stars.
"Andy, you are perfect." She looked at her friend, eyes half closed.
"It's gonna be in a castle, we need to be stunning, Trace."
"Oh, yeah, you mean stunning for who? Swarek?"I
It was only two hours before that Nash told her they had broken up a couple of months before. And all the control she worked for was disappearing from her heart every second she remembered that disappointing face he had only some nights before. Stop, Andy, stop. Stop dreaming about it.
"Trace, that's past. I am moving on."
The friend looked at her from the door and shook her head "What?"
"Oliver's right."
"What are you talking about?"
"You've never moved on Andy. You are just waiting for your turn to show up again!" Andy turned and faced her friend, pissed about what she said.
"It's not true! And you know what? Tonight I'll show you Sam Swarek is past. That place is gonna be full of cops and soldiers, may be among all of them, I will meet some nice guy."
She turned around and the gown moved accordingly, the sound of the fabric reminding Nash some Disney princess. "Let's go sleeping beauty!"

They arrived at the castle just in time to see Nick, calm as always, dress up magnificently. They all hid before Gail coming in, escorted by Oliver. She was confused, angry not to understand what was going on, until Nick went down on a knee and she nervously nodded a yes, with a soft voice coming out from her lips. Nick Collins was the only one able to unlock Peck's heart.
The crowd exploded by joy and enthusiasm. The music started and they danced, followed by other couples.
Andy danced with Oliver and then with Chris, before being introduced to a guy Nick met in Afghanistan.
She was harmoniously dancing along the whole room, laughing about something he was saying when she met Sam's eyes staring at her.
He wasn't letting go her gaze while he was nervously playing with a glass filled with bourbon or scotch, probably.
She looked away and her expression changed immediately.
"you ok?" he asked "Oh yeah, I think we should make a little pause, my feet start hurting"
"sure.."
She walked away toward the ladies' room. Once in there, she refreshed her wrists and hands.
She loved and hated that look, and she cried again, angry that a man could lead her brain like this. Going to the party hadn't been a good idea.
She walked out, determined to avoid Sam Swarek, for her sanity, once for all.
"McNally" she jumped back, he was there leaning on the wall.
"Sorry, I didn't want to scare you" he now approached her.
He was stunning in his tux, that white shirt perfectly matching the colour of his skin.
She looked down, to move the gaze away and she felt even worse, a stupid girl having a crush on a popular boy. "I think I will.."
"No way, you promised me a drink" he was dan so serious, he made clear he wanted her alone for a while and right there she needed an escape.
"I didn't promise you anything, Swarek".
He offered her his arm and she stayed there looking at his gesture. He encouraged her softly, until she put her hand inside his elbow as they walked to the open bar.
He helped her sitting on one of that high chair and then ordered something light for both of them. "So"
"Andy, look at me. I know what's going on. Stop doing it."
"It's all fine, I really don't know what you are talking about"
"Andy, give me another chance. Please, Andy"
The guy approached with the glasses and she took it and sipped some of that liquor, the lighter she has ever drunk. Sam was still there staring at her.
"What can I say?" she made a smile, but it wasn't a smile at all.
"That you still believe I can be your choice."
"That's big Sam"
"You've just killed me again, McNally"
"You can't ask me something like that."
"Do I deserve a choice? No, and I know that, believe me. But I need to know that you're just taking your time for that, because I am living just for that small word coming out of your mouth."
"This Sam who's talking, it's new, I don't know him." She looked straight in his eyes this time.
"Whatever for you"
"I think I should go now"
"Andy, please.."
She unbalanced on the chair and he grabbed her just in time. The music slowed down and silently prayed her for a dance. She nodded, fighting the need to run away. He pulled her closer, but leaving some space, reflecting her position like in that conversation. He posed one hand on his chest and the other one on his arm. She looked terrified, not about him, but about that loop she was falling in again and again.
When the music stopped, she apologised once more and walked away, hardly breathing until she got out and let the chilly air hitting her cheeks, filling her lungs.
He run after her until she stopped and turned around.
"tell me, how you got that warrant in just few hours, Sam? Which miracle you did that I couldn't"
Sam stayed silent, looking at her, praying her not to go down that road.
"You see, you still hold your old habits. Nothing changed, nothing."
he watched her walking down the garden regretting not to confess it. But it wasn't legal at all, and he wanted to keep her out, just in case things would have gone in the wrong way.

It was early morning when Andy finished to pack her small bag, took the keys and jumped in a taxi leading to the airport. She checked all her documents on the way, just in case something was missing.

Four hours later she was landing in Alberta, watching outside the window on the plane, already imagining the smell of the resin of the three. It was sharp and intense and she adored it.
Carol was already waiting for her outside the airport: she didn't have to wait for luggage so, it look less time to her.
"how's your old man, Andy?".
"oh, you know him, he's not gonna change… " she was an old family friend she always offered to pick her up when she visited the village where her father had the cabin.
"tell him to show up next time, we miss him!" she smiled to the young woman and Andy thanked her for the ride.
She took her bag lying on the feet when she noticed a car parked outside the cabin, she didn't recognise it and approached the small woodblock carefully when she saw Sam sleeping on the long chair with the legs stretched on the table.
"What are you doing here?" he opened his eyes.
"waiting for you, McNally." He was serious and his gaze intense. She went on the stairs and dropped the bag at her feet.
"let's go in, it's getting cold" The sun was ready to go behind the highest mountain mirroring its big figure on the lake. They had only 3 hours before total darkness.
"on your 6, boss!" he jumped on his feet and followed her inside.
she repressed a half smile.