Author's Note:

Glad at least some of you are digging the wild turn I took with this story. Here comes the "complications ensue" follow-up to Sam's big reveal. Because, ya know, white whales don't go down easily. ;) Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Role Play

Sam groaned when the persistent ringing of his phone disrupted his contented late morning sleep. He carefully disentangled himself from Andy so he could reach it and cut off the offending noise.

"Yeah," he said groggily.

"It's Collins. I need you to cover an emergency meet with Mickey. She sent the urgent code, and I'm a couple hours out of town," Collins said tersely.

"What do you think happened? Why would Mickey need to meet on short notice?" Sam asked, sitting up as adrenaline already starting to pump through him.

"Nothing good, I'm sure. Hill might have moved the timeframe up. Mickey had a feeling he might last time she reported to me," Collins speculated.

"Then what the hell are you doing so far away?" Sam asked, annoyed.

"Shit, I know. I was with the ex. I had a shot at patching things up with her, and I took it. Figures that asshole Hill would find a way to screw it up," Collins muttered.

"Can we even count on Monica being able to be at the clinic for cover?" Sam asked, the wheels in his head spinning quickly now.

"I'm ahead of you on Monica. She's already on her way over there. Can you make it in 45 minutes? Mickey will be there in about an hour with a couple girls who went on quite a bender last night."

Sam sighed, "Yeah, I'm on my way. You just get your own ass back here in case this turns out to be something worse…"

"Don't say it, Swarek," Collins cut him off. "She wouldn't agree to a meet at the clinic if she thought he was on to her. And I'm already on the way. I'm calling from the road. Call me as soon as you've met with her."

Sam looked over and met Andy's worried stare. Great. The last few days had been almost an idyllic honeymoon phase for them. Now their third day off looked like it was going to be completely swallowed up by the Hill case. He could sense her fear even as she struggled not to let it show. The understanding smile she sent him, faltered before she could pull it off.

"I'm sorry. I have to meet Mickey right away. Try not to worry too much. This shouldn't be dangerous. At least I hope it won't be, for her sake," Sam gave Andy a quick reassuring kiss and launched himself off the bed to run for a quick shower. "I love you," he added over his shoulder.

Sam arrived at the clinic on time. He spotted Monica's car in the lot. So far, so good. He stepped out of the truck and spotted Anton's town car parked down the block. Shit! That was not a good sign. Why would Anton himself be watching the clinic if he wasn't suspicious? Sam sat back down to call Monica, pretending to be fussing with the cheap floral bouquet he'd grabbed from a street vendor on the way.

"It's Sam. Hill's car is parked down the street. But it's too late to call this off now. We need to get the info Mickey's bringing and pull her out. Come out front to meet me. Give me a hard time loudly about coming around here and spooking your lawbreaking clients. But don't over do it. And try not to get mad at anything else I do, OK? He needs to think we're still hot and heavy."

"OK. Sam, this is not a good…" Monica said in a panicky voice.

"I know. Maybe if we're convincing, it will kill his suspicions. Or at least give us enough time to smuggle Mickey out the back. Keep your phone in hand to explain how you know I'm coming and just follow my lead after you bust my balls a bit, OK?"

"OK. I'm watching for you right now."

Sam kept the phone to his ear until he was nearly at the front door. He made a show of putting a swagger into his walk.

Monica walked out shaking her head at him. "Sam, how many times do I have to tell you that cops make the patients nervous? Is this the only time you could get away from your bombshell partner or something? I'm already getting tired of being the other woman," she pouted, eyes flashing with jealousy that looked plenty real to Sam. He winced, wishing she'd skipped any ad libs dragging Andy into this. But he went with it.

He laughed, "What's with the act? You and I both know you get off on being the secret mistress. You're the one who doesn't want a real relationship with a cop. And you're more worried about what the surgeons and research backers you work with would think than you are that any of your addicts will bat an eye at an off-duty cop coming around to get busy with you," he made a big show of jerking her to him roughly and kissing her deeply, before backing her into the clinic.

"Sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I really didn't want to have to do that. Let's go to your office and work up a plan," he added.

~~~~0~~~~

Traci's jaw dropped. Noelle just shook her head. Neither could believe what they had just seen. Sam and Andy had been almost disgustingly happy their last couple days at work before they'd disappeared for their days off. Now Traci and Noelle finish dropping off a pregnant addict to the clinic for their paid community service day…and find Sam trotting up to his old squeeze and sticking his tongue down her throat? They'd only seen him kiss someone like that once, when he'd swept Andy off her feet at the Penny just days ago.

"Damn, how many women is Dimples making go all weak in the knees?" Noelle said with disgust.

"So you just saw that too? I can't believe my own eyes. Jerry and I were just out with them a few nights ago, and he seemed completely head over heels for Andy. What a scumbag!" Traci said, getting more furious for her friend by the second. "I want to stick around and give him a piece of my mind. You up for that?" Traci asked Noelle.

"Yeah, sure. Why not? He deserves someone to get in his face. Dumbass! He's been mooning around about McNally for how long now? And he pulls something like this as soon as he gets her? I swear I'll never understand men. I always thought Sammy was one of the good ones under the tough guy act." Noelle said, depressed.

Traci couldn't resist venting with one tweet while the waited.

Traci: Sam Swarek = DOUCHE. BAG. #justsayin #don'task

~~~~0~~~~

"How long since Collins had a crew sweep this place for bugs?" Sam whispered in Monica's ear as they headed down the hall.

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head, signaling it had been far too long.

Sam closed his eyes and let out a frustrated groan. He ushered her into her office and whispered, "Assume a bug then. Follow my lead."

"Come here," he said aloud as he shut the door. "I don't have long today," he rolled his eyes at her and tried to get her in the spirit to have fun with this.

"You think I have all day for you either?" Monica shot back, not having to fake the irritation as she plopped down behind her desk. "If we're going to do this, let's get to it."

Sam grinned and picked up a pair of scrubs bunched them up in his hands and tore them loudly.

"Sam!" Monica gasped, having to work hard to let only a small giggle escape. "You're lucky I have an extra set of clothes here."

Sam laughed, "Of course you do. After you had to walk out in scrubs last time, I figured you'd be prepared."

"Shut up and get naked before I decide you're not worth the damage you do to my wardrobe," Monica demanded, winking to let him know she was starting to enjoy the game, even if it skirted close to old times. She moved over to her little love seat and used her legs to rhythmically push it thumping against the wall.

Sam just shook his head as she also put on quite a vocal performance faking that he'd done his best to make it worth it. Afterward, he walked over, flopped down next to her and whispered, "Congrats, now I'm wondering how many times you faked it before."

Monica shrugged, "Bonus points for me. You deserve it after going and falling for someone else," she whispered in return.

Aloud he said, "So are you OK with my coming around here now? Where else can we do this without anyone but some addicts being the wiser?"

"Stop using that tone when you talk about my patients. You know it bothers me. You'd think spending time on the street would have taught you a little more compassion," she said, again with genuine irritation, even though she knew he was playing a role. "I don't know why I kept seeing you after I found out who you are. You cops are all so judgmental."

"You see me for the same reason you always have…because I don't demand much time from your busy schedule and nobody else fucks you like that," Sam blurted out with a little too much edge. As usual, Monica's love/hate attitude toward cops that generated many a snotty comment got under his skin and he'd taken the asshole cheater routine a bit too far. Even though they had always been more 'frenemies with benefits' than anything else, she looked hurt and pissed off at a dig that hit too close to home.

Sam held up his hands in surrender and mouthed 'I'm sorry' silently.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't be too sure about that. You're not the only one who has other options, Swarek. In fact, I have a hot date for a fundraising gala tonight, and plenty of work to do here first. So why don't you run along and let me get back to the other items on my schedule," she said coldly, standing to open the blinds to her office window. She motioned to point out Mickey coming up the walk with two girls in tow.

Shit! Sam saw Anton get out of his car to follow Mickey into the clinic. He shot one last apologetic look at Monica and mouthed 'thank you' before bolting toward the front entrance. His chances of getting Mickey out just got a lot worse. Time to improvise.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Devil's Dominatrix," Sam sneered, blocking Mickey's path from following the two girls into the clinic while they managed a surreptitious hand-off of a thumb drive and handwritten note.

"It's tonight. Eleven," she whispered quickly.

"Brought a couple more of the souls you've burned out?" Sam continued to taunt her, placing his hands on hips and allowing the tiny package to drop into a front pocket. He looked over her shoulder at Anton with a raised brow, "And the big man deigned to drop by too? Since when did you bother yourself with any of the girls turning tricks for you, Anton?"

"I do more for the runaways than most people in this city. At least I don't leave them to starve or get raped in some alley," Anton said evenly, watching the interaction between Sam and Mickey closely.

"Yeah, you're a regular humanitarian, Hill," Sam said with a bark of derisive laughter.

"What I'm wondering is what you're doing here? Picked up a bad habit while you were playing your futile little game on the street?" Hill taunted idly before going for the real jab. "No, I guess you're here for something else. I think you're more like me than you want to admit."

Sam snorted, "How do you figure that?"

"I think when it comes to women, one's not enough, but you're not satisfied with easy conquests either. You have a taste for taming the strong ones. Like the smart, pretty blonde who runs this place and that sexy partner of yours that came along last time we met." He eyed Sam closely before adding, "Just like I have a thing for Mischa here." Anton stepped forward to place a menacing arm around Mickey.

Shock and disgust flared in Sam's eyes before he recovered, "Well, who else are you going to turn to besides someone who's on your payroll one way or another? Good looks and charm aren't exactly your strong suit. And you know nothing about my sex life. This must be a foreign concept to someone who runs as many street pimps as you, but women aren't horses to be tamed, Anton. And none of the women who have interested me are anything like the mistress of misery who terrorizes all the poor girls who wind up in your clutches," Sam motioned derisively at Mickey.

"Really? Well, then maybe the cop with the hero complex doesn't really have feet of clay." He narrowed his eyes as he regarded Sam thoughtfully, "Maybe keeping tabs on Mischa's moves is the real reason you've been sniffing around your little blondie's clinic?" Anton speculated. "She's too valuable to me to take a chance of you getting your hooks into her. So I came by to pick her up myself."

Mickey had been shooting alarmed looks at Sam, but now she put on her tough street act, "Don't let this pathetic little cop worry you, Anton. I have my car, and I would spit in this pig's face if he were dumb enough to try to poke his nose in my business," she objected, looking at Sam with contempt.

"I insist," Anton said in the low menacing voice that made most of his lieutenants break into cold sweats. Mickey shot Sam a panicked look before Anton pulled her away with him.

Sam tensed to stop him, then realized it was hopeless to try with his two armed body guards flanking him and sending clearly aggressive body language his way.

When they reached the town car, Anton ordered 'Mischa' to give her car keys to one of his personal bodyguards. When she complied and stepped into the town car, he pulled the man aside and issued instructions quietly, "Something doesn't smell right. Drive around the block. When you're sure Swarek is gone, grab the blonde. Then get some help and go find his brunette partner. Bring them both to the restaurant. It seems he didn't just slink back to writing traffic tickets with his tail between his legs. I think he's tried to turn her," he nodded toward Mickey. "The question is whether he had any success. We need some extra leverage to find out how much he knows, and it looks to me like women are Swarek's Achilles Heel. If I'm right, he'll come to us on my terms."

~~~0~~~

AN: …and cliffhanger, bitches! LOL, kidding. What I really wan to say is please don't hate me too much for the Monica stuff. ;)