I think we've a hit a point where the story has started to fizzle. Next chapter should have a lot going on, but I needed to set the ground work first. Thank you to the one or two readers who challenged me on my take of Sam and Andy in this story. I intentionally played with their characters, and that did make them different from the ones we love, but creative license sometimes takes you away from the norm. I was trying to make Andy more emotional mainly because a child was involved and Sam a bit more aloof to allow her space to develop. There is a reason that won't become apparent until I conclude this piece, and I know exactly how that will be. It has always been my end goal, it's just the getting there that has it a bit muddled. I hope it makes sense at the end. Thank you for the feedback, it is helpful and I keep that in mind as I continue to develop these characters in this little fanfic.

Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just dabble (other wise all these rumors about the breakup on the show would be eliminated at once! I'm already devastated and I have no clue what's coming!

Thank you and hopefully you enjoy

Nikka

O

Andy's hands were shaking as Jamie Brennan buckled his daughter into her car seat. Her cheek still stung from the hit that that Jimmy Rourke had been so courteous as to bestow upon her. Luckily, Andy thought grimly, he hadn't hit her hard enough to break the skin. She could see in her reflection in the glass that while her cheek was and angry shade of red, the swollen center of her cheek bone had the beginning of what she suspected was going to be a nasty bruise. Andy grimaced slightly at the thought of what Sam would do when he saw the bruise, he never handled violence against women with anything short of hatred. Letting out a breath, she let her eyes meet her employers realizing that he had been speaking to her.

"I'm sorry Mr. Brennan," she said lamely, clearly letting her distraction show. He looked around as if looking for more trouble to come at them.

"Candace, get in the car. Get Gracie home. Turn on the alarm at the house." His blue eyes turned back to meet hers with a flicker of concern. The eyes she was looking into were no longer the eyes of a cold blooded killer that she had witnessed during the confrontation with Rourke, but the eyes of the man she had come to know was the doting father and devoted husband. "Don't dawdle, get back to the house. If Maggie is there make sure she sets the alarm, tell her what happened."

Andy swallowed thickly slightly afraid of what was going to happen once Brennan arrived back at the house. She moved to follow to open the door while internally debated whether or not she was going to drive straight the GnG headquarters across town or if she was going to really do as he was asking, no demanding her to do.

She was stopped by Brennan grabbing her arm to stop her from sliding into the seat.

"I'm sorry Candace," he said earnestly. "It seems that my past is wreaking havoc on my present and you paid the price for it today."

Andy looked at him for a moment and then decided that she was done playing it safe. She knew that Boyd was somewhere, probably watching her right now. This could be her last chance before he intercepted her and the op was over. Boyd had been very clear that once she used the transmitter, it was game over. Inwardly, she cursed herself for activating it, but in the moment that she allowed Gracie to play with the necklace, she knew that she couldn't let anything happen to the child. Andy just hoped that Boyd wasn't going to rant at her for compromising yet another operation for him. They had been getting along so well lately, well, they weren't trying to rip each other's heads off at any rate.

"Go on now," he said urging her to head home. "Get home quickly. And thank you for protecting my daughter today."

Andy hesitated before getting into the car. She needed to make this worthwhile. "If I do as you say, will I get some answers about what happened today?"

Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she was positive that the drumming in her ears would drown out the answer to her question. To her surprise, Brennan actually smirked at her a bit. It wasn't a smirk of laughter like those that Sam would send her way when he was teasing her, or the ones when he was about to get into trouble. No, the smirk on Brennan's face was simply an expression of his slight humor at her audacity. She was overly familiar with this type of smirk thanks to her partner.

"Yes," he said simply with no further explanation. "Now get my daughter and yourself home. Safely."

Andy nodded at her temporary boss and slid into the driver's seat. She chatted away to Gracie on her ride home, acutely aware of the fact that she wasn't out of danger yet, nor was this op guaranteed a life line beyond the point in which Boyd could intercept her.

She was bundle of nerves the entire fifteen minute drive, checking her mirrors, and being overly observant at stop lights. When she saw a police cruiser approached her from the other side of the intersection, Andy nearly jumped out of her skin with worry that this whole thing was about to be over without getting any real information.

When the car passed her without any incident, Andy felt the uneasiness in uncoil inside of her leaving a slight feeling of nausea before Gracie's squeals forced her to pay attention to the toddler.

When she pulled into the Brennan's drive way, she had noticed that Mrs. Brennan had already returned from her errands and was throwing the large white door open to meet her as she and Gracie made their way into the house.

"And how is my girl today," Maggie Brennan bent to ask her daughter who was excitedly chatting away about Candy's new boo boo and her day at the park. Scooping her daughter up into her arms, Maggie Brennan looked into Andy's eyes with an inquisitive expression. "How are you doing Candace?"

Andy attempted to smile at her, but it came out more like a grimace. Luckily, Maggie seemed to take it as being a consequence of her cheek hurting and the shock of the situation. She smiled at her knowingly and motioned for the girls to make their way into the house, but not before giving one good look around the yard before closing the door and locking it.

"Mrs. Brennan," Andy asked her while they watched Gracie scamper off into another room. "What's going on? Who's Jimmy Rourke?"

Maggie turned towards Andy with an unreadable expression on her face. Turning her head to get a better look at Andy's swollen cheek, Maggie simply exhaled and turned to head down the hallway. "Let's get some ice on that Candace."

Andy stayed rooted in the spot, not willing to let this go. "Please, Mrs. Brennan," her voice was small and quite. There was a hint of desperation there, but Andy didn't want to question it too closely. "Please tell me what's going on? I was blindsided today and I don't want to think about what could have happened if Mr. Brennan hadn't gotten there when he did. Should I be scared?"

Andy was actually a bit proud of herself. She was sticking to the facts and keeping it real. Fear and anger were bubbling within in her and there wasn't a clear victor in sight. So many things were left in limbo, she wasn't sure where to begin, but sticking with her natural inclination, asking questions and trying to figure out the situation was surely something any curious person would do.

"Candace," Maggie bemused tiredly. "I think we should wait for Jamie to get home and then him explain the situation. It's best coming from him anyway."

That was it. She had been dismissed. Andy had thought that Maggie would be her best bet to get information, but clearly there wouldn't be any answers except from Brennan himself.

Andy didn't know what she could do to occupy herself while she waited for Jamie Brennan to arrive back at the house. She suspected that his arrival would be the beginning of an uncomfortable and tense evening where his questions were answered and hers were ignored. Knowing that she was going to be scrutinized by his penetrating gaze throughout this conversation made her antsy. He had this intensity in his eyes that unsettled her when he looked at her. He was a lot like Sam in that matter.

Shaking her head, Andy looked at the clock and sighed. She really just wanted to go home. To come home from a long shift and go for a drink at the Penny with her friends. She missed goofy around and making fun of Dov and then going home to relax with Chris while they placed bets on how long it would be before walking in the door that Dov would talk about how amazing Sue was.

"Candace?"

The sound of Maggie Brennan's voice made her jump a bit. As she turned to look at her, Andy heard her cell phone ringing and looked down seeing "Donny" flash across the screen. She sucked in a breath and winced for a moment before looking up.

"You should really pick up," Maggie chided gently. "That's the third time the boy has called. It must be important."

Oh I just bet it is. Andy exhaled loudly and smiled at her. "Sorry, I was just out of it." She paused for a moment unsure of herself and looked up again. "I don't really know what to tell him about today," she said sheepishly.

Maggie quirked her head to the side and the hint of smile on her face. "Tell him what you need to Candace, but don't worry him too much until you have the facts. You're also going to have to tell him how you really feel at some point."

As the rings stopped , Andy looked at Maggie with a guilty look and exhaled. "Is it that obvious," Andy asked.

"No," Maggie said simply. "Not unless someone knows you well."

Andy watched as she turned to go back to Gracie who was calling for her. Maggie turned back to her as if a thought occurred to her with a question. "Before I forget," Maggie asked. "Did the brakes feel funny to you? They were acting weird the other day."

Surprised by the question, Andy had to struggle to think today. She had Mrs. Brennan's car so that she could take Gracie to the park while the other car was being serviced. The brakes had been a bit touchy, but honestly, she couldn't really remember.

"Maybe a little touchy," Andy answered with a shrug. "But I honestly can't remember."

Whatever it was that Maggie Brennan was going to say was cut off by Andy's phone ringing again. She looked down at the screen and saw that it was Boyd again. Shit. She looked up at Maggie again biting her lip.

"Answer the phone Candace," she said sternly. "Talk to the boy."

"Yes, ma'am," Andy responded watching her walk down the hall. She hit the little green button of doom and raised the voice the phone to her ear, "Hello?"

O

Boyd stomped into his office with his phone pressed against his ear. This was the third time he'd tried to get ahold of McNally in ten minutes. When the rings stopped and her cheerful voice kicked her over to Candace's voicemail box. He slammed his phone down on the desk and began to mutter a low string of explicatives. What he didn't want to admit to himself was that he really was worried about her. McNally had proven herself these last few weeks, had put up with his endless criticism and stayed focus.

She was doing a damned decent job of this operation and when he saw the situation in the park this morning, he had nearly been moved to end the entire thing right there. The only thing that saved his ass and the op's was Swarek. This was his partner whom he was notorious for protecting and guiding, yet when it came down to it, Swarek made the call to keep her in play. Boyd was ready to pull her, but Swarek saw something that he didn't and that bothered him. Something told him to let the situation play out and not to interfere. Boyd desperately wanted to know what it was that Swarek saw.

"Still not answering," Swarek asked from the doorway. He met Boyd's scowl with a stare from Sam that gave nothing away about his inner thoughts. If Boyd knew that he was wound up to his breaking point with worry about Andy, he would use it against him and question his motives at every turn. Sam knew that he had to reign in his emotions and stay calm despite the growing urges to dash in and yank his partner out of this operation. They hadn't interfered and she'd been hurt today. Now they had to keep their heads in the game to get her home. Maybe Ollie's right, Sam mused to himself, maybe I need to finally have that talk with her.

"Be patient," Sam forced himself to say. "She'll call."

Boyd's head snapped up to him and his eyes narrowed. He was pissed off, worried, nervous, and downright confused at his feelings. For some strange reason, Donovan Boyd was worried about what McNally was enduring right now and he hated that. Sure he would be concerned about any of his UCs in a similar situation, but he had a feeling that something was off with this situation and the entire operation was in trouble.

"Look," Sam stated flatly. "Give it one more try and then try to stay out of it. She'll make contact. If she doesn't within in the hour, send a uniform to the house."

While Sam seemed calm on the surface, his mind was racing. Andy hadn't answered any of Boyd's attempted phone calls, and they knew she left the park with Brennan's kid. So what the hell was happening? Nothing seemed to make sense. She was breaking the rules that they had laid out in the days preparing her to move in with the Brennans. Sam was getting a gnawing feeling in his gut and he didn't like it at all. Something was about to go sideways and his heart cinched at the thought.

"I thought for sure you'd be all over me about calling your girl," Boyd taunted.

Sam shook his head. "I trust my partner," Sam replied matter of factly. "She's got good instincts and she trusts her gut. There's a reason she hasn't picked up."

As Sam watched Boyd digest what he had said and then began dialing again. He desperately hoped that was he told Boyd was right. That there was a reason she didn't answer his calls and it wasn't because she was being tortured or hurt by Brennan. He inhaled through his nose and tried to center himself. Andy McNally was smart, resourceful, and for a danger magnet, somehow, usually came away without a scrape to show for it unless you counted his frazzled nerves.

"Babe," Boyd's voice distracted him from his thoughts. Sam could only imagine the expression on her face at Boyd's pet name. He watched Boyd as he moved to place the phone on speaker so they could both hear her.

"Where are you," Boyd asked casually despite the fact that he was burning with curiosity to know how bad this was going to get.

"In my room." Andy's voice was clear and there was no underlying falsetto to betray her. Sam's knees nearly buckled at the realization that she was okay.

"Huh," Boyd let out a satisfied noise. "So what'd you do today."

"Went to the park with Gracie. You know, waited for your call."

Sam wanted to smirk because the tone in her voice clearly belied that she was anything but amused with Boyd's swarmy tactics. Sam made a mental note to pay closer attention to Boyd's conversations with his partner in the future. There was a hint of something that made him uneasy about Boyd's intentions when Andy was around.

"Well you missed three of them," Boyd replied getting a bit snarky.

"I was busy." Short , sweet , to the point. McNally was frustrated.

"All right any more run-ins with that cop who hit on you on at the coffee shop?"

"Nope," she popped the 'p'. "But I sure would have liked to have seen him today."

"Oh really now," Boyd scoffed at her. "Why is that?"

"Just some guys bothering me at the park. They couldn't take a hint."

"Sounds like it went okay though," Boyd asked. "You sound okay."

"Mr. Brennan showed up," her voice got quieter. Sam leaned forward to make sure he didn't miss a word. "Luckily they were some guys that worked for his old boss, she they left."

"Really," Boyd mused. "Did he introduce you to his friends?"

"I wouldn't call them friends," she said still being quiet. "Colleagues that didn't seem to get along. The same guy I told you about from the school."

"That's weird," Boyd said looking up at Sam. They both wore a concerned look on their faces. Jimmy Rourke had made another appearance.

"It's cool though," Andy's voice filled the speaker again. "Mrs. Brennan said her husband wanted us to have a talk after dinner about what to do if I saw him again."

Both men were on high alert. Clearly something was going to happen. This could be a moment to give them the break they needed. Boyd reached for a paper on the desk and a scribbled the word "wire" on it and held it up to Sam. Sam shook his head vehemently, not thinking that this would be a good idea at the moment. He mouthed back and angry "No."

"Hey Babe," Boyd said again. "Do you know where that pin of my mom's is? My sister was asking if she could wear it for some party this weekend."

Both of them paused for a moment hoping that Andy had caught on. Boyd wishing she'd agree so he could pin the decision on her, and Sam praying desperately that she'd find that this wasn't the right time to try a wire.

"I have it, I hope I can remember it. I never wear it, hasn't felt right."

Their call was interrupted by a voice calling her.

"I've got to go, Mr. Brennan is home and wants to see me."

"Be safe," Boyd told her soberly. "Oh and Sammy says hi. You should stop by the apartment sometime and catch up with him.

"Soon."

Her voice held a promise and Sam was grateful that she didn't seem any worse for the wear. He knew he was going to be on pins and needles until he was able to speak to her again, privately, after the op. He was sure more than ever that they needed to have a very difficult discussion.