A/N: I got kinda lazy with this one. Sorry if it's not top notch.

"It's not that I thought the lyric made sense, I just didn't think to question it. How surprised I was when my dad told me Bob Marley was saying 'we're jammin'' not, 'we're German.'"

Sam was busy laughing at Andy's admission of what was the most embarrassing lyric mishap as she unlocked the front door of the house, dropping her off after dinner out.

Tonight he took her to a small diner in town. Nothing fancy, nothing too serious. He had a strategy, actually. Right now he was still kind of courting her with light, no pressure, low stake dates. Dates where they could have fun, and not stress.

They had burgers tonight, shared a plate of fries and stayed for several cups of decaf coffee afterwards, talking about anything and everything. She wondered if he was a serious kid, he wondered if she ever stopped moving. He teased her about inconsequential things like the way she snorted and she gave him her best impression of him, eyebrows drawn together, lips pursed a bit and a judgemental smirk on her face.

"I don't look like that."

"You do!"

She asked him about his job again. Which he found odd, but wanted to be open about it as much as possible. If there was a chance he could re-interest her in the field she'd seemed so passionate about when she was younger... He could reaffirm that the job didn't weigh on everybody in the same capacity, that there was solidarity in the service. But how to do it subtly, he wasn't sure.

"Do they make you go to therapy when you come home?"

"Yeah, you've got to see a shrink to clear you for duty."

"A couple of weeks or...?"

"Depends on the case, depends how it ends. Sometimes it's one appoint, sometimes they'll have you in for ten before you're clear."

As he continued mocking her for her lyrical mistake, he shut the door behind him, and then tried to continue into the room before running into Andy's back. It was only then that he noticed she even stopped laughing.

He followed her stare to see Ruth on the sitting room sofa, reading glasses on the edge of her nose, and eyes on Andy, an open book sitting on her lap.

"Hey Gran." Andy said, on the tail end of the laugh she'd been in the middle of when she stopped.

"Hello you two. Good dinner?" She asked, smiling genuinely back at them.

"Yup, yup. You know Earl. Burgers are always good." Sam chimed in, trying not to feel weird.

But they had both assumed she'd be upstairs, so they could share a proper goodnight. As though they hadn't before pulling the rest of the way up the driveway...

"Yes. His culinary skills are very refined. All that grease..." She remarked, passively judging their love for fast food.

She'd always done it. There's nothing like a home cooked meal in Ruth's mind, and they want fast food.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll kick it next week I promise." Sam joked, taking a step backward toward the door, Andy's hand tucked inside of his.

She resisted at first, looking back at him and shaking her head, insisting silently that they were all the way into the house now, they weren't going to hide in the foyer just to share a good bye kiss. But he tugged her a little harder, partially out of view and Ruth had the cue to take her book back in her hands and keep her eyes glued to it. Andy was a little distressed by the fact that her grandmother was no dummy, and knew what they were doing over there. She took a step back when he moved toward her, and she was in Ruth's line of sight. But he tried again, and just pecked her on the lips, barely long enough for her to feel it.

"Don't look so freaked out. I'm not going to suck your face off." He laughed, shooting her a wink.

Her shoulders relaxed as she rolled her eyes and smiled, and he dropped a kiss sweetly on her cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said quietly, smoothing her hands over his shoulders.

"Yup. We still on for the fireworks on Saturday?"

"Uh huh. Don't forget to wear red."

"Who could forget?"

"I've got temporary tattoos too. In case you want a flag tramp stamp." She smiled, stepping toward him again, forgetting why she'd been keeping a respectable distance.

They were toe to toe and she was grinning up at him like she did when she was looking for another kiss. He has trouble remembering it's only been seven weeks that he's even known her...

"Yeah, are you gonna have one?"

"Not really my style." She laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He took a step back, aware that they had drifted into common space and dropped another kiss on her mouth.

"And it's mine?"

"Well I figured since you're already inked..."

Her finger toyed with his t-shirt sleeve, her thumb sneaking under to smooth over the initials in his arm.

"Oh yeah. Means I'll slap anything on there, huh?"

"That's what I figured."

His arms unwound from around her shoulders and he stood back, trying to get himself out of there before he was looking for ways to evade Ruth and stay a couple hours longer, tucked up in her room, talking. Sitting in their booth tonight, he lost track of everything else. They just talked. It had been a long time since he had a date and said that much, someone was interested enough to let him.

He didn't even realize how much he was sharing until he noticed her resting her chin on her palm and propping herself up on the table between them, smiling.

"That's as much as you've said to me since I've known you."

She asked him about what concerts he'd been too, what sports teams he cheered for. And now that she had collected all these factoids, he was finding it hard to stop talking. To her.

"I gotta go." He said, stepping away, and letting his hands fall from her shoulders.

She nodded and watched him open the door, take one last look at her and smile before he was out the door.

From the thin windows that framed the front door, watched as he climbed into his truck and stuck his keys in the ignition, firing it up. When Ruth watched her float back into the living room, she was biting her lip and looking off into space. She put her book down in her lap, wondering if she could get Andy to look at her if she stared long enough, but she wasn't successful.

Ruth smirked and chuckled, unable to hold it back and Andy seemed to snap to.

"What?"

"Nothing Dear. Nothing at all."

The next morning was routine. Andy had time to squeeze in a run when she woke up so she ate an apple got changed, grabbed her iPod and was out the door before she even saw Ruth.

She was coming down the stairs, calling out for Andy as the front door was opening, Sam walking through to figure out where everybody was.

"Is Andy outside?" Ruth asked, just hitting the landing, hand resting on the round end of the railing.

"No, I was coming in to get her." He said tentatively. "Guess she went out, didn't see her runners on the porch."

Ruth thought about it for a minute, then stepped into the kitchen while Sam followed, and found a note on the fridge.

"Went running. Be back by ten thirty." Ruth read aloud.

Sam checked his watch, noting that she would be due back soon and shrugged his shoulders.

"Coffee?" Ruth asked, motioning for him to take a seat at the table.

"Absolutely."

They were quiet for a few moments while she plated some muffins and put the sugar and cream on the table, and Sam watched the older woman carefully.

"It's odd. We've barely seen each other much since you got here." She noted, with her back to him while she placed everything on a tray.

"I know. I know, I'm sorry, but that granddaughter of yours is high maintenance."

Ruth sputtered a laugh, placing the tray on the table in front of him.

"But, in all seriousness, I know. And I'm sorry."

"Oh, I'm just a selfish old woman. Used to having you all to myself. But you seem to make her happy, so I guess I can share." Ruth said softly, looking Sam dead in the eye.

She rested her chin on her palm and watched how he took the compliment in, and shifted his gaze to the floor while he tried to hide the small satisfied smile.

"Yeah, well, she makes it easy." He said bashfully, trying to seem assured of himself - and failing.

Ruth laughed again and then grabbed a mug of coffee and started pouring the cream in while Sam went for a muffin.

"So Andy said she saw you with a friend. A couple of weeks ago? When she ran into you at the coffee shop."

"Oh, right, yeah, Oliver and his gang are up at their cabin."

"How nice. We should have the girls over for lunch, they can play in the yard." Ruth announced proudly, reaching for a pad of note paper to jot down the idea.

"Not with all these tools lying around."

"Well you two have to be finishing up the green house soon, right?"

Sam sighed and Ruth got the answer she was looking for in the down turn of his eyes and the sight of his jaw clenching just a little, biting something back.

"I have a couple more projects for you now. Maybe there will be tools around a while longer." She said quietly, respecting the fact that he wasn't ready to come around only weekly.

When she was walking back up the driveway, she saw Sam's truck and Boo playing with his own tail on the grass.

She pulled out her ear buds and stalked up the porch steps. Bone tired and exhausted from the heat. Not to mention back later than she meant to be.

She pushed open the screen door and walked into the house where all windows and doors were open, just in case the still air caught the wind.

Andy kicked off her sneakers and peeled off her socks every couple of steps, and eventually stumbled into the kitchen to see Ruth and Sam talking over coffee.

She decided that she didn't want to think about the time left and took the last few steps into the kitchen, putting the matter to bed. She could ask him later.

"Hey guys." She said, walking over to Sam's chair and placed her hands on his shoulders.

One of his hands slid up over hers and squeezed it before looking up at her.

"How was your run, Darling?" Ruth asked, watching the two of them grin at each other for a moment.

"Hot. And sweaty, so I'm going to change, and then we get to work. And get sweatier." She said with a disgusted look on her face.

Sam tried, but, he was sure he wasn't convincing anyone. He kinda, sorta, really didn't mind thinking about her sweaty.

"Sounds good." He said, watching her walk into her bedroom, her hips swaying a little wider than usual, to keep from stiffening.

Cecelia and Patty arrived just after lunch, giving Ruth a little bit of a distraction, taking their iced tea and crib board to the small table on the porch and caught up on the few days that were between their last encounter.

The wind had only picked up a little since that morning, not quite enough to make the chimes sing. There was little rustling in the full leaves of the trees, and their solace was the shade that was growing over the back lawn.

"She doesn't have him in the will anymore. Not since he married the little tart."

"Well, she warned him after he proposed, it's hardly something to cry about now. Just because she left it all to a shelter. We should all do that. My children are ingrates anyway."

Ruth could hardly focus on the conversation, though fascinating, because Andy was busy laughing at something Sam had said.

Andy's head had flown back, her hand moving across her abdomen and holding on as she doubled over, looking to him as he smiled - proud of the fact that he'd gotten that a big reaction.

She tossed the towel she'd been using to wipe her neck at him, and he moved out of the way. After retrieving it, he whirled it around in a circle, letting it wind up. Andy was backing away in anticipation of what his next move was.

Ruth watched as Sam began walking quickly toward her, and Andy made a break for it, running alongside of the truck. But Boo was on the other side, barking at all the excitement, forcing her to turn back toward Sam who let the towel snap somewhat gently against her hip.

Andy caught it when he tried a second time, and he tugged it hard, pulling her into him. The towel was tossed to the side once he had one arm around her, and Sam kissed her gently on the mouth, catching her a little by surprise.

"They are sweet." Patty said, breaking through Ruth's bubble.

"That they are. Like two teenagers. Ruth, you'd better hope this match sticks. I don't know how I'll forgive you if it doesn't." Cecelia smiled, letting it drop after seeing a small flash of fear cross Ruth's eyes.

Ruth didn't know if she would either.

"Mhhmm, I expect an invitation to that wedding. All those hints we dropped..."

"Hints? Patty, you were practically proposing a mating ritual." Cecelia laughed, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"You were practically admitting to the poor Dear that you'd like to participate."

Ruth cleared her throat, and went back to examining her hand, willing them silently that all she wanted today, was to actually play crib.

Sitting back in the slightly reclined seats of the truck, Andy rested her feet on the dashboard and finally let out a deep breath. Her muscles ached, and even though most parts of her wanted to initiate something while they had a little time before he had to go, she couldn't move.

"Tired?"

"Dead." She groaned, rolling her head away from him and throwing her arm over her eyes.

"Well I hope not. It's almost Canada Day."

"Don't care."

"Yes you do." He chuckled, pulling her hand to uncover her eyes.

She finally lolled her head to the side to look at him, and couldn't help but smile. She let his fingers dance across hers, intertwining and pulling apart over and over again. Though he didn't try to latch on, hold her hand in his, she felt connected.

"This heat is supposed to keep up for a while."

"I know. I'm not running for the rest of the summer."

"Ah, then this thing might just fizzle out."

"Knew you were only in it for my legs."

"Don't be ridiculous. You've got great lips too."

"Aww." She said, fake as all hell, but sat up and over to kiss him anyway.

"So, anyway, the heat's going to keep up, and I was wondering if you wanted to hit the beach."

Andy pulled the side of her seat, and flew all the way back to a regular sitting position and slid across the bench seat.

"The beach?!"

"Yeah, the beach, what's so weird about that McNally?"

"I can't even imagine you in shorts." Andy admitted, letting her eyes drift down to inspect his torso downward.

"Well you'll see. You in?"

Sam held her hand tightly in his now and lifted his eyebrows, trying to get a gage on what she thought.

"The beach huh?" She asked after thinking it over for a couple of seconds.

"Yep."

"You just want to see me in a bikini." She accused, not quite giving up on making him work for it.

"Maybe."

She stared him down through lowered lashes, inspecting him, hoping to get him to crack.

"Andy-"

"Okay. You're on. Next week, we'll go to the beach. I'll bring the sun block."

"Good."

Sam pulled her by her sweatshirts collar and brought her down to his lips, kissing her a bit harder than necessary. She laughed into it, causing him to smile and her to make contact with his teeth. Between kisses she pulled back for a little air, and saw the porch light going on and off. Meaning Ruth was wondering if she'd be coming back in anytime soon.

"I should go in. We're gonna watch a movie before bed." Andy whispered as Sam nudged her nose gently with his, hoping to get one more kiss.

She conceded and he made it long and slow, his tongue only just slipping into her mouth when she broke away.

"Nope. Nope, I'm leaving."

She pushed open her door and hopped out with another big smile on her mouth, jogged back to the house, yelling 'enough with the lights' as she went.