A/N: Okay, I really had a good time writing this chapter. I only started three hours ago and kind of just pressed on through. It's fluffy with a touch of seriousness, and I know it seems like the plot has kind of died, but I promise you things are never this simple for long. It's just nice to show you how they're changing and growing, and just how much this means to both of them. Thank you Nat for helping out, as always.
The thrum and life that radiated from the crowd never failed to amaze Sam. In Toronto the streets absolutely boomed, and while St Catharine's was a less populated area, the families came out in droves and cheered on the street sides, watching the parade go by. Children sat on their father's shoulders, waving the free paper flags being given out every few yards, and wore their brightest reds and cleanest whites, singing and cheering along - not necessarily for pride of their country - but they were excited. They could hardly handle the day of treats and sweets and all the festivities they had to keep up with. When they were overwhelmed, they whined, and cried into their parent's shoulders, annoyingly reminding them of their limited staying power, and will to nap without the actual want to leave the party behind.
He didn't mind though. His day was going really well. Andy had met him out by the truck that morning, bounding down the stairs and singing a very rough rendition of O' Canada. She wore a red tank top, but had a flag draped over her shoulders as a sort of cape. He'd laughed at her, profusely, and she insisted she wouldn't look out of place. She even gave him two truck ornaments for the day. One window flag accessory for each door and told him it might get him better parking.
He complied and she had been right. She said she'd done a little research the night before.
Sam hadn't had a Canada Day off in a few years now, always detailed to the fireworks downtown - keep the drinking under control and the fights minimal. Even when he wasn't scheduled he swapped with others who'd want to be with their families and loved ones, so today was a special treat. And somehow, she knew it.
So now, as the sound of the bag pipes punctured the air with their wavering pitch, their uniquely strange vibration sparked patriotism within him. As they did when he heard them play on Remembrance Day or at ceremonies or funerals. Andy wasn't oblivious to the way he straightened up when they passed them by from their spot on the sidewalk as they watched them pass by. Already tucked into his side, she placed one hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder running her hand across his abdomen then up and down his far ribs. When they were walking out of hearing range, and the marching band got closer, he looked down at her, seeing that her flag tattoo was still in perfect condition on her cheek.
She smiled at him tentatively, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. So through completely clear and easy eyes, he smiled at her, with his lips pressed together, as if pulling them apart might cause something to tumble out.
They watched the rest of the parade go by, every now and then he teased Andy, asking if she wanted him to try and carry her on his shoulders. She laughed but refused him, claiming she didn't want to put his back out. He had kissed her quiet, warning her to keep her cheekiness in check or she may have to pay for it. Andy did her best to press down her smile and apologize, but soon after was whispering in his ear, asking him what he planned to do about it. Sam had simply let his jaw drop and then bit the inside of his cheek, telling her she probably didn't want to know.
They walked by the food trucks that had gathered around Lakeside Park and got some fish tacos to eat while they walked around looking at the face painting booths and people on the grass having picnics. A few small businesses had tents where they were selling stuff, and giving out samples. Sometimes pamphlets depending on the business. Sam wished he actually knew more about the area than he did, or knew more of the people.
They passed the carousel in the park - line going all the way out of the cover and down the path, nearly interfering with everyone else trying to get around.
"Ruth used to take me here on Sundays." Andy sighed, watching as one girl pulled on her mother's arm incessantly, trying to convey how impatient she was.
Sam nodded and took all of that in. Sunday's used to be a little special for him too.
"I loved going swimming at the beach and playing in the park and then taking a couple of turns on the carousel. Used to tire me out. She said I used to fall asleep on the car ride home, every time."
She'd been opening up more about the happy memories she had of St. Catharine's, now that she and Ruth were on the mend. But there was still a lot she held close. He didn't really get to complain, since he had only really talked about Sarah when she came up organically - not offering much beyond that.
"It's a great place." He commented, thinking about how those traditions start, about how people have that vision from the moment they decide they want kids. He couldn't fathom having a family. Not now, not even in five years. Maybe he didn't want it...
"Yeah. I keep wishing there was stuff like this in the city. Not like, parks. Of course we have parks, it's just so busy."
"So you don't want to stay in the city after you graduate?" Sam asked, feeling his heart beat a little at the prospective of not being close to her.
"No, I don't know. I mean, it makes you think about how people have families in the city. I mean being a cop, you see a lot of bad stuff right?"
"You see that everywhere, McNally. Not just big cities."
She laughed, shaking her head for sounding so naive.
"I guess it would just nice to be able to pretend you're safe." She said, putting one hand in his.
He wondered if she meant him being safe, or them .
They managed to find Ruth late in the afternoon. She'd gone down later in the afternoon with Cecelia and they had volunteered to do face paintings in the park. Ruth was packing up the paints as the crowd was filtering down to the beach to watch the fireworks, and she claimed she was going to head back to the house well before the festivities started.
Andy kissed her on the cheek and told her not to wait up, that they might go for a drink after the fireworks were over, and Ruth had nodded, like she suspected something more may be in the cards for them. It made Andy blush, and Sam confused. Wondering if Ruth really thought that they'd been taking his truck to abandoned lots to get their fill. But he shook it off, reminding himself that it only mattered that the two of them knew the truth. That they weren't diving pants first into things.
And also Ruth shot him a wink that had him relieved seconds later.
Though, he had been wondering how it would happen. With Ruth's place off limits, and him at Sarah's. Neither came across as very romantic.
He was just glad that Ruth was becoming less and less an active voice in their growing relationship. They were able to carry out more conversations without even mentioning Andy's name, and when Andy did come up, Ruth wasn't always being 'the grandmother'. She was able to be mostly unbiased and it truly took him by surprise. Ever since they'd stood in the kitchen and she'd warned him to get to really know Andy before jumping in, he expected to be watched like a hawk. But Ruth trusted them well enough.
"I'll see you in the morning then, Love. Have a good time."
Ruth hugged her granddaughter, and Sam reached for the case of paints, insisting he help lug it to where ever they were parked, figuring that in this chaos it couldn't be close. It earned him a respect filled smile from Ruth and Cecelia grabbed him by the arm, since he'd be 'escorting them out'.
Andy and Ruth stayed a little further back, and Andy pointed to the carousel as they passed it. Sam looked over his shoulder in time to see a nostalgic smile take over Ruth's mouth as she leaned into her granddaughter, patting her arm affectionately.
"I've got a couple of bucks in my change purse if you really want a turn, Ducky."
"I think I'll manage Gran." She laughed.
Once they were squared away, and Ruth was headed off for home, they realized they only had a couple of hours to get food and a place to set up camp, but Sam seemed to have other ideas.
"Where are we going? There's very little sand left down there, we'll be stuck on a tree root or something." Andy said as he led them out of the park and a few blocks up from the water to where the truck was parked.
"We're not watching from down there."
"Oh?"
"I know a place." He said vaguely, pulling her up the street behind him.
When he drove them into a wooded neighbourhood slightly above the town, she was a little sceptical. If she were going to try to come up with a description of it, she'd say it was like a lookout point that her high school boyfriend used to drive her too to make out. Where they could see Toronto lit up, a place that 'set the mood'. Andy told him as much and had laughed and as he took a turn before the spots furthest point, so he could back up the tailgate to the view.
"I promise you, my intentions are honourable." He said while she studied him.
And then she pouted and he chuckled again.
"Okay, a little less than honourable." He reiterated, leaning over, looking for a kiss which she quickly supplied.
"Good." She said quietly, between pecks. "We've got quite a bit of time to kill."
And kill time they did.
They had a bit of a heated make out session; Andy had only slipped him a bit of tongue and suddenly, he was tugging her into his lap so she could rest against his hard thighs. She was her doing her best to keep from grinding on him, since she knew it couldn't get too out of hand, and him, trying to refrain from pressing into her, seeking the friction he craved. And even more importantly, both of them were failing miserably.
It had not been the plan. In all honesty they'd been pretty good at minimizing the 'almosts' because well, they didn't often get the time or space to be alone. But when Sam's palms cupped her ass, Andy's mind drifted back to that thing they'd had in the bathroom and she slid her hips in close, meeting his in the middle. She would've not minded continuing where they'd left off two and a half weeks ago, and she was pretty sure he was feeling the same way.
They tried to keep the pace varied, slowing it down when it became too tempting, only to bring them right back to the precipice over and over again. At one point, Andy managed to get Sam's jeans unbuttoned and unzipped and it barely registered, until he felt her hand trying to move the elastic of his boxers.
"Andy."
"Yeah?" She panted, trying to get in further as he held her wrist still.
"Not tonight, not here."
Her wrist went limp, giving into his resistance and she pulled all the way back from him, crotch still on his, but her back resting against the steering wheel. Her thoughts went to the 'where', trying to come up with suggestions before the moment passed.
"What? Why not?"
"I just - This isn't how I want this to go down." He said, trying to make sure she understood that he really wanted to.
"Sam, c'mon, I'm not some virgin who needs to be romanced." She huffed, frustrated. Most of the time she wasn't. She'd accepted that they were taking this at a different pace than most of her past relationships. But right here, right now, she really did not want to just stop. "Besides, we don't have to go that far, just something."
"I know, Andy, I know." He said, smiling like a wolf. Their chests were still heaving, desire filling the space around them. "I just think we can do better than the truck."
After a moment to consider, she smiled too, glad that he didn't have some wrong idea of who she was or what she expected.
She leaned back into him, back arching and her breasts pressing against his chest, pelvis shifting position ever so slightly, causing a magnificent groan to come out of his mouth. It was a sound she almost recognized, a huskier version of when he lifts heavy scraps of wood.
"I don't know. I've thought about us, in here. Like this," she admitted, thinking back to those times she thought it would be so easy to just pull over and…
"Oh really?"
He let her tell him all about it as he licked and kissed her neck - regretting his decision to not let her help him out.
And then while they were curled together more innocently, later on, merely holding each other and stealing kisses when he nudged her nose with his, the alarm went on his phone telling them the fireworks were scheduled to start soon. He was leaning against his door, with her tucked between him and the seat, along his side, and she was comfortable like that. The truck was still warm from sitting in the heat all day, and though it was dark, she found it peaceful. She was reluctant to move even when the alarm went.
"Come on. I've got some blankets and cushions in the backseat, we'll make it cozy."
True to his word, they threw everything into the bed of truck, and climbed in, making themselves a comfy spot to lean back and watch the lights brighten the sky from. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
"Tell me you play the guitar and you'll be just like a character in a Nicholas Sparks book." She whispered half way through the show.
He raised his chin from its perch on her shoulder, she was sitting between his legs, leaning her back against his chest, and looked around wondering why she might be whispering. They weren't at the movies. But then again, she sounded a little tired. It had been a long day, and she'd had way too much cotton candy.
"Well, prepare to hate me." He whispered in return, causing her to groan.
"Oh no. Now I really want to tear your clothes off." She laughed, whining a bit.
He bit her shoulder and then kissed the same spot and smiled against her skin. "I'm actually pretty good at it."
"I bet you are."
"Not what I meant, McNally."
"Suuuure."
He laughed into her hair as a firework erupted, showering the sky in what seemed like gold stars.
"Well, the skill translates. I'm great with my hands."
"Magical fingers." She snorted, trying not to actually think about the words coming out of his mouth, or hers. She was just tired enough not to be able to process them as a reality. This was just banter.
"You're really trying to wind me up aren't you?"
"No, that was earlier remember?"
"I'm never letting you have that much sugar again, you're too quippy for your own good." Sam admitted, wrapping his arms over her stomach when he noticed her shiver a tiny bit. The air was still warm, but with a breeze coming in, it was hard to keep a comfortable temperature.
"Today has been amazing." She sighed, finally settling down from a fit of laughter. The kind that takes over when you're craving sleep but too amused to give in.
"Yeah."
"It's because of you. All of it. The last couple of weeks, they've been great. You're great." She said sincerely, stretching her neck up, missing a burst of blue and purple fireworks.
"Andy-"
"I mean it. Planning all this stuff, being so considerate. No one's ever really... You're one of a kind Sam Swarek."
He wasn't prepared for the feelings that hit when it came out of her mouth. He was surprised how his chest tightened and his heart felt like it was swelling. Something in the pit of stomach unfurled and warmed and he wanted to just... He didn't know. He just wanted to be able to carry that feeling with him always. Maybe he could do anything if he did.
"Andy, I'm not... I don't do this kind of stuff, normally." He said.
He wanted her to understand that he wasn't the kind of guy to take this much planning into account. She was just different.
"I mean, I don't know. You're different. This whole thing we're doing... it's different."
When she smiled her big wide smile, he knew she understood what he was trying to say without so many words. He didn't know how to say it.
She was different and it scared him less and less by the day. She was different, significant. She was... as hoky as it sounded, one of a kind. He'd never felt like someone was this important, after knowing them for only a short period of time.
"My buddy has a cottage. A little closer to Niagara and I don't think he'll be up there till August. I was wondering if maybe you might want to get away for a weekend, soon." He said, finally feeling pretty solid on where she was, on them, physically.
Although, it was never her idea to wait, really.
She grinned again, stretching her mouth wider than he thought it could go and nodded, leaning up for a kiss, and he granted her one.
That feeling in his stomach was still growing and spreading, and lighting him from the inside out. She was different and he didn't want to lose her.