Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews!
I know I'm not updating as frequently as I used to do, but life is just really busy at the moment! I can at least guarantee that I will finish all my stories, because I hate it when I'm invested in a story and it never gets updated again. So I won't do that to you guys!
XX
The next week Sam was standing in front of the parade room talking about his latest case. He was instructing the uniformed officers, but he had trouble focusing on what he was saying. When parade started he didn't think too much of Andy not being there. They drove to work together so he knew she was in the building. It happened more often that she got caught up in a conversation and missed the first minute of parade.
Not the entire thing though.
As soon as everybody was dismissed Sam turned to Gail. ''Peck,'' he asked. ''You saw McNally?''
''Saw her in the locker room,'' Gail answered. ''Didn't see her coming out though.''
Sam quickly walked out of the parade room and towards the female locker room. When he entered he saw his wife sitting on a bench in front of her locker. She was wearing her uniform, but the buttons were still open.
''You missed parade, what's wrong?'' Sam said as he made his way towards Andy.
She sniffed and whipped her nose with her right hand. ''I can't work,'' she said.
''Why not?'' Sam wondered. Normally he would be worried when Andy was crying. She wasn't someone who cried over nothing. The hormones were getting to her though, so he was getting used to it.
''I don't fit into my uniform anymore,'' she softly said. Andy demonstrated it by trying to close one of the middle buttons, but like she said it didn't fit. ''And the pants don't fit anymore either.''
''Andy, you're pregnant. You're suppose to grow out of your clothes.'' Sam really didn't see the issue. The only place Andy really gained weight was on her stomach and that was to be expected.
''I've been wearing my jeans with the button undone for two weeks,'' Andy sniffed. ''It's really uncomfortable. ''
Sam smiled because of how ridiculous his wife was being. ''We'll go out and buy you maternity clothes,'' he promised. ''Your body is changing. It's only natural.''
''Maternity clothes are ugly,'' Andy spat out. ''They make people look fat.''
Sam had trouble not to burst into laughter. He knew if he did that Andy would probably throw something at him. She never was like this, but hormones really did crazy things to her. ''Sweetheart,'' he tried.
''Don't sweetheart me,'' she warned. ''You only use that word when you think I'm being ridiculous. And I'm not. It's not fun to not be able to tie your own shoelaces. And soon I won't even be able to shave my legs and then you won't be attractive to me anymore and you'll leave me for someone else.''
By the time Andy was done Sam was shaking his head. He thought a little drama was funny, but now she was really going too far. ''Andy,'' he warned. ''I get that you're emotional and I know you don't like your body right now. But I never gave you any reason to believe that I will cheat on you and I won't.''
A snort escaped Andy's nose and she let out a sarcastic laugh. ''You say that now,'' she said. ''But what about when I'm too tired, grumpy and uncomfortable and we won't have sex anymore. Ever. And then all of the sudden you are always 'working late' and I'm sitting at home being fat.''
''Andy,'' Sam warned.
When Andy didn't respond but kept her gaze on the floor Sam crouched down in front of her. ''Hey,'' he said while he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. ''I love you okay? And I'll always think you're beautiful. 10 pounds extra, 20 pounds extra, 40 pounds extra, I don't care.''
Andy let a few more tears fall and sobbed. ''God, you must hate me. I'm such a bitch.'' Andy whipped away her tears and took a deep breath. ''My emotions are all over the place.''
''Sarah already warned me for that,'' Sam responded. ''Apparently it's all part of the deal.''
Andy leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Sam's lips. ''Sorry,'' she apologised.
''Lucky for you I promised you forever, huh? Sickness, health, cheerful or moody.''
''I'm lucky,'' Andy agreed. ''I still don't have anything to wear though. Seriously, how can I grow this much in a few days?''
Sam stood up again and held out his hand for Andy. ''Good thing your husband prepares for everything. Follow me.''
Andy looked confused, but took Sam's hand. She followed him into the male locker room and waited when he opened his locker. After a few seconds Sam pulled out an old uniform and handed it to Andy. ''The pants probably won't be too comfortable, but with your belt you should be able to make it work. And the shirt will just have to do for today.''
''Why do you still have this?'' Andy asked confused. ''I thought you're supposed to give these back when you're off the streets.''
''Well I kept it,'' Sam answered. ''Don't even know why, but it comes in handy now. Just wear these for now. If you ask Frank he can order you a maternity set. They do have those, you know?''
Andy rolled her eyes and took the uniform from Sam. ''I know. I just really hate those.''
''Did you ever wear them?'' Sam shot back.
''No,'' Andy reluctantly agreed. ''Still, they look so.. big.''
Sam took a step forward and cupped Andy's cheek in his hand. ''You're gorgeous,'' he said. ''Always have been always will be.''
''You can be really sweet sometimes,'' Andy said as she gently kissed Sam. ''Good thing I'm always on desk duty. Nobody misses me there.''
Sam and Andy both took off to their own desks. Around lunch time Sam looked up from his desk and saw his wife standing in front of him with a brown bag in her hands. ''Brought you lunch,'' she said. ''Sorry about this morning.''
''It's okay,'' Sam answered. ''I get it.''
''It's not okay,'' Andy argued. ''You're being so sweet and then I go off and say things to you that are really bitchy.'' Andy shook her head and handed Sam a sandwich. ''I would do anything for this baby, you know that right? I would do all of this ten times over and I would gladly gain another 50 pounds if it would mean he is healthy. I would do absolutely anything.''
''I know Andy,'' Sam assured. ''Of course I know. You're a good mom already.''
Sam paused for a moment and looked at his wife. ''I get all of that, I do,'' he continued. ''But it's not okay for you to question if I'm faithful to you when I've given you no reason whatsoever to think otherwise.'''
''Sam,'' Andy interrupted him, but Sam put up his hand to silence her.
''I've never and I will never cheat on you. You are all I want.''
''I know, I'm sorry,'' Andy apologized. ''And it's not that I question you, I really don't. It was a bitchy thing to say and I've got no excuse.'' Andy stood up and looked around the D's office. Everybody was either out on a call or away for lunch, so she used the opportunity to drop down in Sam's lap. ''Sorry for being a bitch.'' She paused for a moment and then shook her head. ''Why would you even cheat? I'm already such a handful.''
A smile formed on Sam's lips as he kissed Andy's cheek. ''That you are,'' he answered. You are forgiven. This sandwich really helps with that.''
Andy laughed and slapped his chest. ''Dork.'' She leaned into Sam and closed her eyes for a moment. After a moment she backed off and sat down on her own chair again. ''How's work?''
''Fine,'' Sam said. ''It looks like we're finally making some headway with the Scott-case. Might be able to close that case this week if all goes well.''
''You hear that buddy?'' Andy asked with a hand on her stomach. ''Daddy is locking up all the bad guys before you come into this world.''
Sam smiled at the mention of the word ''daddy.'' It still felt surreal to him, but somehow it was the best thing that ever happened to him at the same time. ''Well, probably not all of them, but we will be able to get some scumbags of the streets.''
''Our hero,'' Andy said with a big grin on her face.
''And how's desk duty treating you?''Sam asked back. He knew Andy mostly hated it, but she didn't complain too much about it.
''It's super exciting,'' Andy sarcastically said. ''Just an hour ago I was on the phone with an eighty year old woman that wanted to report her cat as a missing person. When I told her I couldn't do that I got to listen to a thirty minute rant about how all we care about is money, weapons and drugs. We are no longer there for the little people. You know, back in the day police officers still had time for everyone.''
''Back in the day everything was better, huh?'' Sam wondered. He took the last bite of his sandwich. ''But good to know you're having fun.''
''Having a blast,'' Andy said. They staid seated like that. Talking to each other about little things. When they finished their lunch Andy stood up and cleared Sam's desk. She leaned down to give Sam a kiss and headed back to her desk.
An hour later Sam's cell phone rang. He answered it without looking at the number. ''Swarek.''
''Sam dear?'' the voice on the other line asked. ''I'm sorry to disturb you while you're working.''
Sam checked the number and saw it was his neighbor on the phone. Mrs. Davis was a 72 year old widowed woman who sometimes watched Boo for them. She didn't have any kids or close relatives so she enjoyed helping her neighbors.
Andy felt sad for the woman and genuinely liked her too. Mrs. Davis became like a substitute grandmother for them. On nights when Andy was alone she sometimes invited the older woman over for dinner. Sam sometimes did little chores for her and they just kept an eye out for her.
''That's okay Mrs. Davis. Is something wrong?'' Sam asked. He gave his phone number to her in case she ever needed any help with anything or in case something was wrong with Boo whenever she watched him. She never actually called though, so Sam knew something was up.
''It might be nothing, but two hours ago a car was parked in front of your house. The guy that drove it knocked on your door a few times, but then went back to the car. He's been there ever since.'' Mrs. Davis paused for a moment and then continued. ''Maybe it's nothing dear, but it just gave me a weird feeling.''
Sam immediately grabbed a notepad and a pen. ''That's okay Mrs. Davis. Is there any chance you've seen the license plate? Or do you know what he looks like?''
''I think he's in his late fifties or early sixties. He has dark hair, but is starting to grey. I haven't seen the license plate, but I can look that up for you.''
''Don't go anywhere near him,'' Sam warned. From what Mrs. Davis told him he didn't like what he was hearing. A normal person wouldn't wait in the car for two hours to wait until someone got home. Sam wasn't going to take any risks, especially not since Andy would probably get home before him.
''I can see the car from my bedroom,'' Mrs. Davis informed Sam. ''It's no trouble.'' When Mrs. Davis got the license plate Sam ran it through the system and thanked his neighbor for looking out.
When he saw whose car was in front of his house Sam's blood started to boil. The car was named to William Swarek. That was a name Sam hoped he never would cross paths with again. Sam took a deep breath and looked out of the window in his office. He saw Dov coming in with a cuffed suspect .
Sam knew what to do and grabbed his jacket. He walked out of his office and towards booking. He preferred to take Oliver with him, but he knew that his friend had the day off. ''Epstein,'' he said when he walked in. ''Your partner can take it from here, you're coming with me.''
A confused look crossed Dov's face, but he quickly snapped out of it and gave Sam a small nod. ''Of course, where are we going?''
Sam didn't answer, but just walked out of the booking area. When they were in the parking lot Sam stopped in front of the cruiser. ''We're going to my house,'' he said. ''You will not do or say anything. You are only coming with me to stop me from doing anything stupid.''
''What's going on?'' Dov wondered.
''I promised Andy I wouldn't do anything stupid, but I have to protect my family. Can you understand that Epstein?''
Dov had no idea what Sam was talking about, but he understood the concept of protecting his family. Since Chloe had given birth to their baby girl he understood that concept better than ever. ''Of course,'' Dov answered. ''But sometimes you can protect them better by thinking before acting.''
Sam knew he was acting on anger and not on rational thoughts, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to end this once and for all. ''Dov,'' Sam said, not entirely used to using the young man's first name. ''My neighbor just called me to tell me my father has been waiting outside my house for the last few hours. If you would know anything about my father you would understand why that's a threat to my family.''
All Dov could do was nod. He didn't know the story behind Sam's family. When there were hardly any relatives of Sam at the Swarek wedding, Dov assumed that Sam's parents passed away.
The drive to the house was made in a short period of time. As soon as the car came to a stop Sam jumped out of the car and walked towards his father's car. Dov stepped out to, but kept his distance, unsure of what to do.
Sam opened the door of William's car. William smiled and got out immediately. ''Sammy,'' he said. ''It's been so long. You look good son.''
''I'll tell you this once, so you better listen carefully,'' Sam said through gritted teeth. ''You get the hell away from my house. You stay away from my wife. You stay away from Sarah and her family. We'll never see you again. Do you understand that?''
William looked down at the ground and shook his head. ''I'm your father Sammy. I have made some mistakes, but nothing can ever change that.''
''I've been fine without you for the past twenty years. I'll be fine without you for the rest of my life too.'' Sam opened the car door a little bit further and stepped back. ''Now get in your car and get out of my life.''
''I only want to talk to you,'' William tried again.
''I have nothing to say.'' Sam avoided William's eyes and kept his jaw clenched. He wanted to keep his promise to Andy, but if it was up to him he would have punched William's lights out already. All he could do was keep picturing Andy. He knew she would be disappointed if he would let his temper get the better of him.
''I saw your wife,'' William began. ''She's beautiful. Saw you have a child on the way too. Now you can maybe try to imagine how I feel right now.''
At the mention of Andy's name Sam reached his boiling point. He grabbed William and shoved him against the car. ''You leave her alone. If I ever see you near her..''
Dov was still by the cruiser, but when he saw Sam grabbing William he took a step forward. He placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and broke the two up. ''Sir, maybe it's best if you go and keep your distance,'' he advised William. ''Detective Swarek made it clear that he doesn't want to see you so I suggest you respect that wish.''
''We need to talk,'' was all William had to say.
''Go home,'' Dov replied.
William looked between the two men and stepped into his car after a moment. Without looking back he started the engine and drove off.
''You okay?'' Dov asked as he glanced at Sam.
Sam's hands were still closed as fists and he was breathing heavily. He watched as William drove off and only looked back at Dov when he couldn't see the car anymore. ''I'm fine,'' he lied. ''Let's go back to the station.''
Dov took place behind the steering wheel, sensing that Sam was too wired up to drive. When they were on the road for a few minutes Sam cleared his throat. ''You did good,'' he told Dov. ''You've come a long way since your first year.''
That compliment meant a lot to Dov. Even though he wasn't that insecure overachieving young rookie anymore, he still cared for what his superiors thought of him. ''Thank you.''
''There was a reason why I picked you to come with me. Five years ago I would have gone alone and the situation probably would have gotten out of hand.'' Sam thought about how much he had changed in a few years. How much he had grown really. He knew he had Andy to thank for that.
''It's different now,'' Dov agreed. He glanced sideward's at Sam and noticed his confused look. ''Now that I have Chloe and Jen my priorities have shifted.''
Dov parked the cruiser at the station's parking lot again. Sam looked at him and gave him a small nod. ''Thanks for this.''
''Anytime,'' Dov assured.
XX
Sam made sure that he got out of work early. He didn't want Andy going home alone, because he didn't want to risk her running into William again. Sam hoped he took his advice and stayed the hell away, but with William you never knew for sure.
When Andy walked out of the locker room she looked surprised to find Sam leaning against the wall. ''Hey,'' she said. ''You off already?''
''Wanted to go home with my wife,'' Sam avoided her question. He took her hand and quickly placed a kiss on it. ''Besides, we drove here together.''
''Like that ever stopped you before from working till late,'' Andy teased. ''But you deserve an early night. You've been working really hard lately.''
They walked outside hand in hand and Sam gave Andy's a small squeeze. ''If I put in some extra time now I can stay home longer after you've given birth.''
''That would be nice too,'' Andy agreed. ''I will sleep while you change him, feed him and rock him to sleep. Sounds like a plan to me.'' Andy smiled and looked at Sam. ''You know that's only fair. I'm basically doing all of that now.''
''Smartass,'' Sam commented. He tried to smile, but the day was still playing in his mind. He knew he had to tell Andy about it, but he wasn't looking forward to that. He wanted to do that before they got home though, just in case William was back.
When they reached the truck Sam motioned to the back. ''Can we sit for a moment?''
Andy looked at her husband and nodded. ''Sure,'' she answered. ''Something wrong?''
Sam helped Andy to get seated and then sat down next to her. ''Mrs. Davis called me this afternoon,'' he started. ''She said that there was a car in front of our house for quite some time. Apparently someone was watching the house.''
''Why didn't you tell me that?'' Andy asked concerned. ''Do you know who it was?''
''I ran the license plate,'' Sam admitted. ''It was William again. I went to the house.''
''What happened?'' Andy wanted to believe that Sam did the right thing. She knew that William pissed Sam off, but she also believed that Sam would try to keep his promise to her.
Sam shook his head and looked down. ''He said he wanted to talk. I told him to stay away from us. Stay away from Sarah. Don't come near any of us ever again.'' Sam took a deep breath and placed a hand on Andy's knee. He softly rubbed his hand up and down her leg, needing the contact for a moment. ''I took Epstein with me,'' Sam admitted. ''Just to prevent me from doing anything I shouldn't do.''
Andy covered Sam's hand with hers and squeezed it. ''I'm glad you did that,'' she admitted. ''What else happened?''
''He mentioned you,'' Sam continued. ''Told me that he saw you. Told me that I should understand his feelings now that I'm about to be a father.''
Andy could feel her heart break when she saw the look on Sam's face. He always was the strong one, but this situation was killing him. He hated William and seeing him again brought back the feelings that he kept buried deep inside for years.
''I shoved him to his car, but Epstein stopped me. He told William to leave to and after a moment he did.''
''Do you know what he wanted?'' Andy asked. ''Why search for contact after all those years?''
''Mind games Andy,'' Sam immediately said. ''The guy is a psychopath. All he ever did was based on power and money.''
They were both quiet for a moment. Andy leaned forward and kissed Sam sweetly. She rubbed her thumb over his cheek. ''I'm proud of you,'' she whispered. ''I get that this is really hard for you, but you did the right thing.''
All Sam did was nod. He attached his mouth to Andy's again and deepened the kiss.
When Andy shivered Sam broke the kiss. He gave her one last small kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. ''Let's go home,'' he said.
XX
So another chapter done!
To think that this was intended as a two shot.
I hope you still like the route I'm taking this story, please review if you've got anything to say!
Next up: What happens if William goes to see Andy again. Will she listen to what he has got to say?