A/N: Hey, everyone! First of all, I just wanted to say I'm so sorry for the long wait. Normally I'm better about updating at least weekly, but I've been in the woods for the past two weeks with no internet service. But now I'm back, so expect more regular updates. Next, in response to a comment, I know the plot of the first chapter wasn't exactly the plot of the show, but I really just wanted to speed everything along to get the story going. From here on out, the majority of the plot is mine, with a few moments from the show. The only other part of the past plot of the show that will be different will be the circumstances of Jerry's death. Third, thank you all so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! It makes me so happy. And finally, I know this was a long author's note, but now, read, review, and enjoy as always!
It was now well into the undercover op. Nick and Andy had pretty much gotten used to the sensation of kissing each other in front of the meth dealers they were working for. They knew something big was going down sometime soon and distraction was pretty much not an option for them.
Andy paced around their apartment. She hadn't heard from Nick since that morning when the "new rules" had gone into place and they'd taken him and his cell phone and kept he from coming with them. She was getting worried. Even if he didn't have his phone, he still knew the number he should call to let her know he was okay. He hadn't done that yet. Looking at the clock, Andy made up her mind. She was going to go look for him.
A half hour later she was breaking into the house of the meth dealer. She yelled a few times and there didn't appear to be anyone there. She walked around back, careful not to make noise as she stepped on the cement tiles on the ground. If they heard her, and knew she was looking for Nick, they would not be happy. And those people unhappy would not be good news for her and Nick. In other words, one or both of them could end up dead. Not noticing anyone outside and not hearing anyone answer her calls, she cracks open the door and steps silently inside, leaving it open behind her. She made sure to keep her steps light but normal, so anyone who might happen to be in the house or walk in wouldn't suspect anything was wrong.
Andy looked around the house, not seeing anything that could lead her to Nick. Until she spotted the laptop sitting on the table. She sat down, first rifling lightly through the papers beside the laptop before carefully opening it. Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her. "Hey, sweetheart." She jumped, holding her hand over her heart, to see Von, one of the meth dealers, standing behind her. His arms rested above his head on a beam in the ceiling, and the thin white shirt he wore rode up at his waist.
She smiled slightly and said, "Oh, it's you. You scared me." He just nodded skeptically, so she went on. "The door was unlocked so I thought I'd just come in and see if I could find Nick. Have you seen him?"
Von stared at her for a minute before stepping forward and dropping his hands. "Yeah, he's down at the beach."
"Good," she said as she stood up. "I was worried."
He nodded at her, stepping closer still. "So you decided to look for him. In my laptop."
She glanced down, then smiled at herself for her silliness. "Nick never gave me your number. I was looking for it."
Von nodded slowly. "Smart man."
She paused cautiously, but nodded. "I'm just going to go look for him. Thank you." She turned around and began making her way back to the door.
"One thing," she heard from behind her, so she turned around, to look at him again. "New rules. Where's your cell phone?" She nodded, relaxing. She patted her pants pockets, feeling the bulge on the back right side, but pretending not to find it. "You know, I left it in my bag outside. I'm just going to go get that."
She turned around to head outside, to do what she had no idea, but thinking on her feet was part of her job description. Her heart beat a little faster as she thought through her options. Before she had left, she'd shoved the gun she and Nick kept under the couch in the back of her waistband. If she needed to, she could still use it on Von, but blowing her cover wasn't an option when they knew the dealers had sped up the process so much there was a new shipment going out that day, when one had gone out the day before as well. They were close to the big bust, and she needed to be there to make it. Both for 15 Division and for herself. She didn't think she could face Sam again without making the bust, without being able to prove to him that she had left to do something good.
A gun hit the back of her head, and she dropped to the floor, unconscious.
The next thing Andy knew, she was in a moving truck, bound and gagged. She took in her surroundings, the plastic lining the walls of the truck and the pile of something in the corner she couldn't quite make out. She carefully stood up, making sure to keep her balance by resting on the side of the truck. Where was Nick? An idea formed in her mind, and she turned, carefully rubbing her backside on the truck, dismayed at the lack of anything in her back pockets. She had no way of contacting Nick or Blackstone… or Sam. It annoyed her that she still thought of him in a time like this, but ancient feelings didn't just disappear. Maybe he had waited for her. Damn it, she should not be thinking this right now! She was in no place to think about her love life. She needed to think about her life.
The truck shuddered to a halt, and she stood up her eyes widening. She made her way closer to the back door of the truck as she heard footsteps outside. She readied herself when the door began to lift. As soon as she could, she kicked her foot out and made contact with the hard body outside, which fell to the ground in surprise. "What the hell?"
Nick's voice came back to her and she stood shocked in the back of the truck. "Nick!" She yelled through the piece of cloth over her mouth.
"What is she doing here?" Nick yelled as Von grabbed her arm and dragged her down to the ground.
"Just go inside," Von said. He pulled Andy up by her arm, bringing her along behind him, as they went up a set of stairs outside a warehouse. Once inside, Andy was unbound and gagged and she went willingly into Nick's arms. His big, strong, safe arms. Who needed Sam when she had Nick right here with her, holding her and kissing the top of her head in comfort?
Still holding her close, Nick looked up at Von and PJ, the other man Von was working with. "What is she doing here?" Before he could get an answer, another man walked in the room, talking on his cell phone. Nick and Andy stared at him in confusion, and he nodded at them when he hung up. "Who are you?" Nick inquired, somewhat indignant.
"Wilson Burr," the man said before turning to Von. "We ready?"
"Yep," Von said. "That's her."
"What?" Andy asked. "Who am I?"
"Who is Simon McCowen?" Burr asked, staring directly at Andy.
"I don't know! I've never met him." Andy said. It was only a small lie. She had no idea who he was, but she had met him the night before.
"In town," Burr walked up to her and spoke the words McCowen had made her repeat after him the previous night. "Simon McCowen runs meth. Who is Simon McCowen?"
"I don't know!" Andy yelled, still in Nick's arms.
"What about last night?" Burr said, stepping closer so Andy burrowed still further into Nick's arms.
"She knows who he is but she doesn't know who he is!" Nick said. Andy could feel the heat from him, the comfort he was providing with every breath she took. He was trying to make her feel safe when both of them knew fully well that they were probably both going to die.
"Last night's visit from McCowen seemed rather surprising, don't you think?" Andy and Nick stared back at him blankly. Burr turned sharply to Von. "How long has he been here? He's been good?"
"Six months, and yeah, he's solid," Von responded.
"Good." Burr turned back. "Then we have our answer."
PJ grabbed Andy and shoved her to her knees, holding her arms behind her back. Burr handed Nick a gun, which he held in great confusion. "Shoot her."
"What?" Andy and Nick yelled at the same time.
"No!" Nick said. "I'm not going to kill her. I love her."
"You've been dating what? Four months? And suddenly she's showing up everywhere, sneaking into my house, and asking way too many questions." Von said pointedly.
"She's the leak," Burr said. "Shoot her."
"I'm not!" Nick said. "I'm not going to shoot her!"
"You don't understand." Von pulled out a gun and aimed it at Nick. "It's her or it's both of you."
Nick stared down at Andy. She whimpered as PJ's grip tightened on her. She saw the answer in Nick's eyes before he said anything. "No, Nick, don't do this!" She pleaded with him, trying to show him everything she felt the same way he was showing her the regret he'd have for what he was about to do.
"Look at me," he said, staring into her eyes. "Just look at me." And he pulled the trigger.
Andy winced, but didn't feel the piercing pain of a bullet. Pj released her. "Wow, that was intense."
Burr nodded. "He's good. Finish the job." He pulled out his cell phone and left the room without another word.
"W-What?" Andy asked, utterly confused. She still felt like a bullet was coming her way, despite knowing that the gun Nick had shot at her wasn't loaded. But now there was another loaded gun pointed at her, and this one was in the hands of a meth dealer who wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger and kill her.
Nick moved, shoving the gun out of Von's hands and pushing him against the wall with a swift kick of his foot. "Andy, now!" He yelled. Her training kicked in, even though the world still seemed surreal to her. She slammed her arms down on PJ's elbows, causing him to release her. She kicked him in the gut and stood, following Nick as he yelled at her, "Andy, let's move!"
They sprinted out of the room, running through the warehouse until they were squatting in a small operating room without windows. They could hear voices behind them, but they were distant. They flattened themselves against the side of the room, both breathing heavily.
"How are you feeling?" Nick asked her.
She glanced over at him, looking at him as if he were crazy. "I'm just trying to catch my breath. Oh maybe I can stop watching my life flash before my eyes!"
"I was keeping our cover!" Nick whispered.
"I don't care from our cover! Screw our cover!" She replied. "I trusted you Nick!"
"I knew the gun wasn't loaded."
"What? How?" Andy blanched for a moment, not appeased but not as angry.
"That little nub on the side of the gun? I couldn't feel it. That meant the gun wasn't loaded. I'm just glad it was a Glock."
"I don't care!" She leaned her head out the window into the larger room of the warehouse and looked around as the voices got slightly louder. She looked over and saw a phone. She grabbed it, seeing a tiny light glowing at the end of the tunnel. She dialed a number and turned back around the window to sit back against the wall next to Nick.
"Who are you calling?" Nick asked, his breath still heavy.
"I don't know, I just dialed," she said. It was pretty much true. She had dialed the number she knew best, not thinking who it was that would pick up the phone on the other end.
"Yeah," his deep voice met her ears and she almost groaned. She should not have called him.
"Sam?" She asked.
"McNally?" He answered. Wow, he almost sounded worried there. "Where are you?"
"I don't know, it's a warehouse somewhere." She glanced around outside again. "I saw a truck with a logo with the letters BTI in a red circle."
The voices outside grew louder and Nick tapped her shoulder. "We gotta go. Andy, we gotta go now!"
"I have to go!" Andy dropped the phone and ran off with Nick. They wove their way through rooms in the empty building and ended up in a loading room. A truck sat with it's door open and the voices behind them grew even louder. "In here!" She pulled him inside and they closed the door, leaning back against it.
They were panting again. Nick turned his head to look at Andy. "You're still mad."
"Of course I'm still mad! I'm going to be mad for a long time!" She looked at him incredulously. There was a beating noise outside the door, and Nick reached over to link their fingers together. "I hate going to bed angry."
"I know," she replied, her voice cracking a bit.
"You ready to fight?" She nodded, looking at him. They separated, facing the truck door and bracing themselves for the fight of their lives. Literally.
The door opened and they were faced with… Sam Swarek. Nick glanced over at Andy, but her eyes were only for Swarek. He swore to himself. She hadn't let Swarek go. Which meant he couldn't have her. The adrenaline pulsing through his veins was warping his emotions, but he didn't care. He wanted her, but he wouldn't push her. And now that they were safe, he couldn't keep her from choosing Swarek. No matter how much it pained him.
"Hey," Andy said breathlessly.
"Hi," Swarek replied. He hadn't even looked at Nick yet. And Nick saw his chances falling away.
Nick and Andy were back at the station. They'd busted the drug ring, and all that was left for them to do was debrief. But before that, they both had business to take care of. They went to see Traci first. "Traci!" Andy said, smiling hugely at her best friend.
"I'm glad you're back," Traci grinned and hugged her best friend in greeting.
"Me too," she said.
"Hey, Nick," Traci looked at him and smiled. Her smile lit up her face. It seemed to him that every woman on the force was gorgeous. Gail, Andy, and Traci. All of them were ridiculously beautiful. He knew he shouldn't be thinking it, but he couldn't seem to get them out of his head. He knew Traci was still dealing with Jerry's death, and he knew that couldn't be easy. In Afghanistan, he'd had to leave behind many people he'd cared for, and it was never easy. He wanted to be there if she needed any help with it. But now was not the time to say anything about it.
"Hey, Traci. I'm just gonna go, but it's nice to see you," he walked away, but stopped outside the room. He knew it was petty and juvenile, but he wanted to know if Andy was going to say anything about him and their time together. And maybe some feelings about him.
"How are you feeling?" Traci asked her.
"I'm good, I'm just… a little overwhelmed, obviously, and um…" Andy's voice trailed off.
Nick could practically hear the smile in Traci's voice when she spoke. "Andy? I think he's in the break room."
"Thanks." He could hear her turning around so he sped off down the hall. He had his answer now. She wanted Swarek back and he was out of luck. But there was someone else he wanted to see.
Nick found Gail outside the locker rooms. She spotted him and he steps slowed. "Nick?" She looked at him uncertainly.
"Hey," he gave her a half smile. He knew Andy was going to be back with Swarek, and he knew he still had feelings for Gail. So he had nothing to keep him from going back to her. He'd though about her on a daily basis while they were on their task force. He was hoping, now that they were back, he wouldn't think about Andy as much. He planned on blaming his feelings for her on their close proximity and danger. Every romance novel was based on that, anyway.
Gail stepped closer to him, looking at him in wonder. The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile as she stopped right in front of him. She dropped her bag… and punched him in the eye.
He stepped back, sputtering. He moved back even more as she hugged him with all her might. "God, I missed you."
He smiled and placed a kiss on her hair. "I missed you, too."
"So," Marlo Cruz looked up at Sam as they stood sipping coffee in the break room. "McNally's back."
"Yep," Sam nodded. His face remained passive, but there were clearly some unresolved feelings underneath it.
"What does that mean?" She looked up at him, her face not showing any emotion either. But her voice held a note of apprehension.
"Nothing," he shook his head, looking truly sincere.
A slight smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "Okay." He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her soundly on the mouth. She pulled back a moment later, smiling at him. "I'll see you tonight."
She turned and walked out the room. Sam watched her go, then faced forward again to finish his coffee, and came face to face with Andy McNally. She nodded, smiled bitterly, and walked out the door.
Andy walked outside after the debrief. She felt rubbed raw. It had been one hell of a day. First, Nick had shot a gun at her and she'd seen her life flash before her eyes repeatedly. Then, they'd busted a meth ring and finally, she'd found out the ex she was still in love with was in a new relationship. And apparently he was very happy in it. So happy, in fact, that he didn't have any feelings left for her anymore. It was awesome to love someone who didn't love her back.
"Andy." Great. Now she had to face him and pretend that him dating a different cop didn't bother her at all.
She turned around and looked at him. "Hey, Sam. What's going on?"
"I just wanted to say…" he trailed off, searching her face. There was a pregnant pause between them, and both of them knew in that instant that she was the one who hadn't moved on. "I wanted to say good job. You guys did really well."
"Yeah, um," she looked up at him, shaking off her feeling of self-pity. "Thanks. Oh, and really good job on making detective."
"Thanks." He smiled his charming smile at her and she forced herself not to melt the way she always used to. She no longer had that right. "I hate wearing the uniforms in the summer. It's really hot, and the belts are way high."
"Yeah," she nodded. "Well, um, good night… Sam."
"Night, McNally." So she was just back to McNally with him. Just McNally. Awesome. She felt the wall closing on their friendship as well as their relationship.
She began walking back to her car, but she had a prickling feeling at the nape of her neck. After three years in the line of duty for her, she knew it was her gut telling her something. In this case, she knew she needed to know something. "Sam?" She turned around to face him as he paused in loading his back into the back of his car. "Why her?"
"She's…" He dropped his bag and rubbed his hand across his eyes. "Everything is simple with her. No complicated feelings or circumstances. Honestly?" He looked up and met her gaze, holding it. "She's not you."
Andy stared back for a minute, then finally nodded. "Okay." She turned back around and finished walking to her car. Marlo was not her. That was the information she needed. But it was sure as hell not the information she wanted. Marlo was not Andy, and that was why Sam had chosen her.