A/N: Hey, everyone! I promised you quicker updates, so here's the next chapter. Granted, this update was so much faster because this chapter is shorter, but hey, I tried. Don't worry though, I have the whole story mapped out already and there's plenty of time left for everyone to get their fill of McCollins, McSwarek, and anyone out there who's holding out for Luke, I promise, you won't have to wait that much longer. Okay, then, as always, read, review, and enjoy! And seriously, finding out that someone has reviewed, followed, or favorites makes my day so much brighter! But I mainly just love knowing that people are reading. So keep it up and enjoy!

"Parade room, everyone, five minutes!" Frank shouted as he walked through the division.

Andy rolled her eyes, turning in her chair to face Traci. "I can't take this anymore, Trace. He's ridiculous. It's like he's taunting me. He keeps pairing me with Marlo and it's driving me crazy!"

Traci looked at her with a mix of concern and amusement. "You know, you shouldn't be taking this so hard. You did stand him up at the Penny."

Andy stared at her friend, aghast. "Oh, you can not take his side on this!"

"I'm not!" Traci said, holding her hands up. "I'm just saying, if I had a choice between Swarek, as hot as he is, and Collins, I'd choose Collins."

"What?" Andy blustered. "I don't have a voice between them. Nick doesn't even like me and Sam has a new girlfriend. I'm just chopped liver to both of them. Besides, aren't Nick and Gail back together?"

"Hell if I know," Traci responded. "I don't pay attention to the whole relationship gossip chain in the office." Andy shot her a disbelieving glance. "Okay, okay, fine. Yes, they are back together. But, c'mon, don't tell me you haven't noticed the way he looks at you. He likes you. A lot more than he likes Gail, too."

Andy eyebrows shot up. "Okay, now you're just shitting me. Neither of them has feelings for me, and I'm just screwed because I have to see both of them every day and know they chose someone else over me."

Traci watched her in silence for a moment, contemplating her response. "So, you have feelings for both of them."

"Yeah, I do," Andy replied after a long pause. "I don't know when I'll get over Sam. But Nick… those feelings are new. I don't know, when I was in the warehouse and Nick pulled the trigger on me, it felt like… a bigger betrayal than it would have been if it had been if it were just someone I trusted rather than someone I actually thought I could have something with. Sometimes, when we were acting, it felt real."

"How real?" Traci asked, genuinely concerned for her friend. She didn't know how much more wear and tear Andy's heart could take. She didn't want to see her get hurt. More than she already had, at least. Callaghan had done a number on her, and Swarek certainly hadn't helped. If Andy got burned by another man, Traci was going to beat someone up.

"I felt like I was supposed to be feeling playing his girlfriend," she said, hanging her head. She knew getting too close to her cover was a bad idea, but someone had once told her 'create a character and stick to it'. So it wasn't like she could change anything. But now that they were back to their normal lives, she had to let the feelings go. She had no right to him anymore, no right to admire the muscles of his back as he got dressed in the morning, or smell the cologne clinging to the side of his neck as they hugged, and definitely no right to kiss him anymore. No matter how much she wanted to…

"You know you have to let this go, right?" Traci watched her friend, the measure of amusement gone from her face and call that was left with concern. "I mean, you can't keep up with these feelings for him. At the very least, Gail will rip you a new one."

Andy opened her mouth to respond, not entirely sure what she was going to say. But Sam didn't give her the chance as he walked through the room yelling, "Nash! McNally! Parade room, now!" She rolled her eyes, twirling her chair around to stand up. "He's making my life hell."

Traci laughed as they walked into the Parade room. "He's been good to me since he made detective, but he has seemed to be more hands on with Cruz since you got back. Seems to me he's trying to make you jealous."

Andy laughed derisively. "Yeah, well, it's working." They sat down together at a table near the front. She looked around as she sat down, taking in Marlo sitting in the back, the back of her chair in between Sam's knees. Nick and Gail sat next to each other across the room, their hands not visible but clearly touching under the table. Oliver took his seat behind Nick and Gail, and slapped the back of Nick's head when he leaned over to say something in Gail's ear. "Not in the office, lover boy." Traci snorted out a laugh and Andy continued her perusal. Dov Epstein and Chris Dias, two of the other members of Andy's rookie class, were sitting at the table in front of Andy and Traci. Neither of them looked particularly happy, but Dov looked downright sad. He kept glancing over whenever Nick or Gail said anything. Andy almost wanted to laugh. He looked like a lovesick puppy. Chloe Price, the new rookie, sat in front of Nick and Gail, across from Dov and Chris. She sat alone, and flipped her hair every time Dov shot a glance over. Seemed there was another office romance afoot. But this one could be pretty much one-sided.

"Okay, everybody." Frank's voice snapped her out of her daze. "No new leads on Detective Barber's death, but we're bringing in someone new to work the case. For now, we're roaming the streets. It's a full moon out, everybody, and you know what that means. Bring on the crazies. People may not turn into wolves, but the moon affects them. Expect to see a rise in the crime rate. And that means it's the perfect time to bring our numbers up. Speed traps work well for that, but today, with traffic flow normal, we're patrolling. Keep your eyes peeled for anything. People get bold this time of month. You know the drill. Car assignments are on the board. Protect, serve, and be prepared for some crazy shit." He tapped his desk and stepped to the side. Everyone stood up to look at the board.

Andy wanted to punch a wall. Marlo was riding with Chloe, and she was stuck with Nick. Another day of torture awaited her. Just ten more hours, she thought to herself. It had become her motto since her return to regular division work. She turned around to see nick smile his infuriatingly adorable smile at her. "Check it out, McNally, we're partners again."

"Let's go," she said as she brushed past him, not sure that her motto would be enough to get her though her next shift.

Nick wasn't sure what to think of Andy's behavior that morning. So far in the day, nothing particularly exciting had happened, just two arrests for the worst ever executed attempted robbery of a drug store, so he'd had far too much time to think of the possible reasons for her sudden lack of Andy-ness. She'd been cool and distant all morning, not the usual smart and funny Andy he was used to. Something was obviously wrong, he just couldn't figure out if he'd done something or if it was someone else. He was fairly certain it was him, because she'd been talking it up with Traci earlier that day.

"I have a question," Andy said suddenly. Whatever she wanted, he was not about to turn down any form of conversation with her. The complete silence that had settled over the car in their first four hours of the shift made him think his vocal chords might not work right when he got back to civilization that actually wanted him to use his words.

"What's up?" He asked.

"This full moon," she said, facing the road curiously. "Can it make me more bitchy or short tempered than usual?"

"Um…" He glanced over again. He was trying to read her, but it wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. He wasn't sure what she was talking about at all. Normally he could follow her odd conversational tangents, but this one seemed to spring up from nowhere. But it was clearly the reason she was being so quiet, so he might as well play along and figure out what was up. "I honestly have no clue. I do know it messes with our hormone levels, specifically adrenaline, making us more daring and less aware of the consequences of our actions than we usually would me. Why? What's this about?"

"Do you think I'm overreacting about the whole Sam and Marlo thing because of the moon?" Ahh. It made sense now. She was worried about Sam again. Even after she knew the guy had chosen someone else over her, for reasons Nick could never fathom, she was still pining after him. He tried to regulate his temper, wishing he could lean over and make her see that there was someone so much better for her out there, but knowing he couldn't.

"I don't think the moon has anything to do with that," he said, clamming up his inner tirade. "I think you're still feeling raw about what he did to you, with him not waiting for you or anything, and I think it's setting you on edge. I thin you're entitled to your feelings and I think Sam's an ass for constantly rubbing her in your face."

"So I'm not just imagining that?" She glanced at him earnestly before returning her eyes to the road. "Like it's not just me being jealous, he really is showing her off more than he needs to, right?"

"Yeah," he agreed, trying to keep his sigh in. He was tired of hearing about her feelings for Sam. He would do anything for her at the drop of a hat, and he wasn't entirely sure the same could be said about Gail, despite the fact they were currently in a relationship. He knew he shouldn't play with her emotions that way, but he knew if he couldn't have Andy, his feelings for Gail would be enough. And maybe he was just as much of a douchebag as Sam was, but he preferred not to think about Sam because it made him want to punch a hole in a wall.

"So what do I do?" Oh, he was so not having this conversation. He could not handle it.

"I think you should… honestly, I think you should forget about him." He winced to himself as he could feel her icy stare on his profile. "I'm just saying, I think he's an ass for what he did to you, and I don't think he's going to realize that anytime soon. So I think you should move on and find someone else. If you're really vindictive, make him jealous with said new guy." He had no idea why he was saying any of this. He didn't want her with Sam, but he didn't want her with anyone else, either. Which he was pretty much encouraging her to do.

"Huh." She didn't sound as pissed off as he expected her to be. That was god news for him, right?

"Hey, I heard there's a bet going," Dov sidled up to Frank when things were slow in booking that day.

Frank lifted his eyes from the paper her was reading but didn't look up at the younger man. "You may have heard right. Why do you ask?"

"I want in," Dov said.

"Me too," Chris spoke up from behind them. Frank raised his eyebrows as he took in the young men begging for his attention like little dogs.

"Alright," he said. "What's your wager?"

"I say six months," Chris said, pulling a hundred dollars out of his pocket. Frank frowned at him as he took it, knowing his officers weren't supposed to be carrying personal belongings or anything more than small bills on the job.

"That's not long enough," Dov argued, despite the fact that his friend had already placed his bet. "She still has a broken heart. She's not going to take him back until her heart has healed and she's dated someone else. Besides, he has Cruz now, and he's using her to rub in Andy's face, and he's not going to give up that power over her any time soon. I'll say a year until they're back together." He looked innocently up at Frank, who rolled his eyes. "Just pay up, Epstein." Dov smiled slightly and dug his bet out of his pocket as well.

"Hey, it's not like we do this when we work the streets," Chris said, noting Frank's look of disapproval. "We have more sense than that. And he would give up that power if he knew he could get her back," Chris turned around to face Dov again. "He's just dating her because she's holding Andy's place. Haven't you noticed they look ridiculously similar?"

"Well, sure, but that's part of why he chose her," Dov argued.

"Oh, for God's sake," Frank shoved the money in his pocket and moved to leave the conversation before it became even more feminine and juvenile than it already was.

"Can I make a wager?" All three men turned around to see Traci standing with Gail behind them, both women standing with their hips cocked and arms crossed over their chests.

"You two want in?" Frank asked with a measure of incredulity.

"Betting on Andy's love life?" Gail snorted. "Hell yeah, I want in. Analyzing why men don't want to be with her is one of my favorite pastimes."

Chris stared at her, shaking his head. "How does Nick stand you?"

She smiled overly sweetly. "You did. Figure it out."

"I swear, you've gotten meaner since we broke up." Chris smiled to himself. "Hey, now that I think of it, I might have had something to do with this."

She laughed condescendingly. "Don't flatter yourself."

He opened his mouth to respond but Traci held up her hand. "I'm betting they're back together by the end of Sam's next case."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Dov exclaimed. "That could be over in two weeks or two years. Narrow it down."

"Nope, that's my bet." She raised her eyebrows at Frank, knowing he had the final word on the matter.

"Ease off, Epstein, her bet's valid," he said, taking the money Traci held out. "But if the case goes cold and he picks up a new one before it's solved, you're out."

She nodded. "Okay."

"What's your bet, Peck?" Frank turned to the other woman, who was still silently seething at Chris.

"I'm betting they're back together in four months," Gail said, handing over the hundred dollars required for the bet.

"Everyone okay?" Frank asked, looking around at his officers. Their rookie class had been more trouble than any other rookie class in 15 Division history. Between them all, they'd burned more areas, undercover cops, and surveillance vans than any other group of cops he knew. They'd interfered in dispatch more time than he could count, and broken more rules than he could think of. But they were some of the best cops he knew, and if he had the choice between letting one of them go or standing behind one of them, he'd choose to fight for them. When he saw the nods from the four young cops, he narrowed his eyes. "Back to work. Nash, take Peck, Dias, and Epstein here to be briefed by the detective working the Barber case."

"Sir, I'm not sure I'm the best person-," she stopped talking when Frank held up his left hand.

"You're relationship with Detective Barber, while hindering your ability to be objective during the investigation of his death, can only help us at this point. We have no leads whatsoever. Now take your rookie buddies and let the knew point man brief you on his plan."

Traci stood silently for a moment before nodding and waving for Chris, Dov, and Gail to follow her to the back of the station.

"Very good job today," Frank said to Andy and Nick at the end of that shift. "Nearly thirty arrests. That's impressive. You two and one other pair were incredibly helpful in bringing our numbers up. 15 Division hasn't had very much good press recently, and we needed this to help out. Good job, McNally, Collins."

Nick nodded and turned to exit Frank's office, but stopped when he heard the next words out of Andy's mouth. "Who were they?"

"Excuse me?" Frank asked in confusion.

"The other pair," Andy fidgeted slightly. "Who were they?"

Nick walked slowly closer to her, taking hold of her shoulders and leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Don't do this to yourself, Andy. Don't make yourself think about it."

"Cruz and Price," Frank answered, looking back down at his paperwork and dismissing them. Andy's fists clenched, but she let herself be lead out of the office. Cruz had to be a spectacular cop to put up with Chloe all day and still manage to make nearly thirty arrests.

"How is she so much better than me?" Andy asked him as he led her by her shoulders through the office.

"She's not, now stop beating yourself up about this." He stopped her and turned her around, pushing her back against one of the walls. It was late at night, so barely any other cops were still there. Andy and Nick themselves would be halfway home if Frank hadn't requested to see them after the end of their shift.

Nick let his guard down as he watched her. Her face was always so expressive, her eyes so soulful. He could easily see himself falling for her, and not just because of her beautiful face. Everything about her, her personality, her work ethic, her morals, it all appealed to him. He had loved Gail once. He knew he didn't anymore. He wasn't even sure he had when he'd first come to 15 Division and they'd gotten back together.

"Andy," he whispered, leaning down to wipe the single tear that fell gently from her left eye. "He's not worth it." She glanced up into his eyes, but couldn't seem to look away after. He felt the connection pull between them and decided this was his moment. Not breaking eye contact, he leaned down, ready to connect their mouths in their first non-cover kiss.

"There you guys are." They both bolted upright at the sound of Chris's voice beside them.

"Yeah, just… cheering Andy up," Nick said, holding his hands behind his head and as far away from Andy as he could get them.

"Rough shift," she said, keeping her voice as even as she could.

"Well then you might want to leave in the next five minutes or so," Chris said, bending backward to look down the hallway behind him.

"Too late," Traci hissed to him as he stood up quickly to avoid being hit by her.

"What?" Andy looked between them in confusion. "Trace, what's going on?"

"Andy, I need to tell you something."

But she was already distracted, her mouth hanging open as she looked past Traci to watch the detective taking over the investigation of Jerry's death walking out of the division. His blond hair was brushed back the way it always had been, and his jeans seems to fit his hips as if nearly two years hadn't gone by.

"That's what I needed to talk to you about," Traci said hesitantly, following her line of sight. "Luke's back, and he's taking over Jerry's murder case."