Brenda drove as fast as she dared to, needing to get to where Andy was. Why had he left town, gone without telling her? Had Fritz's reappearance shook him that much? She worried about him. He'd been so good about things, been so great about her insistence that this thing between them be kept quiet, he'd never questioned it. But had Brenda taken advantage of this? She didn't want to lose him, she needed to find him, to tell him everything was okay.
She pulled into the resort's parking lot and scrambled out of the car. Looking around, she spotted his car right away. So he was here. Part of her was relieved, part of her was furious for him just taking off like this. She wondered if he'd managed to get the same room as they'd had when they'd first visited here. She wondered if she should just go up to the room and knock on the door, but decided to see what the front desk said first. She'd hate to interrupt a complete stranger, after all. Surprisingly, the front desk clerk remembered her from their trip, and just thought that she was late arriving to join Flynn. She had no problem getting the room number and she was right, it was the same room.
Brenda quickly took the elevator up, hurrying down the hall towards the room, hoping he was in there. She stopped at the room door, taking a moment to compose herself. What was she going to say? She didn't even know why he'd came here, would he be angry she'd followed him? Brenda was very unsure of herself and she did not like feeling this way. She worked up the courage and knocked on the door. She heard a "Who is it?" from inside, recognizing Andy's familiar voice.
"Andy, it's me." she said in a soft voice.
He didn't reply, but soon enough, she heard the door being unlocked, a smiling Andy opening the door and pulling her inside.
"You came." was all he said before kissing her.
Brenda was happy with the kiss, but completely confused. Why had he come here? He was happy to see her, obviously, but why not just stay in L.A.? Why come here, turn off his phone, not tell her anything?
Andy shut the door, relieved that Brenda had shown up. He hadn't wanted to cause waves between her and her ex, and waiting for her to phone had been interminable. He'd just started driving and somehow had ended up here. He'd shut his phone off because some part of him feared she was going to phone him and break up with him. It was an irrational fear, but he'd seen the way Howard had been looking at Brenda. It wasn't just a social call, the FBI guy had wanted her, badly from what Andy could tell. And he'd let his fear believe that Brenda would give in to the man, they had such a long history together.
Finally, Brenda broke the kiss, leading him over to the couch to sit down. She needed some answers from him.
"Andy, I don't understand. Why did you come here? I told you I'd call later. I've been worried sick about you. When you didn't answer your phone, I went to your place and couldn't find you. Lt. Tao helped me trace you to here, but why? Why did you come here?" Brenda questioned him.
Andy looked at her, she'd been worried about him. She'd come looking for him. Relief started to flow through him.
"I don't really know, Brenda. I went home after I left your place and honestly, it was driving me nuts. Thinking of you alone with him. I seen the way he was looking at you, Brenda. This wasn't a friendly visit. He wanted you, he wants you back." Flynn told her.
Brenda looked into those brown eyes, and didn't know what to say to him. What he had thought was exactly true, Fritz had wanted her back. But she wished he'd had enough faith and trust in her to know that she would never do something like that to him.
"Andy, you were right, completely. He does want me back. Unfortunately for him, I'm in love with someone else. Completely. And I thought that someone knew that and would have enough trust in me to know I wouldn't leave him for someone else, especially someone I don't love." She patted his hands, trying to reassure herself and him.
Andy looked at her, realizing she meant every word she said. It made him feel like a complete idiot for running from L.A. He should have waited for her call. Still, her coming after him proved to him the depth of her feelings.
"I know you wouldn't leave me. But I had to leave or I might have punched the guy while I was there. You don't know how much it took for me not to punch him out. He looked at you like he owns you, like you were still his for the taking." Andy admitted.
"I'm not his for the taking. I don't want him anymore. When he tried to kiss me, I felt nothing." Brenda accidentally admitted.
"HE KISSED YOU? The son-of-a-bitch! I knew I should have punched him!" Andy became angry, standing up and going out on the balcony. Brenda quickly followed him.
"Yes, he tried to kiss me. And I felt absolutely nothing except loathing that he thought he could come in and try to pick up where we left off over a year ago. I don't want him. What will it take for you to realize that?" Brenda was getting angry.
"What will it take? How about us not pretending to everyone anymore? I don't mean we have to tell the whole world, but I want to hold your hand without you grabbing it back when you think you see someone you know. I want to be able to put my hand on your shoulder and not have everyone think I'm hitting on you. I want to marry you-" Andy was cut off by Brenda.
"What did you say?" she stopped him, looking at him with confusion.
"I said I want to marry you. In fact, before Mr. FBI waltzed in tonight, I was going to ask you to marry me." Andy reluctantly admitted. "So much for a romantic proposal."
Brenda put one hand on her hip, the other on her chest as she suddenly started flitting around. Andy was serious about them, more so than she'd ever have thought. She had to think this through. She went back into the room, this time he followed her.
"I love you, Brenda. I think I came back here because we were happy here. We were able to walk, able to hold hands. We were able to be a couple without fear of it causing so many problems. I just wanted to remember that. Honestly, I'm so afraid of losing you. We fear so much when we're together, I just don't know what to do anymore. If it takes transferring so we can be a couple, I'll do it. I just don't want to hide anymore." Andy finally admitted.
"Why now? Why have you changed your mind about us not telling anyone now?" Brenda wanted to know.
"Ever since your parents found out and didn't completely freak out like I thought they would, it just seemed so simple. They didn't question it, they just accepted it. And Provenza, I thought he would be tough on us, but he's been nothing but supportive."
"But they're the exception, Andy! Provenza's our friend. Do you honestly think Chief Pope and Chief Delk are going to be as accepting as them? It could cost us both of our jobs! And that's the reason Fritz and I separated to begin with, because of my job!" Brenda argued.
"Look, Brenda, I've tried to be not like Fritz in so many ways. I've never, ever made you choose me before the job. And I'm not asking that now. I'm just at a point, I don't know what to do anymore." Andy said, eyes downcast. "And then he walks in and I really thought you might let him back in your life, be with someone that you don't have to pretend with."
"Andy, I don't know what to say to make you feel any better. The job and me are part of the same package. I try to do what's right, but it doesn't always come out that way. But you, I don't ever want you to think I'm choosing it over you. I love you more than I thought would be possible. And it scared me to death when you disappeared. I just ask you to hang on, please. I'll make this right somehow, I swear." She held her hand to his chin, brushing along it.
"Let's go for a walk on the beach, get some air. It's a full moon out, it will be beautiful." Andy asked her.
"Fine, let's go. And Andy? Don't ever take off like this again without letting me know where you're going. You scared me to death." Brenda waited til he put his jacket on to hold his hand.
"I'm a big boy, Chief, I can take care of myself." Andy told her.
"Well, you're my big boy, and I like knowing where you are." Brenda retorted.
"Point taken, sweetheart. I'm just off my game today." They stepped on the elevator and stopped talking as there were other people on it. They resumed the conversation when they were down on the beach, walking under the full moon.
"Why are you off your game?" Brenda questioned him.
"When you come to the point where you want to ask someone to marry you and you're scared to death they're going to turn you down, you're off your game. And you're really off your game when you ask Provenza for advice." Andy told her.
"Provenza knows you want to marry me? What did he say about it?" Brenda was curious what the commitment phobic man had told him.
"He told me not to give up on you." Andy replied.
"Really? I thought he would have slapped you upside the head and tell you to snap out of it." Brenda laughed.
"Well, he didn't. He told me that we're good for each other and to not give up. And I'm not giving up. I have way too much to lose." Andy clutched her hand.
As they made their way down the beach, they got to a certain point where Andy stopped her and kissed her. As he was facing her, he suddenly bent down on one knee and took her hand.
"Brenda Leigh Johnson, I just want you to consider marrying me some day. To give it a shot between us. I love you more than you will ever know, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You don't have to answer now, just promise me you will give me a chance. I can't see me without you in my life. And it's not something I want to think about." Andy looked up at her, hoping to see acceptance in her face.
Brenda looked at him, and suddenly felt something more sure inside of her than she'd ever felt in her life. As scared as she was that everything could be ruined, she felt an overwhelming urge to say yes to him right now. To be honest, she'd never felt this strongly about a man before, and for it to be Flynn was a complete surprise to her. She decided she'd have to take the bumps as they came, and said something that surprised Flynn completely.
"I can't see me without you in my life either, Andy. And I want you to know, I love you with all my heart. I've said it before, I feel like my heart is only so big, but you've made it grow so much. So, Andy, I'll marry you, someday." Brenda blurted out.
Andy stared at her in surprise. She'd said yes to marrying him. Not right away, but someday. She'd said yes. He got up off his knees, taking her in his arms and kissing her. He felt happiness sweep through him, completely and utterly.
"Let's say we put that room to some good use? I seem to recall the last time we were here, we got interrupted before we had a chance to finish what we started." Brenda whispered in his ear. She then nuzzled his neck, and he was a goner.
He suddenly bent down and swept her off her feet, carrying her part way back to the hotel before he had to put her down, causing them both to laugh. As they continued their walk back in, he held her hand and made the decision to take her ring shopping as soon as they got back home. Brenda Leigh Johnson was going to be his wife, something he'd never thought he'd see. And he didn't want anything more than that.