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Chapter 9- Locked in Darkness

The second that she walked out the Penny with Collins holding onto her, he knew.

He knew that she had found out that he had been 'dating' someone after she left.

Even across the dark street and the parking lot he could see the hurt she was wearing as she let herself be bundled into Collins' car.

He had left her alone when she left the cemetery and was just driving passed when he saw her go inside the Penny. He pulled over and turned around before parking between the cars lining the street on the opposite side of the road. He just needed to know that she would get home okay. He had a nagging feeling that he had to stay, so he did, only to regret his decision when he saw her come out knowing more than she had when she went inside.

Sam followed Collins' car all the way to Andy's condo, careful to make sure that there was a safe distance between them so that he wouldn't be detected.

He watched as Andy went inside alone, a moment of relief mingling with one filled with worry. She really shouldn't be alone right now.

Collins sat outside for another ten minutes just staring into space before he drove off looking like he would rather stay.

When her street was completely shrouded in darkness Sam slid out of his car, let out a shaky sigh and moved around to the side of her building before he regretted it and stopped from crossing the lines that he saw marking the space between him and his actions rather clearly.

Access to her fire escape was way too easy, if he could, he would call her super right now and tell him that it was safety issue, but of course he couldn't do that.

Sam lingered outside her window, making sure to stay low as he tried to blend into the shadows.

He couldn't see her, but he could hear her soft sobs as they kept shredding his heart up into fine fragments.

Sitting on the bottom of the fire escape Sam sat and listened for as long as he could bare it, and then all that followed was silence.

Taking a risk and moving up so that he could peer through her window Sam saw the whiskey bottle clutched in her hand as her back met the wall behind it and then guided her down until she was firmly seated on the floor.

She had her head cast down, her face hidden behind a curtain of hair but yet he didn't have to see it to know what he'd find.

He'd find her broken beyond repair.

Sam was focused on her for as long as she sat there and drank, small sips taken every now and then. It was heartbreaking to watch, but this was his punishment. He deserved this, because he did this.

After an hour Sam noticed Andy attempting to stand up as she swayed under the severe influence of the alcohol that she had consumed.

She probably hadn't eaten yet, that was if she had even had lunch, and she hardly ever drank anything other than beer, wine or a single shot of tequila. That whiskey was probably a bottle that she had kept at home for him, and now she was drinking it in desperate need of escape.

Andy staggered over to the door and yanked it open all but falling through it as she grabbed her purse and slammed the door closed behind herself.

Sam scrambled down the fire escape as quickly as he could not really caring if he made enough noise to wake the neighborhood.

Andy was drunk off her ass and venturing out into the night alone, not really an idea that sat very well with him.

When he came scrambling around the corner he was just in time to see her get into a cab, her hand still holding the bottle.

He followed closely this time, wanting the cab driver to notice his presence if only as a deterrent.

He was a little confused by the direction that the cab was driving in, but didn't worry too much because he was right behind her.

When the cab pulled over and Andy stumbled out the back Sam winced as he waited for her to fall on the ice that covered the tar of the parking lot, but somehow she managed to keep her footing and started walking. Although it looked more like she was dancing across the tar.

Sam ditched his car, his feet keeping up her steady pace as she slipped through the gate of the cemetery. She was truly insane.

Sam lost sight of her in the dark before he heard a string of curses followed by a loud thump and scrunch. She had slipped and hit the ground, but the sound of breaking glass never came so she still had a firm hold on the damned bottle.

Sam froze when he heard her go down even though his instincts kicked in and he wanted to rush over and help her up, he was paralyzed and couldn't move.

Minutes flew by before he heard her boots scrunch over the snow as she started walking again after regaining her footing.

It wasn't long before they were engulfed by more silence, she'd reached her destination and stood still.

Sam still couldn't see her, so he moved around to the other side as quietly as he could where he mentally tried to prepare himself for whatever he would find.

"You jackass" Andy's voice startled him but he soon calmed when he realized that she was directing her anger at his gravestone, and that she hadn't actually seen him.

"How could you do that?" She yelled again, this time her voice lacking clarity.

"I... How could you just give up Sam? How could you just move on?". This time he could hear the tears that laced her voice, her emotions clearly audible.

"I wanted you to wait Sam, I wanted you to be there when I came home..." Andy was teetering around heavily on her feet as she swayed around in the dark. Sam could see the warmth of her breath billow out into the cold everytime that she spoke.

She suddenly remembered the whiskey and lifted the bottle before guzzling down mouthfuls.

"You broke my heart Sam, and even though you're not here, you're still doing it" Andy's voice softened as if she was debating whether or not to actually say any of this to him or not.

Andy stumbled and lost her footing again, her backside falling into the snow as she let out a loud shriek.

It made a drunken giggle escape her lips, one that rolled into a sob and then she just broke down in tears and cried her heart out sitting there in the snow.

Sam looked away, it was hurting too much for him to watch knowing that there was nothing he could do.

The sudden crash of breaking glass made Sam's eyes fly back to her to see her hand drop. "Damn you Sam" she whispered just loudly enough for him to catch. She had thrown the whiskey bottle at his gravestone and it smashed, the shards of glass reflecting feint flashes of light.

Sam had to do something, he couldn't leave her here like this.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket he sent a text to Peck, he couldn't call her standing feet away from Andy.

The sound of footsteps in the snow made Andy's head snap up in fear. It was dark and creepy here, but it hadn't phased her until she heard someone approach.

Gail had arrived and was making her way over, but Andy couldn't see her through the darkness or her swollen, blurry eyes.

"It's just me" Gail said when she came close enough. She didn't want to scare Andy if she was as fragile as Sam thought.

Stepping closer and bending down to take a better look at Andy Gail saw why Sam was worried, she was a tattered mess.

"You look like someone I know" Andy almost giggled it out.

"Like?" Gail asked standing up straight and holding her hand out for Andy to stand up.

"Someone that I used to be friends with" Andy huffed out as she took Gail's hand and let her help her up. Andy was still suffering from a severe case of imbalance, so Gail kept a firm hold on her as she started to walk her towards the main gates.

"I am still your friend Andy, I'm just not here to show it".

Andy's firm steps faltered and they nearly stumbled, but Gail managed to hold them up. What she hadn't been expecting was Andy to suddenly lunge at her in a giant hug that was filled with a desperate need for comfort.

Gail wrapped her arms around Andy and hugged her back, Andy's voice letting a soft "I miss you too" out as she tried to find a small amount of self composure.

"Too?" Gail moved away, putting a little space between them so that she could give Andy a once over. She knew that Sam wasn't far, so maybe if they settled this, and he heard the truth, he would pull out before there was nowhere else to go besides down.

"I miss him so much Gail" Andy was slurring, her speech impaired, but her words were still as clear as crystal.

"But I hate him so much right now".

Gail hadn't planned on that coming out of Andy's mouth. She looked over Andy's shoulder to where she figured Sam was still standing, but there was no-one there.

"I know okay, but tomorrow it'll change" Gail said slipping her arm around Andy's shoulders and leading her towards the gates.

"No, it won't. Do you know what he did?" Andy tugged free of Gail's supporting grasp and turned to face her for all of two seconds before she stumbled in the snow and found herself down on her backside looking up at Gail. It made a fresh wave of tears boil to the surface.

Gail let out a loud sigh and looked around until she found Sam. She could see the battle raging inside him as he lingered around even though the sight was inducing unbearable pain to him.

Gail huffed out a breath and squatted down, this was so not her thing, this comforting someone and all this emotion, but she had to do something right?

"Andy, look I know what Sam did wasn't fair to you, but did you ever stop to think if it was fair to him?"

"He's not even here Gail, I don't care okay. He's gone and he's never coming back. So I can hate him, and I will hate him until the day I die". Andy grumbled out, a hand running over her face as she swiped away at the tears blindly.

When Gail sought Sam out she found his face void and expressionless like a small piece of him died hearing Andy say those words.

"The only reason you hate him so much is because you love him more". Gail's words stung her own ears before they made Andy gasp. She had always been one to be sarcastic and short and here she was sounding like Dr Phil.

"But he never felt the same Gail, if he did, he would have waited. After he said it, he should have waited". Andy tried to stumble to her feet, her hand reaching out for Gail when she nearly toppled over. Gail took hold of it and helped her up before walking them closer to the gate.

Andy had new fierceness running through her, a kind of fire that Gail had only seen a few times before.

This time when Gail looked for Sam, he was gone and she automatically knew that he was gone, gone out of the cemetery gone.

Gail took Andy home and helped her into bed before pulling the door closed to lock behind her.

When she got home, she found Sam sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and an open bottle of whiskey. At least he wasn't drinking the whiskey neat. He needed to maintain some composure tonight, they had a business meeting with a few people later.

"Don't. Whatever you want to say, I don't want to hear it" Sam growled out as soon as he saw her.

Gail held her hands up in surrender, the only thing that she wanted to say was that she was sorry for hedging the conversation in the direction that it had gone in. She didn't mean for it to go the way it had, or for him to hear what he had heard.

Gail left Sam alone and went to get changed, she needed the time to think. Seeing Andy like that had brought back thoughts of Nick, someone she had forced out of her mind since she agreed to do this. Or at least had tried too.

When it was time, they left home and headed to a meeting that Johnny had set up.

Apparently he liked their product more than his current suppliers so he was offering Sam a way to deal at the club exclusively for a cut in cash and the rest in product. Johnny had a business partner that was not know by name or face, so Sam and Gail had to meet up with the partner too. The meeting was risky, because of the silent partner, they could very easily be one of the people that Sam and Gail were chasing, they could easily be someone that knew them as cops.

If they were, things were going to get really bad really fast and then they were dead.

As in for real.

****another chapter done.

Seems like Andy is struggling a bit, and Sam feels remorseful, what do you think?

Thanks for reading, have an awesome day!

Jelly Bean Jenna©