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Ek hoop jy verstaan my danking lol.

Chapter 20- Nickels & Dines.

Over the following weeks, Sam and Andy fell into a routine. A comfortable one.

It all started the morning following that night when Andy was late for parade.

Sam had arched an eyebrow at her blowing into the barn and storming through it to get dressed in a rush even though she wouldn't make it on time.

Frank did the same thing when she actually made it into parade and she said a sweet "Sorry Sir, my ride didn't show" just as she passed Sam on her way to her seat.

After that, Sam picked her up for each and every shift even if he was on nights and she on days if he was on call.

Lunch became a regular thing too, only they didn't go out to have it. Since Andy was forced to ride the desk because of her injuries, she brought them lunch to work instead.

She surprised Sam on the second day back at work by dropping a note on his desk sometime during the morning. It read 'Lunch in interview (whatever's available)'.

He went looking in all the interview rooms when her lunchtime came, but only found a soda and a lunch box waiting for him. He sent her a text asking where she was and she replied that she was sorry about bailing, but she didn't have a relief to take over the desk.

Sam scooped up the soda and lunch box and politely seated himself next to her behind the front desk. Her face had been priceless.

Soon coffee breaks were spent seeking each other out, or she would find Sam waiting outside the locker room after shift like he had always done. He'd give her a ride home, or take her to the Penny if she wanted to go.

But still, it wasn't enough for him.

They hadn't resumed their conversation from the night she showed up at his house, neither of them really wanting to stab the hand that rocked the boat. They were comfortable and everything was new but familiar too.

There was no defining term used to describe them, there was no classification or label. It was just them being them.

Andy was putting in a lot of effort towards pulling him closer. She packed him his favorite foods for lunch. Or brought back a coffee from his favorite diner if she went out. If he wasn't in, then he'd find it cold and waiting on his desk.

And like tonight, while they were all at the Penny she would go between her table with her friends and him at the bar just to make that idle conversation that he so sorely missed when she wasn't around.

Oliver had just arrived after leaving Celery's so Sam at least had some company.

He was watching Sam strangely before he turned and eyed Andy's table and then turning back to Sam. "Are you two, you know? Unofficially back together, or dating or... Whatever?".

Oliver had obviously been watching them and was drawing his own conclusions.

"Nope" Sam said looking into his glass.

"Why not?" Oliver seemed shocked that it was a no coming from his mouth.

"She... I... No idea".

"But you want her back right?". Oliver gave Sam a knowing look. He'd been there watching them all along.

"Yup" no point in denying the over-obvious.

"So what's holding you back?" Oliver ordered them another two drinks. His subtle way of saying that they were having this conversation right here, right now.

"It's complicated". Sam sighed. It really wasn't, he was making it complicated.

"How can it be complicated Sammy? You've always been like this about her. You screwed up, but she's already forgiven you. Take a shot at getting her back". Oliver, the hopeless romantic said. Even though his marriage to Zoe crashed and burned, he didn't give up on love. Celery was proof of that.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Sam asked. He really had no clue how to fix it, or even if Andy wanted to.

"I dunno. Use some of your Swarek Magic on her. Or just be you, but with more talking and more sharing" Oliver shrugged. He was being honest, Sam needed to open up and talk more.

"Right, and that worked out well last time" Sam countered as his mind dragged the past up.

"Sam, let it go. She has. That was then, this is now and trust me when I say that it won't do any good to keep living in the past. Look, it hasn't been easy, especially for her, but something changed with her. Something's different". Oliver was milling over his own words as he said them. He was searching for the key to open the mystery of McNally.

And that wasn't ever going to happen. Sam hadn't even been able to unlock that.

"Again, my fault" Sam mumbled under his breath, but Oliver caught it anyway.

"Okay, so what'd you do?".

"I said something I shouldn't have". Sam mumbled. He really didn't want to repeat what he said to Andy, because he wasn't particularly proud of the fact that he told her that he wanted to propose to her before he took the easy way out and broke her heart instead.

"What is with that?" Traci said slipping into the chair next to Andy when the guys went to play darts.

"Huh?". Andy replied.

"Swarek. And you".

"Oh. Nothing. Absolutely not a single thing" Andy stated and refilled her glass.

"Really? Doesn't look like nothing. All the sneaking around, and coming and going together".

"We are not dating" Andy said reading Traci's hidden question with ease.

"Wow. Sorry" Traci cringed.

"Why not?" She added a second later.

"Because we're way, way past going back there". Andy couldn't help the smallest hint of sadness in her tone when she said that. She'd been giving Sam all kinds of signs but he either just didn't want to see them, or he was missing them completely.

"How's Leo?" Andy changed the subject as soon as Traci let her.

...

The next morning the barn was a buzz of activity before parade even started.

Someone called in a tip about a shipment of Heroine coming in and everyone just climbed onto the band wagon as it passed them in order to make a successful bust.

Callaghan did a formal briefing and assigned certain cops to participate, Sam being called out while Andy was skipped over.

Sam stood at the back of the room and watched Andy slump down in her chair before Nash leaned closer and said something to her.

When Callaghan dismissed the room, Sam headed out the door first. He needed to grab his vest from his locker and maybe a long sleeve shirt.

The weather was getting cooler and a jacket hindered movement so a shirt was a better option when wearing a vest.

Sam had his jacket in his locker and his T-shirt pulled up over his head when he heard the door open and found Andy a few feet away.

Her eyes dropped to his side, the one wearing two scars from the beginning of this whole thing.

"So, you're going" Andy looked nervous, her hand swiping over her hair even though it was tied back.

Sam moved and pulled his shirt on so that he could cover the scars that seemed to attract her attention.

"Wearing a vest" Sam said pulling it out of his locker and strapping it into place.

Andy's face still stayed locked in feint traces of fear. This was the first time that he was going out into a bad situation that she knew about before it happened.

"Hey, I'll be back" Sam moved over to stand in front of her. "Besides..." Sam stopped himself just in time. He nearly said 'I want to make you dinner later' but it might be considered as him trying to cover it up. Cover up that she didn't like him going out there right now.

"I don't plan on going anywhere for a really long time" Sam said those words instead.

It made Andy smile a little.

Sam was still tugging on his vest's straps but Andy took steps towards him and put her hands over his and the closing the straps herself.

"I'll be okay" Sam said trying to scrape the bottom of the barrel to try and convince her that he would be.

"I know" Andy said, but didn't move even though her hands were done with his vest. Her fingers were fiddling with it as she looked down at them, just standing close.

Sam was watching her intensely when she looked up and leaned closer.

Sam wasn't expecting her to kiss him standing there in the locker room, but she did. A timid tremble to her lips telling him that she was still nervous, and hesitant when she didn't need to be.

As abruptly as she stepped closer, she stepped away too leaving Sam missing the brief amount of contact that she initiated.

"I promise I'll be back later". Sam noticed how Andy regretted the last five minutes of her life as she watched him walk away and leave the locker room.

Sam took hasty strides down the hallway and made it to Frank's office before he slammed on breaks and took a detour.

"Hey Boss, can I borrow your office?" Sam asked sticking his head in the open door as Frank strapped his own vest on.

"Why?" Frank asked looking up.

"I need to um, I want to ask Andy something" Sam said still lingering in the doorway.

"In my office?"

"Yeah Frank, in your office".

"Please?" Sam added when Frank stopped looking and started staring.

"Okay" Frank said and carried on getting ready for a field trip.

Sam backtracked out of Frank's office and saw Noelle passing so he stopped her and told her to find Andy because Frank needed to see her in his office.

Noelle looked at him funny and cocked her head to the side. Then Sam realized that Frank was standing right behind him.

"Okkkaayyy" Noelle said before heading off to find Andy.

Sam waited until he saw Andy climb Frank's stairs and walk into his office looking kind of confused that Frank wasn't in there after he sent her a message.

Andy looked around and waited, Sam taking a deep breath before following her footsteps up the stairs and into Frank's office.

Andy was looking out the window across the bullpen when Sam walked in. She had her back to him, but the sigh she let out told him that she knew he was there.

"Andy" Sam said softly and waited for her to face him.

When she did, he took one last breath and held it because this would be the longest breath he'd ever need.

Sam bent down, one knee on the carpet when he looked up at Andy who tilted her head to the side as she looked down at him.

"I don't have your ring" Sam said making Andy swallow really raggedly. He suddenly remembered that he did however have something in his pocket, so he reached into it and pulled out the first thing his fingertips felt.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Andy's voice shook as she leaned forwards and hissed the words out.

"This isn't how I wanted this to go, and the timing's all screwed up, but that's us, messy and complicated and how I want it to be". Sam saw Andy's skin haze in scarlet as she realized exactly what he was doing.

"Sam get up". Her voice was steady this time, her face moving to more serious. She took a small step back, but Sam wasn't giving up just yet.

"I want the more Andy, I want all of it with you" Sam held the Nickel out towards her, it was the only thing he had to use right now.

"Sam?" This time she sounded like she was about to start crying.

"Marry me Andy".

"Sam, we're not even dating" Andy said after taking a moment to find her voice. It told Sam that she was having serious reservations about answering him. Her brows furrowed as her mouth set into a downward tilted frown.

"I don't care. I'm done waiting, and" Sam stopped and took a deep breath.

This was shooting to crap because he was doing it all backwards.

"I love you Andy, and I want everything that goes with it for as long as you'll let me have it".

Andy let out a tiny whimper as her hand flew up to her face and covered her mouth. Her eyes were sparkling as she blinked rapidly to hold her tears in.

"This is me promising to come home everyday, and me promising to never hurt you again". Sam inched the Nickel forward a little more willing her to take it as a substitute until he had time to go home and get the real thing.

Or the new real thing. He'd taken the ring he showed her back and exchanged it for a new one. Not because he thought she might have seen it, but because he wanted her to have a new one, one that resembled now. The present.

"Sam, I don't even know what to say" Andy looked ready to bolt for the door, Sam's worst nightmares now grating over his reality.

"Say yes". Sam edged her on, even though he knew that his time was running out.

Andy looked up and around, breaking eye contact with him. She let out a loud groan causing Sam to look up and notice the entire bullpen filled with faces openly watching them in anticipation.

Andy turned back to Sam just as a knock sounded on the door and their attention focused on Frank looking really bad for intruding on the moment.

"Sammy, we've got to go. Now" Frank said before walking away.

Sam shuffled to his feet and stepped closer to Andy, once again reaching out for her hand. He put the Nickel into it and brushed a light kiss over her forehead before whispering "Think about it" and then he was gone.

Andy's eyes trailed Sam all the way across the room, through the bullpen right up to the door that led him outside and sheltered him from view.

The onlookers dispersed, Traci shaking her head in disapproval before she too followed. Gail looked like she thought Andy was making a mistake, then only the back of her hair was visible.

Andy took a moment to think over what just happened.

She was teetering on the edge of giddiness as her mind played the images back to her.

Was she insane? Had she really let Sam leave without an answer? To the question she thought he'd never ask?

Andy lifted the Nickel up and held it between her fingers and let her mind ask herself what she wanted to say.

It took less than a second for that answer to scream to mind. It took a full three for her to get her feet moving as she ran out of Frank's office and followed in Sam's footsteps.

"Sam" Andy called as soon as she hit the fresh air. When she made it outside she was just in time to see Sam get into the passenger seat of a cruiser with Oliver.

"Sam" Andy called again louder this time.

The door was about to close when Sam heard his name called in desperation.

Peering around the end of the doorway Sam found Andy running across the parking lot.

He climbed out of the cruiser and turned her way with just enough time to reach out and catch her when she jumped him.

She literally jumped him, or actually at him when she was close enough.

Sam wanted to ask her if she was okay but his mouth was relatively occupied at the moment as she fused her lips to his.

When she needed to catch her breath, Andy pulled away and wiggled so Sam set her down on her own feet. "Was that a yes?" He didn't even sound like himself.

Leaning closer Andy whispered in Sam's ear before she let her hold on him slip and she was gone again.

Getting back into the cruiser, Sam couldn't wipe the smile off his face if he tried.

"It's about damn time Brother" Oliver said as he started the cruiser.

"Not quite" Sam said still sounding really happy.

"What?".

"I need to come home in one piece, if I want her answer".

Sam's answer made Oliver let out a roaring chuckle.

Finally, it looked like Sam was going to get his McNally.

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Jelly Bean Jenna©