A/N: Hello, dear readers! No, I haven't forgotten about this. The semester ended in May but I took a summer class that just ended so I've been writing as much as I can since then. I'm not finished but as some of you have been asking about this, I decided to post a short excerpt of the final chapter so you all know I'm still working on this. The response and support I've gotten for this story has been overwhelming. And the RB Choice nomination for this? Against the BRILLIANT tikvarn? It's too much. SO flattered. The only worry I have is that this lives up to your expectations.

So, here's just a small portion of what I've finished so far. I hope you all enjoy it! :)

Disclaimer: All I own is the way I wrote this.

Chapter 2

The first time he shows up at the waterfront, it's a cold and miserable Wednesday afternoon. Winter had come early that year, the snow falling in blinding droves since October and refusing to show the city any mercy. Cars stopped dead on the streets, mounds of snow and ice filled the sidewalks, and even crime itself seemed to freeze as the entire city hunkered down in an attempt to escape the winter of the century.

The entire city of course, except for him. He had merely shrugged on his coat at the station after shift, waved off the boys' invitation for a drink to defrost themselves after a long day on the streets, and tucked himself into his truck for the drive to the waterfront, completely undeterred by the prospect of waiting by the lake's frigid waters.

It isn't until he finds himself by the same metal railings he stood at just several months ago, back turned and huddled against the biting wind, that he realizes the error in his judgment. Not about his choice to face the debilitating cold horrifically under protected— really, Swarek, would it have killed you to grab a beanie this morning? —but rather the fact that there is no conceivable way that she could've gotten cut loose this year.

He does the math quickly. They met in February, just nine months ago. Which meant that for her to have been cut loose today, she would've had to have been halfway through her rookie year when they met, a fact that had clearly not been the case all things considered.

He lets out a short chuckle as this starts to click, shakes his head as his breath puffs in front of him and quickly disappears. The rest of the variables then fall into place. She could've gone to college first before joining the Academy, could've taken a year off after graduating high school. Hell, she could still be in high school and his mind flashes him unwelcome thoughts of what their initial meeting could've looked like to an outsider, a teenager chatting it up with a 27 year old stranger. It doesn't even push the scandal line but he's been on the force long enough to know the ugly consequences that have risen from more innocent scenarios and he wouldn't blame someone for thinking the same.

He's starting to lose the feeling in his toes but he's only wondering about how none of this came to mind during the past few months, briefly entertaining the idea that he could've saved himself from spending more time in the cold than necessary.

But no, a promise is a promise and his was that he'd be here on this day every year until she showed up. And so even though he knows she won't be making an appearance this year, won't be rolling up to him on her skateboard or striding confidently to his side dressed in her uniform blues, he draws his hood closer around his head, digs his gloved hands further into his pockets, and stays.

It becomes a ritual for him, waiting by the water that day in November, with a few variations every year. He doesn't encounter a winter quite like the first time, which he's utterly grateful for, but he gets plenty cold regardless. Sometimes it snows, soft, light flakes coming to rest on his shoulders and head until he gets back in his truck looking like someone dumped a bag of powdered sugar all over him. Sometimes it rains and by the time the hour's up, he's soaked through and cursing his lack of foresight to bring an umbrella. But sometimes, sometimes he's lucky and the setting sun graces him with its presence as it disappears over the horizon. It's still cold and he still can't feel his nose when he folds himself back in his truck but the sun is all it takes for him to give in to the slight tugging of his lips into a smile and remember the day not unlike this one that started this whole thing.

But it's not just the weather that changes throughout the years. He does as well. Even though he's well into his second year when he shows up that first November, he's still one of the greenest officers at the division, a sophomore with a head too big and eager to prove himself to his superiors. But he levels out eventually, finds his rhythm and five years in earns a spot on the team he's had his heart set on since the beginning: Guns and Gangs. It's a welcome change but one that makes his yearly promise a little more difficult to keep. Because instead of stopping by after shift like he did when he was on his regular 9 to 5 on patrol, Guns and Gangs now runs his life and he's left at the mercy of his unpredictable assignments. So he prays in the weeks leading up to November that he'll get that one afternoon to himself, that the drug lords and arms dealers of the city will give him that at least if nothing else. For the most part, his prayers are answered and he hurries over to the waterfront in between UC ops, either just getting out of one or days from going under.

One year though, he's in deep with one of the trafficking operations, months away from busting the ring. He's on pins and needles the whole day, wondering how the hell he was going to sneak away from his new companions who were still none too keen about letting him out of their sight. His salvation comes in the form of an incoming shipment of cocaine. Still the rookie member of the crew, he's not invited to the drop, his boss not-so-pleasantly ordering him to make himself scarce for the rest of the day, a command that has him unsure whether to feel disappointed that they still don't trust him or relieved that he can now make it to the waterfront without a tail.

Ten years pass, ten Novembers, and each time a different class of rookies gets cut, none of which include her. Of course, he'd be lying if he said that he isn't disappointed, having shown up without fail every year only to spend the hour alone, but at the same time her absence also serves to pique his interest and he's unable to help himself when his thoughts occasionally start to stray to her those other 364 days.

It's the simplest things that bring her to mind. A skateboarder cruising down the street when he's out on patrol. The skate shop down by the University that he passes whenever the 27th needs an assist on a case. The Academy booth he's forced to run at a few of the local high schools' career days during his second year on the force. It's the small details, random moments on random days when that afternoon on the waterfront could be the furthest thing from his mind and yet despite all that, the headstrong skateboard-wielding teenager somehow manages to drift out from the recesses of his mind where he's kept that precious memory stored away.

For those moments, he wonders about her, where she is, what she's doing. Is she in college, half-asleep instead of listening to the professor? Is she at the Academy getting pounded into the ground by the drill sergeants? Or maybe she changed her mind, decided that following in Dad's footsteps weren't for her, went on skating and became pro instead. He doesn't know which makes the guessing all the more interesting. The moments don't last long nor do they come very often, just enough for the thought to completely form in his head before he's pulled back into whatever it is he's supposed to be doing instead. But he still finds it curious that aside from his sister, the mysterious skateboarding teen is the only other girl he's ever worked this hard to figure out.

And he's not entirely sure he's comfortable with that fact.

A/N: So there it is! I'd appreciate your thoughts and feedback. I'm still working on the rest but I hope to have it done in a few weeks. Once again, thank you so much for all of your support and for sticking with this through the months. Keep on the look out for the completed final chapter! Grown-up Andy will be making her appearance soon. :)