Here comes another chapter! :D I'm sorry, I was in the end of my semester and I had a lot of exams and paper due this week! But it's a bit calmer now! My last exam is on the 22rd though…

If I had to define a theme, I would say it's a friendship/romance fiction, at the edgeeeee of hurt/confort! :) Because I just LOVE those kind of fiction! I'm still waiting for your reviews at the end!

In this job, you can't do it alone. You have to have each other's back. You stand behind your partner always

Sam got out of his car as fast as he could before running inside the house. He already knew that Andy was there, and she wasn't alone, Noah was probably in the house and he just couldn't leave her alone, he was already blaming himself for not staying with her a few hours ago. If something happened to her he would never forgive himself for leaving her.

Getting his gun out, he slowed down realizing that something was going on inside. He could hear McNally telling Noah that his mother loved him, that even if she wasn't really herself lately, she really loved him. Swarek stopped behind the door and tried to hear the conversation without being seen by the people inside the room.

He then heard Noah's mother assure him that it was true and that she loved her, but he was so blinded by all his rage that he just refused to hear her out, he was looking at McNally and Sam's heart started beating a little harder.

"Because you don't know. You don't know" he said still pointing his gun at her.

"Yeah? You think I don't know? I was abandoned in the middle of the night by my mother" she said trying to calm him.

Sam took a step forward, still not knowing when was the best time to go in and help her. For the moment McNally seemed to be well in control of the situation and he decided to wait a few more minutes.

"Okay, she has an entirely new family, and I was completely erased. It messes you up. I know. I haven't seen my mother in 14 years, your mother is right there" she continued trying to keep her voice steady and calm.

Sam's heart sank as he heard her confess the fact that his mother had abandoned her. He already knew that something had happened with her mother, but she was stubbornly refusing to talk about this part of her life, and now he understood why.

"Don't do this. Come on, put the gun down" she finally said, still trying to stay in control.

Swarek could almost hear the confrontation that was going on in Noah's head before he finally decided to put his gun down on the floor, apologizing. A few seconds later, Paul, the new boyfriend of his mother, threw himself at Noah, making him fall to the ground before kicking him several times in the belly while he was still lying on the ground.

Deciding it was the moment to intervene; Sam came out from behind the wall and quickly got a drop on Paul, causing him to fall on the ground before retaining him face down.

"Get your hands off me!" Paul yelled trying to get up from under Sam without succeeding.

"Shut up" ordered the police officer without really worrying about him.

McNally had just recovered the weapon which was on the ground and she said it to his partner who was still retaining the man who had decided that he wanted to take justice into his own hands.

"Stop moving" ordered Sam while letting him go a little to give him the chance to breath.

"I need E.N.S. on scene at 37 Chadwick." Sam heard Andy say in her radio.

He was clearly hearing the trembling that was still in her voice while she dictated the address to the station. He would've given a lot of things to be able to go check on her and make sure that she was doing okay, but he knew that the second he would release his grip on the man, he would return to kicking the young man who was still lying on the ground, and Sam couldn't let that happen.

When backup arrived, Sam let them take of the man while he quickly got out of the house, searching for Andy in the alley. He finally found her; her back turned on the police car and she appeared rather shaken from the event that had just occur.

Walking toward her, he tried to hide how much he had been scared that something would've happened to her back in the house.

"Shaky?" he asked while coming to a stop in front of her, looking her in the eyes.

She took a moment to answer, like she was trying to find the courage to assure him that everything was okay, but he knew her well enough to know that everything wasn't fine.

"I'm fine" she finally said, avoiding his eyes.

"Sometimes things go sideways. It's not your fault" said Sam, trying to reassure her on what had just happened in the house.

"Yeah" she only answered.

He still could hear, even in this only word that she wasn't doing entirely fine. He smiled, and Andy made note to herself that this smile was going to kill her. She knew very well that only a few people were able to resist him when he played this smile which made his pretty dimples come out and his eyes lit up.

"You want to walk for a while?" He asked her in the purpose to get away from all the agitation that was happening around them.

She nodded and he showed her the way, walking just behind her while putting his hand on the small of her back, guiding her to a place where they would be more at ease to talk.

Andy knew that he would feel she was still shaking if he left his hand on her back for a few more seconds longer, so she deliberately started to walk a little faster, getting away from him. She took a couple more steps before leaning back on a tree; they were now far enough that the people in the driveway of the house couldn't hear them. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart that was pounding hard since she had been trapped in the staircase.

"Now that we're only us two, do you want to respond sincerely to my question?" Sam asked while keeping a reasonable distance between them.

"Which question?" She answered, raising her eyebrow, trying to act like she had forgotten what he was talking about.

"Are you okay? And I want a real answer, not one of those 'all-made sentence' that you use to respond to everyone" he continued while crossing his arms in front of him.

"I'm fine! I already said that" she repeated rolling her eyes.

In fact, she wasn't fine, but she had been trying for a long time to not show it to anyone. She had made it so much a habit that sometimes she would even believe it herself, but today… Today she just wasn't fine.

"McNally, look at me, I know that you're not 'fine', I've been in those kind of situation, and I know that we just can't be 'fine' a few minutes after. Even more when it's the first time it happens to us" he said, opting for a tone that was soft but still firm.

She looked at him and shook her head from left to right to disagree with him, still trying to convince Sam that she was fine. He waited a few more seconds before continuing.

"I understand, Andy, you don't like depending on others. I heard what you said to Noah in there, and I really can understand that you don't like needing someone else than you, but in this job, you can't stand alone. You just can't do everything on your own, you got to let others help you" said Sam while searching for her eyes.

He saw her nod slowly, agreeing with his affirmation. He waited a few seconds more before taking a step toward her; putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm going to ask you one last time, and if you're able to look me in the eyes and tell me that you're fine once more, then I'll go" he simply said.

She shivered under the feeling of his hand on her and she felt a wave of heat quickly invade her while he caressed her shoulder, his fingers sometimes slipping against her neck.

"I don't like it; admitting that I'm not fine" she answered while closing her eyes, trying to escape his gaze.

"I know" he said slipping his fingers under her chin to make her look him in the eyes.

"Sam I… I was really scared in there" she finally said still avoiding his stare.

"It's normal, I had my share of fear too" he told her smiling softly.

"Ohhh the famous Sam Swarek can be scared?" she teased while giving him a tentative smile.

"Just a few hours ago for example, when this dog jumped on me, I got to say that I had a moment of fear" he told me on a secretive tone.

"You told me it was nothing, and then you said the same thing to Gail, but now you come and you tell me that I shouldn't keep that to myself?" She said in an ironic tone and he rolled his eyes for an instant.

"I'm just like you McNally; I'm not a great fan of showing all my feelings, but like I said, when you this job, you have to tell someone about it. Because if you don't, those feelings will get to you." He explained like he was talking out of experience. "I'm your partner; at least you can talk about it to your partner no?" He finally said while using the smile which he knew was charming.

Andy looked at him for a long minute that seemed to last for an eternity before finally answering his question.

"When I was in the house, talking to Noah, I was trembling so much than I wouldn't have been able to use my gun even if I had the occasion to" she finally confessed, lowering her head to look at the ground.

"It's normal, in fact you're still shaking" he said before tightening his fingers on her shoulders.

"It annoys me… to be that weak" she said trying to keep her voice steady, but she was already failing.

"You're not weak, McNally, after only a few months of service you're already really good, you have a gift for this job. I couldn't have done better with that kid" he simply said.

She nodded before feeling being pulled into the arms of her partner and friend. He slipped his hand up and down her back, trying to ease her tremors as she threw her hands around his neck, letting herself really feel this embrace for an instant.

"Just give it a chance Andy, you're going to be an incredible police officer if you continue like that, just stop putting so much pressure on you" he said his mouth so close to her ear that she felt his hot breath on her neck.

She nodded again, feeling a tremor of an all different nature ran through her body. He continued caressing her back softly trying to calm her down.

"It's over McNally, and you were perfect in there" he continued, running his hand on her back for one last time before finally taking a step away from her, locking his eyes with hers.

"Thanks Sam" she said, wiping the solitary tear that had left her eye and rolled on her right cheek.

"That's what partners are for" he told her with one of the smiles that left her with butterflies in her stomach.

He locked eyes with her before raising his hand to push back a rebel lock of hear that had escaped from her ponytail and that was now laying across her face. After pushing it back, his hand stayed against on the face of the young woman that was standing in front of him; the time seemed to stopped for an instant.

The small murmur of the conversations that were happening a hundred yards away had seemed to fade away and a small breeze got between them, making them shiver.

"And if you ever need to talk, about anything, I'm here" Sam said on a serious tone.

She nodded while she felt drawn to him by an invisible force. He nodded too and she put her hand against his cheek, caressing the tip of his lips with her thumb in an almost imperceptible gesture. He laid his head onto her hand as he took a step toward her too.

Sam made another step in front of him as Andy took a step back, her back resting against the tree trunk just behind her. He was getting closer and closer and his eyes were moving back and forward between the lips and the eyes of Andy. He was still feeling her shudder against him, but he didn't know if it was because of the adrenaline that had rushed into her a few minutes ago of if it was due to the sudden proximity between their two bodies.

"Sam" she said her voice shaking a bit as he slowly took a last step toward her.

"What?" he asked on a sarcastic tone. "Stop thinking too much just for once McNally" he whispered; his lips now only a few inches apart from hers.

She nodded, finally closing the space between them as he slipped his hand in her back, pulling her close to him so the bark of the tree wouldn't hurt her back.

The kiss was really simple; real soft as he explored her mouth slowly still holding her against him so gently, just like her body might break at any time.

Andy let herself free to completely feel this kiss while all the bad things that had happened in her day just faded away. There was no more Noah, no more home invasion or painful memories that had come back after seeing the scene in the stairs, nothing anymore… No; nothing except the lips of Sam against hers in a comforting caress.

She returned his kiss while her fingers were playing in his hair, sometimes stroking the bottom of his neck. Sam took a step back after a couple more seconds, still smiling softly and he put a small kiss on her forehead before finally turning back to walk toward the house entrance to join the rest of the officers.

"Sam!" she yelled when he was a few yards away.

He quickly turned to face her, raising his eyebrows, asking her silently why she had just called him back.

"I'm really fine now!" She said with a big smile.

He laughed for a second before smiling back to her, showing his adorable dimples at the same time. He made a military salute, taking the merit of having made her smile, and it was really his action that had made her smile. Andy laughed at his gesture while heading back to the cruiser behind him.

Sam Swarek was really the only one able to make her smile like that, she said to herself as she was walking towards the voices that were still coming from the parking of the house.

So? What did you think? Good? Bad? Just tell me in a review! :) I'll try to update more quickly this time! But I can't guarantee it… But I'm not forgetting about you guys! Promise!