AN: So, this kind of just happened. I wasn't planning on updating today, but something came over me. And as I wrote this it turned into something else entirely. I don't even remember how I planned on ending it, but here's what I came up with... My mind works on its own, apparently. Enjoy?

A yawn escaped Sam as soon as he opened his front door. Boo woke up from his bed in the corner of the room and ran to him, jumping up and down. Sam tried to calm him down so he wouldn't wake Oliver up, but the more he pet the dog, the more excited he got.

"You're not cheating on her, right?" Oliver asked sitting up from his supine position on the couch.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked, hands falling to his sides limply. His jaw fell open and his eyes narrowed, letting Oliver's question run through his mind again. "What?"

"Andy. McNally. You're not cheating on her, right?" Oliver asked again, swinging his legs off the couch so Sam could sit next to him. It took him a second, but eventually he got his feet moving—one in front of the other—until he was next to the couch.

"No," he insisted, sitting back as Boo hopped up between them. Sam watched him settle and rested his hand at the back of his neck. "I-"

"Where were you all night?" Oliver asked, looking around to emphasize that he was, in fact, not at home all night.

"I was with Andy," Sam told him. "I heard she was having a rough time at home, so I went to make sure she was okay. I fell asleep… With her."

"Oh."

"I may be a lot of things, Oliver, but I'm not a scumbag."

"Zoe cheated," he admitted quietly and Sam's eyes flew open. "I just found out the other day. I'm still dealing with it. Sorry. I didn't mean to go and accuse you. I know you wouldn't do that."

"It's okay, buddy," Sam said, letting his head fall back against the cushion.

"So, you didn't go to the party last night?" Oliver asked and Sam shook his head. "I need to get out. I should have gone."

"Well, Scandal was calling," he smirked and Oliver laughed a real, honest Oliver laugh. "You'll get back out there soon enough, brother. Don't worry too much."

"Well, how is Andy?" Oliver asked after a solemn silence. "Did you meet her dad?"

"No, he was working all night," Sam said and then smiled. "Although, we almost got caught in bed together this morning. I hid in a closet."

"That's what happens when you fall for a freshman, Sammy," Oliver reminded him and Sam shook his head.

"No," he insisted. "That's what happens when your girlfriend's dad is a cop. It doesn't matter how old she is."

"Well, that's true," Oliver laughed.

Sam nodded and stood slowly, stretching his legs out from the drive. It was already 9:30, but he needed to get some more sleep. He told Oliver as much and he and Boo climbed into his empty, unmade bed.

Andy sat at her kitchen table, her knees at her chest, and she waited for the oven to sound. She could hear her father just waking up in the room above her head and she knew how he'd react to what she had in mind for their few hours together. When she heard his steps, muffled by slippers, coming down the stairs, she dropped her feet to floor and sat up straighter.

"Smells good," he remarked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "The guys are gonna love them."

"Good," she nodded as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "How was work?"

"Same as always," he said, taking an untoasted, unbuttered piece of bread and stuffing the corner into his mouth before sitting across from her. "How was your night? Did you get that paper done?"

Thankfully, before Sam showed up, Andy was able to get her English paper finished. Her question set for bio, though? That would have to be finished when she got back to school. Maybe Dov could help her out. "All done," she promised and he smiled.

"No more skipping classes? I'm paying for those, you know," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"I had to miss a whole day of classes when I picked you up from the hospital," she said and his face went dark. "But I miss one class to spend with my boyfriend and it's the end of the world?"

"Andy," he said and she shook her head. The oven beeped and she stood up hastily to take out her two trays of brownies. "What's with the second batch?"

"They're for the AA meeting we're going to," she said, turning around with her arms crossed—not willing to accept a no from her father.

"Andy, I am the father here. I decide when I need to go to a meeting," he told her standing up to face off with her.

"Well, I am the daughter and I am sick of worrying about you," she said, stopping herself from stomping a foot. She wanted to show her authority not look like a child.

"Then stop worrying," he said and she laughed humorlessly.

"We're going or I'm getting on the next bus which leaves in," she checked her watch and looked back at him. "Twenty-five minutes."

"Come on, kid," her father sighed. "This is unnecessary."

"Actually, it's not," she promised, walking toward him. "This is important to me and I want you to see what I deal with when you're drinking gets to be too much. I'm the daughter. I shouldn't have to take care of you like that."

She watched his face fall as he finally started to understand what she was trying to tell him. He shifted from one foot to the other and crossed his arms. He stretched his neck left and right as she waited for him to say something. "Fine, one meeting," he said and she smiled triumphantly and kissed him on the cheek.

"We leave in an hour," she told him before running up the stairs and into her room to get ready.

Oliver was still camped out on Sam's couch, caught up on Scandal and moving onto Criminal Minds. Sam rolled his eyes and bit back his smile as he moved through his living room to get to the front door. "I'm going to the library," he reported and Oliver waved him off. He pushed. "Do you want to come?"

"Reid's getting tortured, man," he said, looking back at Sam with an unamused expression. "Maybe I'll meet you there later."

"Right," Sam nodded. He opened his door and found Andy coming toward him with a bounce in her step. "I thought you weren't going to be home until tonight?" He asked, pulling the door closed behind him.

"I forgot my book for bio and need to do a question set," she explained. "I wanted to give you something before I go back to my room."

"What?" He asked, an excited smile spreading across his lips. She smiled back and leaned in to kiss him quickly. She shuffled her backpack so she could reach in and came out with a small tupperware container.

"Chocolate," she said, putting it into his outstretched hands. "Well, peanut butter chunk brownies. They're so good."

"Thank you," he said before kissing her again. He slid them into his backpack.

"Where are you going?"

"Library," he said with a nod toward the door that led outside. She nodded and they fell into step together. She linked her arm through his and squeezed. "I'll give you a ride back to the dorm."

"Thank you."

They sat in his truck in front of his building, waiting for the air to warm up. "How'd things go with your dad?" He asked and she smiled—wide.

"We went to an AA meeting earlier this afternoon," she told him and he smiled, nodding his approval. "I mean, I don't think it's going to fix everything, but I think he can at least see where I'm coming from. And, you know, he's willing to meet you if things are still going well when he comes and picks me up for winter break."

"Wait, I forgot that you have to leave the dorms over winter break," he sighed and she nodded sadly.

"I'll be gone a month," she reminded him and he rolled his eyes as he started to drive away. "But, maybe I can come back for New Years.
"You should definitely come back for New Years," he told her, reaching over to squeeze her thigh. She tangled her fingers with his. "So, your dad didn't know I was there this morning?"

"Oh my god! That's the best part," she laughed, turning her body slightly so she could gauge his reaction. He glanced at her quickly with raised eyebrows, a little worried about what was about to come out of her mouth. "When he dropped me off at the bus he told me to tell you the next time you want to sneak out of his house at 7:30 in the morning, you should, at least, have the decency to turn your radio down."

"So, he did know I was there?" He asked, his fingers tightening around his wheel as they neared her building. "Maybe I shouldn't meet him when he picks you up for winter break."

"If he was going to do anything about it, he would have this morning," she told him, trying to calm him. "He'll tease you about it, but he's not going to, like, shoot you or anything."

"Well, that's something to look forward to," he smiled tightly and she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Oliver thought I was cheating on you," he said, changing the subject when she was back on her side of the truck. "This morning, when I came in."

"Really?" She laughed and he nodded. "I'd shoot you if that were true."

"Good to know," he laughed and she shook her head. "I think he likes you. My dog, my best friend—who needs me when they've got you now?"

"I need you," she promised and he put his truck in park before pulling her across the seat to sit next to him. "Well, I don't need you, but I definitely, definitely like having you around."

"Well, good," he smiled and she kissed him and let out a long, shaky breath. "What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes glued to her still wet lips as his fingers played with the end of her ponytail.

"I love you," she breathed and his hand fell to her back while his eyes slowly made their way to hers.

"What?" He asked, inadvertently pushing away from her by a fraction of an inch. His mind, his heart, his breathing were all racing. Her face fell and he couldn't say anything to make her smile. He couldn't say anything.

"I do," she insisted and he nodded slowly. "I love-"

He kissed her, holding her face between his palms, and he wasn't sure if it was to stop her from repeating it or to agree with her sentiments. Either way, he didn't have the brain power to hear her finish that sentence. He hadn't heard that sentence since… Ever. No other girl had ever said those words to him. They probably knew how he'd react.

It took her a few unsure seconds before she kissed him back and she held onto his jacket for dear life. He was afraid to pull back because she'd be waiting for him to repeat those words and he could not do that. He wasn't sure if he felt the same or if the words would even form. He didn't know a damn thing. He was twenty-four years old and in less than a minute, he forgot how the two of them were supposed to act around each other, all because she told him she loved him.

"Sam," she breathed, pushing against his chest to separate them. She laughed, licking her lips, and smiled. "I've got to go do my homework. You need to study for finals. I'll see you in class."

"Yeah," he smiled and he was happy to say it was genuine. "See you in class, McNally."

She smiled and he kissed her quickly while reaching behind them to grab her backpack from the backseat. "Bye," she said shyly as she slid out of his truck and he waved as the door shut between them. He waited in his truck until she was inside and then he hit his head over and over against his steering wheel.

Love? Sam didn't love anyone. His mom? Yes. His sister? Most days. That's it. That's the list of people he's ever loved. And it was not the same way Andy loved him. Did he love Andy? He sure as hell couldn't get enough of her, but it had only been a month. They could talk just as easily as they could have sex and that was new for him. She made him smile more than was normal. But was that love? Because Sam didn't know what that word meant, he wasn't even sure he was built for it, if he was the kind of guy that fell in love or deserved love.

"Are you okay?" Traci asked as soon as Andy walked into their room. Andy breathed in, shut the door with her back and leaned against it. She hid her face in her hands and shook her head. Both Gail and Traci were in front of her in a second, each pulling a hand away.

"What happened?" Gail asked, her voice softer than usual and it almost made Andy cry.

"I may have just messed everything with Sam up," she said, sliding down her door. "Maybe not, but something definitely just happened."

"Andy, tell us what happened," Traci said, squatting in front of her, holding onto her knees.

"I told him I loved him," she said and the look on Traci's face was a happy one, but Andy wasn't sure that's how Sam was feeling. "His face went blank and he couldn't really say anything. He didn't say it back. He kissed me, but it was kind of desperate, like he was trying to hold onto something that I just took from him."

"You love him?" Gail asked, surprised, and Andy nodded.

"He came to my house last night," she told them. "And it was awesome. Like, we were in our element. And I realized that a man who skips a party to drive an hour and a half to check on you is the kind of guy you fall in love with. And, then, I realized that I did. I've never felt like this. I've never wanted to spend this much time with anyone or to see someone smile so much. I just- I don't know. I love him."

"And he didn't take it well?" Traci asked, looking for clarification.

"I could have just freaked him out," she admitted. "But I could have scared him off for good."

"Okay," Traci said. Her voice was calming enough to make Andy take a few deep breaths. "Here's what we're going to do. You have to wait and see. You don't have any evidence to back it up right now, okay? You need to see and maybe talk to him."

"What if talking to him just pushes him over the edge and he breaks up with me?"

"What if it doesn't? What if he loves you?" Gail asked and Andy looked up at her standing form.

"I don't know what came over me, you know?" Andy said and both her friends nodded. "We were talking about, I don't know, Oliver? And I told him that I liked having him around and he kissed me and it was perfect and sweet. And I should have left it at that. Because the next time he kissed me was not perfect and it was not sweet. He was terrified. I terrified him."

"Maybe it's love, you know?" Traci asked and Andy shook her head. "Maybe he's never been in love before. Maybe it's not you that's scaring him, but love."

"I don't know. But how the hell am I supposed to do my bio homework now?"