I have a bunch of one-shot ideas sitting on my computer so I thought I'd try and see if I could pump some of them out before I try another multi-chapter fic. I hope you like this one.

Almost forgot...I own nothing Rookie Blue.

"Sam Swarek if I didn't love you so much I would probably hate you right now."

Andy was livid. She and Sam had had a huge disagreement at work and she was hoping to leave it all behind and enjoy her night at the Penny, but he just couldn't let it go. He thought she had put herself in unnecessary danger when she knew that she had done nothing that he would not have done himself. And she hated double standards.

She had been sitting happily with Traci and Noelle when he came in to the bar. An hour earlier at the end of shift, she had finally just walked away from him, but apparently he wasn't done. The door had barely closed before he came right over and started in on her again.

And that's when she had let him have it. She did her best not to make a scene and draw attention to their argument, but he was making it almost impossible for her to keep her cool. She had stood up to her tallest height so that she was looking slightly down at him; she looked him straight in the eye and spoke the words quietly through her teeth. And then she walked away for the second time that day.

Without a look back and without fully realizing what she had said, she turned and moved to the other side of the bar to join Dov and Chris.

Sam just stood there dumbfounded staring after her, his eyes widened and his mouth agape. He couldn't believe that she had just said those words. Of course he had dreamt about it for months now, but he was expecting it to be a lot more intimate and romantic when she finally told him. But still she said it and she obviously felt it…strongly.

"Swarek." Noelle called.

After getting no response, she tried again; this time nudging him with her elbow a little. "Swarek."

"Huh?" Sam shook his head, trying to break himself out of the haze of thoughts.

Noelle couldn't believe he didn't react to the bombshell McNally had just dropped. "Are you just going to stand there?"

She knew how Sam felt; it was obvious to everyone that he was head over heels for McNally. The worst part was that everyone knew that Andy felt the same way and they couldn't for the life of them figure out why one or the other didn't make a move, especially Andy. Why she was still with Callaghan when she so obviously wanted Sam was a complete mystery.

"Did you even hear what she said?" Noelle asked.

"Yeah." Oh he heard her, every single word of it.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to go after her?"

"He can't." Traci disputed.

"Why the hell not?" Noelle couldn't believe either one of them. "She just said she loved him." As far as she was concerned, this was not something you just brushed aside.

"I don't think she knows she said it." Traci explained.

"How can she not know?" Noelle wondered.

"Because she was cornered and she didn't like it one bit. And when Andy's mad and she feels like her back's against the wall, she just reacts. She doesn't think about it; she strikes back. Look at her over there; she's fuming." Traci pointed out. "But the key is that she's still here"

"If she realized that she had just confessed to loving Sam, she would have been out the door before we even had a chance to register it. She won't even admit it to herself let alone Sam because she doesn't like being open to hurt. If she had any idea that she had just revealed her deepest secret, there's no way she would stick around. The only thing she would hate more than being vulnerable, would be everyone seeing her like that. "

"What do you mean her deepest secret?" Sam asked, having followed the back and forth between the two women. "Did you know?"

"Of course." Traci confirmed.

Noelle was shocked. For a great cop, Sam could be pretty oblivious when it came to McNally. "Please don't tell me that you didn't." Noelle begged.

He didn't think he did. I mean sure he knew there was something there, but when she went back to Callaghan time and again, he kept telling himself he was just trying to see what he wanted to see.

"C'mon Noelle we have to talk to her." Traci decided.

"No way." Noelle refused. "I'm not getting into the middle of this."

"I'm going." Sam declared; he had made up his mind. He wasn't going to let her go back to Callaghan after that.

"But, you can't." Traci argued, trying to discourage him. She knew that confronting an angry Andy McNally was not the way to go.

Sam lowered his chin and glared at her, basically daring her to even try and stop him.

Traci was pretty sure that no one had the ability to stop Sam Swarek when his mind was made up, and she wasn't about to test that theory. She simply stepped aside and gestured him forward.

Sam took his time as he made his way to the other side of the bar and approached his partner. "Andy?"

Her first instinct was warmth at his use of her first name, but she still hadn't let go of her anger. "Sam, I can't even talk to you right now."

"Please Andy."

Again with the first name, boy he was really trying to suck up. "Did you not hear a word I said over there?"

Sam smirked, his eyes dancing. "I heard every word you said."

Andy couldn't believe he had the nerve to grin like that when he knew she was beyond angry. "Then why are you grinning like an idiot. Surely, you must realize that you're not exactly my favorite person right about now."

Sam's smile just got bigger and he was unable to stop the dimples from making an appearance. "I think you might be a little confused on that issue."

Andy glared at him before taking a deep breath; he could tell he was in for a real go round. But he was more than willing to take whatever she dished out, especially if it got her to recognize what she was feeling.

Unfortunately, Luke chose that very moment to show up. Damn him. When Andy needs him, he's never there but when I don't want him, he always manages to show up and ruin everything. But for some reason, Sam wasn't as bothered as he usually was. Maybe it was because he was finally certain that the golden boy's time was almost up.

"Luke." Sam acknowledged, addressing him civilly.

"Swarek." Luke responded suspiciously. Why was he being so polite?

"Big plans tonight?" Sam asked sweetly…expecting that something big was definitely going to go down.

Luke was still leery and exchanged a look of confusion with Andy. "I'm taking Andy out to dinner why?"

"Sounds nice; I hope you two have a great time."

Sam was trying hard not to laugh as both Andy and Luke were looking at him like he'd lost his mind. He knew what they were thinking; he had never made a secret of his dislike for Luke. And it had only gotten worse when Luke started dating Andy; Sam knew he was never nice to the man. And that made it even more fun because they had no idea why he was being so gracious.

"Thanks. Are you ready to go?" Luke asked, anxious to get out of this seemingly alternate reality.

"Sure." Andy agreed, getting up. She followed Luke to the exit, but not before taking a questioning look back at Sam. He just smiled and waved as she walked out the door.

He chuckled to himself as he walked back to Noelle and Traci.

"How could you let her leave with Luke?" Noelle pressed, clearly confused.

"Traci's right; she has no idea what she said, but I have a feeling it's only a matter of time." He predicted confidently. "I know McNally and she can't let something like this go. But she can't keep it inside either. She'll have to seethe and complain about how mad she is at me. And if Callaghan takes the bait, he'll ask her what happened. When she finally has to think about it, she'll remember."

Sam wasn't generally a patient man, but he knew there was nothing for him to do. It was only a matter of time now, and knowing that his wait was almost over definitely made it easier.

Andy and Luke had just sat down at the restaurant, with Luke ordering them each a drink. Andy had not said a word to him the entire way over, instead muttering under her breath every few minutes. Finally, Luke couldn't take it anymore; this was their date and he was tired of Swarek occupying her thoughts yet again. "What the hell did he do? Why are you so angry?"

The words started pouring out of her mouth. "Sam Swarek has got to be the most infuriating man in the world. Who does he think he is? I was only doing what he taught me. Why is it ok for him and not for me?"

She took a quick breath and continued. "And then, not only did he drive me crazy all day, but he can't even let me relax at the Penny. Nooo…he has to come in there and try and assert his authority after hours too. He got off easy as far as I'm concerned."

She wasn't even really making sense, or at least Luke was having trouble following her train of thought.

"What do you mean he got off easy? What did you do?" Luke was a little worried; Sam was still her superior officer and he didn't like to be pushed.

Andy got frustrated with Sam a lot, but he didn't think he'd ever seen her this angry. Luke didn't think Sam would hold a grudge, but he didn't know what happened. And really, Sam actually seemed like he was in a pretty good mood when Luke left; it couldn't have been that bad.

"I told him I hated him." She stated.

"What?" Luke was surprised it could be that simple; though he was hopeful, too. Maybe Sam had finally pushed her too far, and they could get past her school girl crush on her former TO.

"Yep…I looked him straight in the eye and I said 'Sam Swarek'…" Holy crap, what did I say?

Luke saw the color drain out of Andy's face as a look of complete horror crossed over it. He couldn't believe she would have the guts so say anything to Swarek that would cause that kind of reaction. "What's the matter?"

Andy started to cry, realizing that in the heat of the moment she had finally admitted the truth…a truth that she had been afraid to acknowledge to anyone including herself. But it was out there now; she couldn't take it back. And if she was capable of being truly honest with herself, she didn't want to take it back.

"I can't do this anymore." She whispered through her tears.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, again not following her. Does she mean she can't do the job anymore? Can't work with Swarek anymore? What?

"Luke, I wanted us to work but…it's not."

Oh. "Why, Andy, what's not working?"

"I mean…you're a great guy...you are. You're sweet…and I care about you…but it's not enough."

He was pretty sure there was more to it than that though. He had a feeling it was something, or more like someone, that was holding her back. "It's Swarek isn't it?"

"Yes." She confessed, looking down at her hands.

"You don't hate him." It wasn't a question; it was a statement of a fact that he knew to be true. But he too had been trying not to face it.

"No."

"Do you love him?"

She couldn't lie to anyone anymore. "I think I do, Luke. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen; it just…did."

Luke nodded his head. "I knew you had feelings for him, Andy; I guess I just thought it was a crush and I hoped you'd get over it."

Andy had often wondered that herself, but the more time she spent with Sam the harder she fell. "I really don't think that's going to happen, Luke. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Andy." And he was surprised to find that it was. "I'm sad, but I'm not devastated. I think that just tells me that I already knew it was inevitable."

She finally dared to look at him again and she was relieved to see that he wasn't just saying that to make her feel better; he looked like he truly meant it. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any less awkward. "I'm not really hungry anymore." Luke stated. "Do you mind if I just take you home?"

"Of course not." Andy agreed quickly. It was over now; why drag it out? There was nothing more to say and trying to fill a couple of hours with meaningless conversation was something neither of them looked forward to.

After paying for their drinks, they left the restaurant and Luke dropped Andy off at home.

She changed into some comfortable shorts and a t-shirt before grabbing some leftovers out of the fridge to heat up. She had to laugh; she always had something ready in the fridge because she never knew when Luke was going to bail on her. It was kind of ironic that this time it was her bailing.

"Now what?" She asked herself as she sat down to eat.

She had told Sam - inadvertently of course, but still he obviously knew. She had admitted it to Luke too, and that meant she had to face it herself. But facing it wasn't the real issue; the real problem was that she didn't know if she had the guts to do anything about it.

No wonder he was grinning like a jackass. Wait, he was grinning like a jackass. But did he look like he was gloating? I don't think so. Was he happy?

She was so full of questions, and emotions that had been suppressed for so long. She knew she had to do some serious thinking before she could face Sam. What would she say? What could she say? What would he do?

Luke headed back to the Penny, still unsure of what he was going to do or if he would say anything to Swarek at all. They had never gotten along, and he really didn't owe Swarek any kind of explanation. He still didn't even know what she actually said to Sam, but somehow he had a feeling that Sam knew. Sam had been way too happy and way to civil; he had to have known.

Luke walked in and sat at the opposite end of the bar to Sam's table. He ordered his drink and waited patiently for it to come while he contemplated what he wanted to do if anything. It didn't take long for him to catch the attention of Traci and Noelle, who were facing the bar. They were both surprised to see him back so soon.

"Didn't he just leave with Andy?" Traci noted.

"Pretty short date if you ask me." Noelle commented. "And he doesn't look overly happy about it either."

Sam turned around to see for himself.

Luke looked up then to find all three of them staring at him, but he kept his eyes fixed on Sam. They exchanged a look and Sam knew right then that Andy had figured it out…and apparently she let Luke in on her secret as well. He was quite surprised to see that Luke didn't appear to be mad at him; he just looked resigned. Perhaps Luke was more aware than he gave him credit for.

Sam turned back around and swallowed the last of his drink. He could wait until tomorrow, but this was not the type of conversation you saved for work. And truthfully, he knew that if he didn't go see Andy now he wouldn't get a minute of sleep. He bid the girls a quick goodnight and started heading for the door. He was surprised to feel someone grab his arm before he reached the exit, but he knew before he looked back that it would be Luke.

"Do you feel the same way?" Luke asked shortly. They may not be together anymore, but he still didn't want to see Andy to get hurt.

"Yes."

Luke nodded and let Sam go; nothing further needed to be said. He cared enough about Andy to want her to be happy, even if that meant she was with Swarek.

Andy was just cleaning up from supper and contemplating a nice hot bath to soothe her nerves and help her decide what to do with her new found awareness.

She hung up the tea towel and started to make her way to the bathroom, when she heard a knock at her door. She had no idea who it could be; as far as everyone knew, she was on a date with her 'boyfriend'.

She looked through the peephole and was shocked to find Sam there. She tried to breathe normally, but the air just didn't seem to want to come into her lungs. What could she do? She still didn't think she was prepared to confront this just now, but she couldn't just leave him out there, not after what happened.

Sam felt helpless. He knew she was on the other side over thinking things and he was pretty sure she was in a panic the second she saw his face at her door. He was relieved when it started to open slowly, though it stopped at just a crack.

"Hey." Andy greeted from the doorway, blocking the small entrance.

"Hey."

There was no point in beating around the bush so she forced in a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not sure I'm ready to talk." Andy said, not moving from her spot or giving any indication to invite Sam inside.

But he didn't think he could wait and he was afraid of what might happen if they left it too long. He knew he couldn't push too hard or she'd pull the words and feelings right back into the vault. Still he had to go for it.

"You had a lot to say at the Penny." Sam reminded her as he held her gaze.

"Yeah…I'm still trying to wrap my head around that." She confessed before dropping her eyes. "I wasn't even ready to admit that to myself, let alone you."

"I know that, but I thought maybe I could help."

"How?" She wondered.

"I love you too, Andy."

She looked up from the ground and met his eyes again, surprised to see that everything she felt was mirrored in his eyes – the questions and the fears as well as the longing…and love. She wasn't facing it alone anymore.

She may not have it all figured out, but maybe they could do that together. She loved him and now she knew that he loved her back.

She opened the door fully without saying a word, and finally allowed herself to let him completely in…to her home and her heart.

A.N. I haven't marked this one as complete yet, because I have another one-shot that fits the title and summary; I'll likely add it as chapter 2.