Note: This is the last chapter in this sequel. And I'm not completely thrilled with it, as it's relatively plot-free, but there's a certain amount of fluff and McSwarek all over the place. Hopefully enough to satisfy. Anyway, I've been holding onto it for a long time now, and I'm just glad to give it to you guys.

Special thank you to...Cocobean2206, icewitch73, happyheart65, and rookiebluefan89 for words of encouragement and to everyone who reviewed for their whole-hearted enthusiasm for this story. I know it's not what everyone's used to on this site.

Someone was knocking. Andy recognized the noise through the thick cloud of sleep protecting her from the rest of the world. She thought maybe if she ignored it, it would eventually go away. But then it came again, louder this time. She blinked her eyes, opened one and found herself staring at Sam's neck. He was on his back, and she had an arm and a leg thrown over him; the blanket was tossed over the two as an afterthought, and when Andy felt a cool breeze blow up her leg, she realized it wasn't covering nearly as much as it should be. She pulled her legs up under the blanket and turned over onto her front and raised her head. Standing at the entrance to the room was Sarah. She was looking at Andy with an amused expression on her face and Andy did a quick mental inventory as she made sure that all of her parts were covered.

"I just wanted to let you know that people are starting to show up. So, you two should probably get dressed before they start peeking in through the screen." She turned around and disappeared, but Andy's ears were picking up new sounds. Conversation on the lawn, Kit's twins yelling back and forth to each other, even the sounds of dishes clattering together in the kitchen. She closed her eyes, feeling much more tired than she had when she'd first climbed into bed. Then she opened her eyes again, finally realizing how late they'd slept.

They'd probably fallen into bed a little after one, but between the sex and the talking and finally falling to sleep, they'd spent most of the afternoon there. She lifted her wrist up and tried to focus her eyes on the tiny watch hands. After six. She leaned over and kissed Sam, feeling his mouth come to life under hers, and when she pulled away, his eyes opened.

"Feel free to wake me up like that anytime," he said quietly, pulling her back down. She let him hold her to him one more moment and then put a hand on his chest.

"It's about to get very crowded here. We need to get dressed." Sam paused and Andy took the opportunity to sit up, pulling the blanket around her shoulders.

He snatched it back as it exposed him to the air and to the windows and Andy laughed, wrenching it away. He gave her a look. It was becoming her favorite expression; the one that said he could have her flat on her back in a matter of seconds if he wanted. And from the quick glimpse she'd gotten of his body before she turned away, it wouldn't surprise her if he did. She quickly pulled on her clothing; underwear, shorts, a blue and white striped top with a wide neck that exposed just a tiny bit of shoulder. After she was finished, she turned to Sam who'd been lying back on the bed, shamelessly watching her. She climbed back in and kissed him one more time.

"If you don't get dressed, you can't eat. And I guarantee you're going to need your strength tonight," Andy whispered as his hands ran up under her shirt and pressed against her back. He made a noise low in his throat and pressed a kiss to that place he loved, where her neck met her shoulder and ran his teeth over it once, just to make her shiver. Then he dumped her off his lap onto the bed. He got up and pulled on his clothing, laughing to himself as he watched her struggled to right herself in the pile of blankets. She finally sat up, and glared at him as she finger-combed her hair into place and when he held out his hand, she let him pull her onto her feet.

Sam walked out on to the deck, intent on finding himself something to snack on before the party really got started and Andy walked back into the kitchen, reaching down to rub her thighs, almost unbearably tight from her run. Sarah wasn't in the kitchen when she entered, and she moved through the house, finally finding her in Jake's room. Andy knocked on the door frame and Sarah smiled at her.

"I'm just finishing up. I got interrupted," she said, moving her eyes away to the wall. Andy wandered in and stood next to her and raised her eyebrows.

"What's all this?" The room looked like a typical boy's room, except that it was spotless. The walls were covered in a very light tan, with fresh bedding in blues and greens, made up neatly. There was a dresser and a closet, and a bookshelf, all stuffed to the point of bursting. There was an old wooden crate in the corner filled with a random amalgamation of athletic equipment and toys he hadn't yet outgrown. Brightly colored posters were stuck up on the closet door and on the wall over the bed. And in a frame on the bedside table was a small picture of the three of them, sitting on the edge of the dock, feet hanging over the edge in the water. Jake's overnight bag sat up near his pillow. Sarah fell back, sitting on the edge of the bed as her eyes continued to move over the wall. Andy sunk down next to her.

The opposite wall was neatly covered in black and whites from the half marathon. Arranged in a very specific order. While she watched, Sarah got up and interchanged two photographs and then sat back down.

"I emailed some of these to this publisher friend of mine, and they said I should put something together; maybe do a sort of "Women in Motion" thing."

"You mean I could be in a book?" Andy asked as her eyebrows rose.

"Well, not just you," Sarah laughed. "I just can't get the order right. I've been working on it for weeks." She looked around guiltily. "I don't usually just take over his room. This was just the only free wall in the house."

Andy shrugged. "He doesn't really seem like an indoors sort of kid anyway. He probably doesn't care."

"Not really." She took one last long look and then stood up. "Well, ready to party?" She raised her brows and widened her eyes in mock excitement and Andy laughed as she stood up and followed her out of the room.

They were halfway through the living room when the three boys burst in through the porch door, soaking wet, dripping water as they scampered and slid across the hardwood floor. Kit was following them at a hurried walk, calling after them to be careful.

As she spotted Sarah and Andy, she slowed. "Cooper threw Jake off the dock, and my kids jumped in after him, trying to drown themselves. Obviously future brain surgeons." The bedroom door slammed shut and Kit rolled her eyes. "Sorry." She looked at Andy and then at Sarah. "New girlfriend?"

"Andy McNally," Sarah said as she walked back to the bedroom and knocked on the door. "You three better not be making a mess in there."

Kit's lips curved into a smile. "McNally, huh? Should have known when Sam started bringing up that name that he wasn't talking about some guy he worked with." Andy's cheeks burned a little and she opened her mouth to reply but heard Sarah calling.

"Uh Kit, you want to help me out here?" Sarah asked as she swung the bedroom door open. The boys all had Cheshire cat grins on their faces, were still dripping wet and sitting on the bed, where their feet hung off the side, little puddles were forming as water dripped down their legs. "We'll see you outside, Andy."

Andy found Sam and Cooper manning the grills as people started making their way from the driveway down the hill and over to the patio. There were maybe a dozen or so people already gathered at the tables, a few down near the water, and a few more standing on the lawn, keeping their eyes on their children.

"How many people are you expecting?" Andy asked as she pulled a beer out of a cooler.

Cooper turned to look at her as he flipped over pieces of chicken. "I have no clue. But it's not like Sarah could just invite a few people from work." Andy raised her eyebrows. "Okay, she would, but I made her invite everyone. This could be it. Who knows?" She walked between the two grills and sat up on the top course of the short retaining wall.

Sam nodded to her and she grabbed the plate in front of her and passed it to him as he started taking burgers off. "When are you thinking about starting that new room?" he asked Cooper.

He shrugged. "Probably in the next month or so. Sarah's got the plans all drawn up, she just has to show them to someone and then we can get started. I just want it finished before it gets cold. If we could do it as fast as the deck, I wouldn't worry about it, but I've never done something like this before."

"You're adding on to the house?" Andy asked in surprise. "Why?"

He smiled. "We need the space. And we've been doing work on this place since we moved in. This is just next on the list."

"What else have you done?"

He nodded once at her. "That wall you're sitting on. The patio. The deck. We built a new garage the month after we moved in."

"So, this was a completely different place before you guys bought it."

He considered it as he started loading up the grill again and Sam started carrying food over to the table. "Not really. Most of it's been outside stuff. This is going to be the first major renovation."

"I kind of wish I'd seen what it looked like before you'd done all the work on it," Andy said offhand. After spending as much time as she had there, she couldn't even imagine it without the additions.

"It didn't really look like much," Cooper said as he looked at her. His eyes were on her, but she had the distinct impression that he wasn't looking at her so much as in her general direction as he remembered. "The first time I saw it, I honestly wasn't that impressed. Although, to be fair, I was in a pretty bad mood that night."

"What happened?" Andy asked and then grinned as she saw Sam walk up and roll his eyes as he heard her question. He gave her a short wave and walked around, finally joining a group of people at the other end of the yard.

Cooper turned away from the food and snagged his own bottle of beer and sank down next to her. "I can't remember when it was. Sometime during that first winter. Maybe March. We'd been together…maybe six months? Anyway, I'd just gotten done spending the day helping my mom and her husband with something. And we don't…I guess we just don't get along that well. She has this way of sucking the life out of you." He shook his head thinking about it. "Anyway, I was stressed and exhausted and I wasn't in the mood to deal with any more problems that day." He tilted the bottle to his mouth and glanced over as more people filtered down the hill, Sarah and Kit and their kids included. "And Sarah…she just has this way of knowing when you're at the breaking point, you know? It's like a super power."

Andy snorted. "Yep. I've seen it in action."

"Well, this time, she wasn't even trying, but she pushed me there just the same and I yelled at her."

Andy raised an eyebrow. "She said you don't yell."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't yell like they do." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder at Sam and Sarah standing next to the food table, and little snatches of bickering floated over on the wind. Andy smirked. "But I lose it, sometimes. Just like everyone else," he finished.

.

Cooper walked up the four steps to the back door of the house. A loud deep bass was pounding through the walls. He opened the screen door and then the storm door and cringed. To get through the entry way, he had to step over the pile of shoes haphazardly lined up against the wall. He tossed his coat into the closet and turned to go through the kitchen.

The music was still loud, and he felt the tiny niggling feeling he'd developed over the last hour expand until it blossomed into a full-on, throbbing headache. The kitchen was trashed. Dishes were stacked in the sink; the garbage hadn't been taken out. It wasn't her job, but since she didn't have anywhere to be that day, Sarah had promised to have the place semi-clean by the time he got back. She hadn't followed through. He exited on the other side and stopped in his tracks.

She was sitting between the counter sticking out from the wall and the dining room table; perched on a stool in front of her easel. Her paints and brushes were lined up neatly on the counter at her ready. She hadn't changed out of her pajamas. He glanced at the clock. 7:14 pm. Her hair was held up in a knot by a paint-covered pencil and the rest of her didn't look any cleaner. As he approached her, he put his hand on her shoulder and she jumped, sending a spatter of paint across the canvas and onto the wall. He raised his eyebrows at her and pointed and she gave him a sheepish smile and moved to grab a rag to clean it up. As she swiveled on the stool, her elbow hit the drinking glass full of muddy rinse water and it toppled, sending a deluge of gritty, brownish-purple water over the surface of the table and over the edge. Cooper looked down as his shoes and the carpet were instantly soaked and stained. And as he stepped away, he looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. And then he noticed that a stack of his students' research papers were also drenched. He snatched them out of the water and shook them over the table, glaring at her as he pulled his shoes off with the other hand.

"Goddamn it, Sarah! Why can't you just do this shit in the other room? Wasn't that the whole point of getting a three bedroom?" He walked to the kitchen and started peeling them apart, right away noticing the ink running on several pages. He began laying them out flat, trying not to rip them as they stuck together. He glanced up at her and saw the expression on her face and his hands stilled. Outright shock. She didn't look hurt, or insulted. Just surprised. Over the course of their short relationship, she'd had her share of crabby days, and he'd heard her rail multiple times over the small-mindedness of some of the other faculty, at her car, at a variety of tiny insignificant things that normally wouldn't matter. But he'd barely ever raised his voice, and so this time he'd caught her off guard.

And then, as they stared at each other, the corner of Sarah's mouth began to turn up and she tried to suppress it. She knew this was not a funny moment, but as inappropriate as it was, she felt the laugh erupt out of her. She grabbed a hand towel off the counter and put it on the floor, stepping on it to soak up the water.

Cooper turned away, still feeling the anger seeping out of him. Sarah grabbed another towel and wiped up the mess on the table. And then she walked to the closet put on her shoes and grabbed her coat. "Where do you think you're going?" he snarled.

She turned back to him and threw him his coat. "Let's take a drive."

"I'm not going anywhere. I've been gone all day." He tossed it back to her and stalked back to the dining room. He pulled a paper towel off the roll, sat on her stool and started scrubbing at the paint on the wall. He was just making it worse, turning it into a large pink smear. "Shit," he muttered under his breath.

Sarah walked up behind him. "We can just paint over it. Don't worry about it."

He glared over his shoulder at her. "Are we going to re-carpet too?" He picked up the towel and she grimaced as she saw the huge brown stain. He shook his head and turned back to the wall.

She put her hands on his shoulders and dug her thumbs in at the base of his neck. After a few seconds, his arms fell to his sides and he leaned his head back against her chest and took a few deep breaths. And then his hands slid up to cover hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned around, pressing her mouth to his cheek. "Let's take a drive," she repeated.

He folded himself into the passenger seat of her hatchback, pushing the seat all the way back to fit his legs and she drove out of the parking lot and then out of the city. When she pulled the car off the gravel road and up into the driveway, it was getting dark out, and he had no idea why they were there. The place was completely dark. Snow covered everything, the roofs of the buildings; it sat heavy on the tree branches. The windows weren't touched with a single bit of light; there were no other vehicles visible. He looked at her.

"I don't get it."

She shrugged. "I come out here sometimes. It always makes me feel better."

"You're going to have to help me out." He leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes, still feeling the vise around his head. When she didn't speak, he turned and looked at her.

She narrowed her eyes. "You need an attitude adjustment."

"Thanks, Mom," he said rolling his eyes. "What I really need is our security deposit back."

"I'm trying to share something with you here, and you're acting like a baby. I'll pay for the damn carpet. Just shut up a second."

He crossed his arms and looked at her, waiting.

She turned off the radio and left the lights on, shining on the yard. "Okay. It doesn't really look like much right now, but just picture this with me." She pointed to the right. "See these trees? In the spring, these trees are all flowering. You can smell them from anywhere in the yard. Even down by the lake, which is right back there." She leaned over him pointed between the trees and the house. "It's not very big, but there are maybe half a dozen properties around it. And I want to put a deck on the house. It's going to start on that far corner, and wrap around the front of the house and overlook the water." She hooked a thumb out her window. "Over there, I'm going to tear down that little building and build a studio. A good sized one, with lots of storage, and a cement floor. No carpet," she said winking at him. He rolled his eyes, but felt his mouth twitch.

"And there," she said, pointing at a one-car garage in desperate need of repair. "There we'll build a bigger garage. A three-stall maybe, with a storage room on the end. So that way, you'll have a place to work on the cars, and we can put our patio furniture, and our grill and inner tubes, and the rest of the summer stuff in there when it gets cold out." She continued talking, not even really noticing the change in pronouns. "The shed over on the other end of the property needs to be replaced too. The roof is about to cave in, but we could just tear it out. We might not need it." When she'd started, the plans had been hers. But as she continued, suddenly, the plans were theirs. She wanted them to build a patio down by the basement. She wanted them to buy a new dock, one of those that are shaped like an L.

She was still talking, going on about tulips, and hydrangeas and he stared at her, barely hearing a word. Her hair was still pulled back from her face and he could see her eyes, the animated sparkle that they had taken on as she leaned over the dash and pointed towards a flat patch of snow covered lawn. She glanced at him, mid-sentence and then, seeing the look on his face, paused.

"What?"

"How long have you been thinking about this?"

She shrugged. "I've been coming out here for years. Maybe once a week; whenever I have a little extra time. Sometimes I go inside and visit, but usually I just sit here for a few minutes. I know the owner. She's going to retire in a few years, and move out to California with her sister, and then…" She raised her eyebrows at him, and even though she didn't say anything, he felt the implication heavy in the air around them. And then it was theirs.

"How come you never told me about this? That you come out here."

She shrugged and her eyes went to the window again, creating a little buffer, a little distance between them. "I never told anyone. It was just for me. But…" Her eyes flicked to his, just once, just for an instant and then were out on the property again. He reached over and turned her face toward him.

"But not anymore?" he asked with a small smile.

She looked over at him pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her hand reached out and she traced the tips of her fingers along the line of his jaw. When her eyes lifted slightly to meet his, she gave him a little half-smile. "Not anymore."

.

Andy was leaned back in the grass, listening to Cooper's voice as it rose and fell, the timbre low and soothing. And then he trailed off and she pushed herself up and looked at him. He was once again loading food onto the plate, but his eyes were following his wife across the lawn as she greeted people, even hugging a few. She never stood too close, even though she was smiling graciously, she held herself back. There was a distance between her and most of them that was visible, even from where Andy sat. The look on her face was pleasant, but her body language spoke volumes, and the way she reached up to drag the curls out of her face, letting her fingers linger on the ends, the way she tilted her body slightly away from whomever she was speaking to, told Andy that Sam and Cooper had been right. She really didn't care for events like this; she was uncomfortable.

"With some people, especially with Sarah, it's like inside them, they have this small fragile bubble that holds all the little things that make them them. And the harder you try to get to it, to figure out what's inside, the more they try to protect it." He smiled to himself and shrugged. "When we were sitting there, in the car, it was like she just broke it open, and let me see this secret part of her that she'd never shown anyone else. This place was one of the biggest dreams she ever had for herself. And then, it was her dream for us." Cooper gave her one last small smile and then walked away. He carried the plate to the table, and then stepped up to Sarah, putting his arm across her shoulders. Andy saw how at the sight of him, Sarah's smile grew a little wider, and she leaned against him, ever so slightly, letting him bolster her for the next barrage of guests.

Someone turned on the music and the speakers mounted around the patio came to life. Andy walked towards the table with the food on it and started loading up a plate. She sat down across from Sam who had Jake planted at his side, and was plowing through his second plate of food. She raised her eyebrows.

"Don't look at me like that," he said with a laugh. "The kid's on his third hot dog." Andy looked over and saw that Jake's face was smeared with grease and ketchup. She held out a napkin and he took it, unsuccessfully wiping at his face.

And then he grinned up at her. "You're a lot prettier than Sam's last girlfriend." Andy's eyes jumped to Sam's.

He laughed. "I swear I didn't tell him to say that."

"Yeah, you did." Jake put a spoonful of pasta salad in his mouth as Andy raised her eyebrows. "And you said that someday you want to-" Sam clapped a hand over his mouth and leaned down to whisper in his ear as Andy smirked at him. Jake was watching her as Sam talked in his ear and then without another word, he got up and ran over to where Sarah and Cooper were standing.

"Someday you want to…?"

"The kid's losing it," Sam said. "He's been out in the sun too long." Andy glanced up at the large tree shading their half of the yard and rolled her eyes.

"Chicken."

Kit slid over, taking Jake's place. She shoved his plate out of the way and glanced at Sam. "You probably shouldn't tell your private thoughts to a ten-year old. Especially Cooper's ten-year old." She looked over at Andy. "Actually, no one in this family could keep a secret if you paid them." She tossed an olive into her mouth. Andy studied her as she chewed. She kept her hair a little longer these days, compared to the pictures she'd seen, and there were very faint laugh lines around her mouth and at the corners of her eyes. And she was still wearing her wedding ring, she noticed. "I thought you would have figured that out after the whole Amy Johnson conversation at Thanksgiving last year,"

"Shut up," Sam muttered into his beer bottle.

"Amy Johnson?" Andy asked after she swallowed a huge bite of burger.

Kit smiled over at Andy. "He hasn't told you about her?" As she shook her head in the negative, Kit chuckled. "My favorite Sam story of all time. When he was in high school, he took this girl behind the bleachers at this game and -"

"You weren't there, so you can't tell it," he said cutting her off.

"Baby." Kit picked up her plate and winked at Andy as she turned away.

"What's with all the name-calling today?" Sam asked, clearly irritated.

"What's with Amy Johnson?" Andy asked, laughing as he gave her a dirty look and took another bite of his burger.

By the time the party got into full swing, there were between forty and fifty people milling around the yard. And there were kids everywhere, ranging in age from infant to teenager. While the adults tended to stay on the patio, or gathered around the tables, the children were spread all over. Andy thought she saw some disappear into the backyard to hop on the tire swing hanging from the oak tree. A few of the older kids furtively ducked into the thicker parts of the vegetation; to do what, she didn't want to know. Andy had been introduced around by Sarah and Sam for most of the evening, but after a while, found herself perched alone back on the retaining wall, watching the action.

Across the yard, Sam was locked into conversation with an older couple who lived down the road. Every now and then, he met her eyes and smiled, but didn't move away. Cooper was standing with a group of people from school, tipping beers with them, standing almost half a head taller than everyone else in the circle. And Sarah…

Andy scanned the crowd for Sarah and then thought she caught a glimpse of her, of her colorful skirt down by the water. She boosted herself off the blocks and made her way through the people, stopping at the cooler, and then down the path to where Sarah was sitting on the sand, her feet tucked under her. She paused a moment, seeing her there alone, her hair stirring in the light breeze and then lowered herself down next to her and handed her a bottle of water.

"Thanks," she said quietly. Andy pulled her knees up and looped her arms around them as she stared across the lake. Behind them, someone cranked the music up and Sarah cringed. "It's a good thing all our neighbors are here. Sound echoes like crazy across the water."

Behind them, there came a loud cry and Jake and another boy and a girl came rushing down the path and clattered onto the dock. They flew off the end and landed with a big splash. Sarah smirked as she took a sip of her water. "That's his third set of clothes today." The three treaded water, holding onto the dock and laughed as they played. "And the water is still a little cold. His mother will lose it if we send him back sick." But she didn't call him out of the water.

"I thought you said everything was fine with her."

"Oh, it is," Sarah insisted. "But we're trying to convince her to do something, and so we need all the bonus points we can get." Andy raised an eyebrow. "Cooper would really like Jake to come to St. Catharines for high school. We both would. It's still a few years off, but he's already trying to talk Alyssa into giving Jake the choice. She's resisting. Which makes sense," she admitted, keeping her eyes on Jake. "It wouldn't be easy for him to start over at a new school that late in the game. But we'd really like to have him here. And it would be good for him to have his dad around when he starts dating, and if he wants join any teams or clubs. His mom's schedule is a little inflexible. She can't always be there for games or concerts or plays."

"And it would be really nice for the baby to grow up with a full-time brother in the house," Andy said nonchalantly as she watched the kids splash and polished off her beer.

Sarah looked over at her curiously, and Andy fought to keep the smile off her face. "Why would you say that?"

Andy raised her eyebrows and turned to her. "Because I've been paying attention."

Sarah pulled her knees up. "You didn't say anything to Sam, did you?"

"Not really." At Sarah's quick glance, Andy clarified. "He has no clue."

"Good." Andy threw her a look of confusion and Sarah smoothed her skirt over her legs and tucked her hands around her ankles. "It's just very early, and I'm considered high-risk, because of my age. And we've had…" She paused and Andy looked at her as she stared down at her feet. "Well, I guess it was just bad luck. Once before we got married, and then a few years ago."

"Sam never said anything." Jake and his two friends quickly moved to the shore, pulling themselves along on the metal framework underneath the wood slats of the dock.

"He doesn't actually know. He might suspect, but…" Sarah shrugged. "At the time, neither of us could bring ourselves to tell him. And now? There doesn't seem to be much point. It would only make him feel bad." She dug her toes into the cold sand. "Cooper and I…we're not telling anyone yet. Not Kit, not Sam, definitely not Jake. We're trying not to get our hopes up." She looked pointedly at Andy.

"I won't say a word. I promise." Andy felt a slight chill as the breeze blew off the water. She rubbed her hands up and down her calves. "So, when are you due?"

"December." The kids stepped up onto the shore and lake water gushed out of their clothing until it was reduced into thin wet ribbons running down their legs. They ran back up the yard to the party and disappeared from sight.

"Merry Christmas, huh?" Andy laughed lightly.

Sarah gave her an enigmatic smile. "I guess we'll see."

They sat there together talking until the light faded. Behind them, the music dropped away and Andy turned her head as she heard people calling, gathering everyone together. Sarah and Andy stood and started walking back. The lights started to twinkle in the trees, over the tables, people were congregating over near the patio. Cooper was calling to people, waving them over and Andy followed Sarah.

As she started weaving through the crowd, she felt a strong arm wrap around her middle and start towing her backwards. She covered Sam's hand with her own, and her feet shifted into a reluctant reverse. "We're going to miss the speeches," she said with a laugh.

Sam's fingers flexed against her. "You've listened to those two talk enough. I want to be alone with you for a while." She held firm for a second and he bent down and his hot breath moved against her ear and she closed her eyes as a current ran through her. "C'mon, McNally. Let's go stargazing."

Fifteen minutes later, she found herself in the rowboat in the middle of the lake. Sam was flat on his back on the bench seat nearest the rear; she was stretched out on the middle one, her knees bent towards the sky. She had her arm bent under her head and she turned to look at Sam.

"When you said 'stargazing,' I kind of thought you were talking about something else."

She saw his lips curl into a smile, but his eyes stayed on the darkening blue sky. "Yeah, well, that's because you're a pervert." He winced as her fist socked him hard in the shoulder. "Ow."

"Besides," she continued. "You can't even see the stars."

"Give it time, McNally," he said, stretching out his arm. She reached over and his fingers closed around hers, and she stretched her legs out, hanging her feet in the water.

"I am a little impressed, by the way. Sarah kind of let me believe you were bad news in a boat," she teased.

"Yeah, well Sarah is full of shit. I think I've told you that before."

The color of the sky was deepening; above them, stars were starting to pop out one at a time. "So are you really not going to tell me what happened behind the bleachers with Amy Johnson?" she asked with a laugh.

He closed his eyes. "You seriously need to know? It's probably the most humiliating thing that happened to me in high school."

She laughed. "In that case, yeah; I think I seriously need to know."

He pulled his hand back and scrubbed it over his face once before putting both his hands behind his head. "Fine. Sarah told it to the table at Thanksgiving; she'd probably tell you anyway. At least this way it won't get corrupted with lies."

Andy pulled her feet out of the water and shifted on the bench, turning onto her side. The moon was three-quarters full and it shined silver in Sam's hair. She saw his lips shift into a quick easy grin and though he wasn't looking at her, she smiled back. "Okay, so I was fifteen, and Amy Johnson was seventeen."

"An older woman; nice."

He glanced at her. "Don't cheer me on here, okay? I'm uncomfortable enough. This scarred me for life. Or at least for the rest of the year," he amended, thinking it over.

Andy laughed. "Sorry. Go on."

"Anyway, she dragged me behind the bleachers during a game, and she wasn't the first girl I'd kissed, but it's not like I was a pro or anything. And I had a huge crush on her so I was nervous." Andy tried desperately to hold back her grin. "Anyway, during the break, my friends and I had loaded up on orange soda and nachos and just all the junk they could possibly sell at the concession stand. So she pulls me behind the bleachers and she kisses me, and I was thinking about copping a feel," his eyes slid to hers and she raised an eyebrow. "But apparently, I was thinking about it too much, and I got so nervous that I threw up all over her."

Andy felt the laughter explode out of her and she turned over on her back and let it come. In waves, it poured out of her until she was coughing and the tears were rolling down the sides of her face. And then she looked at Sam and saw the pained look on his face. "I'm sorry," she said. He rolled his eyes. "No, really. That's... It's just..." She bit her lip. "Really damn funny. I'm so sorry," she said laughing again. She sat up and looked at him.

He took a deep breath and shook his head and she leaned over and kissed him. He slid a hand to the back of her head and she knelt down in the boat next to his bench. When she pulled away, she smiled and leaned her head against his hip.

"Feel better now?"

"It would make me feel better," Sam said, "if you told me your most humiliating moment and then we'd be even."

She smirked. "That's not happening."

He shrugged, grinning, and put his hand on her head, running her hair between his fingers. "Just thought I'd put it out there."

It was a few minutes before either of them spoke.

"I can't wait until we get back to the city tomorrow," Sam said with a yawn.

Andy looked up at him in surprise. "Don't tell me you're homesick," she said with a laugh.

He shrugged. "I miss the noise." Andy thought about it. Around them, there was noise. She could hear the sounds from the party, voices skipping out over the water. She could hear the water gently lapping against the sides of the boat, hear the sounds of insects and the night animals as they started coming out. But it wasn't the normal sounds they were used to.

"The sirens," she said quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah. And the traffic."

"I was just thinking that the next time we come, we should stay longer. I wouldn't mind ending up in a place like this," she said thoughtfully as she turned around and pulled her knees up, her head resting back against Sam. The stars were really popping out now, hundreds, the way they only did outside of the city.

Sam stared up at the sky with her and considered it. "Maybe something right on the edge of town."

She grinned. "Who says you're invited?"

He laughed. "You'd never be able to live in a place like this by yourself. You'd go nuts with no one to talk to."

"Maybe I'll just move in here. There's going to be another room," she said smiling.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'd be crazy about that idea," he said sarcastically. "I think they already have plans for that room."

"Oh yeah?" she asked probingly. "Like what?"

He shook his head. "They didn't say, but probably more of Sarah's stuff."

"Probably," Andy said with a smirk. "Well, I really like the porch," she said, heading down a different route. "I could stay out there. At least until winter."

Sam looked at her and grinned, remembering the hours spent there over the last two days. "I like the porch too."

Andy took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she felt his hand settle on her shoulder, and his thumb press into the sweet spot alongside her spine. "What about you? What are your plans?"

"For what?"

"For the future," she said quietly. His hand moved up to her head, stroking down over her hair as he looked at the sky.

Sam was hesitating. "I'm not a big planner," he said finally.

Andy laughed quietly. "I'm not talking about the rest of your life. Just the next few years. Where do you see yourself?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. At work? Promoted, maybe, hopefully. With you?" His hand was still on her head and he moved it down over her cheek to her chin and gently he turned it so she was looking at him. Andy saw something flicker in his eyes. He opened his mouth and took a breath and then paused, thinking better of it before any words escaped. Finally, he said, "I guess I don't really care where we are as long as we're together." She held his eyes for a long moment as his thumb traced the line of her lip. "What about you?"

Andy took a deep breath, feeling a little fire in the pit of her stomach at his touch. Amazing how he could still do that to her. "Honestly, I'm not thinking much past the next five minutes right now," she said.

He looked down at her, interested. "And what's going to happen in the next five minutes?" he asked, a suggestive smile sliding its way onto his face.

She narrowed her eyes and smirked, and sat up, putting a hand on either side of the boat. She grinned at him deviously. "Sarah promised me $50 if I got you into the lake while we were here." She rocked it, narrowing her eyes.

He closed his eyes, unconcerned, and waved a hand at her. "You wouldn't dare."

She thought about it and shrugged, and then climbed back up on the bench. Again, she laid down. "I don't feel like getting wet right now."

Sam opened one eye and looked at her. "But later, right?" He gave her a lecherous grin.

She rolled her eyes and snorted. "Now who's the pervert?" As he held out his hand for hers, she took it, lacing her fingers through his.

They continued to drift for a while, noticing that each brush of breeze across the water brought them a little closer to the shoreline. After some time, the sounds of the party intensified and the boat jerked and Andy sat up. They'd hit the beach one house over from Sarah's. Andy got out, and gave the boat a shove. As she hopped back in, Sam used the oars to pull them back out into the water, and then over to the dock.

She slipped the rope over the post and felt Sam's hand on her back, guiding her as she stepped up. Looking towards the house, Andy saw Sarah making her way down the path to them.

"People are starting to leave," she called. And then she raised a questioning eyebrow at Andy, waving her hand at her. Andy shook her head and then Sarah grinned and pointed her finger, mouthing Do it. Behind her, Sam was up on the dock, tying up the other end of the boat and Andy turned to him, biting her lip. As he straightened up on the end of the dock she leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. Her hand flattened against his chest, fingers sliding against the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm really sorry about this," she said quietly. A confused look came over his face and then she pushed hard at the center of his chest and laughed triumphantly as he fell back into the water.

Sarah walked up to the end of the dock with Andy and she looked down smugly as Sam surfaced, sputtering, completely soaked. He stood up, chest deep in the water. Curse words were flying out of his mouth in rapid succession and trying to stifle the laughter, Andy bent down, holding out a hand to pull him up.

"I really am sorry," she said laughing. He glared at her and shook his head, spraying water. Then he reached up and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. One good yank was all it took to pull Andy into the water with him. She came up coughing and heard Sarah's footfalls on the dock as she ran back up to the yard, laughing to herself.

Sam wrapped an arm around her and held her up. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" he said grinning. "I can't believe you sold me out for fifty bucks."

Andy shoved at him, trying to free herself, but he just held her tighter against him. Finally he ducked his head and kissed her hard, sucking in a quick breath as her teeth sunk into his lip. And then her arms went around his neck and she was kissing him back, her energy from the struggle focused in another direction. He pulled back and after pushing the wet hair out of her face, pressed his mouth to hers one more time and then he turned her towards the dock.

Sam put a hand under her and pushed her up as she pulled and she towed herself up out of the water. She spun around and held a hand out for him and he grabbed it. Together, they got him up and out and they walked, dripping water all the way back up the path to the yard. He slung his arm around her waist, his hip bumping hers every few steps. And his fingers were stroking that spot low on her stomach right inside her hipbone. That spot that made her go all liquid inside and lean into him. There were maybe a dozen people still hanging out by the fire pit, talking while the music still played, volume lowered. Andy looked around. Kit had gone, taking the twins. Andy looked at her watch. After ten. Jake was probably in bed.

Sarah took one look at them, at the grass and dirt coating their feet and ankles and shook her head as they headed for the basement door. "Don't even think going upstairs and waking that kid up. He's exhausted." As Sam opened his mouth to complain, she held up a hand. "There's a hose out back behind the garage. I'll grab you some towels quick." She disappeared through the basement door and reappeared moments later.

Together, the two of them walked over the yard, through the dark to the garage and Andy stood on the cement slab while Sam unwound the hose. "Alright, get naked," he said with a grin. Andy rolled her eyes and craned her neck, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming, and then tugged off her soaking wet shirt and shorts. She stood there in her underwear, crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow.

"That's all you're getting."

He shrugged. "Worth a shot, right?"

She let out a shriek as the cold water from the hose hit her skin and she sucked in a few quick breaths as Sam moved the spray over her, rinsing off the lake water; starting at her shoulders and ending at her feet. Then he passed the hose to her, and stripped down to his boxer briefs. Andy returned the favor and grinned as he hissed, shrinking away from the spray. Finally, they were finished and Sam reached over and cranked the spigot.

Andy handed him the hose and he wrapped it up, and then he grinned and grabbed her hand as she started walking towards their clothing, pulling her to him one more time. Their bodies came together with a loud wet slap and they laughed as their mouths met and he pressed her against him; each warming up wherever they touched. Sam rubbed his hands up and down her arms and then reached back and squeezed the water from her hair. He was trying not to be distracted by the rivulets running down her shoulders, over her collarbones, and down between her breasts, still encased in the soaked cotton bra. The wind blew lightly, making her shiver and reluctantly, she pulled away, walking around the corner to where the towels were sitting.

She wrapped one around her and reached underneath and stripped away her underwear and bundled it into her other clothing. He did the same, and then they followed the stone path all the way to the house. They skipped the back door and walked around to the deck, stifling laughter as they hung their shirts and shorts over the railing and then slipped soundlessly inside the porch.

The music was still playing out of the speakers below, the music slower and softer than earlier in the night, but it was enough so that Andy couldn't make out the conversation going on down there. After checking the locks on the three porch doors, and quickly scanning the yard, they stood together in the dark next to the bed. Sam reached out and untucked her towel, letting it fall at her feet. He tangled his hands in her hair as her fingers slid down over his stomach and tugged at his towel. In seconds, it was on the floor and then their cool, damp bodies fell back onto the bed which was still in shambles from their nap.

"Your sister is never going to let us stay out here again," Andy said with a laugh as Sam's mouth moved over her flesh. "She'll probably burn the sheets."

"I'll kill her," he mumbled. "I love these sheets." He was settled between her legs with the blanket pulled up to his shoulders and his l lips were traveling over her, teeth scraping at the skin at the side of her breast, at her ribs. He gripped her waist with open hands and pressed his face against her stomach, leaving open, wet kisses across it. Andy pulled her bottom lip through her teeth and wiggled her hips expectantly. Sam grinned up at her and one of his hands smoothed down over the curve of her hip. "I could just sit here like this all night."

Andy raised her eyebrows. "No, you really can't," she laughed. Her teasing eyes met his and she saw something spark in the air between them. Before he pressed his mouth to the inside of one thigh, he breathed a few hot breaths over her flesh. He felt her tense a little under him, felt the strong muscles of her legs flex as his hand cupped her hamstring, holding the bent limb in place. He raised his eyes to her, and then lifted his head, tilting it back and looking thoughtful. His thumb made small slow circles against the soft skin of her inner thigh as she let out an exasperated groan as he hesitated.

"I don't know if I should be doing this, I mean, there are people down there," he said with a grin. He made a move to climb off her, and she wrapped her legs around him, tightening them; holding him in place.

"Don't you dare stop," she said with a serious tone and Sam laughed. As the fire lit up the backyard, and the voices of the guests below faded away, Andy ran her hands through his hair, and Sam grinned one more time as he got down to business.

The next morning, no one slept in. Sarah and Cooper had each taken the morning off but had to run Jake home before they went into work. Sam and Andy were working the second shift but they had to get back on the road sooner or later. However they were in no hurry to leave the little cocoon of warmth they'd made for themselves.

When Sam woke, he was in his favorite place, tucked tightly behind Andy, his hand on her ribs, her hair soft under his cheek. The little tiny hairs were standing up on her back in response to the morning chill and he pulled the blanket up over her shoulder and ran a hand down the center of her back. In her sleep, she arched into his touch and he bent down, leaning his forehead against her shoulder, inhaling the scent of her skin.

And in that moment, he agreed. If they could find a place like this, a quiet private place, he would gladly spend every second of his life there with her. The problem, of course, came when it was time to get up every morning, to get ready for the day. She moved softly against him, reached a hand back to pat his thigh and he slid his fingers between hers, holding her hand tightly in his. She hummed in her throat and drew his arm back around her and he pressed a kiss to her ear.

"What time is it?" she mumbled. On the other side of the wall, Sam heard the television turn on, heard people moving around.

He kissed her again. "I think it's time to get up. It's really early."

"Can't you just pack everything and carry me to the truck?" she murmured.

He chuckled and sat up. "I don't think so." They laid there for a few more long moments and then Andy gave a loud sigh and sat up. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and flipped back the covers.

Sam saw goose bumps run over Andy's skin as she dragged herself out of the warm bed and began hunting in her duffel for clean clothing. She looked over her shoulder at him as she crouched on the floor. "If I have to be up, so do you," she complained. He grinned and tossed back the blankets and got up, kicking through the mess of his clothing as he found some that still looked folded. They dressed quickly, shoved their belongings into their bags, stopping outside to grab their still wet clothing, and then carried everything out to the kitchen.

Sarah and Cooper were both already dressed for work. He was moving back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, putting together his briefcase. Andy saw him stuff in the stack of tests she'd seen when they'd first arrived, and she wondered when he'd found the time to finish correcting them. Sarah looked up as they walked in and dropped their duffels and she grinned.

"You two disappeared awfully early last night. I think we were outside until after midnight." Andy glanced at her and yawned as she opened the fridge. Sam ignored her completely and pulled down two mugs, filled them up with coffee and then handed one over.

"Sarah," Cooper said, on his way out of the room one more time. "Did you see where I put that book? The blue one with the white thing on the front?"

Sarah winked at Andy. "It's on your couch, under the newspaper." He disappeared to find it.

Andy blinked a few times and then bit into an apple as she leaned back next to Sam. After a moment, she turned and pressed her forehead to his shoulder and closed her eyes. His hand came up to cup the back of her neck and he pressed his mouth into her hair, over her ear. "I'll let you sleep on the way home," he whispered.

She yawned again. "Thanks," she said quietly as she pulled away and smiled at him, lifting her mug to take a drink. Across the room, Cooper had his bag slung across his chest and was carrying a very heavy-looking, half-asleep ten year old in his arms. Sarah was rising from the table and stacking their cereal bowls.

"Sorry to kick you guys out, but we've got to leave," she said with a small smile. She put the dishes in the sink and then turned to Sam and hugged him. Then she turned to Andy and smiled and put her arms around her. "Make sure you come back soon, okay?"

Andy nodded and hugged her back. "We will."

Sarah pulled back a little and glanced at Sam. "You can leave him at home if you want." He rolled his eyes and slung the straps of both duffels over his shoulder and walked to the door.

Andy followed Sarah and they all exited the house. Where the stone path ended, Sam and Cooper said goodbye, and Sam went to put the bags in the truck. Sarah walked up and smiled at Cooper as she passed, and when Andy walked up, she leaned up on her toes and put an arm up around his shoulder, trying not to disturb Jake.

"I had a great time this weekend. And congratulations," she said quietly.

When she pulled back, his eyes met hers and then he gave her a slow smile and nodded. As he turned to go, he turned towards her one more time. "You're welcome here anytime, Andy."

She watched him put Jake into the backseat of the car, and climb into the driver's seat. Then she felt Sam's hand on her shoulder. She turned and he tipped his head toward the truck. They got in and followed Sarah and Cooper back to the highway and then turned in the opposite direction.

She put her sunglasses on and settled back against the seat. And then she looked over at Sam. He glanced back.

"What?"

She shook her head, hiding a grin. "I was just thinking about Christmas."

"Why? It's months away," he said, puzzled.

She tilted her seat back a little and closed her eyes. "I just have a feeling it'll be memorable." She turned on her side and watched him for a moment as he tapped his thumb against the steering wheel in time to the music and then closed her eyes, finally letting the smile spread across her face.

And no. This is not the last you'll be seeing of Sarah and Cooper :)