A/N This is one of the most fun boards I have ever been a part of. Thank you for all of your wonderful feedback! I hope you like this story, as well. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Rookie Blue, ABC or GlobalTv. I'm just borrowing the characters for my own amusement.

"So he's like, 'Hands in the air!' and as the guy's hands fly up, his pants fall down around his ankles."

"You're not serious!" Andy gasped.

"I swear. God's honest truth. And you know Shaw, right? He's just standing there like he's been blinded..." Sam finished regaling Andy with the story of one of his early days on the streets, both of them laughing so hard by the end of the tale that they nearly had tears running down their faces.

They were sitting together on the couch in his living room, both turned so they were facing one another, by design not too much distance separating them. A bottle of wine sat nearly empty on the coffee table surrounded by empty cartons from a nearby Chinese restaurant. Despite Andy's near-hyperventilation back at the barn, she was now perfectly relaxed and honestly could not remember ever enjoying a date this much. Although she had seen a different side to Sam over the past six months, now that there was nothing standing in their way, she knew that this Sam was for her eyes only. That thought made her feel warm all over, and almost a little possessive.

"Can I get you anything else?" Sam offered as he got up and started gathering the remnants of their dinner.

"Uh, no, I'm fine," she replied. "Can I help?"

"Nah, I got this. Just sit and relax." He flashed her his dimpled smile then headed off into the kitchen.

As she heard him move around filling the dishwasher and putting things away, she got up and looked around the living room. She had taken no notice of her surroundings the last time she had been there. The place was neat but not sparse – his furniture a combination of overstuffed leather and dark wood. She had learned that he had put a lot of work into the house himself - laying hardwood, putting up moulding and new baseboards, painting. If the image of him effortlessly fixing a car did not get her going, the idea of him working with power tools definitely did.

She walked over to the shelving unit that sat along the end wall, running a finger along the books lined up neatly, yet in no particular order. His taste was eclectic – true crime, some literature, a few how-to manuals. Classic rock CDs and a bunch of action flicks and classic films filled other shelves. She smiled then as her eyes fell on a framed photograph of Sam and, she presumed, his sister. Sarah was in a wedding dress, Sam in a suit, the same grin lighting up both of their faces. "How long ago was this?" she asked when she heard his footsteps creaking across the hardwood floors.

"Uh, Devon just turned ten a couple months back, so about eleven, twelve years ago, I guess?" he figured. "I'll tell ya now, I'm horrible with dates."

"That's just a guy thing," Andy teased him.

"I don't know. Ollie never misses a birthday."

"That's because he's got Zoe."

"Maybe." He came up behind her, handing her the glass of wine she had left behind on the table.

"It's a good thing we're off tomorrow," she said as she took the alcohol.

He nodded, clinking his glass against hers. "Cheers."

She smiled. "Cheers." She took a sip, her face colouring a little at the way he was gazing at her. She cleared her throat. "I, uh – I'm glad we decided to stay in."

"Yeah, me too." He nodded, noticing the blush on her cheeks. The fact that she did not seem to know how beautiful she was just made her even more so to him. And unable to resist any longer, he reached behind her and set his wine glass on one of the shelves. He then took her glass out of her hand and set it on the other side behind her. He took a step closer, effectively bridging whatever distance had been left between them. He cupped her face in his hands, just as he had done the night before in the middle of the Mermaid Lounge. Only now, no one's life was at stake, and she had no doubt that it was Sam and not Gabe looking at her so intently. "McNally..."

The way he drew out her name sent a shiver of chills all the way down her spine, straight down to her toes. She raised a hand to his chest, just as she had in the parking lot of the Black Penny at the end of her second day on the job. Only this time, her intent was not to push him away. "If I do something stupid –"

"I won't let you," he assured her, his gaze dancing between her lips and her brown eyes.

"Promise?"

"I'm not going to let you run away. I got your back – no matter what." His thumb traced over her lower lip. He just looked at her for a moment as if mentally pinching himself that she was really there, before he finally dipped his head, capturing her mouth in what had to have been the hottest kiss he had ever experienced. When his tongue traced the seam of her lips, looking for entrance, she eagerly granted it and let him take the kiss deeper. She then felt, more than heard, a moan from deep within his chest. His hands soon moved from her face so he could wrap her in his arms and she happily pressed herself against him.

The need for air soon took precedence over the pleasure of the kiss, and Sam took to trailing his lips down along her jaw line before he started nuzzling her neck. Andy sighed. If she had not been sure before, she was now that she was right where she was supposed to be. No kiss had ever affected her so deeply before. And while that should have freaked her out and had her running for the hills, Sam's promise not to let her resonated in her mind. Resolutely, she reached up for the buttons of his shirt.

"You're sure?" he asked hoarsely, knowing if they went much further, he was not going to be able to stop.

Andy nodded. "I'm sure."

He picked her up, hitching her legs up around his waist, before stumbling through the house to his bedroom, their lips fused most of the way. And this time, when he set her down on the bed and covered her with his own body, there were no interruptions.

For a while afterwards, the room was enveloped in a comfortable silence, both trying to catch their breath and process all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Sam's fingertips trailed absentmindedly up and down her back as she curled into his side, her head on his chest.

"You're not hyperventilating. That's a good sign," Sam said finally, breaking the silence with a chuckle.

"No, but I'm pretty sure I exceeded my target heart rate a few times," she quipped, resting her chin on his chest and glancing up at him with a grin.

He flashed his dimples before drawing her close and kissing her languidly.

When they finally came up for air, Andy rested her head back against his shoulder, her fingers sliding through the dusting of hair on his chest. Feeling content, she fought back a yawn.

"Sweetheart, close your eyes and get some sleep," he urged her, his own fingers stroking her hair.

"I'm okay," she argued weakly.

"Andy, you're exhausted. I know because I'm exhausted. Trust me, I'm not going to take it personally. There anything you have to be up for in the morning?"

"No..."

"Then I won't set the alarm." Noticing her tense a little, he laughed. "Should I get my cuffs?"

"I'm not getting ready to run if that's what you mean."

"'Course not. You'd wait until I fell asleep first."

Andy rolled her eyes as she looked back up at him. "I won't. I just..." She bit her lip, furrowing her brow. "I should want to."

He quirked his eyebrow. "How's that?"

"I don't want to. But every time I've been here before, it's always been my first instinct."

"That's 'cause you've always been afraid of getting too attached before. But I'm very convincing."

"Wow. You really think you're that awesome, don't you?"

"You can admit it, McNally. I'm getting to you. You're actually starting to believe that this is real and it's going to actually work."

"Maybe," she relented. "Fine. Yes."

He grinned. "See. I am that awesome. And if I wasn't so damn tired, I'd convince you again. But I've got no plans for tomorrow, so if you stick around..."

"You just try getting rid of me, Swarek," she replied almost defiantly.

"That's my girl." He kissed her forehead. "Now get some sleep.

Curled up in his arms, she yawned again. "You realize you're not my T.O. anymore. Your days of giving me orders are over."

"Your partner couldn't care less if you get a decent night's sleep since we're off rotation. Your man, however, needs you well rested. You're no use to me if I can't drag you out of bed in the morning."

"Who says I planned on getting out of bed?" she replied suggestively.

"Damn."

Andy giggled. "You still think we're gonna be able to keep riding together?"

"You kidding? I'm already looking forward to seeing how many different ways we can circumvent the rules."

She was the first to fall asleep. He held on a while longer. It was not so much to make sure she actually stayed put. It was more that everything felt pretty surreal and he was almost afraid he might wake up to discover it had all just been a dream. But as she reached and pulled his arm around her more tightly as she slept, he was convinced that this was, in fact, his new reality. And with that thought, he soon drifted off himself, not caring that his new bedmate did not appear to be letting go anytime soon.