"The Blood of Strangers"

Author: carmen_085

Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue or any of the characters in it

Summary: After breaking off her engagement with Luke, Andy goes undercover with Swarek in a high profile drug case that will put both of their lives in danger

Chapter Six

"Promises have been turned to lies

Can't even be honest inside

Now I'm running backwards

Watching my life wave me good bye"

Andy kept her eyes trained on the floor as she sat before her sergeant. She wasn't a very good liar. She obviously needed to work on that.

"So let me get this straight, you're resigning from the force? Do you understand what you're doing here?" Squinting at her skeptically, Best couldn't believe his ears. Andy chewed her lower lip as she raised her head. To make this believable she would need to at least look him in the eye.

"Yes sir. I understand." She stared right at him hoping that he would buy her front and not prolong the situation.

"Does this have something to do with Swarek?" It had everything to do with Sam. This morning during parade, Best had announced that Sam had been officially terminated from the force. If it had been up to him, he would have given Swarek a stiff reprimand but he wouldn't have fired him. It wasn't up to him, though, as this decision had come down from the top. There were a few shocked gasps in the room, although, most saw this coming.

"Well, truthfully sir, I don't have much interest in doing this job anymore. This place used to feel like home but now I just…I just don't feel like I belong here anymore. First Luke, now Sam's gone. I think I need a fresh start." It was essentially the truth. Keep your story as close to the truth as possible and they'll buy it every time. Sam told her that just before they went undercover as Gabe and Edie.

Best leaned back in the chair and exhaled loudly. He had no reason to suspect that anything was going on, although he wished that he could change her mind.

"Well, I think you should at least sleep on it, McNally." She didn't have time to sleep on it; she was meeting Sam tonight. She needed to get this done now, but she also couldn't seem too eager.

Taking a deep breath she kept her facial expressions as neutral as possible. "I have thought about this, sir. It's what I want." Before he could try to talk her out of it again, Andy stood up. Placing her ID and badge on the desk she paused for a moment before turning to leave. "Thank you for everything, sir." Best watched in surprise as Andy walked quickly toward the door. He just couldn't believe this.

Andy took a few deep breaths as she walked toward the locker room. She wondered if Best bought it or if he saw right through her charade. Either way she had surrendered her badge and ID just like Sam had told her. Gary was very keen on making sure that no one in the department had any idea that either her or Sam were undercover. He apparently thought that there could be mole on the inside that ratted Jimmy out to the Dragg's people. So as far as anyone in the department knew, Sam had been fired and Andy had resigned. They were putting a lot of trust in Gary and she wasn't sure if that was necessarily a good idea. Andy wasn't so sure if this whole situation was a good idea, but she really had no choice in the matter. Sam needed her to back him up. She trusted that he knew what he was doing. So she was in, despite her misgivings, because he needed her and she wouldn't let him down.

Shoving her clothing and person effects into a backpack Andy didn't hear Traci come in until it was too late.

"What are you doing? The shift isn't over yet." Andy cringed when she heard Traci's voice. She didn't want to have to lie to her friend, but she had no choice.

"I resigned." She couldn't look up. She knew that Traci was going to lose it.

"What? What are you talking about? Andy, are you serious?" Andy stopped for a moment taking a deep breath. This is what Sam was talking about. Friends, family, co-workers; she needed to leave it all behind. She needed to begin a life that she didn't want and do things that quite frankly repulsed her. First on the list would be looking her best friend in the eye and lying to her.

Looking up at Traci, Andy steeled herself. She needed to make this good. Her life and Sam's life depended on it. "I resigned today. I just need a fresh start, Trace. I can't…I can't stay here after everything that happened with Luke and now Sam. I need to go away and just concentrate on myself for a little while."

Traci acknowledged that it had been a rough couple of weeks for her friend, although she thought that this was a little extreme. "Where are you going to go?" Oh and it was already time to lie again. Andy thought that she had given Traci a believable enough explanation but apparently not.

"I have some family in New York. I was thinking about moving there for a while, get myself together, work down there, you know?" Andy was a little unnerved with how easily the lies rolled off her tongue. Traci stood there staring at her, speechless. She couldn't believe this. Shutting her locked Andy offered Traci an apologetic smile. "I'll miss you Trace. I'm sorry about all this." Hugging her friend Andy was satisfied with the truth behind her last statement. She would miss Traci and Chris, Dov, and maybe even Gail. More than that, though, she was sorry. Sorry that she had just looked her best friend in the eye and lied without even flinching.

Andy let go of Traci and moved toward the door, leaving her friend to contemplate what had just happened. Thankfully, she was able to make it out of the barn before anyone else could stop her. Walking the eight blocks back to Sam's house, Andy was under strict orders to wait until dark before sneaking out the back. She would walk almost a half-mile to the corner of Guerlain Street and Thieriot Ave. There would be a car waiting for her with the keys under the front mat. A phone would be in the glove box along with her new identification cards. She was to call Sam on the phone and work out a place to meet. Andy went over the game plan a hundred times as she paced around Sam's house waiting for the sun to go down. She contemplated calling her dad but decided against it. She couldn't tell him she was going undercover and he wouldn't believe any bullshit story that she tried to feed him. They hadn't spoken in several months and she thought that it was best to leave things the way that they were.

Andy sat down at the kitchen counter staring at the items in front of her. Her driver's license and ID cards, her service pistol, and a duplicate of her Police ID. Unbeknownst to Best, Andy had gone down to headquarters earlier in the day and requested a new ID. Telling them that she lost the original, she was happy that they seemed indifferent to her request and within twenty minutes she had two IDs. One that she would give to Best, the other she would stash away just in case everything went to hell. Taking out the lock box that she usually kept her gun in, Andy placed all of the items inside before shutting the lid. These sum total of her existence as Andy McNally was in that box. Locking it, she placed the key in her pocket. Staring at the box, Andy was lost in thought as a sudden pounding at the door jolted her back to reality.

Who the hell could that be? Hesitantly, Andy edged toward the door. Standing on her tiptoes Andy peered through the peephole. She almost swore out loud when she saw Luke standing on the stoop. What the hell did he want? Nervously, she glanced around the house. It was almost dark, maybe she should just pretend like no one was home. Maybe he would leave. "ANDY! We need to talk!"

Jesus! He was loud. She needed to get rid of him before he attracted any unwanted attention. Slowly opening the door, she was careful not to allow him inside.

"What the hell do you want?" Luke was the last person she wanted to see right now. They hadn't spoke since the night she left. There was nothing left to say.

He paused for a moment staring at her, "So the rumors are true. We haven't been broken up more than a month and you're already shacked up with Swarek."

Andy's eyes narrowed as she seethed with anger, "Well, Luke we were still engaged and you were shacked up with Jo. So really, I don't think you have any room to talk."

Luke smiled at her bitterly, she was right. Taking a deep breath she stared at the ground for a moment, "Look, Andy, that's not why I came over here."

"Oh really, Luke. Why did you come over here?"

"I heard that you resigned and I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't because of me. I don't think that…." Before he could finish Andy cut him off.

"You are such a pompous asshole, Luke. As usual you think everything is about you."

"Andy… I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Leaning toward her, she saw genuine sorrow in his face. For a moment Andy actually felt a twinge of old feelings for him before she quickly dismissed any sympathy that she had unexpectedly conjured up.

"Are you done, Luke?" She refused to make eye contact with him. This was ridiculous; she just wanted him to go. Staring down at the ground, Andy didn't know what was happening until it was too late. Before she knew it, Luke's lips were pressed against her own. Nearly jumping back in surprise, his hand on the back of her head prevented her from pulling away. The kiss lasted on a few seconds although it seemed like an eternity. Andy would have been lying if she said that she didn't feel anything. Although the reality of Luke repulsed her, he was the man that she had once thought that she would marry. He was the person who she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. So to say that she felt absolutely nothing one month after they broke up would be lying. Somewhere deep inside of her a flicker of hope that everything would go back to normal still existed. For the first time, Andy's life made sense and she felt content. Then everything was turned upside down and she was back to square one.

"You have to leave, Luke." She refused to look at him.

Luke stood there for a moment staring at her. "Andy…"

"No, I want you to leave. Go!" Retreating back into the house, Andy slammed the door. She could see Luke's shadow in the streetlight as she stood on the stoop for a moment before slowly retreating down the stairs. Taking a few deep breaths Andy closed her eyes. She was already wired with the whole undercover thing and this was almost enough to push her over the edge. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe she should go back to Best's office and tell him she changed her mind. Shaking her head, Andy stood up straight. She needed to go forward no matter how much she wanted to hold onto a past that no longer existed. Turning all the lights off, Andy watched as Luke drove away. Sighing loudly, she grabbed her bags before quietly slipping out the back door. This was it; there was no turning back now. Squeezing between the buildings, Andy slid into the alleyway. Looking over her shoulder she was careful to make sure that no one followed her.

The car was right where Sam said it would be. Looking around, Andy was paranoid that someone had followed her. She just couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Sliding into the car, she reached into the glove box. Pulling out a brown paper bag she dumped a cheap wallet and cell phone into her lap. Andy smirked when she saw her driver's license. Candace Newman. The picture was the same picture that appeared on her legitimate driver's license. Gary apparently had access to just about anything. Shaking her head, she couldn't believe that out of all the names they could have picked for her they chose Candace. The cell phone already had a few numbers programmed into it although she didn't recognize any of the names. JD, Steve…she didn't know which one was Sam. As she stared at the phone figuring out what to do, a text message caused the appliance to vibrate in her hand.

Call JD

Shrugging her shoulders, Andy pressed the send button. Within minutes, Sam's voice came on the other line.

"Andy? Is everything ok?" Breathing a sigh of relief she felt herself relax for the first time that night.

"I'm fine. Just figuring out what to do next."

"Right, you're going to meet me at a bar called Jack's on Northwest 7th street. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah I think so." Really, Andy was only vaguely familiar with that part of town. "I'll figure it out." There was long pause on the phone before he spoke again.

"Be careful Andy. Make sure that you aren't followed." The hairs on the back of her neck stood up at the mention of being followed. Looking into the rearview mirror the street was empty.

"Ok." She paused a moment. "I'll see you soon."

Sam sat at the bar smiling as Tony told another story. He was pretending to be amused by the gangster's tale although really he couldn't stop thinking about Andy. Glancing at the doorway he saw her walk into the bar. The burly men who watched the door stepped up to her, as Sam quickly excused himself from the table.

"She's with me, guys. She's cool." The men stepped aside as Sam wrapped his arm around Andy. "I missed you, baby!" Planting a kiss right on her lips, Sam hoped that Andy would get the message that they were a couple. He would have preferred to catch her up in what was going on, but Tony and his girlfriend, Irene, had been hounding him about her ever since they found out she was coming to live with him. It wasn't ideal, but in undercover you couldn't pass up the opportunities when they came. So he prayed that after almost two years of working together she would instinctively follow his lead.

"I missed you too, babe!" It was show time. She didn't think that she would have to start so soon but regardless she went with it.

"Hey, JD! Are you going to introduce us or what?" Tony yelled out from the table looking slightly amused.

Sam plastered a lighthearted smile one his face although inside he was a nervous wreck. What happened in this situation was completely on him. If things went wrong he would only have himself to blame.

"Everyone this is my girlfriend, Candace. She's just got in town today." Andy smiled shyly as she extended her hand for Tony to shake.

"Well Candace it's a pleasure. You have excellent taste, JD. She is beautiful." Sam smiled as she pulled Andy close to him. Kissing the side of her head he regarded Tony honestly.

"Oh I know. I'm a lucky guy." Andy didn't miss how the tone of his voice changed. A slight wave of heat filled her cheeks as she realized that he was being completely truthful.

Sitting down at the table, Irene smiled at Sam before speaking up. "JD how did you ever meet this lovely girl?"

Sam rocked back in the chair a little before responding. To everyone else it looked like he was staring longingly at his girlfriend reminiscing about some happy memory. To Andy she could see that he was thinking of something to say.

They looked at him expectantly, wondering what the hold up was. Andy shook her head, as she laughed a little; they needed a quick recovery. "Oh, baby! Don't be embarrassed."

Sam looked at her confused. "Ok, so actually the first time we met I tackled him."

The table erupted in laughter as Sam stared at her dumbfounded. Andy smiled at him reassuringly, "JD was my roommate's friend and I didn't know that he was crashing on the couch one night. So I wake up and he's going through our kitchen cabinets. I don't know if he was drunk or sleepwalking or what. Anyway, he takes off toward the door and I chase him and tackle him. The rest if history." Everyone at the table gasped for air as they nearly keeled over laughing.

Sam smiled at her, impressed that she was able to think on her feet so well. Shrugging his shoulders, he offered a slight explanation, "I was pretty drunk that night."

After breaking the ice, they all settled into comfortable conversation for the next hour or so. Both Tony and Irene took an immediate liking to Andy and Sam was grateful. It was nearly midnight when he saw an opportunity to get out of there.

"Well guys, it's late and I want to get back and spend some time with my girl." Winking at Andy, Sam hoped that the other two would get the hint.

"We should get going too, Tony. We have a busy day tomorrow." Sam wondered what she meant by busy but quickly dismissed the idea of probing her statement any further. Irene then turned to Andy laying a heavily jeweled hand on her arm. "You my dear are just darling. I'm getting my nails done tomorrow night. You should come with me. We can have girl talk." Sighing wistfully Irene offered Andy a pathetic smile. "It's just been so long since I had another woman around here."

Andy smiled enthusiastically at the older woman. She must have been doing something right if Irene already wanted to spend girl time with her. "That sounds great."

Andy and Sam excused themselves from the table. Holding hands they left the bar and stepped out into the cold night. Once outside they walked down the street hand in hand in silence until they rounded the corner.

Exhaling loudly, Sam turned toward her. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't want to just throw you into it like that. It's just they kept asking about you and I didn't want to raise any suspicion and…"Before he could finish Andy interrupted him.

"It's ok. Everything worked out ok, right?"

Sam smiled at her, "It did, thanks to you."

They stood there in silence staring at each other. They were still holding hands when a car pulled up to the curb. The passenger window slowly came down.

"Get the hell in here right now."

Sam and Andy were shocked to see Gary looking rather angry in the driver's seat.

The two silently got into the back of the car before Gary hit the gas. They cruised for a couple of minutes before Gary pulled over. Taking a long drag on his cigarette. He turned around, narrowing his eyes at Andy.

"So tell me, honey, did you tell your blonde haired boyfriend everything or just enough to keep him interested?"

Andy felt the air whoosh from her lungs. She was speechless. Next to her Sam's brow furrowed in confusion.

Gary shrugged his shoulders, "Well then again you, it didn't really look like you were doing much talking."

Sam leaned forward, "What the hell are you talking about, Gary?"

Gary took a long drag on his cigarette, "What? She didn't tell you? Oh yeah, Sammy, your partner here was sucking face with some blonde haired pretty boy a couple of hours ago."

Andy felt sick. It wasn't what it looked like. Sam stared at her. He felt his stomach churn. Beyond the ramifications this could have for this undercover operation, Sam felt nauseas thinking that she had gone back to him. Luke had been right all along. She didn't want him.

"Is it true?" They were the only words he could summon at the moment.

Andy hesitantly met Sam's gaze and immediately felt horrible when she saw the amount of hurt in his eyes.

"Sam it wasn't what it looked like. He showed up, we argued, and then he kissed me. I tried to get away from him but he wouldn't let me go. I told him I wanted nothing to do with him." She wasn't lying although she felt guilty for even considering the idea of taking Luke back.

Sam took a deep breath, before nodding his head. "It's ok. I believe you." And if it was even possible she felt worse. Gary snorted in the front seat.

"Well that's sweet but guess what? He followed you here. After you thought he left, the bastard did circles around the block until he saw you sneaking out the alley. I couldn't believe it! I wanted to literally run you over with my car so that this whole bullshit nightmare I saw playing out would end. I mean, Christ! Do you have any idea what you've done? You've compromised this whole operation!"

Andy shook her head in disbelief. "I was so careful. I didn't see anyone!" Gary lit another cigarette as he shook his head ruefully.

"We are fucked! And it's all because of you!" Andy looked at Sam hoping that he would come to her rescue but instead was met with a look of disappointment.

A thin haze of smoke filled the car as the three sat in silence. Andy buried her head in her hands. How the hell was she going to fix this?

Above Lyrics are from Godsmack's "Running Blind"

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