Sorry about the delay. Grad school has been torturous this semester and then of course I was able to be a shut in with Sandy pummeling the east coast. I hope everyone and their loved ones made it through the storm with minor damage!

On a side note to Guest … Yes, English is clearly my third language and aren't you just amazed at how well I work with it? Pretty impressive if I do say so myself. If you don't like my mistakes, stop reading or better yet, sign in and offer to be my beta to help me spot and correct them. Otherwise, please go away. We are not professional writers and even in the publishing world there are typos (ask me for a list of common and popular books to reference if you'd like).

Thank you again for your amazing reviews and if I haven't gotten back to you yet… yell at me. I deserve it!

Nikka

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Andy hit her alarm clock for the third time that morning and only once she had settled comfortably back into bed did she realize that it wasn't her alarm that kept ringing, but her phone. Shooting up out of bed and quickly reaching for her phone she answered it breathlessly, "Hello?"

"Good morning Sunshine," the voice of her partner chirped causing her to snort at him.

"Go away," she griped back at him falling back into her bed, already wishing that she could hit rewind and start this day over.

"See, I would do that," he mused with a smirk on his face knowing he was pushing her buttons, "but see parade starts in thirty minutes and I don't want my partner to get assigned to some petty assignment since that means I'll get stuck there too."

"So thoughtful," Andy let her sarcasm shine a bit as she processed his words. When she had fully realized that if she didn't hurry she'd be late, Andy began to scramble out of bed and find clothes that she had neglected to take care of from the hamper by her bed.

In her hurry, Andy tripped during the process of shimmying into her pants. She thudded to the floor with a yelp and got up rubbing her eyebrow to relieve some of the sting. Her phone started ringing again and Andy didn't have to answer it to know that it was Nick rushing her out the door again. She only prayed that her hair would hide the red mark on her eyebrow where she was sure there was going to be a bump from Nick and his freakish observation skills.

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Nick had spent the ten minute drive to the station trying not to implode with the news about Sam being back. Truth was that he didn't even know what to say to her. He had watched his partner struggle with Sam's absence. She had been initially scared of his anger and the fact that he might have moved on in her absence, then slowly, she began to put up walls that distanced her a bit from her friends and made her a bit more reserved. Andy was still, essentially, Andy, but she was different with Sam gone, almost like her spark was dimmed a bit to the soft glow of embers.

By the time they got to the station and Nick had parked, he still hadn't figured out how to tell Andy that she needed to prepare herself. Before he could talk to her, Andy had scrambled out the car and was hell bent on getting into the station and away from him. Nick was a bit confused, but he followed after her and tried to catch her before she slipped into the locker room. He missed Gail watching him follow Andy into the precinct through narrowed eyes.

"Andy," he called out to her jostling his bag back onto his shoulder. "Andy, wait up!"

Nick wasn't completely sure why it was that his partner was trying so desperately to escape into the locker room, but he was just as determined not to let her escape him before he could break the news about her ex-boyfriend's return. Collins caught her arm just before she was able to slip into the locker room and hauled her back to him. When she turned towards him with an irritated huff, Nick noticed the bump on her forehead.

"It's nothing," Andy huffed again, clearly angry at her partner's concerned look. Her eyes quickly scanned the hallway and further into the bullpen just to make sure that they didn't have an audience. Nick was blocking her view into Best's office, but the lights were off so figured that no one was there to observe at any rate anyhow. She just wanted Nick to drop the concern before Best noticed and forced her into working desk today. That would be torturous.

Andy flinched a bit and her eyes shot towards Nick's when she felt his fingers make contact with the skin of her forehead as he tentatively inspected the bump. Feeling her discomfort radiate off of her waves, Nick swallowed a bit realizing the intimacy of the moment. "That wasn't there last night," he mumbled.

Andy looked up at him and shrugged before responding, "I tripped this morning thanks to someone's repeated phone calls.

Nick looked contrite at her reply, but was stopped by the sudden iciness that crept into the air with the caustic comment from behind Andy.

"Well if you'd leave her alone for two seconds," the voice dripped with venom. "You wouldn't have to call her phone to find it in the morning."

"Gail," Andy whined as she exhaled turning to her friends.

For her part, Gail Peck didn't even register Andy's whining or exasperation at her comments. The blonde's eyes drilled into Collins daring him to contradict her or say something smart. On his face was a tiny smirk that reminded both of them what it was like when he had first put up with her nastiness when he came to the division, but the fire in his eyes told her that she was pissing him off. The realization that he actually had the audacity to get angry with her caused her own anger to burn hotter.

She tipped her head to the side in a dare for him to open his mouth and speak. Gail didn't have to wait long for his reply.

"What's the matter Peck," Nick said meeting her eyes with his own. His voice was laced with bland anger as he looked at her. "You jealous or something?"

Nick nearly laughed as he saw Andy freeze out of the corner of his eye, knowing that her eyes were wide with shock at his comment. But the expression on Pecks face, with her comically large eyes, flaring nostrils, and red lips that had dropped open only to snap shut and become pursed, what he was searching for. The temperature seemed to rise substantially in that moment as her anger flared.

He watched as her eyes narrowed and she stalked off, just barley catching the "as if" comment she mumbled under her breath.

Nick allowed a small smile to play on his lips as he watched her walk away. Turning to his partner with the smirk still intact, he was met with her raised eyebrow and disapproving shake of her head. "What that necessary?"

"Yes," he deadpanned still smirking as he watched his partner scowl at him.

"Are you like five years old or something," Andy asked him, putting her hand on her jutted out hip as her eyes narrowed at him.

"McNally," Best's voice interrupted them as both Collins and McNally whipped towards their boss.

"Yes, sir," she asked somewhat concerned as to what she could have done to make her staff sergeant seek her out before parade.

"My office after parade," Best said looking at her gravely. "It shouldn't take long."

"Yes, sir," Andy's response was terse as she begin to panic.

"And McNally," Best turned back to her, "Come alone. Your partner can wait for you."

"What did you do," Nick asked her incredulously trying to think of all the things that she alone could have gotten in trouble for. He was coming up empty. Since they'd gotten back, Andy had been relatively incident free and that was like some kind of record for her.

"I don't know!"

Nick turned for the locker room wanting to hurry and hoping that Andy would take the hint as well when her voice stopped him.

"Fix it Nick," she pleaded with him

Nick looked at his partner dumbfounded for a moment not sure how he could. "Andy, I have no idea what Best wants-"

"Not with Best," she interrupted him. There was a firmness to her voice, "with Gail."

He swallowed thickly and looked at his partner. "I'll fix my shit when you do."

"Completely different," Andy gripped at him. "Gail is here. Fix it. Soon. It's been six months, enough is enough."

"Yeah, well," Nick responded scratching his neck and looking up at the ceiling before down at her. "The last time took us almost five years to sort it out, so I figure I have at least another four and half years to get on pleasant speaking terms again."

With that, Andy pushed Nick towards the men's locker room with a scowl on her face. She disappeared into the women's locker room completely unaware that two senior officers were watching the entire scene unfold as they waited for Best to return to his office.

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When Andy came out of the locker room, Nick was already waiting for her fully dressed and ready to head to parade. "How do you always do that," she asked him clearly annoyed that he'd beaten her again.

"Talent," he replied letting the smile fall from his face as he thought about having seen Callaghan head into Best's office while he was waiting for Andy with two coffees. Last night came back to him suddenly and he nearly cursed himself for not finding a way to tell Andy about Sam before she got blindsided with it.

"Um Andy," he said nervously as they started walking towards the parade room. "We need to talk."

She looked up at him but continued on her way having seen Frank already make his way into the room. "Sure, after parade."

"No," he said grabbing her arm and pulling her to a stop. "Now."

"Nick," her voice dropped as her eyes moved from his hand on her arm to Best beginning parade.

"Sam's back," he blurted out. If he hadn't had a firm grip on her arm, Nick knew she would have bolted. The tension and jittery nerves were radiating through his hand as it held her in place.

"That's not funny," she ground out stepping closer to him in an attempt at intimidation.

Nick shook his head and looked at her. "He was at the bar last night," he said quietly. "Sam saw us last night. I looked him dead in the eye he was with Callaghan at Allen's."

The panic that washed over Andy's face was almost painful to behold. Nick could tell the exact moment that Andy decided it was time to bolt from the building by the look in her eyes. He tried to keep a tight grip on her arm but she broke free and began moving towards the nearest exit.

"I need to get out of here," she said voice shaking as she took off away from Nick.

"No," he said firmly catching ahold of her and spinning her around to face him. "You need to stay and face this. It's been a year Andy. You need to fix this."

Nick knew it was dangerous to throw her words back at her, but he had to try. She was chewing on her lip as her teary eyes searched for a way out of the hurt that she knew was coming her way. "We're gonna go in there," he told her pointing towards the parade room. "We're gonna let Best make his announcement and sit there while Sam is welcomed back and congratulated. Then you and I are going to go out on patrol and give you both some space to sort over the shock of seeing each other again."

"I can't Nick," Andy's voice shook as tears threatened to spill over onto her cheeks.

"You can and you will," he told her. Just when he thought he'd gotten her to agree with his plan, he released his grip on her arm which had proven to be a mistake and she realized the lack of contact and bolted at a near sprint across the bull pen.

Nick darted after her and caught he arm effectively halting her progress despite Andy desperately trying to get away from him. Without debating the consequences, Nick tugged her arm and got her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and spun on his heel to head back to the parade room.

He was so focused on keeping a grip on Andy's squirming figured that her threats went unnoticed. "Andy, you're going in that room, and you're going to sit there until we are dismissed," he nearly snapped at her wanting her to know this was for her own good.

"No!" She barked back at him still trying to get out his grip as he carried her. "I'm not doing it. You can't make me."

"Wanna bet," Nick retorted not seeing that he was nearing a figure in the hallway when the rest of his coworkers were crowded into the parade room.

"You alright there Collins," a smooth voice broke their squabbling as both officers froze. "You look like you've got your hands quite full there."

"I'm, um-" he struggled for a response to Sam's statement. "We're just headed to parade."

Nick stopped and met Sam's stare and took a deep breath. He took his partner's stillness as recognition of just who was standing in front of Nick despite her back being towards the other man. Nick bent a bit to allow Andy to slide off of her shoulder. He hadn't missed the flicker of annoyance in Sam's eyes as he watched Andy's body slide down the front of Nick's as he put her down. She looked up at Nick in panic before she turned around to face Sam.

Sam's eyebrow quirked up at Collins and then his gaze moved to Andy's ghostly face. "That so," he mused and was met with silence. "Well off you go then Collins," he said as his eyes never left Andy's face daring her to look at him again. "McNally."

He watched her shiver as his use of her name before her eyes looked up into his. "Welcome back Sam," she said quietly before Collins forced her through the door of the parade room.

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Don't hurt me! I know I promised anger… but you have to admit… the suspense leading up to a Swarek outburst is always painfully intoxicating? Maybe it's just me. But I'd be terrified of this reaction out of him!