So, here's another episode-inspired one-shot. This time, it's 504 and 505 that got me wanting to create some of the missing moments we didn't get to see on screen. Can I just send this to Missy and Ben and have them act it out for us? lol Anyway, it starts where 504 ends and takes us through to just after where 505 ends. I'd love to hear what you think with a review! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue.

Evolving Friendship

Andy was lying in bed more than an hour after Sam dropped her off at her condo. She was reliving the kiss in her head, trying to wash out all the bad of the day by remembering how soft his lips felt against hers. How she missed how perfectly they fit together.

When she'd reached the door of her building, she'd almost run back to his truck to invite him up to her place, but they'd agreed to take things slow. Their (second) first kiss couldn't immediately be followed by sex and she knew with the way he looked at her in that truck, the way he caressed her cheek, there'd be no way she could keep her hands off of him. So, she'd let him drive away as she walked into her condo alone.

While she took a cold shower, she reminded herself why they were talking it slow. They needed time to reestablish themselves, to make sure they didn't repeat the same mistakes. To protect their hearts. She couldn't take it if they failed again.

She jumped when the beeping of her phone interrupted her thoughts. She smiled upon reading the text. I'm here if you need to talk. Don't worry about waking me up.

Andy quickly typed a reply. Thanks, Sam.

Goodnight, McNally.

Night :)

Sam increased the volume on his phone, wanting to make sure it woke him up if Andy decided to call him in the middle of the night. He wished he could hold her in his arms until she fell asleep; to know she wasn't letting her overthinking mind keep her awake. But them being in the same bed together would be the complete opposite of moving slow.

He was okay with the pace of things, it was letting them connect like they never had before, and it made him love her even more. He hadn't expected tonight's kiss. He wanted to kiss her, god knows how much he wanted to. And the timing felt right, even before she leaned over and fused her lips to his. But he wasn't going to use her vulnerability to act on any feelings. He would never take advantage of her that way.

And that's why even once she kissed him, he forced himself to tell her he'd see her tomorrow, forced himself not to invite himself up to her place. He knew exactly how the night would end if he went up there, and while the thought brought a grin to his face, this wasn't how he wanted it to happen.

Sam settled into his bed and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take over as he thought about Andy.

Their flirting only increased in the days after the kiss and Sam tried to ignore the pointed smiles Traci threw their way when Andy would stop by the detective's office to see him. He even thought he caught her mumbling "friends my ass" as Andy exited the office this morning. He wasn't sure what sparked the comment, but he realized she was right.

They had agreed to be friends again first, to start there as they moved forward slowly and repaired the hurt they both caused. But they were past that now and he was going to make the next move. They'd grabbed a bagel on the way to work on occasion, or shared a bag of chips from the vending machine for lunch, but he wanted to take her out for a proper meal.

Near the end of shift he saw her sitting at her desk finishing up paperwork, so he walked over and perched himself on the edge of her desk. "McNally."

She felt her heart skip a beat hearing him drawl out her name. "Detective."

"Any plans tonight?" he asked, keeping his voice low to keep out gossiping co-workers.

"No, was just gonna head to The Penny with the others," she replied.

"Wanna grab some dinner?" he asked.

"Sure. I shouldn't be much longer here. You want me to call in the usual at The Penny so it's ready when we get there?" she asked.

"I was thinking someplace different. Maybe that new Italian place on Wellington or that Thai place you like so much on Dundas?" He hoped the ideas came off nonchalantly even if his heart was pounding inside his chest as he waited for her answer.

Andy's giddiness radiated through her grin as she stared back at Sam. "Is this a date, Sam Swarek?"

"You can call it whatever you want, McNally," he said, pushing off the desk. Starting to walk behind her, he leaned down so his mouth was near her ear. "Just meet me at the truck in half an hour."

Sam made the wonderful mistake of looking back at her as he walked away, and saw her megawatt smile directed at him. Tongue in cheek to try to tamp down his own grin - hey, he had a bad ass reputation to keep at work - he headed back to his office to finish up his own paperwork.

Sam was leaning back against his truck half an hour later when Andy walked out of the sally port with her eyes searching the parking lot until she found him. She switched her duffle bag from one hand to another as nervous butterflies filled her stomach.

"You in the mood for Italian or Thai?" Sam asked as they got into the truck.

"Let's try the new place," Andy suggested, going along with the theme they'd had lately about new beginnings. A new restaurant for their (second) first date.

It was a short drive to the restaurant and they were quickly seated at one of the few open tables in the middle of the room. Once they'd placed their order, Sam looked over at Andy. "How was your day?"

"Not bad, a few traffic stops, a drunk and disorderly," she replied. "How about you? You shake all that rust off yet?" She smirked at him before taking a sip of water.

"Told you, I don't rust," he deadpanned. "It's just easier to get confessions out of fully clothed criminals." Even he couldn't keep a straight face as he said that. "You heard anything about your rookie yet?"

She shook her head. "No, Oliver said it could be a few days before all the reports are reviewed. And with his step dad…" She let out a sigh at how that complicated things. "He's probably going to have his hands all over this."

Sam reached across the table to stop her fingers from fidgeting. "It'll be okay."

"Thank you." She beamed a smile at him and gave his hand a quick squeeze. "So, how was poker night?" she asked, knowing that's how he'd spent the night before.

"Took everyone's money like usual," he smirked, taking his hand back as their waiter brought over their drinks.

"Ah, so that's why you weren't hung over today. Didn't have to drown your sorrows," she teased.

"You know me too well, McNally."

They settled into easy conversation over dinner and Andy felt like she'd laughed more in these last few weeks than she had in the last couple of years. "This was nice," she said as their waiter cleared their empty plates. "Thanks for suggesting it."

"We should do this more often," he replied, watching her eyes narrow as she looked at him in awe.

"I'd like that," she returned with a smile.

When the waiter brought the check over, Sam snatched it up before Andy even realized it was on the table. "No," Sam said when Andy started to pull out her wallet. "I got this."

"You don't have to."

"Let me. I invited you on this…date," he said quirking his lips. "It's my treat."

"So, you're admitting it was a date," she teased.

"Got a problem with that?" he asked playfully.

"Only if you promise there's more." She looked at Sam adoringly because she hadn't been this happy in a long time. And it was because of him, how he made her feel.

The light he saw in her eyes was almost blinding and it made his heart do funny things to know he put it there. "I think we can manage that."

Sam drove her home and walked her to her door, where they stood inches apart for several long seconds. "Come in," she whispered.

He ran his tongue against his teeth, having an internal battle with his better judgment. "I should go," he reluctantly said, not wanting to rush things. Andy nodded knowingly and played with the keys in her hand.

Taking it slow didn't mean he couldn't leave her - or him - with a lasting taste of their wonderful evening though. He laid a hand on her cheek, her warmth radiating through his fingers.

"I had a really good time tonight, Sam," she said softly as their eyes locked on one another.

"Me too," he replied as the distance between their faces disappeared. He felt the upward curve of her lips when his mouth met hers. Andy's free hand rested on his chest, absentmindedly her palm coming to rest of his rapidly beating heart that matched her own. They stayed fused like that for several long moments until Sam pulled back slightly and nudged her nose with his.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered, and she closed her eyes as his thumb caressed her cheek.

When he started to step back, she fisted his shirt in her hand and pulled him back for another kiss, much shorter than the first but just as sweet. This time, she pulled back first and playfully shoved him away with her hand that still held his shirt. "Go," she said with a giggle.

Sam found himself grinning as he backed away. "Night, McNally."

"Goodnight, detective." She really liked the way that rolled off her tongue.

He backed down the hallway slowly, watching as she fumbled with her keys before finally opening the door. She was still smiling at him as she disappeared inside, and only when he heard the lock click did he turn around and leave.

A couple of days later, Sam and Andy met for breakfast - which was more like lunch since they were on the night shift - at a diner before work.

"How'd your surveillance thing go yesterday?" she asked, knowing he'd been cooped up with Dov for half a shift watching a pawn shop that was believed to be laundering goods.

"I'm never being trapped in a room with Epstein again," he replied, a terrified look crossing over his face.

Andy was kind of afraid to ask, but she did anyway. "What happened?"

"He gets...weirder in close proximity."

"It's his man crush on you," Andy said with a laugh.

"His - wait, what? Is that why he wanted us to go on a double date with him?" he asked, suddenly trying to figure out exactly what a man crush was.

"Wait, Dov asked you out?" She couldn't control her laughter anymore.

"Shut up," he replied playfully, tongue in cheek.

"Should I be worried? I mean, Dov is a catch," she said between bursts of laughter. Sam just shook his head at her. When she finally calmed down, she looked over at Sam with a huge smile on her. "We should, you know."

"What?" he asked, poking at the remaining food on his plate.

"Go out with them, Dov and Chloe. Maybe Oliver and Celery. Us, them." She caught his eye when he looked up at her. "It would be fun."

"We can do that."

"Are you doing anything this Saturday?" Andy asked after finishing off her breakfast.

"Nothing important, why?"

"You can totally say no. I mean, this probably isn't even something you want to come to – "

"McNally," he interrupted, trying to get her to focus.

"It's Leo's birthday and Traci's having a party. I thought maybe…do you want to come with me?" she asked, turning a little sheepish at how much her mouth just got away from her with babbling.

He always thought she was cute when she was nervous, and she looked damn cute right now. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Ok…Ok, good," she said before sinking her teeth into her bottom lip and staring at the wonderful man sitting across from her.

Finding the dead body of a missing person first thing in the morning was not the way Andy wanted to end her shift, but that's what happened. Oliver sent her and Sam home though, told them they'd pick the investigation up when they came back for their next shift. Neither were readily willing to let this man, who they'd been delving into the life of for hours, go, but Oliver convinced them that by the time crime scene and forensics were done, they'd be just getting back on shift.

Sam found Andy in the locker room, sitting on the bench in front of her locker. Lost in thought, she looked up only when she heard the zipper of his jacket clink against the metal locker next to hers. "You need a ride?" he asked.

She nodded, but continued to stare inside her open locker with a frown. Sam let out a breath and sat down next to her, but didn't speak. She had to be ready to open up to him, but he would show her he was here to listen. Several minutes passed before she looked over at him. "I thought I was helping him. I thought if I didn't report every tiny mistake to Oliver, it would help him," she admitted.

"I know. We've all done it." She raised her eyebrows in disbelief, so he continued. "It's our job as TOs to give rookies some room to learn. Reporting every mistake doesn't help that."

"But if I did maybe we wouldn't be in this situation now," she argued.

"Even if you did, this kid's step dad is the commissioner. He would've just been moved to another TO, not fired. You can't second guess yourself," he told her.

"But I am. Every instruction I gave him. Every time I told him to wait. Every time I ordered him to do something. It's all going to be scrutinized. And he has connections, Sam." She lowered her face to her hands, elbows propped on her thighs. "I was the one that got left in that house alone with a kid and a gunman, but I'm the one who's going to get picked apart."

He knew that was likely what was going to happen, so he didn't bother to lie and argue her point. He placed a hand on her back and rubbed soothing motions. She turned her head toward him and Sam's heart broke seeing her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"I can go kick his ass for you. Teach him a lesson," he deadpanned. Andy pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh, but Sam had succeeded in putting a small smile on her face for even a moment. "Let me take you home."

She gave him a small nod. "Okay."

Andy grabbed her things and headed out to the truck with Sam. "You know, you're stuck with me until Duncan's tribunal," she told him.

"Oh really?"

"Yup," she said, popping the 'p.' "Oliver said he's assigning me to the D's, which basically means you, until this blows over."

Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked. "Good. I've missed my partner."

Andy recalled the suspect they had a couple years ago who robbed a bank and they found out his partner was his partner. She looked up at Sam and they exchanged knowing smiles. "Me too, partner."

The End.