Chapter Text
Andy stared at the red mark around her neck, which stood out even more vividly after her shower. For a few moments, it was like being back in that warehouse, feeling death close in as Ray Nixon squeezed her throat. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to take slow, steady breaths. She was okay. She was alive. Luke had made it in time. He saved her... he saved her.
Andy remembered the conversation they’d had weeks ago—the way he told her he loved her and would carry that feeling to his grave. It wasn’t just a throwaway line. Luke had almost died; they both had. Nixon was a stronger soldier than Luke, a more skilled fighter, and Luke still hadn't fully recovered from the gunshot wound to his abdomen. Yet, he had overpowered Nixon. She had never felt as safe as the moment he peeled the tape from her eyes and held her, whispering that it was all over.
Like a movie playing in her mind, Andy revisited mornings at their apartment: how Luke would try to handle her mess, asking where his tie or his badge were. He’d laugh, calling the search for his gear a "scavenger hunt." She never thought it could be so peaceful—dancing while getting coffee before work, talking after a night together, or making up after a fight. She saw it clearly now: that was love.
Luke lay down on the sofa, knowing the adrenaline wouldn't let him sleep. His body was aching, and his abdomen, still tender from the bullet removal, now throbbed intensely from the flurry of punches he’d taken from Ray. But he didn’t care about the pain; he didn't care about anything. He didn't know how he’d managed to intercept a veteran soldier, but Andy was okay. Thank God, he’d made it in time.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the thought of her safety. He was happy for that, even if he never held her in his arms again.
A knock at the door put Luke on high alert. No one came looking for him at this hour. He stood up quickly and grabbed his service weapon, which, since the incident, he always kept in the safe the moment he got home from the station. With the gun behind his back, he slowly opened the door.
"Andy?" The name escaped his lips the moment he saw her standing there. He stepped aside to let her in, even though he had no idea what she was doing at his house.
"Why the gun?" she asked, seeing the weapon as Luke moved his hand.
"I didn't know who was knocking."
Luke searched Andy’s expression, but he couldn't decode what he saw. She was looking at him in a new way, like she never had before—like no one ever had, actually.
"What are you doing here?" Luke asked the question that was hammering in his mind as they stood in silence.
"I came because... I love you, Luke. That’s it."
Luke froze. His heart raced as if he were having a heart attack while his mind processed the information. Had he really heard Andy say she loved him?
"I know it seems weird to show up and say this after everything... especially since I’m still with Sam..." She tried to explain herself, seeing that Luke remained motionless, in shock.
He stopped her before she could continue.
"It’s perfect. I don’t even know if I’m worthy... I’m the happiest man in the world just hearing that."
The tension in Andy’s face melted into a smile—the most beautiful one Luke had ever seen.
"You are worthy!" Andy said. "Your mistake doesn't define you, and I’m only realizing that now. Who you are, what we are, and what we have together."
She walked over to Luke and pulled him into a kiss. At first, it was a tentative touch, as if they didn't know each other, as if it were the first time. Luke was slow to react; it was as if he were under anesthesia.
That moment, that kiss, was the answer to everything he hadn't even dared to ask God for. If Jo’s betrayal had killed him, Andy was bringing him back to life. The kiss deepened, becoming the most intense they had ever shared. It wasn't long before the bed became the final destination of the night.
It was already the early hours of the morning when Andy curled up against Luke, and he pulled her into an embrace. They both shared the feeling of being in a perfect place—like two people who, after a long time, finally find each other and let love happen. Luke was finally able to close his eyes, knowing he had found his redemption.
**The End**
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