Season 4 One Shots

Growth (Revenge Dress, Part 3)

For the #SurreraCountdown on Twitter...2 days (less than 48 hours). This story has clearly been my dream for how they get past all the hurt and anger. I hope you enjoy this last part.

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The next morning Andy awoke before Robert. Glancing at her watch, she was surprised to see it was just after 10 a.m. Even though they had been awake until early in the morning, it was the best night's sleep she had gotten since before the drama with Chief McAllister. She took a minute to look at the man sleeping next to her. He was insanely handsome, that hadn't changed, and in his sleep, he had a relaxed demeanor she knew she hadn't seen in weeks, although if she were honest with herself, she hadn't seen it in months: not since before the drama with her family and his suspension.

As she lay there watching him sleep, she thought about their conversation. The only other time she had seen him that vulnerable was during those hours they spent trapped in the aid car together and he talked about Claire, and how he didn't know what he would do if he couldn't fight fires anymore. Since their wedding, it had been one crisis after another, and somewhere along the way, they had forgotten that they could count on each other. Each had made decisions, about things both personal and professional, forgetting that what had originally brought them together was their willingness to support each other through the most difficult times. They had taken a step in the right direction the previous night, but Andy knew she had to be fully honest with Robert, just like he had been with her. She just hoped he was still willing to stay by her side when she did.

She closed her eyes for a minute, trying to keep the tears at bay. When she opened them again, she looked once more to her husband. Even though they had stayed on their respective sides of the bed all night, their hands were practically touching in the middle of the bed. Mere millimeters separated their fingers, as she debated picking up her hand and placing it on Robert's, his eyes opened, and she realized she had been caught watching him sleep.

An awkwardness that never existed between them in the bedroom before emerged, and she quickly sat up. "I'm going to take a shower," she said as she got up, grabbed some clean clothes, and walked quickly toward the bathroom. "Then I'll make us some breakfast."

Robert didn't have time to say more than "ok" before she had closed the bathroom door behind her.

He laid back in bed with a sigh. They had made so much progress last night, but what was supposed to happen next? While he agreed with Dr. Williams that sex wasn't a solution to all of their problems, he would have been a little more relaxed if it didn't seem like Andy was afraid to be in bed with him. As he thought about a plan for the day, he was startled from his thoughts by the text message alert on his phone. It was Richard.

"Just making sure you're ok," the brief message read.

Robert smiled. He couldn't remember the last time that someone he wasn't married to cared about his whereabouts.

"I'm at home," Robert texted back. "Andy and I talked late into the night, and I crashed here."

Richard's reply was a smiling face emoji, and one last comment: "Keep talking to her, and don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything."

Robert replied with a quick "Thank you, for everything" before getting spending a few minutes on his phone considering some options that would get him and Andy out of the house.

As he showered, Andy went downstairs and started the coffee machine and added an extra scoop of the coffee grounds to the filter. She wasn't feeling too terrible, but between her fitful sleep the past few weeks, the alcohol at the fundraiser last night, and the fact that she and Robert had talked until almost dawn, she was in desperate need of some caffeine to help her make it through the day. She made a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit for the two of them, and just as she was setting the food on the table, Robert made his way downstairs. He went to the kitchen to pour two cups of coffee and joined Andy at the table.