Episode 10 written by Kat.Marie19

June 2020

After showering and drying her hair, Andy had just slipped out of her robe and put on a bra and panties when the chime on her phone alerted her to a message. She flopped across the bed, and grabbed her phone, quickly replying to a message from Vic. After several days in the hospital to recuperate from his leg surgery, Dean was finally home, and Vic was stressing about what she should do. While he was at Grey-Sloan, Vic visited frequently, and the casual companionship that been a hallmark of their friendship remained as they made the first tentative steps toward exploring their future as a couple. Now that Dean was home and on the road to recovery, things were different. It was one thing to explore their burgeoning relationship within the confines of the hospital, it was another entirely to envision how that relationship would work in the real world.

Should Vic offer to help Den's sister, Yemi, with Pru? Should she consider moving back in with Dean? What would happen when they were back at the station working together? Vic was having a slight freak-out via text message, and Andy's thumbs were busy as she responded to each question and concern. She didn't have any great advice; her own experiences with firehouse relationships had been fraught with drama, but she was willing to be a compassionate sounding board, while at the same time encouraging her friend to take things slow. The past few months had thrown a pandemic, the incident with the police, and the near-death experience at the cardboard factory at them. Proceeding into this new relationship with caution seemed like a prudent move.

Andy was so engrossed in her phone that she hadn't heard Robert make his way upstairs and into their bedroom. He had been downstairs tidying up as he waited for Andy to finish getting dressed. After having to reschedule several times due to work and rainy weather, he was finally going to attend one of the Alvarez family's Sunday afternoon barbecues in the park. While Robert was a little nervous, he was also looking forward to meeting Andy's aunt, uncle, and cousin, whose support made their separation a little easier on Andy. Somehow learning that she had always had their love, even when they weren't present in her life made the situation with her mother a little easier to bear. He also knew, based on some overheard conversations, that Andy had opened up to Michelle after his arrest. He could only assume that Andy didn't want to burden him with her anxieties, and was happy that her cousin was able to provide some comfort.

Working downstairs, Robert began to take note when he didn't hear any movement upstairs for a few minutes. He had heard Andy's hairdryer turn off, but after that he hadn't heard any of the usual sounds of Andy getting dressed. For a moment, he was concerned that she might have fallen asleep. While they had Saturday off and were able to catch up on some sleep, since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, there hadn't been much downtime at the station and no one's sleep schedule had been the same since. Entering the room, he saw his mostly naked wife sprawled across the bed, on her phone, texting, he could only assume, with Vic or Maya. Dean's confession about his feelings over the radio at the call almost a week prior hadn't surprised anyone, but the nuances of how to move forward in the relationship were causing some consternation about the female members of Station 19.

Looking at his wife, he was a little embarrassed at how quickly his body reacted to hers. He wasn't a teenager anymore, but at times like this, he wasn't sure his body knew it. When Andy remained focused on her phone and didn't respond to his presence, Robert decided to have a little fun. He entered the room quietly, and leaned over, gently running his fingertips along her bare spine. He hoped his actions might get her to put the phone away. While they had to leave shortly, the sight of his wife, sprawled across their bed in nothing but a bra and panties, had gotten his attention, and he thought they might be able to squeeze in a few moments of fun before it was time to leave. Andy, however, kept her attention focused on her phone. Glancing at her face, Robert could see that the corners of her mouth had turned up slightly. "So, she wants to play it that way," Robert thought to himself, before deciding to see how far he could take things before his wife decided to focus her energies on something other than the latest A-shift relationship drama.

He lowered himself onto the bed beside her, propping himself up on one elbow before gently moving Andy's long hair off to the side and placing a gentle kiss at the nape of her neck. She continued to text, but her slight intake of breath and the goosebumps that arose on her back let Robert know he was beginning to get his wife's attention. He proceeded to trail a series of gentle kisses from her neck down to the base of her spine, while at the same time, running one hand up the insides of her legs. As his had moved further up her leg, Andy sent a last message and tossed her phone aside. While she enjoyed teasing Robert by pretending his touches didn't have much of an impact, she could only hold out for so long.

She turned on her side, reached around Robert's neck to pull him toward her, and pressed her lips to his, beginning a passionate kiss that left them both a little breathless. Andy hoped the kiss would lead to something more, but as she reached for her husband a second time, he pulled away slightly.

"We're going to need to hurry if we don't want to be late," he noted. Any other time, he would have been less concerned with promptness, but this was the first time he would be introduced to her extended family, and he wanted to do his best to make a good first impression.

"What's wrong with being a little late?" Andy countered playfully, as she kissed him again, hoping she might get the desired response.

"It's your family, and they already know and love you," Robert noted. "All they know of me is what you've told them over the last few months, which isn't too great. A whirlwind marriage, my suspension and drug issues...and then of course there were the videos of my arrest, which went viral. I don't want to add tardiness to that list."

The evidence of the police officers' actions at the scene that had been posted to YouTube didn't get much traction until weeks later, at the end of May, when the videos showing the murder of George Floyd went viral, leading to protests across the world, including Seattle. In the turmoil of that time, new attention was given to the videos that showed what really happened the day the kidnapped girls were freed from the house. Soon after, Dean and Robert were notified quietly that the charges were dropped. It hadn't hurt that when Opal was arrested, Bob, the owner of the house, quickly negotiated a plea deal in exchange for his testimony against her.

"Well, it was those viral videos that got all the charges dropped against you and Dean," Andy commented. "So we shouldn't complain too much."

In addition to the stress of the arrest, and the possibility of a trial, as a probationary firefighter, Robert's legal troubles could have led to his immediate dismissal from the department. They were lucky the SFD was willing to allow the case to work its way through the legal system, otherwise Robert could have found himself, once again, without a job.

"Yeah, but those videos were also your family's first introduction to me," Robert explained. "It's not exactly a moment I'm proud of."

After finally opening up to her a few weeks prior, Robert had been more willing to describe to Andy what it was like to grow up as a Black male in the United States. He explained that although he realized it was the police that escalated the situation, he wasn't able to get past the lessons he had been taught throughout his life about how he had to be above reproach at all times. He still felt embarrassed that he had hadn't been able to control his anger when the police officer pushed Andy to the ground, and he still got anxious every time he thought that they could have used that minor incident of aggression as an excuse to shoot him. He came closer to dying that day at the hands of the Seattle Police than either he or Andy liked to think about.

"You were a hero that day, that's what my family saw in those videos," Andy explained. "And as for the other stuff, yeah, you made some mistakes, but you're making amends. That's all anyone can ask for. And, I'm sure they're going to love you as much as I do."

Andy leaned forward to give him another kiss. "But, since it concerns you, I'll go get dressed. We can finish this up later," Andy said with a grin, waving her hand in the direction of the bed.

"I look forward to it," Robert replied, as he watched Andy walk toward the closet to grab her clothes.

Traffic was light, so despite the text messages, teasing, and their conversation Robert and Andy were only a few minutes late. When they arrived at the park, Tío Johnny was already getting the grill started, but he shouted his greetings while Michelle and Tía Sandra warmly welcomed both Andy and Robert.

"I'm sorry we're late, we hit some traffic on the way here," Andy said with a small smile, as Robert looked at her a bit askance.

Only Michelle noticed the look, but rather than say anything, she decided to ask Andy about it later.

"It's no big deal," Sandra said. "We got here a little early anyway. With COVID, everyone wants to have their gatherings outdoors, so we wanted to make sure no one took our spot." They had managed to lay claim to their usual spot, with a tree for shade and several picnic tables so they could spread out. She smiled widely at Robert before stepping away to finish laying out the tablecloths and unpacking the food.

Robert, deciding he could make himself useful, excused himself to see if he could help Andy's uncle with the grill. He also figured it would be an opportunity to get to know him a little better.

Michelle and Andy sat down at one of the picnic tables before Michelle spoke.

"So, traffic, huh?" she said with a grin. "It's Sunday afternoon. How much traffic could there be?"

Andy glanced at her husband, who for the moment seemed to be getting along well with her uncle. She knew what Michelle was implying, and while their limited activities in bed had very little to do with their tardiness, she also knew that if she had had her way, they likely would have been much later.

When Andy didn't say anything, Michelle just laughed. "He's a gorgeous man. I completely understand if you decided to use some of your precious few free hours to take advantage of that!"

When Andy gave her a bit of an odd look, Michelle was once again able to guess her thoughts, much as she had been able to do when they were both young children. "I'm a lesbian. I'm not blind," Michelle said with a grin. "And your husband is hot!"

Andy laughed, and not for the first time reflected on how quickly she and Michelle had rebuilt the easy relationship they had had as children. It meant the world to her that she had family members she could connect with, and she hoped that Robert would soon be as comfortable with them as she was.

She once again glanced over to where Robert and her uncle stood next by the grill, looking for any sign that Robert might need her to come and intervene. She couldn't hear their conversation, but they both looked relaxed and at ease, so Andy continued to chat with Michelle about everything that had happened in their lives since the last time they were together.

As Tío Johnny placed some burgers on the grill, Robert thanked him for including him in their Sunday barbecues.

"I also wanted to thank you for welcoming Andy back into your family over these past few months," Robert began. "We've both been going through a lot, and having some family around has made it all just a bit easier for Andy."

Johnny was quiet for a moment. He regretted the years that they weren't a visible part of Andy's life, but he was glad that they had found a way to come back together.

"We loved Andy like our own daughter," Johnny said honestly. "It was hard on all of us, but especially Sandra and Michelle, when we couldn't see her anymore. Sandra even kept sending Andy birthday cards every year, but I'm guessing Pruitt didn't show them to Andy."

"No, he didn't," Robert answered, remembering how frantic Andy had gotten when she first discovered the cards among her father's belongings. Even now, months later, he still had a hard time understanding the decisions that Pruitt and Elena had made, but he tried not to dwell on it. Andy had managed to move forward, so he would follow her lead.

Robert took a deep breath and continued with the point he wanted to make when he originally walked over to Johnny. "You know, over the past few months, I've had to face my mortality more times than I would like to think about," Robert began, a bit solemnly. "That's even before we consider the impact that the global pandemic is having on frontline workers."

Johnny didn't say anything, but looked up from the grill, waiting for Robert to continue. It was obvious that he had something important that he wanted to get off his chest.

"I'm not planning on going anywhere, but Andy has lost so much already this year..." Robert trailed off, not exactly sure what he wanted to say.

He paused for a moment to compose his thoughts before continuing: "I guess what I'm saying is, should the worst happen, I'm hoping I can count on all of you to take care of Andy. If something happens to me, she's going to need her family to help her get through it."

Johnny knew just enough about what Robert had been through the past few months to know that this wasn't just a casual request. This was clearly something that had been weighing on him for a while.

"Of course," Johnny replied. "Andy is part of our family. She always has been, even though we did a pretty bad job of showing that for quite a while. We hope you'll be joining us for many more barbecues for years to come, but if the worst happens, I promise we'll look after Andy for you."

"Thanks," Robert began, but before he could say anything else, Sandra was suggesting Johnny take the meat off the grill before it burned and they all sit down to eat.

Lunch was a relaxed affair, with lots of laughing and joking. Andy's family asked many questions about Robert's time in Montana. Despite the relative proximity to Seattle, none of them had ever been there, and they enjoyed hearing about his experiences in the very rural state. When Robert mentioned that he and his crew would often gather at a local bar for salsa dance nights, after expressing their shock that salsa had made its way to Montana, the music was turned on, and Robert found himself prodded into participating in the impromptu dance party. Andy and Michelle were clearly the dancers of the group, but Johnny and Sandra joined in a little, and everyone had a good time.

The afternoon ended with promises to get together the next time they were off work on a Sunday and the weather cooperated. Despite his initial misgivings, Robert had found himself enjoying his time with Andy's family, and he was glad to know that Andy had family to look out for her.

As Robert and Andy were about to head to their car, they paused when Tío Johnny called out to Robert. "You know," he said, addressing Robert directly. "You're family now too, so if you're free on a Sunday that Andy has to work, be sure to stop by."

Andy looked between Robert and her uncle. She wasn't sure what had transpired between them when they chatted by the barbecue grill, but it appeared that Robert had been fully welcomed into her family. She wrapped one arm around his waist as she waved goodbye to her family.

"And you were worried about them liking you," she said with a grin. "It seems like they may like you better than they like me."

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Author's Note: I'm back! We had lined up enough authors for each week and then the return date for the show got pushed back, so I picked up the extra week. I hope you've found these "episodes" to be an enjoyable way to spend the time as we wait for episode 04x06. Next week's virtual mid-season finale will be written by CaptainSurrera. If you've enjoyed our work, please let the writers know. You can also let us know if you'd like to see a virtual summer season. If we have enough interest and enough authors, I'd be happy to organize it!