Sorry let me try that again.

The gist of this is that I have some random short stories and chapters/one-shots all set in this world of #Burzek family. Starting way back with the 'Ties that Bind' (the good one, not that disappointing episode of the same name), we moved through 'Darkness on the Edge of Town, Something in the Night and finally with 'This is your sword'. This first part is based on Gus Ruzek and moving on from Jasmine with a zee.

Considering I doubt we will ever get any nice #Burzek on the show again, not while Eid is in charge anyway, we don't even have a likeable #Ruzek anymore I thought I would post these random stories reminding me of a time when we had a nice couple with awesome chemistry on the show, before they and us all got dudded. So here is some nice family stuff, Adam and Kim and their children's lives. Polly and Angus (Yes Polly is still alive in Gus's story.)

Hope you enjoy, let me know if you want to read more.

ANGUS.

Gus changed out quickly and was out the door before anyone could catch him. He was already running late and it was probably going to take forever to get across town and having already re-arranged this appointment once he didn't want to do it again. Time was of the essence.

He had liked this place when he saw it on the Internet and wanted to see it in person. It was time to make the jump. He had saved hard, travelled a bit and focussed on his career and now he wanted to buy a place, it would be his second and he wanted to start paying that off. He had plans.

Knocking on the open door he was a little breathless having run a block from where he parked to get here. "Hi, sorry I'm late." He wiped his sweaty palm on his work pants and offered it to the realtor and it was only then he stopped to take notice. "Hi, I'm Angus…" he stuttered a little. "Sorry Gus Ruzek."

"Hi Gus, it's nice to meet you." Rhiannon Marshall introduced herself. She was a little shorter than him, but not by much although she was wearing heels and a neat navy blue dress. Her long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail and she had startling green eyes. "Come in and have a look around. Take your time."

Rhiannon showed him around the neat two bedroom place. "We do also have a one bedroom with a slightly larger living area upstairs." She opened the door to the second bedroom, which wasn't that big.

"Nah, I like two bedrooms."

"More family friendly?"

"Sure, or I just have a disproportionate amount of crap." Not that he planned on living here. He liked his apartment but he wanted another investment property to go with the house he already owned thanks to his Pops. This was his focus at the moment, building his property portfolio.

This place needed work though, perhaps too much work. The flooring was obscene and he didn't want to know what was on some of the carpets. The bathroom was old, not old fashioned but it just look tired and the second bedroom would barely fit a bed in it, but the view was sweet and the living space was large and light. How they called it a two bedroom place baffled him, it was more like one bedroom and a broom cupboard. It had potential though but Gus wasn't sure he wanted to put that much effort into it, not unless the price came down.

"What are your first impressions?"

He swallowed the smooth line he had on his tongue. His first impressions of her were 'wow' but he was pretty sure that's not what she meant. "It's a bit of a crap shack." He stood in the kitchen and it was the one aspect he did like. "This area is kinda cool but the rest…" he screwed up his nose.

"It is not unliveable but it could do with a make-over."

"Understatement of the year."

"I am getting a vibe off you." She turned her head quickly and the pony tail swung over her shoulder and she nudged it back with a flick of her wrist.

"Really?" Gus was intrigued. He hoped she was flirting with him but he doubted she was. "And what vibe it that?"

"This isn't your place."

"Don't be so hasty. It has its good points. It's not for me to live in anyway." He did agree to look at the one-bedroom place upstairs, not that he had any intention of buying it but if it meant spending a few more minutes in her company then, well his interest in real estate had piqued.

It may have been a year since he dated anyone seriously but he wasn't a monk either. He'd been on dates but just hadn't jumped in feet first like he usually did. No-one had rocked his world in quite a while and he'd been perfectly okay with that, how much longer he would be content to live that kind of life though he wasn't sure.

"How long you been doing this?" Gus followed her to the elevator.

"About five years."

"I always imagined that Real Estate is a kind of hit and miss job."

"Sometimes but I love it. I love all the people I meet, everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. You get a feel for people pretty quick and can generally tell within five minutes whether they are going to buy a place."

"Really? So, what do you think I am going to do?"

"You are not buying that place, or this one." She opened the door to the one-bedroom place and stood back and let Gus into the large living area and kitchen. The bedroom was tiny though but the whole place was newly renovated so it was clean and bright but not what he was after. He needed something to do, something to occupy his free time.

"Nailed it."

"I know." That smile was definitely flirty.

Gus thought about calling her and he was trying to find a reason that didn't sound lame, not that it had really bothered him in the past. He knew he couldn't ask to look at those two properties again because she had read him right; he wasn't buying, they weren't what he was looking for. He didn't have to worry though; she called him.

He was midway through a run. "Ruzek." he panted into his phone.

"Oh sorry did I get you at a bad time?" He didn't recognise the number or the voice. "I can call you back."

"No." He slowed to walk and his breathing slowly started to return to normal. "It's fine. Who is this?"

"Rhiannon Marshall, from Whitmore Reality."

"Oh, hi." That got his attention and he took a deep breath. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Better than you by the sound of it."

"I'm just out for a run."

"Good thinking time. Look I thought I would give you a call. We have another property just about to come on the market that you might like. It's not listed yet but will be soon. I thought you'd like to take a look perhaps."

"Sure, sounds good." Even if it was a crap shack he'd probably still say yes. He did like that she sounded a little nervous, or at least he liked to think so but it certainly wasn't helping his heart rate return to normal.

"Does Saturday morning suit you?"

"Ah, nope sorry I am working. I can do anytime Friday though." Gus wasn't letting this one slip through his fingers. Something had stirred in him when he'd met her, something that he'd pushed aside for long enough. It was time for him to jump back into the pond, Polly had told him as much. He couldn't keep punishing himself for what happened. She understood while he was healing that he stayed close to home but he was back on his feet, they'd all moved on and she wanted her brother to be happy and he wasn't happy.

They arranged to meet in the afternoon and to say he was looking forward to it was an understatement.

Rhiannon was nervous. He was a good-looking guy and he seemed kind of sweet and nice. Not only did she want to help him buy a place, but she actively looked for a few places to show him just to give her an excuse to call him again. He could go anywhere, to any real estate agent and find another place and her chance to get to know him would be gone.

The place she showed him was a little more up his alley and he was interested. While last time he had come straight from work and had just thrown a clean t-shirt on and still had half his uniform on. Today he was in jeans and a button down shirt and Rhiannon was a little flustered. He was rattling her a little too much.

"Can I buy you a coffee?" Gus was reluctant to go just yet. "You've gone out of your way to find this place for me, it's the least I can do."

"Sure." He swore he saw a little glint in her eye. "but I was just doing my job."

"So if I give you a few safety tips would that classify as doing my job. Community policing and all?"

"Ah, you are a cop?"

"Chicago PD." He bowed slightly. "…always ready to serve and protect."

Gus bought Rhiannon a coffee and he enjoyed the hour the spent together as they chatted easily. He asked about her job, why she got into real estate and what she did for fun and he was interested in what she had to say. He liked that she enjoyed finding places for people who could see the potential and needed work because that gave him an opportunity to see her again. "So…" she leant back in her seat. "…my turn for twenty questions."

It was a habit of his that he would ask a million questions in the hope that he didn't have to talk about himself too much. He wasn't embarrassed and ashamed but he always felt that girls liked to talk about themselves more than anything and that made them feel good. It had always worked well for him in the past.

She asked about his interest in property and Gus was happy to talk about his plans to put his money into real estate. They'd got a leg up courtesy of their Pops and their parents made sure they made the most of it.

"So why a cop?" He wasn't expecting her suddenly change of tack.

"My parents are cops, my Pops was also a cop and my Dad followed in his footsteps. He met my Mom on the job so I guess I just always grew up around it and I was always keen to follow in their footsteps." It was more than he ever gave away this early. "Never wanted to be anything else."

"They must be happy."

"I think Mom is freaked out, Dad's job is pretty full on and dangerous. He runs a pretty intense unit so she worries about him constantly. He's been pretty banged up quite a few times and it's been hairy."

"I don't blame her, I am sure she'd loved you doing something safer."

"I have an older sister and she works for a charity foundation which we thought was much safer and then she was caught up in an active shooter situation at the zoo a few years back, that was pretty shitty."

"I remember that. Was she okay?"

"Yeah, yeah she was."

"I went a few weeks ago. My cousin had her birthday party there." It had been a long time since she'd been to the zoo and they'd had a good day and it was place you always promised to visit and never did and when you finally went you wondered you didn't come more often. "I loved the meerkats."

"We go there a lot." Gus paused for just a few seconds and she did like the little look of disappointment on her face, did she think he was talking about his own family, a girlfriend, wife or child? "My brother-in-law works there and that's where they got married and…" He leant forward. "..everyone loves the meerkats."

"Oh."

"I have a niece. She's is two and a half and so awesome." Gus was testing her out. Jazmine, or 'she who can't be named' as Polly called her had screwed up her face the first time Gus said anything about Lola.

"How cute? I bet you spoil her rotten."

"It's an uncle's prerogative." He relaxed a little, as well as testing her he also was keen to put her mind at ease. "Lola loves her Uncle Bus."

They were both a little disappointed when her phone buzzed. "I need to get going. I have another showing in half an hour."

"Hopefully not my place?"

"Your place?"

"You never know." He shrugged and liked that she laughed.

"Oh, I do."

Rhiannon reached for a business card and Gus shook his head. "I have your number. I saved it." He promised to call and Rhiannon had barely got back to her car when her phone beeped. 'So you'll buy the next coffee?'

'Absolutely.'

Gus liked that she didn't sit around and wait for him to call. She went for it and called him the next day. He smiled when he saw her number on his phone; as soon as she called the first time he programed her number in. "Rhiannon Marshall from Whitmore Reality you've made my day. How can I help you?"

"I found you another place to look at?"

"Are you doing any work for anyone else?" They had just sat down for lunch. His buddy had gone to grab the food while he got the coffees and he was scanning the crowd as he talked, making sure everyone was doing what they should.

"Yes, of course. Multi-tasking is one of my many talents."

She was so flirting with him and he liked it, a lot. "So, tell me about this amazing new place?"

"Oh, it's a total crap shack. You'll hate it but there is a nice café next door."

"Hmmm, I'm working all weekend." She had him champing at the bit already but Gus was going to let her do the heavy lifting.

"How about dinner during the week sometime?"

"Shifting onto afternoon and nights from Monday, so…"

"Dinner tonight?" Rhiannon sounded shocked that it even came out of her mouth.

"Perfect. Seeing as you suggested it how about you text me the place and I'll meet you there." She agreed to pick a restaurant and let him know. "And, can I ask? You usually invite potential buyers out for dinner?"

"Yep, all the time."

"Good to know."

He was even more blown away when he walked into the restaurant she had chosen. Her hair was loose tied up in a messy bun and her dress was loose and floaty, not overly long and the sky high stilettos made her legs go on forever. While her make up was a little heavier than what she wore during the day it wasn't overdone but even in the darker environment of the restaurant her green eyes made his knees weak. He was a sucker for pretty eyes.

"Hi." He grabbed her elbow lightly and leant in and gave her a little kiss on the cheek as she sat waiting for him at the bar. "It's nice to see you again. You look nice."

Rhiannon's stomach flipped. He was such a charmer and the kiss was unexpected but not unwelcome. "Thank you. Busy day?" he pulled up the stool at the bar and she took the chance to check him out. He was tall, with messy dark blond hair and just a little stubble and obviously kept himself fit, she had checked out his legs and butt several times already.

"Action packed. We had foot patrol at a street festival."

"Sounds exciting."

"No, it's not." He sat back a little when the wine arrived. "What about you? Wine and dine any other potential clients?"

"Yes, all day actually." She leant over and turned his arm so she could look at his watch. "Oh Damn. We should eat soon, I've got another appointment at nine."

It was almost eleven and the vast majority of the diners had gone home when they finally called it a night. Gus offered to wait for her Taxi to arrive and when it hadn't turned up half hour later he drove her home. He hadn't drunk much because he was working in the morning. He jumped out and opened the door for her. "Thank you for a dinner. I had a nice time." Gus held onto her hand and pulled her close. "Can I call you?"

"I'd like that."

He stepped away and saw the slightly disappointed look on her face. "You thought I was going to kiss you didn't you?"

"No." Gus tilted his head and Rhiannon blushed. "Maybe."

"If I kiss you now you might not answer my call tomorrow."

"Oh I will." He did kiss her, but it was on the cheek and waited until she was safely inside before he took off. Man, he was smitten.

He didn't get the chance to call her the next day, by the time he got off work and had dinner with the family it was late. Lola had kept him occupied, she was a live-wire and had a lot to say and Gus was her victim. She was particularly boisterous all night.

'I hope you didn't think I blew you off today. Lame excuse time, work was manic and then I had a family thing and Lola was in an Uncle Bus loving mood. What time do you go to work tomorrow? I can call you in the morning?'

'Who are you?'

'A very pesky demanding client.'

'Oh him, I leave just before eight, but if you want to buy a house you can call me anytime.'

He did contemplate calling her now but he was shattered. It had been a long day and he'd basically spent two days on his feet and had another four days to go and just wanted to hit the sack.

Gus didn't call, he showed up outside her place with a coffee just before eight the next morning. "I took a punt." He held out the travel mug. He was leaning against a lamppost and a smile lit up his face when she came out. "Don't throw out the cup, I'll be back for it."

"Thank you." Rhiannon was surprised to see him. It was sweet but she was a little blindsided by the fact he was waiting outside her apartment. "I've got an appointment in half an hour." She rushed out and Gus was concerned he had freaked her out.

"No problem, just wanted to bring you coffee and apologise for not calling you." He got the feeling that he wouldn't have to work too hard but he wanted to take his time and something told him she'd appreciate the effort but he'd obviously gone a little too far too early.

"You can not call me anytime if you turn up with my morning coffee the next day."

"It didn't freak you out?"

"A little. I don't want a stalker."

"What do you want?"

"Another date."

"I thought Saturday night was a client meeting, if I knew it was a date I would have been more charming." She just laughed, kissed his cheek and thanked him again for the coffee as she walked away. "What about that date?" he called after her.

"You should call me." Rhiannon threw back over her shoulder as she stopped at her car. "Have a good day Angus Ruzek."