This is my first story for MC. I've loved the whole series, but the episode that really affected me was Risk Assessment from season two. Buzz is my favourite character, and watching him reveal what had happened to his father and uncle made such an impact on me. Like Rusty, I just didn't see it coming.

It happened at the end of the episode, too, so there was no time to see its aftermath. And I certainly can't remember it being mentioned again. So with a bit of extra backstory, which I hope fits in with his established background, I've written this four part story on how Buzz might have reacted to remembering how his father and uncle were killed.

I also hope you like this first chapter, and if I've got any part of Buzz's background wrong here, I'd really appreciate any pointers to put them right.

Resolutions

Chapter One

There was a knack to raising teenagers. With two, happily balanced kids under her belt, Sharon liked to think she'd done a pretty good job. And while Rusty was still a constant challenge, she still knew how to deal with this latest, brooding silence. Subtly watching him over her paper, she sat quietly, and waited for him to end it.

"Sharon, do you... I - I mean, has Buzz ever told you why he joined the police?"

Well, there was a pitch that would have those scouts at the Dodgers scrambling for their check books. It also explained the sudden interest in why she'd made her own choice of career. All those questions from yesterday, from a kid whose world so often revolved solely around himself, and so rarely around anyone else.

For her, it had been a simple decision. For Buzz, though, that choice had come from a life-changing tragedy. Very few people knew it, too, so for Rusty to be asking about it now... yes, Sharon knew she had to tread carefully here, and test the waters. Just keep it brief, nicely casual, and see how much he knew.

"Yes, Rusty, I do."

The rest came through more silence. The kind of smile that only a mother could use to coax a troubled teen into opening up. A few more steers of cereal later, it started to work.

"We were talking yesterday, because... well, Buzz said we should... I should, you know, get to know you all better... be more interested in what you do, and... you know, why you do it."

The smile grew, joined by a nod of proud approval. Yes, that explained even more. Guiding mentor had spoken. And, it seemed, pupil hadn't just listened, he'd followed through on it too. She just hoped that Buzz wouldn't come to regret it.

"So you know about his dad? And his uncle, what... what happened to them?"

Well, now - he knew the whole thing? Interesting. And with waters now tested to her satisfaction, Sharon knew she could take the full plunge into them.

"Yes, Rusty, I know they were both murdered when Buzz was very young... and like all unsolved murders, their file is still open..."

Just one of countless other cold cases, that she would dearly love to solve. One of so many acts of senseless violence, that had shattered Buzz Watson's life. And, it seemed, now struck a real chord with her adoptive son.

"Yeah, he was just a kid when it happened... even younger than me, when I..."

Reaching that all too familiar blight on his life, Rusty stopped dead in his tracks. No, he was on a new road now, where that past life of shame and degradation could no longer haunt him.

Instead he turned his thoughts back to another's. That of his once reluctant babysitter's, whose relationship with him was now changing into something he couldn't quite identify. Not just friendship, but like that of an older, wiser, ever patient brother. Someone whose unthinkable tragedy was bringing his own troubled past into a whole new perspective.

When Buzz had chastised him in that hallway, it hadn't made him sulk. It had made him think. Made him care about such an opinion, and wonder why it suddenly mattered. With everything he'd learned yesterday, he now felt it even more. And the only way he could start to understand it was to ask more questions.

Not to Buzz, though. No, that would only dredge up more memories, that he'd surely wish had stayed buried. Another of those concerns for others, that had suddenly started to matter.

Luckily, the next best person to ask was right in front of him. Not just his adoptive mother, but a woman who could help him understand the very worst of crimes. How such acts of violence could shatter lives in the space of a heartbeat, and affect the innocent victims they left behind.

"God, it must have been awful for him, to lose his dad like that, and his uncle too, and... Sharon, how can you... how can he... live with something like that?"

Another good question, that deserved every bit of her attention. Putting her paper down, Sharon thought for a moment - considering the question that would take every part of a mother's compassion and experience to answer.

"Well, I'd imagine you'd need to do as Buzz has done, and turn your grief and anger into something constructive. For him, it was to join the police, and find a role within it to help those affected by such an awful crime themselves... to find the evidence that will bring their killers to justice..."

It was good to see Rusty nodding, taking in what she'd just said. A returning frown told her how seriously he was taking it, while quiet words revealed the first, most difficult barrier that Buzz had needed to overcome.

"...even if your mom doesn't want you to... that's why he went through film school, instead of the Academy, because... well, if anything happens to him, there'll be no-one left to look after her."

She knew that already too, of course. It was why the rest of her team ensured his safety at every single crime scene - only letting him near it when all possible threats had either been identified or eliminated, and sending him safely out of the way if just a hint of one arose.

A personal promise, from one mother to another. One she'd do all in her power to keep.

For Rusty, though, it was still a revelation, that had left him both surprised and - what? Guilty at his own self centredness? No, maybe guilty was too strong a term, more like... impressed, maybe? Or humbled? Inspired by such courage that he'd learn to show himself, to face whatever challenges this SIS operation would pose for him?

Yes, that was it. To show such courage after such tragedy was a real inspiration, that he could certainly learn from. From this new resolve, though, came yet another question.

"He isn't even bitter about it, is he? I mean, he goes out to all these crime scenes, that must remind him of what happened to his dad and uncle, but he never lets any of it show... you'd never think he'd gone through something so awful, he's just... you know, Buzz."

Smiling now, at how he'd react to that, Sharon nodded again. In a squad of such strong personalities, Buzz Watson certainly wasn't the loudest member of her team, but what he did have to say - well, more often than not, even Provenza would sit up and take notice. On a really good day, he'd even take him seriously.

More to the point, she also knew this was one question that she couldn't answer - hence the quiet reminder for him to consider the only person who could.

"Well, that's something only Buzz can tell you... but only if he wants to..."

Another nod was another good sign. Much better than the 'well, duh!' expression that she'd expected, and fully deserving the proud smile that followed.

Yes, this often self-centred child now had an awful lot to think about. From clearing away their dishes to driving them in, Sharon left him to it - because if yesterday's events had surprised him, then the full story behind them was going to shock him even more.