Hello everyone. I've had the first 2 chapters of this fic written for a while but I held of posting as I didn't know when I would find the time to continue. I still don't frankly, but I will do my best. After the last 2 minutes of last night's episode (3x12) I think we could all use some Burzek togetherness in our lives. Sob. (Kim, talk to Adam not Sean for goodness sake!) Erm, anyway... I hope you enjoy, please leave feedback. Thank you in advance!

When Adam responds to a difficult call, it brings up painful memories for Kim. But neither of them could know what consequences it will have for their family.

Chapter 1

Halstead climbed back into the car, trying to balance a coffee in each gloved hand. Antonio took his gratefully and cupped both hands around the warm Styrofoam. Jay could not shut the door quickly enough, his breath leaving a trail of mist inside the car even after the door was shut.

"Man, it's cold out. Is this as high as the heater goes?"

Dawson shrugged, taking a sip of the piping hot liquid. "Unfortunately. Remind me again why we don't live in California? February in Chicago is no fun for anyone."

Jay looked over and grinned his lop-sided grin. "It's fun for the Polar bears."

Antonio rolled his eyes. "Because this city is not crazy enough, you want to throw bears onto the streets?"

They stayed parked in front of the diner, staring through the fogged up windshield. Antonio drummed his fingers absent mindedly on the steering wheel. It had been a few weeks since the old friends had been partnered together, they were glad it was turning out to be a relatively quiet day so they could catch up. Even the hardcore crazies were choosing wisely to stay inside in the warmth.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Jay took a long gulp of his coffee.

"Yeah" Dawson smiled. "Libby's coming over. We're going to, uh, stay warm." He winked and Jay jabbed him in the ribs.

"Oh yeah?" Jay smiled. "I'm happy for you man. It's all going well then?"

"Definitely. She met the kids last week. We went ice skating. They seemed to like her."

"I'll bet."

Antonio's kids weren't really kids any more. Eva was a High School Senior. But they would always be his kids. He hated not seeing them every day but they came to stay in the city with him whenever they got the chance. "How about you? Got a date? With that blonde chick, what's her name?"

Jay sighed. "Katy? Nah, that didn't work out. I'll probably just stay in and watch movies in my bachelor pad of despair, with no one but my TV and a six-pack for company." He piled on the sarcasm but there was a hint of regret in his voice. He sat back and stared out at the empty road.

"I'd offer to keep you company but I have more important things to be doing."

"Alright, don't rub it in."

Just then the radio crackled to life. "All units. Call to Northwood Elementary School. We have a missing minor, likely abduction." It was Voight's voice that filled the car.

Jay reached for the radio on the dash. "On our way, Sergeant."

Antonio put down what was left of his coffee in the cup holder and took off the handbrake, signalling to pull out into the road. He paused and looked over at his partner. "Hey, isn't that Izzy's school?"

"Daddy!"

An excited squeal echoed across the playground as Izzy ran full speed at her father, arms out-stretched.

"Hey there Sweetpea. Be careful on the ice okay?" Adam caught his daughter before she collided with his legs and scooped her up, planting a kiss on the top of her purple bobble hat. "What are you doing outside?" He hugged her tight, her bright red boots dangling in the air. This was the kind of call that made you want to hug your kids.

Lindsay walked through the gate behind him and stepped aside to allow uniform to file in. She squeezed Izzy's arm as she walked past. "Hi trouble." Over Adam's shoulder, Izzy grinned back.

Adam pulled away from her slightly so he could see her face. Her big brown eyes stared back at him and she grinned. Izzy had the same eyes as her mother, and Adam was powerless against them on both his girls. "I saw Uncle Hank through the window and knew you'd be coming too." The six year old wrapped her arms around Adam's shoulders again and he lowered her to the ground. Looking up to walk further inside the gate of the school grounds, he saw Miss Martinez, Izzy's teacher walk towards them.

"I'm sorry Mr Ruzek, we tried to keep all the kids inside but I couldn't stop her." The woman smiled apologetically.

Izzy tugged at Adam's jacket with a pale blue mitten. "Are you here to find the big girl?"

"Yes baby. We're going to do our very best." He placed her hand on the top of her head and she leaned into his side, burying her face into his leather jacket to hide from the cold.

"Can you tell me what happened Miss Martinez?" Lindsay led the woman a little way away so Izzy couldn't hear.

"Please call me Lucille. It was recess, I was on playground duty. Some kids were running in and out of the trees by the fence. They know they're not supposed to go back there where we can't see them. I was on my way over to tell them to stop but I got distracted by one of the kids crying because he'd slipped on some ice and cut his knee. I want tending to him by that bench." She pointed timidly, then wrapped her arms back round herself protectively. "The next thing I knew two of the 5th graders ran up saying Maria had gone."

Lindsay looked over to a boy and a girl gazing out the window at them, their eyes red from crying.

Lucille continued. "I followed them over to the corner of the playground, behind the trees. There was blood on the ground. Only a bit, but Maria's hat was lying on the ground too." Tears filled her eyes. "It's all my fault."

Ruzek came up behind them, clutching Izzy's hand. "We'll need to take a statement from you soon Ok?" Lindsay laid a hand on the teacher's arm. She nodded silently.

"Go inside with Miss M ok baby? I need to do my job now." Izzy nodded, biting her sleeve and he watched after the two of them as they walked inside, only turning his attention back to Lindsay when they were out of sight.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm cool. Come on, tell me what we know?"

"Maria Robinson, 10 years old. Went missing around 1:20pm." Voight stood with twelve or so patrolmen, holding up the school photo of the missing girl the receptionist had pulled from the files. Sean Roman looked at his watch. It was 2:15pm. He saw a bright, happy African-American girl smiling out from the photo, her round cheeks glowing, her long hair in braids falling around her shoulders. "A small amount of blood was found at her last known location. She's likely injured, every second counts. I want you all canvassing the area, knocking on every door."

There was a collective nod from the uniforms as they dispersed. Voight handed the photo to Roman as he turned to leave, and shifted his attention to Halstead and Dawson, who had just pulled up to the curb and climbed out. "Here Serge" Jay said, slamming the door.

"Get on the phone to Mouse" Voight said to him before he could take a step. " I want all CCTV footage within a five block radius, tell him to look for any suspicious vehicles hanging around the school today." Jay nodded took out his cell phone.

"Do we think she was abducted?" Antonio's voice wavered, remembering his own son going missing all those years ago.

Voight picked up on the meaning to his words and looked at him with sympathy. "We have to assume so, yes. The girl's parents have been called, I'll get Roman to meet them when they get here and bring them down the station. I'll go and talk to anyone who might have seen what happened."

Dawson nodded gravely, his mind elsewhere. After a few seconds he blinked, and his focus was back on Voight. The Sergeant continued. "Two of the girl's friends are inside, they're the ones that realised she was missing. Ruzek's with them."

Antonio pocketed his notebook as Voight walked away. "Where do you want me?"

"Go help uniform search for witnesses."

Voight brought a cold breeze into the lobby as the automatic double doors slid open to let him through the entrance. The two children were sat on a low blue couch with Adam standing a short distance away from them, his back against the wall. None of them said anything. The boy sniffed quietly, either strating to cry or finishing, he fiddled with the woollen hat in his lap. The girl just stared blankly ahead.

Adam met his eye as he walked over and went to meet him half way. "They're pretty shaken up" he said in hushed tones, "I haven't asked any questions, I don't want to upset them, you know?"

Both men were fathers, they knew. But they also knew that to find out clues to Maria's disappearance they might be forced to ask some difficult questions to these two frightened kids. Adam glanced over at them and sighed.

"Have their parents been called?"

"Yeah, the receptionist has just got off the phone to them."

Voight walked over and crouched on the floor. "Hey guys. Your parents are on the way, ok?" They both nodded. "My name's Hank." He paused, waiting for them to offer the information of their own names voluntarily. He needed them to trust him, and Adam who was now beside him. "This is Adam."

The children looked at each other, glancing uncertainly at Voight. "Are we in trouble?" This was the first sound the girl had made since they'd got to the school.

"No, of course not. We need your help to find your friend, that's all."

"But we weren't supposed to go behind the trees."

Voight took a deep breath, unsure what to say. The irony of this situation had not escaped him. He had no trouble beating information out of hardened criminals, but persuading a couple of frightened ten year olds to tell him their names was proving difficult.

Adam crouched down too and smiled. "You guys are in the 4th grade right?"

"Fifth!" The boy relaxed his shoulders and stopped playing with his hat. He sniffed.

"Ah. It must be cool being the oldest in the school, hey? My little girl goes here too, but she's only in the 1st grade. She has Miss Martinez this year."

"We are Reading Buddies with Miss Martinez's class. What's her name?"

Adam relaxed, and slowly moved to sit on a chair a little way from the couch the. He pulled it closer. "Her name is Izzy. She's told me about that. She loves reading with you guys, books are her favourite thing."

"I know her, she's Jessie's Buddy." The girl also seemed to relax. "I like books too."

They were all quiet for a moment. Voight had stepped away, deciding Adam was in a much better position to make the children feel at ease than he was.

"My name's Hannah. He's Ty."

A little while later, Adam felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the school's receptionist with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry to disturb you Detective. We're sending all the children home early, we all thought it best. Would you like me to call your wife to collect Isobel?"

"No." He answered somewhat sharply, but instantly mellowed. " It's alright, we're nearly done here. I'll take her with me." He didn't want to worry Kim, he needed time to think about what to say to her.

The woman turned to return to her desk, she looked stressed. Hannah and Ty's parents had arrived and were comforting their children on the couch down the hall where they'd remained ever since they were brought inside. Voight was with them, Adam saw him say something to the group although he was too far away to hear. He watched them gather up their belongings and begin to follow him out to the cars that waited just outside the school gates.

He spotted Izzy's teacher leading her to him from around the corner and saw her face light up when she saw him. He felt his own smile widen, but instantly felt for the parents of the missing girl. Izzy flew at him, her little red backpack bouncing on her back. She was bundled up in her coat, ready to go. Adam held out his arms to her.

"You ready to go Iz?"

She nodded. "How's the investigation going?" she asked, her face suddenly serious.

Adam poked her playfully. "Where did you learn to talk like that?" Izzy shrugged. "You'll have to come back to the precinct with me while I finish work. Is that alright?"

Izzy nodded enthusiastically. Inexplicably, she loved it there. Some days it was the last place Adam wanted to be. Like now, in fact. All he wanted to do was take his baby girl home and kiss his wife. He wanted to hold his family close in the warmth of their home and never let go. He couldn't bear to think about how he'd feel if it was Izzy who was missing. He shook that thought from his head and ruffled her hair. "Have you got your hat? It's cold out." She held it out to him, clutched in her small fist.

As he bent down to place the hat on his daughter's head, Ty and Hannah and their parents walked past.

"Don't worry" Izzy piped up when Hannah stopped briefly and looked at them with a strange expression on her face, "my Daddy's the best cop there is." Adam saw a flicker of a sad smile on Hannah's face and felt proud of his caring girl.

Bringing up the rear, Voight stopped with one hand on the door frame. "You ride with Tonio, me and Jay and one of the squad cars will take the families back to the precinct."

Down the street, Adam opened the door to the car and gently pushed Izzy and her belongings into the back seat, sliding in beside her. Antonio, in the driver's seat, turned around when he heard them climb in. "What's up Zee?"

He held out his fist in greeting and Izzy stretched across for a fist bump as Adam leant over to buckle up her seatbelt. "Hello, Uncle T" was her reply, full of attitude. She grinned.

Adam rolled his eyes, both at his daughter, and his colleague. He didn't think he'd ever heard Dawson greet Izzy by her name. "Izzy Ruzek" he'd said at the hospital, meeting the baby for the first time when she was barely 3 hours old. "That's a lot of Z's." The nickname had stuck.

"Are you okay man?" Antonio asked Adam, looking with concern at his colleague.

"Yeah" Adam replied, but he was distracted. He put his arm around Izzy's shoulder and she leaned into him, sticking her thumb in her mouth for comfort. "Let's go."

Antonio started the engine and turned the car around. Waved through the police cordon by a pair of uniform cops, he headed back to the district.