A/N: Hello there, folks. I decided it's time for me to try something new. I've been thinking about what and how exactly I wanted to do this, and I came up with the idea to introduce the new character, that I created in my head a long time ago. Burzek story at heart, but it will took a long-long time to work things out between these two. Mainly I want to concentrate on Ruzek's development and his building relationships with the new character, which will play a huge part in both of their lives.


Charlie Webber has never been a good girl. She has never done something to please others with her words or actions. If the girl thinks you are a moron, you will sure discover it as soon as possible.

Almost the same characteristics she gave to her fiancé, who after all these eight years decided to become an ex. Charlie found him panting over a black haired young girl right in their own bed the evening she came home unexpectedly early.

"You kidding me, right?" She didn't yell. She just stood there in the doorway, observing the view of her dumbass man with a stranger on her sheets, the man she thought was love of her life, but thank God, he proved her wrong. It was a pity it took so much time to admit this.

"Baby, I..." Kieran was confused, but he didn't even try to find one reasonable explanation, because now it was so obvious for both of them: their relationship died and died a long time ago. Maybe somewhere between her restless shifts in Firehouse 105 as a paramedic and helping out her only brother to move to his new apartment in Chicago. Or maybe between Kieran's tours with his band and countless amount of attempts to record their first album, but everyone knew their band was total shit.

They have been dating since Charlie's sophomore year in high school. She turned seventeen, when he met Kieran: biker with a dragon tattoo on his shoulder. It was big, colorful and a bit spooky. His entire image was giving her the feeling of danger and permanent desire of adventure, and boy, how she liked living on the edge.

Charlie grew up in the Oak Park with her older brother Marcus. Unfortunately, she barely knew her parents, who abandoned the two of their children and ran away from the town. If Marcus had a chance to meet them and collect some memories, Charlie could only assemble a vague image by her brother's blurry descriptions and stories their aunt Helen told them. However, she wasn't always taking care of her nephews.

Some time they were ping ponging from one family to another, mostly separated, so the only thing Charlie ever wanted throughout her childhood was to be with her brother, one and only man she genuinely admired. Kieran was just there, always by her side, so one day she just got used to it. He was fun, hot and available — Charlie has never been a type of a girl, who needed a relationship to feel complete. What's more important, he offered her comfort, freedom and a friendly shoulder, which she could always lean on.
Only somehow, their friendship ended and there were nothing left to save anymore. Charlie just felt she outgrew him, his desperate music career and — the last but not the least — his desire to fuck other girls under their roof. If it wasn't too much, Charlie didn't know what else.

"Well, I think we should break up." Finally, he came up with the right answer, while that brunette was trying to cover up her naked body with a sheet and sneak out of the bedroom.
"Sorry, I'll wash it and bring it back." the girl said all of a sudden, running by, that made Charlie burst into laughter.

"Oh you can keep it, darling. No worries." She was practically grinning and couldn't hide the amusement this whole situation delivered. Young brunette hooked her clothes scattered all over the floor and shamefully left the apartment. The moment Charlie heard a loud sound of the slammed heavy door, she turned to Kieran with her hands across her chest and leaned on the wall.

"Well, you should leave too. I have a meeting at Molly's within ten minutes and I don't want you to walk here ashamed and sexually frustrated. It's so depressing."

That was it: blunt behavior.

She wasn't heartless, no way, she felt betrayed the moment she saw his sweating naked ass, but she always tried to look and sound chill, so nobody knew they won by hurting her feelings. She thought it was kind of a game called "don't fuck with my heart" and everybody else should play by her rules.

"But, Charleston..."

"Wow, don't call me that. Chop-chop, sexy beast, your love hours is over!" Charlie started to clean up the mess they have created: picking up pillows and collecting pieces of Kieran's clothes just to throw them right into his face.

"Move!"

Now that was a yelling.

"But it's my apartment." Kieran snapped matter-of-factly.

"Says who?"

"Says papers that I signed when I bought it!"

Charlie rolled her eyes and groaned irritated, continuing to clean the bedroom.

"Never knew you were so peddling. Okay, you can stay for the night, I'll sleep at Marcus's."
Kieran put on his clothes so furiously he didn't even notice his shirt was inside out.

"So, you have a place to live? That's just fine, cause seriously, Charlie, you are so not kicking me out of my flat."

Of course, she knew he was right, but she was too stubborn to admit it, that she just tightened her lips with an anger in her eyes and then spited out "I'm glad you slept with this girl." After that, she sprinted out of the building with a rage in her chest.
Not the mood she expected to be in during her partner's birthday party.

Molly's was full for the night. She didn't knew Gavin had so many friends, to be honest. He always seemed closed-up. Great paramedic but an absolute loner when it comes to socializing. However, Charlie found herself surrounded by a crowd of people, more than half of them she didn't even know.

"What is that? Queen of England decided to grab a drink at Molly's? Herrmann must be all over the place." Webber sarcastically uttered, when she saw Sylvie Brett form 51 coming up to her with a beer bottle.

"Huh?" Sylvie frowned with a question mark on her face.

"Where did all this people come from? I thought it would be a family party. Surprised even you guys showed up."

"Yeah… wait, what party?." Brett swallowed her beer and looked at Charlie more confused than before.

"Gavin. Gavin Krasinski? He's my ambo partner, remember?"

Sylvia went with a long "o-o-h", rounding her mouth and replied she didn't even know he had a birthday today.

"He is kinda weird though…" Sylvie added with a squint.

"I know right? You should be grateful for Jimmy. I mean, really grateful." Sylvie nervously chuckled and Charlie placed her hands on her waist, now trying to think of a reason to leave this so called party and go straight to Marcus's place. She didn't feel like getting drunk tonight.

"Hey, where's Kieran?" Sylvia pulled her out of her thoughts and handed a beer.

"We broke up." Charlie said straightforwardly and took a mouthful of her drink since she didn't have a lot of options.

"Oh my god, what happened? When?" The blonde girl almost choked and gazed at Webber with her eyes wide open.

"Like… Fifteen minutes ago. I found him at home test-driving our new bedding. Looked nice from the side." Charlie sounded uncaring, and she actually was, Sylvie seemed to take it more personally, than she would ever do.

"Shit, I'm so sorry. I… well, he's an asshole. You told him that? You should tell him! Ugh, I hate it, why men should always be like this?" Brett started to arguing with the universe and then mimicking Kieran or whoever she thought about, but Charlie wasn't quite listening to her, lazy moving her gaze around the bar. When she returned to Sylvie, who was still talking, she touched girl's shoulder and tried to stop her.

"Brett, it's okay. You don't have to… I mean, I really appreciate your concern. But I actually don't give a single fuck." She sighed in relief and took another sip of her beer. "I think I'm going home. Well, I'm going to my brother's place. This is where I live now, I guess." A crooked smile appeared on her face, but at that moment she also looked so tired, it was obvious, she wasn't ready to party at all.

"Send my greetings to Gavin, if you see him, k? I'm out."

"Oh no, you are not leaving the premises until you do shots with me and Dawson."

"Sylvie, come on… stop, Dawson is here too?"

Once Charlie and Gabriella hanged out together, they've became pretty good mates.

"Everyone is here. I'll set you up with some police. Come on. You don't want to miss all the fun, do you?"

It turned out, she wasn't lying. Everyone from firehouses 105 and 51 gathered celebrating end of their shifts, including some police officers from 21 district she might saw once or twice. Hell of a company and each of them was ready to get wasted tonight.

"You know me well." Charlie shouted to Brett, following her through the crowd.


Adam Ruzek known as a man, who never missed a party. He never really passes by a good company with free drinks, always full of jokes and stories. Working in intelligence is not always a horror movie, at least Adam knew how to make fun out of any situation. That's who he always has been – an ultimate optimist. But since that painful break-up with patrol officer Kim Burgess, he lost his magic power and became nothing but a shade. How pathetic, how ridiculous it was, but he couldn't help himself, couldn't start to goofing around again, like nothing ever happened. Basically, he didn't know what exactly happened between them, what was the actual reason she called of the wedding, their engagement, their relationships after all. All he knew she just walked away from that locker room, returned the ring he gave to her and never talked to him again. Adam felt like someone just entered the room full of life, joy and happiness and switched all the lights off without no reason. He was always a man, who didn't get any hints, plain and simple. And if Kim were having any problems with him, she surely should have spread them out, unless she decided not to and cut him off like a useless appendix. Maybe not the right description, but he felt the exact way for most of the time for two months. That's why he didn't want to come to that fireman party at Molly's. Atwater reassured him Kim wouldn't be there, but she wasn't the reason he wanted to stay home.

"Don't wanna be the only frown among all the happy faces. I am not a vibe killer, man."

"This is not something to be discussed. You'll bring the booze, I'll bring the girls, deal?"

Girls wasn't really an option for him as well as alcohol. Alcohol could only bring another numbness and depressing thoughts, and any girl on this planet couldn't heal his broken heart. But he gave in since Kevin didn't take no for an answer.

"It would be fun. Or, I swear, I'm going to avoid you outside the precinct from now on."

Adam groaned and took his keys.

"I'll drive."

When they arrived, they witnessed a hell on earth, maybe in a good way. At least, Kevin enjoyed it the first second they came in and already headed to the bar to greet some police and firefighters. Erin, Antonio and Jay were also there. Adam, however, took a pause and, keeping his hand in the pockets, somewhat nervously checked the bar, a little bit scared to meet Kim. He didn't even know what was so scaring. At the same time he was craving to see her, he missed her so much every day and wanted nothing but to be together. Yet the way she has been acting lately was giving him the impression he could be rejected the second he tried to talk to her. He was scared of how cold-hearted she suddenly became.

"911! Someone need help over here!" He heard someone's loud and ringing laughter right next to him. Adam turned his head, expecting to see someone passed out on the floor, but there was just a girl with bright hair, tank top and ripped jeans, and she was coming up to him with a glass of something alcoholic in it.

"You're here for like thirty seconds and haven't drunk anything yet. I'm here to help you out." Yes, she was drunk, pretty drunk, however, she was still in adequate condition, adequate enough to not fall down, although Adam got ready to catch her any minute.

"What's your name… You seem familiar." Girl squinted her eyes and pointed her index finger to him.

"Ehm… Adam." He cleared his throat. "Adam Ruzek. 21st district. Intelligence."

"Oh! Yeah-yeah, heard something about you around here."

"Something good?" Adam answered with a half-smile, not taking his hands out of his pants pockets.

"Um, no. Something drama. You're that guy, who was engaged to Burgess, right? And then fucked things up?"

Adam raised his eyebrows in a big surprise. No one ever talked to him about his relationships, and now there were some kind of dirty details, he didn't even know about. He didn't like what he has just heard, especially from who. He barely knew that drunk sweet face.

"Interesting you're more aware of my personal life than I am." Man scoffed and looked away, now searching for his friend. "And I don't even know who you are."

"Well, this is the easiest problem to solve. Hi, I'm Charlie Webber. And I'm gonna be here all night, because my motherfucking fiancé kicked me out of my apartment. And now I have to live with my brother, but this is the last thing I want to do. I mean, I love Marcus, but, what the actual fuck, why is it me who have to leave? I've done so much for keeping that place in comfortable living condition, because apparently Kieran is five years old and can't function like a grown-up man! And you know what? I ain't his mother! Adam, right?"

Slowly he moved his eyes to Charlie Webber, as she introduced, and found himself some kind of entertained by her drunk speech. He smiled softly and felt a little bit relaxed in this strange company.

"Wow. Looks like I am not the one who fucked things up." He finally replied with a smile not leaving his face, when he had a chance to speak.

"You know, Kieran would love you. You talk just like him. You guys should be friends. And sleep with all of Chicago women ever existed." Charlie snapped right away and drank all of the whiskey she had in her glass.

Adam didn't know why, but he laughed at her, not in a bad way though. She seemed nice and finally he was engaged in something that wasn't involved Kim or people they both knew and used to hang out with. That's why he changed his mind and instead of searching for Atwater, who was already having the best time in his life without him, decided to stay with a drunk girl.

"Looks like we can orginize the broken hearts club, huh?" Adam filled the pause in the dialogue and returned girl's attention to his side.

"I am not broken-hearted. I'm just pissed he evicted me! There's a difference. Nobody ever breaks my heart." Charlie snapped with all gravity, she put her pocker face on, but Adam could feel there was something behind it, however, it was none of his business, so he just nodded and offered her a glass of water or soda.

"I think, you've had enough today."

"Oh, please, don't play daddy. Just pour the liquor, man!" Charlie shouted with enthusiasm and headed to the bar, unceremoniously taking him by the hand.

Adam couldn't say no. This was the first time he felt something, that wasn't causing him pain.