Disclaimer: I still don't own

Danny watched Adam leave. He thought about going after him, but decided that it would be best if he left him alone for a while. He counted to fifty, dropped some money on the counter, and went home. The night was chilly and overcast, appropriate given the circumstances. On his way home, he mulled over the horrors that Adam had detailed for him. "How could anyone do that to their kid? Poor Adam must be feeling so lonely." The worst things his father had ever really done were smack him on the back of the head or threaten to put him in jail if he didn't behave. Adam's father was a monster in comparison.

Danny walked up the flights of stairs to his apartment and went in as quietly as he could so as not to wake the neighbors. After debating whether or not to pour himself a drink, he decided it would be better if he simply went to bed. He quickly brushed his teeth and climbed under the covers, hoping he wouldn't start having nightmares about his friend.

And he didn't. Actually, he never fell asleep. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to get Adam's stories out of his mind.

"Found him in the shower… dead."

Danny blinked rapidly, clearing the image.

"Got a compound fracture in my shoulder… would've gotten infected."

He put his pillow over his head, trying to shut out the voice.

"Nervous breakdown… started when I was nine… trying to "fix" me."

He took the pillow off his head, got out of bed, and walked to the window. There was a small gap in the clouds, revealing a few stars. He sighed, wondering if Adam had even gotten home.

Adam had gotten home long before. He put on some hard rock, his go-to music when things were really bad. Dropping down on the couch, he shut his eyes and let sleep close around him.

Alone in a dark house, covered in mud, rain spattering the windows. He kicks his shoes off and walks inside. "Hello?" he calls, fearful of what might lurk in the shadows. Something feels wrong. He goes to his bedroom and drops his books on the bed, then straight to the shower to get cleaned up. He opens the door and stares in shock and the limp, lifeless body hanging from the shower rod.

Adam bolted awake, breathing heavily. The image was so clear in his head. He looked at his watch. 3:30 am. He had to be at work in three hours. Getting up from the couch, he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge door, pulling back as another flashback hit him.

He falls to his knees, screaming "NO MICHAEL!" Tears are pouring down his pale face as he kneels helpless on the floor. He looks at the sink and sees the cell phone. He picks it up and dials 9-1-1, stating only to "Help me. He's dead." He leaves the phone on the floor, still on call, and retreats deep into his mind, escaping the pain, the fear, the deadly scene before him. And that's where parents, police and paramedics find him thirty minutes later, tears still streaming down his face.

Pulling a Red Bull from the refrigerator, Adam thought about the scene at the bar earlier that night. In retrospect, perhaps he unloaded a bit too much on Danny. He knew he had a past that scared most people and fascinated psychiatrists. It was all a bit much for someone who didn't exactly have the most stellar childhood either. "At least his father wasn't evil," he thought bitterly.

He sat down on the couch and sipped the cool, refreshing energy drink. It was odd how his solution for bad sleep was caffeine, but nothing else had worked and he didn't want to try sleeping pills.

Which got him thinking about sleep patterns and habits; which got him thinking about how, when he had first started at the crime lab, he had thought Sid lived in the morgue; which got him thinking about how surprisingly comfortable the chair in his "office" was; which led to a whole host of differing trains of thought that occupied him until 6:00.

He gulped down another Red Bull and got ready to leave for work. While combing his hair, he wondered if Danny was even going to want to speak to him.

Danny didn't want to talk to Adam, because Adam didn't seem to want to talk and that was kind of necessary for a conversation to happen and Danny didn't want to argue. So he decided he would talk to someone else and ask for advice. His first thought was Lindsay, but she would probably be biased and tell him to arrest Adam's father. He could try Flack, but he wasn't the kind of guy you went to for problems involving Adam. So he turned to the only person he thought might understand: his boss.

"Hey Mac, you got a minute?" He asked, sticking his head through the doorway. Mac looked up from his paperwork and nodded. Danny walked into the office and sat down awkwardly.

"What can I do for you Danny?" Mac asked. Danny shifted in his chair. He wasn't comfortable talking about Adam like this, but he hadn't promised that he wouldn't say anything. He sighed and looked at his boss.

"It's about Adam," he said. Mac's face became serious. After the Kaplan case anything involving the lab tech was serious. He waited for Danny to continue, watching the blonde detective shift uncomfortably.

Danny sighed again, wishing he had talked to Adam instead. He slowly began to repeat the story Adam had told him, watching Mac's face grow more serious with every detail, particularly when he got to the part about Adam's brother. Finally, he reached a conclusion to the horror story and looked at Mac darkly.

"Look, I know I tease Adam a lot. And I know it makes it look like I don't really care. But Adam's like a brother to me. I can't just sit back and watch him suffer." Danny stated. Mac held up his hand.

"I know what you mean. To be honest, most of us don't treat him as well as we should. And I suspected that his father had been abusive, but I didn't know to what extent."

Danny nodded. "So… what should I do?"

Mac smiled sadly. "I don't think I'm the best person to be asking about these matters. It's terrible what happened, I understand. But perhaps you should talk to someone a little more… experienced with these problems."

"Like who?" Danny asked. Mac shrugged. Danny nodded and got up to leave. On his way out the door he turned back.

"Mac? Don't tell Adam I told you this. I don't want him to be mad at me." Mac nodded. Danny smiled and left the office.