Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the WWE. Just any OCs! I also don't own "Rocket Man." That would be Sir Elton John. I also don't own Starbucks, Kit Kat, or Scrabble.

Summary: AU. "Never take anything for granted. For everything can be taken away in a heartbeat. When a brutal attack causes Phil Brooks to lose his memory, he struggles to not only piece his life back together and regain what was lost, but also to discover who still wants him dead.

Author's Note: Hey! Thanks for the reviews/follows/favorites! It means a lot! As promised, there will be a new chapter a week, so here's the second one. It'll have a slightly different feel than the first since it'll get us introduced more to our four main officers that this story will primarily be following. There aren't any major clues in this chapter, though there might be some small ones, so keep an eye out! Let's go!

Chapter 2

Phil set the weights he had previously been lifting back in their proper places on the shelf, wiping the sweat from his face with the plain white towel he kept around his neck. He rubbed his heavily tattooed arms a couple times before stretching them out with a sigh. The gym in the basement of the police station was one of his favorite places to be. It always felt good to get in an easy workout after a case since it was a good stress reliever. His eyes passed over the bandage that was wrapped around his upper right arm, having taken care of the scratch the bullet had left behind on his own. It wasn't a major injury, but in this line of work, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

He ran a hand through his loose, dark hair before taking a sip from his water bottle and pulling his phone out of his gym bag. His plans to head to the treadmill before hitting the weights again, however, were delayed when he saw he had one missed call. Slightly confused, Phil quickly checked it, and a slight smile appeared on his face when he saw the name "Mom" on the screen. He paused his iPod and pulled out his earphones, draping them over his neck as he selected the call back option and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" the familiar voice of Lynne Brooks asked.

Phil's eyes narrowed slightly, though his smile lingered. "You sound distracted," he replied, sitting cross-legged on the bench next to his bag. "Is now a bad time?"

There was a quiet laugh on the other end, one his own tended to emulate. "No, Phil, I'm just grading some spelling quizzes," Lynne replied. "You know how second graders can be. Always keeping me busy."

A smirk replaced the smile that had previously resided on Phil's face. "I remember," he muttered. There had been many times over the past few years where his mother would have him come in to talk to her class about matters of safety as well as hint at the importance of not using drugs or drinking alcohol. Phil had always been a firm follower of the Straight Edge lifestyle– no drinking, no smoking, no doing drugs. He never minded when Lynne asked him to pass the message along to her students.

"Well, they do love when Officer Phil Brooks comes to visit." Lynne paused for a minute. "You sound winded. Is now a bad time for you, dear?"

"Nah, it's fine, Mom." Phil dabbed at his face with the end of the towel again. "I just finished my workout after the case. Sorry I missed your call. Everything okay?"

He heard his mother take a short intake of breath. "Oh, yes, that case," she said quietly. "It was on the news earlier. So glad you, Scott, Nick, and Cody are all unharmed. You know how I worry about my boys." Phil's smirk broadened. "Also relieved that little girl gets to go home to her parents. I can't imagine what any of them were going through. But I'm proud of you, honey. You did a good thing today."

Phil nodded in agreement, even though he knew Lynne wouldn't see it. Bringing little Katrina to her home and setting her in the arms of her grateful parents, tears running down their faces, had lifted his heart considerably after memories of presenting the badge and uniform of his former mentor to his grieving wife in a similar fashion had been pervading his mind.

"I have a feeling you didn't call just to talk about the case, though," Phil finally prompted with a quiet chuckle.

Lynne laughed again as well. "No, Phil, I didn't," she confirmed. "I was just just checking to make sure that you still had off tonight. Gotta know how much dinner to prepare."

Phil absently chewed on his bottom lip ring as he quickly lowered his phone for a second to check the date on the screen. Wednesday. How could he have forgotten? "Of course I'll be there," he told her after he brought it back to his ear. "I'd never miss my weekly nights with the family."

"Glad to hear it, Phil," Lynne said, and he could almost hear the smile in her voice. "It'll be good to see you."

"Yeah, you too, Mom," Phil replied, rising to his feet and grabbing his bag before hurrying up the stairs to the main level of the police station. With being on duty so much, he didn't get too many chances to see his mother, his sisters, and his nephews, and he knew that Lynne treasured the time he could spend with them as much as he did. "I'm just gonna stop home to shower and change first, so I'll probably be there in like half an hour or so."

"All right. Whenever you can get here is fine. I just gotta finish up dinner before you get here."

"Don't wait on me," Phil replied teasingly, quickly waving to Layla behind her desk as he crossed the lobby and stepped out into the cool evening air. He approached his black Camry, pulling the keys out of his gym shorts' pocket and unlocking it before dropping his bag in the back and climbing in behind the wheel.

"Well, we'll just play it by ear," Lynne told him. "See you soon, honey."

"Bye, Mom." Phil ended the call, lightly tossing his phone to the passenger seat next to him before starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

It was roughly a fifteen minute drive to his apartment, and Phil scaled the staircases leading up to the third level after entering the four-digit security code to get into the building to let himself in. He fumbled with his keys for a moment before finding the right one to unlock his door, stepping into the dark living room. He turned on the light and dropped his bag carelessly on the floor in front of the couch, seeing the only mail he had gotten was advertisements before checking his landline phone to see he had no messages there. It was a typical quiet day around the apartment, and that's the way he preferred it.

It didn't take long for Phil to dump his dark tank top and shorts in his laundry basket and quickly shower, pulling on a fresh pair of jeans and a Rancid t-shirt about ten minutes later. He glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, pulling the right sleeve down a little bit to ensure it covered the new bandages he had wrapped his arm in. He didn't want to worry his family unnecessarily, after all.

Phil stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing some water out of his eyes as he picked up his cell phone from where he had left it next to his keys on the small kitchen table. He smirked when he saw he had a text message, the look broadening when he saw it was from his younger sister.

Get ur ass over here, Phillip Jack! Parker wants to see his uncle!

Chuckling to himself, Phil pocketed his phone and grabbed his lightweight hooded sweatshirt from where he had left it draped on the arm of the couch after work the day before. His younger nephew of almost seven months, his older being the six-year-old son of his twin sister, Natalie, was becoming a handful for Cheline since he had recently learned how to crawl, and she always joked that he had adopted his uncle's mischievous spirit. Phil was glad he had manipulated his sister's young child, and he couldn't wait to see him too.

He was just pulling on his sweatshirt and grabbing his car keys when he noticed a blinking red light on his answering machine that hadn't been there when he had gotten home. Curious, he crossed the living room and pressed the button to retrieve it, starting to slip on a pair of old tennis shoes just as the message started.

"Hey, Phil, it's Eve. I–!"

Phil immediately reached over and stopped it, quickly deleting the message since he didn't want to hear the rest of it. He sighed, running his hand through his damp hair as he slipped his second shoe on. His ex-girlfriend Eve Torres, who he had dated for two years before he decided to break off the relationship around the time Chris had died, had not given up on trying to regain it. Phil had explained to her he only wanted to remain friends since he didn't want a committed relationship with anyone for some time, but she wouldn't accept that. It was then he had decided to cut her out of his life completely since she hadn't stopped hassling him.

"I still need to get that number changed," he grumbled to himself, grabbing his keys from the table and turning off the lights before leaving the apartment.

Ten minutes later, Phil pulled up in front of his mother's house, recognizing Cheline's green Kia in the driveway. However, he didn't see his twin sister's red Jeep. He locked up his car and hurried up the walkway to the house, ringing the doorbell. A couple minutes passed before the door opened, revealing a woman with brown hair that fell a little past her shoulders standing on the other side.

"There you are, you punk!" Cheline said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

Phil hugged her back, laughing a little as he ruffled her hair. "Wouldn't miss it, little sis," he replied, stepping inside before shutting the door behind him. "So, where's that kid of yours that was so anxious to see me?"

"'il!"

Chuckling quietly, Phil watched as the child in question, his head still graced with fair baby hair, quickly started to crawl toward them from where he had previously been playing with a few soft blocks in the living room. "Hey there, Parker!" He knelt down when his nephew got close enough, grabbing him securely around the middle and lifting him up before spinning him around a couple times. A smile appeared on his face when Parker laughed at the motion, but Phil briefly paused when he felt a twinge of pain in his upper right arm, supporting the baby mainly with his left.

"So, Natalie couldn't make it, huh?" he asked as he turned to Cheline, who was smiling as she watched her brother and son.

"No, not this week," Cheline answered, reaching out and lowering Parker's small hand as he made to grab Phil's lip ring. "She's got that baking internship in New York."

"Ah, that's right," Phil muttered, moving his head back a little when the seven-month-old's tiny fingers brushed against his mouth in attempt to reach the piercing again before raising a challenging eyebrow at him. "Why do you want that so badly, little guy? Here. This is better."

Cheline watched as Phil handed her son his police badge and ID card that he always kept on him, quietly groaning when Parker immediately put it in his mouth. "Ugh, sorry, Phil," she said. "You didn't have to give that to him."

Phil chuckled quietly as he watched his nephew continue to chew on his badge with content. "He can't hurt it, Chel," he replied with a slight shrug. "Trust me, it's seen worse than baby slobber."

His sister laughed a little herself, but before she could say anything more, they heard quick footsteps coming closer, and they both looked up in time to see their mother approaching. "Oh, good, you're here, Phil. Dinner's just about ready."

"Perfect timing, then." Phil smiled as Lynne gave him a quick hug, shifting Parker to one arm as he returned it and kissed the petite woman's cheek.

Lynne returned the look as she released him, tickling her grandson's cheek to make him laugh before she turned and crossed the living room to go back to the kitchen. Phil and Cheline glanced at each other.

"After you," the former said with a hint of a smirk on his face.

Cheline glanced at Parker to make sure he was doing all right before she followed after Lynne. Phil looked down at his nephew as well, chuckling quietly when the baby briefly met his gaze, a small smile appearing on his slightly chubby face as he cooed while continuing to chew on the officer's badge. He then followed after his sister, seeing Lynne and Cheline were setting dishes and silverware on the table in the kitchen before the latter set up Parker's high chair, though he slowed to a stop when he saw what was on the television playing in the living room.

It was Chicago news footage of the hostage situation that had occurred in Millennium Park earlier that day, watching again as he, Scott, Nick, and Cody faced Brandon Miller, who still held a terrified Katrina Moore. The footage skipped ahead, and he saw the fury along with a look of almost desperation in his own hazel eyes as he fired two shots, causing the other man to fall to the ground. The bottom of the screen read "Local Hero" followed by his name as footage played of him and Scott hurrying over to their police car with the seven-year-old girl, and Phil quickly picked up the remote from the couch behind him and switched off the television.

"That'll be five dollars and twenty-five cents, Sir."

Scott sighed quietly before flashing the young woman with dyed red hair a charming smile. "Couldn't get an officer discount by any chance?" he asked with a quiet chuckle, his eyes traveling to her name tag. "Victoria."

Victoria blushed slightly. "Um, it's not that I don't think you're doing a great job protecting our city and everything, and I think it's great what you did for that girl today, but I really can't give out any discounts..."

His smile lingering, Scott quickly pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket before checking the dashboard for any loose change. "It's all right, hold on..." he muttered to himself, biting his bottom lip slightly in frustration as he began checking his seat to see if any coins were lying around there.

The young woman sighed as she watched him, her dark eyes flitting to the line of cars that were behind her customer waiting to get their orders from the Starbucks' drive-thru. She could already tell that they were starting to get impatient.

Scott grumbled quietly to himself when nothing turned up there, but he smiled triumphantly when he found a couple dimes and a nickel in the cup holder. "Here ya go!" he said cheerfully, handing over the money to Victoria. He then took his large, over-priced cup of steaming coffee from the red-haired woman and set it in the same cup holder where he had dug up change before driving away from the window and pulling out onto the main road with his radio blaring. He tapped the steering wheel as he drove, quietly beginning to sing along with it.

"And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find

I'm not the man they think I am at home

Oh no, no, no, I'm a rocket man

Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone..."

Ten minutes later, Scott pulled up in front of the house he shared with his parents. When he had been in the Academy and first joined the force as a rookie, he and Phil had been roommates in a two bedroom studio apartment downtown. But when he heard a couple years before that his mother had broken her hip and was unable to work anymore, he moved back in with her to help her, his father, and his little sister out since his younger brother, Greg, was away at college pursuing his dream of being involved with television animation, and Phil had gotten his one bedroom apartment.

Scott took off his seatbelt and left the car, jogging up the walkway to the door and unlocking it before stepping inside the two-story house. "I'm home!" he called, shutting the door again behind him and slipping his shoes off.

Light footsteps greeted him, and he smiled broadly when a small, black-haired girl excitedly ran down the nearby staircase. Scott set his coffee cup on the small table near the door before he moved to stand at the base of the steps when she paused about a third of the way from the bottom, grinning before she jumped down toward him.

"Whoa, girl!" Scott laughed as he held his arms out and caught her small form, feeling her wrap her thin arms tightly around his neck. "Give a guy some warning!"

The girl chuckled too, smiling up at him. "I knew you would catch me," she said confidently.

Scott smiled back, ruffling her dark hair. A playful glint appeared in his eyes as he loosened his arms around her slightly, causing the girl to scream and then laugh when she began to fall a little. His smile broadened as he ensured she didn't, bringing her back up to a comfortable position in his arms. The seven-year-old wasn't his sister by blood, but that didn't mean he loved her any less.

When a representative from an international adoption agency visited the municipal building his mother still volunteered at during the week, she had immediately shown an interest in what the program entailed. She had then proceeded to enroll with her husband, and several steps in the process and piles of paperwork later, they were able to bring Briar, who had only been a baby at the time, to her new home.

"Of course I would," Scott replied. "Always will. And don't you ever forget it." He then proceeded to briefly tickle her side.

Briar laughed, rubbing her nose against her adopted brother's before he set her on the ground. "Mom's outside in the back," she told him. "She wanted to talk to you."

"All right. Thanks, kiddo." Scott watched as Briar hurried back upstairs before he walked through the living room and into the kitchen where the patio door was. He unlocked it and slid it open, stepping out onto the wooden porch. A smile appeared on his face when he saw his fair-haired mother crouched in her garden in the setting sun, tending to the flowers and vegetables she was preparing to grow for the quickly approaching summer.

"Hey, Mom."

Denise Colton quickly looked up, a smile spreading across her own face when she saw Scott was watching her. "Hey, sweetheart," she said, slowly rising to her feet and brushing the dirt off her hands on her jeans as she crossed the yard to the porch. She stopped when her oldest child hurried down the couple steps to meet her, giving him a tight hug. "Glad you're home safely."

"Always, Mom," Scott replied with a grin when she released him. "Never a question."

"Well, of course I worry, you know that," Denise told him, brushing a couple strands of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail behind her ear. "I saw the news today. I'm so glad you found that poor girl. I'm very proud of you and Phil."

Scott chuckled. "Well, it was because of Phil that she's able to go home to her parents tonight," he muttered. "He took a chance the rest of us didn't."

Denise smiled, setting her hand on his cheek. "It was all of you." Scott nodded, and she gingerly walked up the steps to the porch behind him. "I've gotta start on dinner. Your father's plane is going to land soon, and it won't take too long for him to get a taxi here." David Colton was the vice president of a successful business firm, and his job often took him away from home for semi-long periods of time.

"I can go pick him up," Scott offered as he followed his mother back into the house. "Save him some money."

"Are you sure?" Denise wondered. "I don't want you to feel like you have to since you just got home. I'd do it myself, but..."

Scott brushed her hesitance off. "Nah, it's no big deal, Mom," he assured her. "Not a problem whatsoever. Plus it'll be good to see Dad."

Denise smiled before quickly kissing his cheek. "All right, I'll give him a call then," she said. "I'll get dinner going while you do that. I've got no idea what I'm gonna do yet..."

"Anything's fine, Mom," Scott replied. "I'm hungry."

Laughing a little herself, Denise playfully smacked his arm before she left the room to call David. Scott smirked as he sat in a chair at the round table, looking around the familiar kitchen he had grown up in. His gaze ran over the antique breadbasket and sugar bowls that sat on the counter under the window to the refrigerator that was covered with pictures he and Greg had drawn when they were kids along with Briar's added ones. He then heard the girl in question run down the stairs and into the kitchen, quickly sitting on his lap since she wanted him to play one of her handheld electronic games with her, and it was then Scott fully realized how good it was to be home.

Nick precariously balanced his bottle of Mountain Dew, a hot cookies and cream flavored cappuccino, three white chocolate Kit Kat bars, and two packs of mint ice cream gum in his hands as he stood on the front porch of his house. He shifted most of the items from his gas station stop on the way home to his right arm as he reached for his keys where they sat in the side pocket of his jeans, but then he quickly moved them back to his left when he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his gold wedding band, holding the two gum packs between his teeth as he slipped it on his left ring finger with a little difficulty. He loved his wife, but he never liked to wear his ring while he was on duty since he didn't want to take the chance that she could get dragged into cases he was working on and be put in harm's way if whatever felon they were after should see it. But, he reasoned, he usually remembered to put it on once he left the station and not when his hands were so full.

He once again started to shift everything to his right arm, but he gasped quietly when the soda bottle and three candy bars slipped through his grasp and landed by his feet on the porch with a thud. Nick winced when a small splash from the cappuccino cup landed on his hand, sighing with frustration as he watched the Mountain Dew roll off the porch behind him. Even though he had burned his finger in his attempt to keep it from falling too, at least he hadn't dropped the hot beverage all over the place.

Then, he glanced up when he heard familiar laughter, a sound that always lifted his heart, and saw his beautiful wife leaning out the window above him, her deep brown hair tied in a messy ponytail behind her head. "Having trouble, hun?" she wondered with a smile.

Nick grinned as he chuckled quietly, taking the packs of gum from between his teeth. "Nah, no trouble at all," he told her. "I'll be right in."

His wife shook her head slightly. "No, I'll be right down," she said before she disappeared from the window.

With another sigh, Nick hurried down the porch steps and ran down the slightly slanted walkway, bending over and picking up the fleeing Mountain Dew bottle before it hit his car. He then jogged back up to the porch just as the front door opened and his wife stepped out, one hand resting on her lower back. He smiled as he approached her, his light eyes passing over her larger stomach. When she had told him after a particularly difficult case that she was pregnant, Nick had been the happiest he had ever been in his life, even though they hadn't been planning on having a child yet. The past nine months had at times been very trying, but it had been worth it since at any time now, he was going to be a father. Nick was still as excited as he had been when she had first told him, but he was also incredibly nervous. He only hoped that he could be an able father to his child.

"Here, I'll get these," Charity Nemeth muttered, beginning to crouch down to grab the three white chocolate bars.

"No, no, I got it," Nick said quickly, reaching a hand out to stop her. "Here, you take these, and I'll get those. Careful, it's hot."

Charity smiled as she took the cappuccino and two gum packs from her husband's hands as he bent down and picked up the candy he had gotten for her. Nick knew it might have been cheesy or cliché, but it was that same smile that had won him over when he had met her for the first time six years before when he had first started on the force as a rookie. He had been at a café with Phil for a quick lunch during their break, and she had been waitressing to help make her way through art school. She had him at, "What can I get ya?"

Nick returned the look as he straightened up. "Let's switch," he told her, taking the packs of gum and giving her the Kit Kats. "Those are for you, after all, and I'm out of gum for when I'm on duty."

"Well, thank you. You remembered I've been wanting these." Charity's smile broadened for a moment before she leaned forward and met his lips in a quick kiss. "Though you don't always have to be a show-off."

"Nah. Just for you, babe," Nick joked with a smirk before he kissed her again, a bit longer this time.

Charity finally pulled away, taking his free hand in hers as they walked inside the house. Nick shut the door behind them with his foot before slipping his shoes off and walking into the kitchen, setting the Mountain Dew bottle and mint ice cream gum on the table. Charity followed after him, watching as he ran his left index finger under cold water in the sink.

"Did you burn yourself?" she asked with concern as she approached her husband.

Nick glanced at her when he felt her petite hand begin to rub his back. "It's not serious," he answered with a small smile. "Just a small splash of that." He nodded to the cappuccino in her other hand.

Charity chuckled quietly, taking a quick sip before setting it on the table next to his soda. "Sorry about that. But as I said before, that's what you get for being a show-off."

"It pays off when you do it right." Nick gave his wife a wink as he turned off the water before drying his hand.

"Yes, I know." Charity sighed as her smile waned before she wrapped her arms around Nick, resting her head on his chest.

"Everything all right?" Nick wondered, lightly rubbing her shoulder.

Charity nodded. "I'm just glad you're all right," she muttered, closing her eyes for a moment. "I was watching the news earlier, and just seeing you guys and that gunman..."

Nick sighed, kissing the top of her head. He knew well the dangers the profession he had a passion for presented, and it was one he didn't have an easy time leaving his wife, especially his pregnant wife, every morning for since anything could go wrong at any time. But despite these dangers, he loved his job as he loved her, but it was a true relief and joy every night he came home to her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Charity," he finally said, tilting her face up to look at him. "I wouldn't leave you." A smirk appeared on his face as he lightly set his hand on her round stomach. "Or little Nicky junior."

Charity rolled her eyes as she shook her head slightly, a quiet laugh escaping from her. "And what if it's a girl?" she pressed, setting her hand over her husband's that had yet to leave her stomach. Though they could have found out the gender of their child months before, they had both agreed that they would rather wait to find out.

"Hmm." Nick thought for a moment before he grinned. "Nicole."

"You're impossible," Charity muttered, though her smile lingered.

"All right, all right. You can pick the middle name," Nick conceded with a wink.

Charity laughed a little as she lifted her other hand and ran her fingers lightly through his bleach blond hair. Nick rested his forehead against hers, but before he could say or do anything more, he quickly looked down at her stomach.

"The baby's kicking," he said, his smile broadening.

"I can feel it," Charity replied with a slight wince, keeping her husband's hand in place. "Does that all the time when you're not home."

Nick met Charity's gaze for a moment, his eyes shining, before he met her lips in a loving kiss. He had a job that gave him a true sense of purpose, he had the most beautiful, wonderful wife he could ever ask for, and soon, he was going to be a father. Though there were always uncertainties ahead for him, he didn't see how his life could get any more perfect.

Cody sighed as he stirred the eggs a bit more before pouring them into the frying pan on top of the stove. He rubbed his eyes, tired after the long day of not only successfully getting Katrina away from her captor, but also the interrogation by Chief Matthews when he had arrived at the scene after Phil and Scott had left with the seven-year-old. But at least they had been able to get the girl home, and that was the most important thing to him.

However, the officer was glad that he had also had a small chance to relax as soon as he got home before he started to make dinner. Cody smiled slightly to himself as he tilted the pan a little to get the butter and eggs to mix together. After the busy day they had all had, his spirits had been lifted slightly upon seeing he had received a text message from his father, Dusty Runnels, when had gotten home. It had been a simple "good job," but since the man had once been a great officer himself, it meant a lot to him.

He then moved his eyes down to the floor when he heard a quiet bark, smiling slightly at the small black labrador retriever, the runt of her litter, sitting expectantly at his feet with her tail wagging as he began to add some shredded cheese and a couple of cubed ham pieces into the pan before turning on the stove underneath it. "Don't tell Mama," he muttered, dropping one of the small meat squares to the waiting puppy and chuckling quietly when it was eaten immediately.

Cody was used to cooking since he had lived on his own for quite some time after he had graduated from high school and joined the Academy, and even though he had recently moved into this bigger house with his girlfriend, he still did the cooking quite a bit of the time since they mostly had different schedules. He was home earlier almost every night, so it was a task that was a bit easier for him to do.

Then, Cody glanced away from the pan for a second when he heard the front door unlock, and knowing that his girlfriend had just gotten home, he stirred the mix a couple more times before leaving the kitchen after the puppy, who was running as quickly as she could across the living room. A smile appeared on his face as he watched Layla hang up her lightweight hooded sweatshirt before taking her heels off with a sigh and setting them next to his tennis shoes by the door.

"That Barbie doll finally show up?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his tone as he crossed his arms in front of him.

Layla quickly looked up at the sudden question before turning her attention to the puppy looking for attention at her feet. "Hey, Mackenzie." She picked her up into her arms, scratching behind her floppy ears when she licked her cheek affectionately before setting her down again and approaching her boyfriend. "Nearly ten minutes late. And that's early for her," she answered with frustration, leaning against Cody when he pulled her into his arms.

Barbara Blank was a young woman in her last couple years of modeling school, having been hired to replace Layla for the night shift as dispatcher at the police station for extra money. She also insisted, much to Layla's annoyance, that everybody address her as "Barbie."

"I swear, I'm gonna have a talk with Darren one of these days," Layla continued, closing her eyes briefly as Cody's fingers lightly ran up and down her arm. "She can't keep showing up late. Plus, I see her eyeing you up all the time."

Cody raised an eyebrow in amusement, which only served to fuel his girlfriend's irritation. "Well, I am pretty dashing, if I do say so myself," he muttered.

"Come on, Cody!" Layla snapped, smacking his arm and making him laugh. "That's not funny!"

"You know, you're rather cute when you're angry. Your accent is a lot more prominent," Cody told her with a wink. He chuckled quietly when she only glared at him, tightening his arms around her slightly as he pulled her closer to him. "I'm just kidding, Lay, you know that. You're my girl, not some Barbie doll."

Layla smiled up at him, standing on her toes to give him a quick but loving kiss. Cody returned the look as he brushed some dark hair behind her ear. But then, his light eyes narrowed slightly when he smelled something burning. He quickly turned in time to see that a thin layer of smoke was coming from the kitchen, and he cursed under his breath as he released his girlfriend and hurried into the other room, Mackenzie scurrying along behind him as she barked. Layla followed them, covering her mouth as she couldn't help but laugh when she saw what originally was going to be a ham and cheese omelette for her had been burnt.

"Thank you, Cody. This is just what I needed after a long day," she said, leaning against the wall behind her and crossing her arms as she watched him.

Cody continued to grumble to himself as he turned off the oven, lifting the burnt egg with a fork to take a closer look at it. "Even though I don't think you want to eat this, I'll have to wait to throw this away too since we don't want to set the garbage bag on fire," he replied offhandedly, turning to look at her after setting it back down. "Though I'm glad that it lightened your mood after getting off of work late again."

Layla sighed heavily as she nodded in agreement. "And after worrying about you," she added quietly. "I didn't know what was going to happen at the park with that girl..."

His gaze faltered slightly at his girlfriend's words, and Cody slowly approached her and tilted her face up to look at him. "I'm all right, Lay. The important thing is that Katrina got home safely and no one else got hurt."

"Yeah," Layla agreed with another sigh, trying to give him a hopefully reassuring smile as she took his hand in hers. "It's just that so many things could have gone wrong, and I didn't want to–!" Her sentence was cut off, however, when Cody leaned down and met her lips in a deep kiss. Layla slowly wound her arms around his neck as she returned it with the same fervor, allowing him to pull her closer when he set his hands on her hips.

"Try not to worry about it, Lay," he murmured when they finally pulled apart. "I know it's always a risk, but I've made it this far. I'll be fine." He smiled, brushing his fingers lightly over her cheek. He chuckled quietly when his girlfriend nodded in silent response.

Then, Cody looked behind him at the burnt egg again before he draped his arm over Layla's shoulders, his smile broadening when he saw Mackenzie had propped herself up on her back paws against the stove to try and sniff at it. "What do you say we go out to dinner tonight?" he suggested. "It's been a while since we've done that."

Layla looked back at him with surprise. She couldn't even remember the last time they hadn't been so busy where they could have a date night just to themselves. "I would like that," she replied. "Let me just go get changed, and–!"

But Cody chuckled as he kept her at his side. "You look fine, Lay," he said. "Beautiful even. Come on, let's just go now."

The Englishwoman looked back at him for a moment before she smiled. "All right," she muttered, taking the hand of his arm that was still around her when he kissed the side of her head. "Let's go."

"Cheater."

Cheline looked up at Phil, who was sitting cross-legged on the living room floor across the low table from her. "I am totally not cheating!" she protested. "'Congee' is a word."

They had finished dinner about twenty minutes before, and after the siblings had cleaned up the dishes for their mother, the three of them had started on their traditional game of Scrabble. Lynne watched with amusement as Phil and Cheline got into their usual heated contest, Parker soundly sleeping on the latter's lap. Her son always won these games, but that didn't stop Cheline from continuously trying to knock him down a notch.

"Then what is it?" Phil wondered.

"It's a Chinese breakfast dish made with rice," Cheline told him matter-of-factly. "And the only word I could make with the letters I had."

"Never heard of it."

"Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it's not a word."

"It's a word, Phil," Lynne added with a chuckle, causing Cheline's eyes to gleam triumphantly while Phil playfully sulked. "I've actually made that dish a couple times. We'll have to do that when you're over next. Now go before I steal your turn."

Phil gave her a look of mock horror. "You can't do that, Mom," he said.

Lynne smirked. "Then go, my dear," she replied.

Grumbling to himself, Phil looked at the letters he had before him– P, I, C, P, L. What word could he make with those letters? He moved his hazel eyes to the rest of the board, looking at the words that the three of them had already made to see if he could add to any of them.

But he never got the chance.

Phil was just starting to lift one of the P's when a loud crash filled the living room as a large rock sailed through the wide window.

Author's Note: So, we have our first cliffhanger. Get used to them since this story will be full of them and I am notorious for them, lol. But now that we're introduced to our four main officers, we continue forward in this unfolding mystery. Spot any hints? There aren't too many, but possibly a couple mini ones. If they weren't spotted, never fear! We'll review at the end. Hope you liked it! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!