"Mommy!" Cassie giggled as she ran down the stairs, "Save me Mommy!" She threw herself at her mother, winded and in the midst of hysterical laughter, "Donnie's gonna get me!" She burrowed herself into her mother's side.

Hayley wrapped her up in her arms, "I won't let him get you baby girl" She waved her boyfriend of two years away, "Go away, Donovan."

"No fair" Donovan sulked, "You two are snuggling, you know I like to get in on that." He folded his arms across his chest his mouth curved downwards, "Please let me snuggle too!"

Cassie peaked out from behind her mother's arm, "You promise not to tickle me?"

"I do." Donovan was quick to reply, "cross my heart."

"Okay..." Cassie scooted over so Donovan could sit with them, "I'm happy you came over."

"Me too kiddo..." Donovan tousled her dirty blonde hair, he was never a big fan of kids but Cassie was unlike any kid he'd ever met before. She was pretty special and so was her mom.

Though it hadn't started off that way, he had met Hailey on the job. They were working a case together and he'd been paired up with the local police. He was the low man on the totem pole, he'd been with the DEA for just over a year at the time and it meant he was stuck with the grunt work.

He was attracted to her the minute he laid eyes on her, but he felt like she struggled just to tolerate him. He had asked her multiple times to grab a drink after work with him and each time she shut him down. He kept at it though, the case had been complicated and a long one and over time he wore her down.

She hadn't been easy to get close to but he never backed down from a challenge, she was under his skin and he was going to get her to give him a chance. That's all he wanted, he was confident that was all he needed.

Hailey finally stopped fighting him, she opened up to him a few months after they started dating she filled him in on her fears and insecurities. She talked about her relationship with Adam and how screwed up she had been at time. It had been a mistake from that first night and it had been why she was reluctant to have a drink with him, she had been afraid to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Donovan had learned a lot about her night, he had to wait another six months before he was introduced to Cassie. When they finally met they had hit it off and Hailey felt the weight of the world lift off her shoulders.

Hailey Upton had finally gotten it right.

For once her life was trending in the right direction.

Kevin popped the tops off of two beers and handed one to Adam before he sat down, "What time are you picking Miss Priss up?" Molly's had been a bust, closed for a private party so they headed to Adam's place and he tossed a couple of steaks on the grill. Kevin was bummed he wasn't chasing the ladies, but he enjoyed hanging out with Adam.

Adam shrugged, "After lunch, she's going to a birthday party with Hailey and Donovan." He wasn't thrilled with the idea of a later pick up but he knew the party was important to Cassie.

"The cat from the DEA? You like him?" Kevin asked.

"That's him" Adam tilted his to the side a bit, "He's a bit of a prick. He's arrogant, thinks his shit doesn't stink. He's got a criminal justice degree he likes to remind people of that but yet he's still the bottom rung of the ladder, he's a big talker, a one upper. Cassie likes him though, so I guess that's all that matters, right?"

Adam could barely stand the sight of the man.

Donovan was a one upper, he was constantly tooting his own horn, he wanted everyone to know what he did for a living, and he was show off. He made sure everyone know he was well off, that he drove a sports car and was a brand whore. Donovan had even taken a few pot shots at him, "He is quick to point out that they pick up our slack, they solve the cases we can't, the cases were not smart enough to figure out. As long as he does right by my daughter, I don't give a shit about him." He had to admit that he wanted to give the guy one serious beating, just to knock him off his high horse but he wasn't going to do that to his kid, kicking Donovan's ass just one time would be seriously therapeutic but it would never happen.

"I can't believe she's with him still, I can't stand coppers like him. He sits behind a desk while cops like us bust our asses. He only shows up when the cameras come out." Kevin kicked his feet up on the porch railing, "You gonna get back in the game?"

"What game?" It was a silly question, he had a fair idea of what he meant. He had dated for a bit, and had been in a relationship. He had met Rae DiSanto while at the DMV they'd been stuck in line together for well over and hour and ended up exchanging phone numbers. Rae had made the first move and it ignited something within him. They had a lot of fun and she couldn't wait to meet Cassie.

After a few months Adam invited Rae over for dinner, he hadn't told Rae that Cassie was there, he wanted to let it happen organically. He didn't want Rae showing up with gifts for his kid, he wanted the meeting to be spur of the moment he didn't want Rae to overthink it or come up some elaborate plan to get close to Cassie.

He was nervous as hell he had dated a few women but he never felt the need to have any of them meet Cassie and Rae was the first to meet his daughter.

It was a bit awkward at first but Cassie and Rae bonded over nail polish and lip gloss, leaving Adam to his own devices.

After a few months Adam felt things shift. Rae became more invested in their relationship than he was, perhaps more than he had every been invested. She had pressed him on why he was holding back from her, and he couldn't give her a solid answer.

That had been the beginning of the end. It wasn't long before she announced she was moving back to the west coast to be closer to her parents, they were getting older and she had a younger brother with Down Syndrome who was struggling a bit, it felt like the right time to go home and then even more so when things with Adam had stalled out.

Cassie had taken it hard and was crushed to learn Rae was moving, it killed Adam to listen to her cry as Rae explained it all to her. Adam appreciated that Rae had taken the time to talk to Cassie. For weeks afterwards Cassie would beg to FaceTime Rae, and every time Rae was gracious enough to agree, what had been a weekly FaceTime call slowly dwindled and after a few months it died out completely.

"Rae's been gone for a year man, don't you think it's time to get back out there?" Kevin asked.

"You're starting to sound like my Pops." Adam laughed.

"Cassie was crushed when Rae left, I don't think I can put her through that again."

Kevin saw an opening, "Burgess is single." He never passed up an opportunity to remind Adam of Kim's relationship status.

"Don't go there Kev. Been there done that and had my heartbroken I'm not doing that again. Not to my heart and definitely not Cassandra's heart."

He held his hands up in defeat, "Adam, I had to say it. The two of you haven't been in a relationship with anyone longer than a year, you two work best when you're together. I don't know what happened to fuck it all up but I'm tired of seeing my best friends settling for someone or even worse choosing to be alone." He had liked Rae but he knew Adam wasn't as into her as she would've liked, "Rae was great, she was a sweetheart but you weren't all in."

"Yeah I was, it just didn't work out." Adam wasn't all that convincing, "Cassie is all I need."

"Cass is awesome. She's incredible but she can't be it for you." Kevin was sitting on the edge of his seat, "Adam, c'mon man."

Adam ran his hands over his head, "I'm not having this conversation, you're killing my buzz." He just wanted to relax for the night, he had no desire to hash out his love life or lack thereof, "Please Kevin just drop it."

"Just let me say this...and then I'll drop it. You need to get out more. I'm not saying you need to start chasing tail but you need to get out of the house, everything you do is for Cassie and when she is with Upton, you're here. In this apartment or you're working. Ya gotta live buddy."

"PJ's on." Hailey guided Cassie into her bedroom, "once you've done that you can pick out a book and Donnie and I will be right up to read with you."

"Can I FaceTime my daddy first?" Cassie clutched her favorite stuffed bunny tightly in her arms, "I miss him so much..."

"You'll see him tomorrow. It's pj time." Hailey grabbed a pair from the dresser, "let's go."

"But I wanna talk to daddy first. I wanna say goodnight and I love you to him." She whined.

Hailey cringed at the sound of her daughter's whine. Adam adored Cassie that was obvious but Hailey took issue with his parenting style, they rarely saw eye to eye on things and it had pissed her off when Adam bought Cassie iPad for Christmas, he bought it despite her asking him to hold off at least another year.

Cassie wasn't happy when Hailey told her the tablet had to stay at her dad's house and that she wouldn't be buying her one, she was left feeling like the bad guy.

Hailey called out to Donovan to bring her cellphone to her, "Okay. You can FaceTime your dad and one book, deal?"

"Thanks mommy." Cassie jumped up and down, she raced to get the phone from Donovan the second he crossed the threshold into her bedroom.

"Ruz!" Kevin grabbed the cellphone from the coffee table, "Miss Priss is calling."

Adam closed the dishwasher and went to retrieve his phone, "Hey Cass my lass.." he beamed when her adorable face filled his screen, "Uncle Kevin is here" Adam tilted the phone a bit so Kevin would appear on the screen.

Cassie grinned from ear to ear, "Hey Uncle Kev! I miss you so much."

"I miss you too Miss Priss. I'll see you soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise Boo Bear. I'm going to go home so you and daddy can talk." Kevin had noticed Donovan and Hailey in the background and it irked him just a bit. He couldn't quite put his finger on exactly what it was that irked him about the situation, maybe it The was 'perfect little family' vibe they had going on or maybe it was the fact that neither one had the decency to duck out of the room during the call.

"Bye Uncle Kevin!" Cassie waved her hand frantically, "Hi daddy..."

"Hi Baby. Did you have a good day today?" Adam asked ignoring Hailey and Donovan's presence in the room, "I've got big plans for the weekend."

"Like what?"

"I thought we'd go to the museum, maybe go the nail salon. How does that sound?"

"Good. I've never been to the museum. Can I pick polish with glitter in it?" Cassie asked him.

"Of course anything for you." Adam could tell Hailey was trying to get Cassie ready for bed, "Hey baby, it's getting late. You should start getting ready for bed. I will see you after your friend's party, okay?"

"It's Lily's party, her daddy works with Donnie. He's a Fed like Donnie, they work together. Donnie says that feds are better than cops, but I don't think so. I think they're both good, don't you daddy?"

"I do. Feds, beat cops, detectives, they're all good." Adam had grown accustomed to comments like that, little snide remarks that he knew Donovan had said in front of Cassie. It was petty as hell, Donovan said them in hopes that Cassie would repeat them to Adam. "I love you sweet girl."

"I love you too daddy. I'm gonna press the red button now, okay?"

"Sweet dreams."

Adam tossed the phone on the table as soon as the screen faded to black. He exhaled slowly and leaned back against the couch, co-parenting a kid was fucking hard he constantly felt as if he was being judged for his choices.

Hailey ran a tight ship, she was 'that mom' the one who didn't want her kid to have too much sugar, or allowed to watch tv, electronics were a no go. Hailey felt she was the 'perfect' mother, and made all the right choices.

Adam groaned a bit in frustration going down that path would lead nowhere, instead he hopped off the couch and straightened up. The weeks he didn't have Cassie he slacked on his no work at home stance, case files still littered his kitchen table including crime scene photos, mugshots and witness statements from their current cast. There was no way in hell he'd leave them out where Cassie could find them, he didn't want work to be in the house when Cassie was with him. Some would say he went overboard on that front, even chastising Kevin for having his service weapon on his hip when he picked her up when she was about six months old, he knew it was a bit silly Cassie had been oblivious to the fact Kevin was packing heat.

It didn't matter to Adam though, he saw the very worst of what the world had to offer and he didn't want that mess to touch Cassie. He knew it wasn't the case when she was with her Mom, Cassie had relayed a story to him just a few weeks ago. She had given him a pretty detailed account of a case Donovan had been working on and he was livid. He had managed to keep his wits about him and changed the subject pretty quickly. He was quick to call Hailey later that night and she seemed unbothered by it, stating that it all went over Cassie's head and she had no idea what she was talking about and that he was overreacting.

Donovan pulled the covers back, "You okay? You seem a bit annoyed" He asked Hailey when she finally joined him in the master bedroom, "Did Adam say something that pissed you off?"

"I had planned to do a girls next weekend. I thought we'd get our nails done, but Daddy is taking her and he's just so much fun, he's always stealing my thunder. He's the fun parent and I'm the mean one. It just gets old." Hailey explained, "It just seems like it's just fun 24/7 at Adam's and then when she comes home I have to hear all about it."

"It's a good thing she's got you, kids need balance and you provide her with that." He kicked off his sweats and climbed into bed, "You're a great mom."

"Thank you." Hailey leaned over and kissed him, "Can we stop talking about Adam?"

"Yes." Donovan laughed, "I don't like talking him on a good day and I certainly don't like talking about him when I'm in bed with you.