Hank paced the length of his office, he was desperately trying to ignore the ache in his gut. This was a bad idea, it was too much. Dropping her in that world again could knock her on her ass.

Al ran his hands over his face, he had been at the briefing with Hank, he knew how big this was. He knew how important it was, and he knew why Hank was hesitant to agree.

"What're you thinking?" Al finally asked, "She'd do it. She wouldn't need to be asked twice."

Erin would never turn down a case, especially a case of this magnitude. She would jump at the chance, the woman had no fear and that was often a double edged sword. She always jumped head first into things, and many times it landed her in hot water.

"I don't know." Hank dropped down in his chair, "She's damn good police, Al. You know that as well as I do, but this is risky for anyone but especially Erin."

Al got up, "Hank, you've got to talk to her about it. The Feds asked you first as a courtesy, they're going to approach Erin about it. You can't keep this from her, she'll find out and she'll hate you for it." He knew how close Hank and Erin were, and he knew why Hank was reluctant.

"I know. I will." Hank sighed, "Thanks, Alvin."

"Emme, you can do it." Adam held the bike steady, "Trust me."

"I'm scared. What if I fall down?" Emerson looked at him, tears in her eyes. She lacked the self confidence that seemed to ooze from Milo and Michael both. Adam found it hard to believe that Kim had been the same way as a kid, but Nicole had backed up what Kim had told him.

"You will get up and we will try again." Adam kissed her forehead, "You can do this baby, I know it." He held the handlebars still, "You ready?"

Emme bit the corner of her bottom lip, "Okay, daddy. Don't let go. Not until I say so"

"Got it. Start to pedal, don't stop" he walked alongside her, picking up the pace a bit as she began to pedal faster, "You got it, go!" He resisted the urge to let go waiting for her to give him the go ahead.

"Let go daddy, let go!" She yelled, laughing as she finally figured it out and was able to ride the two wheeler in the cul-de-sac for the first time, "I'm doing it daddy!"

"Yes you are!" Adam hollered, "I knew you could do it!" He watched proudly as she maneuvered the bike like a pro, "Look at you go!"

It was the second week in a row he canceled on them and Kim wasn't going to ignore it any longer, the kids were in bed and she was going to address it.

Since Milo was about a year old they always had dinner with Bob on Saturdays, they all looked forward to it and Emme was in tears when she found out Bob was unable to make it yet again. The boys were just as miffed and Kim was certain Avery was too.

Adam was pretty grumpy himself, moping around quite a bit the last week or so. Kim couldn't take it any longer.

"So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Kim asked Adam as she laid her head in his lap, a baseball game on television.

"The Yankees are killing the Cubs" Adam huffed, "Its disgusting." He tucked her hair behind her ear, "I hope we didn't sell our soul to the devil for the World Series win."

Kim grabbed the remote and turned the game off, she sat up "This is the second week in a row your dad cancelled on us. What's going on?"

Adam leaned his head back on the couch, "Nothing."

"Bullshit. What is going on? Did you have a fight with your dad?" Kim pulled her legs beneath her, "You've been in a shitty mood and your dad never cancels two weeks in a row."

"What'd you wanna talk about?" Jay took the beer from Erin, they had a rough go of it over the last few years but things seemed to have leveled off and it had been smooth sailing. They had bought a small house together just outside the city and felt no big rush to get married, in fact they'd both admitted that marriage wasn't for them.

Marriage worked for Adam and Kim, and Kevin and Kara but not for them nor were children in the cards for them. They both loved being aunt and uncle to KiKi and the Ruzek children.

"The Feds. They've offered me an undercover job" Erin watched him closely, "Its a big case, an alphabet soup of agencies involved in it."

Jay nodded, "Okay?"

"It's a long term case...well, it could be. It all depends on how quickly it all comes together. Ideally it would be wrapped in ninety days." Erin propped her feet up on the coffee table, "I can't give you any details, but Jay, it's important. I think I'm going to do it."

"Erin, if you want to do it. Do it. You don't have to ask me." Jay set his beer on the table, "If you take it..just promise me you'll be safe. Okay?"

"Cross my heart" Erin drew a cross over her heart, "Its still a few weeks out, a lot of moving parts. I'm going to be loaned out to the Feds, I've already worked my last shift out of the 21st."

"Wow" Jay curled his lip, "Its gonna be weird."

"Don't get used to the boys club, I am coming back" she leaned into his side.

"Good. I will hold you to that." Jay kissed her, "Gonna have to use our time wisely, won't we?" He smirked as he lay across her, running his hand inside the back of her yoga pants.

"Yes, sir." Erin laughed as he nibbled on her ear lobe.

Adam huffed as he shifted on the couch, the last thing he felt like discussing was his father and what he had told him.

Kim waited for him to start talking, the longer he remained silent the more concerned she became. "Did something happen between you and your dad?"

Adam leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees, "We kinda got into it."

"When?"

"The night I picked Mikey up." Adam twisted his wedding ring on his finger, "Milo said something to him, and he asked me about it. It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it."

Kim laughed, exasperated with her husband. "Bullshit it's not a big deal. That was two weeks ago, it explains why your dad canceled on us. The kids miss him. What could Milo have said that caused this?"

"Lucy." Adam looked at her from her peripheral vision, "He told my dad he was worried that he couldn't remember her."

Kim felt the breath being sucked from her lungs, "Oh..." she somehow managed to speak.

"Yeah." Adam got up from the couch and started to pace, "He said he was worried about Milo...about us." He placed his palms on the windowsill, "I told him we were good, that he didn't need to worry..."

Kim went to his side, "Adam, honey..."

He whipped around to face her, "I'm fine, Kim."

"You aren't, and that's okay. I know Adam." Kim explained, "I know that you wake up in the middle of the night and go downstairs or out back to cry. I know that you get lost in your head..."

Adam shook his head, "Stop. Just stop, okay? I don't want to have this conversation."

"We need to have this conversation. I think it's long overdue." Kim grabbed his hips, "I miss her so much, but what we are doing isn't working. Pretending you're okay isn't working. If Milo can sense it, and he's hurting over it...we need to stop. We need to talk about our daughter, Adam. We need to do it for her, for the kids, and for us."

Adam closed his eyes as he hung his head, he blew out a long breath "Okay."

"Start with calling your dad, Avery's birthday party is next week and he needs to be there." Kim held his face in her hands, "Then we need to talk to Milo."

A/N

The first version of this chapter was lost, and it took a bit to get my shit together but here it is, I feel like this is better than the original chapter.

You'll just have to take my word for it.