"You didn't have to send me flowers." Adam's text message surprised her and cheered her up. The first time he had sent her a message she had cried. He had asked if she was coming in to see him. It was getting late and she was tied up a work and when she had told him that she wasn't sure if she'd make it in he had sent her back a sad face. It was well past midnight when she finally made it into the hospital. There was no way she was letting him down once he had reached out to her. There was a huge shift that day.

Instead of sending him a message back she called him. They had come along way in just a couple of weeks; they had gone from almost enemies to strange friends with an undercurrent of that big love they shared. They hadn't talked about all their painful issues and sorrid past, somehow they had silently agreed that it wasn't the right time and it seemed to be working for now. At some point it needed to be addressed but right now they were almost acting like they had no history. "You got flowers? You got a secret admirer?"

"I hope so."

"Who are they from?" Kim wedged her phone between her ear and her shoulder and continued navigating the supermarket aisle.

"Come on Kim, no need to be coy."

"Adam, I didn't buy you flowers."

"Then I am guessing the Bourbon is not from you either?"

"No. You are not allowed to drink yet, that would just be cruel."

"Then how did they get in my apartment?" she could sense a little bit of panic in his voice. His mother had taken him home from the hospital, much to his displeasure. She was a little overbearing at the best of times and he had even jokingly called her the 'angel of death' once which went down a treat. She was falling over herself to do everything possible for her son and Adam had been self sufficient for a long time. He'd seen the flowers and drink on the table as had she.

"From Kim?" she'd asked.

"Maybe."

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but what's going on with you two?"

"Ah, nothing." He waved his hands up and down his body indicating that he was hardly in any fit state to do anything. "We are just learning how to actually be friends again."

"And what do you want to happen?"

"I want to be her friend. That's all." Adam really didn't want to get into it; he wanted his mother to leave him in peace. "Anyway, I think I'll be fine here. I am going to have a rest. Who knew walking from the car to my apartment would knacker me." And he literally pushed her out the door.

Kim picked up on his panic and felt her own heart start to race a little. "Is there a card?"

"It says Did I hurt you?" He was holding it in his hand, turning it over a few times. Something in his mind was starting to tick over but he couldn't quite grasp it, his head was still a little all over the shop but the assured him that wasn't unusual considering the massive concussion and trauma he had suffered.

"Adam, I didn't send you any flowers I swear."

He dropped the card like it was on fire. "Fuck." Now he sounded really freaked out.

"Adam, what is it?'

"It's her." They hadn't had any luck chasing down this mysterious girlfriend of Adam's. Her phone had been switched off, no GPS nothing. He had no address for her; they always hooked up at his place and at the time he didn't care. He didn't want to get in to deep with anyone so she would come over, they'd screw around for a few hours and then she'd leave. It suited him perfectly.

"Call Voight." Kim left her half full cart in the middle of the aisle as she bolted for the car. "Lock the door. You've got your weapon right?"

"Yes."

Within ten minutes his place was crawling with cops closely followed by Intelligence and then Kim. She barely had a minute to talk to Adam before Voight started barking orders. "Are you okay?" she briefly rested her hand on his cheek, her thumb barely grazing his skin through his rough beard.

"I am fine. Just a little freaked out, it's probably nothing."

"It's not nothing." Voight barked as he strode towards them and Kim stepped away.

Voight had them searching his building, knocking on neighbour's doors and canvassing the street. "How do you know they are from her?"

"Gut feel. It was also something she would say when….." he looked a little uncomfortable and Hank just nodded. He understood where that was going. Adam was grimacing as he tried to pace around his small place, which was way over-crowded. All he wanted to do when he was in hospital was get home and now that he was here it felt like a cage. The flowers put the final nail in his coffin; he needed to leave this place. "She's been in here."

"How?"

"I don't know. They were already in here, right there." He pointed to the middle of his small dining table. "When I got home."

Voight rubbed his brow. This case had got them all chasing tail, the trail, what little one they did have was stone motherless cold. "Okay. First things first, I want you in protective custody until we find this woman."

"I'm not hiding." The last thing he wanted to do was hide away like a scared little rabbit, he wanted to see her face to face but his Boss was having none of it.

"Yes, you are. You are a half lame duck right about now. You can't help or defend yourself. I don't want to have to worry about you again. I will not have my team compromised because they are worried about you."

"I can help, I can chase down leads, anything."

"No, you are not cleared for duty. You are getting protection, end of story. We've got a place that we'll send you."

"On one condition." He waited until Voight nodded, somewhat reluctantly but Voight had some idea what this was going to be about. "I want Kim to be protected too."

"Why?"

"She knows her name. I don't know what she's capable of." He pointed to his face, which still bore the obvious results of his brutal beating. "Or maybe I do."

"Not sure she'll agree."

"Make her, tell her that her job is to protect me. I don't care. Get Platt to order her, whatever it takes. I want her protected from whatever this is." He pointed at the flowers. "If she doesn't go, neither am I."

To say that Kim was impressed was an understatement. She finally felt like they were letting her get involved. They had her with Kevin talking to the neighbours so to be told that she had to pull back was not what she wanted to hear. "Why?"

"I am putting Ruzek in Protective Custody until we find this woman and her husband." Kim still didn't understand why this meant she couldn't work the case. "You are going with him."

"What if I said No?"

"It is not a request, it's an order."

"With all due respect Sgt Voight, you are not my Boss." Kim knew that it was pointless to argue but she had to at least try. She wanted to help find this person; she needed to show Adam and the rest of them that she could do her job. She needed to show him that she did care about him and she wanted to get her claws into this bloody woman. Voight was having none of it though.

"It's already been cleared with Platt." Two plain-clothes officers walked up behind her. "You are going now. I will get Lindsay to head to your place and grab you some clothes. Is there anything you need in particular?"

"No." Kim knew better than to argue with Voight. The decision had been made. She had no idea what was going on but she was damn sure going to drag it kicking and screaming out of Adam later. He'd already gone; Voight got him out of his apartment before he could even pack a bag. He also did not want them travelling together and he barked orders at his protection detail which left them in no doubt what would happen if they stuffed up even the smallest part of their job.

Their job was to get Adam to the safe house, a small two bedroom self contained unit in a secure building about an hour from the city. They would have everything they needed to live, a kitchen, TV and a small yard, but no WiFi or Internet. They were off the grid, even their phones were taken off them before they even left Adam's apartment. There needed to be no way of tracking them.

They had two officers with them each initially and then just two would be left. One outside in a van and the other stationed in an office just inside the main door. All other entry and exit points were heavily alarmed and had CCTV. Some pretty big whistle blowers had stayed here in the past. Adam had no idea it even existed which was entirely the point.

Kim dropped down onto the couch, folded her arms across her chest and glared at Adam. "Well you want to tell me what's this all about?"