Kim Burgess-Millar sit in her son's closet with the 3 year-old next to her and her 9 milimeter sitting on the other side of her. She could hear her husband Matt still yelling downstairs.

"Bitch I better have food and sex waiting when I get home." She then heard the door slam causing her son AJ to jump.

"Let's wait a few minutes okay baby boy?" She was breathing hard.

"Okay momma." She never wanted all this to be normal for her son but it was. A few minutes later, they both left the closet and she sent AJ to play while she went to the kitchen and went to her portable gun safe that was hidden in a cabinet. She pulled it out and set it on the counter and ran her hand over the engraving on it.

Darlin'

I'll love you till my dying breath

Adam

The portable gun safe had been a gift from Adam right after their engagement. She had never been able to get rid of it and she had hidden it away because Matt had a hair trigger when it came to Adam. She put the code in and it popped open. She pulled the burner phone that she had placed there a couple years ago and typed in the phone number that she knew she would never forgot. She listened as it rang; hoping that he hadn't let it go dead like he used to. A few seconds later she heard him answer.

"Hello?" She paused as she heard his voice. "Hello?" He said again.

"Adam don't hang up it's me." She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kim? What's wrong?" He asked, picking up on her fear and nervousness.

"I'm sorry I'm calling out of the blue but I uh, I need your help. Turns out my husband likes to hit me and um I haven't been able to leave. I kept thinking it would get better but it hasn't he raised his hand to my son."

"Where are you?" She could hear him getting up from his desk.

"Indianapolis, Indiana. I'll text you my address."

"How long will that bastard be gone?" She could hear the anger in his tone.

"Until 6pm"

"I can be there in 3 hours."

"Okay we'll be ready." She said and hung up. She went to find AJ who was in his play room.

"Hey baby boy." She crouched down to his level. "Can you pack as many toys as you can in this duffel bag?"

"Okay momma." He said as Kim made her way into her room and picked up the two pre-packed duffel bags that held her clothes and then a smaller bag with photos and other things she didn't want to lose. She set them in the living room and then went to AJ's room and got his pre-packed duffels that she added to the pile. She made her way into the kitchen and grabbing her gun safe and putting it in her bag. Then she went and found AJ, playing with him for the next hour. She heard the knock on the door and sprang into action.

"Okay baby boy, you ready to go?" She asked, standing up and grabbing his duffels of toys.

"Yep" He said following her. She glanced out the window and saw the Jeep in the drive and she knew it was Adam's, she could see the lights in the grill. She opened the door and dissolved into tears as Adam stepped inside the house and wrapped her in a hug

"Shh Darlin' you're okay, you're both safe now." He said has he had pulled back kissing her forehead.

"Hm I have our stuff already packed, we just need to put AJ's seat in your jeep." She said as she knelt down in front of AJ.

"Baby boy, this is momma's friend Adam. He's going to take us back to Chicago. Adam this is my son AJ." Kim said, brushing some of the boys brown hair out of his eyes.

"What's up little man?" Adam said to the young boy holding out his fist and got a fist bump in return.

"I want mommy to be safe." AJ said.

"She will be and so will you." Adam said as he started grabbing the bags, Kim grabbing AJ's booster seat. By the time she had the booster seat in and had buckled AJ in Adam had the Jeep loaded.

"I just need to grab my last two bags and I'll be right back." She said as Adam nodded his head and got in the Jeep. She quickly ran inside and grabbed her purse and her old gear bag. She looked around the house one last time before shutting the door and walking toward the Jeep. She climbed in smiling as she heard the conversation that Adam and AJ had struck up.

"Mommy look! Badge!" AJ said waved Adam's extra badge around the chain hanging around his neck.

"I see baby boy." Kim said with a small smile as Adam pulled out of the drive.

"He was asking what my badge meant so I was telling him and then I let him see my extra badge."

"I want to be a cop!" AJ said loudly from the back seat.

"You can be whatever you want to be little man." Adam said as he pulled onto the interstate. AJ kept chattering away for about 20 minutes before he nodded off to sleep, Adam's badge still hanging around his neck and he had it gripped in his hands.

"You okay?" Adam asked, putting his free hand over hers.

"I'm Better than I've been in years" She said, intertwining their hands.

"So, does AJ stand for something?"

"Yes. Adam James."

"You named him after me?" Adam asked surprised.

"Regardless of how our relationship is, you're one of the most important people to me. So, when I found out he was boy I knew I wanted him to be just like you. Because by the time he was born I had seen Matt's true colors but I had no way to leave." She said as a tear rolled down her cheek

"You're both safe now. He'll never be able to get to either of you again. Have you lined up anywhere to stay?"

"Not yet. He kept tabs on almost everything I did."

"You and AJ can stay with me. I bought a house about 6 months back. Still needs a lot of work but it's plenty big enough. Everyone can have their own rooms."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, that way you both are protected."

"Thank you." She was ever so grateful for him. "Do you know if the 21st is looking for cops?"

"Let me make a phone call." Adam said, releasing her hand and typing on the touch screen. She watched as the screen said calling Jay Halstead as the sound of ringing filled the Jeep.

"Hey man, any trouble?"

"No trouble we're heading back now."

"Hey Jay." Kim said.

"Hey Kim it's good to hear your voice."

"Yours too" Kim replied.

"Kim was wondering if anyone at the 21st is hiring. Do we still have it in our budget for another cop?"

"We do. Kim you want join the team again?" Halstead was now heading Intelligence.

"Hell yeah." She said, causing both men to laugh.

"One you get back in town, text me and I'll come over, we'll take specifics. Nic has already been bugging the hell out of me." He chuckled.

"Okay man. I'll let you know we'll talk to you later." Adam said, hanging up and intertwining their hands again.

"Wait! Nic as in my sister Nicole?" Kim had clearly missed a few things.

"Yeah. They've been dating for a while now. They got together about 6 months after you left. He's proposed but Nicole refused to get engaged or married until you came home. Zo loves him, she even calls him dad."

"I'm happy that their happy." Kim said quietly. She had missed so much.

"Hey, you're going to be happy again I promise." He said.

"I know." She said has she brought their joined hands up to her mouth and kissed the back of his hand. They fell into a comfortable silence which was only interrupted by Adam.

"Welcome home darlin'." Adam said has they passed the welcome to Chicago sign. Finally Kim was home and hopefully she could start fresh with her son.