Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.

Warning: There will be a bit of domestic violence flashbacks in this chapter.

A/N: Thanks to all the love the previous chapter received, you guys are the best. I know I upddated this one recently but this one pretty much wrote itself each time i sat down in front of it.

The following morning, Kim woke first and for a second, panic flooded her body, the restraints around it unfamiliar. She tried to shift but the arms around her pulled her in tighter and suddenly she took a deep breath and recognized Adam's distinct scent. She smiled at last night's memory and she placed her palm against his chest.

"Morning." He whispered as his eyes fluttered open.

"Morning." She smiled at him.

"Are you okay?" He released her waist and pushed a strand of hair behind her shoulder.

"This is new, I'm not used to, I'm sorry." She could feel the blush creep on her cheeks as she hid in his chest.

"Hey, it's okay Kim." He assured her. "I can't put myself in your shoes because I don't know what it's like, but it's okay to be scared. This is new for you; this affects Michael too and I'm okay with taking it as slow as you want."

"I do love you, Adam."

"I know you do." He tilted her head up and pressed his lips to hers. "How about I make us some breakfast?"

"Don't you have to go in today?"

"We're on call, hopefully we have enough time."

"I don't have much in the fridge."

"I'll see what I can come up with." He smiled at her before kissing her again, this time deeper. "You stay here, I'll be right back." She smiled back at him and watched him slide his legs over the side of the bed, getting up and putting his briefs back on. Her eyes trailed him as he walked out of the door and she turned on her back, taking a deep breath in. She wanted to move forward with Adam, she loved him, but a small part of her was always waiting for the shoe to drop. Adam was too good to be true. The first man to understand the chaos of her job, the first man not to run for the hills because she was mom to a tween boy, the first one since Matthew to treat her like she mattered. It was new and it was scary. "I can see the wheels turning in there." He leaned against the doorframe, a tray in hand.

"Lots of things going on." She turned to her side and looked at him with a smile.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I'd rather eat." He nodded, not wanting to press her. She would talk when she was ready, and he was fine with that. Kim pulled the sheets around her waist as she sat and Adam settled the tray on the bed, joining her. The few minutes were silent except the sounds coming from Kim's lips as she ate. "These are my favourite, but I can't make them that good." He had made French toast with fruit on top and a swirl of whipped cream to top it.

"My dad used to make those for me as a kid. He was more than willing to share the recipe with me when I got older."

"Why are you so good to us?" Kim finally blurted. Adam was stunned, not expecting the question.

"Kim?"

"Why are you so good to us?" She repeated her question, suddenly nervous, scared she had just messed it up by saying her fears out loud. Adam took the tray and set it on her dresser before returning to the bed, propping himself on his hand and taking Kim's in the other, running his thumb against her knuckles.

"Because I love you both." She could see the truth in her eyes, but he knew it wasn't enough for her. "When Platt sent me to get Michael, I balked. Kids and I don't generally click, Sammy being the exception because he's family. I didn't know you or of you, I just wanted to get it done and return to Intelligence, to doing detective work. I don't generally let anyone in my life because you know that; what we do is dangerous and not everyone is cut out for it. When you woke up and went on the defensive, what Michael had told me about your ex ignited a fire in me, an anger, a need to protect you because that's in my blood. I didn't anticipate that spending some time with you and Michael would open up feelings and needs that I didn't really let myself have in the past. After everything that you've been through, you kept pushing and fighting back and you have raised an amazing boy and being around you makes me want to be better so I'm good to you both because I love you and you deserve to be treated like this, every damn day." Kim's eyes had glazed over, not expecting Adam to be that kind of honest. "I just hope that I didn't scare you off." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

"No scaring, I promise." She chuckled. He pulled her to him and kissed her. His hands ran against her bare back, soft skin underneath rough fingertips as Kim deepened it. He felt a shift in her as they kissed, her body relaxing into his. They spent the morning in bed and having lunch together before Adam got called in. "Be careful."

"Tell Michael I said hi, if I can, I'll stop by tonight." He leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you." Kim saying it first changed everything and he smiled.

"I love you too." Kim watched him go before closing the door and heading into the shower, a new weight off her shoulders and her heart.

When Matthew Baker hung up the phone, to say he was angry was an understatement. After getting in trouble with the cops and having moved without contact with his ex or his son, he had stayed invisible, but he had to make sure that he still had eyes on Kim even if he couldn't be there.

A bottle of beer in hand, he snaked a hand around his wife, kissing her neck.

"I'm tired Matt." She sighed, her body stiffening against his, making his own do the same.

"You're always tired Kim. Too tired to give me any attention, too tired to bring Michael to the part, too tired to be a wife." He growled, spinning her around and pinning her against the counter.

"Matt, please, not in front of Michael." She pleaded with him, but he didn't care.

"He needs to hear that his mom would much rather be a cop than a loving wife and mother." He looked at her.

He could remember that moment like it was yesterday. He knew her job when he met her, was fine with it until he wasn't. Losing his job had been the tipping point to the drugs, alcohol and the violence. That had only been the tip of the iceberg. More moments would happen before he would crack.

Michael was sitting at the table with a bottle of blue paint, quietly doing his thing, his wife sitting next to him, the two laughing.

"When will dinner be ready?" He questioned after walking through the front door of their small, two-bedroom house.

"We were waiting for you to get back home." Kim looked up from the project she was doing with Michael.

"A day off and you still can't have dinner ready when I get home." He was high as a kite; Kim could see it in his eyes.

"Why don't you tell me what you want, and I'll get it fix while you go into the shower?"

"What I want is for dinner to be ready when I get home, is it too damn much to ask?"

"It won't take long Matt. Why don't you go in the shower and I'll make something you like?" She stood from the table and smiled at Michael to re-assure him.

"It should have been ready NOW." His hand was around her arm and he was squeezing tightly, making Michael jump at the outburst, knocking the bottle of paint over.

"DAMN IT BOY, CAN'T YOU BE CAREFUL? IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE NOW!" He yelled, grabbing onto his arm this time.

"Matt, let him go." He could feel her hand on his arm and the anger in her voice, but he didn't care. He needed to teach his son some manners.

"You're just a clumsy little shit."

"Let him go Matt." Her voice was more forceful and so was the hand on his arm, so he let the boy go and look a step back. "Leave." She demanded.

"This my house, I'm not going anywhere." He defied her.

"LEAVE!" She screamed this time. The anger in her eyes sobered him up lightly and he did what he was told but it was far from being over. He saw Michael cradled in her arms, but his tears did nothing to him, so he just left.

That moment had been the one that changed everything. Kim had fought back and forced him to do what had come next.

He knew the boy would be at school and that she would be off from work. She always made sure that he knew her schedule and he made damn sure to remember every detail of it. He climbed up the stairs and didn't even bother to knock before going in. The place was quiet as a mouse, so he figured that Kim was still in their room. Catching her off guard was his best option. He was about to go in their bedroom when she opened the door and with one back hand, Kim was on the ground. He used his bigger frame to overpower her while she was already down, one punch, then a second, Kim trying to protect herself from the assault.

"You think that you can just kick me out of my own house?" He screamed at her, continuing to hit her. Another punch and Kim started to fight back. She used her legs to kick and manage to push herself away from him. He returned the assaults on her as much as her fighting frame let him and when he thought he was getting the upper hand, he had a gun in his face.

Kim had held him at gunpoint until some fellow officers arrived and that's how he had found himself in lock up, Kim pressing charges against him. She took a restraining order against him after she had made a deal for him, forcing him out of Chicago and out of their lives. He moved around until he stopped running in Arizona. It had been hard to build a life there because of his criminal record, but he did manage to find a job and settle down live a regular life. Once thing that he didn't manage to find was peace. He was still angry at her for ruining his life and keeping him away from their son. He couldn't check on them himself, but he didn't want any suspicion falling on him that could hurt his case, so he kept an eye on them through an old friend who was still in town and well connected.

This guy was suddenly hanging around his family and spending more time with them and that angered him. His latest intel had seen him leave the house the same morning and that had his pressure even higher. He hated not being able to have her and in his warped mind, if he couldn't have her, neither could anyone else, to hell with her happiness. From what his source had told him, she was happy with that guy coming around and so was Michael and he couldn't have that. He spent days on the phone, planning, getting his ducks in a row and as soon as he was good to make his move without getting caught, he would.

A/N: So we finally have some insight from Matthew's POV of what happened... Kim is finally happy with Adam, sharing her fears with him but that can only spell trouble where Matthew is concerned. Please take a few seconds to review before you go, I always love to read what you guys think - Sarra