They had been in a downward spiral for months now and it had finally crashed and burned. It wasn't that she had any issues with people enjoying a drink after work, hell how many times had they all done that. When it turned into three, four then five drinks it started to become an issue and then when it wasn't just Friday and Saturday nights anymore; it was also Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday….

It all felt so familiar. It wasn't the first time she had dealt with someone she loved drinking too much. As she looked across the bullpen at the occupied desk she sighed heavily. For the past few months it had felt strange to look up and see the red hair of Jenny Watson. She was a great cop, who loved to mix it up, was young and full of hope and she was a hoot and definitely an asset to the team but she wasn't Erin.

She was doing her time back on Patrol and one day her best friend would be back where she belonged, back in Intelligence. The place wasn't the same without her, but then nothing ever stayed the same did it? Life was constantly moving and shifting beneath your feet and sometimes it was all you could do just to hang on.

Kevin bounded up the stairs and was surprised to see his partner already at her desk. Dropping his jacket over the back of his chair, he grabbed his mug and headed towards the break room, stopping behind her desk he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Hey Burgess, how's it goin'?"

"Good Kev. It's good." Kim had gotten good at pushing a smile onto her face and convincing people that she was on top of it all. Compartmentalisation was her thing, over the years she learnt to put all her feelings in a box, close the lid and leave it there. Sometimes it served her well, other times not so much. By doing that you never dealt with the feelings, but you could ignore them for the best part. The hard thing was you just never knew when someone was about to open the lid.

"And the kids?"

"Daisy seemed happy today. Ollie," she shrugged. "You know him. Nothing bugs him."

"Like father like son." He smiled a little but Kim just grimaced. That was the second time today that phrase had come up and again it unnerved her.

As expected the message from Ollie arrived just after lunch. 'Hey Mom, I'm going to Grandpa's after school.' If it wasn't his Grandparents, it was a friend's place or occasionally he would catch up with Al. Al had always been a huge part of Oliver's life, right from the start and the last few months he had been rock solid for him when all the shit hit the fan. He was the consistent male influence that he needed and she couldn't thank him enough.

She fired off one quick message letting him know that he didn't need to worry about picking up Oliver and as expected she got nothing back. She tossed her phone on the desk just as their Sergeant came out of his office. "Where is everyone?" Antonio glanced around at the empty desks.

"Halstead is on his way, he got stuck in traffic after dropping Gracie off at Day-care. Kev's here getting a coffee." Kim shrugged. "Matty, I don't know."

Things were certainly different now. Antonio had eventually been lured back from his stint at the DA office and took over from Voight when he finally decided he'd seen and done enough, or at the very least the powers that be thought that they no longer had the energy to control him. Al retired a few years ago so the Unit had got a little smaller, but it was still considered the pinnacle by many. Erin would be back, but she had twelve months of Patrol to do before she was re-instated as a Detective and she was only half way through.

Her descent had been rapid. Jay had watched helplessly as his wife crashed back to earth with Postnatal Depression and the only way she could see out was to hit the bottle again. It had affected her work and eventually Kim stood beside Jay as they intervened and got her into rehab. Being away from her daughter was the wake up call that she desperately needed and despite hitting a few snags along the way things were back on track. However part of her suspension included not being allowed back into Intelligence for a year and that had been a real kick in the guts.

"You sure you are okay?" Kim rubbed her temples as she sat in an unmarked car with Kevin outside a warehouse. Halstead and his partner, Jonas were doing a re-con. Matt Jonas had fitted in well, he was up for a fight and had been eyeing off Intelligence for years. Antonio had met him while working at the DA Office and had bought him in when Al retired. While the Unit was different it was still tight and over the years the tough cases and times had bought them all closer together. That in itself had saved Kim on more than one occasion.

"I'm fine. Just tired." She rolled her head to the side and Atwater could see the weariness etched all over her face.

"You want the kids to come over on the weekend? Buster and Grady would love to see Daisy Boo and O-man." Kevin had twin boys, who were as wild as he was. Kevin liked to call them 'free spirited' but in all honesty they were just smaller versions of their father, they were tornados. They were a year younger than Daisy but the three of them were as thick as thieves and the boys were also besotted with Oliver, and while he would never admit it, he enjoyed mucking around with them too. "You can chill out and relax."

"Daisy's with her father on the weekend."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"He's her father. I can't stop him seeing her. She adores him."

"And Ollie?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "He won't go, he's as stubborn as a mule."

Their relationship had always been a little off, more so lately. Kim had put a lot on his shoulders, begging him to play nice for his sister's benefit, particularly once the drinking started becoming more of an issue. She had tried to hide it from them both but Ollie was switched on so they settled on hiding it from Daisy and Kim loved her son for trying to protect his sister.

Oliver did his best but as time went on he withdrew more and more into his own room or took every opportunity not to be around and up until that day it had worked. He had stayed out of the cross hairs until that day the over inflated balloon popped.

Daisy was screaming when Kim got home. She flew up the stairs as soon as opened the door and heard all the yelling and banging. "Stop it." She could hear Daisy begging. "Stop fighting." It had become all too familiar lately and Daisy was hysterical.

Oliver was obviously locked in his room and Daisy was with her father, tugging on his leg as he banged on the door. "Get out here now."

"What's going on?" Kim demanded, scooping up her daughter.

"He's been a pain in the fucking ass." She could tell he had been drinking again.

"Why?"

"He came home late. I sat at that bloody school for half and hour waiting for him."

"I told you he was going to Joey's house after school." Kim tried to speak calmly, the situation needed to be de-escalated quickly and suddenly she was caught between being a mother and a cop. She asked Daisy to go back downstairs but she refused to let go of her mother. Eventually Kim got her to at least go to her room and find her favourite teddy.

"You did not. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to finish work early. It was a waste of bloody time, and as usual he doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself." He banged on the door with his fist. Kim laid a hand on his arm, trying to snap him out of his rage. They called it a 'red mist' when someone was so enraged and so in the moment that they could turn and snap at anyone and anything. He stared at his wife, his eyes lit up and then suddenly he turned on his heel and walked out, Kim jumped a little when she heard the front door slam.

"Ollie, sweetheart let me in."

"No."

"Ollie, baby please." Kim was horrified when her son opened the door. His right eye was red and swollen. "What happened to your face?" she grabbed his head and tilted it slightly into the light so she could get a better look at his face.

"Daddy hit him." She swung around to see Daisy standing just behind them, tears streaming down her face.

Oliver burst into tears. "He's not my Dad."