The instant Kim saw Steve's car pull into the drive she bolted out the door and charged at him across the yard. "Kim, I'm sorry." He got out of the car with his hands in his the air but that didn't stop her slapping him hard across the face before shoving him so hard he fell against the hood of his car.

Adam had let her go initially and watched from the window for a moment but as soon as he saw her slap him he took off, fearing that Steve was going to retaliate. This had gone from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye but Steve did not move, he was too stunned by the ferocity of Kim.

"How could you? How could you leave her? She's four years old and you left her in a bar." Kim didn't care who heard her; the whole bloody neighbourhood could come and watch for all she cared.

"I'm sorry, okay? What else do you want me to say?"

"Nothing, I don't want you to say a fucking thing."

It was then that he saw Adam standing on the front porch, arms folded across his chest watching them. He wasn't surprised to see him, pissed off obviously but not surprised. "I guess he saved the day again huh?"

"Adam drove me to the Police Station to pick up your four year old daughter who you had abandoned in some sleazy bar, yes." Kim spat at him. "And don't you dare bring Adam into this, it's got nothing to do with him. This is about you.." she pushed him in the chest again. "..abandoning your daughter."

"Is Daisy okay? Is she here, I want to see her."

"She's not here and she was upset, she was hysterical when I picked her up from a Police Station. She cried herself to sleep last night." Kim was livid and seeing him again made her even angrier. "What the fuck do you care?"

"Don't tell me I don't care about Daisy." Steve threw back at her bitterly, pointing angrily at her. "You did this, you made this happen."

"I made this happen? How?"

"You walked out of our marriage. You gave up and for what?" He pointed at the porch where Adam was still standing. "For that. It was always him wasn't it?"

Kim refused to even acknowledge his jealous little rant, this was about Daisy not Adam. "You didn't fucking care when you got blind drunk yesterday and left her." Even from a distance Adam could see how tense and angry she was. He could hear her screaming at him, everyone could but he could also see it in her body language, she was teetering on the edge and he felt a little apprehensive and ready to bolt if things escalated.

"It was a mistake. Haven't you ever made a mistake? What's he doing here?" he pointed at Adam again. "I assume you are fucking him again."

Kim ignored him. "You can leave now."

"Not until I see Daisy."

"She's not here."

"Bullshit." He pushed past Kim and headed towards the house calling Daisy's name. The way he basically nudged her with his shoulder set Adam's teeth on edge. He flexed his hands by his side and stepped in front of Steve as he tried to get into the house.

"I think Kim asked you to leave."

"It's my fucking house. Get out of my way."

Adam stood his ground. "Daisy's not here."

"Where is she?" He stepped around Adam and stopped in the hallway, calling her name. Kim had followed him into the house. "Where the fuck is my daughter?" Swinging around Steve took a step towards Kim and she pushed him so hard in the chest that he stumbled a little. "Get out of my house."

"It's not your fucking house. It's our house and I can come and go as I please. Where is my daughter?" Regaining his balance he came at Kim who stood her ground.

When Kim went to push him again Adam grabbed her around the waist. "Kim, stop."

"Listen to him." Steve warned her, his eyes were wild and bloodshot and he was losing control, Kim had already lost hers and Adam was struggling to contain the situation. "Listen to you fuck buddy."

"You need to leave." Adam didn't let go of Kim even though she was fighting against being held. "This is not helping anyone."

"She was left in a bar." The last time Kim had felt this level of pain was when they told her that Adam was gone. "You left her in a bar. What if someone took her? Or hurt her? She's my baby girl."

Adam could sense a shift in Steve as Kim's desperate words hit home but Kim was having none of it. She was so far out of control Adam had no idea how to snap her out of it. She kept screaming at him to get out. When she finally stopped fighting against Adam he let her go and she slapped Steve one more time, the crack of her hand on his face was fierce and fled upstairs.

"Guess I deserved that." Her husband felt the heat on his cheek.

"Probably more."

"I fucked up."

"Yep."

"I never meant to hurt Daisy. Is she okay? Really?"

"She's not hurt physically." Adam couldn't believe he was standing here having this conversation. All he really wanted to do was beat the living shit out of the guy. He couldn't stand the sight of him.

"You and Kim huh?"

Adam just glared at him and the only thing he could do with his hands was shove them in his pockets because they were twitching, itching for a fight. He was giving him nothing, the fact that he wasn't face down on the floor, bleeding was a bonus and he had no intention of admitting anything. It would have been so easy but this was already way out of control and he was scared that if he started he wouldn't be able to stop himself.

"Do you think she will ever forgive me?"

"You've got a fucking long road ahead of you. You need to sort your shit out, get your drinking under control and grovel on your knees. You are a fucking coward and a gutless prick but despite all that Daisy is your daughter; she needs you. She needs her Dad, stop letting her down. Stop being a fucking asshole, grow a set and man up." Adam didn't mince his words.

"Can you talk to Kim for me? Tell her I'm sorry. I will sort myself out, I promise."

"You're kidding right?" Adam laughed in his face. "I am not going into bat for you. This is all just words, you need to prove it." He walked over to the door and opened it indicating that he needed to leave. "You start proving it and maybe Kim will come around. She is angry right now, rightly so but she does know that Daisy loves you."

He literally slammed the door behind him and watched to make sure he got in the car and left before heading upstairs to find Kim. "What are you doing?" He found her in Daisy's room grabbing clothes out of her closet and shoving them in a bag.

"Packing."

"Okay?" Not the answer he expected. "Can I ask why?"

"We are not staying here. I need to find a new house."

"Okay, okay." He grabbed Kim's hands and tried to get her to look at him but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Okay, but not right now."

"Can we stay at your place tonight? I don't want to stay here." She was terrified that Steve will come back and he was right, technically Steve still owned half of it. It was their house together and while she knew the kids loved it here if she wanted to start a life with Adam they needed to move. This was a little sudden though.

"Sure. It'll be a little cramped but we can."

"Fine." She yanked her hands free. "I will find somewhere else if you don't want to help me. We'll stay in a motel or something." Getting Kim to calm down and listen to him wasn't easy, he was half expecting her to lash out of him and was bracing himself for it.

"Hey." Adam again searched her face until she looked at him. "You can stay with me. I just said it's a little small but I am not letting you go anywhere else."

"Good." Kim pulled her hands away from Adam and disappeared into Oliver's room next and started reefing stuff out of his closet. Adam followed her and watched as her movements slowed. "You think I am stupid?"

"No, no I don't. I am worried about you though. I want you to sit down with me for a few minutes."

"I can't." She roughly tugged at that band that was holding her ponytail back and pulled it out before running her hands back through her hair and tying it back up again. "Let me do this."

"Okay." He let her go but didn't stop watching her. Any minute she was going to fall and he needed to be there to catch her. After finishing in Oliver's room she moved into her own and did the same thing and Adam just followed behind her, taking the bags from her hands and placing them in the hallway when she was finished packing them.

Suddenly she sat down on the bed and her head sagged. "This is stupid."

"No it's not." Adam had been waiting for this chance. "You want to keep your kids safe, that's not stupid."

"You think I am being stupid though."

"I don't think you are being stupid, you are upset and you have every reason to be. If you will feel safer at my place then we will stay there. I don't care where you stay but wherever that is I will be there with you."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." For the first time since Steve left Kim let Adam touch her. She had pulled away from him every other time he had tried to get hold of her. He kissed her hand and then her forehead letting his lips stay there for as long as she leant into him.

Adam talked to Steve's parents when they dropped Oliver and Daisy off. Kim asked him to tell them that Steve had been here but not to tell them that they were staying at his place. "They don't know where you live so Steve won't find out."

"I know you want to keep him away from Daisy at the moment and that's okay, it really is. I want to as well but eventually though you need to talk to him again."

"Why the hell should I?"

"Because he is Daisy's father and she is going to want to see him."

"I can tell you it won't be anytime soon."

Oliver was happy to find out that they were staying at his Dad's place and Daisy was excited because she had never stayed there before. Fortunately Adam had bought Oliver a double bed so that Daisy could share with him. Adam did offer to share with Oliver and let Kim and Daisy have his bed.

Kim shook her head. Oliver was happy to show Daisy to his room as soon as they got to Adam's place, even if sharing a bed with his sister wasn't what he wanted to be doing. However the alternative of not being at his Dad's place was worse. Kim turned to Adam when they left the room, they could hear them chatting away happily from the bedroom. "I think I need just to be with you. I know they are safe here."

Once the kids were asleep Adam was waiting for Kim on the couch with a glass of scotch. She settled in beside him and fell against his chest. "You okay?" Adam ran his hand up and down her arm.

"Right now, yes."

"Good." He reached over and grabbed his laptop. "Okay, let's find us somewhere to live."

"You don't want me here do you?"

"Kim, listen to me. I said let's find us somewhere to live. Us, all of us. You, me and those two beautiful children of yours."

She sat up quickly. "You want us to live together?"

"Yes."

"Really? What's changed?"

"Ten fucking years of heartache and bullshit, that's what changed." Adam sounded pissed. Why the hell would she say that? He never said he didn't want to live with her; she was practically living with him at the time anyway. Then Al rocked in with Michelle and suddenly she was up his ass about finding another place. When he didn't jump up and down with joy at the thought of moving again Kim freaked out. That was a long time ago, why was that relevant now?

"Adam, I didn't mean it like that."

"What did you mean?"

"Nothing. I was just surprised and it's a little quick. It's been a pretty stressful weekend. Are you sure you are ready for the whole family thing?"

He swallowed the rest of his scotch but wouldn't look at her. "I am ready to be with you." That's all he wanted, to be with her. Whatever it took, he had waited long enough. This sporadic time together wasn't enough.

"It's boring and monotonous, day in day out. Getting them organised, dropping them off at school, cooking dinner, making lunch, and doing laundry. It doesn't stop."

"Kim. I get to spend precious little time with you as it is. If I can fall into bed with you every night that's gotta be better than what we have right now. I hate leaving early; I hate leaving your bed. I hate only waking up with you every second weekend. I don't want to hide it anymore."

"Well now that everyone knows and Daisy has had your pancakes in bed I think we can stop that."

"Probably, but I want more. I want it all. I've waited a lifetime for this, isn't that long enough?"

Kim grabbed the laptop, wiggled around and popped it up on her legs so they could look at it together as they searched for their new home.

Oliver was still asleep and Kim was in the shower when Daisy wandered out of the bedroom in the morning. "Adam." She leant on his legs, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her hair was a crazy mess but she looked so cute and he brushed it back from her forehead. He adored this little girl and he loved the family feel of the morning even though it was barely 630am.

"Good Morning TIckety Boo, did you have a good sleep?"

"Oliver kicked me."

"Huh, I bet you kicked him too." Kim was always bemoaning the fact that Daisy was a restless sleeper. "Breakfast?"

"Do you have cheerios?"

"I do indeed." Adam asked her to sit up at the table while he got her cereal.

"Adam." She propped herself up on her knees at the table and waited with her chin resting in her hands. Adam thought she looked just about perfect right now. "Are you Mommy's boyfriend? Oliver told me. I seen you kiss Mommy."

"Yes I am." Sliding the bowl in front of her she looked thoughtful. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yes. Mommy's happy. Not like Daddy's girlfriend, she got angry and yelled and threw things at Daddy and that's when we went to the bar."

What the hell? "Well that's not good." Adam tried to sound normal, he was pretty sure that Kim had no idea that Steve was seeing anyone. He sat down at the table with his coffee and watched as Daisy tucked into her cereal. "Why was she angry?"

"I think she was angry at me." Daisy kept shovelling the cheerios in. He could hear Kim trying to get Oliver moving. They needed to get them to school and they both needed to get to work. "I don't think she liked me."

"Well that's impossible. Who doesn't like my Tickety Boo?" Daisy giggled a little and beamed at Adam. "Why do you think that?"

"She was saying bad words, those words that Mom tells you not to say and pointing at me." Those words that Kim always told Adam off for were 'fuck, shit, dickhead and bitch' or more precisely it was usually 'son-of-a-bitch'. Adam frowned a little. She had loose lips this one, especially around Adam and would often tell him things that went on. Most of the time, when she talked about her Dad Adam just let it slide, until now it had all been pretty innocent stuff. Staying up late, eating candy for breakfast and watching stuff on TV that Kim would have a fit about.

"Did she like you before? Was she just angry?"

"I don't know. Daddy never took me there before."

"Okay, she didn't hurt you did she?"

"No."

"That's good. That would upset me, it would upset your Mom."

"Like when Daddy hit Oliver, that made Mommy cry and Oliver. I was scared."

Adam asked her to come sit on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her unruly head softly. "Mom and I promise to keep you safe okay? If Daddy or anyone hurts you, you need to tell me okay? I don't want you to get hurt, ever."

"Okay." She reached over and grabbed the half eaten bowl of cereal and continued. "Are we staying here again tonight?"

"I think so, do you want too."

"Yes. It's like a holiday." Kim was surprised to see Daisy and Adam at the table. It was the cutest thing ever and she could definitely get used to seeing that everyday.

"Good Morning." she kissed Adam's upturned face and then Daisy. "Did you sleep okay?"

"I did, I always do with you. It's awesome." Adam replied cheekily and she slapped his arm playfully.

"I was talking to Daisy, but thanks for your input."

"Adam says we are staying here again tonight."

"Probably. Adam will pick you up from school today okay?" She had afterschool care organised but Adam finished about 4pm so would grab them both afterwards.

They dropped them off at school and then he would swing by the District and drop Kim off. "Did you know Steve had a girlfriend?" Adam decided to just put it out there.

"No."

"Daisy told me. She said that's why they ended up at the bar because his girlfriend was angry with him."

"I didn't know." It wasn't a surprise though, she had moved on and she couldn't expect him not to. Surprisingly she didn't feel anything. It would have been nice to know considering he carried on like a pork chop about Adam spending time with Daisy and now there was a strange woman in Daisy's life that she didn't know about. That wasn't fair.

"Daisy thinks that this girl doesn't like her." He could see Kim getting worked up; he rested a hand on her leg. "She didn't hurt Daisy."

"Well I would like to meet her, if she's around Daisy. I have that right."

"You wanna do a background check?"

Kim turned her head to look at him and let out a little chuckle. "Of course."

That would require Kim talking to her ex and right about now it was the last thing she wanted to do. Every time she thought about it she just got angrier. Being with Adam last night had helped calm her; he was patient when she was still a little erratic. Even when they were looking for places to live she would suddenly snap at him. He would just kiss her forehead or cheek or hand and let it go.

When they finally crawled into bed he certainly managed to keep her mind of her ex, he was good at that. He was good at a lot of things, and some things he was exceptional. He even made her laugh when he told her, just before he dived headlong into her that "Your mama bear show got me a little hot and bothered."

Kevin screwed up his nose as Kim hit the reject button on her phone for the fourth time in the past hour. "What's got you so hot under the collar?" He swung their car out into the traffic having refused to let Burgess drive after lunch claiming she was a little crazy today. "What did Ruzek do now?"

"Adam did nothing." Kevin knew, from personal experience that it was quite often his fault that Joelle was annoyed and assumed that Ruzek often suffered the same fate. Unexpected blame for something you didn't actually know you'd done. Wasn't it how the world worked?

"So what didn't he do then?"

"Back off Atwater this has nothing to do with Adam, he's been great." She let out a long slow breath. "Steve abandoned Daisy in a Bar downtown on Saturday, we had to pick her up from the 31st."

Well that was one way to get his attention. "What the fuck do you mean he abandoned her?"

"He got blind drunk after, apparently having a fight with his girlfriend that I never knew about and staggered out of the bar without her."

"I might just beat the living shit out of this guy shortly."

"Get in line."

"Are you going to let Ruzek at him? I will back him up? We can make the charges go away."

"No Kevin, I am not letting Ruzek at him and you will not help him." Although Adam had certainly offered, she was actually surprised he managed to keep his hands to himself when Steve was at the house yesterday although he did spend a fair portion of that time holding her back from beating the living shit out of him.

"So my little Boo got picked up from her first Cop Shop? Thought it'd be my boys first." Kevin laughed a little and Kim short him a disgusted look.

"Glad you think this is funny."

"It's not funny, not in the slightest. It was a joke." He honestly did look remorseful; he looked at her from the corner of his eye, biting his bottom lip. "Too early."

"Way too early." Kim eventually smiled. "I was hoping it'd be your boys too."

"Now what's this about a girlfriend?"

"That was a surprising twist in the tale that Daisy shared with Adam this morning."

Suddenly Kev forgot all about the girlfriend and traffic signals it seemed as he almost ran a red light. "Adam, this morning? You mean you finally let him spend the night? About time."

"Focus Kev." She pointed to the red light and he slammed on the brakes.

"We stayed at his place last night, all of us. I can't stay in that house. We are looking for something else, together."

"About bloody time."

"It's good right? Isn't it? I mean we haven't been back together long, it's not rushed is it? Adam is really keen."

"Really? I suppose being dead for nearly a decade kinda makes you take nothing for granted. You've loved him a long time Kim, your kids love him. He's Oliver's father, it's time you were a family. Sure a little back to front and not what you'd call normal but it's time to have the life you always wanted with him."

"You're right."

"Damn straight I'm right." He pulled into the District parking lot. "Now, what's this chicks name, I want to run a background check make sure my little Boo is good with her."