Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
A/N: I don't usually speak out about things like that in my stories but I know that the circumstances surrounding our truth right now is hard on a lot of people, on people of colour and we all need to do our part to make it STOP and give our kids a better version of the country that we know now. Your voice is what is important and it's time to stop being an observer and be a doer. Speak up when there's injustice. We are all equal and should all be treated as such. That being said, here's a new chapter (yes so soon after the last one) because the idea just kept coming.
Adam hadn't had that bad a night since the ones following Rebecca's death but not having Mackenzie in the house left him empty and the house eerily quiet. He ran a hand across his chest as he tried to get his breathing back to normal. Each morning he did the same thing and it always reminded him of what he had lost and what he had done to his daughter.
"I don't know how to let go of all of it." He spoke out loud, his eyes still closed. He sat on the side of the bed and pulled the notebook and pen he kept in his nightstand. He scribbled a few minutes in it before putting aside and heading for a shower. He put the water hot to work the sore muscles of his back and he ran his fingers through his hair. Memories in their room flooded his mind again.
"Come on babe, you're going to empty the hot water." Rebecca grumbled from the bed.
"You're the one who didn't want to join me in here." He laughed out loud. "You know you want to." Seconds passed before the door to the shower opened.
"You drive a hard bargain officer." She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I knew I'd be able to convince you with my hot body." He ran his hand against her arm.
"The hottest." He turned around in her arms and cupped her cheeks.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Her voice floated around in his head as he washed himself. When he removed the mist in the mirror with the palm of his hand, the scar on his chest felt like it was burning, and it was the same angry red as it was post-surgery. He knew that it would take time for it to be less apparent, but it's was a constant reminder for him of what he had done and the guilt he still felt. It felt strange to him to be dressed in street clothes to go into work, but he simply clipped his star and gun to his hip, and he was out of the house, heading towards his parents. He knocked once and let himself in with his key but as soon as the door was closed, he was attacked by Mackenzie.
"I missed you daddy." He sat her on his right hip.
"I missed you too Kenzie." He kissed the top of her head. "The house was lonely without you this morning." He walked towards the kitchen with her still glued to him.
"It's quiet here in the morning too." She whispered in his ear, which made him laugh.
"Yeah, it is. Were you good for grandpa Bob and grandma Elaine?"
"She's always good." Robert Ruzek was sipping his coffee at the kitchen table while his mother was making breakfast.
"Did you eat?"
"I didn't, I figured that I'd eat with you guys before going in." He settled Mackenzie on a chair.
"How come you have your gun and your star today daddy?" Adam looked at both his parents and his mother simply nodded for him to tell her the truth.
"Because daddy is helping grandpa Hank up in Intelligence."
"Does that mean that you're going to go away again?" She questioned as pancakes were placed in front of her.
"What makes you think that baby?" The adults looked at each other while she chewed her first bite before answering.
"Because he makes you change your name and what you look like sometimes, mommy told me."
"It's nothing like that this time." He mouthed a thank you to his mother as she placed coffee and pancakes in front of him. "But you're going to stay with grandma and grandpa while I take care of these bad people because."
"Will you come tuck me in every night and come eat breakfast with me every morning?"
"As much as I can, I promise." He smiled at her. When she smiled back at him, he was able to go back to eating breakfast and talking with his parents. One thing he never did was talk about cases in front of Mackenzie. He had tried to shield from the most of it since she was born but she realized a lot more things as she grew up. "How about you go get ready and I'll talk with grandma."
"Okay." She took her plate to the kitchen sink and the three adults watched her go before talking again.
"What does Voight have you doing now?"
"You remember the Arruzo case?" His father nodded and his mother gasped.
"I thought that case went cold." She said.
"It did but it fell in the hands of Vice and Voight asked me to take the lead in the case with their lead Detective."
"He better have your back."
"She and we just started combing through our joint files."
"What's her name? I'll get the boys from the station to check her out."
"That won't be necessary dad." He sighed. "She looks more than qualified for the job and the rest of the unit and my new partner have my back, I'll be okay."
"Just be careful honey." His mother placed a hand on his arm. "If not for you, do it for her.
"She's the only thing that keeps me going Ma." He finished his coffee and stood. It was still a sore subject in their house, and he refused to talk about it to this day. "I'll go see her and then I'll let myself out." He kissed her cheek quickly and put a hand on his dad's shoulder before heading upstairs to the room that was his daughter's.
"Are you leaving already daddy?" She finished pulling her t-shirt over her head.
"Soon. Do you need help with your hair?"
"Yes please." She handed him the brush and scrunchie. "Like mommy always did."
"That's your favourite isn't it?" He questioned as he brushed through her knots.
"Yes. She always made it twirl in the bottom."
"I'm sorry I'm not as good as her at this kind of stuff."
"I think you're pretty good daddy. Maddie's dad always makes her ponytails with bumps."
"I'll take the win then." He laughed. "Let me have a look." She turned to face him with a smile. "Perfect."
"Be careful daddy." She hugged him.
"I will if you are nice with grandma and grandpa while I'm at work."
"I'm always nice daddy." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I love you."
"Love you too Kenzie." He kissed the top of her head. "I have to go but I'll try to come tuck you in tonight."
"Okay, bye dad." He kissed her forehead one last time and he walked down the stairs to find his dad waiting for him.
"Your mom doesn't mean it; she's just worried about you son."
"I know dad but it's too much, I can't deal with that right now."
"We'll be there when you're ready."
"Thanks pops." He gave him a lopsided smile and left. He was ready to get the day started. He knew he'd be early but having the bullpen alone with a cup of coffee might be what he needed to get his thoughts in order. The front lobby was mostly deserted, and Adam let himself up in the bullpen and after dropping his things at his desk, he made a b-line for the coffee machine. He poured himself a cup and watched as the city he loved woke up. It was a small moment of peace before the chaos started.
Kim walked through the back of the district and went up the back stairs and straight for the bullpen of the Intelligence Unit. She knew that she'd probably be one of the first up there but she wanted to be able to go through officer Ruzek's notes on the case so she could be ready.
Kim was glad for the quiet and she looked around the empty bullpen and sighed. She could feel the energy between the four walls and the dynamic of the team had been a breath of fresh air. They worked like a well-oiled machine and the egos were left at the door.
Working in Vice had been a challenge since her appointment, and she had to fight tooth and nail to get to where she was. She decided on making herself a coffee to kick herself into gear after the bad night she had spent. She went to the break room and when she looked up, she noticed that she wasn't alone.
"Oh my god I'm sorry, I thought I was alone up here." Adam turned at the sound of her voice and faced her with a smile.
"It's okay, I was looking for some quit too." He took a sip of his coffee. "There's a fresh pot if you want some."
"Thanks." Adam watched her fill up her cup. "Did you get to see your daughter?"
"Swung by this morning to have breakfast with her and my parents."
"Do you have pictures?" She leaned against the counter and took a sip of her coffee. He silently pulled his wallet out and handed her the picture of Mackenzie from school. "She's beautiful." She gave him the picture back.
"I've got my work cut out for me." He chuckled. "What about you, you have kids? Married?"
"Married to the job." She shrugged.
"Vice must not be a joke."
"It's a tough go." She took a long sip of her coffee and didn't say more.
"Feels like there's a story there." He coked his head sideways.
"I worked the beat for years, got shot twice, broken pelvis during a foot chase turned wrong." She started. "Undercover gig that went sideways and I was on the sidelines for a long time before making Detective and being detailed to Vice."
"Seems like you worked hard to get there."
"I never got one thing handed to me if that's what you're asking." She was getting defensive and Adam took a step back.
"Never implied that you did Detective." He sensed that was a sore subject for her, so he backed off. He refilled his mug and returned to his desk in the bullpen. The rest of the team started to trickle in as Adam went through the last file from Vice, Kim having his own notes.
"What's this?" He looked up as Kim pulled a sheet out of the last file he had worked on when the case turned cold. Everyone who was in turned to look at her.
"Lindsay Marshall." She handed Adam the picture. "Your notes say that she was one of the first to be abducted."
"I remember her. Her parents were out of their mind when they found out she was gone."
"Well when I got assigned to the case, her parents were some of the last people we interviewed and according to them, she's been missing for about a whole week." Kim stated.
"Good, the two of you go interview them again, see what version of the story they'll feed you this time."
"On it, boss." Adam grabbed his coat and patted both Atwater and Barnes as they walked up together before disappearing out of the precinct with Detective Burgess.
"What do you think they're hiding?" Adam asked as Kim drove through traffic towards the Marshall's house.
"Blackmail maybe? I've seen people do worst things for a lot less."
"If that's the case, whatever they have has to be pretty major." He pointed out. It took them twenty minutes before making it to the house. The car was in the driveway, but they walked up, Adam's eyes scanning the scene to make sure they were cleared if anything went wrong.
Kim knocked on the door and waited. Adam shrugged when they got no answer, but he leaned backwards to check inside the house through the blinds, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He signaled that he had nothing, and Kim knocked again.
"Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, it's Detective Kim Burgess. I just have a few follow-up questions about your daughter." As soon as the last word left her mouth, bullets were raining through the front door, both Adam and Kim taking cover on the ground.
A/N: OOOOPSSS! Did I just give them their first dire situation? YES I DID. I really hope you guys liked this chapter and please take a few seconds to review before you go, your words always mean the world to me - Sarra