Liam sighed when he saw the white suv pull up with his name in the window, he pulled open the back door and climbed in. "Hi, Aunt Sylvie." He muttered as he buckled his seatbelt and threw his head against the back of the seat. "Hey, buddy how was school?" she could tell he was upset but knew it wasn't personal.
"Fine, I guess" he grumbled, "You okay?" Sylvie watched in the mirror as he rolled his eyes and turned his head to stare out the window clearly in no mood for questions. "We have to pick up Mav really quick and then well get you to soccer okay?" she felt a kick on the back of the seat and she sighed, "Feet off the seats please" she reminded him.
"Soccer's stupid and I'm hungry, dad didn't pack my snack like he was supposed to." The accusatory tone in his voice wasn't lost on Sylvie and she made a mental note to talk to Adam about it. Liam was usually a pleasant child but over the last several months his behavior was becoming more and more of a problem. She loved him and enjoyed having him around but his ten-year-old preteen attitude was a lot to deal with especially when he purposely antagonized Maverick, her and Antonio's six-year-old son.
"Well then we will just have to get you a snack at grandma's house, how's that sound?" She was trying to fix his mood before soccer, if he arrived in his current grumpy state there would no doubt be a fight on the field. "She's not my grandma" he shot back at her, "But she loves you just the same, I bet she'll have something you like."
"Is mom picking me up from soccer or am I spending the night again?" she could hear the hopeful tone in his voice and was sad to disappoint him, "They're both on a case, so you're staying with me tonight, we'll do video games and pizza, that sounds fun right?" Liam readjusted to sit up in is seat, "They're working together?" Sylvie glanced back to see the uncertainty and fear in his eyes, she knew he had seen more than any child should and felt bad.
"Yeah together, they're both cops and sometimes they have to work on the same case." She tried to reassure him, "They hate each other and fight about everything." He mumbled under his breath.
Kim pulled into the driveway and put the car in park and turned around to face Liam, she stared at him a second trying to find the right words, he was the spitting image of Adam except he had Kim's big brown eyes, he truly was one of the cutest kids she had ever laid eyes on but his attitude lately left a lot to be desired. "Liam look at me" he turned his head slowly and looked her in the eyes, "they don't hate each other, they just don't always get along, just like you and Mav fight but you still love each other right?" She could see the wheels spinning in his head, "Yeah but when moms on the phone she calls dad all kinds of names and dad says mom is the "B" word when they think I'm not listening, I hate it."
Sylvie's heart broke, she wanted to solve all his problems and give his happy parents back to him, but she had been present during some of their fights and had to step in between them more than once all while Liam watched. "They love you, it may not seem like it sometimes but they do, I promise." Liam shrugged his shoulders and undid his seatbelt, "I'm hungry can I go see if grandma Dawson has a snack for me?" Sylvie nodded and gave him as small smile as he climbed out of the car eager to escape the topic of his parents.
"Ruzek, mic!" Antonio called from across the garage waving Adam toward him. "You good with all this?" Adam shook his head taking in a deep breath, "Not in the slightest, like come on Voight couldn't find any other female officer to dress up, it had to be Kim, the one fucking person it shouldn't be?" Antonio continued to mic his friend, nodding as he spoke and blew off steam. "She's done this how many times now? Voight trusts her."
Adam couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, Antonio was right Kim had gone undercover as a hooker more than once for Intelligence. "Seems to be her specialty" he nodded his head toward the tech room as Jessie, their tech girl was showing Kim where her mic was hidden. "HEY BURGESS, THAT DRESS LOOKS A LITTLE SMALL, DO. NOT. BEND. OVER." Antonio yelled across the garage, receiving a middle finger in return.
"She will kick your ass, she throws a mean right hook." Antonio lightly smacked his cheek and laughed, "Yeah, I'm the one who taught it to her, gotta make sure my favorite partner can handle herself." Adam instinctively rubbed his jaw, "Yea, it hurt like a mother fucker thanks for that."
"You shouldn't have called her a bitch, sorry bro, you deserved it." He shrugged and continued to work on mic placement, making sure it wouldn't be discovered. "I guess I did" he sighed and turned to watch Kim in her skintight dress and heels.
"Adam" Kim hissed, trying not to be heard by the rest of the party guests as she dragged him by the arm. They had been separated almost a year and this was the first time they were attempting to do something as a family, "It's your son's birthday, you really think it's appropriate to be drinking?" Adam jerked his arm away, "It's just a beer, can't you let anyone just have a little fun for fucks sake?" He rolled his eyes and took another swig clearly annoyed with the woman standing in front of him.
"It's an eight-year old's birthday not a bachelor party" she snatched the beer from his hand causing it to crash to the ground sending beer all over both their feet. "Why do you always have to be such a bitch?" The words spewed from his mouth.
He felt the pain white hot pain and his vision went white for a split second. Kim had got him in the jaw and almost instantly Kevin was in front of him pushing him full force into the fence. "Get the fuck off me" he yelled pushing back trying to escape his friends grasp. "Dawg, you better just calm down, you really want Liam to see all this?" Adam stepped back, Kev keeping one hand on his chest.
"You got him Kev?" Adam could hear Tonio somewhere else in the yard presumably with Kim, "I got him, how's Kim's hand?" Adam peeked around Kev trying to get a clear view but Sylvie was standing in the way blocking his view. "Can I go now, I wanna go check on Liam." Adam tried to push his way past Kev again.
"He's fine, Nichole has him, I think you need to just go ahead and leave."
"She hits me and I have to leave? What the fuck is that? Glad to see who's back you got in this." Adam threw his hands up frustrated with the entire situation. "Listen, I have always had both of ya'll backs so don't even start with that shit, you messed up and called her out her name, I'm protecting you from doing anything else stupid right now."
"You think I would hit her?" he was getting pissed again, thinking his friends thought so little of him. "No, but I think you're bull headed enough to start a fight with me or Tonio." Kev placed both hands on Adams shoulders, "Listen, why don't you just go ahead and go and I'll get Kim to give me little dude later and we'll all go do something fun." Adam took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to steady his nerves. "Fine, tell Liam I'll see him later."
"You with me?" Adam focused his attention back on Antonio, "Yeah, just trying to get the nerves out" he shook his head and shoulders trying to rid his body of the stress and tension.
"I'm ready" Kim made her way toward Adam and Antonio, "Can you please stop staring?" she watched as Adam's eyes moved up and down her body. "Sorry, involuntary reflex when I see something beautiful" he shrugged, his eyes meeting hers. "Shut up, you have no right" anger flashed in her eyes and he knew he had screwed up once again.
"Hey now" Antonio moved between the two, "He was just saying you look beautiful, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it and Adam, keep it professional." Unfortunately, he was well versed in Ruzek marriage drama and could handle both of them with relative ease. "Now can we please get back to the case?"
"You know this is a really bad idea, right? Those two haven't had a civil conversation in years." Voight moved his gaze from the truck that was pulling away carrying Adam and Kim. "They're both the best at what they do and the tension between them will only add to the authenticity."
"I hope you know what you're doing." He eyed Voight to see hint of worry but as usual his poker face was impeccable.