"So?"

Kim rolled her head to the side and smiled as Adam pulled into the parking lot. "So? Here we are again?"

"Are you happy to be back?" She knew that he was keen to get back to work. The time off had been great but Adam was a cop at heart and he wanted to be a cop again. Knowing they couldn't continue to live off the smell of an oily rag forever they needed to get back to work and this is what they did. Some had encouraged them to follow their dream and others had tried to talk them out of it. Taking a year off would set their careers back if they every hoped to be Detectives.

There was more to life than what type of badge you wore or whether you had the word Officer or Detective on your business card and they learned that the hard way. They were happy with their decision and enjoyed every moment of it.

"I am."

He reached for her hand and bought it to his lips. Kim still loved to see his wedding ring every time he did it. He had barely taken it off since the day at the Town Hall when Kim slipped it onto his left hand.

There wedding was simple and no fuss. Fussing about a wedding had bought them undone before and not only were they not going to let that happen again but neither were Kevin and Trudy. Kim wasn't allowed to stay with Adam the night before the wedding, she had to stay at Trudy's which was nerve wracking enough but when she told Trudy that was her plan she got a twenty minute lecture about her obvious stupidity and all the reasons why it was a bad idea. They didn't need any more bad luck or omens so they were going to do this properly.

Right down to the something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue all courtesy of one Trudy Platt and surprisingly her something borrowed came from Voight and was Camille's diamond earrings.

Kev took care of Adam and had strict instructions not to let him get sozzled and that they had to be at City Hall a minimum of half an hour before he was due.

After the short ceremony Atwater and Trudy had organised a party unbeknown to them back at their place which went well into the early morning. It was triple celebration, they celebrated Adam's positive treatment outcome, their wedding and a bon voyage for their yearlong sabbatical.

They had both embraced married life, however unusual it was the first year had been. "Let's go."

Nothing had changed, even before they hit the top step they could hear Platt berating some poor sap of a Patrolman for undoubtedly something trivial.

"It's like we never left." Adam turned to Kim and spoke just loud enough so that his voice carried to the front desk.

"Well, well." Platt removed her glasses and shooed the Patrolman out of the way. "Look what the cat dragged in." She even came out from behind the desk at full clip. "And a week early, and you two are never early. Never."

"We've changed." They were actually back because Adam had a follow up appointment with his Oncologist and the date had been changed because she was going away. He needed to have a scan first and some blood tests so hence their early appearance. It was his 12 month check-up and another step along their road.

She leant back a little as she held onto Kim's arms and eyed her up and down. "So it seems. This is a new development?"

It was not like they could keep this a secret anymore and Kim ran her hand over her protruding belly, not that they wanted to hide it, they wanted to celebrate it. "So we have six weeks to go until this little one joins the madhouse. All our own work and it's going really well, we are all really well." Kim beamed and Adam couldn't have looked happier if he tried.

"Oh this is perfect. So much to do, so little time." For just a moment the crusty façade that Platt wore everyday slipped and her joy peeked through. "Baby showers, nurseries, shopping. I've got to get on with it. This is going to be excellent. I need to find that folder." She mused almost to herself.

Adam squeezed Kim's hand. They had loved keeping this a secret and the look on Platt's face was priceless. "So another Ruzek or a Burgess?"

"All in good time." Adam laughed. "Lucky you only have a few weeks to wait." Adam was inpatient but they had decided to wait an have a 'nice' surprise at the end of it all.

They had seen his Dad last night, who was equally shocked but he quickly got excited about becoming a grandfather again. He'd accepted that Adam was happiest with Kim and they had put their past differences aside and tried to be more present in Adam's life. The thought of almost losing his son had put the wind up him and realise that life was short and Bob had to make the most of what time he had left.

Platt held her hands steady on Kim's belly. "It's a boy. I've decided, it feels like a boy." The easiest way for them to keep their secret was to tell people they didn't know either.

"How does it feel like a boy?" Adam scoffed. He asked everyone what they thought and why, it was an obsession almost. He loved old wives tales and Kim often left him chatting away to mainly older women who had an opinion on her pregnancy.

It was running at about 50:50. Some swore it was a girl and others were adamant it was a boy.

"Tight, high and probably causing all manner of grief." Platt replied. "Like father like son."

Kim laughed. She was right about one thing, it had caused them grief. She had been pretty unwell early on and it bought up some painful memories of her first pregnancy. Some days she wasn't quite sure how she was going to survive but once they passed the three month mark things had improved quickly and she had been enjoying the pregnancy and they loved watching her belly grow. Once their baby started to move they felt more comfortable and were able to celebrate their impending parenthood. The scans were amazing and they couldn't wait to meet them.

It wasn't exactly their plan when they left for a year of travelling. The main reason was just to get away and reset and do things that they both discovered they had dreamt of when they were younger. Life had got in the way and it hadn't been the easiest life either.

Especially for Adam, he'd always planned to travel around but had met Wendy and ended up staying put, getting engaged and then he joined the Academy before doing all the things he wanted to do. Life had taken him down a different path and he felt like his cancer diagnosis as well as Kim's miscarriage was a wake-up call and they decided to listen to it. He wanted to catch his breath and take a break from the life that was the same day in day out and get rid of all the noise that had derailed them for far too long.

As Adam lamented one day life lately had been a 'fucking train wreck coupled with a 100 car pile-up and then the fucking medical chopper had crashed on the way to the scene.'

Kim couldn't argue with that sentiment and what started off as a joke and some fantasy had quickly become something they really started to think about it. Rattling off place after place they it morphed into a bucket list and when Adam had the bad reaction to his treatment in the last few days they bought it up again. "It's now or never."

Running it through in her head Kim found herself nodding in agreement but on one condition. That the final thing on the list was a return to Chicago and to their careers and to start a family.

They got it a bit ass about and got a bit slack with contraception, figuring that it may not happen quickly for them because of the radiation and, as Adam kept reminding her, his diminished sperm producing capacity due to the fact he now only 'owned one factory, not two'. It was suggested that they wait at least six months before they started to try and conceive so once that had passed they just relaxed and thought they'd see what happened.

It was a nervous first few months and they tried not to stress about it. They were just enjoyed 'trying' and didn't really talk about but then they always had in the back of their mind how easily Kim fell pregnant the first time, that had just been one random night. They had no idea how long it was going to take now.

Until she passed three months they were a little hesitant and the miscarriage was always in the back of their minds. The Doctors they had seen along the way all said the same thing. Her miscarriage wasn't her fault, it wasn't that her body couldn't sustain a pregnancy she had suffered abdominal trauma which caused her to miscarry. Adam was a little over protective and made sure Kim was taking it easy and not doing anything too adventurous. He fussed incessantly which he reminded her when she complained was payback for when she channelled Nurse Rachet.

The pregnancy for Adam was a jumble of emotions. He had a nagging fear that his cancer treatment would destroy his chance to be a father. He'd dealt with the orchiectomy, it had saved his life or at least that's how he rationalised it but there was always this knot in his gut about his fertility. That felt like it might be too big a hurdle to overcome. The ease at which Kim fell pregnant again was such a relief and he was also excited and proud of himself, like Kim had nothing to do with it.

In more ways than one this was their rainbow baby, a double rainbow.

"I told you it's a boy." Kim smirked at Adam. He didn't care at the start and he had told Kim he wanted a boy, because what man didn't and he also wanted a girl, because also, what man didn't? Yet after everything they'd been through most of all they wanted a healthy baby.

"Adam junior." He winked. Kim had already told him that her child would have its own name and junior wasn't it.

"So it's a boy?" Platt squealed.

"It's a baby and it has whatever bits it's supposed to have. It's not a green sea turtle, it doesn't change its sex depending on how warm it is in here." Kim responded and rubbed her belly. "He has some ridiculous girls names as well, trust me."

"Oh this isn't fair. How do I plan the baby shower?" Trudy whined a little and then winced at the sudden rise in volume of the gaggle of Patrol Officers awaiting the days orders and enjoying the fact that for a moment their Sergeant was distracted . "Anyway, sorry to break up this little reunion but I have idiots to corral, gender neutral baby showers to plan and nobody needs to see me being friendly because then they will all expect it." Platt rolled her eyes. It was nice to be back and nice that she hadn't missed a beat. It was like they had walked out of here yesterday. "Go on up." She buzzed them up into Intelligence.

"Saddle up kids, it's on like Donkey Kong." Adam declared loudly as they hit the top step.

The welcome home was just what they were hoping for and the obvious shock on everyone's face was worth it. The biggest hugs were from Kevin, who was a little emotional. He'd missed his besties. And from Voight who couldn't be happier to see them both and to see Kim's obvious pregnancy. "Congratulations. This is perfect." Voight got a little emotional. "Welcome back, we've missed both of you."

"It's good to be back. This feels like home." Adam had come back to work for a couple of months, just until they organised their affairs and they didn't want to travel until he was well enough. It had never sat well with him then, being back at work, he didn't want to be there and needed a mental break so he was nervous about how it would feel coming back now and it felt like slipping on a comfy pair of shoes. He was well and truly ready to get back into it. "Raring to go Boss. Just say the word."

"A couple of weeks of re-training. new policies and procedures and all that fun stuff and then Platt is looking forward to having you on Patrol for a few shifts." This had all been explained to him before he left. His spot in Intelligence would be open but he had to tick a few boxes after a year off.

They had both been temporarily replaced and by all reports, from talking to Atwater occasionally they knew that they had both fitted in well but knew it was only a short term secondment.

Kim was obviously not going to be coming back any time soon. Her plan was to take another year off. First time round she would have wanted to be back in the thick of things as soon as possible and when she was still pregnant she talked about only taking six weeks off. Now, everything had changed and they were a lot more conscious of living in the moment and taking every chance and opportunity that came their way. Their child would only be a baby once and being at home with them is what she wanted.

The sun shone brightly that day and Kim watched Adam from her bed. He thought she was asleep but she had been listening to him talking away to his newborn child. He was sitting by the window, enjoying the warmth of the sun on a cold wintery day.

Her two favourite men. The loves of her life. The sunshine after the storm.

Their little boy arrived without fuss a few hours earlier after a short and uneventful labour. Adam had been horrified at how painful it was for Kim and he was in awe of her when she delivered their baby and was up and walking within minutes. So far they had just stayed in their little new family bubble and had not told a soul about his arrival. They wanted to spend time loving him, learning his every wrinkle, crease, finger and toe. Getting to see and hold this little baby who they'd known about for months but couldn't touch had been a strange experience. They would like awake at night wondering who they would look liked, what colour eyes and hair they'd have and he was more beautiful than they could even have imagined.

"How are you so perfect?" Adam stroked his cheek. "I know, it's because of your Mom. She's the best, she's the best person I know and you are so lucky, we are both lucky. Luckiest men in the world. I can't wait to be your Dad." He bent down and kissed his soft warm forehead. "I'll be the best Dad in the world, I promise and I'm here to stay."

Adam was still in remission. His scans were clear, his blood tumour markers were zero and obviously he was still fertile. One year down, four to go. Once they hit five years cancer free he could safely declare himself cured. Right now though, all that mattered was their newborn son and starting their life as a family at last. The road had been long and they'd taken more than a few wrong turns and detours but here they were, a family of three.

He caught Kim looking at him. "You're awake."

"Just watching a Daddy with his son, it looks pretty good to me. I've been waiting for this moment for so long."

"Can we stay here forever?" Adam had been the one to decide to just spend some time alone before they let the world in. They were going home soon, everything had gone well, Kim felt good and they'd had enough of Doctors, Nurses and hospitals to last a lifetime. Once they were home they would announce his safe arrival and let the outside crash their party.

"No I want to take him home."

"Me too, I meant just the three of us. We could take off again?" Adam often joked about it, they had enjoyed the year just travelling but knew they couldn't afford it and Adam did love being back at work and being around their friends again. And they were looking forward to raising their son together with the people who meant the most to them.

Adam spent a good twenty minutes trying to get the perfect family photo of the three of them curled up at home and finally he got it. Kim looked happy, lying against Adam while their little boy slept peacefully on her chest. Adam had a hand protectively on his son's back. This was as good as it got.

A few years ago a man called Al took a punt on me. Not only do I have him to thank for giving me the career I've always wanted, but also because he threw me into a world with the most amazing people who became my family. None moreso than the one I now call my wife. Kim, she's always been my Plan A. Having Kim beside me through some of the darkest of times has given me the strength to carry on.

We've weathered some storms, rode some big waves, sheltered from tornados and then finally the clouds started to break.

Welcome to the our world Alby (Albert) Burgess Ruzek. He's perfect and he's ours and we are so in love with him.

The sun is shining and Alby is proof that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

So that's it...life resumed. I thought this would be 5 chapters, turned into 13. Hope you enjoyed it.

I do have a sequel to Shackled and Drawn in the works, hopefully it will be ready to post in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed I can pull it together.