Chapter Six: Communication

You know I'm bad at communication, it's the hardest thing for me to do
And it's said, it's the most important part that relationships will go through

Haim – The Wire

Diego Dawson: Picture message attached.

Dad: Wow! Is that you in the middle holding the trophy?

Diego Dawson: Yea, I scored the final goal! You should have seen it dad, I was running circles around their guys,

Dad: I wish I could have been here D. I'm so proud of you!

Diego: I wish you could have been there too. I wanted to show you the trophy so mom let me take the picture. When can you come over? I want to show you the trophy, Gramps has put it on the mantelpiece!

Dad: Me and your mom are still figuring a few things out but soon I hope. I miss you guys.

Diego: We miss you too dad. I gotta go to class but text later!

Dad: See you later D! x

Antonio clicked on the picture once more so that it filled his screen. His gaze lingered over his son's smiling features as he lifted that shiny gold trophy high in the air among the rest of his soccer team. His thumb smoothed over his son's pixelated features as a ghost of a smile played upon his lips. Despite the impending divorce his children seemed to be happy and that was the most important thing to him. They understood that mom and dad couldn't be together anymore and he thought they were happier for it, there were no hushed arguments in the night between him and Laura, or tense morning afters. Kids picked up on that sort of thing no matter how much you tried to hide it and he hated the fact they had been feeling the simmering tension between their parents.

Laura was an excellent mom but things hadn't worked out between them in the end, no matter how many times they had tried to force it. They had married young, not long after he had graduated the academy and before he knew it they had Eva on the way and eventually Diego. Things had moved fast for their little family and he had loved it at the time. Then reality hit and before he knew it, he was working long nights and shifts that had him out at all hours. He was still a good father and a diligent husband, he could see the strain the job was putting on his marriage and he was powerless to stop it. Being a cop was a part of him as much as the role of husband and father and even as he tried to cover up the cracks he hadn't realized how deep that damage had actually gone. Going back to the job after getting shot had been the final straw for his wife, she needed something steadier and secure. She needed someone who wasn't going to take risks and sadly Antonio wasn't that person. He would lay his life down for what he believed in if he had to. He understood how angry that could make someone and how hurt Laura must have felt. She had threatened to leave earlier that morning but he had never expected her to actually follow through with it and when she had he had to admit that among the anger and indignation there was relief too. Their marriage hadn't been working for a long time and they had fallen into a pattern of functionality. He didn't mourn the marriage but he did not regret it either. Those years with Laura had bought him Eva and Diego and his children meant everything in the world to him, part of the reason he was out on the job day after day was to make the streets a safer place for the both of them.

"Nice picture." Erin remarked from beside him.

The younger detective was standing at his elbow, her right hand using a teaspoon to stir sugar into her steaming mug. Her head was tilted to one side as she studied the image with interest. Antonio had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn't even registered that the other woman had entered the break room. He tilted his phone to allow her a better visual as he pointed out Diego.

"His team is now top of the Soccer league." he told her proudly before closing the message and slipping the phone into the back pocket of his jeans.

"I see he's a keen sportsman." Erin complimented, resting her hip against the counter as she took a long sip from her coffee mug. "How's Eva doing?"

"Kid is as smart as a whip." Antonio answered with a wide smile as he picked up his own coffee mug. "She got an A on her algebra test the other day, I don't know where she gets it from."

"It clearly didn't come from you." Erin teased as Antonio snickered. "I've seen you using a calculator to add up your change from the bodega."

"Detective Lindsey, you wound me." he chuckled placing a hand over his heart in mock insult.

"Yea, she knows exactly where to punch." Jay Halstead responded as the two of them stepped past his desk as he leaned back in his chair, letting it swivel from side to side as he clasped the arms of it.

Antonio paused for a moment before turning his full attention to the younger man. Halstead looked tired, more tired than he had ever seen him. There were dark circles under his eyes and his features looked sallow and haggard. He could tell the other man wasn't sleeping, Antonio wasn't sure he would be either if he'd received the news that there was bounty on his head. One hundred thousand dollars wasn't anything to sniff at. Antonio had seen guys kill each other for less. A figure like that would bring out some heavy hitters, now they were simply waiting to see who made their way out of the woodwork.

"How you doing man?" he asked sympathetically as Jay leaned forward, his elbows on his desk as he lowered his voice an octave.

"Are you sure your C.I couldn't give us anymore information?" He queried Antonio, his blue eyes were full of anxiety, Antonio could hear the caution in the other man's tone as he spoke. "I'm getting sick of looking over my shoulder."

This would be the third time that Jay had asked the same question in the past few days and the answer from Antonio was always the same. Jay had pushed a little yesterday, requesting to meet the C.I so that he could question them himself but Voight had put a stop to that straight away. The less people that knew about Maggie and her position in Oskar's crew the better even if it was a member of their own team.

"Sorry man." Antonio said, shaking his head in response to the question. "That's all we've got to go on for now. If I hear anything else you'll be the first to know."

His free hand clasped Jay's shoulder, squeezing it lightly before he took up residence at his desk. He took in Jay's crest fallen features as the other man hunched over his computer and hoped that Voight and Al were having better luck in dealing with J.P.

Hey guys. Firstly I would like to say, thank you for all the lovely reviews, follows and favs. It means the world to be that people are enjoying this story! On another note I wanted to show a little more of the relationship between Antonio and his children in this chapter. We don't get to see it much on the show despite the fact it is a predominant part of his life.

Gypsy: I can't believe how intense they are! Writing that chapter on the bridge felt like it was huge for the both of them. Like they care so much for each other and I really wanted to show it in the way they react to one another. Thank you for letting me know that I achieved it! There will defo be more action on the next chapter.

DTaylor: Thank you for taking the time to review. I am really glad that you are enjoying this story and I am trying to keep my updates to two or three days at a time so hopefully that is often enough.

Anime: Hi! I am glad you're enjoying this, writing the two of them has been a rollercoaster but it's so much fun if not a little scary! A few things come to head in the next chapter for Maggie so stay tuned.

Guest: Hi! Your words are so kind and they have made me smile on a bit of a crappy day so thank you so much. If you liked Don and Carmen, I think you would really enjoy Complicated. It's great to find someone that loves CSI and Chicago as much as me. Thanks so much for taking the time to review!