Atwater took a sideways look at his partner. The black cloud that had followed her around all day was still lingering and she just looked miserable. Ever since his encounter with Ruzek back at the district he had swung back and forth about whether to tell her that he was looking for her.

It was not that he had anything against Ruzek, he actually really liked the guy but the rumour mill had swung into action when his fiancé turned up and left in tears and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Burgess ordered them another drink.

"Ruzek came looking for you earlier." He finally blurted it out.

"What? When?" she cursed herself silently for answering a little to quickly and with a little too much excitement. Picking up her glass she rolled it between her two hands and took a deep breath to slow down her suddenly thudding heart. "What did he want?"

"I don't know. I told him to back off or he would have me to answer to."

Burgess looked at him seriously before letting a smile spread across her face. "Aww Atwater, always looking out for me." She held up her glass to clink his. "Thanks brother."

Kim chewed at her bottom lip. Now at home she had showered and was now ready for bed when she looked at her phone for the hundredth time. No messages. Should she send him a message? Why did he want to see her? No! There was no denying that she had been more than a little crushed when he told her that he was giving his relationship with Wendy a chance. And she knew that was the right thing to do, but it hurt, it hurt like hell.

Despite knowing that he was engaged to someone else she couldn't help the feelings she had for him. She had tried to quash them so perhaps it was for the best that he had forced the issue on her. There was nothing going to happen there. He was engaged to someone else, he was getting married and she had to move on.

Again she looked at her phone. Nothing. She threw it on the table and disappeared into the kitchen and made herself a camomile tea hoping it's calming sweetness would soothe her. Taking it with her to the bedroom she curled up with her book and tried to put the day behind her.

Then she arrived in at the District the next morning and the locker room was abuzz. Everyone was talking about Wendy's visit and the rumour was that she had called it off with Ruzek. Burgess tried to suppress the butterflies in her stomach. This changes nothing, don't get dragged back in she warned herself.

A few hours later her phone beeped in her pocket with a message. It was from Ruzek. 'I guess you heard the news. Sorry I didn't tell you myself.'

'Are you okay?'

'I will be.'

They got a job before she could answer again, but then she didn't really know what to say anyway. She had never been in the situation when the man she had a developed an unhealthy crush on had just broken her heart and then split up with his fiancé and was now texting her again. Where was the manual for that?

It wasn't until much later that night she finally replied. 'Sorry about you and Wendy. I hope you aren't drowning your sorrows?'

'Just a little, but I'm a big boy. Thanks for caring.'

He looked at the phone in his hands, waiting for it to buzz again, willing it to buzz again but nothing happened. He threw it on the coffee table where it rattled against one of the empty beer bottles. Drowning his sorrows in another beer had not made him feel any better. His head buzzed a little from the alcohol but did little to soften the blow.

It was all on him, he knew that and what hit him the hardest, apart from coming home to his apartment to find her gone, was that he knew he should have felt worse than he did. Obviously he was upset at how it ended but he hated that he wasn't upset because it had ended. And that wasn't fair, it wasn't fair on Wendy that he had been a crappy fiancé, it wasn't fair on her that he knew that he was having doubts about them yet wasn't man enough to do anything about it. She had pushed the issue, made the decision that he was too gutless to make and he hated that he was grateful that she did because he couldn't deny that his eye had wandered.

He had been confused because he had never had any doubts about Wendy. He did love her and their relationship had always been comfortable. They had moved in together quickly and settled into domesticity and while he was at the academy that was what he needed. Once he started working in Intelligence he had no choice to wake up to the real world and it was an ugly place. Then the fighting started, little arguments and disagreements that blew up into big deals and Wendy pushed the wedding planning onto him when he was learning a whole new job. Al had called him out on it, he needed to be 100% on the job, 100% of the time and the only way he knew how to do that was to shut Wendy out. That wasn't fair.

Then there was Burgess. She was certainly different from any other girl he had known, the complete opposite of Wendy. She was tough as nails compared to Wendy who liked his constant reassurances. Outward appearances mattered to Wendy, the table had to be set perfectly, the cushions had to match, picking china patterns involved three weekend shopping trips.

Burgess's smile would light up the room and Wendy hadn't smiled much lately.

He enjoyed working with Burgess, she had teased him and mocked him and didn't try to be anyone but herself. When she had kissed him, despite his better judgement and for just a fleeting moment he had welcomed it, kissing her back. He had driven around for hours trying to get his head around how it had made him feel, he couldn't return home until the feeling of Burgess's passionate kiss on his lips had disappeared. It shouldn't have made him feel like that; it shouldn't have made him feel anything. But it did.

Perhaps that was the moment when Wendy realised that something had changed between them. His guilt pushed him further away from her. Burgess was mortified and begged him to forget it and they had had agreed to put it behind them, He tried even going as far as declaring that he was going to really put his whole heart into his life with Wendy and he meant it or he convinced himself that he meant it.

So why then, when Wendy gave him back the engagement ring did he feel a sense of relief? Why did he feel the need to try and find Burgess and tell her it was over with Wendy when he had just ripped her heart out in the foyer earlier that day? Why was he being such a fuckin' wanker?

That's when he decided that the best thing he could do for everyone was to just take some time, pull himself out of the game and get his shit together. He looked at the phone again.

Way to go Ruzek, you've got no fucking idea.

Al noticed his black mood the next day. The few beers he had were sitting badly and he felt basically like shit. "Hey," Al called him out. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing man." He tried lying. Al looked at him the way only Al could. He wasn't buying his bullshit. "I had a few beers last night." He sucked in a deep breath. "Wendy moved out."

"Jesus. What did you do?"

Adam bristled a little at the accusation. Had everyone noticed what a prick he had been? "Thanks Al, you know just the right thing to say." He snapped.

"Hey hey." Al waited until Adam looked up from the paperwork he was trying desperately to focus on. "I'm sorry about Wendy."

Adam softened, "No worries Al." he leant back in his chair "I guess I shouldn't be shocked, things had been pretty crappy for awhile. It still stings though."

"Perhaps she just needs a little time?"

"Nah man, I think it's better this way." Picking up his pen again he started back at his report. "And no offense Al, not really sure you are the best one to give me relationship advice, ya know." A small smile played at the corner of his mouth and he ducked just as Al lobbed a pen at him.

Burgess heard the gate to Intelligence swing open as she stood at the desk waiting for Platt to give them their next job. Her new partner was lazy and just biding his time until his full pension kicked in and it made her head hurt. Burgess had to will herself not to turn around when she heard his voice.

Platt held up her hand to stop her partner complaining about their task and called out to the Intelligence pair. "You two." She barked. "You're late with your expense reports. I won't pay them if they are not on my desk by the end of the day."

Al waved his hand in acknowledgement and Burgess turned at the last minute and caught Ruzek's eye. He smiled, almost shyly at her and she turned back quickly but not before he glimpsed just the hint of a smile from her.

It gave him a little bit of hope, if hope was the right word because he didn't know what he wanted from Burgess. He wanted to know that he hadn't ruined their friendship first and foremost. Beyond that it was anyone's guess.

'How's the new partner fairing?' He deliberated over sending her a text message all evening. They had often texted each other, completely innocently about work for a while, so it was not unusual to check in.

Wendy had commented on the sheer volume of text messages he received. Whether it was from his mates or from work, his phone never stopped and she was surprised to find out that Burgess was a female. Not that she had any reason to not trust Adam and he had been open and honest whenever Burgess messaged him and they had always been totally work related.

'He'll be great once his pension kicks in and he leaves.'

'Ouch.'

And they settled into that. The friendship that he was starting to cherish, and the friendships that he had made since he set foot in the 21st would get him through. It was new life he had now and perhaps it was best that his old life was now in the rear-view mirror because everything was changing. He was changing and for the first time in a long time he liked the fact he had no idea what tomorrow was going to bring.