It was already night time, but the summer heat didn't leave with the when the sun set. Instead, it just kept the air dry and uncomfortable, making any office worker to want to go back inside their building and the comforts of air conditioning.

This caused one particular lab tech to just casually wipe the sweat from his forehead and continued his way back to his apartment after a long and tiring day in the lab. This kind of warmth may have been bad for some people, but not to him. Living in the desert brought him up that way.

He had just crossed the street to go to the nearest subway station.

"Hey kid," a deep raspy voice called, sending shivers up and down the young man's spine.

'Get a hold of yourself.' He mentally scolded himself. 'It may just be some bum begging for some lose change. There's no need to jump out of your skin.'

The voice came from the alley he just walked passed. It just occurred to him that it may not be anything he needed to double back and just ignored the man.

"Kid," the same voice called back to him again. This time he grabbed the bearded young man's arm.

He turns around to pull back his arm and then he finally saw him. It was the owner of the voice. His eyes grew wide in disbelief because he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to see him. He hopes it was just a trick of the eyes.

"Hey kid," the man said with a brownish grin.

"You?" he said and realized it wasn't a trick.

He panicked, but instead of recklessly moving, he was frozen on the spot. There were so many things in his head: things he wanted to do, things he wanted to say, but he couldn't. He always thought he'd be strong enough for when this day came, but he didn't realized that this, like anything else from his past, just reduced him to his frightened childhood.

"Yeah," the man replied. "Is that all you're going to say?" he asked.

"What were you expecting?" he asked rhetorically. His voice stained with anger as he violently pulled back his arm from the other man's grasp.

"Easy there, squirt." He said to calm him down, with his palms up and out in mock surrender. "I just thought, you know after all this time, I don't know…"

"What?" he cuts him off. "That's I'll be happy to see you?"

"Yeah." He answered casually as if nothing happened. "I mean, I'm still your father."

"Don't remind me." He replied furiously, finally noticing the older man's attire.

He was a mess: tattered shirt and jeans a dirty jacket, his hair grimy and dirty and his breath still smelled of bourbon.

"Hey, you don't talk to me like that." The man replied just as furiously. "You've got no right."

"No right?" the younger man asked rhetorically. "I've got every right to be angry at you." Then the other man was quiet with this stupid look on his face, like he hasn't figured it out yet. "What do you want?" Adam asked.

"Nothing." He answered, more like lied. "Wanted to see you?"

"Why you out of money?" he scoffed.

"Well, yeah but…" he answered.

"I don't have any." He cuts the older man off.

"Don't lie to me." He replied. "You're working for the fucking NYPD, for God's sake."

"I don't think it's enough to support an alcoholic." Adam replied and turned to leave.

"Hey, don't you think I forgot what day it is." He said. His words stopped the younger man dead on his tracks. "Did you?"

Adam turned back, glaring at the older man in anger. "You've got no right bringing him up."

"He was my son." He replied.

"Who you killed, you murderer." He yelled as he pushed the other man away.

"I did not kill him. It was self defense." He retaliated as he pushed Adam back in the dark alley. "The court said so."

"You walked you son of a bitch." Adam yelled in his face, which got him a push against the brick wall and a strong punch in the gut.

"You don't talk to that way." The older man screamed back and punched him in the face. "You bastard."

Adam was against the wall. His head hitting the bricks as his so called father pummeled his face. He could taste blood. Then he was punched in the mid section. He thought his ribs were being broken. 'Do something.' He told himself. He tried to fight back, but he couldn't. Like years before, he just wasn't strong enough.

Back then, by this time, he would have come to save him. He would have come pulling his father away from him. He would have been here by now to stop this drunk from hurting him again. He would have been here to defend him, to protect him, but he wasn't because he couldn't… not anymore. He wasn't there anymore.

"Hey, stop that." A whole different voice yelled at them, different but familiar.

He came rushing from the side walk and into the alley. He pushed the older man away from Adam, who just leaned on the wall as to not fall on the ground. The drunk tried to fight him. He tied to punch the newcomer, but he was just too fast. He avoided his fist and got to hit the other man back square on the jaw which caused him to fall back.

"Yo Adam," the blonde CSI turns his back at his co-worker leaning on the wall.

Then he turns back around and the asshole was gone. He must have stood up and ran down the dark alley. The bespectacled officer thought of chasing the perpetrator, but changed his mind when he heard his injured friend grunting in pain. He turns back around to check on him. The lab tech was holding a handkerchief to his face. 'His nose might be bleeding' he thought to himself and rushed to his side.

"Hey you ok?" he asked in concern, both hands resting on the other man's shoulders.

"Yeah… I'm fine." He replied a little irritated, keeping his head down as he wiped the blood from his lip. His words muffled by the handkerchief.

"You sure?" he asked again, bending down trying to take a look at his half covered face. "Let me see."

"Really I'm fine." He replied, still hiding his face from him.

"Let me take a look." The CSI insisted, still trying to see his colleagues' face.

"God, stop it." Adam burst, practically pushing the other man away. "I told you I'm fine Lucas." He added in blind furry.

'What? Who the hell is Lucas?' Danny thought to himself.