Liz is sitting on the couch in Sam's living room and blinks a couple of times as she looks around. She has felt the need to stop by at his place after she sat in her car after her shift and can't really explain why. She is blaming the fact that she didn't had much time for her cousins because they had got engulfed in work.
Her cousin flops down next to her and hands her a soda. "I am surprised that you rather spend your time here than with Adam, princess."
Liz is about to open the can and is freezing as soon as she hears the name, arching an brow. "I swear to God, call me that once again and I'll break your arm."
"All right," he replies with a grin. "Sorry, Lizzy."
She snorts and punches his shoulder. "Why is that any better?"
Sam is punching her lightly back and skids closer. "So, what is the reason for your visit?"
"I didn't know that I need a reason for coming by."
"You don't, but usually you give me a call so I can clean up."
Liz takes another look around and furrows her eyebrows. "Yeah, I really should have give you a call."
It's not that Sam's place is filthy dirty, but it is definitely a bachelor pad with a couple of empty pizza boxes and empty beer bottles and soda cans in the kitchen.
He chuckles and rolls his eyes. "Well, thank you. So what do you need? Do I need to hurt Adam?"
Liz snorts and shakes her head. "Nah, no need to, he didn't do anything wrong. I just came by to see after I got wrapped up in work for a while."
Sam raises his eyebrows high and smirks. "You came by because you missed me?"
She turns her head to look at him and sighs loudly without answering his question.
He starts to beam and before she knows it he has engulfed her into a tight hug. "You missed me!"
She groans and makes a face because it feels like he tries to squeeze her to death. "Okay, stop it. Stop!" She croaks with a smile.
Sam breaks the hug again and shrugs. "So, pizza and TV?"
"How about cleaning up the kitchen and then pizza and TV?" Liz is proposing and is about to get up from the couch.
"Okay, you start in the kitchen and I'll order food and -" He trails of and wince as soon as her hand meets the back of his head.
"Uh-uh, you're helping me." Liz says with a grin as he is groaning now. "So, are you dating someone again?"
Sam stops dead and eyes her skeptically. "Did Dad sent you to pump me for information?"
She furls her brows and snorts. "Hell, no. And even if he had asked me to, you should know that I am the wrong person to ask for that."
He nods slowly and shrugs. It is true what she is saying they always had each others back, he can't remember a time when it has been different.
Perhaps she is only his first cousin, but they grew up with each other and both of them feel more like they are siblings.
He shakes his head and shrugs. "No, I enjoy the life of a single. You know, I am not as old as you." He says and ducks his apartment head as soon as a kitchen towel comes flying towards him.
"Shut up." Liz is laughing and glares at him.
He joins her laughing and wiggles his eyebrows because he knows he is right.
Liz rolls her eyes and still snickers.
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Adam is asleep when he feels a weight on him and he furls his eyebrows. He groans and wants to turn on his side to get rid of it, but somehow he isn't able to move and he cracks an eye open. He is greeted by a mischievously smile on Liz' lips and isn't quite sure what is happening right now.
"Hi," she whispers and is holding his gaze.
"Hi," he replies sleepily and clears his throat. "What's going on?"
"Isn't it obvious," she asks back and her brows are perked up high.
Adam shakes sleepily his head and wants to sit up. He looks confused at the brunette when she is pushing him back on his shoulders. "Are you drunk?"
Liz huffs and glares at him. "Seriously? That's the first thought that comes to your mind right now?"
He smiles wryly and shrugs as he looks at his alarm to check the time.
She takes a deep breath and is looking for a way to prove that she isn't drunk at all. The only drinks she has shared with Sam this evening had been coke … and more coke. She starts to smirk and pulls her shirt over the head. "Does this look like I am drunk?"
Adam is still looking into brown eyes and has to swallow hard. Sometimes, he doesn't mind if they get intimate when they had a little too much, but that doesn't have to mean that it has to be quite usual. "Liz -" He tries.
"I am not, Adam." She cuts him off and places his hands on her hips. "The only things I have been drinking to day were coffee, water and coke."
He is still reluctant and clenches his teeth so he can stay in control.
She leans forward and whispers in his ear, "I promise." She gasps in surprise when he is flipping them over and has to snicker.
Adam smiles a little and is searching her eyes. "And what if I am not in the mood?"
Liz is smiling amused back at him and runs her fingers thought his hair. "I would say that I don't believe you right now." She counter and pulls his head down to finally kiss him.
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"Jeez, is someone chasing you," Chaz is asking a little out of breath and frowns.
"No," Liz is laughing as she slows down and looks briefly at him. "but maybe you are a little out of shape. When was the last time the two of us have been running together?"
He is thinking back and blinks a couple of times. "Uh …"
"Exactly," she chuckles and starts her warm down program.
He chuckles as well and is doing the same. "I know I haven't been in the park for a while. And every night I tell myself that I will go the next morning, but then I am glad when Damian is sleeping through the night but can't bring myself to come here."
Liz is nodding slowly and furls her brows. "What's wrong with him?"
"He's a baby, that's wrong." The man replies and shrugs. "You'll see what I am talking about when Adam and you have one yourself."
"No, no, no." She replies and shakes her head. "Adam and I take our time before we start a family."
Chaz laughs cynically and his friend straightens up. He holds an hand up and tries to stop himself. "I am sorry, Liz. It's just … Leslie and I said the same before and after we got married, and we really meant it. We wanted to enjoy time together before we get a family started. And you know how that worked out."
Liz is staring blankly at him and she isn't really sure what to think about that statement. "Well, thank you for encouraging me. If you would excuse me now. I am going home to pack my things and leave the state now."
He chuckles and looks warningly at her. "I cuff you to the heating if you try to do so. Leslie and Damian are the best things that happened in my life."
"Yeah, that's how it sounded like." She says with a small smile.
Chaz takes a deep breath and frowns. "They really are, Liz. It was just the exhaustion that spoke."
"Look, you don't have to justify yourself." Liz says and shrugs. "I know that Leslie can be a handful sometimes, and Damian. So no judging by me. And you can rely on me, I won't tell Leslie about our little chat."
He smiles relieved. "Thank you."
She nods approvingly and furrows her eyebrows. "When you need a day or two to take a break from everything, you are welcome to stay at our place."
"I am sure that I will take that offer some day," he says and smiles back at her.
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Liz is standing at the shooting range and is emptying the clip. Somehow she has again such a day that she wanna hide in a dark corner and roll up in a ball for the rest of the day. She can't explain why, maybe it has to do with the talk that she did have with Chaz.
She had turned Maura down as she came up to ask Liz if they wanna have lunch together and told her that she rather would like to spend the afternoon alone.
She stops dead when someone steps from behind into her personal space and sighs. "What are you doing, Laverty?"
Adam scoffs and doesn't step back. "You have a awful posture today." He states and starts to correct it. "You are normally a great shooter, but today it's a wonder that you hit the target at all."
Liz rolls her eyes and is clenching her teeth. "Thank you very much, that's exactly what I needed today."
"Something is bothering you," he mumbles and align her arms before he steps back.
"No," she hisses and empties the next clip with more success this time. She takes a deep breath and licks her lips.
"Uh-huh," he replies and leans against the wall behind her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Wanna talk about it?"
She holster her gun again after she reloaded it and turns to him with a scoff. "No."
Adam scrutinizes her for a moment and something is telling him that there really is something wrong. "You know that you can talk to me, right?"
Liz takes a deep breath and drops her eyes to her feet. "I know, and normally I would do that, but I have to figure this out by myself, Adam."
He frowns now and points at each of them. "Has it to do with us and the wedding?"
She stops dead in her tracks and her eyes are finding his again. "What? No!"
Adam is studying her for a while and his frown is deepening. "Liz –-"
"Adam," she cuts him off and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "I can tell that this has absolutely nothing to do with us or our wedding. I promise."
He takes a deep breath and drops his chin to his chest. He knows that he has no other choice than to believe her in this moment, everything else could be fatal. Don't push her, otherwise she will run again. "All right. Um, I got you a pulled pork sandwich."
"And brought it down here?"
"No, it's waiting for you upstairs." Adam answers and has to smile as soon as he sees the sparkle in her eyes.
"Thank you," she says and is about to kiss him, but then she stops herself because it's still their workplace.
Adam is blinking a couple of times and his shoulders slump, and he grabs her hand. "Ugh, to hell with it." He states and closes the last gap.
Liz has to smile and pulls away when she get the feeling that this is going to last forever. "I go and get the food, I am starving."
He rolls his eyes and chuckles. "Of course you are, you are a glutton." He stops to follow her as she glares at him over her shoulder and smirks. "A very attractive glutton."
Liz scoffs and decides to not comment that at all.
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Leslie is looking long and confused at her best friend after she had checked on her sleeping son. "Why are you asking if Chaz and I are okay?"
Liz is frowning deeply and rolls the bottle of beer between her hands. "I just … I wanted to make sure that you are okay. I noticed that he has been working long shifts the last few days." Weeks, she corrects herself in her head because she had to swallow the sentence.
Leslie is flopping down on a armchair and sighs heavily. "We have currently a … hard time. Damian catch one colic after the other and barely sleeps through. And Chaz takes extra shifts because -"
Liz is waiting that the redhead continues, but she is waiting in vain. "Do you have financial problems?"
Leslie is hesitating and worries her bottom lip, frowning. "We only have one income anymore and that is eating up our signings."
"Leslie," Liz says gentle and furrows her eyebrows. "why didn't you tell me about it? You know that I help you."
Leslie huffs and gets up from the armchair. "I know you would help, Liz. But you are my best friend and not my personal bank." She holds up an hand when the brunette opens her mouth. "I know what you are going to say. You will say that it is like a duck takes to water that we help each other because we are best friends, but -"
The brunette nods slowly and takes a deep breath. "Your family is your responsibility."
Leslie releases a loud sigh and nods. "Yes, it is. I mean, I know that Chaz is taking extra shifts day in and day out, and it that already makes me feeling bad. I mean, you see it yourself. Today he has a double shift again, I barely see him anymore."
Liz is sitting up and her eyes went big. Not because of the financial aspect but because she had wished Chaz a good night one hour before her own shift has ended. And a voice in her head starts to tell her that she has to kill him.
The redhead is looking long at her and furls her brows. "What is it?"
The brunette is clenching her teeth and shakes her head. She hates to lie especially when it comes to the one that she loves. "Nothing, I … I just got an idea how to crack my latest case." She can see the confused look of her friend and she sighs. "I am sorry, you know how my brain is working."
"Yes, I do." Leslie chuckles and takes a deep breath. "Complicated."
"Exactly," the brunette agrees and downs the beer to the half.
A little later, Liz is sitting behind the steering wheel of her Jeep and doesn't know what to do or what to think. She activates the Bluetooth before she starts the engine and pulls out of the driveway.
"Hey, Liz." Chaz greets after a short moment.
"Hey," she says without a wavering voice and furls her eyebrows. "I am on my way home and thought about to stop by at Greely's. Do you wanna join me?"
He is silent for a moment and she blinks. "Uh, maybe another time. I am already at home and Damian isn't feeling well." His voice comes out of the speakers.
Liz is grasping the steering wheel tightly and she grits her teeth. "Oh, okay. Yeah, maybe another time."
"Night, Liz."
"Yeah, night." She says and ends the call, slamming her hands to the steering wheel. It seems like her suspicion is right, because she just left Leslie's house and he hasn't been near it.
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Liz is coming home and stops dead as she sees the back of Maura's head and thinks that the evening is getting better and better.
Adam is looking over his shoulder and gets up from the couch as soon as he spots his fiancée. He walks with a deep frown to Liz and can see that something else is keeping her mind busy. He takes her hand in his own and looks worriedly at her. "You okay."
The young woman takes a deep breath and nods. She feels like she has aged ten hears the last hour and that there will be another ten years as soon as she talks to her mother. "I am fine. Is Mom waiting long?"
"Half an hour," he whispers with a frown. "She wants to talk to you
She rubs an eye to force the upcoming tears back and swallows a grown. "Okay."
Adam sighs heavily and clears his throat . "I am going and grab something to eat. How does Chinese sound?"
"Sounds good to me." Liz agrees with a nod.
Adam looks long at his future mother-in-law. "What about you, Maura? Do you wanna have something to eat?"
Maura turns her head and shakes it. "No, thank you. I don't need anything."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Adam nods and looks at his fiancée. "I'll be back soon." He says and gives the brunette a kiss before he leaves the two women alone.
Maura watches the scene involuntary the scene and looks into her lap.
Liz takes a deep breath and walks into the kitchen. "Do you mind if I drink something stronger than beer or wine?"
Maura looks long at her and knows that it is a sarcastic question. "Not at all, you look like you need it."
Liz is scoffing a gets a bottle of whisky out of a cupboard. "The day has its charm, yes. Do you wanna have a glass too?"
"I go with your wine." Maura answers simply.
Liz nods and licks her lips. "Is Ma okay?"
"She is fine, that's not why I am here."
"Oh?"
Maura is frowning again and swallows hard. "Sit with me?"
Liz is sitting down next to Maura and rolls the glass between her hands.
Maura is following every contour of her daughters face and sigs heavily. "I love you, honey."
Liz is frowning and her eyes softens as soon as she looks at the doctor. "I love you too, Mom."
"I hope that you don't mind that I show up without invitation."
"Mom, neither you nor Ma are unwelcomed here. You can come by anytime."
Maura nods slowly and nods, frowning .
Liz is hating that part, when one of her mothers is holding back something. "What's wrong, Mom?"
"I have a nostalgic moment." Maura breathes and shrugs. "That's why I came by."
"Okay." Liz says and has to smile. She chuckles as soon as she finds herself in a tight hug. "Mom." She chuckles but hugs her mother back.
Maura is feeling like an idiot and tries to pull away … for a second because her daughter is holding tightly on to her.
Liz is smiling and sighs heavily. "I love you so much, Mom."
"You will always be my little girl." Maura whispers.
Liz is starting to laugh and is looking long at her mother.
Maura is looking confused at her. "What?"
"Ma and you are the perfect match."
Maura smiles broadly and kisses her daughters cheek. "I know. And we got a wonderful child." She pauses and frowns. " But you do look a bit pale, and I am worried."
Liz is considering to tell Maura what she is thinking and sighs. "There are things I have to deal with on my own."
Maura is nodding and sighs. "But do not disbar Adam from it, he is a good man."
"He is," Liz sigs heavily and frowns.