"Okay I have time for two snuggles," Lindsay said, leaning down to pick up a crying Ben. He wasn't used to having both parents gone at work all day long and as much as he loved Faye, he'd been a little spoiled recently. Lindsay sat down on the couch with him, holding him tightly until his tears went away. He nuzzled against her chest, sniffling while she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I have to go to work now sweetie."

"No mama!" he wailed, clutching at her desperately.

"Yes. I'll be home later-"

"NO!"

She sat back and held him away from her, trying to get his attention while he hiccupped.

"Benjamin, listen to me. Daddy and I will be back from work later tonight. You get to stay here and play."

"Want mama," he whimpered, fighting her gentle grip and falling back to her chest. She sighed and stood up, knowing the clock was ticking and she had to leave soon.

"I'll snuggle you when I get home tonight, okay?"

He let out a tortured sob and she peeled him off of her, handing him to Faye then stepping back before he could lunge for her.

"You boys be good," Adam said as they headed for the door. "Love you."

"Love you too!" Colton chirped, looking away from his playdoh project for just a moment. "Don't be dangerous, 'kay?"

"Okay."

They slipped out the door and Adam reached over, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly.

"I hate that part so much."

"I do too. But the coming home part makes up for it, right?"

"I guess."

They stepped into the elevator and he held her tightly, kissing her forehead.

"Stop feeling guilty. He'll be over it soon."

"I know. He's probably fine already. I just… I can hear him crying in my head. I hate that."

"Me too."

"Life must go on," she sighed as they exited their building and headed for work. It wasn't a short walk, but they made good time, taking several shortcuts that they'd discovered in the last few years. They didn't say much to each other as they walked, but nothing much was needed. They were both just enjoying the short time together.

"Want to sneak away for lunch?"

"Yes. I'll come find you."

They'd be in the same building all day long, and would probably see each other several times, but he couldn't help stopping in the middle of the hallway and drawing her into his arms again.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Neither of them minded the people rushing around them as they shared a short kiss, staring into each other's eyes for a second before going their separate ways.

"I don't even know anymore," Austin sighed, tossing the file folder onto Danny's desk.

"Me neither," Danny agreed.

"Similarly afflicted," Lindsay sighed, spinning around slowly in her chair. "Let's start a club."

"Too much effort."

"But we could have matching sweatshirts."

"Well lah-di-dah," Danny snorted, tossing a baseball into the air and catching it.

"Okay fine, you think of something."

"I dunno."

"This stuff is disgusting. Why am I still eating it?" Lindsay whined, taking a bite of the grape flavored Twizzler.

"Because you're bored and there's nothing else to do while you're waiting for reports to come back," Austin said, leaning over and swiping the candy. "And now you're going to share with me."

"Hey!"

"Ew, this is gross!"

"And yet you just took a second bite."

"We spend too much time together," Austin said around a mouthful of sugar.

"You two do that, I'm going to read over the autopsy report again. You know, actually do the work I was paid for."

"Hey, I can't go find the bad guy until you do your job," Austin reminded him, kicking his desk.

"Technicality," he replied, keeping his eyes on the report while he shoved her foot away.

"Anybody doin' any work in here?" Jo asked, coming into the room with a stack of papers.

"We were workin' on figurin' a way to look like we're workin'," Lindsay answered. "Ideas?"

"David Cobb's arrests from the year he went missing. Might find something."

"Thanks."

Jo set the papers down, then stole the last Twizzler off of Lindsay's desk before leaving the room.

"You know it was a bad time when someone's mugshot includes a fluorescent yellow windbreaker."

"Or shoulder pads. On a man," Austin added, picking up a second arrest report. "E-gads. How did we survive the eighties?"

"Kept our heads down and mourned John Belushi."

"You were too young to have ever appreciated Belushi," Danny scoffed.

"Danny, you're not that much older than us."

"I feel older."

"You look older."

"Walked into it."

They continued to go through the reports, organizing them into different piles based on how strong a lead it may be. It was frustrating and a last ditch effort to try and bring some closure to an old case, but maybe the answer would lie in a place that had been overlooked.

Two cups of coffee and an hour later they had things organized better and had a small list of leads, one looking extremely promising. It was an arrest made three months before Cobb's disappearance, and the suspect had been released just days before.

"What time's Pop comin' down?" Austin asked stretching her arms over her head.

"He should be down there any minute. What's say you two go down and see if he can help while Flack and I go pick up this other guy?"

"Compare notes later," Lindsay suggested. "Play crack the case."

"We have mad crime solving skills."

"Do you remember much about the case?" Austin asked, pouring a glass of water for her father-in-law.

"Anything that might help us out now?"

"Girls, this was twenty five years ago. And we got nowhere with it."

"We know that. Could you just tell us what you remember?"

Lou sighed.

"What I know is probably what you know," he said, moving his glass around on the table before sitting back in his chair. "I don't know how anything I say is going to help."

"Pop," Austin started, taking a deep breath. "We've got more resources now than you did then."

"That's not going to make a difference, Austin. What happened still happened."

They stared at each other for a second and Lindsay scrambled to catch up to what had just passed between them.

"Pop what aren't you telling me?"

"Look, it was a bad case. Took its toll. It was hard enough losing David, but to have to tell his pregnant wife that we were at a dead end and had nothing left to do for her? That hit us all pretty hard. We couldn't even find a primary crime scene. Everyone thought Bridger had something to do with it, ruined his reputation. There's just a lot that went on that… it may be a long time ago, but that stuff is all still there."

"Are you sayin' this was an inside job?"

"Austin."

"Now wait a minute Pop. This was in '88. That was right in the thick of everything. Dirty cops and the politics and… what are you not sayin'?"

He was quiet for a second, staring her down.

"I know things were bad back then. I know that's when my dad… why he… I know how much it stressed you all out, okay? But you don't need to protect me from whatever it is you're not saying."

"Austin," Lindsay started, seeing the beginnings of a shouting match brewing in her best friend's voice.

"Was my dad involved in this? He worked the case but was he involved in it?"

"Hey, kiddo-"

"Don't! I need to know what happened. I deserve to know, don't you think?"

"Austin," Lindsay repeated sharply. "Out."

"What?"

"Out."

Austin looked at her for just a second before standing up and leaving the room, slamming the door behind her. Lindsay jumped slightly at the noise, wondering if she had just started a fight.

"She listened to you?"

"I've earned it. Now is she right? Is there something you're not saying?"

"Look, back then, things were different. You couldn't even trust your partner. You didn't know who was dirty and who was clean, who was caught in the middle. You just didn't know. You had to tread carefully and hope you didn't stumble upon something you shouldn't. Some of these guys are old timers, but the younger ones are still on the force now. You kids are into something that's deeper than you know."

"I can't believe that unless you're straight with me here."

"No wonder my son hasn't ditched you for another partner."

She sighed and sat back, figuring she would wait him out just like she did with Danny. Eventually the silence would drive him nuts and he would speak.

"It started out small, a few cops taking bribes here and there. By '88 it had turned into something much bigger. Lots of cops involved, not just taking bribes, but selling guns, diddling with the mob, the sorts of things you see in movies. They were careful to do it on their own time, figuring they would get caught doing it on the job. There were stricter rules because of what happened in the 70's, but the underbelly was still there. These cops were using their power and their connections to get what they wanted. Austin's father wasn't involved up to this point but later… how much has she told you about him?"

"Basically everything."

"When everything started at home, it wasn't a secret. I called other cops, I called CPS, I tried to get favors from judges, and no one would budge. Nothing would stick. Jack had friends, okay? I don't know if he was involved in all this or if he was a smooth talker at the right times, but somehow he managed to get away with it. I don't want her to know that. I would rather have her think that I failed her than believe that there was another thing stacked against her father's integrity."

"I won't say anything, it's not relevant to the investigation."

"Thank you."

"But Jack worked the case with you. And someone else, Charlie Hendricks?"

"Yeah. We were at it for months. We found nothing. You've read the reports."

"It looks pretty unsolvable."

"You kids need to tread lightly. These guys, their power runs deep. You have families. You have to keep them safe. Please just… keep them safe."

"Do you really think that after all these years they would-"

"Yes."

"Can you give me names? Any names at all?"

"I can't do that."

"It sounds like you don't want this case solved either."

"I do. I'm just afraid of what that might mean."

"Are you going to let us all find out on our own? Just jump in? Because none of us are letting go of this one."

He gave a long sigh.

"Check out Bridger. Ask his wife for anything he may have written in that time, letters, journals, anything. Start there. Be careful."

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you drop the case?"

"I never dropped it. Captain ordered us off it. No reason. Just told us hands off."

"We'll be careful. I promise."

They stood up and left the room and she watched as he walked by Austin's desk, giving her shoulder a squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled a little before he walked away.

Lindsay sighed and walked slowly across the room, plopping down in the chair next to Austin's desk. They didn't say anything for a few minutes, just regarded each other quietly.

"I'm sorry I-"

"No, you were right. I was getting too involved."

"It's okay to be like that you know. Invested."

"Not when you're screaming at your father-in-law for no reason."

"Okay, maybe that's a little excessive, but that wasn't what you were doing. If you didn't have that passion you shouldn't be a cop. So tough cookies."

Austin cracked a smile and shook her head.

"What would I do without you Linds?"

"Go insane faster and more alone."

"That sounds awful."

"Precisely."

"I'm starving. Want to grab lunch?"

"I told Adam I would go find him when I was ready to go. Rain check?"

"Yeah. Besides maybe I can con Danny into getting me a slice of Rays."

"That's not going to take much effort, all he ever wants to eat is Rays."

"True facts."

"Let me know when the guys get back."

"I will. Go be disgusting with your husband."

"Okay," Lindsay giggled.

It was a short walk back to the lab and she found Adam staring so intently at a computer screen that he didn't even hear her come up. Grinning, she walked over and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Hey."

"Hey. Hungry?"

"Yeah, just gimme a second to finish this up."

She kissed his cheek and righted herself.

"I'm going to call the boys."

"Okay. I'll be right there."

She walked into the office and plopped into the chair, smiling at the family picture that sat atop the desk before she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Faye, it's Lindsay. How are the boys?"

"Oh pretty good. Just finishing their lunch. I think they're going to have a rest here in a few minutes."

"Did Ben stop screaming?"

"It took him a bit, but he's okay now. He wants to talk to you."

"Okay."

"Hi mama."

"Hi baby. What are you doing?"

"I food. Pickle!"

"You ate a pickle? Was it sour?"

"Yum, mama."

"Are you going to go have a little sleep?"

"Big bed?"

"Yeah, you can sleep in the big bed."

"Talk budder. Bye mama."

"Bye baby."

There was a shuffling noise and then Colton came on.

"Hi mama. What are you doing? Did you 'rest any bad guys today? You and Austin and Danny do that and daddy be's a scientist today?"

"Well, daddy was a scientist today, but I didn't arrest anyone yet."

"Oh. Me and Ben was playin' that we was a store and we buyed stuff and then we selled stuff to Faye and made money so we could go on vacation okay?"

"Oh, okay. Where are we going to go?"

"Most magical place on earth like you and daddy says. Disneyland mama!"

"We'll have to wait and see."

"Mama, I need to take a rest too like Ben?"

"Yeah, just a little one. You don't have to sleep, just have some quiet time, okay?"

"Okay, I could do that. I could lay on daddy's side of the bed and Ben could sleep on your side."

"Yeah, you can do that."

"When you and daddy will come home?"

"We'll be home around dinner time."

"Okay. I gotta go mama or Ben's gonna get daddy's side!"

"Bye honey."

She hung up the phone and found Adam in the doorway with a small smile on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

He shrugged and walked over to her, offering his hands and helping her out of the chair.

"I just like listening to you sometimes."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Okay. What are you hungry for?"

"I don't know. Wanna run over to that deli?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Boys, it's time to go to bed," Lindsay hollered around her toothbrush as she heard the boys giggling in their bed again.

"We know this mama. We just talkin' first."

"I know this," she replied with a grin, shutting the bathroom light off. "But it's bedtime for bonzos and you're both bonzos."

They hooted with laughter as she stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"Can you come in here mama? One more bedtime cuddle?"

It was getting late, but she couldn't resist their smiles and messy hair and matching dinosaur pajamas and the way they both just sat there expectantly with their hands in their laps.

"Okay, one more cuddle."

They giggled as she climbed into the bed with them, smiling as they snuggled up to her as if she was the most important person in the world.

"Room for daddy?" Adam asked as he joined them, dropping a kiss to Colton's head.

"Yep. Just don't let mama fall off the bed."

"Mama fall," Ben repeated with a yawn.

"Ben, are you ever going to sleep in your own bed?" Lindsay asked, looking over at the toddler bed that Ben had never climbed into.

"No. With budder."

"Yeah I protect him from all the scary stuff in the dark," Colton said, rubbing his eyes.

"That's what brothers are for, huh?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Sounds like you're getting tired," Adam said quietly, watching as Colton's eyes fluttered opened and closed.

"Everybody gots buttcheeks."

"What?"

"Everybody gots buttcheeks," he repeated. "I gots buttcheeks. Ben gots buttcheeks. I bet you gots buttcheeks daddy."

Lindsay was trying so hard not to laugh that her entire body was shaking and moving the bed. It woke Ben up and he stared at them all for a minute before yawning and closing his eyes again.

"Yeah, everybody's got buttcheeks. The book that's sweeping the nation."

"The sequel to Everybody Poops?"

"More like the prequel if you think about it."

She snorted and buried her face in the pillow.

"C'mon, they're asleep."

They got up and went into their bedroom, sliding under the covers and sighing. It was early, but rare were the days that they didn't hit the sack soon after the boys. They could have stayed up, they weren't really that tired and there were things to watch on TV. But sitting side by side in bed, reading or just talking seemed to be the perfect way to end a long day at work. He settled in with a gaming magazine while she curled her legs underneath her and picked up the novel she'd been working on for the last few weeks. They were quiet for a few minutes, while the night air came through the window and he reached over and rested his hand on her hip. She smiled and wrapped her arm around his, scooting over to lean on him.

They had finally found that perfect position, the one they could stay in for hours, when her phone beeped. Sighing, she reached over for it and opened the text from Austin.

What are you guys doing?

Laying in bed. What are you guys doing?

Laying in bed. We had a thought.

Collective?

What if it wasn't Cobb at all? What if Bridger was the one that got in too deep?

Possible. Maybe they were planning on killing Bridger…

And got Cobb instead.

He was alone, wearing that hoodie. One could be mistaken for the other.

And maybe they realized their mistake, dumped Cobb on a piece of land Bridger's family happened to own.

They couldn't get revenge by killing him so they decided to frame him instead.

But no one found the body until now.

By jove…

Hopefully Bridger's wife will have something for us tomorrow.

Hopefully. Night Roz.

Night Ava.

She put the phone back on the night stand and resumed her previous position.

"I'm going to sleep."

"Okay. I'm just going to finish this one article."

She nodded and yawned, closing her eyes and letting herself rest safely against him as the night grew darker. She stretched her toes out as he tossed his magazine onto the side table and scooted down the mattress, pulling the blankets over their heads.

"What are you doing?"

"Makin' a fort."

She chuckled and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're really cute, do you know that?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Don't ever change."