You deserve it!

Happy reading.

Xoxo,

Nina

Her mind was in one place only, and that was the contents of that box. Maybe it would have been better to take a shower, relax, fix herself a cup of tea and then go through her belongings, but there was no way she could relax knowing that a huge part of the life she didn't remember was boxed away in floral print.

She sat down on the floor, between her couch and coffee table with the box in front of her. As she took the lid off she felt like crying again. The first thing she saw were photo booth pictures of her and Sylvie and her class picture. She probably had that stuck on her fridge. She went through all the little faces and stopped when she found Gracie and smiled. She put them down and kept looking.

Sylvie was right, there were at least 15 different drawings and about nine of them had the exact same style. She assumed those were Gracie's and when she came across the last one she just knew. Three people in what apparently was the zoo. Gracie in the middle, Uncle Adam on one side and Ms. B on the other.

There was a big knot in her throat. A part of her wanted to stop, but another wanted to know exactly what role she played in their lives. She had to keep going.

As she kept digging through the box she found receipts, school things, Hailey and Jay's wedding card, more pictures and in the very bottom there was a planner.

When she opened the cover the first thing she saw was the password to her iCloud and a card neatly folded that read happy birthday in a handwriting she didn't recognize. She put everything down and ran to get her computer.

There was an obnoxious amount of files there, she really needed to clean that out at some point.

Most of the things she found were school related, but as she scrolled down a bunch of pictures of her with Gracie popped up. In the park, having ice cream, others in a house she didn't know, until she kept looking and saw that balcony she thought about when she first moved back to her place.

Kim kept looking and suddenly stopped because, honestly, it felt like her heart had stopped as well.

She clicked on the picture to make it bigger and observed it carefully. Gracie was on Adam's shoulders and Kim was standing next to them hugging his waist.

As she kept finding pictures of them together, tears cascaded down her face.

She found almost every type of picture you can think of, and as the scenery changed it was as if a new memory was unlocked. She cried and smiled at the same time, because Sylvie's words made sense now, even her dream about Andrew made more sense now. She did good, she was happy and she was back.

Kim couldn't stop looking at all the pictures, a goofy smile plastered on her face, and tears, happy tears made puddles in her eyes. She found pictures of her birthday; her family, Susan and George, her friends and then her with Adam and Gracie standing behind the cake.

The picture made her think about the card, which she had totally forgotten about.

When she opened it she started to cry again. Reading every word made everything real again, it really helped her understand why she felt so attracted and connected to him even when she had no idea who he was. She never really forgot him, she was in love with him, and judging by the card he loved her too.

She stood up and reached for her phone and wallet and desperately looked for his business card, punching the numbers on her phone to call him, she didn't know what to say, but she wanted to talk to him, hear his voice.

The call went right to voicemail the three times she tried until she eventually gave up, because coming across as a psychopath was the least she needed.

Instead, she got the bath ready and prepared herself to relax. She was too hyped up, so she was going to need all the help she could get to rest tonight.

The following morning she tried reaching him again, but she still couldn't get through. She dreamed about Adam all night, but at this point she wasn't really sure if they really were dreams or if they were fragmented memories, and for now she had no way of finding out.

However, she had a lot of other things she needed to sort out.

Kim called Sylvie and her parents and invited them over to her place. She wanted to tell them everything in person and that's exactly what she did.

Everyone was thrilled, they knew how much Kim had struggled and this whole situation had been really tough on them too.

"I wanted to tell you in person, because I know how far you went to help me and I also know that sometimes I made your life more complicated, and I was difficult to deal with. Especially you, Syl. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It was hard on all of us and we understand that you were doing the best you could at the moment." The blonde didn't hesitate to hug her friend. "I love you, Kimmie."

"I love you too, and I don't even have the words to express how grateful I am to have you in my life. I just hope I'm as good a friend to you as you are to me."

"Are you kidding? You're like the sister I never had,"

"Kim, I think we should call your doctor."

"Yes mom, I already did that and I have an appointment with her in two days.."

"Good, we'll go with you."

"Dad, it's not necessary."

"Kim, we'll be there, ok?"

"Ok." She nodded as her mom squeezed her hands and Phill rubbed her back. "Um, I also tried calling Adam, but I couldn't get him." She said a bit embarrassed.

"You won't, he's not here." Sylvie answered. "He's doing some undercover job. He told us to call his sergeant if anything came up, that they would contact him." She added when she saw Kim's confused face.

"Do you want us to call?" Amanda asked her daughter.

"Oh, no. Thanks, but I would rather speak to him directly. I don't even know what to say or how he'd react. I mean, I don't remember absolutely everything, there are still some blank spaces here and there. I'm not gonna mess his head like that when he's in the middle of a case."

"He'd probably just leave everything and come." Sylvie said jokingly, although one hundred percent sure that Adam would totally do that.

"That kid, Kim, he's been right next to you even when you didn't notice." Phill added to Sylvie's comment. He really liked Adam and the way he protected and cared for his daughter.

"And us. He kept in touch with us all the time, every doctor's appointment, every update, he was always there. The love that boy has for you, is what I always wanted for you and your sister to have."

The following days were a bit slow and her anxiety wasn't really helping at all. She didn't try contacting Adam again, she figured that after all this waiting a little more time wasn't going to hurt anyone. In fact, she was somewhat grateful that she wasn't able to get through to him because at the moment she called she was anxious and a mess. Talking to him then was a crazy idea. So she'd see him whenever it was meant to happen.

She did use all that spare time to get ahead in the courses she had enrolled to, as well as going to her check up.

Dr. Walker was satisfied with the test results and explained to Kim and her parents that this was a gradual process and that the rest of her memories were going to come back with time, but that the CT scan came out great and they had nothing to worry about, however, she still wanted Kim to come back in a few weeks to make sure everything was still fine.

To say that he was tired was an understatement. His body was sore and he was mentally worn out. Playing someone else was exhausting, but at least it kept his mind busy. It gave him a break from the mess his life was.

The case was finally over thanks to all the hard work and dedication the team had put into it, and now he was about to head towards some well deserved rest.

He walked into his dark and empty apartment, turning on the lights and kicking his shoes off. He rummaged through his belongings quickly trying to find his phone, only to see if there were any messages from Sylvie or Kim's parents, that was his only concern now that Gracie was with Kit and Anne.

He cursed under his breath when his phone didn't turn on. It was as dead as ever, due to several days without using it. He plugged it to the power and decided that the best thing he could do right now was take a shower.

The warm water was doing its best to soothe him, although he was so tense he felt like he needed a bath in lava in order to decompress his muscles. Adam couldn't help but to think about everything he had gone through this year. It was too much for anybody to take, and even though he knew he was in desperate need of a vacation, to really unplug himself from everything, he couldn't do it knowing what Kim was going through. He just couldn't go away without her, because no matter where he was, she was with him, in his head, in his body, in his heart and in his soul.

After the shower he didn't have the strength to do anything, he threw himself on his bed waiting for his stupid phone to turn on and fell asleep as he waited.

He woke up much later than he normally would and he didn't think too much about it. Today was going to be a packed day and the extra hours of sleep were going to come in handy.

Hailey and Jay had been bugging him about today ever since he got to the district. It was the night of their engagement party and the couple desperately wanted all their friends to be there with them, and although he wasn't really in the mood for it, he wasn't bailing on them either.

He felt like he was moving around his place in slowmotion, so he went to get some coffee ready to try and reverse the situation.

Once on the couch and with the mug in his hands, he tried turning on his phone again. When the screen lit up, notifications were popping up non-stop, but it wasn't until he saw the missed calls that he immediately put his coffee down and rubbed his eyes. Adam though he was hallucinating.

Three missed calls from Kim.

Three.

Adam didn't think, he just called her back.

"Hey."

Hearing her voice put a smile on his face. "Hi, it's um, Adam." He hadn't felt this nervous probably since approaching his first crush in elementary school.

"I know, I saved your number." She giggled softly and his heart skipped a beat.

"I just saw your missed calls. Sorry I couldn't get back to you earlier, I was away working on a case. Is everything alright?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm the one who should be apologizing for calling you out of the blue."

"You can call me anytime you want." There was silence on the other side of the line and his impatience was growing. "What can I do for you?"

"I just." She paused, only to think about the best way to say everything she had to tell him. "I just wanted to talk to you." Having had some days to think about everything, some time in which more memories were slowly coming back, she knew for sure that she didn't want to have this conversation over the phone.

"Do you want me to meet you somewhere? Just let me put on some street clothes and I'm ready."

The thought of Adam with little clothes on was starting to suffocate her, and she couldn't help chuckling a bit to see his reaction to her request. "It's not necessary for you to run out of your place, you know?" She said sweetly, making him laugh at himself for realizing how obviously in love with her he was.

"How about tonight? I have something on, but it can wait."

Kim's heart melted. She couldn't believe how much of a priority she was to him. "I have something tonight, too. How about I call you back and we can settle another day?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever works for you."

"Ok then, I'll see you around."

Kim had butterflies in her stomach the whole day. Sure she knew they were going to be in the same place and the only reason she chose not to tell him was because she didn't know what she wanted to do, how she wanted to approach it.

For the first time ever Kim was left without a plan. In the past, things had been out of her control, but she always managed to come up with some course of action to make her feel that she was doing something about it, that things had a solution, that anything was possible; but just like everything with Adam, this was different and not having a plan was making those butterflies flutter their wings a mile a second.

The butterflies didn't stop, especially now that she was just a few feet away from him.

The night was lovely, warm with a clear sky full of stars. The venue was small and cozy, perfect for the occasion. It had a beautiful deck with plants and a dim string of lights that set the perfect mood. Jay and Hailey were inside, with their friends and family, where the fun, the music and the alcohol were, but not Adam.

He was outside, facing the deck railing with his forearms on it and staring into the emptiness of the night. A glass of scotch which he swirled around every now and then decorated his hand while he just stood there.

Even though he had changed a bit after taking Gracie in, he had become more centered and responsible, he never lost his charisma, he was a people person, a party guy and it broke Kim's heart to see him like that. This wasn't him, at least it wasn't the Adam that she was beginning to remember.

"For being at your best friends' engagement party, you seem kind of bummed." She finally said as she walked closer and imitated his pose standing right next to him.

Adam was quick to turn his head and find her face, absentmindedly smiling as soon as he saw her eyes. "I had some not so happy thoughts running through my head, but this is a nice surprise."

"I swear I'm not stalking you. I'm rightfully invited to this party." She raised both hands pleading her innocence and making Adam laugh. "Now, may I intrude in your life and ask what's that about not so happy thoughts?"

He took a deep breath before answering her. "Well, let's just say that my life has been a crazy rollercoaster, and things are not exactly the way I would want them to be."

"I know a thing or two about how that feels like."

Adam chuckled at her comment. "And now I feel like an idiot for complaining about my life to you."

"If there's one thing I learned about this whole thing, is that we all have our own struggles."

"That's true."

"So, who's breaking that heart of yours?" She just blurted it out causing him to look at her with wide eyes.

"What makes you think I'm heartbroken?"

"Hmm, the look in your eyes. Am I mistaken?"

"You are not. But to be fair, she is not breaking my heart, life is."

"Nice to hear is not her fault." For some reason she felt relieved. Deep in her heart she knew he was never going to hold anything against this, but still she was nervous and terrified. She was scared that maybe she had been idealizing her relationship and bond with him, but hearing his soft words brought peace to her. "Either that or you are being too nice."

"Oh, I am not. She's by far the nicest one out of the both of us." He felt weird talking about her as if she was another person, but then again everything currently was weird. He took a deep breath and delicately looked at her from head to toe, only to speak again in an attempt to change the course of the conversation. "You look great by the way." He locked his eyes with her briefly and then looked away. He wasn't strong enough to have her there and not telling her everything his heart was feeling.

Kim blushed, she was truly glad that he'd said that because she spent hours trying to decide what to wear. She would have gone for something shorter, it was getting too hot these days, but she felt pretty self conscious about the scar on her leg. She went through tons of outfits and was about to give up until she came across a black long summer dress with a cute cleavage and a beautiful back with straps. She matched it with a pair of strappy heels, wavy hair, mascara, eyeliner and red lipstick to lift the whole look.

She looked at him over the top of her eyes and couldn't contain herself anymore. She needed to hug him, kiss him, be who they were meant to be.

With no plan, with no previously rehearsed script she opened her mouth and pronounced five words that immediately captured all his attention.

"You look great too, detective." She just threw the comment out in the air and did the same as him, stare into the empty and dimly lit yard.

Goosebumps covered her skin when his finger gently touched her wrist, as he tried to hold the sparkling R hanging from her charm bracelet. He slowly turned his head to look at her, observing each one of her features to try to make sure that what he heard was in fact what she had said and not some wicked trick his mind was playing on him.

The lack of words had her turning her face to look at him too. Finding a puzzled expression and his watery eyes that made all those butterflies go crazy in her stomach.

"Belle?" His voice was shaky as the question slipped out of his mouth, as if he was almost embarrassed to be asking that, but when Kim nodded he felt an overwhelming sensation, similar to when a huge wave knocks you over and you can't get back on your feet. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to kiss her, but wasn't sure if it was appropriate or not and he just couldn't find the words to express his feelings.

Adam couldn't control the tears running down his cheeks while Kim just mirrored him.

He had dreamed of this moment so many times, but now that he was actually living it he just froze. All the times he rehearsed what he would say to her, or how he would hold her vanished and he was left petrified in front of the woman he loved the most.

Her tears dampening her face, the pained look in her eyes and the excruciating need of protecting her was what brought him back. He took one step closer to her and wrapped her tight in his arms, afraid that if he loosened his grip she would slip through his fingers.

The feeling of her hands desperately grasping onto his back, and her sobbing against his chest only intensified his own crying.

"I'm sorry, Adam. I am so sorry." She said almost choking, with her voice muffled against his shirt.

"What? No." He answered as he managed to slightly pull away from her and dry his tears with the sleeve of his dress shirt. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He was going to keep talking but he couldn't, he was lost in her and the only thing he wanted right now was to look at her beautiful eyes and make sure this wasn't just a dream. His hands cupped her face and he did the best to fight the urge to kiss her and instead pressed his forehead against hers. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

Adam didn't know just how much she remembered, or how she was feeling. He didn't want to pressure her or overwhelm her, so if he had to control his feelings and impulses for a while longer he would do it happily.

Kim, however, was done with the bullshit. She knew she was drawn to him even before knowing who he was. She felt him, dreamt about him and he lived rent free in her head 24-7, and in the past few days new memories started to timidly unlock in her brain like she was leveling up in some sort of video game where the final prize was her happiness.

That's what she felt in his arms, happiness. Extreme and pure happiness.

She held his arms and slowly moved her face, brushing her lips against his and that brief contact was pure fire. Both of them were quick to react and what started as a soft interaction turned into a bruising kiss in just a matter of seconds. Neither of them was able to control their emotions, their longing and their love.

Kim's hands moved from his arms to his neck in no time, digging her fingers in the back of his neck, as if she was going to absorb him through them.

When they finally moved away to catch their breath, their eyes linked together like they always did, only this time the fireworks in them were impossible to miss.