Hi, happy Sunday!

First of all thank you sooo much for all the comments. It filled me completely and it motivated me to keep this story going.

Here's the second chapter, I hope you enjoy it as much as the first.

Let me know what you think!!

Happy reading!

Xoxo,

Nina

"Kim, could you step into my office please?" The husky voice of her boss was somewhat calm but concerned and Burgess had a feeling that what she was about to be told was not exactly going to be what she wanted to hear.

"Sure." She stood up and followed Lindsay's voice.

When she called it off with Ruzek, her first thought was to transfer. The idea of being at the 21st district and seeing him every day woke up the deepest feeling of sadness in her soul and she knew she wasn't strong enough to deal with that.

It was very naive of her to think that only by switching districts it would be enough. She soon realized that running into him, hearing stories about the Intelligence unit or hearing other female cops talk about him and the fact that he was now back on the market didn't stop just because she was no longer working with him. So it didn't take long for her to keep pushing her transfer farther away and ended up in DC. And even though it took all of her courage to take that step, she was fully aware that it was the ultimate act of cowardness. One that would bring an aftermath that she had to own and face for the rest of her life, even if she didn't know it at the time.

She was used to it now, but in the beginning she didn't really like it. She was alone, her job sucked and she missed everything about Chicago.

Especially him.

Kim was too stubborn to reach out, or to admit that maybe she made a mistake, that maybe it was too soon for her to move or that maybe she should have talked to him before breaking up with him and finish shattering her heart in the process, because he had already started to do that when he began to show signs that she wasn't really it for him. That she was the bronze medal.

During the first months she kept in touch with Kevin very often and every once in a while she would get a text or a call from Erin and although the Ruzek topic was off limits, Kim always found a way to get some information about him out of her friends.

It was only when Erin left Chicago to work with the feds that Kim's life got a little brighter. They would hang out a lot, go for drinks, talk about everything and nothing at the same time and they even managed to go on a few double dates.

Even if Kim never admitted it to anyone, Lindsay could see that her friend's heart was still in pieces but most of all she could notice that it still belonged to Adam and she was determined to help Kim process that, whatever the outcome was.

Just like the first time, Erin didn't really get acquainted with the whole FBI dynamics, and started to work really hard for what she really wanted: to have the same sense of family she had while working with Voight.

After some time she was able to achieve that and was currently running her own unit. Her first action as sergeant was pulling Kim Burgess under her command and they have worked together ever since.

"I think I found a way to crack the case." They both sat across from each other, Kim listening attentively as her boss went on with the explanation. "We got pod footage that gave us a better sense of where the suspect might be." Lindsay placed some photos on her desk depicting a blue car on a highway. "That's the Illinois border, and the IT department was able to pull out some credit card records and we were able to pin them back to a bar in Pilsen. He's getting sloppy and that's good."

The sound of all those familiar names was making Kim's stomach turn, she was sure what Erin was about to say even before her mouth opened again.

"I contacted Voight and he's going to help. Turns out one of their latest cases might be connected to Aaron Jones too, so he's leaving the whole unit available to us."

"Erin." The brunette's voice was more like a soft plea for mercy.

"Kim. I would send someone else but for starters it's your lead and to continue you're the one I trust the most with this. You're my right-hand person." Kim sighed and looked down, she couldn't say no to her sergeant. "I get you, I really do. I know you ran away from that but maybe this is the perfect time to prove to yourself that you moved on or just to make peace with the situation." Now it was Erin the one taking a deep breath. "Plus, we really need to get this son of a bitch. You know what he's done and what he is still capable of doing. We need to stop him and let's face it, what better backup than Intelligence?"

There was no point in arguing, Erin was right and both of them knew that. Maybe Lindsay had a point, maybe this was the perfect, if not the only, chance Kim would get to move on. To close that chapter and to forgive her younger self for not acting the same way she would act now.

"When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow."

Kim nodded. "I better go pack then."

"I'll email you your plane ticket and where you'll be staying. I was able to pull some strings and I think you'll like it." Erin smiled knowing that making sure her friend was comfortable was the least she could do for her. Not only was she asking her to take on a great responsibility such as being the lead detective in one of their most important cases yet, but she was also asking Kim to face her biggest ghost.

She got home and made a bee line for her bedroom, desperately wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

Her suitcase opened on her bed was slowly getting filled with her belongings. She was randomly putting things in there, not knowing how long she was going to be gone for and not putting too much thought into her outfits because her mind was fixed in one thing only. She was about to see him for the first time after running away from what they had.

It would be a lie to say that this was the first time she thought about this. She had actually fantasized about the moment they would meet again more than once however it had always been only that, a fantasy, a dream, but now? Now it was real.

Her body let itself go and in a matter of seconds she was sitting on the floor with her back against the bed. She pulled her knees closer to her body, placing her elbows on them and letting her face rest on her hands. The tears started to fall and she was angry at herself. Kim didn't understand what she was feeling right now towards everything that's happening. She had convinced herself it wasn't love, it couldn't be after all this time. Maybe it was remorse or guilt. Whatever it was, it didn't let her fully move on.

Sure she had started a new life in DC, she had devoted herself to her career making it to detective sooner than expected and using that devotion as an excuse to avoid a committed relationship.

She'd been with a bunch of guys. At the beginning she tried to forget him, she really did. She chased after love, that love she once felt but pushed it away from her life because she thought it was fake, until one day she just gave up.

The confusion was massive and something inside of her woke up a cascade of questions and doubts. What if it wasn't fake? What if they were just both sacred? What if that safety, protection, passion and love she felt with him could only be provided by one person only and she had shut him out?

But most of all, why did she have to face that now? Almost eight years later when supposedly she had put this behind her and she was happy with her life. Or so she thought.

That night she couldn't sleep at all because every time her eyelids closed the image of his face when she gave him back her ring would appear in her mind.

Her head was blank, and the tiredness was making her flight to Chicago a living hell.

At least her apartment was nice, in a good location and with a beautiful view of the city's skyline. She looked out of her balcony window and wondered what he might be doing or with whom he might be. The torturing idea of him with someone else was put on hold when her phone rang.

"Hey." Her voice was tired and unimpressed.

"Hey, your flight was that bad, huh?" Erin questioned from the other side of the line.

"Nuh, it was fine I guess. I'm just tired, I didn't get much sleep last night. I'm running in caffeine."

The brief pause in the conversation highlighted the fact that neither of them knew exactly what to say, although they were fully aware of the cause for Kim's insomnia.

"Thank you for the apartment. There's no way in hell I could have afforded this back in the day with my patrol officer salary." They both chuckled, lightening up the mood.

"I thought you might like it. So…" Every time Lindsay trailed off in her speech meant that something uncomfortable was about to come and Kim knew that tell by heart, she just shut her eyes tight to wait for the rest of the sentence. "Did, um, did Voight contact you?"

"Yeah. He texted me. I'm meeting him at the district tomorrow morning."

"Ok, keep me in the loop."

"Of course."

"Kim, you do know I don't mean only the case, right?"

"I don't want to talk about anything other than the case right now. Is that ok?"

"It is. Just remember that I'm here and that I'm your friend as well."

"I know. I'm gonna go to bed to see if I can sleep some tonight. I definitely don't want to make a fool of myself tomorrow."

"Ok, rest and try to enjoy this, ok? Make the best of it."

"I will."

They greeted each other goodbye and the brunette detective quickly ended the call.

She took a shower and got into bed, uselessly forcing herself to get some rest. No matter how hard she tried to stop the tornado in her head she couldn't do it. Sleep wasn't going to cut it right now, she needed something else. She needed a drink.

Putting on the first thing she managed to get out of her suitcase, she walked out of her apartment building and hailed a cab.

"To The Odyssey, please." She asked politely to the cab driver.

"The bar in Canaryville?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Her answer was firm and determined.

"Ok lady."

The driver was doubtful to take her there because The Odyssey wasn't the nicest of bars, but it was the place she wanted to be at. It was the place she felt was really theirs and nobody else's. It was the only place she thought would help her unwind.

She was unconsciously seeking the comfort and protection he had always provided her.