A/N: Well here is the thing….I kinda got challenged (or bugged…same thing) to write a follow up to a previous story with a couple of #Burzek kids all grown up. This particular story is a follow on from 'The Ties that Bind' – however you don't really need to read that to follow this one. It is a stand alone story as such. I didn't think I could do it, it wasn't really my thing but I do like a challenge so this is the result.

It's not all sunshine and roses but it was a nice change to write a story that didn't involve Burzek fighting, breaking up, doing stupid things with stupid people (I'm looking at you Burgess) and any of our favourites lives in peril.

So onto the story…

"Nice of you to come home." Adam was sitting in the half dark and she jumped when he spoke as she closed the front door quietly behind her. While she couldn't really see him by the tone of his voice she could tell he was pissed.

"Sorry Dad."

"What part of midnight didn't you get?"

"I lost track of time."

"Hmm…" he grabbed his phone off the table where he had thrown it earlier. "At 1230 when I sent you a message you replied, on my way. Then at 1am when I called you, you didn't answer and now it is 130am and all I get is I lost track of time. Try again."

"I'm sorry."

He stood up and stopped in front of his 17 year old daughter, he no longer towered over her like he once did but he was still taller than her and he was an imposing figure compared to her slight frame which she had fortunately inherited from her mother. His beard when he let it grow a little was now tinged with grey and he had a few more lines around his eyes but Adam was still fit and strong as he hurtled towards fifty. "Have you been drinking?" He could tell, just by being this close to her that she didn't smell like alcohol.

"No."

"I'll take your phone." Adam held out his hand. Kim had taught him, no matter how much he wanted to ream her out right now that waiting until they all calmed down was the wisest course of action. It got him nowhere losing his shit all over the place, especially at 130 in the morning.

"Please Dad, I'm sorry."

"Your phone Polly." She burst into tears as she handed it over but he was unswayed by her tears. She knew the rules. "You can have it back tomorrow."

He never looked at her phone, he had no interest in trawling through her messages to see where she had been because that would be breaking her trust and unless he thought she was in danger he wasn't about to do that but taking away her phone was one way to show her that he was seriously pissed off.

They trusted Polly but that didn't stop them worrying. It was just lately that she was starting to act a little strange and that was starting to freak him out. Kim was a lot calmer about it, trying to tell him it was just usual teenage girl behaviour but Adam wasn't putting up with it. That's not how this house worked.

He had always struggled with the fact that one day Polly wasn't going to be his little girl that cuddled up to him every night. He thought his daughter was beautiful and apparently so did a lot of other people. She had his height and her mother's willowy frame. Her hair was more his colour, that dirty blond but her eyes were large dark orbs framed by long eyelashes like her mother. She was going to be the death of him.

Leaning forward he kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Love you Baby girl. We'll talk in the morning." He never failed to tell his kids that he loved them. He might be angry with them or in a foul mood himself but every night and every time they left the house he told them he loved them. He'd heard from too many parents, when he stood in front of them and told them that their babies were gone that they wished they'd told them they loved them more. Polly had started to complain about it until Adam told her why he did it and she accepted it and deep down she did like it. In general their relationship was pretty rock solid. Polly respected her father and she did love him, even though right now he was taking away her lifeline.

"Love you Dad."

Adam flicked off the lights once Polly had headed upstairs and crept into his bedroom. Kim was fast asleep; they would take it in turns to wait up if Polly was out. Tonight was his turn and there was a game on that he was happy to watch but that finished well before his daughter finally made it through the door.

"Polly's home?" she mumbled as she instinctively rolled into his side when he climbed into bed.

"Yep." He kissed his wife quickly. "Go to sleep."

"Is she late?"

"She's fine. Go back to sleep."

Adam felt Kim get up and he opened one eye, saw that it was still early judging by the weak sunlight streaming through the curtains and closed it again. "It's early?" he asked as Kim came back to bed.

"It is." Still, to this day she loved curling into her husband's side and tucking her head under his chin. "Why was Polly late?"

Adam moved his arm slightly and Kim lifted her head so that he could slip his arm around her before she settled back down. "Apparently she lost track of time."

"What time did she get home?"

"One thirty."

"You didn't yell did you?"

"No, I did not yell." He didn't even open his eyes. "I did take her phone though."

"I am guessing Polly wishes you'd yelled instead." Kim chuckled. Taking away a teenager's phone was the ultimate punishment. Her whole life was on that phone, as she kept telling them. The day it crashed it was like the world had ended, her over dramatic wailing was highly amusing and Adam's lack of concern had sent her completely off the rails.

Kim was downstairs making herself a coffee and one to take up to Adam when Polly appeared in the kitchen. Angus had already been picked up to go to Baseball. Kim looked the clock, Adam would need to get moving if they were going to make his game.

"Is Dad angry?"

"What do you think?"

"I am sorry Mom."

"Why were you late?"

"Abbey. She'd didn't want to leave and I didn't want to leave her there alone." Polly knew that lying was a pointless exercise and she didn't even try anymore but she was going to try to get away with giving as little information as possible. Having cops as parents could be particularly annoying at times. They pretty much always knew when you were lying. She had also learnt that if she got her mother on her side she would placate her Dad.

"Why didn't you tell your Dad that? He would have come and got you and Abbey. You know that." Something wasn't adding up as far as Kim was concerned. Polly knew that either her or Adam would drive across Chicago if she needed them to for her or her friends. It was a weak excuse; they would never leave their children stranded.

Abbey and Polly had been friends for almost six years and Abbey had certainly spent more than enough time here that she was no longer considered a guest but more like a semi-permanent resident. They didn't mind and would rather they hung out here than out doing god knows what. Things had started changing lately and Abbey was talking Polly into going out a lot more. It did concern them a little but they had to realise that their baby girl was growing up and this was part of it. They had no reason not to trust her and until she broke that trust they were willing to meet her halfway. Lately though Polly was starting to push the envelope a little too much and Adam wasn't loving it.

They'd certainly gone through a stage themselves where 'hangin' with your olds' was considered naff. Letting go was hard though and Kim was just grateful that Angus still liked them. She was no where near ready to let her baby boy go yet, just as Adam struggled to let his girl grow up.

"Abbey didn't want me too."

"Why didn't Abbey want to leave?"

Polly shrugged. "I don't know." It was a pretty weak answer.

"I don't believe that. Is Abbey in trouble?"

"No. I just think she was really enjoying the party." Kim wasn't completely sold on Polly's version of events but pushing her right now wasn't going to win her over. She was obviously protecting her friend and making sure she got home okay was the right thing to do.

"Was she drinking?"

"A little, but I didn't Mom. I swear." There were tears in her daughter's eyes.

"I know. Your Dad told me."

"Can I get my phone back? I want to make sure she's okay." She was hopping from foot to foot.

"You need to ask your father." Polly groaned and rolled her eyes. "That's probably not going to do it." Kim warned her. One thing Adam didn't put up with was attitude and Polly was full of it some days.

Kim told her to take her father up his cup of coffee which she baulked at. Her mother reminded her that she was more likely to get on his good side if she approached him rather than sit and wait for the hammer to fall.

"Dad." She knocked on the door and entered without waiting for his reply. He was still asleep so she put his coffee beside his bed and made the big mistake of picking up her phone, which was on his side table and turning it on. Before she had the chance to put it on silent it beeped with an alert.

"What are you doing?" Adam made her jump. "Did I say you could have it back yet?"

For the second time in a few hours he held out his hand and Polly burst into tears as she handed him her phone.