Chapter Text
Karadec firmly grips the steering wheel as he drives home from dropping off Morgan. Both had returned from their victim, Gabe Rafferty’s house, thinking that they were both on the brink of death from a poisonous gas that was leaking through the room where they had locked themselves in.
Karadec tries to focus on making it safely back to his apartment and to shake off the memory of Morgan having a severe panic attack in front of him. Karadec has grown to know Morgan as one of the strongest people he knows. So, watching her unravel into a panicked state caught him a bit off guard. Despite his reassurances that help was on the way, nothing seemed to work.
“Adam, I can’t breathe!” Morgan calls out. Karadec then lunges forward and pulls Morgan in for a hug. At first, Morgan resists. But Adam stood firmly and reassured her that she was okay and he wasn’t going anywhere. As the minutes go by, Karadec feels Morgan’s breathing slow down against his chest. He keeps her in a tight embrace until they hear the door open.
Karadec shakes his head, telling himself that he dropped off Morgan at home, and both are safe now. But he can’t help but think that Morgan was going to be restless tonight because of everything that just happened. There was a part of him that wanted to turn back and go to Morgan’s. Especially considering Morgan had mentioned earlier that the kids were with Ludo for the night, which means she was going to be alone with her thoughts.
If this were any other night, he would have turned himself around. But not tonight. Tonight, he had promised Lucia that he would be back home for date night. He’ll just make sure to keep his phone on in case Morgan calls, he thought.
Karadec walks into his apartment to the smell of Lucia's home-cooked dinner.
“Finally! Dinner’s about to get cold. Go sit dow– What’s that on your shirt?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Right there, on your left shoulder,” Lucia walks closer to him to investigate, and she immediately recognizes that it was a lipstick stain. “Whose lipstick is that, and why do you have it there?”
Shit. Karadec thought to himself, not realizing that he had gotten Morgan’s lipstick on him from their hug.
Karadec sighs, “It’s Morgan’s, but it’s not because of what you think...”
“Amuse me,” Lucia scoffs.
“Morgan had a panic attack earlier at our crime scene. I just hugged her to comfort her. That’s it. Nothing happened between us, I swear.”
Lucia watches Karadec look at her earnestly, taking a few minutes to think about what to say next. She wanted to believe that he and Morgan were just work partners. But with the way Karadec talks about Morgan, Lucia couldn’t help but think differently.
Adam and Lucia have only been back together for a couple of weeks. Both have said they will try to make it work, and this time was going to be different from their last. Lucia did notice the changes in Adam. Adam was coming home earlier, and they were communicating much more effectively with each other.
Another thing that Lucia noticed was the way Adam’s face lit up every time he talked about his new partner at the LAPD, Morgan. Adam had told Lucia about how Morgan started working with the LAPD and how well they worked together. Adam has also told her about how Morgan is a single mom and how well he got along with all three of her kids.
Now, Adam is telling her that he hugged Morgan for comfort. The Adam Karadec that she remembers was never a hugger. It was at this point that Lucia couldn’t deny it anymore. Yes, Adam Karadec is different, and he no longer belongs to her.
Lucia sighs, “Adam, sit down, we need to talk.” Karadec gulped; he didn’t like where this was going. Both Adam and Lucia went to the living room and sat on the couch.
“Adam, I don’t think this is going to work.”
Karadec’s eyes widened, “W-what? Lucia, please don’t do this. I promise that I can show you that I’m different this time. That I can be the man that you deserve and that you need me to be.”
“That’s just it, Adam. You are different. Different enough for me to see that it was our past selves that wanted to make this work between us. That it was our past selves that wanted this closure.”
“Lucia–“
“Let me finish. I can’t even deny it; I feel like a lot of the reason why you’re different is because of Morgan. Morgan has brought out a side of you that I never could.”
“Lucia, Morgan and I are just friends and partners. I swear nothing is going on between us,” Karadec protests.
“That might be true. But can we agree that she’s become a big part of your life? That your face lights up when you talk about her and everything that you’ve accomplished together. How you’re always ready to drop everything to help her when she needs it.”
“What?”
“Don’t deny it, Adam. I heard the two of you talking on the phone, and in the hallway that morning when she needed a ride to work. The same morning you miraculously had breakfast in your hands, I heard her say she bought that for the two of you because she didn’t expect me to be here. I heard the way your voice softens when you talk to her.”
Karadec sighs, “You’re right. A lot of the reason why I’m different now has to do with Morgan. She just made me see things in myself that I’ve never seen before. I’m sorry, Lucia. I truly wish that I could have been the man that you deserved. I wanted us to have another chance because I thought our relationship ended prematurely last time. That, I shouldn’t have broken it off the way that I did.”
“It’s okay. I’m still grateful for what we had then, and what we tried to have now. Listen, I don’t know where things are going to end with you and Morgan. But you deserve to be happy…you deserve to be loved the way you love others.”
Lucia pulls Adam in for one last hug. Shortly after, Lucia packs up her things and leaves Adam’s apartment.
That night, Karadec lays awake in bed thinking about everything that Lucia had said. Yes, Morgan has become a big part of his life now. Could it be possible that he feels something more for her? At that moment, Karadec’s mind starts racing. He starts thinking about the possibility of coming home to Morgan and the kids, and –
“No, Adam. Stop it. Morgan’s just your friend, and your partner. You can’t see her like that. You can’t mess up what you have,” Karadec whispers to himself as he drifts off to sleep.