I was supposed to be studying and I got this idea.

It could be considered spoilers...kinda. But not really if you know the plot of "Target" & "Hunt."

So read at your own risk.

=)

Her hands were shaking. Little tremors as she tried to ready herself - to pull her clothes on straight and do enough make up so that she didn't look like the two fitful hours of sleep she got. The dreams were too dark, too intense for her to willingly slip back into slumber. And as much as she had wanted to go running downstairs and into her daddy's bed, she couldn't. She had to face it herself.

After finishing up with her face she pulled the brush through her red tresses slowly, tied it back into a tail and draped it over her shoulder. No effort or care for anything more.

She still had twenty minutes. Didn't want to go downstairs yet - couldn't face the equally dark circles under her father's eyes, so she flopped herself back onto her bed. Her eyes drifted closed. She was exhausted - but wouldn't let herself fall asleep.

Just a little cat nap.

Before she knew it knuckles were tapping lightly on her door.

"Come in." Her throat hurt. Her voice was still raspy from screaming and crying.

"Hey," Detective- Kate, was standing there waiting for her. "You ready to go?"

With a sigh Alexis pushed herself back up, sighed as she gathered her bag and jacket. "Yeah. Is Dad downstairs?"

Kate hummed. "He's waiting to see us off. I think he's still pretty nervous."

"You do carry a gun."

"I know," Kate put her hand, lightly and nervously, on her shoulder as they moved to go down the stairs. "Doesn't stop him from worrying about both of us every day. Trust me."

The girl tried to laugh. But the weight on her was still too heavy. Her dad had made her double chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast with about three times as much whipped cream as normal. He had held her hand extra tight as she ate - he just sat and watched - and hugged her longer before she retreated upstairs to get ready for the day.

He was nervous as hell and she knew it.

Because she was, too.

She really didn't want to leave the apartment. Ever. But they said this would be good for her, that it would help after...it. And she knew that her dad really, really, wanted her to go.

So she gave him another hug, promised that she'd be alright and she'd stay with Kate the whole time, and followed her father's girlfriend out of the warm and safe loft.

Kate drove, said she figured the subway would be too much to handle so soon. Besides, she had told Alexis, she knew she'd be tired after where they were going and didn't want to make the girl wait to get home.

She pulled into a spot in a parking garage one block away and stopped her before she could get out of the car. One warm, gentle hand on her forearm and Alexis paused. It took a beat for her to remember that it was only Kate - not her captors.

Alexis had to swallow back the tears and fear before facing the detective.

"Hey," Kate's soft tone almost echoed through the quiet vehicle. "I just want to make sure, before we go into this building that you're doing this for you. Not for your dad, or your gram, or even for me...but for you. Do you want to do this?"

She nodded and a shiver ran through her. "Yeah," she turned, looked Kate straight in the eye, "I do. You said it helped you? After your..."

"Yeah. It helped me a lot. I still come back sometimes. But it's not an easy fix, okay? You don't get to go in once and make everything better." Kate's hand drifted down Alexis's arm, took her hand. "What happened to me? To you? Those kinds of...experiences change your world. It makes you question a lot of things around you and makes you wonder what the hell you're doing living on this planet. I didn't handle things as well as I should have back then, and I know that. I know you know that."

"Kate, I-"

"Alexis, it's okay. I'm not...I'm not proud of it, but at the time it was what I had to do, for me. But I've learned, thanks in no small part to your dad, that it is perfectly alright to ask for help. So I want you to know, I'm really proud of you for standing up to this now, and not three months from now after not being able to sleep or trust anyone has robbed you of the things you deserve." She sighed.

Alexis swallowed, unsure of what she should...or could say.

"Look," Kate started again, "it's not easy. I won't sugar-coat it for you."

"Thanks," she whispered.

"You're going to have to go back through everything, probably a few times. It'll hurt, and you may hate me for bringing you here, but it will get better. I can promise you that."

Without a word Alexis launched herself over the center console and into Kate's arms. "Thank you, Kate. You didn't have to do this, but...just...thanks."

Twisted at the world's strangest angle Kate hugged the girl, rubbed her back as she had wanted someone to do for her at this point, though she had been too proud to admit it. It was strangely comforting to know that she could do it for Alexis.

"Come on, it's almost eleven. I'll walk up and wait outside for you."

Alexis nodded, still at a loss for the right words to use, or how to say what she wanted to say. She walked beside Kate into the building to the elevator, up to the tenth floor and down the hall. Her fingers clutched at the strap of her purse, her lips dry as the Sahara with nerves as she approached the desk.

"Hi, I have an appointment with Dr. Burke."

Before taking a single step to the office she turned back to look at Kate. "You'll be right here?"

"I'll be right here." Kate smiled. "Hey, if I can do this, you can do this."

Alexis repeated the sentiment to herself as she moved down the hallway to the doctor's office.

You can do this.

Let me know what you think!

Tappin

=)