I have found it is easy to slip inside a story when real life is a little bit intense, but sometimes real life slips into my stories. This story is for all who fight. No one fights alone.

***R***

Mike Danko's world had a clear dividing line right down the middle. Two diverse sections - male versus female. Although more and more women were joining the force these days, work was clearly male dominated. It was the land of men. His home, however, was most decidedly female. He was completely outnumbered there. One wife, three daughters and even the dog was a girl.

It was the best of both worlds. At work, he could be his savage self - didn't have to edit his language, or discuss his feelings. At home, he was enveloped in loving softness. Three big-eyed daughters who ran to the door to greet him with kisses and hugs; and one unbelievably beautiful wife to guide him through the maze of emotions that came with a house filled with four women.

He swung open the door of his house to be greeted by a small five-year-old fairy dripping in pink and purple.

"Daddy!" She cried jumping up, expecting to be caught.

"A fairy! How wonderful! Oh! I wish that Lizzie were here. She just loves fairies!" He said lifting her up.

"It's me Daddy!" Lizzie said laughing.

"Oh! I didn't recognize you! I thought you were a real fairy." He carried her inside. "Where's mama?"

Lizzie pointed to the kitchen. He carried her through the house to where Jill was cooking.

"Mama! Mama! Daddy thought I was a real fairy!" Lizzie said laughing, as Mike entered the kitchen.

"I told you." Jill said laughing. "Hey sweetheart, how was your day?"

"Oh, the usual." He said kissing her cheek. He set Lizzie down and seeing the dog, she chased after it. The dog, who had good survival sense, ran out of the room with Lizzie in pursuit.

Mike opened the refrigerator and pulled out a soda. He opened it and leaned against the counter.

"Anything exciting happen today?" He asked taking a sip.

"Depends on how you feel about laundry." She said with a smile. "Oh, but Amy has news, but I'll let her tell you."

"Her team win?"

"I'm not saying. Ask her." She said grinning at him.

"How much time I got?" He asked.

"Enough for a shower. Eddie's coming too." She said turning back to the stove.

"Okay." He moved to stand behind her wrapping his arms around her. She leaned against him and he whispered. "Everything's going to be okay." He kissed her cheek softly.

"Mike," She said stepping away and swallowing down hidden tears. "You promised."

"I know." He said huskily. He drew in a deep breath. "I'll go take that shower." He turned to leave, setting the soda down. She turned back to the stove and he stood for a brief minute watching her, flooded with about ten thousand memories of her, and fighting the fear in his heart.

"Michael . . ." She admonished without turning around. "I can't manage . . . I have to get this dinner on and Eddie's coming tonight . . ."

"Yeah, Babe, sorry." He said sighing. "I'm going."

He went down the hall and stopped to peer inside the first bedroom. "Hey, there girls."

"Hi Dad!" They said looking up. Kate sat at her desk looking entirely too grown up. At nine, the third grader took her homework very seriously. She pushed her long dark hair away from her face; a move that never failed to make him think of Jill, and smiled.

"Dad! Did Mommy tell you about my game?" Eight year old Amy asked from where she sat on the floor playing with a half-dressed Barbie doll.

"No! How did it go?" He asked her.

"We won! We won! That means we made it to finals! And it was really close." Her deep brown eyes grew wide.

"Amy scored the winning goal!" Kate said excitedly. "You should have seen it! It was tied and then BAM! She kicked it right past eight girls!"

"It wasn't eight. It was maybe two girls." Amy said shaking her head at her older sister.

They had discovered they were pregnant again when Kate was just seven months old, and once they had recovered from the shock, they accepted that they would have two babies in diapers. Looking back on it now, they were both grateful. Just sixteen months apart, Kate and Amy had a strong bond and nearly always got along. Of course, when they didn't get along - it wasn't pretty.

"Good job!" Mike said kissing Amy's cheek. "I wish I could have seen it."

"That's okay. You'll come to the big game, won't you?"

"Of course." He said. "No matter what."

"Good." She smiled and turned back to the Barbie doll in her hands.

He left their room and continued down the hall to the master bedroom, but Kate followed him.

"Daddy?" She asked her voice soft.

"What?" He turned to her, smiling.

All the girls looked like Jill. They had long legs and were so skinny that Jill had to pin the waste bands on their pants. They had brown hair which both Liz and Kate wore long, and Amy, who couldn't be bothered with things like brushing her hair wore hers in a short bob. Kate and Amy, shared Jill's beautiful brown eyes, but Lizzie had surprised them with piercing blue eyes.

"Mom was . . ." She studied the ground, digging her toe into the carpet.

"Hey, honey," He asked, pulling her close to him. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I heard Mom crying today? What's the matter?" She asked.

He sighed heavily, kissing the top of her head. "Don't you worry about Mama. That's my job." He said hugging her close.

"But . . ."

"Everything's alright, Katie Bug. Don't worry." He said again.

She looked up at him with wise brown eyes, and with a smile turned back to her bedroom. He wasn't sure if it was because she'd been born first, or just Kate's nature, but she was a wonderful mirror of Jill. She was always looking for ways to take care of everyone around her, and was an excellent judge of her mother's emotions. In fact, it was almost impossible to hide anything from her. She seemed to have a sixth sense.

Of course, their worry and edginess weren't all that well hidden. He knew all the girls could sense something was going on, but hoped they could keep things at bay until . . .he sighed again trying to shake his own rising tide of fear and panic. He stepped into the shower, a safe haven of sorts. He let the water run over him knowing it would hide any tears that fell.

***R***

"Amy!" Jill admonished her daughter. "For heaven's sake, sit at your own chair. Grandpa can't eat if you are sitting on his lap."

Kissing Eddie Ryker's cheek, Amy hopped down and returned to her own chair.

"Well, it isn't like I'm wasting away over here." Eddie said with a wink at Jill, patting his stomach.

"She's just trying to get out of eating her broccoli." Kate said.

"A nearly effective plan." He said with a nod. "Too bad your Mama's onto you, Amy."

"Living with a cop for sixteen years some things rub off." Jill said with a shrug, lifting her wine glass and taking a sip.

It caught Eddie's eye. "I can't remember the last time I saw you with a glass of wine."

Jill shrugged. "Tough day, I guess."

They had all cut back after Chris had finally gone to rehab. His drinking had cost him his marriage, and nearly his career. It had caused all of them to pause and reflect on whether or not they relied on a beer or two or eight, to counteract a bad day. Mike had been frightened by the way Chris had become so destroyed by it all. He understood it. They'd seen some terrible things and sometimes a beer or two helped you sleep, but he didn't want to fall into that hole. He couldn't risk a life with his family behind him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a beer.

"I thought you only worked Wednesdays and Thursdays." Ryker said.

"Tough day just the same. You know how laundry gets to you." She said with a laugh.

"Oh, socks are the worst." He agreed.

"Number one cause of domestic disturbances." Mike agreed said with a light laugh, but he reached over and squeezed Jill's hand tightly.

It caught Eddie Ryker's eye. He knew Mike and Jill Danko well. They were family to him. He never could have imagined that he would end up here when they'd started the program all those years ago. Let's build a new breed of cop, they'd told him and he'd reluctantly agreed. He'd been unsure that these "do gooders" as they were mocked, could be effective officers, but he'd never know a better cop than Mike Danko. But it was Mrs. Danko who had completely done him in. She was just stubborn enough to keep trying to include him in their dinners and barbecues that he'd finally acquiesced. It had been downhill from there. And pretty soon, he found himself thinking of all of them as his family. Now, his life was so tangled up in theirs he couldn't imagine a life without them. They were his family, and something was wrong.

Later, after the girls had settled in to watch some tv, he'd gone out onto the back patio where Mike was standing staring at the sky.

"What's going on?" Ryker asked.

"Oh!" Mike said startled. "Just enjoying the sunset."

"You don't look like you are enjoying anything." He observed. "That isn't what I meant. What's going on?"

"Not just now, Eddie." Mike said slowly, cautiously. "We . . ."

"Okay." Eddie said reaching up and squeezing Mike's shoulder. "You'll tell me?"

"If I have too." Mike said, his voice heavy with wariness. "But could you pick the girls up tomorrow? I'll leave the wagon. Jill and I . . .well, can you pick the girls up?"

"Yeah, of course." Eddie had a thousand questions, but he said nothing. He sighed and looked back inside and could see Jill leaning close to Kate, answering a question. Satisfied, Kate smiled and skipped away, but Jill stayed where she was looking out into space, her expression completely unreadable.

Something was most definitely wrong.