A/N: Hi guys! I know there isn't a ton of Good Girls fanfics out there (barely any, actually), but I really love the show and especially some of the "couples," if you could call them that. Gregg and Annie are the basis for this fanfic, and if you guys enjoy this one, firstly, please review (it helps me write better and lets me know if I should continue writing this), but also let me know if you guys would be interested in seeing a Rio x Beth fanfic, because I stan them too. Thanks so much for reading; enjoy! Also, in this story, there is no gang/bank robbery or sketchy stuff (yet anyway), just simple fanfic with the main characters before they found a shady way to solve their money problems!

Chapter 1

"Cheese crackers again, really?" Sadie shot her mom, Annie, a not-so-subtle judgmental look.

Unlike any other mom normally would, Annie snickered and gave her a soft, playful punch in the arm. "Well, it's either that or three-day-old Chinese takeout again, so take your pick."

Sadie laughs and fishes through the plastic bag the meal came in for chopsticks. She tosses one to her mom and grabs one for herself, then plops down beside Annie on the couch. As usual, Annie struggles to use them properly, and after letting out a groan, settles for a fork instead. "Do you want one too?"

"Duh!" Sadie says, although her stepmom Nancy (not that she calls her that) taught her a few years back. She guessed rich people knew all sorts of stuff like that, though she didn't care either way. Forks seemed fine to her.

Annie shifted in her seat, obviously uncomfortable after the long day she had. Cash has never been so hard to come by. With Sadie's growth spurts and now a custody battle in the works, she's needed to resort to methods she never would have considered a few weeks ago for funds. But, as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. Right?

She thought about asking her older sister, Beth, for help, but she was going through her own financial crisis, as well as their longtime friend Ruby. Since when did life get so shitty? Annie thought to herself, but she knew it always had and will be that way for people like her. She was just one broken furnace way from being classified as "trailer trash," even though her daughter nor her friends would ever look at her like that.

Which meant she had only one other option: Boomer. Boomer, manager at the grocery store where she worked. Boomer, the creep who she could tell stared at her ass every time she bent over, even though he claimed to be a good Christian. Boomer, her last resort; the man with an eye for her who'd recently gotten a major inheritance from his grandma. So, she did what she had to do for her family.

Annie had considered asking her ex and baby daddy, Gregg, for a loan. But the humiliation alone, in addition to their current legal situation, wouldn't have ended well. There was also the fact that once they broke up, he had upgraded from shabby apartment buildings to lavish lifestyles in preppy neighborhoods that held summer block party barbecues and who sent their kids to private school, where Sadie would be going if she bailed on her current money-making plan. He was done with that lifestyle and wouldn't go back to it—or her, even though they were in love at one point and she desperately needed help now. Nancy, the woman who owned wellness spas and ate kale for fun, who had her acrylic claws knee-deep in Greg, would make sure of that.

Annie was snapped out of her trance by Sadie's prodding of her elbow. She could always tell what her mom was feeling like it's a sixth sense or something. "What was it today? Rude customer? Or is Beth and Dean fighting again?" Sadie didn't have to know about her secret; that was just for her and her alone. No one could know, because it was that horrendous.

Annie plastered a fake smile on her face, "Yeah, Boomer's been a real asshole again. He's not giving me enough hours," although she'd been clocking in more than enough in his bedroom these past few weeks.

"Don't worry. Remember what you used to tell me when people at school were being jerks?" Sadie was such a good kid, always trying to cheer people up. Annie had no idea where she got that from.

Smiling, Annie pulled her daughter into a side hug. "Karma will get 'em one day."

Annie shimmied into her jeans, clasped her bra back on, and then her blouse. Purse in hand, she slid into his kitchen and got a glass of water. Nights like these always made her parched, even though the only thing that would truly make her feel better was some peach Schnapps.

With that, memories of her and Greg from last Sunday came flooding back. Sadie had won a gold medal in her tennis tournament earlier that day, and they had all gone to IHOP to celebrate her first victory. The Marks never came first in anything, so it was a huge deal for her. Cheers and hugs were in plenty that day, causing Annie and Gregg to momentarily forget about the trial and just enjoy the company of family. Thankfully, Nancy had a work meeting. She was such a bitch, Annie thought.

They had gone back to Gregg's house after to watch a movie together, with which Sadie fled out 20 minutes in, even though she had chosen the movie. Watching movies with her parents was a torturous task, as all they did was make fun of the characters and their "lousy acting." At least they were getting along. That's what she really wanted right now. Maybe she was too young, but she never understood why they had broken up and moved on from one another. They seemed happy in her opinion.

Annie and Gregg were laughing together at stories from their youth and all the stupid things they had done together. Maybe it was the multiple bottles of Schnapps they shared, but things felt just like old times. Before the divorce, before Nancy, before everything had gone so wrong, so quickly. She didn't know what to make of it, just that it was nice to smile again amidst everything happening right now.

Hours later, after Nancy had chatted with them and then eventually gone to bed, Gregg insisted on walking her back to her car. Her car heater was broken, yet another issue with the old beater, and it was a chilly night out, so he gave her his sweater keep her warm on the ride home. It was a nice gesture of him. Didn't make up for him suing her for custody of their child, but a nice thought overall.

"Thanks, dork." Annie teased him, locking eyes with Gregg. He looked at her with a gentle gaze, which made her feel even warmer.

"No problem, Marks. Just make sure this hunk of junk gets you home safe." And with that, Gregg considered walking away, but instead awkwardly fidgeted towards his ex and pulled her in for a long hug. It was just the Schnapps and their history, he's told himself afterward.

Suddenly, the light flickered on, and Annie couldn't hide in the sweetness of the past anymore. This was her reality now. "Annie, what's taking you so long?"

In his filthy blue robe, which was open almost all the way, Boomer waltzed in the room and took her in. Chuckling, he told her, "You really think one quickie and then ducking out an hour later is going to make me want to pay for you to get your daughter back? Like hell, sunshine. Get back in here, I'm ready for round two."

Annie's face fell, but she didn't have a choice. She dropped her bag, downed the rest of the water left in her cup, and made her way to his bedroom for the second time that night.

The next morning, she scurried home to drop her daughter off at school. "How was Beth's? Drink away all your problems yet?" Sadie questioned her.

"Believe me, if that was possible, I would have already. Remember your dad is picking you up today for the weekend." Annie said, the thought of Gregg making her uneasy. She doesn't know how to act around him these days. Sometimes they were good, and others their only contact was about the ongoing custody battle, which Annie was trying to put at the back of her mind because all it did was remind her of last night's terrors.

"Yeah, I know. Oh, by the way, he's hosting one of those neighborhood barbecues again tomorrow. You should come." Sadie smiled at her mom, who she noticed had seemed off lately, though she couldn't tell what it was.

Annie, while grateful for her daughter's invitation and her obvious caring of her, couldn't feel like a charity case for another day. "Awe, sweetie, I would. But I don't want your dad and Nancy constantly having to have me over and feeding me. You guys know I can take care of myself, right? Just because we don't have Pico de Gallo nights doesn't mean I'm not 'treating myself' and all that crap."

"I don't know about Nancy, but dad wanted me to invite you. With everything going on, it looks good if you guys are on friendly terms, I guess." She didn't add it, but she couldn't help but think, plus, it might be one of the last moments I get to spend with you where it's not considered 'a visit.' It would break her mom's heart to know that Sadie overheard that Gregg's lawyers are close to wrapping up their case. Their confidence doesn't make her feel any better.

Annie couldn't help but grin to know that they weren't trying to kick her out of the picture, just yet anyway, "Well how could I say no to that?"

She watched Sadie get out of the car and run towards the school, beaming with a cheerful smile. She loved watching her daughter having fun; she's such a sweet girl. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by the whisper in her head:

Enjoy it, because this won't happen for much longer.

A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, please review / PM what you guys thought and if you have any input where the story might go because I don't have it all figured out quite yet. P.S. I plan on updating 1-2 times a week.