Alexis Castle is sitting in her dorm room at Colombia University engrossed in her biochemistry textbook and trying to grasp the concepts and formulas that for the most part look like a total different language. She knows that if she spends a good solid block time dedicated to studying, she will ace her Final next week. It's not like she has to do amazing on her Final in order to pass the class, but she wants to end the class on a good note and feel proud before she starts her spring break. Just when she was about to start another chapter of notes, there was a knock on her door.

Alexis turned and spotted Angela Stewart leaning against her door frame with the biochemistry book and her art history book held loosely in her hands. Angela and Alexis bonded in their art history and biochemistry class. They became really fast friends.

"Hey Angela, what's up?" Alexis asked. Angela is a mystery to her sometimes. She never talks about her family and her childhood, so Alexis knows little about her, but she doesn't mind. She can also tell that something has been off with her lately. For the past few weeks, she has seemed more distant and distracted.

Angela gazed down at her feet and stared at the floor for a while. Shuffling her feet and picking at her old, used textbook, Angela made no further effort to respond to Alexis's question. Alexis knew that something was bothering her and wanted to help. Noticing this, Alexis put away her textbook and her notes and walked to Angela. Without say a word, Alexis grab Angela's hand and tugged her to her bed. A few moments passed and right when Alexis was about to ask what was troubling her-

"Is that offer to go to the Hampton with you for Spring Break still open?" Angela whispered, still avoiding any eye contact.

"Of course it is. But I know you mentioned you wanted to spend Spring Break with her father, since you haven't seen him in a while." Once Alexis mention Angela's father, she saw Angela stiffen and could feel the tension radiate off of her. Angela barely mentions her father and when she does it is usually when she is yelling at her phone talking to him or when she has to unexpectedly leave to "check on him." Personally, Alexis thinks she needs to just move on and stop catering to her father, but Alexis shouldn't judge, since she doesn't know much.

Angela suddenly jumped right up and started pacing.

"I know! I was supposed to see him. He promised he would change and be a better father to me. And you know what's funny, Alexis. I actually believed him. I believed that he would stop and get his life back together and be a family again. I was so stupid to believe him. So stupid! He hasn't changed for 14 years and somehow I believed that he would change. God damnmit Alexis! He's in jail again. Again! This time for attempt murder! He tried to kill a guy with his pocket knife at a bar. He was totally intoxicated and doesn't remember it. I guess it doesn't matter. He doesn't remember much in the last 14 years anyways." Angela took a deep breath and tried her best to calm down. She was just so angry with everything. She doesn't understand want she did so wrong to be punishment with such a mixed up, complicated life.

Alexis was shocked at the sudden outburst. Angela is a shy and introvert kind of person. That's what Alexis likes most about her. She needed a friend that didn't want to party all the time and try to hook up with boys every waking hour. She didn't want loud.

Alexis waited a couple more minutes, giving Angela time to cool off and can think clearer.

"I am so sorry Alexis. You didn't need to hear all that. I just…I don't have a place to stay anymore for spring break and I know you offered me to come with you to the Hampton with you and your dad-"

"Angela, calm down. No need to apologies. It's not your fault and you have every right to be angry. You are more than welcome to come with me to the Hampton." Alexis smiled and saw some of the tension start to fade away. There is still some tension and stiffness, but no more than Alexis usually sees. Growing up with a mystery author as a father and have spent more time with the NYPD, Alexis has been noticing things that most people would just dismiss. Like how Angela would have her hair up in a ponytail when she is stressed about school or depressed about something to do with her father. Or when she is in an extremely good mood, she would talk really fast and start jumping on the balls on her feet bursting with excitement.

Angela sat down on the floor and took a few deep breaths.

"Are you sure it is okay for me to tag along? I don't want to be a burden to you and your family. I know since Paris, you have been spending a lot of time with your dad, as you should be, but I don't want to be in the way of that"

"You're right. I want to spend time with my father and family. And I will but, you will not be a burden or in the way. I promise. I want you there. Besides, I think my dad's girlfriend is coming as well, so he will be fine."

Alexis needed to talk to someone about what happened in Paris that didn't know anything beforehand. She wanted to talk to someone who she knew wouldn't judge her or wouldn't take pity on her. Angela was just there and Alexis told her everything (minus the spy stuff) and all Angela said was "Well, you're just a lucky girl aren't ya." And that is just it. She is lucky. If she didn't have a father who would risk everything to go find her and have the whole NYPD looking for her, she would probably be died. And for that reason, she is grateful that it happened to her and not someone who didn't have the luck and support that she had. If only her father could see it that way.

Angela smiled shyly and reached for her textbooks that have fallen. She sat on the bed and opened her art history book and her notebook and started to take notes. Alexis took that as a cue to drop it and move on to studying.

"Hey Alexis."

"Hmmm"

"Thank you. I've never been to the Hampton before. Is it anything like that show Revenge? I sure hope not because there could be a lot of dead body washing up on the beach."

Alexis looked at Angela and saw her friend again. Not some trouble kid with a difficult father, but a bright, sarcastic, loving friend that only wants to bring the best in others. Alexis laughed softly and turned to grab her textbook and notes.

"My father went to the Hampton with his girlfriend a few months ago and had a guy end up in his pool, murdered. So I guess it's possible."

"Really? That's so weird. Did he try to solve it like it was in one of his book? He can call it Hampton Heat: Murder He Wrote edition"

"You know what, he said the exact something. I hope he doesn't go through with it. That's a horrible title."

Both the girls laugh. After a few minutes of laughing and giggling, they got back to their textbooks and notes, eager to get the quarter done with.

Angela lied awake in her bed. She looked towards her right and saw her roommate, Sydney, sleeping like a rock. She knew that no matter what, Sydney wouldn't wake up, probably the only good thing about having Sydney as her roommate. It's 4 o'clock in the morning and Angela knew that she wasn't going to sleep. She rolled over in her bed to her side facing the wall. How can my life get any more complicated? She thought. First my mom was murdered when I was five and I never got the chance to really know her, and then my father decided that the bottle was more important than his young, confused daughter. Oh well, I'm at a great school and I've meet some great people and I am going to make the best of it. It's enough for now.

Angela always wondered what would have happened if her mother didn't get murdered or if her father was actually there for her. But most of all, she wondered why her mother was murdered and how she can bring that person to justice. If she can put the person that took her mother away, then she would be free and end the burden that she feels everyday.

Angela tried to remember what her mother looked like and tried to remember the trips to the parks. There are only figments, only a few seconds of memory, that is still left. When Angela tried to remember what she looked like aside from photos she seen in old photo albums, she couldn't. She doesn't remember what her smile looked like when she was excited about Angela reading her first book. Or when she started to cry when Angela split her head open at age 3 when she thought it was a wonderful idea to jump off her parents bed and hit a dresser corner. Angela tried to hold in her anxiety and calm down. She was shaking uncontrollably and she can feel herself losing control. Her throat was choking up. She tried to take some easy deep breath to slow down her breathing. It was in this moment that Angela knew that to get justice for her and her mother was to join the police force and get a hold of that case file. In the meantime, she can focus on getting justice for other victims and their family. So they don't have to go through the same path of uncertainty and questions.

This is my first fanfic, so please be kind, but honest. If you guys like it, I will write more. Thank you!

OH! I don't own anything, except Angela Stewart. :) Everything else belongs to ABC and Mr. Marlowe