Title: Reaching Out

Rating: PG-13 (just to be on the safe side)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the television show, and if you sue me, I shall get very very upset and possibly cry, so... let's not go there, yes?

Spoilers: Ok, here's where it gets a little tricky, boys and girls. I'm pulling out the "Creative License" card and playing it with a vengeance. Why? Because I can. Here goes: I am picking and choosing which parts of the season finale have and have not happened to suit my needs (and because if I guess what's going to happen and guess wrong, this story'll go downhill FAST when the next season starts. So in my little world of this fanfic, keep the following in mind.
1) YES, Amy and David slept together that one time. This story picks up pretty soon after that night, so it was only once (that is all my poor little mind can handle at this time, lol)
2) YES, David did run off after that fateful night, but in this story we're going to decide that the call wound up being a false alarm because I don't want to mess with the Kelly storyline—there's just too many ways to get stuck in there, so we're leaving it at that.
3) NO, that bad, bad case at the end of last season did not happen—Amy's not in trouble, and all will continue in her usual court as normal. (I told you this could be tricky!)
4) YES, Vincent is still back—the reason he's back may differ from the reason we're given when the new season starts, but for this fic, my reason stands.
5) YES, Kyle has still quit his job at the hospital (which is all well and good because I don't know anything about medicine anyway, lol) and will, I guess, be working on the bomb squad or whatever.

AND SO... those are some things to keep in mind while reading. Make it easier to understand. But also remember that I have this REALLY annoying habit of either not finishing stories at all or taking entirely too long do so (as many will agree...) it could be ages before this is finished, and that means that by the time this is done, Amy could be married to the president, Maxine could have discovered an alternative to fuel, and Lauren could be 30. Regardless, those things will NOT have happened in my fic, no matter how many years in the future it goes. The universe I have picked NOW is the universe in which I will remain. Let the reader beware. : )



"LAUREN! I'm not going to call you again, let's go!" Amy rifled through the papers on the counter a few times before lunging for an orange that was beginning to roll off the counter and knocking the entire stack to the floor in the process. "Lauren!"

"You know, Amy, perhaps she would come the FIRST time you tell her you won't call her again if, in fact, you refrained from calling her again," Maxine said dryly, coming down the stairs in her robe. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Lauren's test is in here somewhere and I can't find it..." Amy muttered, sitting on the kitchen floor and scanning the papers. "I think I mixed it up with the motions I was reading last night, and she needs to turn it in today and it's not here..."

"Well of course it's not there, dear, you left it on Lauren's desk before you went to bed last night. I'm sure she has it," Maxine said to the inside of her coffee cup as she raised an eyebrow at the newspaper. Amy let the sheet she was holding flutter back to the ground.

"Lauren has it?"

"I would be very surprised if she didn't."

"LAUREN!"

"What?" Amy spun around to see her daughter standing behind her. "Mom, what are you doing? I'm going to be late."

Maxine snickered as Amy hauled herself off the floor and hurried Lauren out the door.



"Judge Gray."

"I am not late."

"I didn't say you were."

"Then quit thinking it," Amy said, digging for the keys to her chambers. Bruce rolled his eyes and extended one of the hands he'd been holding behind his back. Amy gaped at the offering and took it reverently, sparing only a moment to thank him before she took a bracing gulp of the coffee.

"I love you," she said around a half-burned tongue. "Ah-ha!"

"Find your keys?"

"Yes I did," she said, and let them into her rooms, closing the door behind them. "So what brought this on?" Bruce turned to see what she meant, and she raised her cup in silent toast as he sipped his own. "I seem to recall a time not so long ago that you were absolutely TERRIFIED of the impropriety of coffee-sharing amongst co-workers. Has something changed that I should be aware of?"

"I had a coupon," he said sardonically. "It was either you or Donna, whoever I saw first."

"You are such a liar."

"You're the judge," he said nonchalantly. "Speaking of which, we should talk a bit about this first hearing you've got with the Brenners, foster parents who have a girl named Kaitlin..."

"Refresh my memory," Amy said, looking around her desk for a clear spot to put her coffee down.

"You haven't seen her before, but it's mostly small stuff; skipping school, a few cases of shoplifting, but nothing big... hasn't moved on to the gun-wielding psychopath—" Bruce stopped suddenly and looked up. Amy was staring at him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." he put a hand to his forehead. "It's... just been a long week."

"You gonna be ok for today? It's Friday, if you want to take off, make it a three-day weekend, clear your head..."

"No—no. Judge Gray." Bruce shook his head sharply and handed her the information. "Never mind. You have ten minutes."

"Bruce..." But he was on his way out the door, barely getting nicked by Donna as she barreled in past him.

"Judge Gray!"

"Good morning, Donna."

"You've got a message from David McLaren."

"Oh... great." Amy looked up, but Bruce was gone already. "What did he want?"

"Wants to take you out tomorrow night," Donna said slyly, and Amy raised an eyebrow at her. "Well? Why not? What happened NOW?"

"Donna..."

"Got it. I'll... go that way. And to the right." Donna stumbled out, leaving the message sitting on the ledge near the door. Amy wandered over slowly and picked it up, looking at it.

"What the hell," she sighed, and put it in her pocket before moving to change into her robes so she could get to court.