Hi there, these will come quick since they're already written. Kind of fun to be editing and touching them up.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks!

Ghosts From Our Past

Avery rested against the outside of the cool building, catching her breath for only a moment as she fought the rising panic in her chest. She cursed under her breath before regaining her composure and stalking away before anyone could follow her.

"It's not possible." Addison was muttering to herself, "It's not-" she ran her hands through her hair pulling at it in frustration and worry. "This can't be happening." She grabbed her coat that was hanging over the chair and quickly left her office.

"Addison?" Pete asked poking his head out of his office in concern to which she only raised her hand to him as she headed for the elevators.

Addison burst into Kevin's office. It hadn't been hard, they new her there, sort of, but showing up announced with a panicked look in her eye was very uncharacteristic, "Addison?" Kevin asked looking up from his desk in concern and shock, "What's wrong?"

Addison blinked, she wanted to scream but instead inhaled deeply as she attempted to calm herself down.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, waiting a moment for her response, which was usually so put together, when she didn't answer, he went over to her and gently took her chin, directing her eyes to his, "Hey" he said softly, "Tell me what's going on."

Addison wrung her hands together as she sank down onto a nearby chair, "Um" she paused, "I think" another pause, "Well actually, I know," she looked at him and bit her lip, "About 17 years ago I got pregnant, and, I just, I couldn't have a baby, not while I was in the middle of school, so I gave her up for adoption."

"Okay…" he followed her hesitantly, leaning back against his desk to take her in.

Addison stared straight ahead, "I think she came into my office today" she looked at him. "I think she's in some sort of trouble. I have to find her."

"Did you get her name, address?" Kevin asked thoughtfully.

"Avery." She answered, "Her name is Avery. She lives on the streets and she drinks and God she's just a baby" she shook her head, "and someone's hurting her, and I…" her hands dropped into her lap, "I can't do anything about it."

"Addison this isn't your fault." He told her.

"Isn't it?" she asked, "I let her go. I let her get hurt."

"You don't even know if she's your daughter."

Addison turned on him, "She is. I know."

"How? Just because you feel a pull to this girl doesn't mean-"

"Something in her eyes tells me she's mine, now are you going to help me or not?" she demanded of him.

"Where the hell were you?" a tall man towered over her petite frame, casting her into his shadows.

"I went to the jump off a bridge." She shot back sarcastically, her eyes narrowing in contempt. He moved to back hand her but she caught his arm avoided being hit.

"Fuck off Robbie." She snapped, pushing him away as he turned to glare at her.

"You did not just do that." He growled.

"You can't just treat me like one of your girls, ass face." She threw back at him, "I'm your girlfriend."

"My girlfriend who tried to kill herself." He shot back.

"So?"

"SO!" he roared, crossing the distance between them, "You cannot leave me!" he grabbed her arm and dragged her towards their room and pushed her onto the bed roughly.

"Get off me Rob, I'm not in the mood." She struggled with him as he grabbed a syringe off the bedside table. "Don't!" she struggled against him harder but he was too strong and eventually succeeded in pushing the drug into a vein in her arm and in a moment her struggling ceased and he began pulling at her pants.

"Girlfriend or not" he grunted as he climbed on top of her, "I own you."

Avery woke up feeling dizzy; her head pounded as she pushed herself onto her elbows and pulled a dirty sheet around her naked body in the dank room.

She closed her eyes and listened carefully to the sweet sound of nothing. Robbie was out. She snorted at the irony of it all, she did need him, she owed him her life, he took her off the streets, despite the fact they lived in the mouldy basement of his crack dealers house.

She was just 14 when Robbie found her, living on the streets hungry after running away from her latest foster parents house. Even at the best of time, they had insisted on treating her no better than the dog.

Robbie was different, he cared for her, and he only hurt her when she did things that were wrong, at least that's what she used to think. She owed him, that she knew, but she needed something more, or less, she couldn't tell. With his help she had finished high school but she wanted to go to college, she didn't want to be a dead end street kid. One thing she did know what she couldn't continue to go on like this. Because this life sucked.

Without conscious thought, and against her better judgment she found herself pulling on her clothes and making her way out of the house and down the trail that led to the beach. Robbie wouldn't be back until sunrise and the house that smelled like urine and blood made her feel sick to her stomach.

She sat down onto the beach, pulled her knees to her chest for warmth and rested her chin atop them. She stayed that way for a long time, as the wind kissed her cheeks she sprawled back into the sand and staring up at the stars, feel into a restless sleep.