She stares at the ceiling and now her eyes have become red-rimmed with tears. And they start flowing down her cheeks as she returns her gaze towards her boss. She's done with this whole thing. She has found a possible solution to her problem. When she looks her boss in the eye she starts talking directly at her. Not taking anything from her.

"Anne, it's not my job! You are the person who supposed to be watching out for me. I make you the money, so that's the way it should be. And another thing, I've been working for you for over a year-and-a-half now. This started out as a simple debt to be paid on a lease to an apartment which I no longer live at and a pile of mounting bills that was not my responsibility. Since that time, I think I have more than paid for what I owed. So much so that you have profited from my "dating" for the last nine months. Because I don't think that it has taken me more than nine months to pay back what I owed. So, you've been getting fat off me working for you for the last nine months making probably more than I owed in the first place! It ends now!"

Alexis turns and starts to walk away. But before she can actually make it to the exit of the office Anne starts talking again stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Not so fast there Alexis. You seem to forget that we have certain information to hold over you to keep you here. I'm sure that your father, the famous mystery writer and his girlfriend detective Katherine Beckett would love to find out about your extracurricular activities!"

"Do you know what Anne? You can go ahead and tell them everything because like I said before I'm done! I'm sick of this there's no need for me to be here doing this when I know and you know that everything has been paid off in full. So, do not threaten me!"

Anne can't believe what she's seeing or hearing. She needs to stop her from throwing it all away.

"Alexis, I'm sure we can work this out. Please come back."

Alexis keeps walking and from over her shoulder, she yells out….

"Not if your life depended on it!"

Xx

"Kate, I need to talk to you. I'm just curious if you've noticed anything off with Alexis? What I mean is she seems to me to be withdrawn from our family. She doesn't participate in family things anymore, we offered to bring her out to the Hamptons two weeks ago for the weekend and she declined to say she had to study for school. I'm not too sure that school it's her main concern right now. There's something else that's just eating at her from the inside and I don't know what it is."

"Babe, I've noticed at different times she just disappears. Oh, she does give an excuse as to why she's leaving, but she seems to be preoccupied. Now it could be school, but I really don't think the school would stress her out as much as I have seen her in the past couple of days."

"She texted me about 20 minutes ago saying she was coming home. Should we intervene? Maybe ask her some questions get to the bottom of what's really bothering her?"

"Rick as much as I'd like to help, I'm not her mother. Sure, I give her advice on all things that involve women, like boys, dates, you know the good stuff in life. But when it comes to parenting I yield to you. I will be there to support you in whatever direction you choose, but just give me a heads up before we start, so I know what to expect."

The lock unlocks and the door opens wide and in steps his daughter. He can tell that she's been crying and he immediately looks to Kate. He gives her a quick eye wink and they both walk over to confront her.

"Dad, can we talk?"

"Honey, you know we can talk about anything and I will not judge you or any situation."

"Dad, keeping an open mind here would be a benefit. Because what I have to say is going to upset you in many ways."

"Alexis, you're beginning to scare me! What's going on?"

"Dad, I think we should be sitting for this conversation."

"Kate, would you sit with us too? You could be like a buffer."

They all take seats Rick sitting on the loveseat, Kate sitting opposite him on the couch and Alexis remains standing between the two of them. This will not be easy she can already sense the tension between the two of them. And when she drops the F-bomb they're going to be completely stunned.

"Dad, Kate, I know you both remember Pi, but what you don't know is that he ended up dumping all his debt on me. Now keep in mind that I had just leased the apartment with him and we broke up shortly after that. The money for the lease I was able to take care of with the tutoring jobs that I worked after school. But after a couple of months, I was in too deep with all of his debt. I had creditors and bill collectors calling at all hours of the day and night. It put me in a position to find a different source of employment. This employment involved going out on dates getting paid very well for it."

"Alexis, what do you mean?" Kate asked her.

"Kate, I answered what I thought was an innocent ad. At first, it started off with just dinners and plays and just enjoying each other's company."

"I already don't like where this is going." Rick said.

"Dad, please this is hard enough."

"I'm sorry pumpkin."

"So, at first I was able to tutor, go to school and work with this agency."

"Agency? Alexis, please tell me that this is not one of those Eastside places?"

She can only look at her feet telling Kate that's exactly where she was working.

Rick just gives her an alarmed look.

"Rick, the agencies on the East side are notorious for keeping women in situations that they don't really need to be in."

It's then when Alexis realizes that she has been cheated out of more than just money.

"Sweetie, you don't have to tell me this, and that's alright. But I need to know."

Alexis nods to her giving her the okay to ask.

"Did you have sex with any of these men?"

"Yes. I did. But it was all consensual Kate."

"Alexis, I'm not saying that it wasn't. But the fact that the agency kept sending you out on these jobs specifically, they were condoning prostitution. We will go after them and take them down."

Alexis risks looking at her father. What she sees breaks her heart. She knows that she is the one who did this to him and there is no way that she could ever make what they had together right again. Her heart shatters a little more when he looks her in the eye and she sees the trail of tears streaking down his face.

Kate can only stay silent as she watches them together. She knows why. Rick has lost everything wholesome about his little girl, but in time he'll get through this.

"Alexis, whatever you needed I would have given you. Anything at all honey. You must have known this?"

"Dad, I know. But I had to do this on my own. I'm only trying to be independent. This was the only way I could get out from under this and still regain some pride."

"You are never going back!" Her father insists.

"I don't plan to."

A/N: Short final chapter to follow.