Warning: This chapter contains canon non-graphic mentions of alcoholism and sexual abuse.

Sharon waited in the car outside St. Joseph's High School and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Rusty has been away on a three days school trip which gave her the much needed time for herself, but she missed him terribly. She was excited that he was coming back and she hoped that he had a good time. The bus stopped in front of the school and kids started going out of it. The driver was taking pieces of luggage from the trunk and putting them down on the pavement. Sharon looked at the mess of teenagers and bags in anticipation of seeing Rusty and her heart filled with joy as she saw him hugging a girl and then giving a brotherly hug to a friend, as he loaded his duffle bag on his shoulder and walked towards her car. He shoved the duffle bag into her trunk and then opened the door and went into the passenger seat next to her.

"Hi," Sharon's voice high pitched and excited. "I missed you," she uttered the words softly.

"I missed you too," he replied.

"No, you didn't. No one misses their home on a school trip." Sharon grinned. "How was it?"

"It was really cool. I think that I made some new friends. There are some really cool kids in my class, I didn't even know them that well until now." Rusty said.

"I'm glad to hear that you've made new friends, Rusty." Sharon beamed with pleasure. Hearing that he was happy brightened up her day. "I know you probably want to go home, but I need to make a stop at the hospital first."

"That's no problem. I'll come with you. Is everyone on the squad okay?"

"Yes. I need to go and question a survivor of a murder attempt. She's not talking and she is our only lead in the investigation. I think she's too scared to understand what's happening." Sharon explained. Rusty loved to watch her work. He thought that the way she questioned suspects and other persons of interest was very sophisticated.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"I can't disclose any information about it at this moment. It hasn't been released to the media yet."

"So this is a big case," Rusty said. It meant that she was going to be too busy until this investigation is over.

"Yes, it's a huge case and we need this girl to start talking to us in order to get some leads." Sharon explained.

Andy was waiting for them outside the girl's hospital room. He held a file in his hand and gave it over to Sharon, smiling at Rusty and patting his shoulder. He briefed her on the girl's wounds and the doctor's updates about her condition.

"She refuses to give us her name, but judging from the profile of the other victims, she is most likely under 16 and works as a prostitute. The lab is running her blood to see if it's matching anyone in the system." He briefed her.

"She's not going to talk to you," Rusty said.

"What?" Sharon turned to look at him.

"She's a street worker. She doesn't have any reason to trust the police. But, I used to be a street treat too, so maybe I can make her talk. You know, at least get you her name and age." Rusty said.

"I don't think it's such a good idea, Rusty." Sharon said and he could see the concerned expression that crossed her face.

"You know what? It might not be a bad idea either. Rusty is right. Prostitutes do not trust the police, but she might trust another kid who knows what she's been through. If Rusty can just go in there, tell her about himself a little, she could tell him her name and maybe other things too," Andy said.

"I must be crazy for agreeing to this." Sharon muttered under her breath. She took out something from her bag and handed it to Rusty. "You have to record everything she says. If you can get her name, it's good, but if you can also get information about what happened to her, what she saw, if she knows the other girls, it would be even better." She showed Rusty how to operate the recorder. "Go in there, introduce yourself and try not to reveal too much personal information about yourself." Rusty nodded and opened the door to the girl's room, walking in and closing the door behind him. Sharon leaned against the wall and looked at the door desperately.

"You okay, Captain?" Andy asked.

"Lieutenant, it is really better for you to not ask me that question at this moment." By the tone of her voice, he could hear that she was royally pissed.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked.

"For a start, you can stop interfering with my personal life and that includes my husband and Rusty." She tried to keep her cool and Andy could see that it was a tremendous effort for her.

"What, is this because I thought the kid had a good idea and suggested we go along with it?" Andy wondered.

"Did you even think for a moment about the fact that Rusty is an abandoned child who is also a victim of sexual abuse before supporting his idea to go and deal with a kid who's gone through a similar experience?" She fumed, but tried to keep her voice down, so Rusty won't hear her inside the girl's room.

"Did you consider the fact that maybe this is his way to deal with what he's been through? Maybe by helping someone else, he will find a purpose to what has happened to him?" Andy retorted.

"This is sexual abuse, Andy, not alcoholism." Sharon replied.

"What do you even know about alcoholism?" Andy asked, almost letting his temper get the better of him.

"Oh, I know plenty; much more than you would have imagined." She replied and Andy could see tears glistening in her eyes. He knew that he crossed the line and touched a delicate spot.

"Are you a recovering alcoholic, Captain?" he wondered out loud, even though he knew that he should probably not ask. If she was an alcoholic and having a hard time coping, she needed a sponsor, or at least support. She shook her head and turned her back to him. He could hear her sniffle; she was obviously trying to compose herself and avoid crying in front of him. "Your husband is," he stated as the realization sank into his mind. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I don't know you very well, I guess. And I shouldn't have contradicted what you said to Rusty." He didn't like hurting people and seeing her so vulnerable made him uncomfortable. He was so used to seeing her tough and uncompromising that he sometimes forgot she had feelings. "I just want to solve this case."

"Don't you think I want that too, Andy?" she turned around to face him. "But not at any cost."

"You know, seeing those girls in the barrels and going through that decontamination was horrifying for me. I'm sort of glad you were there with me," he said in a soft tone she never heard from him before.

"Of course you are. You peeked at me in the shower," she grinned.

"I didn't mean that, although that was a very nice bonus and I can't say I didn't enjoy the view, and it kind of helped me deal with the situation." Andy replied,

"I bet it did," she didn't sound too happy about it, but not too upset either.

"No, I mean, you were so calm. I thought I was going to throw up and you did that breathing exercise even in the shower. Watching you actually calmed me down too." Andy admitted.

"It wasn't the breathing exercise, I assure you," she said, suddenly remembering what Cesar had told her about Andy. "…I hope that now that you're free, you can find someone special to take care of your needs; that lieutenant, maybe."

"Maybe not, but it helped me, regardless."