AN: Thank you all so so much for all the reviews but especially the responses to my end note. It warmed my heart and I can't express how much it means to me to receive all this support. It's been a big step to share my personal story, but now I'm glad I did. Thank you all as well for sharing some of your personal thoughts. It means a lot to me to read that this story has been helpful and provided an escape for many people also.

Then I would really like to say thank you to all the guest reviewers who I couldn't thank in person. As well, as Vicci, Renee, and Rick! ( and anyone I may have forgotten, please don't be mad) Nice to see you are all still with me as well. It 's always good to see familiar names. :)

All mistakes in this chapter are mine, sorry for that.

This story is rated M to be on the safe side.

Then all what is left to say is that these characters do not belong to me, I only play with them.

Chapter four

Sharon's hand reached out, touching Andy's arm. Stopping him in mid sentence while he summoned up facts he wrote down on the board. "Andy…"

He looked over at her, his eyebrows wrinkled, making him look a bit puzzled.

"I believe I found her."

Andy looked over from her, to the file in front of her on her desk. He stared into the most angelic face with curly blond hair framing the rosy cheeks. The huge blue eyes. Vulnerable, loving, but also curious for the world around her. They only saw her in pieces, her eyes closed, but this was the girl they'd found so brutally murdered.

"What's her name?"

"Alice Jensen. She was reported missing by her parents two days ago."

Finally they had a name. Also meant they would have to shatter her parents world. They would have to tell them there was no more hope. They would never hold their little girl again. See her smile. An entire future of joyful moments was taken from them. The uncertainty would be ended, but they would enter hell. Knowing your daughter was killed and in such a brutal fashion, not knowing why, by whom? They would look at them for answers, but they would have none to give.

This would be so hard. Telling the parents would not be an easy task. Normally he was more than happy to let Sharon deal with the hard emotional talks. Somehow her compassion was warmer, more real. This time he wasn't so sure. This case hit her hard. Her first child victim. He didn't want her to fall apart in the midst of this investigation.

"We should inform them, Andy."

"We'll first need one of the parents to identify her."

Sharon paled at the thought of one of her parents having to see her dissected body. Nichols would have to do something to make her more presentable. How would he do that?

"Can we do that to them? I know it's procedure, but…"

"Nichols will do his best."

Andy smiled as he touched her cheek, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay.

He would plan something special for her tonight, pamper her, make her forget during their drive over. She kept a lot of emotions to herself. Withdrew in herself. It was hard to get through the brick wall she so easily pulled up around her. He didn't want to pressure her. Their feelings, their relationship, all so fresh. It was still hard to find the right balance. He wanted her to talk to him, but only if she was ready. He didn't like to pressure her into something she wasn't used to or ready for.

There was an uncertainty settling in his stomach. The feeling of walking on eggs. He didn't want to make any mistakes. He didn't want to ruin matters between them. It made him unable to handle on instincts. He wanted nothing more than touch her, have that physical contact with her. Maybe because it would make him feel more closer to her emotional as well. Still he was afraid to simply do so. When Sharon withdrew like this, she was impossible to read. He could ask her whether she was okay, but she would only hide her true emotions with a smile.

Andy unbuckled his seatbelt. She looked over to the picket fence house. Nice house, good neighborhood. From the outside, the only thing noticeable of the sadness and despair going on within its inhabitants, the closed drapes in front of the window.

Suddenly the house seemed huge. Feelings of dread overwhelming her. She wasn't a mother, but she could imagine how it must feel to lose your child. The thought of her being the barrier of that horrifying news, made her feel nauseous. A sudden panic overwhelmed her, the feeling like she was unable to breathe.

"I can't do this…" She choked out the words, like the air was sucked from her lungs.

Confused Andy turned around, his concern showing in the deep frown between his eyebrows, as he noticed the bewilderment in her eyes.

"Hey…" His hand lightly touched her cheek.

"I can't .. I …"

He had never seen her like this. His thumb stroke her skin, slowly, then more frequent as he felt a bit helpless, not quite knowing how to handle this.

"I…"

As her breathing stocked a bit, he took her face in both of his hands, pulling her near, captivating her in a kiss. It was the first thing that came to mind, as she seemed to have some sort of panic attack. Her trembling body stilled and he slowly pulled away from her.

The despair was still in her eyes. Her breathing had slowed though. He kept her face cupped in both of his hands. His thumbs caressing her cheekbones, his eyes locking on hers.

"It's going to be okay.. I can bring the news to them."

Sharon avoided his eyes. She must feel like a failure, for not being able to. She was forgetting he was much longer on this job than she was. These notifications, when a child was involved, were the worst.

"I'm a father I can imagine their pain."

Her eyes shot back.

"Of course you can.. I didn't mean you couldn't… Of course you can."

A soft smile curled on his lips, before he bend in and once again captured her lips. More loving, more lingering this time. Intensifying as he felt Sharon's lips suck hard on this bottom lip, while she inhaled deep. She did that often, it made her kisses so much more intense.

She inhaled his scent filling her nostrils with his aftershave. He smelled so good. She simply wanted to stay in his arms forever. Somehow the big bad world didn't seem so big and bad when his arms were wrapped around her.

As he pulled back from her, she was quick to steal another kiss.

"You'll do just fine…."

Sharon took a deep breath. She doubted this would be the last time, she would have to be the barrier of bad news. She better learn to do this now, Andy would help her through it.

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The mother of the little girl went into hysterics, as she saw their grave faces and put two and two together. Her husband reacted upon the screams, hurrying down the stairs, looking from them to his wife, desperate for answers. Trying to keep his wife on her feet.

Sharon had been so loving. Her hand on the mother's upper arm, gently stroking it, whispering calming words. She had been a natural, scared for nothing. No trace of the panic she had been in before. While she had done the comforting part of their visit, he tried to get through to the father.

Although they were pretty sure the little girl was indeed Alice Jensen, it was procedure for them to be careful. Talk about suspicions for as long as they wouldn't have a positive ID.

The mother was completely in denial from that point on. It wasn't her little girl they found dead. Her daughter was somewhere out there, alive, and they should go find her. Hysterics had turned into anger. He'd seen it all before. During the entire time, Sharon remained so calm. He wasn't entirely sure whether he would have to pick up the pieces when they came home.

Carefully he brought up the subject of identifying the body. He'd been looking at the father. There was no way he wanted that mother in the morgue. Seeing the little girl, mutilated, had been already hard for them, outsiders. He could only imagine how bad it must be for the girl's parents. If he would ever be in that position he'd go mad.

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Thank God the man had managed to reason with his wife. He'd go and identify the body. It had been still the question whether he would, as they both arrived at the station. It had maybe even been Sharon's vulnerable eyes that managed to convince the mother not to accompany her husband to the morgue. He still saw the look in Sharon's eyes, as she put her hand on Ireen Jensen's arm.

'Trust me you don't want to see this.'

As if the mother saw in Sharon's eyes the horrific truth, that this situation was.

Before he'd bring the father in he warned Nichols, so he could make the little girl more presentable. He left Sharon upstairs with the mother. He had put his hand on her back, softly whispering to her that he would do this. He'd be lost with that mother anyway, not knowing how to keep her calm. He was a father himself, he could relate to the man.

They walked through the grey corridor. It seemed endless on walks like these. He could feel the man's eyes burn at him.

"Are you a father?"

Andy wasn't the kind of man to talk about his private life, but this man seemed so nervous, without even knowing about the horrors that laid ahead of him.

A small nod and an apologetic smile was all he could muster.

"A daughter or a son?"

"Both."

"Ireen and I were thinking about another….."

His voice cut off. Andy wanted this to be over. He wanted to be at home, on the couch, Sharon pulled against his chest, his arms carefully wrapped around her, while his lips brushed the top of her head. He wanted to feel the beating of her heart. He needed her comfort, someone who simply understood.

"Do you believe this girl is really Ally?... I mean…"

Andy looked grave. He could understand the hope this father grasped at. He'd probably do the same.

"We really believe this is your daughter. We wouldn't have brought you here if we'd have doubts."

Sharon had been very sure when she saw the picture of little Alice Jensen in the missing files folder. And so was he. There wasn't a doubt in his mind and this was simply a formality.

"Would you wait here for a moment. I'll just ask whether the coroner is ready."

Andy took a deep breath before entering, hoping Nichols had managed to make her less horrific.

"Flynn, is the father outside?"

"Yeah. The mother is still upstairs with Sharon. She was quite a mess already. I doubt whether the father can handle this either."

He sighed deep, looking at the girl on the slate. Only her small angelic face was uncovered, a blue sheet hid the jigsaw puzzle her small body had become. Nichols had done a fine job.

"Just tell him not to touch anything. Don't want to make this any more traumatic than this already is."

"Hm-mm … want to question him too. The least he's seen then, the better."

"You suspect the parents?"

"Don't know, just never rule them out either. You never know."

"I'm glad I'm not in your shoes. Elliot feeling better already?"

"It's not easy on her. Hell it's not easy on me either and this isn't even my first child murder case."

"These cases are the worst."

Andy nodded, turning around to call the father in. He wanted to get this over with. Question the parents if that would even be possible, write the report and call it a night. Returning to the safety of his home with Sharon.

The father's eyes were fixed on the pale little face. Andy saw the battle within him. The despair, trying to deny this was his daughter. Willing the brutal truth away. Imagining this wasn't his little girls face. That this was someone else's daughter. That her eyes were different, her hair, her nose, her lips. Imagining it so hard that he would see a different face in front of him. He'd say this was a mistake, that this wasn't his daughter they found murdered and then he'd look away. Afraid to be captured by his daughters deadly pale face.

It all happened, like there was a manual for these kind of things. He gave it time. All it ever took was time, before the truth dawned on them.

The truth was harsh, and cruel and unforgiving. The tears in the man's eyes fighting denial. The uncertainty was over, but reality was the open gate to hell. With the answers, peace didn't necessarily return.

And there it was the blank stare, concealing the thoughts that must race this mind. Unable to look away, desperately trying to hang on, even if it meant that this would be the last image of your child, forever engraved in your mind.

Andy touched his arm as he wanted to reach out for her. "You better not."

"This is my daughter, this is my little girl.. I.."

"It's better believe me…"

His hold on the man strengthened, coaxing him around. "Let's go up."

"How.. Who?"

"We'll talk about that upstairs."

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Husband and wife had locked their eyes the moment he walked in. The hope in Ireen Jensen's eyes was awful, washed away by a simple shake of her husband's head. Sharon desperately tried to keep her on her feet, guiding her backwards to a chair. She left her side to get her a glass of water. Andy followed her, looking over his shoulder at the Jensen's. The man pressed his wife's face to his chest, trying to calm her, while she gasped for air, crying her heart out.

His eyes divert to Sharon, as he heard the sound of the cup in her hand. It was shaking. "The worst is over."

She didn't understand. This was all new to her. Frowning she looked at Andy, who kept watching the Jensen's like a hawk.

"Did the mother say anything to you, Sharon?"

"Uhm… no… Andy? Why do you keep watching them like that?"

"The parents are the first suspects."

Sharon looked dumbstruck at him. Was he serious about this? He seemed to be.

"Andy…"

"Trust me, hon… You can't simply rule them out because they're grieving."

"Andy she's really upset."

"Remorse can make you really upset too."

A lump formed in her throat. She looked over from Andy, to the parents grieving for their child. A shiver sent down her spine at the thought that they were somehow involved in their daughter's dead. This murder had been too brutal. She didn't want to believe Andy. He might have seen these kind of cases a lot more often than she had. He knew the drill. This was something she could learn from him. The parents should be on top of the list. Like husband's were always the first suspects as well. She would try to remember it for future cases, although she hoped never to come across such a case as this one ever again. It was ridiculous. There would be another case like this and she probably would remember Andy's lesson then, but now her gut instinct said something entirely different.