"Don't touch me!"

Sharon picks her head up, able to hear her daughter's scream from the end of the hall as she follows the young nurse after pulling a gown among other things on. She rolls her eyes, "Is that why you want me back here?"

"Well..." The young nurse pouts slight, raising her eyebrows.

"She can be difficult, but trust me...it isn't anything personal." She sighs softly.

"Also, she asked for you. So, there's also that."

The corner of Sharon's mouth turns up a bit, "Thank you...I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Amanda."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Amanda."

The young woman nods a little, "Likewise."

"The victim was wearing jogging shorts and a matching sports bra at the time of the attack." A young officer stood at the front of the conference room, showing his fellow officers and superior just what was put together. "She was wearing ear buds that made it so that she couldn't hear the environment around her. The victim took no precautions before leaving the house and-"

"Precautions?" Sharon furrowed her brow, raising a lazy hand to show that she was the one speaking.

"Yes. With the clothes she was wearing and not being aware of the world around her, this attack was, essentially, inevitable."

"Burnside, how old are you?"

His back straightened a bit; he wasn't expecting that, "I'm sorry, Ma'am, what does-"

"Just humor me. How old are you?"

"Twenty-two, ma'am."

Sharon nodded slowly, "Okay, and how old was our victim?"

"Twenty-one, Ma'am."

"When you left the house today, did you prepare yourself for the possibility of sexual assault and subsequent death?"

Burnside furrowed his brow, "I'm sorry, I'm not-"

"This young woman was going for a jog, that's all. She was exercising. Something she did every night. You are insinuating not only to me, but to your fellow officers, that this young woman wanted to be sexually assaulted simply because of what she was wearing, because she was listening to her Walkman, and because she didn't arm herself properly. Am I correct in understanding that?" When she is met with silence from the young man, "Burnside, am I correct in understanding that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What was her name?"

"Whose name?" He knew he messed up. After a quick glance to his papers, he answered, "Amanda...the Victim's name was Amanda Robins."

"Instead of telling your fellow officers, and anyone else that you may have to present with a case, that this was in any way the victim's fault instead of the perpetrator's fault, you should reevaluate your definitions of victim and perpetrator." Sharon glared toward the young man, then swept her glance around the room to the other officers she was guiding, "We live in a society where we are telling young women not to get raped instead of telling young men not to rape, and vice versa. That is a problem. Cases of sexual assault are never, and I mean never, the victim's fault. It doesn't matter what they were wearing, what they were saying, or what they were doing. Is that understood? This woman brutally lost her life...after being horrendously assaulted. Remember Amanda Robins' face when you start to blur the lines between perpetrator and victim."

Rusty chews his lip absently, sitting next to his friend and mother's boyfriend, "So...did you get anything else from the gift shop?"

Andy chuckles, offering the young man the bag, "Chips...couple other things."

"Bubblegum cigars." He raises an eyebrow.

"I asked the girl, she said I could return the one that we don't need." Flynn smirks, "Don't tell your mother though, alright?"

"I'm pretty sure Sharon would think this is great." Rusty nods, laughing a little. "Jack was like this...when they were born." He motions toward the twins, "Like...all grandfatherly and stuff. He bought all these balloons and a bottle of champagne. Like, real champagne...from France. Cost a fortune. Just went crazy and now...Sharon's having a hard time, I think, with him not being here." He pauses, looking to Flynn, "No offense."

"None taken." He shakes his head, "When my first grandson was born, I was so outrageously happy. Mostly because my daughter told my ex-wife off when she tried to kick me out." Andy chuckles softly, "I love my daughter's kids to the moon and back, even the step-kids, if you can believe that."

"I can, yeah."

"Things happen with people when they realize a chapter has ended. Some don't know how to start the next, some start tearing out pages, and some burn the book." He raises his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side, "I know that Sharon hates that he's missing this. It doesn't hurt me. Every guy should be there when his grandchildren are born. I wish he gave a shit."

Rusty sighs softly, "I thought he was a good guy."

"We all did...Sharon warned us though, so...I feel bad for her most of all. She wanted him to prove her wrong."

"He still has time, you know."

"Yeah, but I hope not. Quinn doesn't want to see him..." Andy pauses, remembering a few hours before when she broke down in his arms, "I think it was him who put her into labor anyway. So...that's something better left alone."

"I don't want you here." Sharon sat on the floor with her small daughter, watching as the girl fit shapes in their corresponding holes. She feigns excitement when the girl looks to her for approval, "Great job, sweetheart. Again." She emptied the plastic container for the girl to fill again with the blocks of varying shape and size.

"Shar, this isn't even..." Jack leaned back on the sofa, "I'm Quinn's father. Every girl needs her father."

"Every girl needs her father when he shows general interest in her well being."

"I do. You know I do. I started a college fund for her. Did well at the tables a few weeks back and started one for her."

Sharon sat up, slowly looking to her husband, "That's just money though, Jack. You're never here. She hardly knows who you are."

"And I want to change that."

"I've given you ample opportunities to, but you insist on declining them. What do you expect me to say?"

He shrugged before leaning forward, "You could say 'Jack, you handsome devil, I'd love to be able to give our daughter the opportunity to have time with you and for her to see her parents together more often.' You could say that."

Sharon couldn't help but smile softly, amused with the man's charm, "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"Because I love you...and you know I love you...and you love me." Jack sighed softly, "And I just...I was an idiot."

"Continue."

"What?"

"You were an idiot, and..." Sharon nods, waving her hand a little for the man to continue.

"And if I could take it all back, I would. I can't though, so I'd rather learn from those experiences and know that I shouldn't ever do it again." Jack raised his eyebrows, "Better?"

"I'm not your mother. Prove me wrong. Prove to me that everything you've shown me in regards to our daughter and this marriage is wrong and that you care."

He slowly lowered himself from the sofa, kneeling in front of her, "I love you more than anything. Losing you because of carelessness on my part, would be a fate worse than death." He swallowed before continuing, "Love is a smoke raised from the fume of sights; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers eyes; Being vexed a sea nourished with lovers tears; What is it else? A madness most discreet, a choking gall, and a preserving sweet."

"Shakespeare won't get you out of every situation, you know." Sharon knew she couldn't stay angry with this man for long, regardless of how stupid his actions were.

"Is it working for this one?" Jack asked, hopeful.

"Mom?" Quinn raises a hand out, able to hear her mother voice, but not yet see her.

"I'm right here, honey." Sharon moves away from speaking with her daughter's partner, taking her hand, "Okay?" She leans her face down, kissing her daughter's sweaty temple.

"Better." She whispers, reminding her mother of when she was small. Still, even though she's currently in labor with her third child, Sharon can't help but see the little girl who scraped her knee and believed a little orange iodine would heal it.

"The nurse wants to put another line into your arm."

"I don't want them to touch me."

"It's only going to be for a moment, I swear." Sharon nods, "I'll tell you what the twins have been doing while she does it." She picks her head up, noticing Tate's blank expression as he watches them. She can't help but be a bit amused.

Quinn nods a little, offering an arm to the young nurse, watching her mother intently, "I wish they could be here."

"I know you do, but you know that wouldn't be a good idea." She smiles softly to her daughter, "Harper made a friend, hasn't been bossy one bit. In fact, she's been rather mellow since we've gotten back from the aquarium. They had such a great time. And I solved the mystery of the biting."

"What was it?" Tate asks, his head perking up a little as he tries to snap himself out of it a little bit.

"The classmate that was bitten had been teasing Harper, so Finn bit him so that he would leave her alone."

"I know you're not supposed to be proud in a situation like that, but...I'm proud of my boy." He chuckles to himself a little.

"That's so sweet." Quinn pouts slightly.

Sharon nods, "You've raised quite a gentleman."

"You helped." The young woman huffs a soft chuckle, then falls silent a moment, "Tate, could you give us just a minute?"

"Yeah, I'll be right outside the door." Tate offers a smile, actually glad he could take a breather from the stressful room.

"Just a few minutes." She watches as he steps out, then looks to her mother, "I'm scared shitless and he's driving me crazy with his pacing and general attentiveness."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Sharon holds her daughter's hand, absently stroking the young woman's knuckles with her thumb, "He's nervous, honey. It's the first time he's had to go through this."

"He's not the one going through it."

Sitting at the edge of the mattress, the woman looks to her daughter intently, "That may be true, but he is the one on the sidelines who loves you, sees you in pain, and knows there isn't anything he could possibly do about it. Not even to mention that you're going through it because of him and for him..."

"Always on his side." Quinn rolls her eyes, playfully, "So, I heard something about a cesarean?"

Sharon nods slowly, "They think the baby may be in some distress and natural labor may only intensify the stress being put on the baby."

She hums her acknowledgment, "You'll stay?"

"If you want me to. I thought you would want that to be something special between you and Tate."

"It will be, but I need you here too." Quinn swallows, "I can't do it without you, Mom."

"Of course you can. You're a strong, independent woman who was able to pull herself up from her bootstraps and make the most out of life for herself and for her children. I admire you greatly for that, Quinnie."

"Bootstraps?" She smiles a little.

"I'll go and let Tate back in." Sharon leans down and kisses the young woman's hairline softly, "I really am proud of you, honey."

Quinn nods, letting the woman know she heard her, but can't bring herself to respond. It isn't that Quinn doesn't believe that of herself, it's that she isn't comfortable with showing great deals of emotion.

Tate gently placed his jacket over her shoulders as they walked on the cool beach, "I didn't think it would be so cold tonight. Sorry."

Quinn shook her head, smiling softly, "You don't control the weather. It's no big deal."

He seemed nervous, something about her seemed familiar and he couldn't put a finger on it. However, he was quickly falling for this woman; another thing he couldn't explain. "So, you know pretty much everything about me and I feel like I hardly know anything about you."

She knew it was coming. She knew he'd want to know more. How much was she willing to say on a third date? "I don't mean to be secretive. What do you want to know?"

Tate shrugged, "What do you do?"

"Surely I've told you the career field that I'm in." When Quinn sees him shake his head slowly, "Well, I work from home...doing PR work. It's...a bit hectic, but it works for me. I also have gotten back into art...but that's only very recent and I've only had a few showings."

"You've had showings? I'm impressed."

"Don't be. They're only charcoals of people I...people I met."

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, "You're holding back on me."

Quinn threaded her hand through her thick auburn hair, "Because I like you...and I don't want to scare you off just yet."

"I don't scare easily." Tate folded his arms, a playful smile at his lips and he began to chuckle when he saw her apprehension, "Oh, come on. It can't be that bad. You aren't going to tell me that you murdered someone or something like that."

"Second degree manslaughter, self defense, justifiable homicide." She swallowed, trying to keep the tears from her eyes, stopping in place, "I'm sorry, could you just...could you just take me home?"

"Wait, are you...you're serious, aren't you..." It wasn't a question because he could tell by the look on her face that there wasn't a dishonest or sarcastic bone in her body. "If you want me to, but Quinn...you still haven't scared me off."

Quinn couldn't bring herself to look at him. Nearly frozen.

"You can tell me whenever you're ready because I'm always prepared to listen."

"I also have two children."

Tate watches her, "Now you're just messing with me."

Quinn slid her arms into the sleeves of his jacket that was still around her shoulders, "Twins...a boy and uh...a girl."