Disclaimer: I own nothing.

– – –

Tara circled the twenty-fourth of May, which was in a couple weeks. She had plans to take Denise out to dinner. They'd been dating for two months now, and she wanted to do something special. She wanted to have a good time, do something outside of the apartment, and the twenty-fourth would be a good time to do it. If no one was brutally murdered, of course. That would put a hitch in her plan.

"Hey, Tara?" Denise strolled out of the bathroom in sweat pants and a t-shirt, hair messy from their lazy weekend.

"Yeah?" She lifted her head from her phone to meet her gaze. "What is it?"

"Have you seen my bag?" She leaned against the wall. "I can't find it."

"It's probably on the couch. Why? Are you leaving?"

"No, I need to brush my teeth." She covered her mouth with her hand with Tara neared. "I have terrible morning breath right now."

"I doubt that."

"I do. This is why I try and wake up first. I don't want you to smell it."

"You're adorable." She kissed her forehead. "I'll let you brush your teeth."

"Thank you." She hurried to the living room to fetch the bag before Tara tried anything. She'd learned in the last couple of months that Tara was sneaky, and she really wasn't looking to be kissed right now. "I have to stop by my apartment, so I have to leave soon."

"Okay."

"I'll be working a little late too." She dug out her toothbrush and met Tara on the way to the bathroom. "So I don't know if I can make our dinner plans."

"Denise, it's all right. I have court at eleven, and I have to take Meghan to Eric too. I also need to do some laundry, so it's fine. I'll call you tonight. Or you can call me since you're the one working late."

She smiled. "All right. I'll call you then."

"Go brush your teeth so I can at least kiss you goodbye."

"So bossy." Denise stepped into the bathroom.

"You'd be bossy too if you only got to see your girlfriend once in the morning," Tara mused. "Besides I need to shower, and it's not getting late, but I told Meg we could grab brunch."

She nodded, scrubbing away at her teeth.

––

Tara finished in court, texting Meghan to meet her just inside the lobby of apartment in ten minutes, and she dug out her keys. She didn't want Meghan left out in the open, not since the case, but she didn't want to make her late and cut into Eric's time with another patient. She hadn't anticipated court running so late, but it had. She didn't stick around till the end. Once deliberation lingered into thirty minutes, she knew she had to bail. She had one of the unis text her the results.

Tara pulled up to find Meghan outside, and she climbed into the car. "I told you to wait in the lobby."

"Why? It's beautiful today, and the lobby smells like cleaner."

She shook her head. "Okay, fine."

"I'm okay, Aunt Tara. There are no men around the corner waiting to snatch me up as revenge for testifying. It's been two months since anyway. They'd have to be really thorough in their planning to come and get me this late."

"Don't joke about that. These types of people are capable of anything."

Meghan sighed and rested her hands in her lap. "Mom has a date tonight."

"What?" Tara nearly caused a ten-car pile up at that news, and Meghan laughed under her breath. "With who?"

"Caesar. I heard them talking last night when he came over for dinner, and he asked her out. It's only been about two and a half months." Her lips curved a soft smile. "She was humming this morning. I think she's really excited about it. She had her outfit all laid out, even the shoes, and she packed up some makeup in her bag. I've never seen Mom put on makeup for a guy. For a holiday dinner, birthday parties of her friends, maybe, but never a guy."

"She really likes him." Tara smirked. "I'm sure they'll be happy together."

"Me too."

"All right, enough about Lilly." Tara glanced at her. "How are you today, Meg?"

"A little sleepy. I'm still adjusting to being back in school." She rubbed her arm and inhaled. "I'm anxious about being back, but Carl and Molly and Andre have been great. They don't ask me what happened, and they treat me exactly the same. It's really great, and I feel less like a victim around them."

"I make you feel like a victim?"

"No, not you or Mom or Denise or Caesar or my friends, but some of the teachers and some of students make me feel like a fragile little victim, and it's depressing. I understand that I went through something terrible, but babying me isn't going to make me better. If I tell Mom about it, she'd go off on them, and I'd rather not do that to them. I'm sure it'll pass."

"I could talk to them, if you want."

"No, it's okay. If it gets to be too bad or too much then I'll have you talk to them." She smiled. "You're better at handling people than Mom, but don't tell her I said that."

"My lips are sealed."

Their brunch trip was a success. Tara could see Meghan digging herself out of the darkness a little more each day, and now and that her laughter was real and not reflexive. She could see a new young girl blooming behind those blue eyes, and she was happy to see it. She knew the little niece she had loved and raised and picked on was long gone, but her niece was becoming who she needed to be, and Tara couldn't have been more proud. She was the aunt to this amazing young girl, and she knew Dad must be glowing with pride too. If the Chamblers were anything, they were damn good fighters. Throw them into a pit of sorrow, and sooner or later they'd dig their way out. Lilly came out as a mother, as relentlessly responsible and a nag, but she came out. Tara came out sassing the entire way, and she didn't need to become stronger or fiery or fierce, because she always was. She just had to remind herself of that, and now she had an adorable blue-eyed, freckled flaxen nerd to remind her of that.

As for Meghan, it would appear she was finally accepting reality. Dad was gone. Her grandpa loved her deeply and fought to see his girls every day but in the end he just wasn't strong enough, and it was his time. Lilly was moving on and opening herself up to serious dating, and she may one day have a loving father who'd rather get shot fifteen times than let any harm befall her and her mother. Tara had grown up too and had come to terms with what happened at the start of the year. It didn't matter who or what set things in motion, because at the end of the day the horrors and nightmares would only prepare them for what was to come next.

– – –

"Hey." Lilly embraced Meghan when Tara brought her home that evening and kissed the top of her head. "You two were gone a long time. Should I worry?"

"No. We just lost track of time." Meghan released her mom and sat down on the couch. "Tara told me about her plans with Denise on the twenty-fourth."

"Oh, right. It's the second month mark, isn't it?" Lilly grinned. "What do you plan to do on the twenty-fourth?"

"I dunno. I was thinking maybe I'll do a little dance, make a little love and get down tonight." She smirked and stuffed her keys into her pocket.

"Seriously?"

"No. I have reservations at Denise's favorite restaurant, which is a good thing I did it so soon, because they're locked in for the rest of the month. Or will be soon. Er, anyway I know it's a little soon, but I've decided to let her have a key to my apartment. I trust her, and I know her tells if she ever lies to me. Besides she's too good a person to try and screw me over." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "And I wouldn't mind her coming over now and then to surprise me."

"Do you love her?" Meghan studied her aunt closely, and she noticed pink seeping through the white on her cheeks. "It just seems like you care about her an awful lot, so...I was just wondering if you did."

"I do care about her," Tara mumbled, her cheeks aflame, and she stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I don't know if it's love yet, but I do care about her. A lot."

Lilly nodded. "Meg, why don't you start dinner? I need to talk to Tara."

"Sure."

Tara followed her sister back to her room, Meghan hopped up to preheat the oven, and Lilly closed her bedroom door. She led Tara over to the bed and motion for her to sit down, but Tara remained standing. Lilly sighed soundlessly and tipped her head back, plopping down onto the mattress with her hands in her lap.

"What is it?" Tara ran her eyes over her older sister. "You seem stressed."

"Do you love Denise?" Lilly instead asked. "I know you said you care, but...you haven't been in love since Alicia. I'm worried you're afraid to say it—to feel it—because of what happened between you and Ali."

"I don't know if I love her or not." Tara lowered herself down beside her sister. "What I feel when I'm with her can't compare to what I felt with Ali, you know? Denise is so sweet and compassionate and intelligent. She's beautiful in ways she doesn't even think to know, and she...makes me feel... I can't put it into words. Be it love or not, I can't put it into words. What we have, when we're together, it's...heady, and I wonder why in hell it took us so long to get here."

Lilly smiled. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "If I do love her, Lilly, then I love her more than I think I've loved anybody I've been in a relationship with. It's been barely two months, so I don't want to be in love. I don't want to freak her out."

"You've known her since the start of the year basically, and it's May now, Tara. And love... If she feels the same way, it doesn't matter if it's been a month or a week." She nudged her with her shoulder. "And I know Denise cares about you just as strongly."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. I'm just being honest. I'm glad you found her." She heaved a sigh. "I have a problem."

"What problem?"

"Caesar asked me to have dinner with him."

"And?"

"He didn't invite Meghan to come with me. It'll just be me and him, having dinner. It's a date, Tara."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yes, but Meghan is finally okay again. I don't want to stir the pot."

"Lilly, come on. Meghan likes Caesar. He lets her have ice cream before dinner, helps her with her homework, lets her be and say what she has to. They're friends, and you've seen it. He's a good man, and he wouldn't harm you or Meghan."

"He does seem to have a soft spot for Meghan." She bit her lip. "What if it's more than that? What if he's just using me to get to her? He went all out when she was missing, and he comes by now and then simply to check on her. I hate to have these thoughts, but I have to. After what Meghan went through...I don't want her in that position again."

Tara shook her head. "He isn't like that. He...has his own losses, Lilly. He'll tell you when he's ready, but don't ever worry about that. He's a good man, and he has a father's heart that projecting itself at Meghan is all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. If I thought for a second he'd do something to her, I'd have him on his ass and in handcuffs before he could even blink."

She smiled. "I know he's a good man, but I've been a poor judge of character before. I didn't want to make that same mistake. Denise told me the same, but I had to make sure."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You talked to my girlfriend about this before you talked to me?! Your sister?!"

"Well, since our lunch, we've spoken a lot. She's a good friend. She actually gives me helpful advise."

"What the hell did I just give you? A limp noodle?"

"No, but you did give me lice and the chickenpox, and I wanted more than one opinion. Sue me."

"I just might. God, asking my girlfriend first. Next time I'm going to Noah with a problem then maybe you."

"Don't be such a drama queen."

"Why not? You ruined my night."

"Right now?"

"No. The night you spoke to Denise. We had plans, and she had to leave to early. I didn't know why, and I assumed work because she said it was an emergency, but now I know it was you. Asshole."

"I'm sorry I interrupted you have sex with her again, because I wanted to ensure I wasn't welcoming a predator into my home."

"We weren't about to have sex," Tara corrected. "We'd just gotten to her place."

"Tara, she came over to talk to me. She had your shirt on. I recognized the hole in the shoulder. So did Meghan, who came out to get something to drink and grinned at me after pointing it out."

"For all you know I forgot that shirt at her place."

"I'm not an idiot. I may not have had sex in a while, but I do know what people who've had sex look like. And unless Denise is suddenly into polygamy and is bisexual, she wasn't glowing from pregnancy."

"Okay, fine. You were right. Are you happy?"

"No. I'm more jealous than anything." She offered a small smile. "You two are a good match, and you're happy together. You can tell you're both in an honest and sturdy relationship from a mile away. And you get to have sex with someone else, someone who cares about you. That's the best kind of sex."

"God, just put out with Caesar and spare me this conversation."

She glared. "Shut up."

"I'm saying this as your sister, Lilly. Just jump on him. He wants it, you want it, and I don't want to have this conversation ever again. It's a win-win."

"I don't sleep with men on the first date."

"You haven't had a first date since Meghan was teething!"

She groaned. "I'm not sleeping with him."

"You say that now, but I slept with Denise on the first date. I didn't mean to, but it happened. I don't regret it, and it was pretty—"

"Don't talk to me about how great your sex life is." She covered her sister's mouth with her hand. "I'm happy for you, I'm going out with Caesar, and let's leave it at that." Tara glared as she couldn't speak, and Lilly smiled at her. "Say hi to Denise for me tonight, okay?"

She gave a muffled reply, and Lilly laughed, moving her hand. "You're lucky I love my niece or I'd never come over." She rose off the bed. "Have a good night, a good date, and don't call me or Denise tonight. She has a patient at eight in the morning, and I don't want to hear the phone ring."

"Fine. Get home safe, okay?"

"I'm not going home. I'm meeting Denise at her place."

"Just get home safe, Tara," Lilly softly repeated, and Tara nodded with a slight frown. "Say goodbye to Meg on your way."

"Duh."

Lilly smiled at her sister who was leaving, and she could only hope Tara figured out what she meant prior to giving Denise a key to her apartment. For a cop who had to study and figure out what types of relationships the victim had with possible doers, Tara was shit at figuring out her own, that was for sure.

– – –

Sasha gripped the edge of the sink in the bathroom, Bob was in the living room entertaining guests, and she could hear him telling another of his usual jokes. He had a way with people, always shining, always smiling, and she loved that about him, despite having heard this joke about a million times. He always said the same ones. It had lost its humor many, many tellings ago, but the way he said it brought a smile to her lips, and she had a feeling this would too.

She hadn't intended this to happen right now. She just couldn't stop thinking about the pregnancy test sitting hidden in her purse while they talked on and on, and she finally excused herself to use it. She had thought maybe she was. It'd been a while since her last period, and she and Bob had been more intimate since the building nearly crushed Tara. She thought about what she would regret had she been in there and hadn't made it out. That night when she was off the clock and could slip away, she woke him up to talk to him. Though talking turning into sex after she couldn't find the words and decided to simply show him.

It had worked, and it only improved their relationship. They were closer, more intimate, and they hadn't fought about kids or anything lately. Bob had been in such a good mood, and so had she. She was truly happy the last few months, and maybe that's why she wasn't panicking right now. She did want a child with him, in spite of how cruel and manipulative the world was. She would be there and teach this kid right from wrong, and she'd teach them how to protect themselves. It was her job as a mother, after all.

"Christ." A mother. A mom. She was going to be a mom. Wow. Her eyes caught a little number underneath the word pregnant. It was a 3+, and she had to sit down. She didn't know it would tell her how many weeks she might be. She'd asked Rosita and Michonne what they'd used, even asked Tara what Lilly had used, and she went with Rosita's as she hadn't given birth fourteen years ago. She didn't care if Tara and Rosita and Michonne knew she thought she was pregnant—hell, from the way they looked at her, they might already have known—because she would start showing.

She stood up and called to Bob from the bathroom door, he and their guests turned to look at her, and Bob politely excused himself, leaving his glass of wine on the table.

"What is it?" He studied his wife. "Are you all right?" He didn't want to say she'd been in the bathroom for a long time, but she had been, and he was worried. He couldn't leave his guests to check on her as he knew she'd left to be alone, and it must have been the right choice to give her some time.

She grasped his hands and led him to sink. "Look."

"Look? At what—?" His eyes landed on the pregnancy test, and his mouth dried out. "You're—?"

"We're going to a child," she finished for him when he stopped. "I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant." He slowly smiled. "You're pregnant!"

She laughed when he embraced her, lifting her off the ground, and she would have insisted he put her down right now, but she didn't. She'd let him do it this once and hopefully never again. She didn't want to spoil the mood anyway. It was good news. She was pregnant, and they were going to be parents. They were going to be parents!

– – –

Tara was on the phone with the restaurant where she and Denise were going to in an hour, adjusting the cuff to her blazer, and she wanted to check the time she said they'd be there. She wanted to walk around for a little bit before they ate, just to talk to Denise without a crowd, and she wanted to make sure they had time.

"Okay, thank you." She hung up and smiled to herself. She had half an hour now till Denise came over, and they had time to walk around and talk. She just hoped it would be possible. She told Denise to dress up, and she hoped that didn't involve heels. Tara only wore heels when she was undercover and never again. They were torture, and she wouldn't have Denise walk around in them. Denise mostly wore tennis shoes anyway, so if she tried to lie and say she was used to heels, Tara was going to call her out on it. If only to spare her feet.

She tucked loose hair behind her ear and dropped her phone into her pocket, looking for her other shoe. She didn't like dresses and heels, so she wore a blazer and black slacks. They weren't her work slacks. They were nicer than her everyday pants, and they were new. She'd bought them for tonight, and she felt ridiculous to be so nervous. It wasn't as though she was proposing. It was just a key. Just a little metal key.

A knock on the door caught her attention about ten minutes later, she found Denise was early—and in flats, thank God. She showed her in and nearly wanted to ditch their dinner plans at the sight of her. She was breathtaking. She'd never seen Denise in a dress before, and she decided to come up with more dates where they had to get dressed up, because damn. Silver was a good color on her, and she'd worn her hair down for the first time. She always kept it pulled back unless they were in bed, so that was a first too.

"What is it?" Denise felt self-consciousness bubbling up in her chest, and she felt the need to cover herself with a coat or blanket.

"You look beautiful." Tara smiled broadly. "You look really beautiful."

She blushed. "So do you." She reached out and brushed hair from Tara's cheek. "Your hair's getting so long. Are you going to cut it?"

"Do you want me too?"

"It doesn't matter to me. It's your hair, and you look good either way." She pulled her in and kissed her, though Tara pulled back. "What?"

"I already don't want to leave the apartment," Tara replied in a husky whisper, "and if we kiss, we're not leaving. I have plans for tonight, so let's save that for later. Unless you want to forget dinner...?"

She laughed. "Let's get going."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, I want to know more about these plans you have." She kissed her briefly. "Besides I want to go back to my place tonight. There's something I have I think you'll like."

"What is it?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." She stepped back. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Let me just grab my keys."

"Okay."

Tara swiped her keys from the counter, lacing her fingers through Denise's, and they departed for the restaurant. Denise told her about her day, as they hadn't seen each other for nearly two days with Tara having to attend court again and Denise's patients needing some extra time and care. They spoke via texts and calls, but that was really it. It was good to see each other, to kiss and hold hands, and Tara felt confident in her decision. She couldn't wait to see Denise's reaction to all of this.

"It's a nice night. Do you want to walk for a bit?" Tara inquired.

"Yeah." Denise nodded. "I wouldn't mind to."

Tara was about to point out they were near the park when a young girl stumbled onto their path, and that would have been okay. She didn't run into them. She didn't groan in disgust or comment on them holding hands or anything. Though she was covered in blood and tears, and Tara released Denise's hand to catch her before she collapsed into the street.

"Oh, my God." Denise dropped beside Tara and the young girl who had to be the same age as Meghan. "I'll call 911."

"Hey." Tara searched the girl for any wounds. "Are you okay? What happened to you?"

She said nothing, just cried, and she gripped the collar of Tara's blazer, the blood staining her white undershirt, and her green eyes widened.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now." Tara smoothed down hair sticky with blood. "It's okay. We'll get you help."

Denise looked over the hollow eyes of the young girl and knew she was out of it. Traumatized to the point of being unable to speak. She couldn't imagine what this girl had been through, and she hoped Tara and Rosita could bring justice to her and to whoever else was hurt.

––

Fourteen-year-old Enid Morris sat in the exam room, the nurses had taken her clothes and samples from her nails and looked for signs of sexual assault. There were no signs, no bruises, no wounds. They'd taken blood samples, trying to see if she had been drugged, but her blood was clean. She was unharmed and willingly mute. Well, perhaps willingly wasn't the correct word here. Denise believed her muteness was due to the shock of the murder she had witnessed or came across.

They soon learned who had been killed when uniforms went to pick up her parents after they didn't answer the phone. Mr. and Mrs. Morris were found murdered in their home. It was a real mess. There was blood everywhere, body parts everywhere, and it would appear Enid had come home to this. She had sat beside them for a time then wandered from the house to where Tara and Denise had been. How she went unnoticed for so long they didn't know, but they had her now. They would bring this asshole to justice. Orphaning a child and leaving that hellish scene behind for her to walk into? Tara would nail his ass. She wouldn't rest until she had him behind bars.

"She won't speak." Dr. S held a clipboard to his chest. "Or write. She hardly even blinks. You won't get anything out of her."

"Maybe because you won't let her bathe," Tara seethed. "She is coated in her parents' blood, and you say she won't speak? Gee, I wonder why the fuck not."

"Tara." Rosita warned. "Don't."

"We had evidence to collect. She was just as much a crime scene as the actual crime scene."

"Well, you're done, right? Let her get cleaned up," Denise prompted. "It might coax her to speak if you let her clean up."

He nodded and sent Amy to get her room, and Tara waited until S was gone to ask, "Have you contacted the next of kin?"

"She doesn't have anybody," Rosita revealed. "Her parents were the only family she had in the entire world. There are no aunts, uncles, grandparents—not even godparents. Social services will be here first thing tomorrow morning."

"We can't leave her here overnight," Tara protested. "She's a scarred little girl. She can't be stuck in a hospital all night."

"I know, and since you've been so vocal I've decided to let you take her for the night. She needs to be protected anyway, as we have no information on this killer, and he may be coming after her next. You can provide a safe environment, and I know how good you are with kids like Enid."

"I can take her home?" Tara pushed off the wall.

"For tonight, yes. She needs a warm bed and a caring shoulder to cry on or scream at, and you're good at providing both." Rosita smirked. "I trust you, now make her trust you and help us find our guy."

"Okay."

"Tara," Denise spoke up from beside her girlfriend, "you can't be serious."

"Why wouldn't I be serious?" She met her eyes. "I can help her, and I want to."

"Tara, this is a huge responsibility. I know it's just for one night, but we don't know anything about this girl or what happened to her parents. For all we knew she might have something to do with it. I know I shouldn't say that, but it could happen. There are more reasons to silence than trauma."

"She weighs what? 100 bucks wet?" Tara scoffed. "If she tries to hurt me, I can take her. I have a drawer to lock my gun in, and I can hide the knives in my kitchen. Plus I'm a light sleeper."

Despite trying to dissuade Tara from temporarily taking the girl in, a private smile crossed Denise's painted lips. "Not always."

"That wasn't my fault."

Rosita rolled her eyes. "Can you two please focus? Least I have to call our department shrink. I'd rather not. She kind of isn't great."

"Sorry." Tara folded her arms over her chest. "And I'll take her in. We'll try and get the story out of her."

"We?" Denise blinked. "Who said I was going to have any part of this?"

"Well, you're a therapist, and you're good with kids. I thought you'd want to help."

"I'm sorry. I have to meet Mr. Walter tomorrow morning, and I'd love to help you with her, but he's been very grumpy and pushy lately. Tonight was supposed to take my mind off of it, but we found Enid." She smiled a little to try and not sound like she ditching her. "Besides you stand a better chance of getting her to talk. You're good at it, so you should have tips on how to crack open her sealed lips."

Tara chuckled and caught her girlfriend's hand before she could walk away. "All right, but I want to talk to you before you leave. Uh, in private."

"Sure." She squeezed her hand and stepped back. "I'll go get a set of clothes for Enid to leave the hospital in."

Tara had changed into a hoodie and jeans from her discarded gym bag in the trunk of her car, handing over her shirt to the nurses in case any DNA or tissue samples had been rubbed onto it. Also there was no getting blood out of white, so why the hell not let them keep it? She would have Lilly replace it since Lilly always bought her clothes on her birthday and Christmas. The only time she got a decent gift was if she gave money to Meghan to buy her gifts. Lilly never learned to branch out in shopping, but at least Tara hadn't had to buy clothes since she was fifteen. At least her closet was lucky.

"Was tonight special?" Rosita asked when Denise headed out. "I'v never seen either of you so dressed up."

"It was our two-month anniversary. I didn't do the month one. I forgot, so I wanted to take her out tonight. I had reservations at her favorite restaurant, and I was going to just take her for a walk and give her a key to my apartment."

"It's only been two months. Calm down, Tara." She smirked, and Tara rolled her eyes. "I'm happy for you two, and it sucks you couldn't keep your plans."

"There's always next time, right?" She flashed a grin. "I'm gonna talk to S about releasing Enid to me."

"I'll come with you."

– – –

It was midnight when they completed everything they needed to do, Enid was given a sedative to help her sleep, and Tara carefully put her in the backseat. Rosita headed to the office to see what Dawn, Noah, and Michonne had dug out—leaving the pregnant Sasha out of the loop for the time being—and Tara met Denise by the taxi she'd called.

"You don't have to use a taxi. I can take you home."

"It's okay. I have to stop by my office and pick up some paperwork anyway, and I don't want Enid to wake up on the trip." She wrapped her arms around Tara's waist. "Besides if I went home with you, we both know what would end up happening."

"I wouldn't make a two dozen pancakes. That was a one time thing."

"You do it every time you have more than one person over for the night. Meghan can't even look at batter for pancakes without gagging."

"I still wish you'd come home with me."

"Well, it's not just you." Her eyes moved to the sedated girl in the backseat. "Don't worry. We'll see each other tomorrow when I try and speak to Enid. We can have lunch afterward."

"Why don't you just meet me at my place tomorrow night? I'll be a little late, but you can start dinner without me."

"Your super won't let anyone in without a badge, and I don't have a key."

"You do now." Tara pulled it from her hoodie pocket. "I was going to give you this over dinner, but Enid happened, so I guess I'll do it over taxi."

She stared at the small, shiny key. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am. Why? Aren't you?"

"Of course. I just wanted to make sure you were." She accepted the key and kissed her. "Thank you. I'll meet you around eight."

"That sounds great."

She grinned. "Do you want a key to my place?"

"If you want me to have one."

"I do."

"Okay then." She kissed her once more, lingering as she had to get Enid home and shower the scent of blood off of her. "Get home in one piece, okay?"

"You too."

Tara watched her slip into the cab, she closed the door once she was inside, and she backed up when it pulled out. That wasn't how she planned on tonight going, but she did get to kiss the most beautiful woman in the room. Now if only she could have gone home with her...

– – –

"What do we know so far?" Rosita ran her eyes over the murder board.

"Enid's parents, Ross and Angela, were killed between five and six pm," Michonne answered. "They were dismembered by a sharp and smooth edged blade."

"We're still waiting on the report," Noah added. "She just gave us a brief summary. She's currently in the process of doing a more detailed report. She wanted to give us something to work with for now."

"She always does when we have a murder like this." Dawn shifted her weight. "I'll was at the crime scene with CSU, and it was...brutal. There's blood everywhere, and there's only one sign of breaking and entering, and it was in Enid's bedroom. It looks like she broke out of her room."

"We can't determine if it was before, during or after the murder." Noah handed the photos to Rosita. "She could have just been sneaking out to attend a party or meet a friend. We can't really say without Enid telling us herself."

"Which she can't do right now. Dr. S seems to think she has trauma-related muteness." Rosita sighed. "I've seen it before, and after seeing this murder scene, I don't blame the poor girl. They were her parents. They were brutalized and dismembered in their own home. Poor kid."

"Or poor doer," Dawn threw out. "We don't know much about the crime, and the only evidence we have is from Enid. We have only her prints on the windowsill, only her prints on the bodies and the doorknobs. If anyone else was in that house, they had to be either damn experienced in murder or a ghost."

"Denise suggested the same thing." Rosita set the photos down. "We can't take it off the table. She could be purposefully keeping silence, trying to hide behind a mask of pity and being the victims' daughter."

Noah nodded. "It's so easy to want to do that, to think a young girl like that isn't capable of a terrible crime like murder, especially the murder of her parents."

"However we've seen this happen." Michonn shifted her weight. "Lizzie killed five people prior to her death, so perhaps Enid saw the story and decided to start her own mini-spree."

"Her parents could have been cruel to her," Dawn theorized, "nudging her to want them to be her first victims, but the only problem with that is...these murders were too good."

"I know what you mean. A child couldn't have done this." Noah rubbed the back of his neck. "And it's not because she's a kid that I think this. It's the way the body parts were removed. It's how the scene was done. It's too...good. It's not a frame job. It doesn't feel like one to me, anyway."

"I'm with Noah. Something about this case is fishy." Michonne stated, "I'll talk to the coroner, see what she found. She's had their bodies for a good two hours by now."

"Take Noah with you. Dawn and I will ride out the scene again, try and picture how this all went down. Call me with news." Rosita picked up her keys on the way out.

"Shouldn't we call in Sasha?" Dawn caught up to the captain. "We already have Tara with a possible suspect, and I'd feel more comfortable if she had one of us with her."

"I'll call Williams in later. I know the sedative Dr. S gave Enid, and she won't be awake for a good while. I trust Tara to take care of herself until then. For now, I just want to know what the hell happened in that damn house."

– – –

In the morning Tara was awoken by the scent of waffles, and she nearly rolled onto the floor. She'd slept on the couch to ensure Enid didn't leave, and she must have slept through the night. She didn't know why she smelled food. She didn't even own candles that smelled that realistic, so what the hell? Did Enid make her murder pancakes?

She stumbled to the kitchen and discovered Denise was the one cooking. "You're here?"

"Is that a problem?" She looked her girlfriend over, trying not to laugh at how the hairs on her head stuck up.

"No. I just didn't expect you." Tara smoothed her hair back into a ponytail. "Is Enid up?"

"She's in the shower."

"Did you go in?"

"I could hear her crying,"

"Oh." She swallowed hard. "So you decided to make waffles?"

"Comfort food always helps, and you don't have anything else."

"True. The waffle iron was a housewarming gift from Noah and wife." She ran a hand down her face and picked up her phone to see if anybody had called. She had a message from Rosita, one she played for her and Denise, and Denise let out a relieved breath at the news. Tara lifted her eyes to the doorway when she heard shuffling, and they found Enid standing there. "Enid."

She wore one of Tara's old hoodies that was left in the guest bedroom, a pair of Meghan's plaid pajama bottoms, her long brown hair damp and wetting the gray material. Her eyes were green and puffy and empty, a paleness settling in her cheeks, and her nose was red from crying. She swallowed and looked from Tara to Denise and back.

"Hey." Tara pushed off the counter but didn't near the young girl. "We made breakfast. I don't know if you're hungry or not, but we have waffles and fruit. I would have gone to the store, but I didn't... I mean, who can expect to prepare for...this type of situation." She cleared her throat and wanted to throw herself out a window.

"I remember you." Her voice was a dry rasp.

Denise looked to Tara then back to the young girl. "We found you last night, Enid."

"No..." Enid eyes were locked on Tara only. "You were outside my house...across the street...upset."

Tara frowned then remembered the murder of Allison Sterling and how she practically fled the scene. She remembered a young girl with her parents, and she met Enid's eyes. "That was you?"

"Yes."

Tara swallowed hard and ducked her head. She first saw this young girl when her world came crashing down, and now they had officially met when Enid's world crashed and burned and bled. She already was prepared to do whatever she had to do to keep Enid safe and close this job, but now it felt personal. She didn't know why, but come hell or high water, this man or woman would be brought to justice.