A/N: I'm excited to post this chapter because this is the beginning of a dark time in Sharon and Rainie's relationship which poses a great opportunity to explore a different side of their relationship. The next chapter is one of my favorite chapters in this story, so I am truly happy that I'm getting closer to posting it. This chapter is more of a filler - a scene that I feel we should have seen on the show and didn't.

I'd like to thank the awesome blossom-of-snow for being an amazing friend and an excelling beta reader.

Thirteen letters. Thirteen threats. Thirteen knives that were stabbing Sharon's heart, one by one. Each breath she took pounded in her chest, each tear she shed scorched the skin of her face, and each movement of her vocal cords rasped the inside of her throat. How could Rainie hide these threats from her?

Sharon closed her eyes, trying to collect herself. She needed something tangible to hold on to. Something that won't feel like it was going to crumble beneath her. Her fingers grasped the edge of Taylor's desk, grounding her enough to help her regain her composure. With dread, she opened her eyes and looked at Chief Taylor and DDA Rios.

"I want Rainie in the witness protection program," Emma announced, even though she sounded to Sharon like a broken record every time the subject came up.

Sharon looked at the letters in her hand and then at Emma. The images of Brianna Mathis popped in front of her eyes, her lifeless body thrown in a ditch by the road, bruised and broken. Was she capable of providing Rainie good enough protection in order to avoid sending her away?

"This is exactly the reason why Rainie hid this letters from us," Sharon said. "You've been waving the witness protection program in her face since the first day you met her. She tried to avoid this."

"Maybe if she didn't hide these letters we wouldn't need the witness protection program," Emma argued.

"Hold on, both of you," Chief Taylor intervened. "Throwing blame on each other won't help us solve this situation."

"I am Rainie's legal guardian, and I won't allow DDA Rios to send Rainie away. She has suffered through enough. She needs stability, and I will not let anyone take it away from her."

"Why don't we get her here and listen to what she has to say for herself?" Chief Taylor suggested in an attempt to diffuse the tension between the two women.

"Since when does a witness get to decide what happens to her?" Emma put her hands on her hips and pouted.

"Since she has me," Sharon declared. "And I am not sending her away."

"Captain, let's focus for a moment," Chief Taylor stood up. "Where is Rainie right now?"

"She started school today," Sharon replied.

"I'd like you to send officers to bring her here. We will need to question her about these letters," he ordered. Sharon nodded and mouthed a "yes, Sir". "DDA Rios, who informed you of these letters?"

"A friend of Rainie, that girl with the dark hair," Emma said.

"Kris?" Sharon let out a frustrated exhale. "How did she know about the letters?"

"That's a very good question, Captain. Why don't you call her parents and ask for her to come in for questioning?" Taylor suggested.

"Didn't she have a boyfriend, too?" Emma asked.

"I'll request that he comes in, too," Sharon said. She pushed the chair back. "I'm taking these with me. I want to go over them and look for any clues." She motioned towards the letters. She left the room and began walking towards the murder room. Her body felt heavier and heavier with every step that she took, and by the time she arrived in the murder room, her eyes were full of tears again.

"Captain, what's happening?" Lieutenant Flynn was waiting for her next to her office, with a worried expression on his face.

Sharon handed him the stack of letters clutched in her hand. "She's been hiding them for weeks," her voice broke. "This person has been threatening her life, and she didn't tell me."

The rest of the team turned around to look at her.

"Captain?" she heard Provenza's voice. She could easily detect the concern in his voice, and by his studious tone, she knew he was waiting for her to relay orders to him and the team.

"Lieutenant, I need you to send two uniformed officers to pick Rainie up from school," Sharon managed to pull herself together for the second time in less than an hour.

The old lieutenant nodded and picked up his phone.

Sharon could see Buzz retreating into the super cubicle and leaning on top of the desk. He has become close to Rainie since he started tutoring her. Sharon knew they teased each other a lot, and their relationship reminded her of that of Emily and Ricky's. She wouldn't exaggerate if she said that Buzz was like an older brother for Rainie and the feeling was mutual. Sharon knew that he was disappointed in her now. She was too. She thought Rainie trusted her to know that she wouldn't give up on her without a fight. And it would have been so much better if instead of ending up where they were now, Sharon and her team spent their time trying to find who wrote the letters. Now they would have to both find means of protecting Rainie and trying to find the source of the letters, which would make everything so much more difficult and complicated.

As she tried to plan her next step, Sharon heard Andy's voice behind her. "It will be okay." It sounded like he was trying to assure himself and her at the same time. "Can I get you some water?"

"Yes, thank you, Lieutenant," she replied. She knew he was looking for a way to feel helpful, just like he did when he made dinner for her and Rainie after the ordeal with Daniel Dunn. She was learning to recognize it as a trait of his: to take care of people in crisis. He was good at that, too. It was why she often chose him to handle notifications with her.

After taking a bottle of water Andy brought her from the breakroom and writing up some notes for herself in favor of letting Rainie stay with her, she returned to the hall outside Taylor's office to wait for Rainie. Every minute that she didn't see Rainie safe and sound in front of her was adding more weight to her shoulders, and standing straight felt almost impossible. She considered rereading the letters, but she wasn't sure she could take it, and she knew that she would have plenty of chances to read them once the Major Crimes division investigates this case. So instead, she stood in the hall, praying that her foster daughter would arrive soon and in one piece.

Half an hour later, when Sharon heard the girl's sneakers squeaking against he linoleum floor as she walked down the hall, her eyes filled with unshed tears. She wasn't sure what was going to happen once both of them go into the meeting with Taylor and Emma. She didn't know if Rainie was going to get a chance to explain, and if anything she had to say will be truly heard. She also was unable to predict whether Rainie was going to be able to stay with her or if she would be forced to go into the witness protection program. And she didn't want to think about anything beyond that. For the first time in many years, Sharon Raydor felt completely raw and insecure. But when her eyes met Rainie's from across the hall, she knew one thing for sure.

"Whatever happens next, know I love you."

-TBC-

As always, I'd love to know your thoughts about this chapter, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.