A/N: I am sure many of you have been waiting for the chapter where Sharon kicks Jack to the curb, and here it is. Of course, because Rainie is a few months younger than Rusty was on the show, things are a bit more complicated as far as her adoption goes, so this chapter is somewhat different than what was given to us on the show. I hope that you'll enjoy my take on it.

Also, many thanks to the incredible blossom-of-snow for being my dedicated beta reader and editor. You're awesome!

Sharon wished she could wipe the smug expression off of Jack's face. She always wondered why Jack could never look happy without being condescending. He has grown up with normal parents and had a regular childhood. She remembered that on one of their first dates, he had mentioned that his parents taught him to be kind, hardworking and honest. Where those values have gone was a true mystery to Sharon.

As she took a seat in front of him and removed her black nitrile gloves, she felt her heart beat peaking. No matter how this meeting turned out, she knew that it would change her life. Still, under her mask of aloofness, Jack would never be able to guess what was going on inside her head.

"I'm thinking about adoption," she stated. "And since we're married, that decision involves you."

Confusion replaced Jack smugness.

"Adoption?" he asked. "Of Rainie?"

Sharon gave him an affirmative hum and a quick nod of her head.

"I thought she turned 18?" he wondered.

"Not yet," Sharon replied. "There's still another two months until then. And she's thinking about going to college, getting a job…"

"That is great!" Jack exclaimed, cutting Sharon off midsentence. "But adoption of a minor can take up to two years," he stated. "You won't have enough time to complete the adoption process before Rainie turns 18."

"I'm aware of that," Sharon replied. "That's why I will not adopt Rainie as a minor."

"So you're thinking along the lines of helping her get emancipated?"

Sharon shook her head. "Adult adoption applications need to be custom drafted. By the time Rainie's documents are ready, she'll already be 18, and I will be able to adopt her as an adult within a few months," she elaborated.

"What's the point of adopting an adult?" Jack's smugness returned to his face.

"Rainie needs family, legally, I want her to have backup that she can count on," Sharon explained.

"You don't have to do that exactly by the book," Jack murmured. "Look, Sharon, I like Rainie, I do. But we already have a family." His voice took on a romantic quality as if he was trying to evoke nostalgia. Unfortunately, she could see right through his attempt at manipulation.

"We share children, Jack. It's not the same thing," Sharon knew he had a right to take credit for Emily and Ricky's conceptions, but his absence from their lives made him more of a sperm donor than a father. She felt the need to remind him of that without antagonizing him too much.

"This impacts me too," he said sternly. "I'm not made of money, you know."

Of course, he wasn't made of money. How could he have had any money if he always gambled it away?

"So if you want to adopt a kid, I should be compensated for all the bullshit I'll have to go through," he demanded. Sharon expected this kind of reaction from Jack. As a gambler, he always tried to extort money from his family and friends. Why should now be any different?

"I knew that you would say something like that, so I talked to my lawyer, and I'm giving you two options," Sharon pulled two forms out of a folder that was resting on her desk and placed them in front of Jack. He put his glasses on examined one of the documents on the table and then looked at her.

"These are divorce papers," he said.

"And these would formalize an adoption," Sharon touched the other form. "I'm not paying you a single dime, Jack. Just sign one document or the other," she commanded.

Jack looked at her over the rim of his glasses and cleared his throat. "Have you talked to our real children about this?"

"No, and I haven't asked Rainie either. I'm doing things in a particular way, and you're the first on my list."

"You know, if you were gonna divorce me, you would have done this years ago," Jack breathed out on a chuckle.

Sharon couldn't help but wonder why she ever loved such a conceited man. "Jack," she let his name roll on her tongue. "The era during which it was professionally useful for me to have a wedding ring on my finger is long gone." She wasn't sure how Jack brought out the bitch in her every single time. Using words as darts, meaning to hurt someone else was not her usual style.

"In a divorce, I will be entitled to half your savings and half your pension," Jack countered as if Sharon wasn't aware of the law. Some days she wished they had signed a prenup, but that was not a popular practice when they got married. "Given any thought to that?"

"So you're ready to pay all the back child support you owe me for the family you deserted?" Sharon retorted.

"We were never divorced!" Jack exclaimed. "Why do you think that I owe you?"

"Would you like to experience firsthand what the court thinks of child abandonment, go for it!" Sharon raised her voice just enough to get Jack to back off of his claim that she owed him anything.

Jack pushed himself off the chair and tucked his glasses in the inner pocket of his jacket. "Thanks for the heads up, Sharon," he said as he began walking out of her office. Sharon gathered the forms and put them away. "I'll be in touch."

"I certainly hope so. Otherwise, you will be hearing from my lawyer," Sharon warned him as their eyes locked, each of them expressing their anger and resentment through their gazes. Jack opened the door and walked out of her office wordlessly, leaving her with her skin tingling in anger and her mind racing. This man's ability to rile her up was uncanny. However, she was glad that she had taken the first step towards making sure Rainie will get the family she needed. Unfortunately, she couldn't linger on that emotion for too long, because she still has to finish the investigation into Alice Herrera's murder.

The topic came up again sooner than she expected when Rainie came home from the library that evening. Sharon knew that Rainie had been studying very hard for her SATs and that she had hoped to get a scholarship in one of the prestigious art schools in LA. She said that she was not ready to leave the city yet and Sharon felt comfortable having her close for a little longer.

When Rainie said that Jack had pretended to interview her for a job at his firm, Sharon perked up. She had a feeling Jack had tried to fish for information. Her suspicions were confirmed when Rainie mentioned that Jack had asked her if Sharon was seeing anyone.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him about Alfie," Rainie said. She took a seat on the couch and seemed to ponder something before she spoke again. "He said something kinda weird about you."

"What did he say?" Sharon wondered.

"He made it seem like you might want to… adopt me?" Rainie said unsurely.

"He told you that?" Sharon could feel the blood cruising through her veins, and the anger rising under her skin. A string of profanities that she would never dare to say out loud went through her head.

"Yeah," Rainie replied. "And that it might mean that you two will divorce."

Sharon now knew that offering Jack two options was the wrong thing to do. She had try to keep both Jack and Rainie in her family, but that was clearly not going to work. Just like Alfie had said a few weeks earlier, she would have to give up one family member to add another. It was clear to her which one was going to go and which one was going to stay.

"Oh, well, I am absolutely divorcing him now no matter what," she declared.

Rainie squirmed. "I don't want to be the reason for your divorce," she said.

"It's not about you, Rainie," Sharon assured her. "Jack has just proven, and for the very last time, that he is the most unreliable person on the earth."

"I'm almost 18," Rainie pointed out. "Adoption takes years, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does," Sharon replied.

"So Jack was just lying to me?" The disappointed expression on Rainie's face when she realized that she won't be adopted made Sharon's heart skip a beat. She knew she had to do damage control.

"No," Sharon replied. "He wasn't."

"But…" A confused expression spread across Rainie's face.

"We don't have enough time to go through an adoption process while you are still a minor," Sharon explained. "But once you become an adult, it will be a shorter process."

"But why would you want to adopt me?" Rainie asked.

"As long as you are a minor, I have legal standing to make decisions for you if you get hurt, or sick or go missing," Sharon paused, thinking of Alice Herrera, who had no one in the world who took care of her. "Once you become an adult, I lose that right."

"So, it's like a practical thing?" Rainie clasped and unclasped her hands in her lap.

Sharon gave her a small nod. "I think of you as part of my family. I worry about you the way a mother worries about her children," she said.

"Well, what do your other kids think about it, because Jack…" Rainie began, the unsure expression on her face told Sharon that Jack did more than ask questions. Whatever he had said has shaken Rainie's foundations.

"I can't imagine that Ricky or Emily would object," Sharon replied swiftly before Rainie could repeat what Jack had said.

Rainie bit her bottom lip, and a frustrated expression spread across her face. "I don't want to become a problem for you, Sharon."

"Sweetheart, you are not a problem. Jack is the problem," Sharon replied and offered Rainie a soft smile. "Let's think about this later, and we can revisit this adoption idea when I have had some time to fully flesh out what this would mean for the both of us." The fact that Jack has tried to ruin the way Sharon intended to present Rainie with the idea did not mean that Sharon couldn't pitch the idea the way she wanted. All she needed was a little time for Rainie to relax and feel less blindsided.

After Rainie went to bed, Sharon sent an email to her attorney, letting him know that she wanted to file for a divorce and asking him to draw the necessary paperwork. The idea that Jack would trample over Rainie so that he could get his way and make things hard for Sharon was the last straw. Time after time, he put himself ahead of others. As far as Sharon was concerned, this was the last time she would let him play with her life. Jack has maxed out his lifetime quota of chances, and it was time for Sharon to cut him loose.

A moment later, she received an email from her lawyer saying that he will draft the divorce papers for her the following day. Thinking of herself as a divorced woman was more overwhelming than Sharon had expected. Even though she and Jack had been legally separated and have not lived together for close to two decades, divorce always seemed like a more final solution. She wasn't sad to end this relationship; it ended a long time ago. And still, she had considered herself a married woman for such a long time to the extent that it has become part of her identity. To let go of that was a bit scary, even if it opened the door to new experiences.

The flood of emotions that coursed through her was bit too much to keep to herself, and she took her phone and sent a quick text to Alfie. She didn't expect an immediate response. The time difference between them as well as the fact that he usually turned in early often made it hard for them to get a hold of each other. She was surprised when her phone rang a few moments later, and Alfie's name appeared on the screen.

"Alfie?" she asked as soon as she picked up.

"Shay, is everything okay?" his voice was sleepy, and she realized that her text message must have woken him up.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Alfie. Everything is fine," she said and went out on the balcony.

"You sound like you have something on your mind," he replied.

"I took your advice," she sighed. "I'm divorcing Jack."

"That's great news, Sharon," Alfie suddenly sounded more alert. "Will you be adopting Rainie?"

"Hopefully. We had a brief conversation about it tonight. I think she's hesitant," Sharon replied.

"Well, you are not the only one who has to give up one family member in order to gain another," Alfie noted. "You know how it feels."

"I just want things to be good for her," Sharon said.

"I know, Shay, and they will be. You are the best mother any child could ever ask for, and I can't wait to have another goddaughter," Alfie replied.

"You'll have to ask her about that," Sharon smiled.

"Oh, give me a break! I'm so charming and cool, of course, she'll agree!" Alfie joked.

"You're hilarious, Alfie," Sharon giggled. "I miss you."

"In a carnal way or in an emotional way?" he teased her.

"I'm not having phone sex with you, if that's what you're trying to do," Sharon declared.

"And here I thought you woke me up in the middle of the night because you want me," Alfie replied.

Sharon loved his sense of humor. He always knew how to comfort her. "I prefer the real deal," she replied, a smile spreading across her face. "Plus, I'm standing on my balcony right now."

"What are you wearing?" Alfie teased her again.

"Oh, stop," she groaned, but also let out a soft giggle.

"I miss you, too," Alfie said. "Would you consider coming for a visit this year? I bet Rainie would love shopping here."

"It sounds great, Alfie. Maybe at the end of the summer."

"We could take her to Broadway, there are several great plays I think she'll enjoy," Alfie said. "And Emily will be happy to see you, too. She's working very hard, and she could use her mom and sister here."

"I'm glad she has you there. She said she got cast in Coppelia, and that she's starting rehearsals in a month," Sharon said.

"Yes, she sounded very excited about that," Alfie said. "You raised a beautiful and talented young woman, Sharon."

"I know. I'm very proud of her," Sharon smiled as she thought of Emily's career succeeding.

"And you're doing a wonderful job with her sister. I am sure things will turn out for the best. You are Rainie's miracle, and she knows it."

"She is my miracle, too," Sharon replied. "Thank you, Alfie."

"For what?"

"For making me realize what I needed to do, and for being here for me," Sharon said.

"Anything for my sandbox love," Alfie replied. "Good night, Shay."

"Good night, Alfie. We'll talk again soon."

They hung up the phone and Sharon closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. Alfie was good at calming her down, injecting just enough humor to their conversations to keep them light and touching on the serious subjects at the same time. His idea to take a trip to New York sounded appealing, and it was something that Sharon hoped would be possible once Rainie finished summer school. But until that became possible, they had decisions to make and hopefully, mountains of bureaucracy to conquer. There was still a way for them to go, and they would travel it together.

-TBC-

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