A/N: Just want to thank the lovely blossom-of-snow for her amazing help with this story. She's the best!

One of Sharon's evening rituals was to change out of her work clothes and into a comfortable pair of yoga pants and a loose top. She usually found that a snug cardigan added an extra comfort, which she appreciated after dealing with the cold and cruel world at work on a daily basis.

As she put on the cashmere cardigan Rainie gave her for Christmas a year and a half ago, she wondered if her daughter was home already. That morning, Sharon left for work early and didn't get to see Rainie. A glance at her watch told her that it was almost midnight and that Rainie might already be asleep. Still, she crossed the short distance between her bedroom and Rainie's and knocked on the door. She was surprised to find her daughter sitting in front of her desk, typing something on her laptop.

"Just wanted to make sure you're home and alright," she said. With the Alice case, Rainie was dealing with material that would be upsetting for anyone, let alone for a kid who survived the streets Alice died on. Their conversation the previous evening about the luck in Rainie's survival, as opposed to Alice's fatal misfortune, still weighed on Sharon's mind. Rainie might think she's strong enough to deal with her past this way, but Sharon still had her doubts.

"Yeah," Rainie replied. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She didn't seem fine to Sharon. She seemed upset and nervous.

"So, did you learn anything new from watching the Slider interview?" Sharon asked. Asking Rainie about her work would be a more natural way to figure out what was bothering her.

"I don't know," Rainie admitted. "He's not exactly a reliable source."

If Sharon had to guess, Slider's uselessness was what frustrated Rainie.

"Well, be careful. Diving into Alice's life could open up some old wounds," she said. She knew that all too well, as her own old wounds have been recently opened.

"It does," Rainie replied, and Sharon felt goosebumps forming on her skin. "But for some reason, the more I learn about her, the more important Alice becomes to me."

"Yes, it works that way for us too," Sharon said. When working homicide too many cases touched too close to home. "It will help you not to exhaust yourself," she said. Rainie looked like she was ready to drop.

"I won't," Rainie replied. "My column is due tomorrow, so I gotta finish it first."

"They gave you a column?" Sharon gasped. "Honey, that's wonderful."

"Yeah, because I still don't have all the information, they said that I could write a little bit every week, and they would feature it."

"I'm proud of you, Rainie. That's incredible.," Sharon clasped her hands together under her chin.

"Yeah, it is," Rainie agreed. "Anyway, I'm almost done, and I promise I'll go to bed afterward."

"Goodnight, love."

"Night, Sharon," Rainie said and focused on the screen of her laptop.

Her daughter might have been ready for bed, but Sharon was far from it. The case she just closed was one of those that touched a sensitive spot. Sharon constantly worried about Rainie's mental health. She still recalled the night she came home to find Rainie sitting on the bathroom floor with a bottle of pills in her hand after Emma's first interview with her, and the depression she sunk into during the long months of isolation after Wade Weller's letters were discovered.

On the one hand, Sharon knew that Rainie was still seeing Dr. Joe and attending two support groups while leading an otherwise normal life. As far as she knew, Dr. Joe has never referred Rainie to a psychiatrist, which probably meant that he felt like Rainie was mentally stable enough and that a medicinal intervention wasn't necessary for her to function. Still, Sharon knew that picking at scabbed wounds might have a negative effect on her daughter, and she worried that it would harm Rainie's mental health.

As she stood in the hall outside Rainie's room and wondering what would help her unwind before bed, she heard her phone vibrate in her bedroom. She went to get it, and after seeing that it was Flynn, she hoped that the Major Crimes division hadn't caught another case.

"Andy," she answered. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Julio is back at his desk," Andy replied. "I'm pretty sure he'll stay on the team."

"That's great, Andy. Thank you for taking the time to let me know," Sharon said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Also, I wanted to make sure you were alright," Andy added. "I noticed that Mr. Holland's confession upset you."

"It did," Sharon admitted. "He may have committed a terrible crime, but his reason for doing that – it was something I struggled with myself."

"You were thinking of the kid."

Sharon hummed affirmatively. "If she ever hurts herself –" Sharon didn't finish that sentence, but she couldn't banish the thought.

"I thought Rainie was doing well at school," Andy said. "Is there a reason for you to be worried about her?"

"She's trying to find out Alice Herrera's real identity," Sharon explained.

"Oh. Dammit."

"I don't know…" Sharon said, fiddling with the pocket of her sweater. "I see the danger in it, but what if it's therapeutic for her? What if it helps her get justice for everyone who has ever done her wrong?"

"That's possible," Andy replied.

Sharon felt as if she ran out of words, although her thoughts sprinted through her mind.

"Letting go is a long process, Sharon," Andy said. "I'm sure it was hard with Emily and Ricky too."

"Not as much as it is with Rainie." Sharon sniffled as she spoke. "I just want to hold on to her for a little bit longer, but she's slipping through my fingers so fast, and I can't keep up."

"Look, Sharon." Andy's voice cut through the din of her panic. "Rainie is not gone; she still lives at home, you see her every day, and it seems like the two of you are very close. Do you have a particular reason to worry that things would go south?"

"No, I guess," Sharon said. "Just this Alice thing."

"Rainie knows you're there for her, doesn't she?"

"She does."

"She'll be fine. And so will you."

Sharon sighed, running a hand over her face. "Thank you for helping me through this, Andy," she said. "And for being there to support Julio. You're a great friend."

"So are you, Sharon." His voice of reason calmed her. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Andy."

Sharon took a deep breath and expelled a long and cleansing exhale while considering Andy's positive outlook on the situation. Moments later, the waning panic that held her captive dissolved.

"Everything's gonna be alright," she said to herself as she curled her body around her pillow. "Everything's gonna be okay." She continued mumbling the words like a mantra until sleep veiled her brain, and her body slacked against the mattress. As she sunk deeper into a slumber, her mouth fell agape as the words softly caressed her lips.

Everything's gonna be alright.

-TBC-

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