Thanks to Tif S and Spinnerroxz16 for reviewing.

It's only this chapter and the epilogue left now of the story. I hope you'll all be happy with the end.

January first 2014, the family

"Sandy." I started waking up when someone shook my shoulder. "Sandy… Sandy… Annie's got a temperature."

"What?" Drowsily I looked up, Kirsten and Sophie Rose had come from Seth and Summer's. Hadn't they been there just a second ago? I glanced to the bedside clock- it was past nine in the morning. "What? What did you say?"

"Mum was trying to lift Annie over to her bed to then wake you up. So you wouldn't drop her. But then she felt Annie's forehead and she said Annie's really warm." Annie was asleep, and as memories of the night and everything she had told me came flooding back. "I don't think she's having any nightmares right now."

"No… maybe she isn't." I carefully laid Annie down on her bed, she stirred but didn't wake up as I felt her forehead. "Geez. She's burning up." I rubbed my eyes tiredly and hesitated about what to do next. Annie… Annie…" I tried to shake her, then lifted my hand from her shoulder. "And she's soaking in sweat. Sophie Rose, can you get a wet cloth- like those I and your mum will put towards your forehead when you're ill." Sophie Rose nodded and ran out of the room. "Kirsten- can you go and get something else for her to wear? Take some of my T- shirts. They will do for now. And then… Hey honey." Annie stirred again, then lifted her hand and rubbed her eyes before she slowly sat up. "How are you feeling?"

Terrible most likely.

I didn't dare moving an inch, from where I sat I could see Annie's hair was glued to her forehead with sweat, the sweatpants and T- shirt she'd been wearing for almost twenty four hours were soaking and she just looked so… so…

Up until tonight when she had finally told someone- told me what had happened with her parents she had been able to hold herself together. Now when it had all fallen apart she wasn't able to anymore and…

"Whoa."

I flinched when Annie suddenly started moving. More than moving. Suddenly, just out of nowhere she lurched forward and then threw up right on my shirt. Then, before I had the time to react or she had the time to catch her breath she did it again.

And then, still lurched forward but once again not moving she looked up at me.

"I'm sorry…" She almost whispered. "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to.." She gagged again and I had the time to slightly move to the side even though she could bring up nothing more. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. And I won't." I heard Kirsten and Sophie Rose coming up behind me. "Neither will Kirsten. Are you finished?" Annie hesitated, then nodded. "Can Kirsten help you clean up? Then while you do so I can clean up myself and change the sheets here?" Annie hesitated again, then nodded again. "Look. Annie. We need to talk for a bit as a family, I'm going to ask Sarah to come here while we do it so you don't have to be alone. But then it might take a while. None of us have abandoned you, and none of us will kick you out. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Annie nodded again. "Good girl. Now, get yourself cleaned up. Okay?" Annie nodded, Kirsten put down the T- shirts she had gotten and I nodded to her in gratefulness while I and Sophie Rose left the room.

"Is she ill? Is it contagious? So I will get it too?"

"No. I don't think so…" I rubbed her shoulder. "She's just been upset about a lot of things. And sometimes when people are upset about a lot of things then it upsets their whole body- maybe they get a temperature, or they have an upset stomach, or they get really tired or so on. Tell you what…" I kneeled in the hallway next to my daughter. "Can you find your own way back to Seth's house. And then when you're there, can you ask Sarah to come back here so she can help me a little?" Sophie Rose nodded. "One, two, three, go."

"Wait."

Instead of going to the door right away she ran up the stairs and to her room. I sighed and went to change my clothes, then get a glass of water that I put on the bedside table before I started pulling off the sheets and went to take them to the basement and laundry room.

"Here." I jumped high and dropped everything when Sophie Rose was suddenly right by my side again, then looked down and saw a stuffed Lady that she had been given for Christmas. "I gave Annie The Tramp. But it's just not right with only half of them. I have a lot of stuffed animals- and even other things with Lady and the Tramp… And I want Annie to have these."

"I'll give it to her." I picked up the sheets again. "Can you put it on the bedside table. And do you remember what I asked you to do?"

"Yeah. Go and get Sarah."

Sophie Rose got moving again and soon I heard our front door open and close. A couple of minutes later when I was finishing with putting clean sheets on the bed, I heard it again and Sarah shouted.

"I'm here." I hurried into the hallway. "I'm guessing Sophie Rose talked to you."

"She just said you needed my help actually. Nothing about what it was." I grimaced a bit and scratched the back of my head. "Don't worry. You don't have to tell me. I'll stay with Annie and there's no rush back. I'll call if something unexpected happen. Ryan and Adam's got my number. Or should I rather ask Adam to come here?" I scratched my head again. "You look like you've had a bit too much on your mind lately and I think you do… You don't have to decide now. But if he's in the way then just send him here or tell him to go outside. You don't have to act nicely…" A slight smile appeared on Sarah's lips.

Behind me I could hear the bathroom door open, then Kirsten and Annie came out into the hallway. Annie now carrying a small pile of the clothe she'd been wearing before and I turned.

"Here. I'll take those." I took the laundry. "Sophie Rose wanted to give you the stuffed Lady that she got for Christmas, it's on the bedside table. Sarah will be staying with you right now. We're just going to Seth's and… we'll be back soon."

"I'm not a baby. I don't need a baby sitter."

Annie was just mumbling and without looking at me. When I came back from the cellar Annie was in her room with the door closed and Sarah sat by the kitchen table.

"If there's anything you like in the fridge or anything then just take it." I gestured to Kirsten to wait for me. "If it's something we were planning to use then we'll just buy new ones. Ehrm…"

"Go. I can do this. It's not rocket science to be here for a nine-year-old girl if she needs me. And it's not like she's in diapers or need watching twenty-four seven. I'll do alright…"

"Not a doubt."

I turned and then hurried with Kirsten. Somehow I managed to mumble to wait until we were gathered with our kid and Summer. Then why I was in such a hurry I didn't know. One more minute of Sarah keeping an eye on Annie wasn't going to hurt.

"Hey…" The first person I saw when I came inside was Adam. "Ryan's wondering if I should stay here with the rest of you or if I can stay… something's telling me you're going to talk about… things that would give me nightmares… Or something like that."

I showed a grimace, then held my head high again when Sophie Rose came running into the hallway and hugged me tight.

"I guess so… And… I think we only need to be with family now- more for Annie's sake than mine. You can find your way back to our house?" Adam nodded. "Great."

I sighed and patted his shoulder slightly when he made his way through the hallway and outside. And then turned to walk into the kitchen where I found the rest of my family sitting around the table and I sat down in between Kirsten and Ryan before I had almost figured what to say and how to start.

Within a few seconds I had realized I didn't know what to say anyway, drew a deep breath and then started at a point that felt right as it could.

"When I and Annie came home tonight Annie started telling me what her life was like with her parents and when… she told me about another night… the night when they died and how they died. Then where she was at the moment and…"

Silence fell around the table when I'd still only been using a few sentences. What was I going to say next.

Well. I was relieved when Kirsten was the one who broke the silence.

"Is it so bad?"

I shook my head. How on earth was I going to express myself? This wasn't my story to tell.

"Worse. So much worse."

I didn't exactly enjoy comparing one child's story to another's. But Annie's story just was something else…

"But… We already knew. And especially after last night and on that bridge…" Kirsten was getting nervous I could tell while she wiped he sweat of her palms on her pants. "…She needs more help than what we can give her. From professionals…"

"Yes." I gave a slight nod and interrupted Kirsten. "And she needs somewhere to come home between those times. She needs a family. She needs someone who cares for her and doesn't give up on her. And I care for her… And I want… I need… I'd love it if she could stay with us and… but I'm not going to call my friend… Doug without hearing what is on all of yours mind…"

I bit my lip and silent. Then looked around the table and hoped that with my sheer look could make the others speak.

"I want her to stay…" Sophie Rose said to start it off. "…I always wanted a sister and I really like her already."

Silence filled the room again, Sophie Rose had spoken her mind so left was Kirsten, Ryan, Seth and Summer.

"I do know you took me in when I needed you the most…" Ryan mumbled. "…I couldn't take that away from anyone else. And I care for her too. If she can't stay with you then I'll sort things out with the social services and make sure she can move in with me. But that would mean a whole lot of paper work and check- ups before I can have any child living with me. And I think Annie is a whole lot more fragile than what she lets us know… I think that process only would hurt her."

And that Ryan was right about that last we all knew, Kirsten too even if she might not want to admit it, and I knew she didn't.

"I agree with Ryan." Seth was the first one to admit it out loud. "She's a lot more fragile than what she lets us know. And I don't want to hurt her either. Or crush her as if she had been pieces of a glass figure. And yes, she does need help- more than what we can give her… But I want to be there… want her to know that she's not alone… I think she needs that and I need somewhere to start… We need somewhere to start."

That was Seth, Ryan and Sophie- Rose having answered. And if they wouldn't have agreed to it then I wouldn't have a single chance with Kirsten.

"I know I might not have a say in this," Summer started, Seth was about to protest- Summer was just as important in this as him or me. "I know. But the thing is… She's only nine years old. And she's been through so much… and from the moment I saw her it was like… she's just so precious. And so fragile and I just want to wrap her up in a blanket and make sure nothing hurts her ever again."

"I feel like that too." Seth had his arm around Summer's shoulders. "And let's not forget she gave little Sawyer his or her name… It wouldn't be fair if we just broke contact with her and… I know it's not important but I really want to show… her or him to Annie and show that there is still good in this world and babies that haven't been hurt yet. And I too think that if so, then Annie would be the best auntie ever."

Silence fell again, heavy and thick. There was only one person who hadn't made her voice heard. And Kirsten was the one who'd been against this the most. Both this time and with Ryan.

"Mum." Sophie Rose tugged her shirt and begged. "You have to… You have to."

"I don't have to do anything." Kirsten pushed Sophie Rose's arm away and flew up onto her feet. "I have to think… I'm going outside and none of you follow me." Kirsten stomped out of the room and soon we heard the front door to the house slam while we could all hear Sophie Rose sniveling.

"Does mum hate me now?"

"No." Ryan sat closer to Sophie Rose than what I did and laid his arm around her shoulders. "She's just frustrated. But actually- you have no idea how much this whole story reminds me of when I first came here and Seth."

"But you have been here forever. Even since I was born. Haven't you?"

"Come on. You know I didn't come to your parents until I was a teenager. I have an other mum and another dad. Uncle Frank is my dad- Cooper is my half brother." Sophie Rose nodded, maybe she'd understand this better when she was older. "And Kirsten didn't quite want me in their house until it was my mum who asked her to take care of me."

Annie looked thoughtful, for several more seconds she didn't say anything.

Then for a moment I thought back to who Ryan had been when I first met him. How many times hadn't I wondered what would have happened if I hadn't gotten his case to work on? If I hadn't given him my card? If A. J. hadn't been together with Dawn at the time?

So many things could have gone differently.

And now he were with another kid…

"But if they can't care for her. Then why can't Annie's parents be here and tell us to take care of her."

I closed my eyes for just a second. And hoped to whatever higher power that Soph wouldn't ask what had happened to them. "Annie's parents are dead. And they both, her dad mainly- did… some terrible things… And Annie didn't know anyone else so there was nobody to take care of her when they died. That's why she's in foster care."

"But there is someone who cares for her…" Tears were glimmering in Sophie Rose's eyes. "I do."

I was about to agree, the others too. But as on a given signal we heard the front door to the house open and close and Kirsten's slow and heavy steps lead back towards the kitchen until she stood in the doorway.

If I could have I would have gotten up and forced her to speak the one and only answer we all wanted. But knowing I couldn't hurt her for anything in the world (in difference from Annie's dad) I was frozen with Sophie Rose in my lap and was so nervous I could feel my heart beating in my ears.

Every second was moving by so slowly…

"I think you're all right. We're a whole family that can help out. Annie's just a child that needs help… And upon it all you would never forgive me and I could never forgive myself if I stayed proud and refused to say something else…"

Kirsten made a pause, the whole house seemed to stand still when she looked around and I could almost hear the possible scenarios spinning around in her mind. And when Sophie Rose was about to say something I showed her to be quiet. Her mother needed this silence now to say what we were all waiting for…

"I thought I wouldn't be. But I have never been so sure that I'm making the right decision as I am now."

Dun, dun, dunnnnnn. Cliffhanger.

Yes I know Frank isn't actually Sophie Rose's uncle. But I figured she might call him that.

Random fact

I guess that talk about if Annie should stay or not happened a bit too easily and unrealistic. But I tried to stay just somewhat realistic and some time will pass in between this chapter and the epilogue. So…. See you then.