Sleep came quickly for Kara, but refused to stay. The nightmares did a good job of keeping it at bay. She wandered the house in the late night hours and followed a light that led to David's study. She stood in the doorway for a moment watching him work before he sensed her and looked up.

"Hi," he said, putting his fancy pen down, closing his file, and leaning back. "Nightmares?"

She nodded, and changed the subject, "What's your excuse?"

"Paperwork. I brought it home so I could stay with you and your mother, but it needs to be done by morning."

"Is that file about what happened tonight?"

"Yes."

"Is he dead?'

"Yes."

"Did you kill him?"

"No. I ran after you."

When she didn't press further, he asked, "Anything else you want to know?"

"Not at this time. Is my mother sleeping?" she made her way to the corner chair which was fast becoming her favorite, and pulled the throw blanket around her.

He swiveled towards her, "Yes. How are you feeling?"

"Numb," she appreciated the physical distance he kept.

"Talking about it may help."

"There's really nothing to talk about. There was a gun in my face. I don't remember anything else and I can't stop seeing it."

"Time does make things easier. You know, your mother's going to want to keep you close for a while."

"That's ok," she said, "I don't feel much like going anywhere."

"Give it time, Kara," he reiterated.

"Do you think my mom's ok?" she asked, biting on her lip and looking up at him.

"I do. Although you have an interesting way of helping her remain stress free."

"Hey, in my defense, I tried to keep it all from her."

"By lying? That's your best defense?" he was clearly irritated.

"Sometimes it's ok to lie."

"Really? I think you know better than that."

Kara's voice rose a bit, "Don't you lie on your job, like, all the time."

He narrowed his eyes on her, "To bad people. Not to people I love. If you don't want to upset your mother then behave. But if you don't, at least have the decency to tell her, us, the truth. She deserves that. We both do."

Kara pulled her legs in closer and looked down at her hands as they scratched at the corner of the blanket. She didn't know how to explain that, with her mother's alcoholism, all of the rules were broken and she had yet to get order back into her life.

"It sometimes feels like I don't know right from wrong," she said, still looking at her hands.

Softening a bit, "You do know right from wrong. But if you ever feel confused about it, come find me. Kara," he waited until she looked at him, "and if you ever can't tell something to your mother, talk to me. We'll figure it out together."

Kara would have preferred to stay and sleep on the chair, but if David was to be honest, he didn't trust her alone with those files at this moment. He guided her back to her room and then entered his own.

The tension in the air was palpable, but he slid between the sheets and reached for his wife before confronting her. "You heard all that."

"I really screwed her up, didn't I?"

He turned and enveloped her. "You pulled the rug out from under her, but she'll get her bearings again."

"I've been sober for a while now. I would have expected this kind of reaction sooner."

Dave closed his eyes as sleep was overcoming him. "She is comfortable now. She's beginning to trust your sobriety and that scares her."

"And she trusts you, and you make her safe." Erin snuggled closer to him.

"There you go," he yawned, "we're both fabulous. We'll pull her through."

"I love you, David."

His hold on her tightened. "I love you, too. Now go to sleep." When he felt her even breathing, he succumbed as well.

It was noon the next day before Erin heard the stirrings of her daughter come from the floor above. She made another cup of coffee and re-wiped all of the counters while she waited for her to descend the stairs. She was awarded a few minutes later by a clean faced girl with a ponytail and jeans.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said, "I made you some coffee."

"Thanks," Kara said. "Where's David?"

Erin cringed at Kara's seeming to prefer him to her right now. "He went to work. He'll be back later."

Kara braced herself on the counter and slid onto the stool.

"Are you in pain?" Erin asked.

"Just a little sore."

"Let's move to the sofa. You'll be more comfortable." They situated themselves in the living room and, once Erin had ascertained that Kara didn't want food or pain killers, she tried to engage her in small talk.

"Mom, can we skip this? I know you're mad. Just get to that."

"I'd rather not be mad at you when you're sick, Kara," Erin said.

"I'm not sick. I have some bruises. And it you're going to tip-toe around me until they heal you will drive me crazy. Just say whatever you have to say."

There was only so much disrespect Erin was willing to tolerate from her children, and she felt the heat of her anger begin to rise. She wished David was there to help her navigate this conversation correctly, but maybe it was better that he wasn't. Maybe it was time for Erin to rely on her instincts where her parenting was concerned. She had been such a confident mother when her children were young. Life had been a perfect balance between her work and her family, and she ruled both places flawlessly. The alcohol had destroyed her children's faith in her, Kara's especially, and getting that back had proven near impossible. Conversely, it was never difficult for her to trust herself at work, and she would not let anyone there talk to her with the tone Kara was using.

"Honestly, Kara, where would I even begin?" he voice rose, "With your incredibly poor decision making skills? Your sneaking around? Your lying? Your drinking . . .'

Kara jumped up from the couch at that point, trying to ignore the pain that it caused her, "Oh, no! You will not discuss my drinking!"

Erin stood as well, "We most certainly will discuss that. Do you have any idea how it felt when Agent Morgan told me you had been drinking?"

"Yep! Pretty sure I know."

Getting into a shouting match with Kara was not going to help matters at all, and while the urge to slap her daughter was strong, Erin had the wherewithal to know that would only make the situation worse. So she tried switching tactics.

Lowering her voice and sitting back down, Erin said, "Well, then why don't you tell me."

If her intention was to knock her daughter off her game, she succeeded. Kara startled and said, "What?"

"Yes, you heard me, tell me. What is it like to know that someone you love has been drinking when they shouldn't be?"

The warmth started at Kara's feet and began to rise. Her breathing became uneven and her ability to control it was slipping away. She knew what was coming and did not need an audience for it. Without further word to her mother, Kara turned and walked out of the room. She grabbed her things from the kitchen and left the house.