This chapter is actually fairly long with lots of family fluff, some super lovely Shandy, not to mention a bit of romance for one of our favorite OC's. Hope you all enjoy! Please review!

Riley had her backpack thrown over one shoulder as she walked toward her foster mother's office. She had just gotten out of dance and was still sporting her maroon leotard and skirt with black tights. Her bun had been taken down and fell in waves down her back.

Her mind was on something else. Mostly how poorly she had done and how very loud Madame Stronsky had been about it. Part of her wanted to just quit, tell Sharon she wasn't Emily and she wasn't good enough to train with someone who build ballerinas from the age of three, like Emily. Inwardly, she kicked herself. She knew better than compare herself to her not sister, but that still didn't keep the tears out of her eyes as Madame Stronsky clucked her tongue and would regularly reference Emily like it would assist Riley in helping her.

She was just frustrated.

"Hey."

It was the voice that caught her off guard.

"Kevin!" she squeaked, realizing that she must have really been in her head if she didn't even notice Kevin Tao standing in front of her smirking like he was the cat that ate the canary. Suddenly her leotard and tights were not the best idea to wear to the office, but her private school uniform would have probably been worse.

He tugged on the edge of lace from my skirt and smirked at me. "By day Catholic school girl, by night ballerina, huh?"

Riley scoffed at him. "I'm sorry, I think you're confusing me with Sharon's other daughter. The one that Madame Russia states over and over again that I obviously don't share any DNA with her."

The playful, sarcastic tone Riley held wasn't quite enough to cover the hurt she felt, but the moment she saw Kevin searching her for what was going on behind eyes she pulled her hair behind her ear and stepped past him.

"So what is the perfect Tao doing in my neck of the woods?" she teased as he followed her back toward the murder room. The chuckle he gave her made her stomach flip as her cheeks flushed. He was charming in a way that she never expected someone who was related to Lieutenant Tao to be.

"Can't just stop in to check out the latest LA murders with the brightest detectives that second as overbearing parents?" Kevin quipped enjoying the way Riley reacted.

"Second? I'm pretty sure Sharon's number one jobs is overbearing parent. Police Captain? Definitely some sort of second. She's just talented," she fired back as she decided to take the back hallway around to Sharon's office. "Believe me, she is a great mom, but the second of police captain makes keeping any secrets very difficult."

"Now what kind of eighteen year old girl keeps secrets from her mother?" Kevin asked as they stopped outside the closed blinds of Sharon's office.

The question was more of the teasing nature than probing. However, it caused a silence to fall over them awkwardly. Kevin took a step closer, invading Riley's personal space as she suddenly found herself leaning against the glass door. It still wasn't overly close, but it was closer than what friends would stand.

"You've been a little hard to reach as of late," Kevin commented raising his brow as his hand pressed against the glass above Riley's head.

"Busy life. You know, have to graduate high school and then jump into college. Let's not forget ballet, piano, and tap. Oh! And my personal favorite: Mama Drama," Riley mused as she looked back up at him with her bottom lip being raked between her teeth. They were painfully close and she hadn't seen him in over two weeks and though they were far from being a couple they did enjoy stolen kisses here and there.

"Oh yes, not to mention all the extra hours-"

"Oh hush," Riley grinned loving that the boy everyone else saw as so sweet and charming had a bit of bad boy underneath it all. What was there not to like about a boy who volunteered at a daycare but also was rebuilding a Harley in his friend's garage because his parents would disapprove. Just like his parents would probably disapprove of Riley as well.

It wasn't that they didn't like her, in fact the Tao loved both the twins, but they both were aware of the kind of history they had. It was not the kind of history a parent wanted their son's girlfriend to have. That was why she was definitely not his girlfriend. Just a girl who he talked to on a regular basis, and liked stealing kisses from.

His finger traced the curve of her jaw before gently gripping her chin and slanting his mouth over hers.

The sound of footsteps, quickly broke them apart as they caught a glimpse of Assistant Chief Taylor leaving the murder room. No one had seen them, and immediately the burst into giggles. He tapped her chin.

"One of these days we are going to get caught," she mused resting against the door of her Sharon's office. "You should probably go so no one suspects anything that Andy or Sharon won't approve of."

Kevin smirked again and kissed her quickly. "Yes. I have to go anyway, but call me or text me. Seriously. Sometimes I feel like you're avoiding me." He smacked another kiss to her lips before winking and heading back toward the elevator, leaving Riley standing there with a giddy smile.

Oh that boy… She ran her fingers through her hair and hoister her bag back on her shoulder to head to the murder room.

Sharon rubbed her hands down her face. She could see how much this case was affecting Andy, and she had to look away when she saw the little girl having cigarette burns across her back and shoulders. It wasn't that long ago that she discovered Riley with the same marks from most likely a similar situation. As long as she had been doing her job, the cases with kids never got easier. It was said all the time, but no one could understand what it is like to look at a kid on the table. Because no matter what race, gender, or age it looked like your kid.

The visit she forgot she scheduled with Jack did nothing for her either. It didn't end in a screaming match, but he was less than pleased with her announcement of wanting a divorce. He blamed Andy, of course, and claimed she had been unfaithful. She had of course scoff at him. After two decades of separation he had no claim on her or her life. A small part of her wanted to ask him if he had been faithful, but she already knew the answer.

She needed to just go home.

"Hey," Riley greeted, effectively startling her. She had been lost in thought looking at all the faces on the murder board, and none of them were Alice. Sharon turned around and smiled at her daughter still clad in her ballet clothes and comfortable Uggs… Infact Sharon almost wondered if those were her Uggs.

"Hello," Sharon replied, suddenly surprised when Riley leaned against her shoulder.

She watched as Riley also studied the murder board. Maybe Rusty hadn't told her about that case, just stated it have been a general bad day. Sharon appreciated the fact Riley wanted to make her feel better, and really she was succeeding. Her arms wrapped around one of Sharon's as she started to falter.

"Are all these girls missing?" she asked quietly, her blue eyes scanned over every face. There was something about the way she was looking at each picture, like she was searching them for something specific and familiar.

Sharon hummed and nodded. "Yeah."

"Huh…"

Riley shifted her feet awkwardly before pulling away. Rusty had reacted similarly. Apparently everyone was drawing parallels today and none of them were bringing happy thoughts. Sharon nudged the girl gently before turning her around and walking toward her office. Andy chose to appear about the same moment and the both Riley and Andy brightened at the sight of each other.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted as she moved away from Sharon to hug him. It warmed Sharon to see Andy smile today. He needed Riley today too. "I take it you had dance today?"

The girl pulled away and frowned, glancing guiltily at Sharon. "Uh huh."

Obviously it was another bad day at ballet that Riley didn't want to talk about. She tried so hard to hide the struggles she had, but Sharon didn't want to offer her the option to quit in fear that Riley would assume that Sharon didn't think she was good enough or that it was too expensive. The twins had been with her long enough where she had a fairly good grasp on how they would react to things before she said them.

"Well, don't just stand there. Let's see what you can do, twinkle toes," Provenza grumbled as he took a seat at his and leaned back in the chair with his arms crossed.

Riley's cheeks pinked as she shook her head. "I assure you, you don't want to see it."

Sharon rubbed her shoulders reassuringly. "You've come a long way in the last year and a half," she commented, trying to seem supportive without being pushy. Teenagers were sensitive but Riley and Rusty were leaps and bounds past sensitive. They analyzed everything just a little too deeply at times, but Sharon was at least adept enough to be able to tell what direction her kids' thoughts were headed.

The displeasure on her daughter's face was expected. "You're supposed to say that, geeze."

Sharon frowned and placed a hand on Riley's back again. "Did you need something from me, honey?"

Riley shifted away completely from Sharon and it was easy to see that it hurt her. With everything going on with her mother lately, Riley had been acting out somewhat. She wasn't really doing anything wrong, but Sharon knew her kids. Riley just wasn't acting like herself. One minute she was fine, the next she would look at Sharon like some sort of beaten animal.

"Yeah, Jack called me today."

The mention of her soon to be ex-husband as Sharon nearly knocking over the cup of pencils on Andy's desk. He quickly catches it. "He called you?" Immediately she realized everyone was now watching them and Sharon beckoned the girl toward her office.

"Yeah… and he said some stuff… and then I called Rusty and he said that Jack had said some stuff to him when he interviewed him for an assistant or something-"

Just as they reached the doorway of Sharon's office she spun around again, looking even more in shock. "Interview him?" She closed the door behind her and stared at Riley in complete disbelief.

Riley nodded as she combed her fingers through her hair again, this time more nervously. Sharon's obvious distress was setting Riley off a bit. "Yeah, he offered Rusty a job at the law firm. But that's not what I wanted to talk about…"

Sharon took a moment to settle herself as she faced her office window. Jack… how dare he. How could he just pull Riley and Rusty out of their daily lives and interfere? Riley and Rusty didn't need his manipulation in all of it. It must have been a skill in the way he could pop into her life and try to pull everything apart at the seams. She shielded her older kids from it the best she could, and she couldn't fathom how this man who wasn't even related to her twins could manage to try it again.

She turned back around and saw Riley watching her with sheer concern. "Are you okay?" she asked cautiously. Anytime Jack was brought up, it was always cautious territory and Sharon hated that Riley felt the need to check on her.

"I'm fine," Sharon promised instantly pulling her mask back. She sat down beside Riley on her office couch against the wall. With a gentle motion, Sharon had Riley turn around so she could brush out her hair. It was a comforting touch Riley enjoyed, actually Sharon enjoyed it too. It was something so simple and common. Almost all little girls sat on their mother's laps as children as their hair was brushed out and played with.

The moment her hands touched through the blond waves and reached the base of Riley's neck. She relaxed instantly into Sharon's touch and it calmed her as well. "What did he talk about?" Sharon asked carefully.

Riley tensed for a second then relaxed again. "He asked about you, and mentioned that you gave him divorce papers. Which wasn't a big surprise. I mean, you and Andy. Can't stay married to the jerk forever." There was an odd humor to her voice that made Sharon a little uncomfortable with what her mind could possibly be insinuating. "Then he started asking about Andy, and then he said something really, uh, weird."

At that, Sharon started to twist Riley's hair into a braid. "Weird, huh?" she pressed.

"Yeah… Which I talked to Rusty about it, and he said that he said the same thing. Well, the Jack said the same thing to him too, so it doesn't mean it's true, but- ya know."

Riley reached for the top of the braid Sharon was doing and gently pulled it away as she turned around to look Sharon square in the eye. Those big blue eyes searched her for a long minute and it made Sharon a little uneasy. Then the mask that covered her daughter's face disappeared and a vulnerability that resembled an eight year old more than an eighteen year old.

"Do you really want to adopt us?" she asked carefully. Normally when Riley was nervous, words poured out of her mouth quickly and uneasily, but not this time. If Sharon hadn't known the girl like she did she wouldn't have seen it at all. She spoke clearly and like she didn't have a fear in the world what the answer to that question would be. Yet Sharon knew the world Riley had only recently decided to live in was hanging in the balance, waiting for an answer.

"Yes," Sharon gasped feeling a stinging behind her eyes.

Riley studied her for another moment, then nodded. "Okay then. That's fine."

That's fine. She smirked at Riley's nonchalant comment as the girl turned back around so Sharon could play with her hair, but she didn't. Sharon turned her around and looked her in the eye. "You know why, right?"

"Because you love us."

The simplicity of her answer made Sharon beam. There wasn't a single doubt in Riley's mind that she was very much loved. She and her brother were definitely forever engraved in Sharon Raydor's heart.

"And don't you forget it," Sharon replied pulling Riley into a hug and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "But there's more to it than that. You know that if you get hurt, or sick, or…" her eyes drifted toward the door they had just entered, and though she couldn't see the picture of the girl who no one ever cared to say was missing.

"If I ever went missing," Riley offered, tilting her head to look at Sharon.

A knot formed in her throat at the very thought. "Yes. Of course, this conversation needs to continue when we can have it with Rusty too." With that Sharon gently pushed Riley up. The girl stretched her legs and tossed some loose hair out of her face. She didn't look like the scared child Sharon had once taken in, but a young strong woman. A young woman who deserved a mother and a safe some.

Riley tilted her head as she looked at Sharon. "You should know that I would really love for you to adopt us, and I'm saying yes-" Sharon took a breath as she prepared for the but that she could hear coming. "But my mom… I don't want her to ruin it. She can't, can she? She can't stop you from being my mom too right?"

The stinging behind Sharon's eyes only worsened as she shook her head. "Your mother lost her rights-" Her rights. No, having a child was a privilege. Rusty and Riley were gifts that were thrown away and Sharon had the privilege of finding them and loving them. "-so she would have no say. This would be a decision the three of us made together."

It surprised her when Riley's face fell a bit. "So… if Rusty doesn't want to get adopted, I can't be either?"

Sharon shook her head. "If you want me to- to adopt you, I will. Rusty just has to make the decision as well. No matter what, we're still a family."

Riley struggled not to smile. "So no matter what, you'll be my mom too."

At that, Sharon pulled Riley tight against her. She couldn't help it. She didn't have to hesitate with touching Riley and sometimes she took advantage of the girl's touchy-feely nature. "I will always be your mom."

Riley clung back to her. "Whether I like it or not, huh?"

Sharon laughed. "Whether you like it or not."

By the time they all wondered into Sharon's apartment a couple of nights later, they were all a little more thankful for each other. Before the twins had Sharon, they had each other. It wasn't that they had groan apart in the last year, but they were more independent. They no longer had to have each other in their view.

They had Sharon and Andy. They had their family.

"You okay?" Rusty asked Andy as he came up behind him to offer him his dinner plate at the sink. The man had been in thought most of the evening. Sharon had gently shied them away from prying by stating it was about the case. They understood it was difficult for him, but they just wanted to make sure he was alright.

Andy turned to the boy and gave him a smile. "I am. Thanks for asking though. How are you doing with the whole adoption thing?"

As usual, the boy gave that usual sigh before he went into something. "I think it's not a bad idea. Like, Riley is really for it."

Andy caught Sharon's eye for a moment and watched as she directed Riley over to the living room. If Rusty was talking, they weren't going to interrupt. "And you just thing 'it's not a bad idea'?" Andy pressed gently, looking back into the soapy water. With Riley, Andy knew his place. Rusty was a bit more difficult. Sharon was better at manipulating situations and understanding people's quirks. Andy wasn't as good at it. He tried, but it was still hard with Rusty.

The boy looked down at his feet. "Sharon's… home, ya know? I just, like, don't wanna be in her way."

"You're not in her way, kid. She loves you here. You and your sister," Andy assured him trying to sound completely nonchalant, but failing. Rusty could see Andy was trying to not look at him, but startled slightly when Andy stopped fighting his instincts and just looked at him. "Look, kid. Sharon loves both of you. She wants to make sure you all stay safe. You're not in the way. You could never be in the way."

Rusty shrugged awkwardly. "What about in your way? You and Sharon? I mean, I'm sure you don't want us around…"

Andy pulled his hands out of the water and grabbed the towel to dry his hands. "No matter what. I'm right here. Riley, Sharon, you. As much as you may not love to hear this, but I love you all. Loved ones don't get in the way."

The words made Rusty feel light and heavy all at the same time. It was an odd thing to know people loved you. People like, Sharon and Andy. He couldn't understand what he did for it, but they loved him for no real reason at all.

"So, you don't care if Sharon adopts me?" Rusty asked carefully.

Andy sighed and tossed the towel away to clasp a strong hand on the boy's shoulder. "Rusty, I want you to be adopted by Sharon. I think, in the end, it will make everyone happiest. Me included. I am happy, if you all are happy."

For a long moment, Rusty was silent, his eyes downcast from Andy's as he seemed to study his hands for a moment. "Okay."

The word was so soft Andy almost asked him to repeat himself, before Rusty dared to look him in the face. "I want us to be a family too."

Sharon nearly gasped in surprise when she turned around to suddenly see the two hugging. It was one of those strong father/son hugs that Sharon was sure Rusty hadn't had before. Provenza wasn't a hugger no matter how much he cared for Rusty, but Andy was more affectionate than his partner. Riley smirked too and leaned deeply into the couch.

"Looks like the decision is unanimous. We all want to be stuck with each other."

Sharon smiled at Riley as Phantom let out a sound of approval before stretching her big paws against Sharon's legs.

She turned back around and focused her attention on the evening news are her hand ran through the ends of Riley's hair. "Easiest decision I ever made, kiddo."

Hours later, Sharon smirked at the man who started their nightly routine. The fluffy maroon comforter was pulled back to reveal the cream sheets and the two decorative pillows were tossed to the side of the bed in their nightly place. Andy wore pajama pants and a Dodgers t-shirt that she pouted about because he got to before her. Catching her eye, he chuckled and shook his head before pulling the soft cotton over his head and tossing it on her side of the bed.

Her eyes lit up as she clutched it and brought it to her nose. She could smell the freshness of his body was on it. Then she looked up at him with a small question in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure," he mused at her expression as he pulled another t-shirt out of the drawer that had been dubbed his. "Looks better on you anyway."

Plus he got to enjoy the view as she pulled her nightgown over her head and pulled the t-shirt on instead. As he crawled under the cover, Sharon kept smiling at him in that way that told him he did something really right and the fact he didn't even realize it made her appreciate him even more.

She sat on the edge of the bed and bit her lower lip as she glanced away from him for a moment. He took the opportunity to wrap her arms around her waist and pulled her against him. Giggled erupted from her as she found herself flush on top of him, his hand securely on her waist. He loved it when she giggled.

"That's quite a smile," he commented tickling her sides as he rolled them to their sides and kissed her lips. Her lips lingered on his and her fingers ran through his hair.

When she pulled away, there was nothing but love in her eyes. She touched his lips with the tips of her fingers and pecked them again. "I don't know what you said to Rusty, but I appreciate it."

He smiled at her and combed his fingers through her hair to push it out of her face. "I just told him the truth, Sharon. Like you did with Riley. Those kids want you just as much as you want them."

She snorted, but still looked more than happy. "I don't think that's even possible."

Andy kissed her forehead and let her curl into him, her legs intertwined with his and her hand fell over his chest. It seemed impossible for her to feel this much happiness. It was like she was bursting at the seams with sheer joy. She closed her eyes and let out a breath but then her eyes popped open again.

"I don't know how I can sleep. I'm feel like a kid at Christmas."

She laughed at herself and Andy could only laugh with her. He watched her as she sat back up and disappeared down through the door. He sat up and flicked on the bedside lamp. A few moments later she reappeared carrying two wine glasses. There was very little wine in her glass and he smirked at the flair she added to his cranberry and soda. She crawled back on the bed and offered him his glass as she sat on her knees.

"To family," she toasted, holding her glass up.

Andy chuckled and shook his head. "To your family."

Her eyes sparkled and their glasses clinked. She barely let their lips touch the liquid before she pulled the glass out of his hand and put them beside the bed. She crawled back over to him and tossed one knee over his hips while she flipped off the light.

Absently his hands ran up her thighs as the soft glow of the light behind her curtains gave him just enough visibility to watch her reaction. She leaned down and kissed her lover deeply. When she pulled away, she looked at him with those eyes that showed her very throat. "Andy, this is our family."