"Hi."

Sharon looked up at her daughter standing in the doorway of her office. Her hair was down in curls as she wore a pair of shorts and a nice summer top that showed more of her shoulders than she had allowed in the past. She even typically chose to wear a t-shirt over her lifeguard swimsuit to hide the old cigarette burns, but now they didn't seem to bother her as much.

It had been a good several weeks since Riley had stepped foot into the LAPD and yet she looked more relaxed that Sharon had seen her in a long time. It was like a weight had been taken off her shoulders as she stood in the doorway with a small, content smile.

"Hey, honey," Sharon said a smile as she closed her laptop. "You look-" Well, not necessarily good, but she didn't look like she had for the last while. In fact she looked rested for the first time in a very long time. "Better."

Riley smirked as she took a few steps into her mother's office to claim the chair across from her. "Thanks." She took a moment to make herself comfortable in the seat, shifting so she could sit on her couch with her legs crossed with her back deep in the chair.

Sharon took a moment to try and read her daughter but couldn't help but feel she was missing something. "You look like you have something you want to say," Sharon offered with a smile.

The girl nodded as she seemed thoughtful. "Yeah, I do."

A moment past and Sharon laughed a little. "Okay, what would you like to tell me?"

The thoughtfulness faded from Riley's expression as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. "I quit my job." The level of shock on her mother's face was expected, but it didn't make Riley feel any better. "I did the whole two week notice thing and today was my last day."

Not only did Riley decide to quit without discussing it at all with her, Riley had kept it a secret for two whole weeks. It wasn't that Sharon was upset she quit, but she was a little hurt that Riley didn't even talk to her about it. Typically, any big decisions were always talked about especially when Riley was making those decisions. She would walk into her mother's bedroom just before they all went to sleep and talk about what was on her mind. Granted the girl had been spending an extended amount of time in her own room, Sharon had come to the conclusion she was working through something.

"Okay, can I ask why?" Sharon began carefully. "Or why you didn't bring this up to me?"

Riley swallowed and took a deep breath. "I didn't want you to change my mind." She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "And I couldn't, um, deal with a coworker in a professional environment."

Even the way she phrased it sounded overly Sharon-ish even to Sharon's own ears. Her immediate response was to ask what in the world that was supposed to mean, but she bit her tongue. "And you feel like this was the right choice?"

Riley nodded then shook her head, before shrugging awkwardly. "I think it's going to help."

Sharon took a moment to try and piece everything together before nodding. "Can I ask the problem with your coworker?"

Suddenly all confidence and happiness disappeared from Riley's demeanor. It only took a moment and Sharon backpedaled. The speed at which Riley's emotions changed was at the very least alarming.

"Or the name of the coworker?" she tried instead.

"Umm," Riley took a deep breath and let it out with as she searched for some control. "Jake Garner."

Sharon sighed. A relationship or potential relationship gone badly was not what Sharon wanted to hear. It was what she had warned her daughter about from the beginning, assuring her that Andy and her own relationship with work and romance was not easy. Still, she could tell by the look on her child's face that it was not a time for a lecture.

"Okay," Sharon went with instead. "I take it you two aren't on good terms."

She mumbled something under her breath as her face fell. Sharon just raised her brow.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."

Dangerous blue eyes flashed back at Sharon and she inhaled. "I don't know if I would say that. More that I'm not on good terms with him and I can't work another day with seeing his face if you want me to stay civil and sane."

For some reason her expression and tone made Sharon smile. It was Riley's inner fighter that made the girl such a force. However, Riley misread her mother's expression.

"I'm not being over dramatic. I cannot work there, Mom. I can't. I will not work another day with him hovering in my line of sight with every free second he has, or leaving messages in my locker after I told him I don't want to have contact with him." The snarl and frigidness that took over Riley's body made Sharon sit back as she watched Riley bite the inside of her lower lip to keep it from trembling with anger. "He wouldn't listen and I will not work in that environment because you taught me that I deserve better than that."

The rage and distress was alarming and Sharon couldn't help but stand up from her chair and walk around her desk to be closer to her daughter. Those big blue eyes watched her with a level of distrust Sharon couldn't help but hate. They were past this point. They had been for at least a year and the reappearance of the fearful and animalistic expression made Sharon almost cringe.

"Honey, you do deserve better than that, and if you feel this strongly about it I am completely in support of your decision." Her hand came up to fall on Riley's shoulder and the girl's flinch was small but there. She had been distant and timid, but this was a little much even for her. "Something is bothering you, Riley and I wish you would tell me what it is."

Bright blue eyes studied Sharon for a moment before they fell again. "It was my own fault and a need to deal with it. I'll be fine."

Sharon shook her head. "No. You have a family who loves you, I love you, and family helps with these things, kiddo."

But Riley shook her head again and stood up. "Really, this is something I'm handling."

With that, Riley was heading out the door again, but Sharon wasn't letting her escape that easily. She was right on behind her, barely making eye contact with Andy long enough to convey her message. He stepped up from his desk just in time to catch Riley, allowing her to run into his body.

She stumbled backward and tripped over her own feet and ending up on the ground. Confusion did strike her long enough to keep the hellish glare off the man.

"Whoa, kiddo. Where's the fire?" Andy asked as he offered his hand to help her up.

"Haven't seen Miss Priss around in a while," Provenza commented, leaning back in his chair. "Thought you had already gone off and become some important name without telling any of us little people."

"Nah, Captain would have let us know," Tao assured him offering Riley a smile that she truly tried to return.

Sharon stepped in beside her daughter and put an arm around her shoulders, partly to keep her from running but also to assure her she was there. She itched to get away, but let her mother still hold her close for at least a moment. She forced herself to rest her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes for a second.

It did feel somewhat better.

"Right, one thing that Captain will brag about is her kids," Provenza mumbled with an eye roll.

"I'm sure not nearly as much as you complain about us, sir," Riley fired back making everyone smirk. Sass was a trait Sharon encouraged maybe more than she should, especially with the senior lieutenant. Even he seemed to find it amusing.

"Someone needs to remind everyone here that you two are not nearly as perfect as your mother likes to make us sound." Provenza scoffed.

"I though that's what Ricky was for?"

At that Sharon found herself barely able to cover her snort laugh as Riley grinned mischievously at her. "Speaking of the perfect siblings, I need to go so I can call Emily before she goes to bed at her grandmother's bed time. Ricky and Emily are the perfect ones, Rusty is the favorite one, and I'm the baby. I know how this works."

She stuck out her tongue at her mother as she dodged the playful swat thrown in her direction. The tension in both of them seemed to fade for at least a moment. Andy gave Riley a small smile as their laughing died down long enough for Sharon to wrap her arms around her daughter and press a firm kiss to her forehead.

"I love you all equally." There was a moment that Sharon made a point to look in her eyes. "Now, go call Emily."

"And make Nicole join in the conversation. It would be good for all of you," Andy added before she got too far. He pressed a quick kiss to the side of her head before she could escape.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Should I just Skype Ricky and Rusty too while I'm at it?" Riley shot back quickly as she hugged him back. Riley bumped fists with Julio and Buzz before she snatched a chip off Provenza's desk and smirked at his grunt.

They were family as well, all of them. At the moment, her whole family knew something was very wrong. Provenza looked up and he watched as his best friend have a silent conversation with their captain. That wasn't their Riley that was the girl who was trying desperately to shake attention off of herself.

"Hey, lil sis!" Emily greeted with a big smile. Riley could see that she was sitting in her bedroom of her New York apartment. Riley made herself more comfortable on the couch taking in the fact that nobody was home but her for the moment.

"Hey! Andy thought we could invite Nicole in on this conversation," Riley explained slowly gauging her sister's reaction. Emily gave her sister a big smile.

"He is basically asking us to gang together and plot their wedding." Emily nearly clapped as she already went to work adding Nicole to the conversation. The screen split and it only took a second for Nicole to pick up in her office.

"Well, this is a nice surprise." The dark haired woman gave a smirk that resembled her father's almost too much. She looked ready for a break, and Riley wouldn't have been surprised if Nic was just taking a few hours in the office to catch up before she went home. "What are you two gossiping about now?"

Riley chuckled and stuck out her tongue. "Your dad basically thought it would be good for us to have sisterly girl talk."

All of them laughed together as Emily pulled her hair into a bun and leaned back to put her feet up on the desk. She studied her little sister for a moment while Riley caught up everyone on how each of their parents were.

"Well, they're working on a case right now, but Mom promised to be home before Rusty, which won't be hard. Andy will probably be with her. I think they're doing another thing, moving forward in their relationship in a way that includes me and Rusty," Riley explained seeming fairly disinterested. They knew that their mother and father were going to be together. They had been dating for a long enough time and they were always sure to involve their children when things were important. Andy was a large part of Rusty and Riley's lives, and Sharon was careful about their relationship that blossomed for her children.

"They want to make sure you are comfortable," Nicole explained easily. "I think Dad can't quite figure out where he stands with you all because you have a different relationship with him than Rusty."

Riley shrugged. "So does Sharon."

"Yeah, but Mom's adopting you two," Emily added trying to help her little sister see where she was coming from. "You're still at the age where Andy wants to be your parent but the line is fuzzy because he is only dating Mom."

Riley thought about that and could see what she was saying. Andy didn't do very much disciplining, only if he was really angry or upset with something that had happened. His approach to lecturing Rusty was completely different than it was with her too. He was always so careful with him, talking softly and trying to reason while he would jump straight to freaking out with her.

"He doesn't do well with me," Riley mused and immediately Nicole laughed.

"It's because you're a girl. With Rusty he tries to do these man-to-man things, but I think it scares him a lot more when it's his little girl." Nicole gave Riley a big smile. They were sisters in a lot of ways now. She spoke to Nicole as often as she spoke to Emily and saw her at least one a month to have dinner or such. They loved to play with Andy together, and always had to give him a hard time about everything. "I think he thinks you're a bit of a second chance to do things right."

"Because we all know how much someone needs to do things right for baby sister." Emily's teasing was something Riley was very used to. She always had to pretend that things were easier on Riley because she knew they weren't. It was her way of sisterly teasing. However this time Riley didn't look like she wanted to play back. "I'm just kidding, kiddo. Don't tell Mom on me."

Once again it was just her teasing, but Riley bit her lip and shifted forward some. "Can I tell you two something? You have to promise this stays between us."

Both women were now staring at the youngest member of their odd family. "Of course," Nicole assured her.

"Sister secrets. This is basically how family bonds," Emily assured her.

Riley nodded as she took a deep breath. "I think I need to get a doctor's appointment, you know, one for girls."

Nicole gave her a patient smile. "It's an OBGYN, honey. Don't be embarrassed."

"Yeah, because, uh-"

Emily's grin creeped up her face. "Riley… did you have sex?

The look on Riley's face was enough to send both older women into chuckles. Emily waved her hand nonchalantly. "Mom's totally cool. Just tell her you need an appointment. She will ask, but she's not overly invasive. She'll just ask if you are safe and all the other stuff that we all already know."

Nicole on the other hand seemed more thoughtful. "If you want someone to go with you, I'll go. I have a great one, she's amazing. Of course, talk to Sharon first."

Riley shifted back a little and twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers. "Sharon's taken me to one before, when I was younger, but this is different…" Or maybe it wasn't and that was the problem.

Nicole seemed to pick up on it first. She leaned closer to the screen, clasping her hands in front of her. "Kiddo, no one likes these things, and no one is going to judge you. We are family and we just want what's best for you."

"Yeah. Just talk to Mom or Nic about it. I would totally be there if I could, you know that sissy." Emily offered Riley an encouraging smile.

Still, she couldn't shake the need to say part of what had been weighing so heavily on her mind. "He, um, didn't use a condom."

That chilled the air suddenly and Riley didn't want to look up to see the look on their faces. She was smarter than that. She knew that. She was also smarter than to get drunk with some guy she barely knew. Thank god Nicole had more comfort in pressing Riley because Emily wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

"So you're concerned about STDs or being pregnant?" Nicole asked giving Riley a patient smile when the girl looked confused as to why she wasn't getting a lecture. "Honey, we all know you're smart, but things happen. I'm also not going to pretend like this isn't a big deal."

"I bought the morning after pill," Riley insisted quickly. "And I've started since."

Both Emily and Nicole both seemed to relax at least a little. "Have you talked to the boy about it?" Emily asked. "If you're trying to get out of an OB appointment you may just ask him if he's ever been tested."

Riley shook her head. "I can't."

"Why?" Nicole's voice was as curious as it was concerned. "If you're embarrassed-"

"I can't look at him. I can't."

Suddenly the image of his face appeared in her mind and her chest tightened. She forced herself to breath as she looked just over the top of her laptop screen and not at the two worried faces staring at her. "It was a thing that happened. I was being stupid and I was drunk, and I just want it dealt with so it can go away."

Emily's eyes softened as she nodded. "You both had been drinking, huh?"

The girl shook her head. "He didn't drink. Just me. I got really drunk."

"And he had sex with you?" There was a tone to Nicole's voice that had Riley questioning her phrasing. "Did you want to have sex?"

The questions were immediately too much and Riley shook her head. "Okay, stop. No, I don't want to talk about this."

This time it was Emily who jumped in. "We're just trying to understand what happened."

"Nothing happened!" Riley snapped forcefully, her chin quivering for a reason she couldn't understand. "We had sex. I've had sex before."

Nicole stopped. Riley had been sex trafficked before. She had sold herself to stay alive and then she was raped and molested by a foster father. She had not had sex before. Not consensual sex or awkward teenage sex that was normal for her age. This also didn't sound like typical sex that should ever happen for anyone, much less a kid with Riley's history.

"No, Riley. This doesn't sound like nothing happened. It sounds like you're really upset by it," Nicole probed. "If he was drunk and you were sober-"

Riley didn't wait for her to finish the sentence. She slammed her laptop shut and walked away from it as fast as she could. She turned into her bathroom and dug through the drawers for the razor she had abandoned the night before. Her chest was tightening up, her hands were shaking, she could feel the panic attack setting in.

She sat down on the toilet lid and grabbed the counter. All she was trying to do was ground herself, find her calm, but it wasn't working. She gripped the razor tighter in her hand and lifted her shirt. Her shorts were low enough she barely had to pull them down to get to her hip bones. There were still several red and angry marks from the last time, the early marks were just starting to fade.

A hiss cut through her lips as the blade slid across her skin, but as much as it hurt, she was in control. She slid it across again and again, until tears were easily flowing from her eyes. Sobs shook her as she slid onto the floor, throwing the blade angrily at the wall across from her. She didn't ask for this, she didn't want this. Why did it keep happening to her?

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