I have updated this chapter. The one before was updated prematurely. This one is different near the end, after Lily runs off.

Sorry guys! I had a bit of writer's block but this is it. I want to say thank you to all of the people who suggested that Hayley help a choked up Alex with her explanation. I know it took a long time, but anyway, here it is.

The next night, between the two hours that Alex changed the bandages on her wrists and when the family showed up, she threw up on nearly four different occasions. Her sister helped her through three of them, her mother just the one: the first one before Hayley was assigned the job of watching over her. Every time Alex rushed to the bathroom with one dry heave as warning before the next one came up with nearly only her stomach acid and water since there was nothing else in her system.

Hayley would rush after her and grab her hair with barely enough time to spare until there was nothing left to vomit. It just became the burn of stomach acid as it forced its way up her throat and the taste of bile as it reached her mouth. The nausea that was associated with the vomiting was no help either or the spinning room feeling she got that nearly made her miss the toilet.

Her headache, paranoia, and nausea only worsened as the night went on. It peaked the first time the doorbell rang. It was her uncle Mitchell and Cam she could hear them.

"I want to go see Hayley and Alex!" she could faintly hear Lily declare before she could hear her shoes clomping up the stairs.

Alex's head whipped up to look in fear at Hayley, "No, no, no, no" she whined loudly, "She can't come in here… she can't… I-I can't- she- I c-can't- I- she" she was hyperventilating.

Hayley cupped her cheeks with her hands and hushed her, "Shh, Shh, it's okay. I got it. Just breathe okay? Breathe…"

"Lily honey" came their mom's voice, it was muffled by the distance she was from the room and down the stairs and the fact that their bedroom door was closed; "The girls are doing something just for them okay? Is that alright?" Alex sucked in a breath and held it.

"NO!" she heard the girl yell, "I wanna play!" Alex let out the breath in a slightly agonized sigh.

"Now Lily…" she heard their mother start and Hayley gave her a faint smile as she left the door cracked behind her.

"Mom! I got it" Hayley told her and padded lightly down the stairs to where Lily was stopped on the sixth from the top- roughly in the middle.

Alex tried to focus on her breathing when she heard her sister's voice talking to their little cousin, "Hi Lily" it said, "Look, I know you want to play, but we're doing some extra-big-girl stuff and I know you're a big girl, but this is for extra- big girls okay? I'll come down and play in a little while okay?"

"Alright" Lily said, sounding on the verge of tears. Alex heard the light sound of Hayley kissing her on the head before the door swung open again.

~~~~~~-~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~-DOWNSTAIRS-~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~

"What's going on?" Mitchel asked his sister, "Why can't she go upstairs with them?"

"She's welcome to go upstairs, but she can't bother the girls, they're going through some things and are dealing with it and they really could stand to be alone for a little while longer" Claire told him, even though she was desperately wanting to just come right out and tell him.

"They are always 'dealing' with things, what makes this so different?" He asked as Claire spun from the stove top to the counter where he was standing to set down a casserole dish.

"This just is different…" she told him.

"Well fine then. Hey, Phil looks a little… well… erm…" He started and didn't know how to finish.

"Mitchell" she said with an exasperated sigh, "Please… we will get to all of this. I didn't call a random family dinner for nothing."

He looked at her with concerned eyes and walked away to the living room just as the door opened to Jay, Manny, and Gloria.

Phil and Luke were sitting on the couch. Luke looked catatonic and when Manny rushed past his Uncle Mitch towards Luke, he didn't say anything. His eyes glossed slightly and he pushed himself further into his dad's side. Phil's arm tightened around his shoulders as he made tight-lipped conversation with Cameron. The family didn't look good and Mitchell could definitely tell something was off.

"Hi baby" Jay said as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

"Hi dad" she said plainly and looked to Gloria, sneakily pointing a finger towards the hallway so they could talk.

Claire moved in for a hug and Gloria graciously wrapped her arms around the stressed, blond mother, "Everything is going to be okay…" Gloria told her.

"I know" she said. She had been telling herself that- that everything was going to be okay simply because it had to be.

Gloria pulled away, "Would you like me to go tell the girls to come down?"

Claire let out her breath, "Yes, thank you."

Gloria reached for the railing of the stairs and began to climb them, her heels clicking somewhat heavily as she got closer to the top. Claire watched as she reached for the door to the girl's bedroom just before it swung open and Alex tumbled out into the woman's arms. She watched as her daughter hugged her tightly, not seeming to want to let go.

Gloria's arms crossed over her shoulders and she held her right back. She bent her knees to bring herself closer to the teen and dropped her head to place a kiss on the top of Alex's head. They pulled away and Alex gave her a small smile before looking back into the room for Hayley.

Claire watched for just another second as Gloria stuck her arm out for Hayley to take her hand before she walked away to finish placing dishes on the table.

Gloria and the girls took themselves right to the table and Alex set her plates closer to her moms and Hayley in turn brought her setting closer to Alex, leaving a slightly awkward gap at the end of the corner of the table.

Everyone sat down, noting the change in arrangement and the demeanor both of the girls held. Alex could only smile faintly as the greeted her, but Hayley exchanged small, out-of-character-for-her pleasantries with everyone as they said hello.

Dinner went fine. Alex didn't eat a lot and as much as the rest of the family wanted to, they didn't because of the situation the all had pressing on their minds. Luke ate as normally as possible and Claire did her best to eat her normal serving. However, when you see your daughter struggling to place a small piece of lasagna noodle in her mouth, you become weary yourself of eating.

Alex excused herself halfway through and Claire looked alarmingly at Hayley who went after her. They returned holding hands and Alex pushed her plate away promptly after sitting down. Hayley's faint nod to her mom told her that her youngest, fragile-at-the-moment daughter had thrown up the little she ate.

When dinner was over, Alex and Hayley busied themselves helping their mom and Gloria clear the table and set plates in the dishwasher.

Claire looked to Alex, "You okay? You ready?" her daughter hesitated before nodding with a sad smile and a tear rolling down her cheek.

Claire cupped her cheeks and leaned forward to press her lips to her daughter's forehead. She wrapped right arm around Alex's shoulders and led her into the living room. Hayley took Gloria's hand and the walked together to the living room together too.

Alex and Hayley sat next to each other on the ottoman of the chair that was unoccupied and Gloria sat next to Jay on the couch and Claire settled in behind the girls.

"Phil and I wanted you all for dinner because there have been some recent events that have happened in the family that we felt you should all know and deserve to know. They aren't happy events but it's family business so… here we are." Claire finally spoke up.

Alex began to speak, "I'm aware of the fact that I've been acting differently. But there's a reason for that…" she watched as her dad tipped his head back to look at the ceiling- likely to swallow tears.

"I um… some things have happened and it's all been brought to my attention. So mom and dad called you over so that we could… talk… so that I – I could tell you…"

Mitchel leaned forward and placed his hands together and cupped his chin, "At my junior prom this year… there was a bit of an issue… and… something… well…" she was having a hard time.

"I um… there was a problem and…" she sighed in disbelief over the fact that this was happening to her- that she couldn't form a damn sentence.

"Alex was raped" Hayley blurted, squeezing her sister's hand.

A silence engulfed the room and Alex's tears finally began to spill. She placed her head on Hayley's shoulder and whispered a thank you.

Cameron sat back farther into the couch, Mitchel didn't move. Jay looked stunned and Manny looked to Luke for the answer to his unspoken question.

And then there was Lily, who could only look around at everyone's reactions with wonder about what this was, "What does that mean?" she asked innocently, sweetly.

"Another time Lily" Gloria told her.

"But I want to know now" Lily said

"And I said another time" Gloria explained to her in her 'strict' voice.

"NO!" she yelled, "I want to know now!" she continued to yell.

"Lily, now really isn't the time sweetheart, we will talk about this later, I promise. But right now really isn't a good time. Okay?" Mitchel explained

"FINE!" she screamed finally and jumped up to storm out.

Hayley now had her arms wrapped around her crying sister- who knew that Lily didn't know what she was doing, but seeing her reaction was just awful.

"I-I'm so… I'm sorry…" Mitchel stuttered as he stood, ready to go after Lily

"No, don't… umm… does she… umm… does she know anything about? I know she isn't very old… but…" she couldn't get the words out to ask if Lily knew anything at all about sex. All Alex knew was that when she was little, that little, she knew that her privates were hers and that there were good and bad touches- if Lily even knew that much, that people couldn't touch her there, it would be enough for her explain to her baby cousin.

"Privacy…" Cameron replied.

Alex nodded, stood, and gave a small smile before disappearing after Lily.

"LILY!" she called, racing into the backyard.

"What?" Lily demanded angrily.

"I'm sorry. Can we talk?" Alex asked her.

Lily nodded, "So" Alex began, "Your daddies have talked about privacy and stuff with you right?" she asked.

"I have private parts that no one can see or touch" Lily told her smartly.

Alex nodded, "Right… well… that rule goes for big girls and teenagers and adults too sometimes" Alex continued.

"Sometimes?" Lily questioned.

"That isn't important. What is is that someone did that to me. That's what we super big kids and adults are talking about. Someone touched me in a bad way. And it isn't okay when someone does that"

"Someone touched your private?" Lily asked, her eyes going wide and liquid. Alex could only nod.

"Yes, someone touched my privates. But I'm going to be okay. It's just something that is going to take me a long time to get better from. Do you understand?" Lily nodded.

"I'm sorry" It was Alex's turn to nod again, "Thank you for telling me" She finished and leaned in to wrap her little arms around Alex's neck.

Alex was a bit stunned by the apology and then the thanks and then the hug. It took her a moment to come to her senses before she accepted the hug and wrapped her own arms around Lily's skinny little waist. Lily pulled back and placed a sweet little kiss on Alex's cheek and untangled herself to tromp back inside. Alex could only sit there and wait to wrap her mind about what had just happened. She was worried that she had just traumatized a little girl. But at the same time, she felt proud of herself for the first time in a while that she was able to do that, to help her family.

Like I told the readers of my Chicago Fire story: I'm an awful person and I'm going to leave it at that as my apology for this.