Cate woke with a start. The phone on her beside table was ringing shrilly. Her eyes not yet adjusted to the dark, she fumbled around until her hand closed over the phone receiver. She held it to her ear her and her breath caught in her chest.

"Yes, she's my daughter," Cate said, fear in her eyes.

Cate sat bolt upright. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was 12:38 am.

Cate threw jeans and a T-shirt on. She didn't bother to brush her hair. She grabbed her keys and got in the car.

She couldn't believe she was driving to the police station in the middle of the night.

"I'm here for my daughter, Lux," Cate said when she approached the desk in the police station.

The officer behind the desk shuffled through the files and found Lux's. "She'll be out in a few minutes."

"How much is her bail?" Cate asked.

"No bail for attempted robbery. She's being released on her own recognizance," the officer replied.

Cate frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Her court date is set for Monday. She just has to promise to appear," the officer explained.

Lux emerged from the back. She met Cate's gaze. "Thank you, Cate," she said tentatively.

Cate nodded slowly.

"I hate to ask, but can you bail Tasha out, too? She doesn't have anyone else," Lux said.

"Sorry, Kid. She's stuck here until her social worker shows up," the officer interrupted.

Lux frowned. That meant they were sending Tasha back to Sunnyvale. Tasha had run away from foster care to live with Lux, Bug and Gavin.

Lux followed Cate to the car. She didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. Thank you didn't seem like enough. Not nearly.

Cate waited until they were in the car. She looked at Lux, her expression grim. "I don't get it. Why would you even try to steal a car stereo?"

"I needed money," Lux said.

"For what?" Cate demanded.

"Bug and Gavin left. Rent's due tomorrow. Bug and Gavin, they sell pot and steal car stereos. Tasha and I sold their stash and we still didn't have enough," Lux said. She shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"You sold drugs, too?" Cate asked in disbelief.

Lux looked down. She probably should have left that out.

"Never mind." Cate gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white. "I told you I would help you with money," she reminded Lux.

"Yeah, if I moved into a studio by myself. I couldn't do that to Tasha. I'm the only one she has left," Lux said. She sighed. "Now she's going back to Sunnyvale."

"I don't think you understand how serious this is. You have a criminal record. You could go to jail," Cate said, giving Lux a hard look.

Lux swallowed a lump in the back of her throat.

"I'll find a lawyer in the morning," Cate said as the truth of her own words hit her. Her daughter couldn't go to jail. Cate had to fix things. She just had to.

"They'll appoint a public defender," Lux said.

Cate already had to pick her up from jail in the middle of the night. Lux felt bad enough as it was. She didn't want Cate to go to any more trouble.

"No. I'm going to find a good lawyer," Cate insisted.

"Thank you," Lux said softly.

"I'm Jack Sharp," the lawyer Cate found said, extending his hand.

"I'm Cate," Cate said, as she shook his hand. "And this is my daughter, Lux."

"Sit down." Jack smiled and gestured toward the two chairs in front of his mahogany desk. He waited for them to sit before taking his own seat.

Jack reviewed the details of Lux's arrest with them. "If you plead guilty to attempted robbery, I can make a deal with the D.A. My best guess is that you'll have to do community service."

Cate frowned. "If she pleads guilty, she'll have a record?"

Jack nodded. "But we can have her record expunged once she completes her community service."

"And I won't have to go to jail?" Lux asked hopefully.

Jack shook his head. "No. However, your emancipation will probably be revoked."

Lux looked up in surprise. She frowned. "The judge granted me emancipation."

"Yes, but emancipation can be revoked. In light of your arrest, it is highly unlikely the judge will think you are capable of caring for yourself."

Tears stung Lux's eyes. She would have to go back to foster care. She literally couldn't stand the idea of being with creepy foster dads who hit on her until she was eighteen.

"I know trying to steal that car stereo was stupid, but I don't want to go back to foster care," Lux protested.

Cate could tell Lux was on the verge of tears. "Lux, why don't you go wait outside?"

Lux nodded.

Once Jack's office door shut behind Lux, Cate turned to Jack. "Is there anything I can do?"

Jack studied Cate for a moment. "I'm sorry. Short of Lux living with you, there really isn't anything anyone can do."

Cate looked up in surprise. "Lux living with me? Is there really a possibility of that?"

"Would you be open to that?" Jack asked.

Cate swallowed. Taking in a sixteen year old who had just been arrested was a lot for anyone. It was definitely a lot for her.

She had a one bedroom house. Where would she put a teenager? She could always clean out the attic. She'd been using it for storage, but it was big enough to be turned into a bedroom.

Cate wondered what Ryan would say. They'd just gotten engaged. He stayed at her place a lot. Would he be OK with Lux living there?

As doubts and fears ran through her mind, one thing became clear. It didn't matter. Cate suddenly knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted Lux to live with her.

Lux wasn't just any sixteen year old. She was Cate's daughter.

Cate hadn't been there for Lux before. She was going to do everything in her power to be there for Lux now.

"Yeah," Cate replied, her voice shaky.

"You'll need to contact Social Services," Jack said. He paused for a moment in thought. "Do you have a stable job?"

Cate nodded.

"And Lux is your daughter biologically?" Jack confirmed.

"Yeah," Cate replied, blushing slightly.

John nodded. "Social Services will probably grant you temporary custody of Lux."

"Temporary?" Cate asked.

"Yes. If you want your custodial rights to be more permanent, you'll have to legally adopt Lux," Jack explained.

Cate debated whether she should say anything to Lux. She didn't want to get Lux's hopes up until she knew for sure that Lux could live with her. She decided to wait until she spoke with Social Services.

Jack walked Cate out.

Lux was sitting on a mocha colored sofa waiting for Cate.

"Lux?" Cate said when Lux didn't get up.

Lux didn't answer. She didn't even look up.

Cate frowned. She approached the sofa. Lux looked like she was lost in thought. She didn't even appear to notice Cate.

"Lux," Cate said again, gently touching Lux's shoulder.

Lux jumped slightly at Cate's touch. She blinked and looked around.

"Are you ready?" Cate asked, looking at Lux with concern in her eyes.

Are you ready? Cate's question echoed in Lux's head. Ready for what, Lux wondered desperately. Ready to go back to foster care. Ready to be bounced around the homes of people who didn't want her. Lux wanted to scream. Instead, she nodded dully and followed Cate to the car.

Cate darted anxious glances at her daughter as she drove. Lux hadn't said a word since they'd left the lawyer's office. She just sat there listlessly.

Cate reconsidered the decision she'd made minutes ago. She wanted to make Lux feel better. She wanted to tell Lux that she didn't have to go back to foster care, that everything would be OK. But she knew it would be worse in the long-run if she made a promise she couldn't keep. She had to talk to Social Services first. She couldn't be yet another person in a long line of people to lie to Lux or let her down.

Cate parked in front of Open Bar and turned the car off. She opened her door. Lux didn't move.

Cate opened the passenger door. Lux didn't even look up.

"Lux?" Cate said.

Lux looked around. She shook her head. She didn't know how they'd gotten there. "Why are we here?"

"I have some, uh, things to do. You can hang out with Baze," Cate said. She hadn't actually asked Baze if Lux could hang there.

"I can go back to Bug's apartment," Lux said.

"You haven't paid the rent," Cate pointed out.

"Oh yeah." Lux didn't smile or frown. Her tone of voice was mild.

Cate frowned. She would have felt better if Lux shouted or cried. Cate didn't know what to do with this emotionless shell of her daughter.

"Did you tell Baze?" Lux asked. She didn't look worried. She didn't look anything at all.

"No." Cate shook her head. "You can tell him."

Lux nodded dully.

"Hey Kiddo." Baze grinned when they entered the bar.

"Hey," Lux replied.

Cate looked at Lux expectantly.

"I got arrested for attempted robbery last night. Cate and I, we went to a lawyer this morning. He said I probably won't have to go to jail, but my emancipation will be revoked," Lux said. She sounded as though she were reading facts from a sheet of paper. As though the information she was relaying had nothing to do with her at all.

Baze's expression went from a mixture of shock and horror to one of concern. He looked at Lux. Her gaze was empty. He frowned and turned to Cate.

Cate nodded, confirming what Lux had just told him.

"Were you with Bug?" Baze finally asked. He knew that if Lux was in trouble, that punk had to be at the bottom of it.

Cate watched Lux, wondering if mention of Bug would get a reaction.

Lux shook her head, but her expression remained impassive.

Baze raked a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to say.

"Can I go lie down?" Lux asked.

Both of her parents stared at her.

"Yeah," Cate finally said.

Once Lux was out of earshot, she told Baze the whole story. "Can she stay here while I go talk to Social Services?"

"Of course. Is there anything else I can do?" Baze said. He wanted to help, but he didn't have the foggiest idea how.

"Just be here for her," Cate said.

"What's wrong with her?" Baze asked.

"I don't know. She's been like that since we left the lawyer's office," Cate said. "I mean, I know she doesn't want to go back to foster care, but I didn't think she would…" Cate trailed off.

She didn't even know how to describe what Lux was doing. It was like she had completely withdrawn from the world. From Cate. From Baze. From everyone and everything.