Chapter 12

Sharon watched Rusty walk down the hallway. After a half hour of barely scraping over the relationship between her and Brenda, and skipping over some major situations that had happened, she'd finally satisfied Rusty's prying enough to at least push him in to bed for the night. She leaned over, waited to hear his door click, and rushed over to her phone. She knew Rusty was right, but she was curious if Brenda had left anything in her voicemail in the ten times she had called. She had, and just a minute or two ago.

She called her voicemail, and anxiously waited to hear what Brenda had to say. She wasn't even sure she wanted to hear it, but the part of her that did took over her body.

"Sharon," Brenda's voice came through her phone, "I'm sorry. I already chose you." Sharon could hear Brenda crying on the phone. "You didn't watch the video I made you… But I choose you. Please, know that. Please watch it." She heard Brenda sob, and it nearly broke her heart. "I filed for a divorce, and I tried to tell you… I went home to get some more things. Fritz got the divorce papers today. I didn't think he would get them so soon… He hurt me again and I can't do it anymore. I told him everythin' about you and me. I love-" Sharon heard a loud collision through the other side, then what sounded like metal being crushed before the line went dead.

Sharon quickly hung up and tried calling Brenda. After the phone not being answered twice, she instructed Siri to locate Brenda. She ran over to the door and threw on her coat. She grabbed her bag and keys, and rushed out of the house. She didn't tell anyone where she was going, all she knew is that she needed to find Brenda.

The directions her phone gave her led her to the scene of an accident only two blocks away from the hotel they usually went to. There was an ambulance, three police cars, a fire truck, and one wrecked car. Brenda's car was thrown out of the intersection and into the adjacent street, flipped upside down. Sharon turned off the siren and rotating light she had used to get to the location as quickly as possible. She ran over to the scene. A patrol officer tried to stop her, but she flashed him her badge to get past him.

When she reached the car, she saw Brenda was still unconscious inside of it. She could see a pool of blood pooling underneath her, her blond hair resting in it. She turned away. She walked over to another officer on the scene.

"Why is she still in the car?" She asked him, almost franticly. He pulled his attention away from the fireman he was talking to.

"Only got here about two minutes ago, Ma'am. She's unconscious and we don't want to risk injuring her neck. Assuming it's not already," he explained.

"And what about the man that hit her?" Sharon tested. She looked around and didn't see any other wrecked cars.

"Witness said it was a heavy duty truck, so it was fine enough to drive off."

"So, no news on who did this," Sharon said.

"No, like I said we just got here. We don't even know who she is," he stated.

"Her name is Brenda Leigh Johnson," Sharon informed him, looking back over to her totaled car.

"The Brenda Leigh Johnson? As in one of our own?"

"Till just recently, yes," she answered.

"And you are?"

"Captain Sharon Raydor." The boy pulled back at the mere mention of her name. He straightened his stance. "Seems like you know who I am too. I'm not here for a performance review, Officer."

"What are you here for, then?"

She ignored his question and moved closer to Brenda's car as she saw more action beginning to take place. There were EMT's surrounding it. They were knocking out all of the glass in the side windows. She watched as one climbed into the passenger's seat. They placed a gurney under Brenda, and carefully pulled her down.

Sharon's hand flew over her mouth, gasping with fear and sorrow as she saw the unrecognizable woman. Brenda's left eye was purple and swollen. Blood was running down her face with no singular direction, large clumps of her hair were covered in it too. Her back was arched oddly. Her knees were covered in bruises, made visible by the riding up of her skirt. Sharon sprinted towards the EMT's that were carrying Brenda away, and followed them over to the ambulance. She reached out for Brenda's limp hand and held onto it tightly.

"Ma'am, you can't get on," the EMT said.

"I can and I will," Raydor stated without any ambiguity. "I am a police officer, for one. And two, this woman is my girlfriend, and I am the only thing she has right now. So, yes, I am."

He moved aside, allowing her onboard the vehicle. The siren began blaring and it tore down the street. She watched in silence as the medics worked on Brenda. Everything was happening so fast; them calling out to each other to get a tube for her throat, starting her IV, arguing over whether or not to give her pain medication.

When they reached the hospital, Sharon's head was spinning. Her mind was running over everything that could be wrong with Brenda. She wondered if their fight would be the last thing she ever said to the woman. As she was lead to the waiting room, all the sounds became blurred and all she heard was her own heartbeat.

"You look like you can use some water," Sharon heard a woman say. She looked up, and saw a nurse standing close to her. She was the only other person in the room. Sharon couldn't do anything but nod. Her stomach was in knots, just like it had been all day. The knots had grown now.

The nurse walked away and came back a few moments later with a paper cup of water. She handed it to Sharon, and Sharon drank it quickly. It didn't help any.

"Maybe you should sit. We will keep you up to date, okay?" The nurse asked.

Sharon nodded again, knowing the nurse had more important things to do than make sure Sharon wouldn't get thrown into an anxiety attack. She sat down in the waiting room. Her head spun and she placed it in her hands.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She found herself calling Tao, in hope that he was still at the office.

"Lieutenant Tao," he answered.

"Oh, thank God you're still there. I was wondering if you could pull up a street camera for me?" she said. She tried to force her voice to sound normal. This accident didn't feel like an accident, not with the events leading up to it.

"I was just leaving, Ma'am," he groaned.

"Please, Lieutenant. It shouldn't take too long."

She heard him sigh on the other end. "Alright," he mumbled.

After she hung up with Tao, she waited patiently for him to finish. Her fingers nervously tapped her phone, and something clicked in her mind. She needed to call Charlie, but she didn't have her number. She sighed, knowing Rusty did.

Rusty answered after the third ring. "Hello?" He hardly said. She knew she woke him up.

"Rusty, could you get me Charlie's number please?" She asked politely.

"Okay?" the boy responded, disorganized. "Why did you call me?"

"Oh, right." She remembered she left without a word. No one knew where she was. "Brenda was in an accident, I'm at the hospital. I need to call Charlie and let her know."

"Is Brenda alright?" He asked, the statement having made him more alert.

"I don't know yet, I'm still waiting."

"Alright, I'll text you her number, give me a minute," he said. He hung up, and a few moments later she received Charlie's number. She hesitated slightly before calling it.

"You've reached Charlie, I can't come to the phone right now. If you'll leave your name, I will try to get back to you as soon as possible," the girl's voice came through the phone.

"Hi Charlie, its Sharon… I, uh, was just calling to let you know that Brenda was in an accident. I don't know her condition yet, but I know it's bad. We are at Saint Vincent's. I know she'll want you to be here. Night." She hung up, and let out a shaky breath.

It was another three hours before she heard any news. Brenda had fallen into a coma. While the doctors were optimistic she would wake up, they weren't sure of when that would be. Tao had called her back, and it was seen to that the car that hit Brenda was sought out. It wasn't an accident at all.

Sharon found herself in the hospital chapel. She found her way into one of the pews. She didn't pray often, she thought prayer was for situations like this. To find hope again when it started to fade. To remember why she needed religion.

When she walked back into the waiting room, she wasn't alone anymore. Fritz was standing in the corner. Disgust filled her and she charged over to him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked with anger.

"Brenda is my wife, and contrary to what you might think. I do care what happens to her."

"You care about her? That's why you physically hurt her again tonight?! I don't think so," she shot back. "I suggest you leave, now."

"That's not happening! I am not going anywhere," he fought back and step closer to her. She could smell the alcohol on him, and could tell he had taken in more than his normal consumption.

She stepped back, and straightened her back. "No," she shook her head, "you don't get that right. After everything you did to her! No. You have no idea how close I am to arresting you for domestic violence right now, and I think you should leave before that happens."

He gave a scornful look, and walked out of the room. She let out a sigh of relief, and walked back to the nurses' station. The nurses on the floor looked at her.

"Any news?" She asked hopefully.

"I think they are almost done with the test, you'll be able to see her shortly."

Another 15 minutes went by before she was able to see Brenda. She walked down the ICU, and found Brenda's bed close to the end of the wing. Brenda's bruises were now bigger, and her cuts were stitched. Her left knee was in a cast; Sharon could see it through the thin hospital blanket. She had a brace around her back and neck as well.

She couldn't help but let out the soft sob as she crossed over to the bedside. She grabbed Brenda's hand, and kissed it lightly. The woman was freezing to her touch.

"Brenda, I'm going to find who did this to you. I promise." She tilted her head, and took in a deep breath. "This is my fault. If I hadn't told you to leave. If I didn't let you go back to him…" Brenda didn't move as Sharon spoke.

She shook her head, and rubbed her lips together. She took off her shoes, set down her bag, and crawled into the bed beside Brenda. The small bed required Sharon to wrap her arms around the woman to be in a comfortable position. She pressed her head lightly into Brenda's shoulder and cried herself to sleep.

*.*.*.*.*

"Captain Raydor?" Sharon heard, she opened her eyes and squinted in front of her. Standing on the opposite side of the bed was Charlie with two coffees in her hand. Sharon sat up off the bed, stretching, and yawning. She blinked her eyes a few times, and refocused back on Charlie.

"How long have you been here?" Sharon asked.

"Almost 4 hours," she answered. "I was out with some friends, when I got home I got your message and came straight here."

Sharon nodded slightly. "What time is it?"

"Almost 7." Charlie extended her hand out to Sharon with a cup of coffee it in. "I got you some."

"Thank you," Sharon said accepting it. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked, taking a sip of the coffee. It tasted nothing like how she liked it, but at this moment she didn't care.

Charlie shrugged. "Figured you needed sleep, I guess. I had the Doctors talk to me outside and everything so they didn't wake you."

"Did they find anything else?"

"Well, she's been taking way more aspirin than she should. She was way above the recommended dose. They think that and the head trauma is why she's in a coma," Charlie explained. She sat down in the only chair in the room. "She has to have surgery on her knee, and she sprained her back. And she has pretty terrible whip lash. But at least all the cuts are going to heal just fine, or so they say." She yawned and took another drink from her coffee.

"Thank you for being here," Sharon said with a small smile. She licked her lips slightly, and looked down to Brenda. "Charlie, did you know what was going on with Fritz and Brenda?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Charlie said, shifting uncomfortably.

"That he was abusing her."

Charlie gasped and threw her hand over her mouth. She knew things were bad, and Fritz had scared her with his behavior, but she didn't think actually would.

"I know he had been really temperamental, but I didn't think he…" Charlie let out a soft sob and looked at her aunt. "I should have said something when I saw it… Oh God," she whispered.

"Don't blame yourself, Charlie. The only person to blame is Agent Howard." She moved off the bed. "I should get Rusty, and head to work. Could you call me if anything happens?" she asked. She felt guilty for leaving, but she needed to find who did this.

"Of course. And if Uncle Fritz stops by?" Charlie asked.

"Don't let him in. If he persists, call me or the police," she instructed. Charlie nodded.

*.*.*.*.*

"Your back," Rusty said as Sharon walked through the front door. He was sitting in the living room in the chair. All his school attire was on and he was waiting.

"For a bit. I see you're ready for me to take you to school?" Sharon observed.

"Actually, I didn't think you were going to be back so I asked Gav to take me," he said.

"Oh, I see. That is well thought out," she said. She moved over to the living room and sat on the couch. "You don't have to go to school today if you don't want to."

"I want to. But I was wondering if I could visit Brenda after school?"

"Of course." She was surprised he would even ask such a thing.

There was a delay before either spoke again. "How is she?"

She looked over to him with sad eyes. "She has a couple serious injuries, and she fell into a coma," she answered.

Rusty's mouth feel open. "What?"

She nodded. "The doctors are optimistic she'll wake up, they just aren't sure when."

"Sharon, I'm sorry." He moved closer to her. "She's a fighter, she'll be fine. I know she will."

She gave him weak smile. "I hope you're right." She looked down the hall. "Is Vivi still asleep?"

"Yeah, I was going to wake her before I left so she didn't wake up with no one here and freak out," he explained.

"That's very wise of you." She sat up and pushed her hair out of her face. "I'll go get her up now."

She stood and walked to her bedroom where she allowed Virginia to sleep for the night. Virginia was sprawled out on her bed, taking up the whole thing. She moved over to the bed, and sat on it.

"Vivi, it's time to get up," she said just loud enough to get Virginia's attention. Virginia groaned and rolled over. Sharon smirked at the childlike behavior. "Come on, Sweetie. I don't want to leave until you get up."

"Then don't leave," Virginia mumbled as she pulled the blanket closer to her.

"Well, you can't sleep forever," Sharon pointed out. She heard Virginia sigh. Her sister flipped over to look at Sharon, and folded the blanket over.

"That's not true. I could die and then I would sleep forever," Virginia responded.

"Don't say that, Vivi," Sharon replied. She knew Virginia had a tendency to say things like that without thinking. Sharon hated when she did.

"Well it's true." Virginia sat up and rubbed her face.

"You're not dying anytime soon, now up," Sharon said. She stood and grabbed Virginia's hands. She helped her sister up and led her to the bathroom for a shower. Virginia never fully woke up until she had taken one.

Once Sharon heard the water running, she moved back into the living room. She watched Rusty throw his bag over his shoulder.

"Gav here?" She asked.

"Yea," he answered. He gave her a hug and left the house.

*.*.*.*.*

Sharon faced her team. They all watched her closely, seeing that something was wrong. Sharon had made Tao swear to not say anything until she was able to tell her team in person. Now, in front of them, she found herself finding it hard to say anything at all.

"What's going on?" Provenza asked.

Sharon exhaled nervously. "Brenda was in a car accident last night. She is now in a coma, but stable." There was a murmer through the the team, all in a tone of worry. "Lieutenant Tao has already confirmed that the car wreck wasn't an accident. Whoever hit her intended to." She folded her hands. "And I know she is being framed." She heard Amy sigh again. "I know she is being framed, and I think the person who hit her is the one who is framing her."

"You're still stuck on that she is framed? The woman wouldn't give us her alibi and now she can't," Amy spoke.

"If you must know, Brenda wasn't just protecting herself by not giving her alibi," she explained. She took a deep breath, and rubbed her hands together. "I was with Brenda that night, we've been seeing each other for quite a few months. I got to her house about 8:30, and we left to the Hacienda Hotel and I was with her until I was called in that morning to go to the crime scene. The phone calls that Brenda received, Brenda did not recognize the number or the voice." She sighed. "The hotel has cameras. If you need verification," she paused, thinking about the tape, "You can find it there."

The room was stunned at her confession, not knowing how to respond. She felt herself growing awkward, and walked past them to her office. She turned around, facing the window. She shut all the blinds, and turned away from the door. She couldn't believe she had just told them all that. She heard a knock on the door.

"Yes," she could hardly even say. She saw Andy walk through the door, and was relieved it was him. She rushed over to him and threw her arms around him. He didn't say a word, just held her tightly. He soothed her. When she pulled back she gave a poor attempt at a smile.

"I'm sorry about Brenda," he sympathized.

She nodded slightly, and sniffled. "Did you need something?"

"Uh, you weren't here yesterday. I thought you could use a briefing."

"Right." She crossed over to her desk, sitting the chair. She lifted her hand for the file. He gave it to her, and she flipped it open. "You spoke with Eric's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, she doesn't know anyone that would want to kill him. Everyone got along with him. Hell, everyone we spoke to only had good things to say. None of them seemed like they were hiding anything. The only odd activity was towards Brenda. "

"I don't understand why someone would go this far out of their way to frame her," she replied, sighing. "What about the Riley case?"

"Uh, Sykes found a possible cabin he might be staying at right before we left last night. We couldn't get a judge to sign over for a night warrant and no-knock… but now we are just waiting for a signature, and well… you," he said.

It took another half hour before a judge was located to sign their warrant, and then they were on their way to Topanga. She was already upset with her team. They had located the hotel security camera and all found themselves huddled around a monitor to watch the two women making out in the elevator. She had caught them in the act of rewinding it, and was livid with each one of them. She said they could use it as confirmation, not for their own entertainment.

Sharon decided it was best to stay in the surveillance van -if Peter was there he would surely recognize her. They pulled up to the old cabin, and noticed there were no cars in the front. Sharon sent Sanchez and Tao around the back, with Provenza, Flynn, and Amy going into the house. They received clears from all directions.

"Oh my God," Sharon and Buzz heard Amy say.

"What?" Sharon demanded.

"Captain, you need to get in here," Amy said, her voice was shaking causing Sharon to fear the worst. Sharon jumped out of the van, and went inside the house. Amy was trying to keep Provenza and Flynn out of the room she was in. "Captain," she called Raydor.

Sharon moved down the hall. "What is it?"

"It's you," Amy explained.

Sharon opened the door, and her stomach fell. Pictures of her were covering the walls. Pictures of Sharon working on an outside crime scene. Walking with Rusty into work or his school to watch his chess match. Pictures through the window of her car of her making love to Brenda. Pictures of their trip to New York. Even one was while she and Gav were outside talking. In all the pictures that had Brenda in them, Brenda's face was stretched off. One caught her eye. She moved over to it, and recognized the image. It was the picture she had taken in New York City for Brenda. The picture she deleted as soon as she returned home. And it was here on his wall.

Then it clicked in her mind. She remembered Peter's face. He was the boy that she had seen in the airport that returned her camera. He was stalking her before that day.

"He's been stalking me for months," she whispered. She looked over to Amy, who looked terrified. "Thank you for not allowing these to be seen by them."

"I wouldn't like it if the roles were reversed," Amy pointed out.

"Hey Captain, we got the truck that hit Brenda last night here," she heard Tao say in her ear. She quickly walked past Amy and moved to back yard. She found Tao and Sanchez standing by an old Ford truck, with its front wrecked.

"How do you know this is the one that crashed into her?" Sharon tested.

"The license plate. I ran them last night, and the truck came up stolen."

"This hurt Brenda," she sorted out, "because of me." She covered her face slightly. "This doesn't make any sense," she mumbled. Why was this man stalking her? Did he hurt Brenda to get to her? Was this truly her fault?

"Who is Noah?" Amy asked through their speakers. She moved back inside, followed by Sanchez and Tao. She found Provenza searching other rooms while Flynn had managed his way into the one Sykes was in. Amy was standing in front of a desk with a notebook in her hands.

"What are you talking about?" Sharon asked.

"He was hired by some Noah guy to kill you, but then he fell in love with you," Amy explained. Sharon reached out for the notebook, and Amy handed it to her.

"I would have thought you would have looked it up yesterday after I left," Sharon thought out loud. "He is the man Virginia was talking about. The man she saw at the hospital. The man who hurt me. It was a long, long time ago. He must have hired Peter"

She read in silence. She read how Peter worked at the corrections facility, and how he met Noah. He talked about how Noah and he got close, and Noah hired him to kill her. He explained how by surveying Sharon he fell in love with her. And not the cute crush love, the kind where if Sharon had known she would have gotten a full on injunction. He talked about some of the things her and Brenda did, and how he fantasized that it was him. He talked about how he had snuck into Brenda's house and poisoned all of her sweets with aspirin, a simple and overlooked death. How he planned his murders just right to have them fall into Sharon's lap. He explained how he was framing Brenda for the murder of her co-worker to try and tear Sharon and Brenda apart. He went on about his hate for Brenda, and his distaste for Rusty. Envious of both. And then the entry from two days ago.

The man that had called Brenda was Peter. Sharon had told Peter she was with her girlfriend, and that set him off. His method of slow death didn't suit him any longer, and he wanted her gone. He wanted to be the only one in Sharon's life. And he would take out anyone else who got to be with her that was not him.

Sharon dropped the journal and looked over to the others who were looking for more evidence. "Stop!" she shouted. Their eyes looked at her. "I need to leave!" She exclaimed, and ran out of the cabin without further explanation.

The others followed suit, although they were confused as to what was happening.

"What's going on?" Provenza demanded.

"No time to explain right now," she stated as she got inside the car they. She started it, and turned on the rotation emergency light. "I want you, Sykes to go to pick up Rusty right now. Tao, Flynn, Sanchez; come with me."

They didn't question it as they got into the car. They quickly sped down the roads heading towards Sharon's house. She explained to them what she thought was going on. If she was right, Peter would be coming after Rusty. He could take him from school. Or, if he was following them, he would see that Rusty had been taken home by Gav for a while. If he knew that, he could be waiting for Rusty to get home. But Rusty wasn't there, Virginia was. When Sharon realized that, her fear was at its peak.

They rushed to her floor and found the door slightly open. She pulled out her gun from her holster and lifted it to shoulder level. She heard a crash followed by a familiar scream. Virginia was inside. Without caring about protocol she pushed open the door and ran into her house. She walked around the wall, heading into the kitchen.

Peter was standing over Virginia. Virginia was sitting back against the wall, with her hands wrapped around her sides. She was crying hysterically and rocking back and forth, as Peter's gun was pointed directly at her head.

"Peter, what are you doing?" Sharon asked calmly, though every bone in her body told her to shot him then and there. She knew Tao, Sanchez, and Flynn were directly behind her with their guns pointed at him.

"I found a way for us to be happy," he said, looking up to Sharon.

"I don't understand what you mean?" She tried to sound sweet. She swallowed the scream inside her.

"Noah wants you dead," he admitted. "But I don't. And I just found my way to do both." She took a deep breath in and moved closer to him as he cocked the gun. "Why don't you put down the gun, love?"

She knew she had already blown protocol, but she was not going to give in to him and break that sacred rule. "We both know that's not going to happen," she told him.

"Do you really love her more than me?" He questioned with sadness in his voice.

Sharon knew she had to play this sick game. "No, of course not. But I don't want her to be hurt."

"But that's the only way we can be together," he pointed out. She glanced at Virginia, and could see the terror in her. She wanted to hold her close and tell her it would be alright. But she could see Peter's plan in her mind.

"You want her dead so you have my body to show Noah," she stated.

"Now you're getting it."

"Peter, please don't do this. We can… go away. Somewhere where he can't find us," she said. All she could do was hope he would buy into it.

"Don't you understand, Sharon? He found you once, he'll find you again. This is the only way," he said calmly.

He smiled to her, that creepy smile she remembered seeing at the airport. Without warning, and still looking Sharon dead in the eyes, he fired his gun. Not giving it another thought, she fired hers. The bullet landed right between his eyes, causing him to fall backwards.

Worried, she looked down to Virginia, and cried out at what she saw. The bullet had hit her chest, right above her heart. Sharon ran to her sister, and fell to her knees. She sat beside Virginia and began applying pressure to the wound. She looked down to her sister's face, her eyes filled with pain.

"It's going to be okay, Vivi. Everything is going to be okay," she tried to use soothing words. "I'm right here. Stay with me, baby," she whispered. She watched Virginia's eyes close, and she reached up and tapped her face. "No, you have to stay with me," she repeated but got no response or struggle. She reached up and checked her sister's pulse. It was gone.

Sharon couldn't breathe. Tears streamed careless down her face, and she sobbed loudly. She cried and begged for Virginia to wake up, even though she wouldn't. She couldn't accept this, she wouldn't. Sharon was only a quarter of a person. Virginia was her other half, and Sharon had given what she could to Brenda. Now both were gone. Her whole world was crashing down for everyone to see, and she was left with next to nothing.

A/N: Yea, that last bit just kind of happened… It wasn't in my outline… I don't know why I wrote it in, but I did. Now you're stuck with it. Sorry if you hate me now. Thought it gave you a shit ton more angst too. But now it gives me another chapter to play around with between this one and the original outline…

But I tried not to give you guys toooo much of a cliff hanger this chapter.

Feedback is lovely