Thanks to peace486, monkeybaby, the guest Libbie, jlmayer, decadenceofmysoul, ItsJustBecca, and Pharmergirl for your reviews of the last chapter. They lifted my soul. Sorry Pharmergirl not much Danny/Anna bonding in this chapter more Linda/Anna but you do get to start off with some Danny/Anna.

Contains a slight reference to the end of 3x2.

As usual, when Anna came home from work she found her parents on the sofa, talking. Both had a glass of wine in hand. She put her bag down next to the TV and when she looked up again they were kissing. "Oh, come on," Anna groaned. She loved her parents but she hated seeing them kissing.

Danny and Linda looked at her and Danny smirked. "How was work?" Linda asked.

"Not too bad. Had our busy times," Anna said, looking from her mom to her dad. Danny glanced at Linda then slid away from her motioning for Anna with his hand out towards her. Anna bit her lip trying to figure out if she was in trouble but couldn't ascertain anything so she walked over and took his hand. Danny pulled her to sit between them on the couch. "Dad!" she squealed.

"Relax. Spend some time with your parents."

Anna turned to her mom who smiled. "So ... what's up?" Anna asked curiously.

"How are you doing?" Linda asked.

"Sleepy, it's been a long day."

"Doing too much?" Danny asked.

"No, I can handle it," Anna answered.

Danny and Linda shared a look over her head. Danny wrapped an arm around Anna's shoulders and pulled her to his side. "You know you can tell us anything."

"I know, but it's no big, okay? I got it. If it was ever too much, you'd be the first to know." Her gaze shifted to her mom when she said that.

"As long as you can find the balance between doing what you love to help out and enjoying your childhood," Linda told her.

"People regret not spending time with their loved ones as the end nears, but never regret not working more," Danny said.

"Gotta do what you gotta do." Anna shrugged.

"And part of that is enjoying your childhood while it lasts. That's an order," Danny said but there was no heat in his voice nor was it very stern, just serious.

Anna looked at him. She nodded as she sat up straight. "Yes, sir," she answered seriously. She gave him a mock salute and he smirked. He dug a finger into her side causing her to laugh and squirm away from him though his other hand on her shoulder prevented her from getting too far.

"Careful," Linda warned, lifting her wine glass up and out of the way.

Danny and Anna settled down and he pulled her back to his side. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm as she pillowed her head on his shoulder. "Okay, off to bed, my little princess. It's been a long day and you need your sleep."

"Carry me?" Anna asked. She looked up at him, her eyes bright.

Danny studied at her for a brief second, contemplating it. He hadn't done it in a long time, he wasn't even sure he still could, though if pressed he probably could, but deep down he knew she was only teasing so he shook his head. "No."

Anna sighed with a hint of a pout on her face. "Night, Dad." She hugged him for a moment, completely voluntarily but pulled away as she realized what she had done. Then she turned to her mom and smiled. "Night, Mama," Anna said, wrapping her arms around her mom.

Linda wrapped an arm around her daughter, holding the younger blonde close then dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Night, baby." Anna pulled away reluctantly and this time neither parent stopped her from going upstairs.

"Do you really think she's okay?" Danny asked when Anna was out of sight and they no longer heard her footsteps overhead.

"I don't know." Linda shook her head and looked down into her wine. She looked back up and smiled softly at her husband. "I'll talk to her tomorrow. There are some things a teenage girl doesn't want to talk about in front of her dad."

"Should I worry?"

"No." Linda answered.

Wednesday after school, Linda picked Anna up. "Mom, thanks for doing this," Anna said.

"My baby's first big dance," Linda said wistfully. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Okay." Anna smiled.

"Where do you want to go?"

"There's a thrift store over on Gordon. Becky says they have some great dresses."

"It's homecoming, you should have a great dress."

"I know, Mom. Becky's dress came from the thrift shop and it's amazing. Besides we can't really afford mall prices right now. My car is in the shop, three Catholic school tuitions—"

"You let me worry about the money. You just find an amazing dress."

"Yes, ma'am," Anna agreed. "But if I don't, I can just talk to Sofie. She's a model and probably has tons of dresses." Linda smiled and shook her head, but took Anna to the thrift shop as requested. As they browsed through the dresses Anna wondered if her mom was going to ask her something. Occasionally Anna would glance up to see Linda was studying her but figured it was her mom trying to figure out the right dress. "Mom, if you're going to ask me something, ask it," Anna said gently.

"How's Kyle?" Linda asked.

"Kyle's great," Anna said with a soft smile.

"Yeah?"

"I made him mad the other day. He found out Dad is a cop but when I explained that I never said what dad did and it was Todd that said Dad was a Marine, he didn't seem quite as angry."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Was I wrong not to tell him Dad is a cop from the get-go?"

"I'm not sure wrong is the right word."

"But I should have told him? Honesty being the best policy?"

"What about this one?" Linda held up a bright pink one. Anna looked it over and reached for the price tag. "Not the price, just the dress," Linda said, swatting Anna's hand.

"Mom! You didn't answer my question."

"Just tell me whether or not you like the dress."

"It's pretty," Anna reluctantly admitted, "but I'm not sure pink is my color."

"Try it on, see how it fits. You may like it."

"As long as you try to find a blue one." Linda handed over the dress and waved her daughter into the dressing room. Anna changed into the dress and saw it in the mirror. Anna screwed up her face unsure if she liked it so she stepped out and looked at her mom. "What do you think?"

"It's pretty," Linda said.

"But?" Anna prompted.

"Try this one on." Linda handed over a pale green. Anna sighed at the color but slipped back into the dressing room and tried it on. She sighed again as she stepped out and showed her mom. After that Anna tried on six more dresses to include two blue ones. The seventh one she tried on was red and fell just below her knees. "I like it, what do you think?" Linda said as she took in the red dress on her daughter's slim frame.

"Well, on the plus side I can wear it to Nicky's party on Sunday," Anna told her as she spun around in it, making the bottom of the dress flare out.

"But do you like it?"

"I like it." Anna grinned. Linda looked at her skeptically. "Really I do. You don't think it's too tight though? Here?" Anna smoothed the dress across her stomach.

"It's fine. You look amazing, baby," Linda said. "I'm glad you like it." She smiled. Anna smiled back. She checked the price tag and looked up at her mom in shock. "Don't worry about the price. Daddy and I have this one."

"Mom!" Anna tried protesting.

"Let me." Anna blinked at her mom not wanting to impose. They were still low on money and she didn't want to strain the family for a stupid dance. Linda sighed. "You're getting the dress. Daddy and I have worked things out. We want you to have it. We appreciate how much you do to help out financially but we want you to enjoy these last two years of high school as well." Besides that, Anna didn't need to know that Frank was paying for the dress. He had wanted to do something special for his oldest granddaughter's first dance, especially since she had forgone the big sweet 16 party that year. Anna reluctantly agreed then went to change so they could pay for it. She took an extreme close up of the stomach of the dress before changing and texted it to Kyle so he'd know what color it was. After changing, she met her mom in the shoe department. "So uh ... I invited Kyle to the party on Sunday."

"Oh? What did he say?"

"He said he wanted to see how it went with Dad on Saturday night first."

"And you?"

"I don't want to pressure him. I know Dad can be ..." Anna trailed off not sure what she should say or how to put it delicately.

"Intimidating?" Linda asked.

"Intense. If Kyle is ... I don't know how to put it nicely."

"If he's scared off by your dad you don't want to make it worse by meeting the whole family?"

"I don't want to ruin a good thing."

"You think your dad will?"

"Not on purpose, not with you there, but he is a—he gets paid to make the bad guys talk, to make everyone talk, and I don't want Kyle to feel pressured."

"Your dad will be nice, I promise."

"Thanks, Mom," Anna said. "Oh those are pretty." Anna walked over to the black shoes and found a pair in her size. "What do you think?"

"They go well with the dress." Linda told her picking up a pair of tennis shoes for Sean. "Get them. You haven't had a new pair in a while." This time Anna didn't even fight. She knew her mom would win no matter what. Soon they had paid and were on their way home.

Danny came home that night to find his kids in bed and his wife on the couch reading a magazine. "Hey," Danny said, joining her on the couch.

"Hey, tough day?" Linda asked.

"Not too bad. You talk to Anna today?"

"I did. She's worried about Kyle. He found out you're a cop and didn't take it too well. She's also invited him to the party on Sunday."

"Oh? She did?"

"Danny, the boy is important to her. The last thing we want is for her to stop telling us about the boys in her life. When I was her age, the last thing I ever told my parent about was the boys I was seeing. Anna's talking about him, at least to me, let's try to keep it that way so don't scare the poor boy off when you meet him on Saturday."

"I actually get to meet him?"

"Since her car is in the shop, he'll be picking her up for the dance."

"Picking her up and coming to meet the parents are two completely different things," he said.

"Maybe, but I'm sure he'll do what Jim did and come meet you face to face."

"He better," Danny grinned.

"Danny," Linda chastised, swatting him. He only smirked and wrapped her in his arms and kissed her neck.

So on Saturday as Linda was helping Anna pin up her hair, the doorbell rang. Hearing no stampeding feet, Anna cringed knowing her dad had gotten the door. "How much longer?" she questioned her mom.

"Long enough for your dad to question Kyle without you there," Linda answered gently.

"You mean threaten?" Anna worried.

"Your dad promised to be nice." Linda said, locking eyes with her daughter in the mirror.

"Okay," Anna sighed. She didn't believe it for a minute but didn't let on to her mom. Linda shook her head and focused on Anna's hair. Anna waited impatiently for her mom to finish which seemed to take forever. Linda slid the last pin into place then put her hands on Anna's shoulders.

"Honey, I know this is homecoming and you're 16—"

"Please, not that talk," Anna begged. She could do without the birds and the bees talk.

"Anna, it's not something to take lightly."

"And it's not something I'm going to do with a guy I've known for a month. How long did it take you to sleep with Daddy?" Anna asked, catching her mom's eyes in the mirror.

Linda sighed. "You're still too young to know that."

"Mom, I promise I have no plans on do that tonight. Jim's going to be there and be annoyingly observant all night."

"But he won't be in Kyle's car."

"No, but again, Kyle's not that guy and I'm not that girl. I want it to be with someone I love, not someone I think I'm just attracted to." Linda turned Anna around and tipped her chin up.

"Promise we'll talk about it when you think you're ready to take that step."

"Mom!"

"Anna. I want you to be sure."

"I promise." Anna smiled and hugged her mom. Linda hugged her back and let her go. Anna bolted out of the bathroom.

"Careful!" Linda called as Anna slid in her stockings down the hall to her room where she grabbed her new shoes. She slipped into them and stepped over to full length mirror hanging on the back of her open closet door. She snapped a photo of her reflection and then sent it to Sofie and Nicky. Both commented how great she looked. She took a deep breath and made her way down the stairs.

"Wow," Kyle breathed when his eyes landed on her. Anna smiled and Danny cleared his throat. "Sorry," Kyle replied. "You look great," he told her.

"Thanks. I was tempted to go with a more traditional purple princess dress," Anna shot her dad a look, "but I liked this one better."

"Well, you ready?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, be home later," she said first to Kyle then to her parents.

"Hold it, little miss, I want at least one picture," Linda said, camera in hand.

"Fine," Anna groaned. After a few obligatory pictures, to include two with her brothers, Anna protested again and her mom finally let her go. "We'll be home by two."

"Midnight," Danny ordered.

"One?" Anna said hopefully.

"Midnight," Danny insisted, "or I'll call in the dogs."

"Literally or figuratively."

"What do you think?"

"Mom!" Anna protested. Linda looked at her plainly backing her husband not her daughter. "Fine, I'll be home before midnight; before I turn into a pumpkin," Anna grudgingly agreed.

"Have fun," Linda told them.

"How bad was it?" Anna asked as they pulled out of the drive.

"I've been threatened with worse. Did he mean actual dogs?" Kyle asked.

"NYPD has a big K-9 unit but I'm sure he just meant the C.O. at the 1-2-5 precinct."

"He knows the C.O.?"

"My dad's been a cop for 17 years or so; while he doesn't know all 35,000 cops, he made it a point to know the C.O. where we live and a bunch of cops at the local precinct. It's enough to keep a particularly close eye on me. It's annoying to tell the truth."

"Oh," Kyle said. It was quiet until they pulled into the school parking lot.

"Are we okay?" Anna asked worried.

Kyle turned to her as he shut the engine off. "Yeah," he said nodding.

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Really."

"Okay." Anna nodded. He came around the car and helped her out. "Let's have some fun." After giving their tickets at the door, they went into the gym and were nearly instantly mobbed by Becky, Beth, and Sara.

"OMG, Anna you look great," Beth said.

"Yeah, totes fabs," Becky added.

"You are never going to believe who Jim came with," Sara said out of nowhere.

"On a totally unrelated note." Anna stared at her friend. "Kyle, you know the girls."

"Hey girls," Kyle said. The three girls greeted Kyle.

"Sorry, Anna," Sara said. "They're right, you look great."

"Thanks, y'all look great too. Now, why would I care that Jim came with Ally Beckensdale?" Anna asked. She had seen them the moment she had stepped into the gym; not that she had been searching for Jim.

"I'm going to go see the guys," Kyle said. He kissed her cheek then made a quiet get-a-way to his friends, most of which were on the football team, and were standing across the room.

"Well, you know what they call her," Sara said.

"Yes and true or not, it's rude, inconsiderate, and plain mean. You shouldn't call anyone that," Anna said. "You also shouldn't gossip about anyone."

"Oh ho, who's taking the high road now?" Sara accused.

"So what? I was told if you want to be a better person, not gossiping is a start."

"We're teenagers, Anna, gossiping is what we do," Beth told her.

"I just don't want to spread any rumors that aren't true." Anna's gaze dropped to her feet.

"Like your dad is a Marine?" Becky asked.

Anna's temper flared. "My dad is a Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine; he just doesn't like talking about it." Anna looked at the three girls and sighed. "Now I'm going to go find Derrek before I say something I regret."

"Where's she get off being all high and mighty?" Sara asked as Anna walked away.

"She just doesn't want it to get back to Jim that she trash talked his date," Becky half-heartedly defended. Anna sighed trying to reign in her temper. She was supposed to be the good kid and not trash talking someone was supposed to be the right thing to do but now her friends were turning on her. She really hated high school for that.