All Saturday afternoon, and well into the evening, Alex sat in the precinct feeling a knot of anxiety twisting tighter with every passing hour. It was her last day of being grounded, and though freedom was just within reach, her stomach churned for an entirely different reason. She knew exactly why.

Monday.

It was looming over her like a storm cloud, and no matter how much she tried to shake it off, the decision to buy those pills weighed heavy in her chest. But it was what she had to do. There was no other option, and she was determined to follow through. But that didn't stop the unease from creeping through her veins, the nervous anticipation crawling under her skin.

As she lay sprawled on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, she willed the day to hurry up and end. Waiting was unbearable. She needed to calm her nerves, but alcohol - her usual go-to for numbing the anxiety - was sadly out of the question given her current circumstances. That left only one thing that might help, a favorite hobby of hers that she usually kept to herself: baking.

When Jay finally said it was time to go, she felt a flicker of relief as they stepped out into the cool evening air. They walked in silence across the parking lot to his truck. Alex climbed into the passenger seat, her thoughts still spinning. She hated that she'd have to ask for help, but the distraction of baking was the only thing she could think of.

Staring straight ahead, her voice low and hesitant, she finally said, "Can we stop at the store?"

The question caught Jay off guard. "For what?" he asked casually, needing more information, as he started the engine.

"Stuff," Alex replied flatly. Here he went again - always needing to know every granular detail about her life. It was suffocating! But she actively tried to keep herself under control, because she couldn't risk anything getting in the way of her plan on Monday.

Jay glanced over at his sister, who was staring out the windshield, refusing to make eye contact with him. He thought it over for a moment and then a lightbulb went off. He gave a knowing nod as he put his seatbelt on and pulled out onto the road. "Girl stuff?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

That caught her attention and her head whipped over to him. "What?! No. Stop," she practically begged. She felt her cheeks flush red at the mere thought of discussing menstrual products with her brother.

Jay held up a hand. "It's okay, Alex. You can ask me for stuff like that. It's nor–."

"Dear god, don't you dare say 'normal' or I'm going to tuck and roll out of his damn truck."

"Okay, okay." He reached down and locked the doors jokingly, just in case she tried to follow through. "Then what is it you need?"

Alex shifted in her seat for a second, feeling slightly childish for asking. "I want to make something."

"Like a craft?" Jay asked, perplexed. It was easier getting information out of a criminal than it was her at this point, but he kept his cool.

The teen groaned. He was going to ask for every damn detail, so she just had to get it over with. "I want to make cookies," she spat out.

"Cookies?" Jay didn't have that on his bingo card for the week.

"Yes, cookies. For you and your stupid friends that'll be helping us move tomorrow."

Jay was completely taken aback by this - she wanted to do something nice for him, Kevin, and Adam? Without being asked? It seemed…terribly out of character from the usual grumpy, sarcastic teen. But honestly, after the positive moment with the mini Oreos earlier today, he was thrilled to be seeing change. From what he could see, they'd definitely turned a new page.

"That's…that's a really thoughtful idea," he said genuinely. "Let's do it." When Alex didn't reply, he added with curiosity, "What kind are you going to make?"

"Peanut butter with hershey kisses."

Jay licked his lips in anticipation - those were his favorite cookies that their mom used to make all the time. He'd easily down six of them before his mom would shoo him away. Alex had often helped their mom in the kitchen, even up until her last days, so it only made sense that Alex would make one of her top recipes.

However, if he had known her better, he would have realized that cooking and baking were her coping mechanisms when she was extremely nervous or anxious. And then he would have known immediately that something wasn't right.

Alex had made three dozen cookies to perfection. It didn't matter that the measuring cups were all packed away - she knew the recipe by heart and could do it without any of those utensils. The baking had done the trick - it had calmed her nerves for the evening and brought some momentary peace to her mind.

Thankfully, now that it was Sunday, the move to the new apartment was a welcomed distraction from the nervous thoughts clouding her head.

Jay, Kevin, and Adam took turns hauling the items up two flights of stairs to their new apartment while Alex was in charge of unpacking. To her surprise, Jay had entrusted her with full control over the kitchen - she could decide where every plate, cup, and utensil would go. She'd never had to move in her entire life…until now. Each placement felt significant, and she couldn't shake the feeling that this small act of setting up a kitchen was somehow cementing her presence here, making everything feel all too permanent.

Jay and Kevin had made their way back down to get the bed frame, and Adam saw it as an opportunity to check in on Alex. He snatched another cookie off the plate on the counter, holding it up in awe. "I have to admit, I wasn't sure how these would turn out. Jay can barely make a pot of coffee without burning it, so the bar was pretty low. But kid, you make a damn good cookie," he praised as he popped another cookie in his mouth in a single bite.

The comment ripped Alex from her kitchen dilemma and she turned to Adam, offering a small smile in appreciation before returning to her usual serious facial expressions as she stared at the cabinets. "Thanks."

Damn, this girl was one tough nut to crack. But Adam never backed down from a challenge, even if nobody had asked him to do it in the first place. He swallowed the cookie as he walked over beside the teen. He ran his fingers through his stubble beard as he stared at the cabinets. "Well, if you put the plates here," he motioned to the left, "and cups here," he motioned to the right, "then you have easy access to the cups beside the fridge. But you've royally screwed yourself when you need a plate to microwave leftovers. Talk about a logistical nightmare."

Alex couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. She wasn't sure if he was mocking her or being serious, but it was amusing nonetheless. "So what do you suggest, detective?"

"The only detective here is your brother," Adam quipped, which caught Alex's attention. She had naively assumed everyone in the Intelligence Unit was a detective. "I may just be a low ranking officer, but if there's one thing I'm good at after moving a million times, it's optimizing the kitchen layout."

She wasn't sure what it was but something about this guy made her feel more at ease, like he was someone that most people probably got along with. He didn't seem to take life as seriously as Jay, despite being police.

Alex handed over a cup for him to grab. "Well, Officer, show me what you got."

And with that, Adam started placing a few cups, plates, and tupperware in various areas before finally deciding on a placement that he liked.

"And that's what I call perfection," he praised himself after a few attempts. He held out his hands as if showing off a grand prize.

"I guess you're a man of many skills. Your family must be proud," Alex quipped as she unpacked more cups and started putting them in the designated cabinet.

"Ha, something like that," he joked.

Before they could say anything else, Jay and Kevin came through the door, grumbling, as they hauled a heavy bed frame.

"Ruz, a little help!" Kevin called into the kitchen.

"That's my cue," he winked at Alex and started to exit.

"Hey, you forgot something," she called after him, holding out the plate of cookies in appreciation.

Adam rubbed his hands together. "You don't have to tell me twice." He popped another cookie in his mouth before disappearing to help the others.

Alex chuckled under her breath. Maybe her brother's friends weren't all losers like Jay was.

A/N: Things start to heat up in the next chapter! It's about 90% complete, so I hope to finish and post it very soon :)