Just wanted to say that last time I didn't mean for Officer Johansen to come off creepy at all, he's just trying to be nice and he'll play a bigger role next time. Same with the lawyer in this chapter. Thanks to sullerrerahotchnissmortica202, YaleAceBella12, peace486, Daisyangel, and seleneplaysgames for your reviews of the last chapter.

Side note to my writer friends, have you ever tried to write a chapter and it just wasn't coming to you? That's what happened to this chapter. I knew where I had been and where I was going I just couldn't bridge the two. Some one asked for Anna doing something fun and I hope that's how the first part of this chapter comes off.

Slight reference to 5x9 as that's what is bothering Linda though no outright mention of it.

Anna wasn't back on campus for long before one of her friends on the third floor, the boys' floor, approached her. "I've been watching you," he said.

Anna froze and looked around the hallway. There were a few classrooms in the hallway with open doors and she was sure that there were people in those rooms and if she screamed she could scare him off but he was her friend and she wondered where this was going. "Uh, Taylor, that's a little weird," she said. Though he was cute it was very weird for anyone to watch her constantly. It's what she had left New York to get away from.

Taylor flinched. "God, not like that. No." He shook his head, realization dawning on him like a burst balloon. "During our poker games. You're really good at the game," he answered.

"It runs in the family besides it's not big stakes. It'd be different if it was."

"You want to put your money where your mouth is?"

"A high stakes poker game? Those are illegal in Miami."

"Not at a poker room inside a casino. Like the casino next to the airport."

"What? The boys upstairs not enough competition for you?"

"It's not me who isn't getting enough competition. You just said it'd be different if the stakes were higher. I'm just trying to get you the opportunity to put your money where your mouth is. Or maybe you just talk a big game."

The dare was right there in his eyes and Anna's competitive Reagan spirit was shining through. "Alright then. I'll put up. When?"

"Saturday. I'll even drive."

"You're on."

So, Saturday afternoon they went up to the casino and made their way into the poker room. There were three tables in total, each with at least one seat open. Anna surveyed the tables and what was face up on them then waited for an opening. When she found one, she took a seat with Taylor next to her. She played a few hands before the guy next to her struck up a conversation. "You from around here?" he asked.

"Not originally," Anna answered.

"I know that accent," he said.

"What accent? You're the one with the accent."

"New York."

"Staten Island," Anna said. "You?"

"Miami. What brings you down here? Can't be the crappy poker."

"It's only crappy for two reasons, you don't like who you're playing with or you're losing."

"You play a lot of poker?"

"Decent amount. Never places like this, I am a broke college student after all, but enough."

"Well, you're doing quite well. So, what does bring you down here?"

"College. University of Miami, business. What about you? You're native here but what do you do?"

"I'm a lawyer."

"Defense?"

"Yeah."

"Well that's handy. So this isn't illegal?"

"Not as long as you're over 18." They made some more small talk throughout the rest of the game until Anna came out the winner. Over the next few games they traded off winning, and by the time Anna and Taylor were ready to leave, Anna felt like she had a new friend. "By the way, my name's Oscar Warsaw. Yes, like the city. Here's my card, call if you need anything."

"Anything?" Anna said.

"Within reason but yes, pretty much anything."

"It was a pleasure to meet you." He agreed and Anna left with Taylor. "Believe me now?"

"How much did you start with?"

"$50 and I've got ..." she counted it as he started his car. "$800."

"Buy me dinner."

"That sounded like a question but I know you didn't mean it like that." Anna watched him then nodded. "Ok, but only as a thank you for taking me and not because I'm interested in you. I'm really not," Anna told him.

"Deal."

Anna went to that casino and three others in the area and had to say, it was fun and gave her something else to do in her down time.

As much money as that brought in, her bank account was showing signs of wear from her few incidentals. If she was going to get her own place and not worry about her student loans later on, she needed to get a job. So as her first semester of college drew to a close, she began looking for a job. At the same time she was studying for finals so it complicated things a little, but she figured it out.

It was just past three on the Sunday of finals week when her mom called. "Hey, Mama," Anna said, putting down the newspaper.

"Hey, Anna, how are you doing?" Linda asked.

"Okay. Couple exams this week; nothing I can't handle. First semester's been great, and don't tell Dad or Grandpa I said this, but it's kinda nice walking into a room and not having people stop talking. That and instead of having people ask 'oh you mean like the PC?' when I introduce myself, they ask 'like the president?' It's so nice being able to go places and do things without worrying who's watching."

"That's great, sweetie," Linda said.

"Yeah, still need a job though and ... Mom, are you okay? You sound upset."

"I'm ok," Linda said.

"You know you can tell me anything, right? You're my mom and I won't talk about it if you don't want me to."

"I know, just thinking about things that happened this week."

"What happened this week?"

"It's not that important," Linda told her daughter.

"Are you sure? I didn't miss dad getting hurt or something did I? I don't think I saw anything in my email and I'm sure I would have."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. The search site I use has the ability to register for email updates on a topic. In this case it's Danny Reagan and NYPD." She brought up her email and sure enough there was nothing there. "No, nothing there. Mom? Is everything okay?"

"You dad and I had a fight. It's nothing really, we'll figure it out, just like we always do," Linda assured her daughter. Anna was buying it but it sounded like her mom was ready to stop talking about it so Anna didn't push.

"Okay. Just remember Dad loves you and he usually only gets mad when he's scared or feels threatened. He'd do anything to protect the family."

"I know, sweetie. Speaking of your dad being protective ..."

"Don't make this about me."

"Anna," Linda prodded.

"Don't, Mom. This is between me and him. He needs to understand that I'm an adult and I have to start making my own decisions even if they don't line up with the decisions he would have made for me given the chance."

"Alright," Linda said.

"Thank you," Anna answered.

"Mom, Aunt Erin says dinner's ready," Anna heard Jack in the background.

"I should let you go. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Anna said.

"Not before you say hi to the rest of the family."

"Mom!" Anna whined.

"Anna," Linda warned.

"Okay, but can we not do that thing where we pass the phone around the table and instead maybe we can just put me on speaker phone all in one shot?" Anna asked.

"Fine." Linda sat down at the table with the rest of the family and hit the speaker phone button on her cell phone. "Before we say grace ..." Linda started.

Anna took the following silence as her cue. "Hi, everyone!" Anna called. There was a chorus of hellos in return. She heard everyone but her mom and dad.

"How are things?" Frank asked.

"Good. Studying for exams at the moment."

"When are you coming home?" Sean asked.

"Saturday, Sunday at the latest."

"Are you staying out of trouble?" Henry asked curiously.

"With the Reagan luck? As much as I can." Anna laughed. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Corn beef, you?" Jamie asked.

"Cold pizza or left over Chinese. But it's still better than not having anything to eat," Anna said.

It was silent on the other end of the phone for a few moments and Anna wondered if she had gone too far. "Do you need anything?" Frank asked.

"No, I'm good. It's great just hearing from you. I have an appointment so I have to go. I'll see you all next week."

"Anna," Danny started.

"I'm fine, Dad, trust me. Love you all." Again there was a chorus of 'I love you's' and then 'bye'. Anna also said goodbye then she hung up. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She was glad that she had lucked out with a single occupancy room and wouldn't have a roommate coming in any time to disturb her. It wasn't that she didn't want her family's help; she just didn't want them to feel bad for her. She knew it was too late but the more reasonable side of her brain told her they didn't feel bad for her; not the way others would. They were her family and they only wanted to help. She leaned back against her desk chair, took another deep breath, then picked up her newspaper again. She circled a few jobs then checked online.

When she returned to New York on Saturday she found her mom home alone. She was sitting on the couch reading a book.

"Hey, Mama," Anna said, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey," Linda said. "Dad and the boys are at the Rangers' game."

"So it's just you and me," Anna answered. "Did you and Dad work things out?"

"Yes," Linda said as Anna sat down next to her mother.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope," Linda said.

"Okay," Anna said softly. "I found a couple of jobs but I don't know if I can push any of them back until after the New Year."

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure you'll find something. You're really great at that."

"Yeah," Anna agreed. They spent the afternoon talking and enjoying their time together. As Linda got up to make dinner Anna curled up on the couch and fell asleep. Linda was just pulling the casserole out of the oven when the front door opened and her three rowdy boys entered.

"Hey! Hey! Shh!" Linda snapped, motioning to the couch. The boys stopped and looked at the couch. Jack and Sean both smiled then went upstairs to wash up. Danny stared at the young girl as his wife walked over to stand behind the couch. She tucked the blanket a little more firmly around her daughter then looked at her husband.

"She been driving all day?" Danny asked. Linda nodded. "She could have started out after lunch. Bunked down in a hotel overnight and then got here tomorrow."

"Maybe she did last night. Danny, it's been a busy week. Don't be so hard on her. She trying to do what's right for her. You being upset with her isn't making it easy and the fight is not going to make the next two weeks fun for anyone."

"Okay." Danny headed for the kitchen to wash up but not without kissing his wife's cheek.

"Jack, Sean, set the table," Linda told her boys as they returned to the living room.

"No fair, I did it yesterday," Sean complained.

"Do it anyway," Linda walked around the couch and perched on the low coffee table. She was loath to wake the girl but she knew eventually the girl would wake on her own and be angry she missed dinner. Besides, like when she was little, getting a nap in during the middle of the day always made Anna wired and hard to get to sleep at the end of the night, so Linda woke her for dinner.

Over the course of the next few days Danny threw himself into work, trying to keep the peace in his house. Though he felt a bit guilty about leaving his wife to deal with three kids on her own when she wasn't working, he knew the more time he spent with the family, the more likely he was to say something that would make his daughter angry and that was not a match he wanted to light. He explained this to his wife when she asked, but like he expected, she thought he was blowing things out of proportion. Two days before Christmas, Linda had had enough of that and demanded he take the kids ice skating while she caught a last minute shift at the ER.

Once they reached the ice rink, Anna and the boys laced up their skates and headed for the rink. The boys stepped out onto the ice but Anna paused and looked back at her dad to see him texting someone. Anna sighed and headed back to him. She stopped next to him and stared at him. "What?" Danny asked, looking up.

"I'm 18; the boys are 14 and 10. I know by now that you're not perfect, I don't think any of us expect you to be, but for Sean's sake could you at least try to look interested? Even if you're not going to skate with us, watch him? I know that you and I aren't getting along right now but don't punish your son for that. It's not his fault. I can even disappear for a few hours if you need me to. I just don't want my brothers to hate you for something I did."

"It's not that. Your Aunt Erin needs me to pick something up for Nicky. Here's $20. If your brothers get hungry or something. I'll be back in about an hour."

"Dad!" Anna scoffed.

"Look after your brothers," Danny answered, standing.

Anna took the bill and frowned as he walked off. She shook her head and walked back down to the ice. "Where's Dad going?" Sean asked as he skated up to her.

"You want Christmas presents this year?" Anna asked.

"Mom finished Christmas shopping days ago. They're already wrapped in the laundry room," Jack answered, having skated up as well.

"Uh ..." Anna fished around for another excuse. "Well, sometimes Dad just has things to do. It's not like he gets many days off. Not really."

"He's feeling the tension between you two?" Jack asked.

"Boys, don't worry about it," Anna said.

"Anna, why is Dad so mad at you?" Sean asked as they skated around the rink.

"Sean, can we try to enjoy today instead of worrying about me and Dad? I'm not going to have a lot of time for things like this and you boys are getting busier especially when you get to high school. We should enjoy them while we get them. Don't tell Mom that Dad bailed. He's in enough trouble as it is."

"Okay," the boys agreed.

They enjoyed skating around, making fun of each other until Anna mentioned getting some pizza. They were eating in the stands when Anna pulled out her phone. "Before dad comes back, I want a picture with my favorite brothers."

"We're your only brothers, goof," Jack answered. Anna stuck out her tongue then rolled her eyes. Jack and Sean put down their plates, wiped their hands, then Jack took her phone after she had launched her camera app. "Say cheese," Jack said. Anna tossed her arms around her brother's shoulders as she was in the middle and all three smiled. Jack snapped a few photos before handing her back the phone.

Just as they were finishing their pizza slices, their dad returned. "Did you finish what you had to do?" Sean asked.

"Yeah, you guys ready to go?" Danny asked.

"Can't we stay a bit longer and you skate with us?" Sean asked.

"You know I don't skate."

"Except with Mom," Jack muttered.

"Hey, Anna!" a voice called from the ice. "Anna Reagan." They called again. Anna scoured the ice and found a blonde waving to her. Anna waved back and the girl motioned her down.

"Friends of yours?" Danny asked.

"Old friend from high school. I'm going to go say hi for a minute. You two keep trying to get him out on the ice," Anna said to her brothers then walked down the stairs to the group that had congregated just off the ice. "Hey, Emma, Ray," Anna said.

"Anna," Ray said.

"I didn't know you were in town. Didn't Krista mention something about Miami?" Emma asked.

"Went there for school but we've had the last two weeks off for holidays. So I came home."

"You remember Shanna, Tommy, and Ben? Guys, Jim's friend Anna." Emma said.

"You too good to hang out with us?" Ben asked.

"Of course she is. She'd rather hang with those two dorks than us, always has," Tommy answered for her.

"Cut it out. I'm sure she's just babysitting," Shanna said.

"Knock it off, jerks. They're her brothers and that's her dad. You're still welcome to join us unless you'd rather be with your family," Ray said.

"I appreciate it but I don't get a lot time with them so, if you don't mind ..." Anna trailed off.

"Not at all. If you want to hang out, let me know, we'll be around," Ray said.

"Oh, before you go," Emma rubbed her left hand with her right, drawing Anna's attention.

"Congratulations. When'd that happen?" Anna asked, spotting the engagement ring.

"Three days ago. You're getting an invite; just make sure Krista has your address."

"She can send it to my parents, they'll let me know. I will definitely make it." The girls hugged and Anna headed back for her brothers.

"Are you going to hang with them? Dad says you can stay," Jack said.

"Trying to get rid of me? One would think you're already tired of me."

"Not tired, we just get the fact that you don't get to see your friends a lot either and we wouldn't blame you if you wanted to hang out with them."

"Guys, I'm here for you. Besides the only one I consider a friend is Emma and she's got her fiancé Ray."

"Fiancé?" Jack asked. "Aren't they like your age?"

"No. Ray turned 18 when I was in 10th grade, he's three years older than me, and Emma is two years older than me."

"You really sure?" Sean asked.

"Yeah, Christmas is a time for family and I can see them when you guys are in school or what not," Anna soothed her brothers.

"Ok. Dad said we could stay a bit longer but we couldn't get him on the ice," Jack said.

"More fun for us," Anna shrugged. They went back to the ice and skated around for a while longer until Sean noticed their dad waving them over. That meant it was time to go.