"I'm not ready for this."

TJ raises an eyebrow at Molly's comment, looking down at her. They stand in front of Corinthos-Davis House, the February air nipping their cheeks.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," he squeezes her hand, "I've told Jasmine all about you."

"And you're sure she likes me?"

"She likes what she's heard me say about you. Meeting you in person will just confirm all of it."

"How long have you been coming to see her?"

"At least a month."

"And how many times have you encountered Kristina?"

"Not as often as you think," TJ then takes a deep breath, "Now, do you want to keep stalling or do you want to say hi?"

Molly doesn't answer, walking up the steps of the shelter. TJ follows her inside, inhaling the warm air. He nods at Riley, who brushes some hair from the front of their face and waves back.

"Hey," he walks up to the reception desk with Molly in tow, "is Jasmine Ross up for some visitors?"

"Let me call her and ask," Riley winks, dialing the phone on the desk.

"They place calls to the kids?" Molly raises an eyebrow.

"It's for their protection. Unless it's medical staff or a court-ordered official, any visitors have to be approved by a resident."

"Wow," the young woman nods slowly, "Kristina really made sure to put the kids first."

"She did, and that's just one part of the system."

"Hey, TJ," Riley gets his attention, "she's good to see you. You can head to the courtyard."

"Thanks," he smiles, going off to the left. Molly rushes after him, looking around the wide hallways, colorful corkboards, and assortment of teens chatting amongst themselves. As much as she doesn't want to, she can't help but feel an immense amount of pride. The pair steps into a wide, fenced-in area in the middle of the shelter. The ceiling is made of glass, diamond-shaped steel bars creating the intricate pattern. A few parents and elders sit at the tables on the terracotta, smiles on their faces as they mingle with their resident relatives. Molly's eyes fall to the table in the middle, a young black girl sitting alone. Her braids are thin and tight, resting against her pink wool sweater. She beams as she catches sight of her visitors.

"TJ!" Jasmine gets up as the young man walks over, hugging him tightly, "Hi!"

"Hey, Jazz," he holds her in return, "I'm glad you could fit me in."

"Hi, Jasmine," Molly holds out a hand as Jasmine pulls back, "it's nice to meet you."

"You're…Molly?"

"I am."

"Ah," the girl accepts the hand, "hi."

"I brought Molly here because I thought it was time for you two to meet," TJ looks between them as they all sit down.

"Yeah, TJ's told me so much!"

"Like what?"

"Well, he told me what happened, and he told me that you guys have grown pretty close. He also told me that you're a big New York Liberty fan and enjoy crafting."

"She made me this bracelet," TJ flashes his wrist, showing off the navy, lime green, and red orange beads that circle it. His initials sit perfectly at the top, black letters on the white surface.

"It's incredible," Molly smiles, "Maybe I can get one too."

"Maybe," Jasmine turns to TJ, "Did you see any of the Liberty highlights?"

"Not yet. I'm still wrapped up in the Nets and how they're 'performing' this season," the doctor uses air quotes, "but I'll check it out soon, I promise. How's school going?"

"A lot of the other kids stopped asking about what happened, so that's good. I still have to deal with the homophobes, though."

"That's a shame," TJ's phone buzzes in his back pocket. He winces at the sensation, getting to his feet, "...I'll be right back."

Jasmine lets out a sigh as he walks away, and Molly can't help but swallow the undercurrent of anxiety running through her body.

"So, um," she abruptly speaks up, "what's going on with those bullies?"

"What?"

"You were talking about some homophobes giving you a hard time."

"Oh, uh, I was going to ask TJ for advice."

"Has he given advice about this before?"

"Yeah, and it's worked before."

"What has he told you to do?"

"Well, before, he told me to just turn the other cheek. I needed to work on getting myself together after what happened."

"That's TJ, always the pacifist," Molly giggles gently, "That's something I love about him."

"He told me that you guys are in a partnership…?"

"Yeah, we're domestic partners. It's like another version of being married."

"You're lucky," Jasmine gives a tiny smile, "Hopefully I can find a girl like him someday."

"You deserve to," Molly leans in, smiling sweetly, "and you can get there once we deal with the bullies. Can I help?"

"Um…that's okay. I know you and TJ are close, and you're nice, but…"

"But we just met, I get it."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be! You should listen to the people you trust, and you trust TJ. It's just…" she glances at the doctor, "I don't know if turning the other cheek works here."

"It's worked before."

"Sure, but things are a bit different now. I don't know if TJ told you, but Kristina is my big sister."

"She is?!" Jasmine's eyebrows shoot up, "That's cool!"

"Yeah," Molly forces a smile, "Seems like she's done a good job here."

"This place is great, and she's great," the girl then dons a frown, "I'm sorry about her dad."

"Yeah, me too. He's always been one of her biggest supporters, and that includes when she came out. Turning the other cheek wasn't an option for them, so they fought back."

"And you think I should do that?"

"Well…yeah," TJ stops in his tracks after his phone call, watching the pair from behind, "I mean, you shouldn't hit them unless they hit you first, but you have the right to defend yourself, and biting back at them is the best way to do it."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. I wouldn't let someone treat me poorly, and neither would Kristina or TJ."

"She's right," the young man sits back down, "I don't let someone put me down."

"So I shouldn't turn the other cheek at the bullies?"

"Absolutely not."

"...Okay," Jasmine nods slowly, "That's what I'll do."

"You can trust Molly the way you trust me," TJ rests a hand on top of hers, "She's the smartest woman I know."

"Thanks, Molly," the girl smiles, and the young woman feels her heart flutter. She then turns back to TJ, "and thanks for visiting. It was nice to see you!"

"Same time next week?"

"Same time next week!"

"Great, see you then, Jazz!" TJ beams as she hugs him tight. She nods and waves at Molly before walking back into the shelter. He turns to his domestic partner, "So?"

"She's great," Molly answers, "She really looks up to you."

"Yeah, and with what her parents did, she needs it," he then grows serious, "which is why I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

He takes her hands in his, "How would you feel if we adopted Jasmine?"

"I…" Molly's mouth hangs open, "You think we should do that?"

"She deserves to be in a family that loves her for exactly who she is."

"I mean…that's going to take a lot of paperwork. Plus, family law is very tricky and traumatic."

"I know, but I think it's worth a shot."

"Her parents aren't going to give up their rights that easily. Even then, Jasmine is too young to be 'emancipated,' even with her living here."

"Molls, please, don't think like a lawyer on this one."

The young woman's mouth clamps shut, eyes sparkling with a hint of sadness. TJ squeezes her hands, giving her a hopeful look.

"We deserve the chance to build a family of our own. Jazz and I have a bond, and you know there's no way in hell she'd go back to her parents after what they did to her. Even if we can't fully adopt her immediately, we can foster her and let it progress that way. And then, down the road, we can do the same with someone else, someone younger."

"...She deserves a good home," Molly chokes out, "...and we deserve to give that to her."

"So you're on board?"

"I'm on board."

"Oh, Molls," the couple shoots up and embraces one another, "this is great!"

"What's great?"

They turn to see Kristina and Rocco standing behind them, confusion on their faces.

"Oh," Molly pulls back, dusting off her trenchcoat, "hi."

"Hi," Kristina nods, "What's going on?"

"Molly and I just…made a big decision," TJ stuffs his hands in his coat pockets.

"About?"

"Our family."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Molly scowls, "Hopefully, when you do, you won't ruin it."

"...Rocco," Kristina turns to her nephew, "it looks like Molly and TJ's visitation time is done. This table just opened up for you; why don't you take a seat?"

"Thanks, Aunt Krissy," Rocco sits down, smiling up at her. Molly rolls her eyes before marching off, TJ nodding goodbye and following her. Kristina lets out a tired sigh before taking the spot across the way, "Is everything okay? I know Dad mentioned that you and your sister don't get along-"

"We still don't, and I doubt we ever will again," the young woman frowns, "but…it's okay."

"Oh…well…" Rocco tries to pivot the discussion, "I appreciate you doing this for me. I hope I didn't rush you back to work."

"No, you didn't. I needed to come back. Being in and out just does not work, so I'm glad you called. Who's this friend you want to help out?"

"His name is Bryce. He came out to his grandma and she kicked him out. Dad and Sam let him stay the night, but they don't think he can stay long-term, so I thought about coming here."

"We're happy to take him in," Kristina beams, "I'm glad you're stepping up for him."

"I mean, we gotta stick together, right?" Rocco chuckles, a smirk on his face, "And he's great. He plays safety for the football team and he's really, really good."

"And really, really cute, judging by how pink your cheeks are," Kristina raises both of her eyebrows, "Something tells me you coming here isn't entirely selfless…"

"He and I have been…talking," Rocco twiddles his thumbs, "We're both not completely out of the closet, so we were able to connect over that. He's fun to talk to and really sweet; I just hope he thinks of me like that in return."

"Considering you're getting him a new home, I think he will. You're sweet and fun to talk to as well, Rocco! It'd be his loss if he didn't see that."

"You think so?"

"I know so. You're a great kid," she smiles wide, "and hopefully one day, you feel comfortable to come out to the rest of the family, especially your dad."

"I know," the teenage boy sighs, "and I know Dad would accept me, it's just…I'm not ready yet."

"That's okay. No one can make that decision for you; you come out when you feel ready."

"Thanks, Aunt Krissy," the pair gets to their feet, hugging each other tight, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Ciara's really lucky to have you as her mom."

"I'm lucky to have her as my daughter."

"Yeah," the teenage boy grins from ear to ear, "I'll get you some info on Bryce so you can help him out."

"Sounds good," Kristina nods, watching her nephew walk out of the courtyard. She takes a deep, heavy breath before heading to her office, gently shutting the door behind her. Her monitor displays a clean photo of the family of three, smiles as bright as the sparkle in Ciara's brown eyes. Clicking open a tab on the bottom of the screen, Kristina jolts back a bit at the plethora of unread emails: referrals, check-ins, staff meetings.

"God…" she mutters, clicking through the pages until she finds the earliest unread message. Just as she reads over the referral from Dr. Collins, her work phone abruptly rings.

"Hello?" Kristina picks up immediately.

"Hey, Kristina," Bianca's voice is firm, "I know you just got back today, but I was hoping you got a chance to look at your calendar?"

"I…haven't yet, no," the young woman sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I'm just going through all my emails right now. C-Can I call you back?"

"Okay, sure, talk to you soon," the line clicks off. Kristina feels electricity run through her fingertips as she touches the keyboard, the words on the monitor blurring.

"You can do this, girl," she whispers to herself, "You got this."

The phone rings again, "Kristina, it's Ansel. We're running low on mixed veggies and fruit. Are you able to place an order for me?"

"Y-Yeah," she rubs her eyes, "I can put one in before I head out. Is that okay?"

"As long as it's done today. Thanks."

She barely makes a dent in her inbox as more calls flood in, each one being shut down or responded to curtly. A quick glance at the phone notes just how many voicemails she has yet to hear, and a pit forms in her stomach. One last sound erupts from the desktop device: "Hey, Kristina?"

"What's up, Riley?" she asks, her words full of air.

"Your mom's here to see you."

"My mom…?" Kristina gets to her feet, walking away from her office and stopping in her tracks when she hears tiny boots smacking against the ground.

"Mama!" Ciara rushes over, her arms outstretched. A wave of joy and relief overcomes the young woman as she scoops the baby up into her arms, planting a number of kisses all over Ciara's face.

"Oh, baby girl," Kristina coos, cuddling her tight, "what a nice surprise!"

"I figured you needed a pick-me-up," Alexis approaches the duo, "Mother's intuition."

"Thank you so much," the young woman beams, "I thought coming back here and taking on full-time work would be possible…but it's not."

"You don't need to rush things, Kristina. It seems like your staff has been holding down the fort, and I'm sure they'll understand if you have to be part-time temporarily."

"Hopefully. Between Greenland and Dad's death, I can't afford to be out anymore."

"It'll be okay, dear," Alexis pulls her middle daughter into a hug, "it'll all be okay."

"Gamma!" Ciara giggles, putting her hands up.

"'Gamma,' huh?" Kristina smirks, "Teaching her some new words already?"

"She's quite smart," the elder woman shrugs, looking at the baby, "Aren't you, bunny?"

"Bunny?"

"I think it fits. She's adorable, sweet, and full of energy: she's got the best parts of both of her parents."

"Yeah, she really does," Kristina bounces the infant against her hip, the mother and daughter exchanging smiles.

Alexis gives them both a saccharine grin, looking around the lobby of the shelter. Her question is as innocent as it is helpful: "So are you going to give us a grand tour or what?"