Addison shivered and paced the sidewalk, blanketed lightly with snow, outside of Natalie's high school. The area was surrounded by dozens other parents who waited anxiously behind the police barricade for news of their children's wellbeing. She had received the heartbreaking goodbye text from her daughter while in a department meeting at NYU where she worked as the associate dean of the medical school. Shortly after, there had been a robocall – seriously? - from the school.

Leaving everything behind, she had run out of the meeting and the building, then hailed a taxi straight for Natalie's school. Things like this happened in public schools. How could this have happened in a fifty-thousand-dollar a year private school? Part of her had thought that sending her child to private school would buy her a veil of protection from such heinous crimes. But of all people, Addison should have realized that money and mental health problems were not mutually exclusive, considering the troubled millionaires she was raised by. If safety couldn't be bought, what good was money?

Her own life had been in danger before, even in similar situations, but having it be her only daughter's life was a completely different and infinitely worse brand of terror. If she could have made it through without being arrested, she would have knocked down the police barricades and stormed into the building to find her daughter herself. Standing outside and waiting made her feel completely helpless, a feeling she hated even in more mundane situations.

She had been pacing for a half an hour when she spotted her husband being escorted to the school by Ollie, who spotted Addison immediately and led Derek over to her.

"Derek. Thank God you're here." Addison said, wrapping her arms around him.

"Baby… I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. We had to take the subway because there are so many emergency vehicles around here." Derek inhaled the comforting coconut fragrance of Addison's shampoo as they embraced. "What do we know?"

"I don't know. All we've heard are rumors. We've heard there are several shot, and we've heard there are two… Casualties."

"And the shooter?"

"He… Took care of himself."

"So, what's happening now?" Derek asked anxiously.

"They're clearing the scene. Like you said, there are a ton of emergency vehicles, and they have everything barricaded off."

"Right."

"Derek, if she doesn't walk out of there…" Addison said quietly.

"Please don't talk like that, Addie. She's going to walk out of there." Derek said firmly. He could feel Addison shaking in his arms. "You're crying, or shivering, I can't tell which."

"Both, but I ran out of work without my coat."

"It's freezing out here. Take this." Derek quickly removed his wool overcoat and draped it over his wife. They stood in silence after that, their arms wrapped each other.

"Oh my God, there she is." Addison breathed, finally spotting her daughter in the crowd.

"You're sure?

"Yes, she's walking out with a police officer. She's missing half her shirt, and she's covered in blood. Is she bleeding? Oh God."

"Daddy…" Natalie whimpered.

Natalie threw herself at Derek with such force that she nearly knocked him over. He couldn't remember a time she had hugged him with such enthusiasm since she was a little girl, when she and Addison were in the car accident. He recognized metallic scent of blood that he had spent his entire adult life smelling on her skin and clothing. Finally safe in her father's arms, her body went slack, pulling them both down to the ground. Derek knelt on the sidewalk, cradling her head against his chest as she began to sob. Ollie rested a paw on Derek's lap next to Natalie.

Addison stooped down beside them, running her hand lightly through Natalie's snowflake sprinkled hair. She wasn't surprised that Natalie had gone to him first; they'd had a typical, strained mother/daughter relationship throughout her adolescence.

"Are you hurt?" Addison asked fearfully, taking Derek's coat and draping it around Natalie.

"No… That's… That's Mei's blood."

Addison's eyes widened in fear for their friends' daughter. "Is Mei…"

"It was her arm." Natalie choked out through her tears. "I applied a tourniquet and pressure. I think she'll be okay."

"Our smart girl…" Addison murmured, proud of her daughter's efforts considering the circumstances.

"You're okay." Derek murmured into the top of his daughter's head. "You're safe now, buttercup. Everything's going to be okay."

"No, Daddy… Nothing's going to be okay ever again."

A/N: I needed an inciting incident for them to go through as a family… And poor Natalie is going to go off the rails. Will it bring them closer as a family, or tear her parents apart? If you want to know what happens next more quickly, please leave a review! I get inspired by them!