Sharon.

Her first tooth lost, her first scraped knee, her first broken heart. Sharon sat in her office, head on her desk, thinking about all of it. She'd taken care of all of those things for Christine-held her in her arms and comforted her, made her smile, celebrated with her. Now she was stuck in this office and it felt more like a prison. She knew her team would take care of her daughter, but it was not the same as her taking care of her daughter. Her stomach twisted in to knots as she rested her head in her hands, dreading the hour to come with everything in her being. She had always tried to keep her family out of her work, maybe too much; that's how she'd ended up divorced. This was the day she'd been trying to avoid for twenty-five years and here it was, staring her straight in the eye as she waited to send her daughter on a date with a murderer.

Her cell phone lit up next to her cheek and she peered over, seeing Andy's name flash across the screen. She snatched it up and answered, wondering if something had already gone wrong. "Hello?" she snapped, already sounding more panicky than she meant to.

"Hey, hey," Andy cooed. "Just wanted to check up on you."

Sharon sat up and rested her head against her office chair. This was going to be the longest few hours of her life. "I'm alright. Andrea took Rusty out to get something to eat. Buzz is getting the monitors set up and everything finalized now. How's my girl?"

"Nervous, but tough. Like her Mother." Andy said sweetly, "She can do this, Sharon, and I'm not going to leave her side. I promise you, your daughter is coming back to you tonight and we will solve this case."

Sharon let the tears that had been threatening to fall finally stream down her cheeks. How was it that Andy knew just what to say? All the time? It was infuriating sometimes. Right now it was just comforting. "Thank you," she muttered, trying to mask the fact that she was crying.

"We will see you in a few hours-all of us, okay Sharon?" His voice was gentle, soothing. She wanted his arms around her, her face buried in his chest. Andrea would have to do for now, though-she'd rather Andy be there protecting Christine.

"Alright, Andy…. Thank you, for everything."

"Any time, doll. See you." Andy hung up the phone and Sharon sighed, collecting herself and wiping the tears from her cheeks. She might as well go set herself up in the media room. There was no going back now.

Christine.

Christine knocked on James' door, so nervous she felt like she must be visibly shaking. The wire poked in to her chest under her bra, keeping her painfully aware that she wasn't alone. She tugged on her tight black dress, one she'd borrowed from her Mom's closet, as she waited for him to answer the door.

"Well, hello gorgeous," James grinned as he opened the door, stopping to admire her form in the snug fitting A-line dress. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" He took her by the hand and pulled her in to the apartment, kissing her gently on the cheek.

Christine leaned in to him, trying not to act too nervous. Would he feel the wire under her bra? Would he sense something was wrong? She needed a glass of wine or something, quickly. "Good day at work, babe?" she asked casually, kicking her heels off by the door.

"Typical day, lots of face lifts." He laughed as he moved back in to the kitchen to stir the dinner he'd been making. "Help yourself to a glass of wine, sweetheart. "

Christine nodded, thankful for the invitation. She poured herself a generous glass of Riesling and thought of her mom, sitting back at the station, most likely freaking out. "Face lifts? You do a lot of those?" she mused as she sat down on a bar stool, resting her chest against the counter as she watched him cook. She knew conversation would have to flow naturally, but she wished this would go fast.

"Oh, yes. This is LA after all, sweets," he grinned, leaning over the bar for a kiss, "lots of face lifts, lots of boob jobs, lots of liposuction. That's just the name of the game when you're a private surgeon. It wasn't my first choice, but I broke my wrist playing rugby in college… can't be a heart surgeon after an injury like that."

Christine felt the slightest pang of pity for him as she took as long sip of her wine. "You wanted to be a heart surgeon, James?" she asked seriously. There was so much she still didn't know about him, that he didn't know about her. There were so many good things about him. How could he have committed that murder? The endless back and forth in her head was already exhausting.

"I did, but after I broke my wrist my Dad convinced me it just wasn't going to happen. It was a bad break, lots of tissue damage. He's a pretty insistent guy. In the end, joining his practice was just...easier, I guess." There was a glint of sadness in James' eye as he plated their dinner, but he changed his expression quickly. "Ah, well. Now I'm at the service of Hollywood's glamorous aging beauties. It isn't so bad. I have some interesting clients," he laughed. "Come on, gorgeous, lets eat."

Christine nodded silently, following him to the dining room table. "Is your father very demanding?" she asked, trying to lead him in to a conversation more suited to finding out about Amelia.

James sighed as he sat, pouring himself a glass of wine. "He is. My father rarely doesn't get his way… good guy and all, just… yes. Demanding is a good word for it, Christine."

"Ah… well, I'm glad I'm dating you then and not him," she laughed, taking a long swig of her wine. How the hell was she going to bring Amelia up again? She crossed her legs and uncrossed them, picking at her food.

"Who's to say I'm not as demanding?" he grinned wickedly, placing a hand on hers.

"Oh are you, now? You'll have to show me…" she laughed, raising her eyebrows at him. She was mortified that her mother's boyfriend to be, as well as the rest of her team, were hearing her speak about anything remotely sexual.

"Well, we could skip dinner," he suggested, running his foot along her calf, "And I could show you now."

Christine grinned and kissed him on the cheek, then finished her glass of wine. "After dinner, love. I'll need my energy if you're that demanding, after all."

James grinned, but acquiesced and took another bite. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, Christine wondering how she would ever get the conversation back around to Amelia. Finally, she decided just to bite the bullet.

"Any more about that crazy murder? It's been on my mind since you brought it up." She muttered, taking another bite of her dinner as she shifted in her seat.

James watched her for a moment, then shook his head. "No, nothing. It hasn't been on the news. Why are you so interested, Christine?"

She detected the slightest bit of defense in his voice. " I don't know, those kinds of things have always interested me, I guess. Mom's a cop, I find that kind of stuff fascinating."

It was James' turn to shift in his seat. "Your Mum is a cop, eh? I'm shocked you haven't heard about the murder from her then, Christine. Seems a logical place to ask, don't you think?"

His tone had definitely changed. Christine sat her fork down and poured herself another glass of wine, hoping she hadn't blown it. "Not really, my mother is kind of a steel trap when it comes to her cases. She wouldn't dare tell me about anything as gruesome as that case. I've always had an interest in crime, I think partly due to my Mom, but she doesn't like to bring the details home. I asked her about the case. She told me she didn't know what I was talking about."

James smirked, setting his fork down too. "Interesting, I would have thought for sure the entire LAPD would know about that case by now. I'm assuming that's where your mother works, after all." He took a swig of his own wine, leaning back in his chair. He didn't know what she knew, but she obviously knew something.

"Oh, she probably does know, but telling me is out of the question. She'd lie through her teeth if it meant keeping a case at work instead of bringing it home. She was married to a lawyer for twenty years…and she did breed me, after all. I guess she understands confidentiality more than I'd like her to…" Christine laughed, pulling her feet up to rest them in his lap.

"I see," he said quietly, rubbing her feet as he sipped his wine. He raised an eyebrow, eyeing her carefully.

"I'm just interested. I wonder who she was. I always wonder that…" she mused idly, talking mostly to herself, or at least trying to make it seem as though she were, " I guess I'm a little macabre."

James shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "Well, nothing wrong with that, I suppose. Both your mother and father deal with convicts… why don't we move this conversation to the couch?" he smiled, motioning to the living room.

"Oh, sure thing." Christine smiled, inwardly frustrated with herself. She wanted, more than anything, for this nigh to be over. So far she hadn't gotten anywhere with James and she was afraid if she kept pushing she'd make him angry.

Christine and James repositioned themselves on the couch and he slipped a hand over her shoulder, rubbing her slender neck. "So, your mother is a cop? You've never mentioned her before. What does she do?"

Maybe her Mom would be the key to cracking him. She could only hope. "She runs a department… they deal with the most gruesome crimes. Come to think of it, this one is probably hers. I wish she'd tell me something about it. She's been at work a lot lately-the closer she gets to solving a case, the less she is home."

Christine rolled her head down, allowing James to caress her neck and her shoulders. Maybe freaking him out would get him to talk-if he thought Major Crimes was close to solving the case he'd start to let it spill. "Oh, maybe…" he said quietly, "but I highly doubt it."

"Why? Killers are usually stupid, James. They always mess up somewhere." She muttered, a little more indignant than she'd meant to.

"Not all killers are stupid. The original black Dahlia case was never solved, partly because the murder was so clean and precise. If it's an exact copy cat, which it is, its likely that this one won't be solved, either."

Christine tensed. Now was the time things would get difficult, and dangerous. "How do you know if was an exact copy cat?"

"Well, I don't… per say… I'm just saying, if it was, then there you have it. Drugged, killed, cut open, blood drained, left in Leimert Park. Picture perfect for the movies, just like the last one." He rubbed her shoulders a little harder, his own discomfort shining through.

Christine turned to face him, curiosity getting the best of her. "How do you know so much about it, anyway? This case, I mean? It hasn't been released on the news… no newspapers have covered it… where did you find the information, James?"

James let her go and shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Gee, are we sure Mummy didn't send you in here under cover?" James did his best to joke, but his discomfort was thick in his throat. "I have a friend who works at the LAPD. Needed to get the case off his chest. He tells me about a lot of his cases."

"Oh, really?" she smiled, leaning over to rub his shoulders, "that's really nice of you to listen, honey." It was better to let it rest for a moment, she thought. She rubbed the tension out of his neck, kissing his cheek. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she caressed him. He was cute, she could admit that, but there was no chemistry-even if he weren't a suspect in a murder case.

After a moment of what they both could admit was uncomfortable silence, James spoke. "You really do take an interest in these kinds of things?" he asked quietly. His palms were sweaty.

"I do." She muttered, letting go of his shoulders. "I have always found crime fascinating. I want to know what makes murderers tick-what makes them do…what they do..." she sighed, leaning back on the couch.

"Why did you become a lawyer, then, and not a cop like your mother?" He asked, leaning back on the couch to match her stance.

" I don't know. I'm not sure I could handle every case. I think of this one-it just sounds so gruesome. I mean, poor Ame-" Shit. She didn't mean to say her name.

"What were you about to say?" James asked, anger flashing in his eyes as he turned to Christine, facing her fully on the couch.

"Poor…girl." She lied, the fear apparent on her face as she tried to back track.

"No, you weren't. How did you know her name?" He snapped, wrapping his hands around her forearms. "HOW did you know her name, Christine?" He grabbed her hard, shaking her.

"I didn-James, you're hurting me!" she cried out, already feeling the bruises forming as he pushed her in to the couch.

"You lying bitch! Did your mother set you up?" he growled, crawling on top of her as he forced her back hard in to the couch, slamming the back of her head in to the wall as hard as he could as the the tips of his fingers dug in to her flesh. "Tell me how you knew her name. You said it-you said Amelia. How did you know Amelia, Christine? How did you know her?!"

The anger was obvious in his eyes as he glared at her, his nostrils flaring. She winced as his nails broke the flesh on her arms and she felt the springs in the couch push against her back. Her head was pounding from its impact with the wall, and she knew it was about to happen again. "I—ANDY." She cried weakly, knowing he was only a moment away.

James moved and wrapped his hands around her throat, squeezing tightly as he continued to pound her head in to the wall. The rest was a blur. She heard the door being busted in about the same time she started to lose her vision. She heard the echo of Andy's voice calling her name, very faintly, as she closed her eyes, giving in to the sensation to fall asleep. She let the peaceful feeling of unconsciousness wash over her as she felt James release her and she slumped against the couch, giving in to the overwhelming desire not to respond to the desperate repeated calling out of her name.

Andy.

"Come on, you sorry bastard," Andy snapped as he led James in to the interview room, 'accidentally' slamming him in to the wall along the way. He had James' hands cuffed firmly behind his back and he couldn't wait to get him situated so he could get to Sharon's side. "Julio, take this loser so I can go check on the captain, please."

Julio nodded and grabbed James roughly by the arm, leading him in to a small, cramped room. Andy didn't waste any time; he rushed down the hallway and barged in to Sharon's office without knocking. She was sitting at her desk alone, head in her hands. "Oh, Shar…" he said quietly, standing still.

His voice startled her and she jumped, moving her hands away from her face. Her cheeks were stained with tears and mascara and it broke Andy's heart. "Sharon… she's going to be okay." He moved to her and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a hug. His body felt warm against hers, safe. Sharon breathed in his scent, reveling in his embrace. "I couldn't listen to it. He started screaming at her and I left the room-I couldn't stay." She muttered, feeling rather weak.

"That's perfectly alright, Sharon. I think we all preferred that you didn't listen." He said seriously, moving back to look at her, but not letting her go. "She is alright. She has a concussion, but she came out pretty unscathed. Why don't we pack Rusty up and I will drive you to the hospital to get her?"

Sharon eyed him for a moment, then allowed herself to fall back in to his arms, cuddling him close. "That sounds look a good idea," she sighed quietly, "who's going to take care of the asshole in the interview room?"

"We'll let Julio and Provenza take care of it tonight. You can rake him over the coals tomorrow, okay?" He rubbed her back and ran his fingers through her hair, wanting to hold her there, like that, forever.

Rusty knocked on the door, causing Sharon to jump again. She had the feeling she was going to be jumpy for some time. "Hey…" he said quietly, popping his head in to the office with Andrea behind him. Neither Sharon nor Andy made any move to let each other go when they saw who it was. "Hi honey," Sharon said quietly, motioning for both of them to come in. Rusty looked upset and Andrea placed a hand on his shoulder as they both entered the office. "How you doing, Shar?" Andrea asked gently as Andy dropped his arms from her shoulders and moved to hold her hand.

"I'm okay," Sharon nodded, moving quickly to embrace Rusty. She wrapped her arms tight around the young boy, burying her face in his hair. "Your sister is okay, Rusty. I promise." She said softly, trying to soothe him. Rusty reached up and hugged her back, unable to hold his emotion in anymore. Tears threatened to fall as he hid is face in her shoulder. "That was scary…" he muttered, not moving to release his foster mother. Sharon gave him another squeeze, then ran her hand over his head protectively.

"I know it was, Rusty, I know. She is safe, though. I promise. James has been arrested and Christine is at the hospital being checked out. What do you say the four of us pack it up here and go get her?" She moved to meet his eyes but still had her arms wrapped around his, wanting to be close to him.

"Sounds good, Mom," he muttered, wiping the tears from his cheeks half-heartedly.

Sharon let a small gasp of air out and let her own tears fall again, still touched every time Rusty called her Mom. "Oh, Rusty. I love you. I'm so sorry we've all had to go through this tonight…" She sighed, feeling like she'd failed all of her kids. The tears had begun to flow freely and she covered her mouth, wishing she could escape the room.

"No-hey…no…" Rusty said quietly, moving to hug her tight again. "I love you, too… don't cry. She's okay. Lets go get her…" he whispered, rubbing her back in only that genuine, clumsy way a teenage son could with his mother. The effort made her smile through her tears and she gave him one last squeeze.

"Okay, okay…emotional Raydor is …off." She laughed softly, wiping her tears as she looked around the room at the collection of unlikely people she had grown to love in the last year. "Lets go get Chris. Andrea, would you like to come along, too?"

Andrea smiled at her friend and nodded, "Of course. I'd like to see if she's alright, and it's a little bit funny to watch my hard ass friend be such a cry baby."

Sharon rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around Rusty. "Thanks, Andrea," She laughed, shoving a hand in her back pocket. She let Andy lead everyone out of the room and through the station doors.

Christine.

Christine laid back on the hospital bed with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Why did they always keep hospitals so damn cold? Her head was aching like it would never stop and she had a bandage wrapped around her right wrist where she had sprained it trying to get away from James. All in all, it had been a truly terrible evening. She closed her eyes, trying not to think too much when she heard the clicking of high heels down the hallway. That could only be her mother.

Surprisingly, Rusty was the first one in the room with his arms around her. He held her tight to him, running his hands gently over her hair. "Are you okay? Like, really okay?" he muttered frantically, pulling back to look at her. "Your wrist? What did he do to your wrist?"

She took his hand in hers and rubbed his arm gently with her other hand. "I'm okay, little man. I really am. I jut have a killer head ache and a sprained wrist." She smiled at her little brother; she was touched he cared so deeply for her. She looked up at her mother and smiled weakly. "Hey there, momma…" she said quietly, trying to be gentle with her. She knew her mother was probably at her own breaking point. Sharon held back next to Andy and let Rusty fuss over his sister for a moment, as if she was surveying the scene, making sure Christine was really actually there and actually in one piece before she approached her. Finally she moved to the side of the bed and leaned down to kiss her daughter on the forehead.

"I'm sorry I let you do this." She said so quietly it was almost a whisper.

"Mom, you had no choice in the matter. This is not your case. I made a decision, I did it. Better yet, I am alright." She wrapped her hand in her Mom's and squeezed it gently, then leaned her head against her shoulder. "Please don't beat yourself up. You know how stubborn I am. You had NO choice in the matter. Seriously."

Sharon rested her hand on her daughter's leg and sighed, happy to have her safe and in her arms. "Whatever you say, doll baby." She sighed, enjoying the quiet for a moment.

Christine hugged her mom around the waist, then lifted her head. "I can't sit like that for too long. I'll fall asleep. I'm not allowed to fall asleep." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'm starving. Can we go get food, please?" she looked around the room at Rusty, Andy, and Andrea, a grin on her face.

Andrea and Andy looked at each other, shaking their heads. "I don't see why not. I'm starving, I know your mother hasn't eaten a thing all day, " Andy smiled, "what do you say, Hobbs? You up for it?" Andrea smiled, but blushed nervously. "Sure, why not?" she muttered, looking at Rusty. "I'm a teenager… I just follow wherever that lady makes me go." Rusty laughed, pointing at Sharon.

"Alright, well lets get this woman some food then. She deserves it, she caught a killer tonight." Andy smiled, offering his hand to Christine to help her stand. Christine gladly accepted it, but Sharon moved to wrap an arm around her instead. Rusty moved to the other side of Sharon and wrapped his arm around her, wanting to be as close to his mom and sister as he could get. Together, the three of them walked out of the hospital room with Andrea and Andy following in tow. They'd deal with the weight of it all tomorrow, but for tonight all five of them needed some food and some laughs and some rest and doing it all together was going to be perfect.