A rare sight in the morning: Ms. Dawson still in her nightgown and at home. In thirty minutes, the nanny would ring a bell calling her children to the patio for lunch. They were in the backyard playing cops and robbers with each other, where Phoebe was undoubtedly the bad guy, while Charles tried to protect the prized item, which was a stuffed animal that Maya had forgotten here, two weeks ago. The matriarch of the household would have to visit the Reese kids and return it, but for now, Charles was missing his buddy cop. They were a team in catching the unstoppable villain, his sister, so... he didn't necessarily want to give the plushie back to anyone. Not even to his mother.

Has she explained to her children that they may never see their friend again? Absolutely not. In their little minds, at least she hoped they believed her, Mr. Reese and Maya went on vacation. A white lie. Yes. But, she wasn't ready to break their hearts. It's only been a week since they've gone missing, but having been exposed to the worst crimes because of her field, Annabel looked at the incident with skepticism. Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, Roderick and Maya weren't dead. Maybe, just maybe, they would return today out of the blue. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be something added to the paper. Another note-worthy, unfortunate story, about the loss of good people, in this small, cursed town.

Sitting in her lounge area within her office, a porcelain cup filled to the brim with hot, hibiscus tea in hand, Ana took another deep sip, as she glanced down looking at an open manila folder with documents from her most recent closed case. Reviewing one of many tough cases she's fought. She, always up for a challenge, defended a minor who fatally shot his police officer father. He couldn't stand the abuse and continuously told her 'he's better off dead'. So, she had to prove to the court this boy wasn't a sociopath. After some strategy and some help from her colleague in California, at first the case not looking promising at all for her and her team, she was able to convince the D.A. that the jury had been tampered with, which led to the judge declaring a mistrial. Her client was no longer seen as a sociopath and his case was kicked to juvenille court. An honest win for the severity of this case.

Her team, depending on availability, would be considered small compared to Wall Street's notorious law firms. Really, they were her friends from law school that assist her with her workload. Her and two other attorneys, one located on the outskirts of the town, as Millington's district attorney, and the other located in Los Angeles, each with their own reputation of being ruthlessly good at what they do. Griffon Cohen ^{(see male picture above)} and Elizabeth Savage. They both have two paralegals, one legal secretary, one record clerk, and one book keeper in their designated locations. Griffon, as DA, also has a couple of assistants to represent him.

His ADAs work around the clock and do behind-the-scenes casework for both him (for the state) and Annabel (for wherever her clients are located). Griffon appoints his other staff members to her as well, since those who want to pursue law in Millington aren't many and as much as Ana would love to be a superhero and close cases with super intelligence, she needs the help. Every attorney needs help. Their workplace, however, is with him, since Ana prefers her home office over anywhere else. She does have a room available for her with him if she ever wants to... 'get away'. One can say they have history, making their relationship fairly unique both professionally and personally.

Ana had gotten back from California two days after Roderick and the youngest Reese child went missing and since then she's been out of sorts. A profession like her's took strength, especially mentally and emotionally. Yet, that wasn't why her A-game was downgraded to 'hot mess'. Ophelia Reese's death had already taken a toll on her, but as cold as this may have come across, she kept trudging onward, acting like she wasn't affected by one of her best friend's suicides. That happened only this past February. Something she could've prevented if she was around, but work, as always, came first. On top of that grief, she couldn't help but pity Ophelia's children. Those poor children learning to live with such loss have to now accept that their father and baby sister may have joined their mother.

After letting a heavy sigh escape her lips, she placed her glass down onto the table and pressed the button on her landline that would play her voicemails. She had three missed calls. The first one was from none other than her old flame, before she married NO-NAME. Dear Griffon. Honestly, she didn't know what she'd do without him. He and Eliza were the main reason she had such a strong clientele, since they referred people to her all the time. Her melting chocolate eyes deeply stared into the red liquid listening to the man's modulated and serious voice: "I'm not going to take up much of your time, but I do need you to listen to me. For once, don't be stubborn. Please know, I only say this because I care — Ana, due to recent events, you should temporarily close your firm to focus on your health. You've recently decided to do seminars at MU. Add that, with your usual workload, the fact that you are a mother, and what you must be going through, I demand that you take care of YOU. I will not allow any of my staff to help with your next case if you deliberately disobey my orders. Send me your clientele list and a formal letter addressing your sabbatical. Eliza and I will make sure your clients are well taken care of. Do remember, I am here for you if you need to talk. Never hesitate in calling, give the Reese's my condolences, and some time today you will be receiving flowers to ease your worry. Take care and don't take my kindness for granted." Click.

With furrowed eyebrows, Ana went from looking at her tea to glaring at her phone. Who was he to tell her to not work?! Well, she did have plenty of money saved up, but still! Work kept her busy. Without work, she would be left to her own thoughts. Her mind wasn't the safest place for her. Why would she want an open schedule to have more time to THINK? He acted like he knew her! Like he knew she wasn't doing alright!

Before she could grab the phone to dial his number and start giving him a hissy fit, the next voicemail played. It was her sister, Lyla, five years younger than her, and a decently successful fashion journalist in NYC.

"Hey Ana-banana, so.... Griffon called me." That bastard. "Y'know it's the summer and you and the little rascals could always come to the east coast. A lot's happening in Millington so the offer is on the table. I wish I could come, but you already know how sick mom is. If not for the whole summer, consider a week. Take a break!" There was a pause from the chipper woman's voice, before she continued, letting out a hopeless laugh, "I already know how you would respond. You're so predictable. 'Phoebe and Charles are experiencing enough change right now, I can't possibly overwhelm them anymore than they already are!'
Am I right, or amiright?"

Ana rolled her eyes at her sister's assumption, which was... true, but whatever. "Okay, okay. I'm done teasing. Still, you need to not work so much. Those kids already don't see their father often, if at all, because of the divorce terms. You don't want them to grow up feeling empty. Stop working and spend time with them. They need you." Unfortunately so. Ana didn't think she was a very good mother. "Now, enough about you, here's a quick update—" The voicemail cut her sister's voice and started playing the next one.

"Ooops! I hung up. My bad. Like I was saying. Enough about you, guess what? Me and Lou broke up, again. This time I'm totally done with him. He's a fucking ass and I can't believe why I gave him another chance. It's so dumb, really. It's like why the hell do I let some pretentious turd define me as a woman. I should be like you and just not give men the time of day. Unless they're like Griff, who you totally don't give! He's still so in love with you." False. Ana wasn't opposed to dating, she just hasn't found someone who understood her. Truly and deeply. She also wasn't opposed to casually browsing. As for Griff, he was an old flame and she preferred his friendship over the prospect of them as a romantic couple. He was kind of a whore. "Well, whatever. Ugh, Lou makes me so angry. Should I call him and bitch him out? I probably should call him and bitch him out. Imma' do it." Of course she will. "Say hi to my babies. Tell them Auntie loves them very much and that we will chat soon!" By now, Ana had mentally checked out. Her sister was insufferable. "Keep me updated, okay? I'm not going to tell mom what's happening... I still haven't even told her about Ophelia. OH! And you should just marry Griffon. You're not getting any younger. Okay, love you! Byeeeeeeee." Click.

As if on cue, Ana's doorbell rang. She was still in her pajamas... "That must be the flowers."

I think I'll give it to them... Standing up, Ana gracefully glided to her window, peering through the curtain and looking at the house ahead. She seriously needed to get dress. Why wasn't she dressed, anyways?

"Look, I promise, I'm like--" A break as she stopped suddenly, barely keeping herself from muttering some choice words. Bad plan when you were on the phone with your coworkers. Headset on, luckily. Hadn't quite stooped to actually holding the phone while she drove; at least not too often. Sometimes she forgot things, but that didn't count. "Three minutes away, max. That barely counts as late."

Sandy needed to start checking when her shifts were before she did anything else. She'd barely had time to get home, note a few things down, and shower before heading right back out; her hair was a mess, uniform slightly crumpled - forgot to iron the damn thing again - and she generally didn't look all that ready to work. Lucky it suited her, she guessed, and her cap covered up the worst of the birds' nest on her head. Next best thing to actually being put together was making your scruffiness seem deliberate, and that, Sandy could do. It was a talent.

Or at least calling it that made her feel better. Whatever worked, right? Right!

Man, she really wanted to nap. Not the safest state to be in while she drove into town, but whatever. Hadn't killed her yet, and that was good enough for her. It wasn't the riskiest thing she'd ever done - not even the riskiest things got weekly, really. You couldn't go worrying about that stuff or you'd never do anything.

Completely untrue. But hey, live fast die young. Saved you a lot of stress if you didn't worry so much about consequences when you didn't need to, plus you got things done. The more you worried, the more likely you were to pass up on things or miss a trick while you wondered if it was a good idea. Good idea or not, what she knew was that thinking too hard on it was a waste of time. So here she was, making her way into work. Not too late.

Lucky she was likeable, and the boss was understanding of her situation. Most people would've fired her by now, and it was nice to have a regular-ish job to keep money coming in. She had rent to pay, after all. Like most people. Parking haphazardly outside, she practically leapt off of her bike, locking it up quickly and dashing around the back. Where was she? Front of house, right. Until they needed her out on delivery. Which happened surprisingly often for the morning.

The joys of summer, she guessed.

Shouldering her rucksack, she pushed her way inside, quickly dumping the bag - padlocked shut, for privacy's sake - in the storage cupboard before heading into the kitchen. Boss wasn't here yet, and thank goodness for that. She could pass her appearance off as just being her usual frazzled self. All good. Totally good.

"Hey, people. Ya miss me?" Bright-toothed smile, a cheerfulness that seemed infectious. There was a good reason she was meant to be dealing with customers all the time, after all. Even if some of her coworkers didn't seem to appreciate it quite as much, judging by the scowl that the dishwasher shot her. He'd never liked her, but he wasn't gonna be here for long anyway. Summer job, right?

"Sure missed peace and quiet."

Yeah. He always mumbled like he didn't think she could hear him fine well. According to what she'd managed to pick up, her cheerfulness apparently got grating fast when you were stuck in this place, and peppiness was out of place at best with some people right now, but...

Look, she got it. And it sucked, what was happening with that family - she could see their place from where she stood at the counter, waiting for people to show up - but you couldn't have a whole town mourning forever. People missing shook her up as much as anyone, not like she lived in the safest part of town. Even when she wasn't in her apartment, all her wandering probably put her at risk, technically, so she got why they were all on edge.

But Sandy wasn't willing to put her life on hold or keep her head down for every tragedy in life. Idly whistling, she stood at the counter, waiting for a call or a customer to come in. The excitement never ended around here, that was certain.

Whether that thought was sarcasm or not, even she wasn't quite sure.

Intoxicating. Addicting. Choking. Where most people would smell stench, Robin Reese smelt comfort. Such an unsavory smell smoke had that he absolutely couldn't get enough of. Most people hated it, which made it that more enjoyable. His window was open to air out his room, but by now, all his belongings, as well as himself, were past the point of no return. No Febreze could ever cover up years of cancer. He loved it and no one cared enough to stop him, so fuck it. He'll die happy. That's all they could ask for. To die happy.

As overwhelming as the smoke was that he's grown accustomed to, it was nothing like the burn that lingered in his throat. That's what he craved. That's what he needed. That's why he smoked. That burn. His sexual pleasure because he didn't get any. Leaning against his backboard, dressed in his work clothes, with red converse on (yes, on his bed), for his afternoon shift at the family restaurant, the black sheep of the family sucked the Lucky Strike deep into his lungs. He let its purpose seep into every fiber of his being. The craving that was never fully satisfied. Something he could relate to on a spiritual level.

Satisfaction was subjective and only obtained when people were content where they were. He was neither content or in need to gain anything. While the cigarette dangled in his scrawny fingers, Robin acknowledged his state of mind which was pure stagnation. Nothing to be proud about when you don't see a point in doing anything worthwhile, but he was young and the nicotine was good enough for him. If his mother didn't see a point in moving forward, why should he?

Tsk.

Peaceful and in the zone. His zone. Smoke trailed out his lips gradually and effortlessly. What time was it anyways...? Didn't matter. Even if he missed his shift, his older siblings would make sure they found someone to cover for him. Life was good. All he had to do was say he was having a hard time. They couldn't fault him for that. Their family was tragically miserable. It was truly affecting his day-to-day life. How would he ever function?

Sighing to himself, enjoying his mental sarcasm, Robin continued down the path of contemplation. Life was good. No parent to tell him what to do. No baby sister to make him feel bad about smoking. No responsibilities. Glancing up at the ceiling, his distant, green gaze emptily gawked at the white canvas that was before him. His hand that held the cigarette gingerly went to the soda can on his nightstand. The ash sprinkled across the top of the can, until he smashed the stick, crushing it, and inevitably releasing it into the abyss that was the can's insides.

Tragic how fast these moments pass him by. Reminded him much of his childhood. Years and years of forgotten memories. The bad glared out more than the good. Memories. Why couldn't they make their own? The only good that ever came into his mind was a face of a woman that gave up on him. His mother's face, her tender, meek smile, came and went as it pleased. She fooled everyone. The biggest liar award goes to none other than Ophelia Reese. She made the world believe she was strong, but really... she...

That same welcoming, loving woman, whose smile was like sunlight in his mind shifted where her face turned ugly, as she sobbed profusely, collapsing onto the floor before him. Begging for all the weight in the world to be lifted off her shoulders. "Ma —" The image of her so vivid, like it was only yesterday. She was like glass and if he reached for her, she would surely break.

"— Ah, fuck."

His mind was ripped out of his memories when he heard Meg: “ABIGAIL! YOU LEFT THE DOOR UNLOCKED!”

Rolling off his bed, and bringing himself to a standing position, Robin traced his fingers through his hair, "That's my cue." Without delay, he went to his desk and grabbed the backpack off the chair. Opening it quickly, he made sure he had everything he needed. Oh, one more thing. He grabbed a frame lying on his desk that he recently filled with a new printed picture. After wrapping it with a small hand towel, he placed it in his bag.

He was just about ready, so he made his way to his window. Part of him was tempted to bring a hoodie, but he was already wearing a long blouse for work. Dumb. Whatever. He was wasting time. With his already open window, rarely does he ever close it because of the smell, Robin recklessly tossed the backpack and it plopped onto the grass. Hence, the hand towel. They didn't have vines in the front of their house, but they did have a tree where he could.... Robin leaned out of his window, reaching for the closest branch. If he were any smaller, this could end terribly. Climbing out of his window, he threw himself onto the tree, tightly grasping the wooden arm, letting himself swing for a bit. Robin glanced over to the mechanic. "Sup, dude." before dropping to the ground.

He did parkour, bitch.

At last, it was time to avoid his family entirely, the rebel without a cause grabbed the backpack off the ground and his skateboard that was planted in a bush. Making his way to the street, he dropped the board onto the road, threw his bag over one of his shoulders, and waved at his friendly neighbor. Might as well be friendly back. "Bye, dude." To announce that Robin has left the building, he acted like he was going in his sister's car, by first loudly slapping the hood, appreciating its nice paint job, and then trying to open the door, but only for one reason.

To set the alarm off.

"See you fuckers later!" Putting his foot on the board, he kicked off, "Nice wheels, Abi-Abi! Better take good care of it!" Protecting it from people like him who wouldn't have mind dropping out of his window onto her hood. That's just how Robin rolled. Respect, my dude. What was that?

The blonde nineteen year old sped to his next destination, his mother's grave, disappearing in the distance.

Now that's how you make an exit.

Tying her silk robe closed, Annabel sighed to herself when she heard the entrance of her nanny. She was still looking out the window, watching the flower boy running away for dear life. She wasn’t necessarily in the mood to put on a face, but she did need to start her day. That entailed clothes so she could give her neighbors a visit. From her closed office, she called out to Adelaid, not returning the humor, simply telling her, her plan, “We’ll be giving that to the Reeses. Put it in my blue vase, please.” which was in the kitchen on the island, empty and waiting.

“The kids need to eat,” she added. The tone of her voice was enough to display that the bosswoman wasn’t in the best mood. She started her morning off thinking too much, and now she had to consider her friend’s and her sister’s words. Was taking a break worth the leisure? Having too much free time simply meant Ana couldn’t keep herself busy from thinking about unnecessary things. Things that made her feel insufficient and depressed. “Give me a few.” It was time to change and get her engine started. Put the smile on that everyone loved. Be a good, friendly neighbor and give her condolences.

Meanwhile, outside, Charles threw his toy water gun on the ground, Maya’s bunny plushie leaned against the tree. The tree with a tire swing on it, “This isn’t fun.” He pouted, sitting on the floor and grabbing his friend’s stuffed animal, one of many, and placing it on his lap. “You’re too big and too fast. And win all the time. It’s no fun.” Charlie wasn’t very confident in his abilities to take down his sister, which is why he liked Maya as his partner. They both were capable of taking her down. Together.

“Aw come on, Choo Choo.” Phoebe picked up his tiny water gun and tried to be a cowboy with her toy, and his, attempting to twirl it in her fingers like the movies, “You should try harder! Giving up just makes you lame.”

“I’m not lame! Mommy says I’m special and wonderful.” He possessively hugged the doll. “I just want my friend!” He defended his honor. There was nothing wrong with missing his friend. Phoebe was just being a big meanie. She should be missing Maya too!

Rolling her eyes, she slipped the toy guns in her mother’s belt, that was wrapped around her thin waist, and made her way to her brother, “Give me that, Choo Choo.” She tried pulling the bunny away from him, by the ears. “Mommy said she’s on a trip! You need to stop being a baby.”

“No! Stop it!” Charlie used all the force in the world so Phoebe could not take the bunny from him. Fortunately, Maya’s favorite teddy bear was on her bed, across the street. This was her second favorite stuffed animal named Brownie that she and Charlie shared. “You’re going to hide Brownie from me! Stop it, Phoebe! Leave Brownie alone!” Phoebe aggressively yanked the bunny out of her brother’s hands, but it was rewarded with the sound of a rip. The bunny’s head slightly hanged off and its stuffing seeped out.

The waterworks started and Charlie screamed. Phoebe immediately regretted everything and tried to calm him down. “Shuuush. Be quiet, will you! I’ll fix it, Charlie. Don’t cry!” He got up, pushing his sister away in the process, and picking up the wounded bunny. He started to run. “Choo Choo, I’m sorrryyy! Don’t tell mommy! Where are you going?!” He was trying to open the gate to tell the Reeses what his sister did. He was too tiny to reach the latch. His sister was a horrible person.

As per usual it was all business with Ana, and she sounded even grumpier than usual, most likely to do with the current situation at the Reese estate. “Got it boss! Well, time to make some money, honey, and what better way to do that than by making a quick and nutritious meal. Adelaid had some plans to concoct some new meals for the kids, but those were more suited towards dinner time, right now, it was more like chicken nuggies and mac & cheese time. Heading to the kitchen, she was just about to put the flowers in the vase before a blood curdling scream emanated from the backyard, nearly making Ade drop the bouquet right then and there. 'Annnnnd this is how my day starts,' she thought, sighing and shaking her head.

Carefully she placed the flowers in the vase and started making her way to the sliding door that lead to the backyard. In most cases, whether you’re a parent or a caretaker, whenever a child screams it's usually because tragedy struck, like they fell out of a tree or something. In Adelaid's experience, it was usually because Phoebe was being a brat to her brother, and while she wasn’t running like the four winds were at her back, she did stride out with purpose. "Alright you two, what’s going on out here?!” Her voice was raised, carrying out her authority without being angry or too loud. Thus the scene unfolded as such, Adelaid with her hands on her hips, head cocked and eyebrow raised her gaze sharp and discerning, whilst Charlie was still trying at the gate, and Phoebe looking like she was about to shit bricks. She walked her way over to Charlie, a quick gaze to Phoebe as if to say, what did you do now? before returning her attention to Charlie, a blubbering mess. Once in front of him, she crouched down, eye level to the tearful boy, her gaze calm and with a gentle smile on her face asked, "What’s wrong Charlie? Why are you crying?”

Charlie couldn’t muster words. He tried to in between cries, but it was just a blubbering mess, so he lifted up Maya’s bunny and said the only thing he could say, “Dead.” While the nanny was preoccupied, Phoebe used this to get her actual mommy involved, to soften the blow. So. She scurried silently into the house. Regardless if Ade yelled for her to stop, she wasn’t going to. Phoebe was what you call a bad apple that did what she wanted.

As was tradition, whenever Charlie cried out wolf, Phoebe would slither away and seek asylum with mommy. Even if Adelaid told her to stop, she was too free spirited to listen to her and in a way it was kind of cute the way the kid reminded her of herself; a free spirited brat. Either way, one crisis at a time, as a nearly headless stuffed bunny, the one that Maya shared with him. Her smile faded into a more thoughtful one, she felt bad for the children, enduring through the white lie that had been fed to them, they must have missed their friend so badly. The moment passing, her smile resumed as she attempted to reassure the boy, a small giggle eliciting before stating, "Don’t worry baby, Brownie’s not dead, he’s just got a little booboo, that’s all!”

Grabbing Charlie from both sides, she hoisted him up into the crux of her arm and with her free hand, grabbed a handkerchief to wipe his eyes and nose; practically needed those on hand for him. "How about this? Let’s go inside and I’ll take Brownie to the bunny doctor, okay? And for being such a good friend and taking care of him, I think you deserve a little treat for lunch! How about...chicken nugget dinos and fries?” The tears lessened at the offering of nug dinos and french fries. He loved fries. Sniffling he nodded. Taking Brownie to the doctor will be good for her. Then when Maya came back home, she would know he was a good daddy. "Alright! First though, let’s go say hi to mommy, okay?”

“Mommy is going to be mad I’m crying. She never cries, so me crying is bad.” Charlie rubbed his face gently on the back of Brownie’s almost-falling-off-head, not realizing he was making it worse. That made Adelaid’s heart sting a little, if only he knew what Ana endured, the nights that Ade had to console the woman when she had too much to drink. Mommys had to be strong however, they couldn’t show that side of themselves, at first the thought of it was pure rubbish, but as the years went on, she understood why she couldn’t be that way around them. "Don’t worry baby, mommy’s not gonna be mad, she’s gonna be so proud of you for taking care of Brownie, now come on, let’s go inside.” With that, she made her way back into the house, package and all. Phoebe on the other hand, she’d deal with later, there were other...tortures she could put her through that didn’t involve a silver suppository.

Inside her bedroom now, Ana rummaged through her clothes in her closet, deciding what she should wear. Should she wear one of her classy formal suits? Probably not. She wasn’t working today. Pulling out a blue summer maxi dress she stared at it for a bit, until shaking her head. She wasn’t feeling that either. Before she came to any decision, her daughter came rushing into the master bedroom, “MOMMY! Choo Choo isn’t being a big boy and he’s trying to get me in trouble.”

Ana narrowed her eyes. Phoebe knew better than to run into her bedroom like that. “One second. Mommy’s kinda getting dressed.” Poking her head into the closet, seeing her nakey mom, well her mommy was in a bra and panty, but she was still nakey, Phoebe suggested, “Wear the last dress you wore when you went out with Mrs. Reese! It looks very pretty on you. Pink looks pretty on you.” Her daughter wasn’t going to give her space, was she?

Fine.

Choosing the dress she wore the day before Ophelia committed suicide, and her white jean jacket, with brown boots, Ana made a couple of glances towards her naughty daughter, who was gawking at her. Most likely glad to still see her mother home. This was one of her dresses she wore in college, but hey, it still fit her. Didn’t make her look her age though. Nothing really helped with her looking older. Even when she tried to be more conservative, it simply looked like a twenty year old trying to be taken seriously, but failing. That’s where her words come in. Once she opens her mouth, people know she isn’t some ‘dumb blonde’.

“Are you going to tell me what happened or will I have to get the spoon involved?”

“No!” Phoebe defensively yelled back. Rarely did Ana discipline her children but when it was needed, the spoon got involved. The enemy in this household. “No wooden spoon is needed, mommy.” Note to self, hide it. Hide that damn spoon. “We were just playing and Brownie got caught on the tree and broke!” Phoebe lied. If there was one thing that was NOT going to happen was her getting spanking! She would run away if that happened. Absolutely run away!

“Is that so? What else happened?” The mother calmly responded, as she went to her vanity, grabbing her brush and quickly taming her hair down.

“Charlie keeps talking about Maya. When are they coming back anyways? I can’t keep him happy by myself!” Through the mirror, Ana stared at the death glare that her daughter was giving her. Persistent and with a point. Ana didn’t know how to answer her daughter’s question...

"Knock, knock!” As if the angels had descended down from heaven, Adelaid appeared in the doorway to Ana’s bedroom, a much more calm Charlie in her hands. Scanning the room, she found thing #2 and made it a point to give her an extra cheery smile before lowering the young boy to the ground. "Hey Phoebe, why don’t you take your brother downstairs and play in the living room, lunch’ll be ready soon, okay?” There was a cheer in her voice sure, but there was intent in it, something that said I dare you to try and do anything different in front of Mommy. Turning to Charlie, Adelaid extended her hand, "I can take Brownie to the bunny doctor, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll be extra gentle with her.”

As much as Phoebe wanted to sass the nanny out, and trust me, she had a lot of comebacks, she decided to hold her tongue and pay her respect later. “Fine.” Just you wait old lady! You’re messin with the wrong villain. Yes, Phoebe was already plotting up something to set Ade’s world on FIRE. Doom to the old fart!

“...okay, be very, very soft. And have the doctor give Brownie a lollipop.” Charlie released the plushie and looked toward his mommy, “I’m okay, mommy. I love you.”

Ana’s gaze softened at the scene, always respecting Ade’s way with her children. “I love you too, Choo Choo Charlie.” The boy beamed his dimpled smile at his mama, before Phoebe started tugging his hand to leave.

“Let’s go.” Before Phoebe left, she met her dark gaze with the nanny’s, equally challenging her. She didn’t like the nanny. One day, the nanny would go. After a minute or two, the kids left to play downstairs.

“Fun start?” Ana teased, going back to brushing her hair.

Adelaid watched as the kids bolted downstairs and as soon as they were out of earshot, she looked back to Ana, "Ah, you know how it is,” grunting a little as she stood up, "Just looking after another casualty of war and what not.” Casually making her way over to one of the dressers, she retrieved a small sewing kit from one of the top drawers, selected an appropriate color to match Brownie’s fur, then planted herself on the vanity next to Ana. Threading the needle she got to work on reattaching a nearly decapitated bunny head. This wasn’t her first one either, Phoebe was rather rough on her toys, or more appropriately, her brother’s toys. While some would say that she showed her playthings lots of love, Adelaid would say she was just being a brat, not an issue so long as it didn’t go too far, but it did cause some kinks in the cog.

While working, her eyes wandered over to her boss, she did look rather gorgeous in that dress and couldn’t help but express it, "Damn Momma, you lookin’ fine today, got a hot date or something?” Adelaid couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“I wished.” Ana chuckled back. “The little devil herself chose this outfit. I guess I have nothing better to do, so might as well look like I got it all together. Amiright?” Placing her brush down, she started applying light makeup under and around her eyes for the apparent dark circles. “Griffon and Lyla left me messages. I’ll call them back eventually. They want me to… not work.” In short, yeah, that was what their messages were about.

Ade raised an eyebrow, her needlework stopping, "You? On vacation? Since when did pigs start flying,” She laughed a little harder this time, before going back to her operation, eyes softening, "But for real hun...it's not a bad idea to take a little time off and get yourself squared away.” She stopped and placed the half finished plushie on the vanity, looking at Ana. "What happened to that family, sucks and I’ve only known them for a few years, I can’t imagine what’s going on in your head right now.” There was a bit of concern in her voice, "I know you haven’t been sleeping right lately, and I know you use work to focus on things and sort of make everything else disappear for a bit, but you need to focus on you. If nothing else, think of the kids, I mean, how long are we expected to keep the charade up? They’re smart...well, Pheebs is smart,” deviously cunning was more the right word as she continued her handiwork.

"Look...you’ve been running ragged lately, and those kids have gone from a daily habit of having their little friend over for two years, to suddenly zilch; they know somethin’ ain’t right. RIght now, they need you, more than ever and if taking time off means helping them will lead a way to helping you, I think it’s worth it.”

Placing her makeup sponge down, Ana turned her body towards her friend, her voice lowering, saddening, “It feels like February all over again.” The month that Ophelia committed suicide. “I could’ve stopped that, y’know. There were signs. Like the last time I saw her was a plea for help, but I was too focused on me. What if this is the same shit? Like I could’ve stopped Roddy from doing something stupid?” Truthfully, she was a terrible friend and if anything, she probably only made their personal lives worse by never being there for them like they were for her.

Ade continued to listen while finishing the surgery, making one last incision and snip she inspected the bunny. It smelled a little off and was a bit sticky and gooey from Charlie sobbing all over it, but nothing that a bath in the washer couldn’t fix. Lowering the plushie next to Ana’s hand, she briskly moved over it to grab it consolingly, clasping her other hand over it, "Babe, you can’t keep blaming yourself for that,” Ade looked her in the eyes, "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, Life. Happens. People make choices all the time and sometimes we have no idea why they made them, but we can’t go and blame ourselves for other people’s actions.” She let that hang in the air for a moment, her eyes fixated on the stressed woman in front of her. "If you really believe that though, that you could’ve done somethin’ better back then, then do somethin’ better now. Not just as your nanny, but as your friend, take a break and I’m not askin’,” she shook her head a little, her voice becoming a little more serious, "I’m tellin’, be here for yourself, for your children and for that family.”

Ade had a point, but it was hard to not feel like she didn’t fail. Her job dealt with the truth and fighting someone’s case. Yet, when it came to her own personal relations, all that went out the door. Logic didn’t seem to exist. “Fine. I doubt you’ll take no for an answer, even if you know I’ll do what I want regardless of what anyone says,” Like mother, like daughter. “I will ‘take a break’. Whatever the hell that means. Now.” She checked herself once more in the mirror. One last thing. She applied maroon lipstick on, before adding, “Let’s feed the monsters, before they actually become monsters.” More so Phoebe than Charles.

“What actually happened, anyways?”

"I think I’ve got a few ideas on how to help you out with ‘taking a break’” Ade smiled with a wink before taking the bunny to the laundry basket, tossing it in and hefting it up. "As for what happened,” she shrugged, "Hell if I know, my guess, Phoebe being a brat again...speaking of which…” she trailed off as she started downstairs, "Pheebs! Whatchu want for lunch?!” “You know what I like… _{old lady}. SLOPPY JOES, DUH.” "Great! Fish Sticks it is!” her voice echoed.

“_{You will pay...}”