Andy led Lacey up the stairs and to his room at the end of the carpeted hallway. He rummaged through his drawers and handed Lacey a Misfits t-shirt and a pair of batman boxers for her to wear to bed.

"Batman, Andy? Surprise, surprise." Lacey laughed.

"Oh, just go change, would you?" Andy laughed along with her.

She went to the bathroom to change and came back to find Andy in bed already. He watched her stand there awkwardly before motioning her over to him.

"Get in." He said.

"Oh, um, are you sure? I can go sleep on the couch."

"No, it's fine, really. Jump in."

Lacey walked to the other side of the bed and slid in under the blankets next to him.

"You okay?" He looked over at her.

"Yeah, yeah, I think so."

"You look good in my Misfits shirt." Andy chuckled and Lacey laughed along with him.

"Oh, shut up. It's fucking huge on me. I look like an oompa loompa."

"Nah, I think you look...cute."

Lacey smiled and moved closer to Andy who put his arms around her. She closed her eyes and took in the smell of him as she slowly drifted off to sleep in his arms.
***
Athena pressed the phone to her ear and listened as each ring sounded. After the third ring, a voice said "Athena?"

"Yeah, CC. It's me. Hey." Athena said.

"Thank god you're okay! I've been going crazy worrying about you! I thought you died or something!" CC exclaimed.

"No, no, I'm... I'm okay."

"Good. Can I see you?"

"When? Now?"

"Well, maybe tonight? I had a little something in mind."

Athena could practically hear the seduction in his voice. "Oh...Um-" The doorbell rang. "CC, I'll call you back in a second."

"Okay, hurry back! I'll miss you too much!"

Athena laughed. "I'll talk to you in a few minutes, CC."

She hung up the phone and hurried down the stairs to the front door. She pulled the door open and her mouth fell open at the sight. There, standing on her front step, was the one person she thought she would never see.

"Mom?" Athena stared at the woman standing outside in the pouring rain.

Her hair was tangled, her mascara was running down her cheeks and her clothes disheveled.

"Can I come in?" Her mother asked.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, come in. Does-"

"No. Your father doesn't know I'm back. No one knows I'm back." Her mother took off her soaking wet jacket and draped it over a kitchen chair before sitting down.

"What happened to you?" Athena stood by the empty chair across from her mother.

Her mother patted the table in front of the empty chair. "Sit down. It's a long story." She said.

Athena looked at the empty chair and hesitated for a moment before she sat down. She knew CC was waiting for her call but Athena hadn't seen her mother for years and now here she was, sitting right in front of her. It was obvious to Athena that her mother came here for a reason.

She needed help.