After they arrived at the police station and Tom explained as best he could with Shae's input where they needed it, they waited half an hour for Pauline, who was Shae's acting social worker, to arrive. When she had, two officers sat down with them, neither out of their twenties, a man and a woman, who introduced themselves as Officer Reagan and Officer Fields.

"Alright, Shae," Fields began. "Can you tell us what happened, starting with after you were dropped off at the foster family's house?"

Tom kept his eyes locked on the young woman as she took a deep, shaky breath. "After I was dropped off and introduced and everything," she said softly, "they told me I could go to my room and get settled. So I stayed there until dinner."

"What were your impressions of the family when you first arrived?" Reagan asked, his eyes locked on hers. "Did anything seem off to you?"

"Not really." She shrugged slightly. "I don't know. They seemed nice. A little fake, but a lot of people are. I guess I had an off feeling about all of it, but I thought I was just being weird since... since it was my first time in that... environment... since before everything happened."

"Understandable," he agreed. "I'm sure it was a lot to take in. When did their behavior change?"

"When the lady came to tell me dinner was ready, I was on the phone with my best friend," she explained, a slight tremble in her voice. "He's a Ranger in the Army, who my..." She swallowed hard. "My dad kinda took under his wing when he first joined. I hung up and went downstairs, and that was when they started acting weird. I closed my eyes and prayed in my head before I started to eat, and when they asked and I told them I was praying, they said they didn't believe in that kind of thing. So I told them that was fine and I'd keep it to myself, but they still acted unhappy about it and said we'd talk about it later."

"That's already violating the rules as foster parents," Pauline sighed. "They're supposed to respect any beliefs kids come in with, and never question them as long as they're not directly causing any serious behavioral issues."

Since he'd spent the last month getting himself registered and cleared as a foster parent, Tom had already known that. Apparently, not everyone took the agreements they made upon licensing as seriously as he had.

"Was their behavior hostile when they said that to you?" Fields asked, looking up from taking notes.

"Not really hostile," the girl replied uncertainly. "Maybe a little... disgusted... but not like they were gonna hurt me over it or anything."

"I see. But they didn't press the issue at the time?"

"No, ma'am. They just said we'd talk abut it later and moved on."

"Where did the conversation go from there?" Reagan asked as his partner took more notes.

"Molly, the lady, had already asked who I was on the phone with, and I told her it was my best friend who lived in Georgia," Shae explained.

She was being so strong, but Tom could see an inner battle raging behind her eyes.

"So she asked me what he was in Georgia for. When I told her he was a Ranger, they started acting the same way they did when I was praying, except worse. The daughter made some comment about how it takes the best of them, and then they started going off on the military, calling them murderers who killed for the sake of killing and other **** like that. I tried as hard as I could to be polite when I defended them, but they just called me a confused kid who'd been lied to by the world. And said they liked fostering kids like me so they could show us the truth or whatever."

The look on Pauline's face was utterly horrified. "How have we let them foster so many teens when they act like this?" she asked, almost like she was questioning herself. "They should have never been licensed."

"Would you say they got more hostile as the conversation went on?" Reagan asked Shae, but she shook her head slowly.

"Not really... just more demeaning and disgusted at that point. But then they... they were going off on how horrible the US is, and how the military was the pinnacle of all of that. And then they said... they said that any man or woman who dies in the line of duty got what they deserved."

Now, every face in the room was displaying a look of horror. Tom could feel his stomach physically churning and his blood beginning to boil at the thought of someone saying that to a girl who'd lost her father in the line of duty.

"My dad..." The slight tremble in her voice was stronger now, and Tom could see moisture stinging her eyes. "my dad was a Ranger who was... he was killed overseas three years ago." She took a deep, shaky breath, but neither the tremble nor the tears went away. "So I... I kind-of flipped out."

"Again, understandable," Reagan told her. "I'm so sorry you had to sit there and listen to that. Thank you and your dad for your service."

The girl managed the smallest, shakiest smile Tom had ever seen, returning softly with, "Thank you for yours." Then, she inhaled again and kept going. "I asked them if they'd even read my packet, and they said they'd read enough..."

Her eyes fixed themselves on the carpet, shame marking her entire face and body.

"About the... the trafficking and stuff... that I was a basic ****."

Scarlett, who'd been put into a state of shock as the girl revealed what they'd said about the military, was pulled out of it by that.

Her hand flew over her mouth, a soft, "Oh my God," escaping her lips. Tom exchanged a look with her that communicated all of the heartbreak and anger the story was stirring in both of them, and he saw fire in her eyes at the people who'd said that about someone who'd been so thoroughly abused and taken advantage of.

"I told them to let me know when they got to the part about my dad and how he'd died, but when they found out he was a soldier and everything they weren't even sorry. They just told me he'd brainwashed me like a new recruit, but they'd show me the truth. When I said I was calling my social worker and leaving, that was when they just suddenly got super hostile. I didn't think I was in danger until then."

"But when you said you wanted to go, they got physically threatening?" Fields asked. The question was confirmed with a nod before the girl went on.

"The guy grabbed my wrist and told me I wasn't gonna reject them after they'd opened their home and offered to show me the truth. I said I wouldn't listen to them tell me that my... that my dad deserved to die, and he tried to say he was my father. Then when he saw it wasn't working, he said we could do it the easy way or the hard way."

She was forced to take another deep breath, as Tom saw her repressing the panic behind her eyes.

"That they weren't religious, but they agreed with bits and pieces of some and that one of those things was that... that a certain number of... dominated intimate encounters transfers the beliefs of the dominant party to the dominated. So, you know, he was threatening to... yeah."

"And his wife and daughter stood by and let this happen?" Reagan asked.

Shae nodded, her eyes still fixed on the carpet. "She said they had an open relationship and she was in full support of what he was talking about. The daughter said it wasn't like... like I had anything to take anyway."

She bit her lip hard enough that Tom could see blood on it when she stopped.

"When he tried to pull me... pull me upstairs, I panicked and got away, locked myself in my room and then went out the window and ran. When I made it to the inner city, I was back in a really bad alleyway because... I'm stupid, I guess, and then these guys wanted to... so I screamed and ran and that was when I... ran into them." She indicated Tom and Scarlett with a small nod.

"Alright, thank you," Fields said while scribbling more notes. "We already sent a team down to arrest them, but now we've got a lot more information. We just have a few more questions to clarify things, for all three of you."

That list was brief as promised, and they didn't ask them anything they didn't know how to answer. After another fifteen minutes, that phase of the interview was over and Fields left the room with the information she'd just recorded. Then, Pauline and Reagan faced the issue of where Shae was going to stay.

"Do you have anymore homes that have accepted her?" Reagan asked.

"Two, actually," the social worker replied, glancing quickly at Tom. "but Shae turned one of them down. The other is a group home. It's well-reviewed and has a good track-record of few issues, and it's here in town. We were just concerned about the environment's similarity to what she lived in for the past nine months."

"Yeah, that is concerning," Reagan agreed, frowning. "Something else would be healthier." He met Shae's eyes. "What was the other offer, and why did you turn it down?"

The girl bit her lip again, obviously shy to talk about it in front of Tom. "Um, it was... a single man... but I wasn't afraid of that, because I... know he wouldn't do anything. I just... I didn't want to burden him like that. I know the downsides of a group home, but I'd rather go there than anywhere that I'm going to upset someone's life."

"I understand why you feel that way," the officer told her genuinely. "but you can't think of yourself as a burden, alright? Is that why you don't want to call anyone you knew before either?"

"Partially," she admitted. "but also... after everything that's happened..." She shrugged, tears in her eyes once more. "It's just hard to face them, I guess."

"Again, I understand," Reagan replied. "and since you're seventeen, this decision is largely up to you. But I'd really like you to seriously rethink your consideration of either of those options, alright? Because I would really, really hate to see you shoved back into an environment full of so many triggers. I want to see you healing, and that's going to make that a lot harder."

"I know, I just..." She faltered. "I just don't want to be..."

"And I get it," he agreed, not making her finish. "But just think about it, alright? You can go back to the facility with Pauline tonight and take some time to consider your options. If that's still your choice tomorrow, that's fine. But it's been a long, traumatic night and I don't want you to have to make up your mind now. Is that alright with you?"

She swallowed hard, but nodded.

He did as well before turning to the rest of the room. "Alright. I believe that's all we need from you. Thank you for your time." He looked at Pauline. "Like I said, take her back to your rooms tonight and give her some time to think, then let her make her decision tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir," the woman responded with a smile. "Thank you for your help."

"Of course." He briefly returned the expression as he got to his feet and they all did as well. "I'll walk you out."

He saw them into the cool night air, where they all faced each other and hesitated. Tom had known he needed to say something all night, and now was his chance.

Shae was staring at the ground, but he managed to catch her gaze anyway and indicated a spot a few yards away with his head. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked softly.

She nodded, but he could see her hands trembling as they walked to the place he'd chosen, slightly private but still in the light of the station and fully within view of Pauline and Scarlett.

Tom took a deep breath, gently reaching out and taking one of her shaking hands. "Shae," he said softly. "I meant what I said the other day and I still do. You would not be burdening me or ruining my life or any of the other lies you're telling yourself. I want to help you. I care about, Darling."

The tears she'd been holding back all night finally overflowed out of her eyes and onto her cheeks. Her free hand came up to cover her face as she cried. "That doesn't make any sense," she choked out, the brokenness in her tone tearing apart something inside of him.

"I know that after the way you've been treated the past several months, it couldn't," he told her. "But you are worth so much more than any of that, Shae. Please don't listen to that voice that's telling you they were right, because they were so, so wrong. It would be an honor for me to be able to show you that."

"I..." She shook her head, still crying. "I don't know..."

"Just think about it, like Officer Reagan told you," he directed. "Seriously. And if you're not comfortable or anything like that, please feel free to say no. But not to spare me, because there is nothing to spare me from. Alright? Please, for me, just think about it."

He released her hand, and it joined the other one covering her face, but she nodded, only able to manage a single word through her tears. "Okay."

"Thank you." Tom could feel moisture stinging the back of his own eyes as well, but he took a deep, shaky breath and turned back towards the other two members of their group. "And like I said the other day, even if your answer is still no, if you ever need anything, I'm only one call away."

She was crying too hard to answer, but she nodded as they walked back to where Scarlett and Pauline were waiting for them. They bid their goodbyes and split, Shae and Pauline to the woman's car parked a few yards away and Tom and Scarlett on their way back to their own, still where they'd left them earlier that evening.

They were quiet for a few minutes before Scarlett finally broke it, looking up to meet his gaze. "So that's the girl... the one who's been all over the news and stuff?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. "I just... I just want to help her so bad."

His friend lay a hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "I know, Tom. I barely even met her tonight, but I can understand how you feel. I could kill the people who have done this to her, I really could. But she's gonna be okay. Yeah?"

She nodded, offering her a weak smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Scarlett. For everything tonight."

"Don't mention it, alright?" she told him seriously. "I was more than happy to do it. Just keep me updated on everything."

"Of course," he agreed. "You'll be the first person to know."

"Thank you." She hesitated several seconds before speaking again. "So I'm getting this crazy idea, but I'm not sure whether Marvel will run with it."

He tilted his head slightly, his interest peaked. "I'm all for crazy ideas."