You know it's  going  to be a rough case when children are involved, especially young ones . Both Drea and Michaela know it from tons of experience  in kidnappings and human trafficking  cases they've solved. Georgie  didn't  realize this until now though. Or Georgie  first case involving a child does not end well and Drea and Michaela has to help her through  it although they are having flashbacks of their own terrors involving young children.

TW: Talks about abuse, death and blood the usual stuff, but be warned

"We have a case." Michaela alerts the two women working  on their laptops. They both just look up with a question. 

"What's the topic this time? Homicide, drugs, kidnapping. " Drea asks, always eager to do her job and Michaela makes a face. 

"Missing children 8 to 18, and Captain Bowers believes human trafficking." Michaela says and she could see Drea visibly shrink.

"I don't  think I can do this,'' Drea admits  quietly. "I'll  be more trouble then I am good." Drea says she knew her  triggers and cases like this always ended up triggering  her.

"Drea, I  know this can get very bad for you, but Captain  requested  you specifically  she knows you have very good hearing and that Nala is a tracker. It's  all hand on deck apparently. Including her favorite PIs, which is unsurprisingly." Michaela says and Drea  gulf she could already feel the sweat already accumulating 

Is the Lieutenant on this case Georgie asks as she hadn't  actually been on a case involving children yet and didn't  know just how horrible it could be..

"No he won't  now, come on, we have work to do."

……

Drea's  ears were trained on any noises inside of the abandoned  buildings  they were in they had been out for most of the day and it was nearing time for dinner, but Drea still listened ignoring her hungry stomach she had survived on way less food than this she'd  be fine, but those kids might not be. "Bear, do you have anything?" Drea asks her voice quiet and her gun at the ready.

"Nope I think it's  another dead end. Are you sure the Captain  knows what she is doing ." Nala asks quizzically before  Drea hears a creaking  noise from below  them and the s around.  

"Got something,  sounded like a board crack downstairs maybe in the basement." Drea says and the teammate nod as Drea  leads the way down when they got to the final four she heard number being called out. Of course it was an underground  auction; they had to break it up and fast.

"Alright  girls here's  the plan Georgie, you break that door. Drea turn invisible then we fight them. Drea just steels herself for what she was about  to  see; she wasn't  about to have a flashback now, not when so many are in trouble.

The minute  Georgie  blew the door off its  hinges the three gapes and it took Drea  a minute  to catch a breath and mutter a word of reassurance  to herself. This was way worse than any had expected; there were three girls at gunpoint  and others looked to have been terribly abused. Don't  move otherwise the girls get it." One of the Ben says and Mick  nods to Drea who instantly nods turning  them invisible and all heck breaks loose as Drea clocks one of them over the head and Georgie  easily  shoots a few lightning  ball.

"You two get the kids away. I can do a sonic boom, but I  don't  want to hurt the kids." Michaela says and the other two nod.new main objective is to get the kids out. Georgie  lead them out. I got these guys. Drea  calls out, taking a deep breath, and disappearing again as a bullet nearly hits her, "and I  suggest you  do it now." She says quickly she didn't  want Georgie  to experience  anymore  than this and even if her powers weren't as defensive she could still do this as long as she stayed concentrated. Georgie nods in understanding she didn't  know  why Drea opted to stay but she wasn't going to question it especially  since seeing  all these children  that have been beaten and suffering  being held at gunpoint was making  her sick they were only children, none of them deserved this.

"Come on this way. You're okay we just need to get out of this place. Captain Bowers we found them. I'm heading  out with most of them. Michaela and Drea seem to have the rest handled." Georgie  says through  the intercom walking  up the stairs with the children. She was so hoping everything  would be alright and it was until  Drea's panicked voice came through the intercom.

"We need an ambulance  immediately. I repeat we need an ambulance  immediately." Her friend sounded breathless and she couldn't  tell if Drea was because  she had been fighting off someone  or was fighting a panic attack.

"Is everything  okay?" Georgie  asks but all she hears on Drea end is muttered curses in a different  languages and instructions  to help whoever was hurt.

"We're fine G. The last little girl isn't  though. She took a gunshot wound to the stomach. Drea is trying  to stop it now." Michaela informs her friend.

"Call off the ambulance she's  gone." The other intercom says Drea's  boice shaking even worse now and Georgie  could tell she was trying  to  hold it together. Georgie  just sighs looking  at the other kids. Michaela and Drea had warned her that anything  involving  children was hard, but now that she actually  experienced  it. It was a lot harder than she thought. That little girl could have been Eden  if she was a few years younger…

………

Drea takes another deep breath, staying  as grounded as she could on the way home. It didn't  help that her grounding technique wasn't  working  as well since she could feel and hear the sadness around her.

"G are you doing  okay, you haven't  spoken since we left the crime scene." Michaela questions quietly. She knew how rough these Jccx could be. Georgie  doesn't  answer and although Drea was on the cusp of her own breakdown.

"Answer me honestly, you two, how many cases with children  have you worked on?" Georgie  asked them how they could  stand doing  this.

"Three only  once did all the kids survive." Michaela says and Drea sighs with a large breath of air.

"Six, not including  my sisters." Drea mutters flashes of the kids she met from them replaying in her head as she take another breath and mutters, "Stay calm." To herself.

"What!" Both Georgie  and Michaela look at her like she is crazy, they never knew that fact Drea just shrugs.

"Don't  look so surprised  I  specialized in working  alone and did mostly undercover work. And that lasted for a few years until I met you guys.  I used to hate cases like that. I still do and it takes me everything  to keep calm." Drea admits  petting Nala the blood still in her shirt. "Also it's  a good thing Bowers is paying  us because I'm  burning  this shirt when I get home." Drea says and Georgie  sighs again.

"How do you do it? How can you stand seeing kids like that they were terrified  that  could have been Eden?" Georgie  says and she instantly  realizes something  that Drea did back then that made sense.

"That is why I  had a time creating  a bond with  Eden  at first I  was afraid. I have seen what crazy people candy do and that was to normal  children Eden  was one of the 'cursed'" Drea admits and Georgie  nods.

"Trust me G, we've  all had our share of children cases and they are so horrible to see, but you have to look at how many kids we saved and can go back home. Not the ones that passed." Michaela says and Drea nods in agreement.

"It wasn't  your fault that she died if it's anyone's. It's  ours for nor reacting soon enough. " Drea says quietly  and tenses a bit when she feels a hand on her shoulder 

"Don't  you  dare start blaming  yourself D,  we all did what we could." Michaela tells her best friend firmly and Georgie  nods in agreement.

"It's  been a rough case for all of us. What do you say to some Chinese food on me." Georgie  says and the other two women nod their agreement. Today had definitely  been rough and Georgie  really hoped something  like that wouldn't  happen again. Although she sadly  knew it would.