I can't believe I'm doing this.

I was a hundred percent positive that what I was doing was illegal on some sort of level. Not to mention that I would surely get fired if anyone heard a whisper about it.

Oh, if Mindy knew what I was doing.

Parking my car across the street to the corresponding address, I circled my car to help Sadie out of the backseat.

"Thank you." Sadie peeped as she plopped out, her shoe clad feet sinking in the snow instantly.

"No problem, sweetheart." Taking her tiny hand I led the little girl out of the snow. After checking for on-coming vehicles I guided Sadie across the street. With our feet firmly planted on the sidewalk I took the opportunity to check the address that I scrawled across my palm.

I scanned the wall of attached homes. Most of the townhouses were completely lit, a warm glow omitting from within. A few were even still sporting a splash of colour from leftover Christmas lights.

62. 64. 66.

"Alright. Let's get you inside." However, as soon as those words left my lips I realized how poorly thought out my plan truly was.

The two of us hiked up the steep, mountainous front steps, careful not the slip on the stray ice. When we got to the top I crossed my fingers and raised my hand to knock on the chocolate brown painted door. When no one answered I rang the doorbell.

You're so stupid Cali. If no one answered the phone what makes you think they would answer the door?

My entire plan was falling apart at the seams. Plan B wasn't an option, I hardly had a plan A in my arsenal.

With a sigh I lowered myself down on the frozen top step. What was I meant to do now? Leave her with a neighbour?

I was so lost in thought that I almost didn't realize Sadie had joined me on the concrete slab.

"Ms Cali, why aren't we going inside?"

Reaching out, I adjusted the hat that had fallen too far down her forehead. "No one's home and I don't have a key."

"That's okay," the little girl rose from where she sat, "we have a spare."

Sadie waddled over to the ashtray stationed on the window sill. Taking the clay bowl in her hands she emptied the contents. A cloud of dust was swept away with the wind, the rest fell to the floor in a silver stream.

Ding.

Bending down I picked up the grimy piece of metal, blowing as much residue as I could off the brass.

Feeling a new sense of hope I turned towards the door.

A satisfying click met my ears with a turn of the key. I slid it back out and paused with my hand on the knob. Part of me felt like I was intruding. Almost like it was wrong just to let myself into someone else's house. Regardless if I was returning their daughter or not.

Sadie wiggled her way in-between the door and I. "Come on Ms. Calista."

Her delicate little body rammed into the door shoulder first. I slipped inside with her, slowly closing the door behind me while Sadie struggled to reach the light-switch on the wall. After some hopping and jumping off of anything she could the front hall lit up. Sadie wasted no time slipping off her sneakers and stripped herself of her coat and hat. I stood there on the front carpet unsure what to do now. Would I be staying awhile? Should I keep my jacket on? I couldn't leave her here on her own.

"Ms. Cali? Can we have pizza? I'm hungry."

Guess that answers that.

I followed Sadie's lead and hung my coat up along with her own. Leaving my stuff at the front I trailed after Sadie who disappear through the only opening to the right. The bottom drawer of the fridge was tugged open and Sadie was rummaging through the freezer. Two moments later and she had a box of the delicious goodness in her hands.

"Can we make this one?"

"Uh, sure."

She slid the green and red box onto the islands's dark counter top.

I couldn't refuse the child her own food, could I?

Half an hour later and we were sitting at the island that doubled as a breakfast bar. The orgasmic scent of pizza wafted around the cozy kitchen. Sadie was sporting a pizza sauce moustache, but that didn't stop her from shovelling the next slice into her mouth.

"Is it good?" I asked, already knowing the answer. I was so amused by the look on her face.

Sadie hummed in contentment which she paired with a swift nod of her head.

One more slice later and Sadie was a happy camper. I wiped down her hands and face before Sadie decided she was going to bounce her way into the family room across the hall. Even with many pleading attempts from Sadie to play with her, I stayed behind to clean up the kitchen. I didn't feel right leaving a mess I had caused in someone else's home.

So for the second time that day, I washed dishes.

Filling the sink I threw Sadie's used plate and cup along with the pile of other dishes that were waiting to be washed. It was while I was scrubbing the last bowl that I heard the click of the front door being unlocked. I was startled to the point of dropping the bowl back into the overflowing sink, causing a tsunami of water and bubbles to come flying up at me.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Please don't call the cops.

My heart was beating a mile a minute.

I didn't eat any of the pizza, I swear.

I could hear the front door push open but no one came into view.

Please be her mother. Please be her mother.

Sadie came barreling out from the family room across the hall.

"Lincoln!"

Well, fuck.

"Hey Sade, where's mom?"

"I don't know." In my mind I could picture her shrugging her shoulders in confusion.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

As if right on cue Lincoln appeared through the threshold of the kitchen. Sadie was perched in his arms and tucked against his side. A large smile appeared almost splitting her face ear to ear.

Lincoln's eyes darkened as they landed on my figure standing by the sink. "What are you doing here?"

"Ms Cali brought me home."

Thankfully Lincoln switched his gaze from me to his sister. "Where's the dragon lady?"

Sadie's little shoulder's shrugged, almost reaching the lobes of her ears. "I don't know. Mommy said she was going away for a bit."

"When did the dragon lady tell mom this?"

"This morning."

Lincoln lowered Sadie to the ground but continued to kneel in front of her. "Who was suppose to pick you up today?"

"You," Sadie confessed. Lincoln let out an aggravated breathe while running a calloused hand through his hair. "She said she was going to call you and tell you and then force you to watch Cinderella with me."

"For fu—fudge sakes." Lincoln concealed his curse for his sister's benefit.

"You were meant to pick her up?" My tone came out a little more accusing than I attended.

His dark eyes were back on me, burning me to spot. "Apparently."

"What do you mean apparently?"

"Exactly how it sounds." Lincoln stripped himself of his inappropriately thin jacket, leaving him in his hoodie.

"Lemme guess, you forgot?"

"How could I forget about my sister?" Lincoln rebutted.

"So your mom didn't get ahold of you then?"

"If she tried I never got the message." He slung his jacket on the back of a chair around the table. "My phone's been busted since Wednesday." He ran a hand through his hair. Again. "Would have been useful if she knew that." He muttered almost too lowly for my ears to process.

"Now that you're home, will you watch Cinderella with me?" Sadie fluttered her wing like lashes and stared up at her brother with imploring eyes.

"Yeah, go grab it from your room, okay?"

Sadie was about to turn around when she paused to ask another question. "Can Ms Cali stay to watch it with us?"

Lincoln didn't even hesitate with his answer. "No, she has to go home."

Sadie didn't argue, just nodded her head, a small frown on her face and said, "Oh, okay." With that she finally left the kitchen and ran up the carpeted steps, creating a chorus of soft thuds as she went.

"You can go now." Lincoln hadn't moved from his place near the kitchen threshold. His monstrous hands rested halfway in the front of his jean pockets.

Drying my hands on the dishtowel that was sloppily disregarded on the counter I moved forward, closer to the unthoughtful tool.

"You do realize I could lose my job for what I just did, right?"

"No one asked you to take my sister and break into my house." Lincoln argued, lifting his chin slightly in defiance.

"You're unfucking believable, you know that?" I scoffed. "What would you rather had me do? Call child services like I was meant to?"

Lincoln stood in silence, staring me down.

"What happened tonight would have been considered a form of neglect. They would have taken her and you would never had the chance to see her again. She'd be gone. For good. So don't stand there and point me out to be the bad guy, because in all honestly you should be grateful that I even took the risk."

The staring didn't cease. Lincoln just stood there with this hateful glare in his eyes.

"You know what? Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I should have let them take your sister." I spat, marching out of the kitchen.

A steady hand gripped my upper arm in a snug grasp, effectively causing me to come to a stop.

A heavy breathe came from behind me prior to a pregnant pause. "Thank you." Lincoln muttered, like those two words alone were killing him.

I turned my head to glare back at him, I didn't want his thank-you anymore.

"You know... as much as she loves you, I don't think you're the greatest influence on her. I mean, how could someone who get involved in petty fights around school, and never shows up to class possibly be any good for a three-year old?" I yanked my arm forcefully from his grasp.

Two steps into the front hall was all I managed before the same hand yanked me back.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Lincoln's head appeared over my left shoulder.

"Exactly how it sounds." I shrugged his hand off me only to have him pull me back. Starting to feel a sense of irritation flood through my body I groaned.

"What." I bit out.

"You're not going to call or anything are you?"

"Who?"

"Child services, or whatever you called them."

"I don't know. Should I?" Lincoln didn't reach out to me this time as I pulled away and moved closer to the door.

I was in the midst of yanking on the new faux-leather riding boots I got for Christmas when Lincoln's smooth tone met my ears.

"What do you want?" He asked, hands clenched at his sides.

Sighing I retuned to my full height after zipping up my second boot. "I thought it was obvious. I want Sadie to be able to have the proper life she deserves, and that's going to be next to impossible with a high school drop out as her role model."

"You know I care about her."

Cocking my head to the side I said, "That much is obvious. But I don't think everyone would agree that's enough."

Sadie came bounding down the stairs laughing the same time I took my jacket down from the wooden coatrack.

"I found it!" She cheered, holding the DvD case as high as her arm could reach. "Beary was sitting on it." She laughed to herself.

"That silly bear." I grinned down at Lincoln's angelic sister.

Lincoln cracked a smile as he peered down at her. "Do you remember how to work the DvD player? I'm just going to say bye to your teacher, I'll be there in a sec."

Sadie instantly dropped the movie and rushed up to me.

"Bye Ms. Calista!" Within moments her tiny body was pressed against my leg. "Thank you for bringing me home."

"It was no problem Sadie. You don't belong anywhere else." And that was an honest truth. As much of a jerk as Lincoln was to me, I know he thought the world of his only sister. Sadie needed her family.

With one last squeeze, Sadie sprinted into the family room and kneeled down on the carpeted floor in front of the TV.

Not thinking Lincoln and I had anything left to say to each other, I fixed up my jacket and prepared myself to go.

"I'll let you tutor me."

The hand I held out inches towards the doorknob froze in space.

What?

"I'll let you tutor me if you promise you won't mention a word of this night to anyone. Not even tweedledee and tweedledum."

Turning around to face Lincoln I scanned his face in search for lies.

"You're serious?"

Reluctantly, he nodded. "I have enough shit on my plate. I don't need you to go blabbing to people who are just going to make things more difficult."

"Will you sign the community hours sheet?"

"The what?"

"The community hours sheet. I need proof of me tutoring you if this is going to work."

"Yeah, fine."

"I need you to sign for all of last week as well." The brow I rose was a challenge. One that he accepted.

With hard eyes he nodded his head.

There was no way I could turn down this opportunity. There was a very good chance it would never come around again. At least not in this life time.

"You have yourself a deal."