As Annalise got home from the police station she saw the Keating Six on the porch while the cops moved in and out of the house. After a small conversation with Michaela about final exams she called Wes into her office.

"They're wearing their paranoia on their sleeves." She sighed as she entered the office, closing the door once Wes walked in. "Do you blame them? Please, just let me tell them." Annalise's eyes widened as she placed her bag on her desk. "No."

Wes licked his dry lips taking his hands from his pockets. "If they knew you were helping us.." He tried to plead but she cut him off. "I'm not helping you. I'm helping myself. I'm helping my daughter who is involved in what you all did last night. I'm the woman who came home to find her cheating husband dead on the floor, wondering if her daughter did it or if she was dead too. Who's the first person you think the cops are gonna look at? The only way they're gonna get through the interviews is if they know as little as possible about my involvement. That includes Nora and Rebecca."

Wes' eyes slowly moved to the floor, releasing a sigh before he spoke. "I haven't told her or Nora." He shook his head not looking up at his professor and boss yet. "Good. Look what happened the last time you told her one of our secrets." She was angry at him but didn't show it very well as she cared deeply for the younger man.

Wes' head shot up staring at her in regret. He pursed his lips as she took it her coat, turning his head back to the door. As he turned and crossed his arms Annalise quickly grabbed his arm before he could leave. "Look, look."

She turned him around to face her again. "Everything is gonna be fine, okay? We'll run the DNA test. It'll show that he was the father, and then hopefully the laptop will prove that he was on the roof of the sorority house." Wes shook his head, his voice cracking a bit, "What if it doesn't?"

"It will." She reassured him holding onto his arms lightly. "It will. And then we'll get the charges against Rebecca dropped." Wes sighed feeling sad and unsure. Annalise rolled her lip between her teeth before she placed her hand on his cheek. "Look at me. I've seen how strong you can be and that's the Wes I need for you to be right now, to help the others."

Her hand dropped from his cheek as he nodded his head still feeling the emotions from last night, hitting him like a wave. "Um... here. Sam's ring." He took the ring out of his pocket holding it out to her. "I took it off right before we... I thought you might want it." She gently took the ring from hai fingers, playing with it on her own. "Thank you."

A knock suddenly sounded on the door causing the two to look over. "Yes?" Bonnie opened the door peaking her head in, "You should come." The three of them walked into the lounge seeing Frank talking to Wendy. "I said you could wait outside."

Annalise looked over his shoulder and to the her. "It's okay, Frank." Wendy rubbed her hands together smirking a tad at the older Keating woman. "My condolences for you husband, Annalise. He's been gone for how long now, fifteen hours?" Annalise almost rolled her eyes having not moved from her spot she just sent and unsteady glare at the woman.

"You think this is a game?" Connor lead Michaela and Annora into the room with Laurel following behind just as Wendy replied. "I think you don't like your odds in Rebecca's trial, and this is how badly you need to win, even if it means throwing your own husband under the bus. Why? Did he finally tell you he was leaving you? Is this your version of a woman scorned?"

Annora wanted to say something to defend her mother but words wouldn't come or if her mouth. Annalise had had enough of her accusations as she walked up closer to the woman staring deep into her eyes. "I just found out that my husband was sleeping with a young woman who was killed, and you have the audacity to come in here and mock me? Get out now, or I'll throw you out."

Wendy had a snarky look upon her face, lowering her head to fit Annalise's height. "Your husband didn't kill Lila Stangard. That was Mrs Sutter and Mr O'Reilly, and I will do everything in my power to put them in jail." Wendy turned around heading towards the door but not before sending a smirk to Annora. "See you in court, kids."

*•*•*

Annora sat in the investigation room with the officer's questioning her, Terrence Amos and Claire Bryce. "Can you tell us where you were last night?" He asked as he leaned against a chair. "I was at home getting ready to go to the bonfire with my friends last minute." Annora had her hands under the table silently tapping her finger against her thigh, hidden from the cops.

"Did you do anything after that?" She began to get flashbacks of Sam's hand around her mom's throat, begging for him to kill her. "I heard my parents arguing so I went downstairs to see what happened and saw that my mom had left. I went back upstairs not wanting to bother my dad as I figured he was upset and continued to get ready waiting for my ride." Terrence nodded along with a hum as he stood.

"Did you see Mr. Keating before you left to the bonfire?" She shook her head, receiving another flashback of Wes slamming the trophy on Sam's head. "No. I looked for him before I left to let him know I was leaving but I couldn't find him. I figured he had only left like my mother had, to cool off."

He placed his hands on his hips walking a little closer to her making her nervous. "Notice anything about his demeanor?" She had another flash of him yelling at her calling her names. "He started to seem a little more secretive? and anxious. But I just thought it was something to do with work."

*•*•*

Annora began to grow worried. She hadn't seen her mother since Rebecca's charges had gotten dropped. She spent Christmas with her grandmother and when she got back a note was left on the door and Wes in the driveway with his bike.

Annalise had sent her off to stay with Wes while she checked into a hotel, drinking every day and not answering calls. Wes had spent his time going over to Rebecca's mostly so they could have alone time and all Annora could do was worry for her mother. He would of course spend time with Annora, keeping her mind off of things but while they were on winter break he would visit his girlfriend mostly.

Even sometimes stay the night, which Annora understood why. If she had a boyfriend she of course would want to spend time with him. Sometimes while he was gone she'd spend her evenings with Connor, the two growing closer since the murder of her stepfather.

On New Year's Eve Wes had chosen to spend it with Rebecca so Annora had once again went to Connor's which he was happy with. Annalise had called to explain why she sent her to stay with a friend the night before school went back into session.

She didn't want her around her aunt who didn't believe that Sam killed Lila Stangard that night. And it was no secret that Hannah Keating didn't like Annora very much.

*•*•*

Annalise walked into the classroom after letting Annora in who quickly went to her seat along with the other students. "Welcome back, everyone. Vacation is over. This is how to get away with murder, the second semester, where things get even harder than the first." She dropped her bag on her desk and walked behind the desk before locking eyes with Wes.

"Sometimes your client wants to plead guilty. And it doesn't happen often, but when it does, you have to make sure you get them the best plea deal possible. If the D.A. agrees to the terms of the plea deal, then it's you t job yo make sure that every word out fo your client's mouth is an element that you use in their defense. Of course there's no guaranteeing that the prosecutor will keep up their end of the bargain, which is why you record everything your client says in the room."

After classes were over The Keating Six headed over to Annalise and Annora's like they did everyday after school. While they sat on the couches, they meaning the six minus Wes as he was in Annalise's office, a lady walked in claiming she needed a lawyer for a D.U.I.

Bonnie went and got Annalise who spoke confidently as she walked up to the lady. "What precinct gave you the D.U.I.?" The lady stood from the sofa looking confused, "Excuse me?" Annalise stopped in front of her as the others all watched. "D.U.I.s are issued with paperwork from the precinct that pulled you over. You don't have it?" The lady gulped, eyes moving onto each person in the room.

"Can we talk alone?" Her voice was unsteady and wavering as she saw all of the eyes on her. "No, because I don't believe you. Have you got a good enough look yet? At the house where the Middleton Strangler lived?" Annora's eyes closed for a moment as she remembered the hands around Annalise's throat and Rebecca's.

"No, that's not why I..." She took another deep gulp looking startled and embarrassed. "I don't care about what your husband did. I'm here for you." Annalise leaned forward more into her face but keeping a distance between them. "I see. So you want to see the freak that sold out her husband up close, huh?"

The woman shook her head staring only at Annalise this time. "No, I don't think you're a freak. I... I want to do what you did." Annalise stepped back feeling confused at her words but not showing it. "I'm no role model. You need to leave." As she turned around the woman raised her voice to get her to stop. "Please. I don't have anybody else."

"That's not my problem." Annalise carried on walking back to her office. "I think you're gonna want to take my case." Annalise hadn't even turned around, almost at the door to her office. "I've already decided I don't."

"My husband's holding two girls captive in our basement." That made Annalise turn around quicker than she ever had before. Everyone staring at the woman as she kept her eyes on Annalise.

They sat the woman, Jackie, on the couch as they interviewed her case. "I ran away when I was sixteen, slept on the street. He said he would look out for me. So we got married, but I could never get pregnant. Then he showed up with Rachel, and I didn't know what to do. I just knew I didn't want him to hurt her the way he hurt me. Then Lynn came. She's pregnant again, about to deliver. Last time, the baby died so this time... that's why I'm here. That can't happen again."

Everyone moved over to the door of Annalise's office and Bonnie's desk speaking. Annalise walked over to Bonnie taping her arm, "Call the D.A. Tell them that we want to make a plea deal." Asher looked around nervously with his arms crossed. "She's helping lock girls in her basement. Why would we want to protect her?"

"Did you hear her? She was sixteen when she met him. She's a victim of his abuse, too." Annalise said with furrowed brows feeling sorry for the woman. Laurel stared at her with a straight face but confused as ever. "But she's an adult now who held those two girls captive in her own house." Her eyes moved around the room to see if anyone had agreed with her, they didn't. "And she's finally doing the right thing. What? Have none of you ever done anything bad that you need a lawyer for?"

Annora thought back to the night of the bonfire feeling nervous. It was a tricky situation for her as she was the only one who didn't know that Annalise knew, so she was still on edge. And she'd never know unless she figured it out for herself.

- 2137 words -

*•*•*

this was just a bit of a filler chapter at the moment for episode ten and some of eleven. the rest of eleven is still in writing.