Dedicated to my cohorts and friends [you know who you are]; we were driven crazy by a mind numbing situation (Rose! *shakes fits to the heavens*) and this is the result. I only wish we could somehow use this story to make back the tuition wasted on that class.*

*I can lay no claim to the characters represented in this story. Sherlock Holmes is a creation of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Doctor Who and Sherlock belong to the BBC, and Sarah: Plain and Tall is a beloved children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan which should never be read aloud to college students as though they are in second grade. The film Sarah: Plain and Tall is owned by Hallmark and should follow the same rule mentioned about the book. No money is being made from this story; it is simply for therapy reasons and to possibly be enjoyed by others if it's good enough. Sorry my friends we are still broke college students.

Part One: The Beginning

Chapter 1

1862: Maine, United States of America

"Wanted: a strong and good woman to be wife and mother and help around a farm. If interested write…" the advertisement continued by providing an address and a name: Jacob.

Sarah sat at the worn oak kitchen table of her brother's Maine house. The window was open and the aroma of salt water and cries of the gulls wafted through it. The late afternoon beams of sunlight danced on the powder blue walls; Sarah bit her lip. She never imagined that she would be considering answering an advertisement to be the bride of a farmer in the Midwest. Sure Sarah had always loved animals and children, but her heart clung to Maine where her brother, aunts, and the sea were. Seal, Sarah's charcoal gray cat rubbed up against her leg, meowing softly.

"What are we going to do Seal?" Sighed Sarah as she picked up the dark feline and walked over to the window. The cat purred happily as Sarah absentmindedly stroked his head. From the window Sarah had a clear view of the white sand beach. She thought of her brother as she watched the waves come in and out. Sarah was thrilled that he was getting married, but knowing that William's house could no longer be her home caused her a deep pain. She realized that her brother was starting a new chapter in his life; one with a new wife and soon to follow children.

Sarah's thoughts were interrupted by a sound; she looked down to find Seal examining her expectantly with large eyes. Sarah chuckled to herself as she noticed that her hand had stopped stroking his head. She scratched him behind the ear as a thought came into her head. Perhaps it was time for her to start the next chapter in her life as well.

"Well, it could not possibly hurt to write showing interest, now could it Seal?" As if to answer the mouser jumped from her arms to the counter. Sarah smiled slightly at him while she walked back over to the table and pulled one of the sturdy backed chairs out and sat down. Putting her pen to paper she wrote a quick but eloquent letter stating that she was interested in the position and inquiring if there was any eversion to cats, as she had one. Sarah sealed the letter in an envelope and quilled the address from the add on its front. She sighed lightly, feeling like somehow what she was doing was right.

Two months later Sarah found herself sitting in the same chair. She had been corresponding with the Midwestern family for some time, and now these letters were littered all around the circular surface. She smiled as she picked up a letter from the little boy, Caleb, and read it over again. He seemed so lonely and yet so full of questions. She chuckled when she came to his inquiry about if she snored. When she had written him back Sarah had felt unable to answer the question as she really had no idea, but apparently Caleb was happy with her response. She felt a sting in her chest as she thought about the young boy growing up without knowing his mother. Perhaps she was meant to fill that place for both this dear boy and his older sister Anna. Of course that would mean leaving William, her aunts, the sea and everything else which was familiar to her behind. Except for Seal she reminded herself; the cat was hers and she would not leave him behind for the world.

Sarah shook her head to clear these thoughts from it. She put down the child's letter and picked up the newest one from his father. Jacob seemed level headed and kind; it struck Sarah as strange that he had to advertise to find a wife. Surely he was capable of finding one in the traditional manner? Sarah ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair, perhaps there were not as many women of marrying quality in the Westward states. Many people who lived out there were separated by miles of land from their nearest neighbor, which must make it difficult to court a woman, especially with two dependent children. As these thoughts sailed through her head Sarah skimmed the letter until her eyes fell on the last section. Jacob had asked her to come out to visit the family on their farm. This was the cause of Sarah's current trepidation. Agreeing to come out to the farm brought her one step closer to her possible future, but also away from her family. Sarah watched as Seal's gray foreleg reached up from a parallel chair to paw at the corner of one of the letters. She smiled at the simple joy the cat seemed to find in the action. Suddenly a thought struck Sarah. She had been invited to visit; agreeing to come did not mean that she agreed to stay.

With this in mind she reached for a crisp piece of paper and relocated the letters until she found her pen. She scribbled a response agreeing to come and visit. She folded the letter and began to place it in the envelope, but pulled it back out again. She penned one more sentence in which she gave a description of what she would be wearing and of her appearance. She smiled at the words "plain and tall" because it was such an apt portrayal. She then placed the letter in the already endorsed envelope and glued down the flap to seal it.

Little did Sarah know that in sealing that letter she had sealed her own fate.