Author's Note: Okay, this is an Adventures in Babysitting fic. There aren't many of them on this site and definitely none of this type, so I thought why not try my hand at writing one? This is a FUTURE Sara/Dawson fic with Chris/Joe Gipp implied and possible implied Brad/Daryl if you squint. Please let me know what you think.

Sara knew, as she lay awake in her bed, tucked into the comfort of familiarity that her safe suburban life brought her, that night in 1987, that the memories of that night would stay with her forever. She had no idea just how much that night would change her life completely.

The morning after "the night", as she referred to it in her head, Sara couldn't stop thinking about all that had happened. Her mind was on overdrive, trying to digest everything that had happened, the whole new world she had been exposed to.

She thought about seeing, really seeing downtown Chicago for the first time, running from the leaders of the ring of car thieves, speeding down the expressway, hearing gunshots and seeing a stabbing, no matter how minor, for the first time, singing up on stage at a real blues club...everything. She remembered everything. Mostly, though, she remembered what had happened in the garage.

As far as she knew, she had met Thor, her hero, her idol. A real life superhero. She couldn't believe it. All the time she had spent reading comics about him, drawing him, and he had stood right in front of her. Talked to her. At first, he was so mean her little heart broke. This wasn't the superhero from her comics. This guy was rude, mean, heartless. Too much like normal people you met everyday.

But then she offered him her Thor helmet and voila! He was Thor. The Thor she knew.

Over the next few months, and then the following couple of years, Sara matured. She grew up much faster than she would have, but "the night" had exposed her to too much to let her remain a child for much longer. Once she realized that "Thor" was merely a fictional character and the person she had met in the garage was just "Dawson", she began to think about him more and more. He had shown "Thor-like" qualities, even though he was merely human. He had let them take their car, even though they didn't have all the money to pay for it, and he even played along with Sara's belief in his "true identity". He didn't crush her dreams; he let her hold on to her childish innocence for just a little bit longer.

It was when Sara turned fifteen that she finally got her chance to visit Dawson again, this time with the knowledge of who he truly was. Having received her learner's permit, her parents were letting her practice driving, as long as someone with a license was in the car with her. She had driven around Oak Park a few times and was a natural at it, so she felt she was finally ready to drive to Chicago.

After only a little pleading, she was able to convince Brad and Daryl to accompany her to Chicago. She didn't really need to ask them, seeing as how she knew they would use the trip as an excuse to visit Chris and Joe, who were now living together in an apartment downtown.

As they set out for their trip, Sara was a bundle of energy. She couldn't wait, not just to see Dawson again, which was the main source of her excitement, but also to just be in the city again, to breathe its air and feel its vibrant atmosphere.

Sara dropped the two guys off at Chris and Joe's, telling them she was going to visit Dawson's garage, which was only a few blocks away. Brad wasn't exactly sure why Sara wanted to go back to the garage so badly, but knew she did. Over the last five years, her obsession had slowly shifted from Thor to cars. He often found her reading car magazines and mechanic books, even drawing the cars she liked the most, all with the same enthusiasm she had once put into her drawing and reading of anything Thor. His little sister was evolving and growing up right before his eyes.

It wasn't until she got close to the garage that Sara became nervous. She wasn't sure how he would receive her, or if he'd even remember her. He probably wouldn't. She was so different back then, afterall, so much younger. She was only ten years old. And it had been five whole years since they had seen each other. It was unlikely he'd have even the slightest clue who she was.

She pressed on, though. Sara Anderson was nothing if not determined, something Brad always told her whenever she was having a bad day, reminding her of the way she had bravely climbed a rope up a side of a skyscraper, determined make it, regardless of both the incredible height she was at and the angry criminal next to her.

As she approached, she heard tools clanking and knew that at least someone was there. She followed the sounds and saw someone working on an engine. As they turned around to retrieve something, they caught sight of her, momentarily startled. As they fully turned around, Sara saw that it was in fact Dawson.

After five years, he still looked just as Sara remembered, only slightly larger muscles in his arms, no doubt the result of continued work at the garage. He continued to stare at her silently until Sara finally decided to break the silence.

"Hey. Remember me?"

To Sara's complete and utter surprise, Dawson's eyes were wide in surprise and she could see nearly instant recognition on his face.

"Oh my god. You're that girl. The one who gave me the Thor helmet! What are you doing here?"

His voice held no anger, Sara was glad to see, only surprise.

They literally talked for hours. Sara told him about everything that had happened that night five years ago and what her life had been like since. She told him about how being in the garage all those years ago sparked her interest in cars; she figured he could probably infer that her "superhero" being a mechanic had a lot to do with the initial attraction to the machines.

Dawson told her all about his life, how that small act of kindness she had shown him had stayed with him through the years. When he was in a foul mood, all he had to do was think of the little girl who had offered him a gift and called him her hero and he was instantly much more agreeable, which had led to customers no longer being intimidated by him when they had to bring their cars to the shop. He also updated her on John Pruitt, who she was happy to hear had made a clean break from his now ex-wife and was much happier as a result.

Eventually, he had to get back to work and Sara, disappointed that she had to leave but happy she had gotten to see him again, not to mention learn so much about him, turned to go.

"Hey, Sara."

She turned back at the sound of his voice.

"You want me to show you what I'm doing, teach you a little?" Even though he knew the girl's initial interest in cars stemmed from her fascination with him, through their conversation on the subject he could tell that her interest now was genuine.

Sara perked up immediately, her eyes beaming with excitement.

"Sure!"

She watched studiously as he finished his work on one car and continued on to two more, instructing her along the way, telling her what he was doing, what tools he was using, and how everything he did affected the car.

As he was finishing up the third car, Brad and Daryl showed up, having gotten a lift from Joe, who Sara was more than happy to see. All three of them: Daryl, Brad, and Sara had kept up with Joe and Chris, through long phone conversations once Chris had moved away from Oak Park, and through visits Brad and Daryl often made. They would tell Sara when they returned from each trip if anything of interest came up.

After catching up briefly with Sara, Joe turned to leave and Brad and Daryl, after talking briefly with Dawson, who remembered both of them easily but not nearly as much as he did Sara, went to the car Sara had been driving. She went back over to Dawson to say her goodbyes. She thanked him for teaching her so much and for the great time she had. He surprised her by asking if she wanted to become an apprentice of sorts of his. She could come by the garage on Fridays after school and on weekends and he could teach her more, eventually let her put what she learned to use and work on some smaller jobs.

Sara couldn't believe it. She immediately agreed, thrilled at the prospect of both working on cars and getting to hang out with Dawson regularly.

Sara went to bed that night happier than she could remember ever being before. She dreamed of what her future would hold.

TBC