For all the diehard Neal/Sara fans (and there seem to be a lot of you out there), this is my new series 'Milestones' in which Neal and Sara deal with the ups and downs of parenthood. I am writing as I become inspired so stories will not be in any order. I will time stamp them so you can follow along. This is Hope's first day of school. Enjoy and do comment!

New Beginnings

4.5 years

'Hope, let's go, the school bus will be here in about five minutes. What are you doing in there, anyway?' said Sara, pulling her work files together and putting them in her briefcase.

Neal walked out of their bedroom fixing his tie 'Sara, have you seen my portfolio anywhere?' he asked

'Last I saw it, it was in the kitchen. Hope, I'm serious, do we have to come in after you?' she asked

'What's happening? I thought everything was all set for this morning. Is she ok?' asked Neal walking towards Hope's room.

'I don't know, she was very excited about today but she's been locked up in her room since breakfast' said Sara.

Neal and Sara had to admit they were both slightly apprehensive about their daughter's first day of school. Sure, they had done their due diligence, getting Hope ready both physically and emotionally for this all-important day but thinking of her taking that huge first step outside the family's safety net was not easy for her parents - although Hope seemed to be very happy and excited about this new adventure.

When Hope was just shy of a year old, they had bought a house in White Plains which was a suburban neighborhood in Westchester. Neal, who had finished his work release program over four years ago, still worked part time as a consultant for the FBI and also did work as a consultant for insurance companies (like his wife's) authenticating art pieces. He mostly worked from home and although they had used alternate child care on a couple of occasions, Neal was the primary caregiver while Sara, still employed at Sterling Bosch, had taken a more sedate job as an investigative analyst. She no longer wanted the long hours that field investigators worked or the dangers associated with the job.

Last Saturday, they had gone shopping in Manhattan for that all important outfit for the first day of school. Hope had chosen a leopard print skirt with a pretty off-white sweater as well as matching tights and Mary Janes for her feet. Sara had gotten a bit choked up when she had paraded her in front of Neal outside the change room at American Apparel. He had just smiled that proud smile he always got whenever his daughter did just about anything.

They had followed that up with lunch at Denny's: an inside out grilled cheese for Hope (always her favorite), an Avocado chicken Caesar salad for Sara and a club sandwich for Neal. They had talked about the fun Hope would have making new friends at school and methodically went over the list of school supplies she would need to stock her new school bag with on Monday morning.

After lunch, they had gone to the Staples on Lexington Avenue and bought all those required supplies – Hope had been very excited about getting a new set of markers and her very own pencil case. Neal had picked up some extra art supplies for the house; his daughter was developing a marked interest in drawing and he liked her to have a variety of materials so she could experiment. They often spent Sunday afternoons in the den together while Sara caught up on paperwork in her office. Neal would work at his easel and she would accompany him at the little easel her Uncle Peter had built for her, coloring or just dabbling as she watched her dad work. Neal was finally producing original art work and had even had a showing at a local gallery. He was enjoying portraiture these days and his favorite subject was his dark haired, blue eyed angel whom he would capture her in all her moods.

Hope was a happy child who was prone to speaking her mind, even at a young age, there was no doubt as to what she wanted. She seemed to have inherited the best of both of her parents, Sara's strength and single-mindedness and Neal's good heart and spontaneity. At four and a half years old, she was curious about art and would often ask to look at art books instead of having a bedtime story when her parents tucked her in. Neal would smirk, self-satisfied, that perhaps one of the best things about him was rubbing off on her.

'Hope, this is your last chance, I'm coming in' said Sara, running out of patience. Neal, who was closest to the door to his daughter's room, opened it slowly and saw her sitting on her bed looking at a favorite photograph of hers. It was a picture of the three of them in the garden at Peter and Elizabeth's home, taken on her fourth birthday. It had been a beautiful spring day and Peter had been barbecuing the obligatory hot dogs and burgs while Elizabeth and the Caffrey family were busy playing Twister. They were laughing at something Peter had said and Elizabeth had snapped a shot of them as she caught them off-guard. Hope loved that picture and had asked that it be framed and she kept it by her bedside.

'What's the matter, sweet pea?' asked Neal walking up to the bed and sitting next to her

'Daddy, I really want to go to school' she said quietly

'I know, honey, what's the matter?' he asked, patiently

'What if I miss you while I'm at school?' she asked looking up with her bright blue eyes

'Well' Neal said after a moment or two 'maybe I could give you something of mine and something of Mommy's to put in your school bag to remind you of us until I pick you up at lunch?'

'Like what?' she asked suddenly interested in what her dad had to say

'Oh, I don't know. Maybe a bracelet of Mommy's or one of my special writing pens, you know the ones I use when I sketch'

'Yeah' said Hope, thinking 'and can I take our picture in my bag?'

'Sure, I don't see why not. Why don't I take it out of the frame and you finish putting your shoes on' said Neal

Sara was watching all this from the bedroom door, feeling her heart strings tugging. Her baby was going off on a new adventure and she and Neal would no longer be the sole influences in her life.

Once packed and ready to go, Sara, Neal and Hope walked two houses over to where she would be taking the bus. Her little friend, Olivia, was also there with her parents. The girls hugged, happy to have each other to share the day with. They could see the bus coming up the street and Neal swept Hope up in his arms to give her a proper hug.

'You have fun, and remember, I'll pick you up at lunch and you can tell me all about your first day' he said, grinning.

Hope nodded.

'Bye, sweetheart' said Sara kissing her 'I love you'

'Bye, Mommy' Hope said, itching to get out of Neal's grasp. 'Bye, Daddy' she added squeezing his nose which, over the years, had become their shorthand for saying I love you.

'Bye, sweetie' said Neal, reciprocating, and finally putting her down and watching her climb what seemed like very big steps onto the school bus.

Sara took Neal's hand and they looked at each other, sighing. Hope took a spot by the window next to her friend and turned and looked at her parents for just a moment, waving and then, her attention turned to her friend and she didn't look back.

Sara and Neal walked back to the house and climbed into the car; they started casually down the street following the bus, slowing down so Hope wouldn't spot them. Once at school, they parked discreetly out of view and watched as the children got off the bus. They finally spotted Hope stepping off, holding Olivia's hand as the teacher greeted them both and herded them toward her group of kindergarteners.

They waited a few minutes until the children disappeared into the school and Neal started the car engine. He turned to look at Sara.

'I just can't believe it, time goes so fast. We don't have a baby anymore' he said, wistfully

'I don't know about that...' said Sara

'So, do you want me to take you to the train or shall we hold hands and I'll drive you all the way into Manhattan' asked Neal, winking at her. All of a sudden, with Hope at school until lunch, his routine was off and he felt like he had a lot of time on his hands.

'Well, we'll have to make a pit stop first' said Sara

'Yeah, ok' said Neal 'Where?'

'I need to stop at the drugstore' answered Sara, smiling mysteriously

'O-k' said Neal, slowly 'and what's so important you need to do that now'

'I need to pick up a pregnancy test' she said looking sideways at him as he continued to concentrate on the road.

'Are you kidding?' he said, smiling 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Because, every time I'm two hours late with my period, you get excited. I thought I'd give it a few days this time'

'Alright!' said Neal, obviously delighted. 'So, how much?'

'What to do you mean?'

'How much time did you give it?' asked Neal, looking into her eyes

'About a week'

'Wow, that sounds pretty encouraging' said Neal

'Keep it in check, there Caffrey' she said looking at him 'this is exactly why I didn't tell you until now'

Neal watched Sara walk into the drugstore with a dumb smile on his face. Although Sara had gotten pregnant unexpectedly with Hope, without much effort except for a condom malfunction, the road to this second pregnancy had been much more rocky. Following Sara's cancer and her recuperation from the effects of the chemotherapy, they had been warned that a second pregnancy, although possible, was a long shot.

He flashed back to the months of Sara's first pregnancy, back when they were still figuring things out between them, back at his loft at June's, and he smiled at how things had evolved over the past five years. Getting married, buying the house, getting off anklet – sure he was still at the Bureau and he and Peter were still working some cases together and Mozzie still barged in without an invitation and raided their wine selection but Neal no longer felt that restlessness that had haunted him for years. It had taken a lot of soul searching to realize that he had been his own worst enemy but most of all it had been Hope's arrival that had motivated him to be less impulsive and to consider her in his decisions.

Sara stepped out in the sunlight and as she walked back to the car he was overcome by how much he loved her and how beautiful she was. She had been a constant in his life for over eight years and although she had given him all the space he needed to draw his own conclusions, she had always been there with her arms wide open at every turn.

'So, set to go?' he asked with a twinkle in his eye

'Yep' she responded

'You don't really think I'm taking you to the office, do you?' Neal added

'I guess I kinda knew you'd be kidnapping me once you knew... Luckily, I don't have anything on until this afternoon' said Sara as they headed back towards home

Neal sat on the edge of the tub and Sara on the toilet while they waited the requisite five minutes. They tried to make small talk about Neal and Peter's current case and what the plans were for the weekend but neither one of them would have been able to tell you what was discussed as they were just filling the time waiting.

Finally, Sara looked up and motioned Neal over as she brought the stick up for both of them to see.

La fin