Preface:

Snow. That was defiantly a change. She hadn't touched snow—or even felt a cold wind across her cheek—in at least nine years. Not since she went on vacation when she was still living in San Fransisco.

Chapter 1

Had it been that long? Could it have been that long since she last thought about something besides death? No. Not really, she knew her thoughts hadn't been far from death since that violent day when she was little...

Even so, her entire life had not been completely marred by that event. She had gone to school and, while at Harvard, made friends, most of them as awkward has her. While at Berkley, she had stretched her dating scheme to include one night (or one flight) stands. When she was at Harvard, she had made some of her first close friends. She never revealed her past to any of them, but it didn't matter. She had parties, study buddies, and a few boyfriends. She didn't see the need to talk about her parents, the foster homes, or her trouble fitting in when she was so happily exploring what life had to offer. When she graduated and was accepted to Berkley, she continued her life experiences, but things took a bit of a professional approach. She began to see older men, as all the men she dated who were her age seemed to be rather boring. She dated one of her professors until he traded her in for a younger model. While she was affronted, she didn't take it very personally. She just never took much of anything personally. That was how she coped.

She began to TA in physics and, as such, was in charge of booking and arranging special lectures for the science department. It was a job she took pride in. She arranged for the best expert of each field to make appearances during her first year. In return, she got to take out the guests on dinners and excursions on the University's dollar. She talked with the leading expert in Theoretical Aeronautics in gravity deficient atmospheres, the guru of biodiversity in Pacific mammals, and the leader of a new revolution in crime solving who had written the book Forensics: This ain't no speech.

She loved learning from all the different fields and during her second year, she invited more forensic based scientists under the guise of different disciplines because she had enjoyed that first lecture so much. After much maneuvering, she had arranged for the Forensics Academy Convention to take place at Berkley. She invited the national expert of anthropology, Dr. Miller, the world's most informed specialist in radio carbon-dating, Dr. Woodbourne, and, on a whim, she invited an entomologist who came highly recommended from her friend in the biology department, a guy named Dr. Grissom as keynote speakers.

"So you'll arrive at 4:34pm on American Airlines flight number 341? Alright, good. I'll meet you in baggage claim. You'll know me by my big maroon Berkley sweatshirt and ponytail. Yes, you have been set up for the lecture on decomposition and blowflies. Oh? Alright, we'll add another one before that, anthropology of a crime scene. Alright, Dr. Grissom, I look forward to your arrival, as does Berkley. See you next week." Sara hung up the phone. Dr. Grissom would be there for at least two weeks and had offered to give an additional lecture free of charge.

Most people don't realize that guest lecturers received a generous stipend, most of the time, in addition to their accommodations, so for the doctor to offer another lecture without monetary adjustment, well, it was just pretty rare. The convention only lasted four days. Monday through Thursday and Sara was a bit confused as to why he would be staying all that time.

Sara was working on her master's degree in applied fluid physics. She enjoyed her classes and was in the midst of working on her thesis. This took up much of her time, but she still had time for friends. Later that night she met up with one of her really good friends at the local art bar.

"So you're going to be tied up for two weeks with this dude?" Jason asked. He was a good friend of Sara, and was a little protective of her free time. "You have to follow this old guy around and cater to him for two weeks? Don't most people stay for just a few days?"

"He said that he wanted to take in some sights and since he offered to give another lecture—well, I couldn't refuse. Since we had to cut the budget last year, I had to halve the number of guests this semester. If I can get an additional one free of charge, I'm going to do it." She explained.

"But we're supposed to go out for my birthday! The big 24! I'm supposed to show you a good time since you showed me a good time on your birthday." he winked at her and mock-pouted. "It's only fair."

"We'll go out anyway, probably. I might have to invite him along, but if he's as nerdy and old as everyone says... I mean, he's just over forty. He's sure to turn it down to go look at his bugs," she rationalized.

"Bugs?"

"Yeah." Sara began to giggle. "He's an entomologist, in addition to being a crime scene investigator. He used to work as a coroner, but now...well," she began to whisper for effect, "he lists his hobbies as chess, roller coaster riding, and cockroach racing."

"What" Jason sprayed all over Sara, laughing.

"Thanks." She said, wiping the soda off of her face.

They both broke out in full on laughter and it took several minutes before either of them could talk.

"Cockroach racing? Like, how does that work?" Jason began in a faux-serious tone.

"I'm not sure I want to know—and" giving him a warning look, "I'm not going to ask."

"So he's flying in in on Thursday, resting up over the weekend, giving a lecture on anthropology on Monday, another on bugs on Thursday, and leaving a week after that?" Jason was going over the printed itinerary that Sara had in front of her.

"uh huh."

"So what are you supposed to do for that last week?"

"Dunno. Maybe not see him at all. He seemed like he just wanted to relax. Must have a stressful job or something. Mentioned something about a theme park nearby, but when I looked it up it said all the roller coaster we down for the season. I guess they stop running at the beginning of December until the first week of February."

"So you have no idea how much of the next two weeks are going to be yours?"

"Right"

"Oh."

Sara and Jason finished their casual dinner, and after having drunk a few beers each, he walked her to her apartment. "So..."

"You know you say that a lot." Sara joked.

"Right. Um, well... I was just wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner on Wednesday, an early happy birthday before the old man gets here."

"I'd love to, but I really have to get ready for him and finish that chapter in my thesis. I know I won't work on it once he's here. I never do when they come."

"Because you're too busy sucking up," He lightly punched her arm.

"No! I'm just learning. They're interesting. I'm just taking advantage of a situation. I'd have to spend time with them either way, why not get something out of it?" Heat began to flush her face and the thump thump of her embarrassed heartbeat was reverberating in her ears. She hated being called a suck up. It was the kind of thing that the kids called her in high school just because she was interested in learning.

"I was just joking. Jeez." Jason protested. "You know, I was thinking that for Christmas break, since you always spend it in your apartment dead to the world, we could go on a trip somewhere. Maybe over the border?"

Sara began to smile in spite of herself. He always had a way of making her feel less angry or flustered or whatever emotion was overtaking her. It was he who had, on the first day of classes, sat with her in the cafeteria and joked. It was he who broke into her hard exterior and helped her to understand what getting emotionally invested meant. It was he who she would be in love with--if he hadn't been gay.

She remembered the conversation that took place a few months after the start of her first year...

"So, do you have any girlfriends?"

"Um.. No, just you."

"You have any other...romantic encounters?"

"Not really. I just. Well, I just got out of a long term relationship. Been with Cherry for almost four years, all the way through getting my undergraduate degree. We, well... I feel funny telling you this because I feel funny telling anyone, but."

"What? Is it that bad?"

"Well, I don't think so, maybe you will, though."

Sara had been stunned by his serious tone. He was always so jovial, happy-go-lucky, and care free. This new demeanor made her nervous.

"I'm just... Well, I realized that I'm" his voice dropped to little more than a whisper and he leaned into the table toward Sara, "gay."

It has sounded so small at the time. He was much changed now. He had embraced it and regularly took Sara for all day trips, guy hunting, and shoe shopping. He openly wore pink and had gone through four different, albeit fleeting, relationships in the last year and a half. But Sara was his best friend; he first person he had "outed" himself to.

"Well, at least you're happy. When this dud leaves town, we are going to party it up, 'kay?" Jason was opening her apartment door for her and she stepped in.

"Sounds great. See you sometime next week." Sara hugged him goodbye and thought about all the things she had to do during her short weekend and packed week.