Title: Ever Present Past

Time setting: seventeen years after the sixth season's final, more or less.

Chapter: 4/?

Main pairing: Alex-Cristina

Minor pairings: Alex-Ava/Rebecca (Kirsten and Lachlan), Derek-Meredith (Zola and Logan), Callie-Arizona (Sofia), Mark-Lexie (Dawson), Jackson-April (Toby and Max)

A/N: I know there's not much Alex/Cristina, but I promise you'll like what I'm planning. Oh, and little time jump of a few months. Enjoy!

A/N2: This chapter was ready almost a week ago, but I got and I didn't have the strength to type it all on the computer.

"I have something for you, babe." Austin pulled Sarah on his lap on their bench, and she settled in his arms that contrasted with the cold wind.

She was supposed to be at school, but Austin couldn't meet her that afternoon so they decided to anticipate. To Alex and Isaiah's displeasure, the two of them hang out almost everyday, and Sarah was really starting to fall for Austin.

"What is it?"

The boy stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small card. "It's a fake ID, babe. I had it done for ya. Now we can go clubbing together."

"Thanks." she took it. "Wow, I look good in this picture. I can't wait to go." she gave him a kiss. "As long as you don't look at other girls, though."

"Of course not." Austin kissed her again, more passionately. Soon his hands reached Sarah's lower parts, and she stopped feeling the wind or hearing the noises of the cars.

"What about tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Tomorrow night's perfect."

x

Wobbling, Sarah made her way to the bathroom and threw up violently.

Her head was throbbing, her heart was racing, she felt bleary. She had never been drunk before.

It wasn't how she imagined her first time to be. Drunk, in a dirty bathroom as someone barfed next to them, standing up. The less romantic things she had ever imagined. At the moment she thought it hurt like hell, but now she didn't remember the pain. At least she could remember the whole thing, though it was quite dull and part of her wanted to forget it. The only good thing was that she felt more connected to Austin now. And she liked the feeling.

Wishing that her head would stop spinning, she slowly stood up. She still felt nauseous, but she could barely keep her eyes open and she didn't want to spend the night on the bathroom floor. Luckily, her mother was still at the hospital and her siblings were asleep. It was late, after all.

Sarah let herself fall on the bed, and she drift off immediately.

x

"When are you introducing Austin to us?" Cristina asked her daughter as they were having lunch the next day.

"I don't know. Soon I guess." Sarah said, ignoring her headache.

"Are you in love with him?"

"Mom! Come one, what's with all the questions?"

"You don't tell me anything anymore!" Cristina stated.

Sarah shrugged. "I'm good. Austin's a really great guy and together we're great."

"Well, I hope you at least tell you sister more than this."

"She does." Zoe giggled, causing Sarah to roll her eyes.

"Why couldn't Dad have us this weekend, again?"

"Some damn conference he couldn't miss."

Cristina glared at Isaiah. "He didn't want to go. Anyway, I have a few days off so tonight we could go out to dinner and rent some movies."

"I'm busy tonight." Zoe said warily.

"And I have to meet Austin. After dinner though."

"Again?" Isaiah groaned.

"Yes, again! What's your problem?"

"My problem is that my sister is dating some fucking druggie dude."

"He's never taken drugs!" Sarah screeched. "And how the hell would you know anything about him? You've never even seen him!"

"Stop!" Cristina ordered loudly. "Is it true, Sarah?"

"No! Mom! I wouldn't stay with him!" well, maybe she had a few doubts, but she had never actually seen Austin taking anything.

"I really hope so, Sarah Karev."

The teenager repressed the impulse of rolling her eyes and turned to her brother instead. "Well? Why are you making assumptions about my boyfriend when you don't know him?"

"I followed you! I wanted to know why you lied about him." Isaiah didn't care anymore about his promise not to tell. Each time he had followed his sister and her boyfriend he saw them in desert places, half-naked. They barely talked, and he always touched Sarah everywhere. Another boy would have taken her to the movies or stuff like that, not hidden her in a park to do dirty things. Not every single day, at least. He was sure Sarah was only going to get hurt. "And all I had to do was look at him, and I knew he wasn't for you. I bet he only wants sex, and stuff. Does he take you to the movies? Or out to dinner? What he does is making you skip school and giving you a fake ID."

"You're one to talk, weren't you smoking on the balcony the other night? You got suspended from school twice this year, so great example, Isaiah, really."

"Enough!" Cristina shouted. "Who is this guy, Sarah? What did you lie about?"

"He's not Jenna's brother. In fact, she doesn't have a brother at all."

"I-"

"Sarah. The truth, now."

"Someone gave him my number and he texted me."

"Someone?" her mother repeated. Glancing at her guiltily, Sarah noticed how much her face was marked by anger and disappointment, and she lowered her eyes.

"You're stupid."

"Isaiah!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Isaiah, stop. This is between me and your sister. So what you're telling me, Sarah, is that you went out with that boy without knowing anything him? His name, his age, how he got your phone number?"

"Getting to know each other is the purpose of dating! Like – like some sort of blind date!"

"And what do you know now?"

"I know stuff about him! His name is Austin and he's, he's nineteen, and he doesn't go to school, he works."

"You've been together for almost three months, don't you know anything else about him?"

"What, do you want me to write a book about Austin's life? I didn't tell him much about myself either!"

"And what do you do when you're together? What do you talk about?"

Sarah shrugged. She really didn't want to talk about it with her mom. Damn Isaiah. "We just hang out, Mom! We talk about... stuff."

Cristina sighed, looking at her daughter. She didn't like what she was about to do, but she felt like she had no choice. "I think you should end it."

Sarah felt her eyes water. "What do you mean?"

"Honey, I'm not telling you this to punish you or to make you angry. But honestly, right now I don't know what to think anymore. I thought Austin was someone I didn't have to worry about, a good guy, and now you're telling me he picked you up after God-knows-who gave him your number and probably even showed you a picture of you. Your brother is saying he takes drugs."

"And I said he doesn't! Why do you believe Isaiah? He's inventing it."

"Well, I can't know that, Sarah! I don't know anything about him, and you barely do yourself! If you want to keep seeing him, I want to meet him first. Clear?" she tried to take Sarah's hand in hers, a simple gesture to make peace, set a truce, but the teen girl pulled away and quickly escaped to her room.

"I'll talk to her." Zoe offered, throwing an angry glance at Isaiah.

"I don't take it back! He's not boyfriend material." he called after her.

"Iz, I'm going to the other room for a minute." Cristina told her son. "Thank your for telling me. You shouldn't feel guilty, if he's not right for Sarah then she won't date him."

Once alone, Cristina hesitantly took her cellphone. After dialing Alex's number, she sat on the couch. She wasn't sure it was the right thing to do, but she needed another opinion.

"Hello?"

"Hey." she sighed.

"Cristina?"

"It's me. It's about Sarah. You know how she said Austin was her friend's brother? It was a lie."

"What?" jealousy immediately took over Alex. "She's not seeing him anymore!" he announced angrily.

"That's what I told her. I told her that if she wants to keep dating him I have to meet him first."

"We." Alex pointed out.

"Fine, we." if she could, she would admit how much she missed him and needed him home. She'd say Rebecca wasn't right for him and to come back, because they should have been his priority.

"And who is he, then?"

"I don't know, Alex. She didn't say much. But I actually think she doesn't really know many things about Austin."

"I knew I didn't like him."

"Alex..."

"I want to talk to Sarah. Get her to the phone, please?"

"Sure."

When she opened the door of her daughter's room, she saw her two girls on the bed. From the doorway, she handed out the phone. "Your dad wants to talk to you."

Sarah jumped up furiously. "You told him? How could you? I hate you!" sobbing, she slammed the door and locked it, not giving her mother a chance to answer.

Zoe sat on the floor beside her. "Sarah, don't cry. It's nothing. As I told you, you can still see Austin. Stay home tonight, apologize to Mom, tell Isaiah he was right so he won't bother you anymore and then start lying. I know I look like the perfect good girl and it's crazy that I suggested it, but you're not me so... it will work. You say you're going to the library to study, or to the mall with Jenna. No. Don't use Jenna. But, instead, you'll be meeting with Austin. Or, you know, you could just invite him over for dinner sometime and they'll let you-"

"They won't. I know they won't." Sarah wiped away her tears. "I'll kill you if Mom heard us through the door." she whispered. She had no choice than to follow Zoe's suggestion, though. Alex wouldn't like Austin even if he was the most perfect boy, but she knew her mother wouldn't approve either. The little hints she sometimes dropped in conversations about Austin applying to college or Austin playing in the school band, they were all false. Austin liked her, he liked her soft lips, her curves, her hands on his body. He liked going to big parties, and drinking until he forgot who he was, and while she was at school he didn't have anything to do so he wanted her with him. It didn't bother her, though, because when she was with Austin she felt accepted and light and loved, and being with him always brought a smile on her face. And it was cool that he was kind of a bad boy, it made him look even hotter.