A/N: Okay here's the next chapter. It was actually intended to be longer but I had to split it up because it was getting too long for my tastes. Enjoy! Thanks go to Jennifer for the beta read!

"Hey Sara?"

Sara looked up from her desk to see Lindsey in front of her. "Yes?"

"Did Mr. Johnson's test results come in yet?"

"Um, yes." Sara set down her pen and looked over her cluttered desk for the papers. "Here it is," she said, picking it up and handing it to Lindsey.

"Thanks."

"So you're leaving tonight for New York?" Sara asked, wanting to take a short break from paperwork.

"Yeah. It's been awhile since I last saw my parents," she answered with a smile.

"I still wish you could come with me to the barbeque tomorrow though."

Lindsey's smile turned into a sly grin. She smugly crossed her arms, tucking the papers at her side. "I'm sure you'll have loads of fun without me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara asked.

"Well, Michael's going to be there, isn't he?"

Sara blushed slightly. "Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Oh please Sara!" Lindsey grinned. "It's kind of obvious that Michael is your 'tall, dark, and handsome.' Even a three year old could see that!"

Sara blushed harder and turned back to her paperwork to hide it. But she was smiling. Lindsey chuckled at her friend's shyness.

"You're turning as red as your hair is!" she said with a laugh.

Sara faced her friend with an embarrassed smile on her face. "Shouldn't you give Mr. Johnson his test results now?"

Lindsey chuckled again. "All right, I'll leave you alone for now." She began to walk out of the room but then turned her head over her shoulder. "But when I get back from New York, you're in for a whole lot of pestering from me!"

"Yeah, yeah, just go!" Sara said with a laugh.

---

"Hey Mike?"

Michael looked up from the blueprints he was working on to see Andrew in his office doorway. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could come early tomorrow to help me set up for the barbeque."

"Sure."

Andrew's face brightened like a little kid's does. "Great!" Michael smiled at his friend. Andrew craned his neck to see the work on Michael's desk. "You working on the Fox River project?"

"Yeah, I'm drawing out the new pipe system for the place," Michael said looking down at the prints.

Andrew walked over to his desk and glanced at his work. "Looks good." His eyes scanned over the blueprints a bit before looking at Michael once again. "So, you excited?"

"About the project?"

"No, about the barbeque."

"Any special reason why I should be?" Michael asked as he rolled up the blueprints. He was going to call it a night for now.

"Well, Sara's going to be there..." Andrew said in a playful voice and with a smirk on his face.

Michael smiled as he slipped the prints into its tube, but he stayed quiet.

"I mean, it's kinda obvious that you're into her." Michael remained silent so Andrew continued talking. "And she seems to like you back. You should ask her out."

Michael looked at his friend. "You think so?"

"Yeah! Go for it man!" he encouraged.

Michael smiled. "I think I will then."

Andrew grinned. "Hey maybe at the barbeque you can pretend to choke on a piece of meat and Sara can perform CPR on ya."

Michael chuckled. "It's the Heimlich Maneuver, Andrew."

Andrew's face deadpanned. "Damn it! I mixed the two up again, didn't I?"

Michael just laughed.

---

Sara watched her eggs sizzle in the frying pan on her stove the next morning. She looked out her kitchen window as she cooked her breakfast. It was surprisingly sunny for being fall in Chicago. She smiled. She got a feeling that today would be a wonderful day.

Her cell phone began to ring just as she turned off the stove. Sara quickly used her spatula to scoop her cooked eggs onto a plate before rushing off to answer her phone. The caller ID said 'Rose.'

"Hey sis," Sara said into her cell cheerfully, "what's up?"

"Hey Sara, you sound like you're in a good mood," her older sister spoke over the phone.

"It's a beautiful day outside. I can't really help it," Sara said smiling. She sat down at her table to eat her breakfast.

"It sure is a nice morning," Rose said, agreeing. She paused before speaking again. "Listen, do you remember that festival thing Bill and I were going to go to?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I need a favor."

Sara chewed the eggs in her mouth before speaking again. "Again, I ask what?"

"Can you baby-sit Angela and Connor for me?"

"Sure! When?" She began to drink her orange juice.

"Today."

Sara nearly choked on her OJ. "Today?" she gulped out.

"Please Sara!" Rose pleaded. "I know it is very last minute but my babysitter cancelled on me this morning. You don't have anything important to do today, do you?"

"Not really," Sara replied tentatively.

"Then will you do it?"

Sara sighed. "All right." She smiled into the phone. "You know I love Angie and Connor to bits. I can't say no."

"Thank you Sara!" Rose exclaimed with joy over the phone. "Thank you so much! We'll be by later around 1 p.m. to drop them off."

"Okay."

"Bye sis, and thanks again!"

"Bye Rose."

Click. Sara flipped her phone shut and stared down at her table for a few minutes. She sighed and then flipped open her cell phone once again. She had to call Michael. She selected his number from in her contacts and waited as the phone began to ring.

---

"Andrew, this place is a pig sty! When was the last time you cleaned?" Michael asked with a slight face of disgust.

"When my parents moved to Mexico," Andrew said picking up an empty pizza box from a couple nights ago.

"That was over a month ago!"

Andrew shrugged. "So? Not everyone's a neat freak like you, man."

Michael just shook his head as he broke the vacuum out of the closet. He was kind of surprised that Andrew even had a vacuum. As he struggled with the tangled cord, his cell phone began to ring from where he left it on Andrew's coffee table. He tried to go answer it but got caught up in the cord and fell to the floor, so Andrew answered it for him.

"Hello?" He paused. "Oh, hey Sara!"

Michael looked up at the mention of Sara's name. He tried even harder to free himself from the vacuum's cord, but it was a losing battle.

"Oh Michael? He's a bit tied up at the moment. What's up?" Pause. "You have to baby-sit? So you can't come to my barbecue today?" Another pause. "Why don't you just bring them with you?" Pause. "Yeah, sure it's okay! The more, the merrier!" Andrew said grinning. "All right, I'll see you later then. I'll tell Michael you said 'hi!' Bye Sara!"

He turned to Michael who finally freed himself from the vacuum's clutches. "Sara says 'hi.'"

"Why did you hang up?" Michael asked. He was a little annoyed that he didn't get to talk to Sara himself.

"Relax Michael, you'll see her later. She's bringing her niece and nephew with her. So you better behave yourself around her. You don't want to set a bad example for the little kiddies!" Andrew joked.

"Ha, ha Andrew! Hey, maybe you can teach them CPR!" Michael said sarcastically.

Andrew punched his friend lightly in the arm. "Just get back to cleaning."

---

"Where are we going Auntie Sara?" little six year old Angie asked from the back seat of Sara's car.

"We're going to a barbecue."

"What's a bar-bee-coo?" Angie's twin brother Connor asked.

"Oh! Is that what we went to at Granddad's house on the day with the fireworks in the summer?" Angie asked.

Sara smiled. "Yup, that's it."

"Will there be hot dogs?" Connor asked.

"Probably."

"Yay!"

"Auntie Sara, are we still gonna go to the park later though?" Angie asked. "I want to swing on the swings!"

"Sure, we'll go to the park later," Sara said as she turned right into a neighborhood. "I think we're here!" She parked her car along the sidewalk and helped the twins get out of their car seats. "Okay, come on you two!"

The three of them walked up Andrew's front porch steps. Sara held their little hands in hers.

"Can I push the button?" Connor asked.

"Go right ahead, Connor," Sara said.

Connor reached up with his little finger and rang the doorbell with a push of a button. Shortly after that the door swung open revealing those beautiful blue green eyes that seem to mesmerize Sara every time she looked into them.

Michael smiled at the sight of her. "Sara! You made it!"

Sara smiled shyly. "Yeah."

The two of them stood staring and smiling at each other for a bit before Connor tugged on Sara's hand, snapping the couple out of their daze. Michael chuckled and then stepped out of the doorway. "I'm sorry, come in! Come in!"

Sara laughed lightly and gently pushed Connor and Angie inside. "Come on."

"So these must be your niece and nephew," Michael said looking down at the twins.

Sara nodded. "This is Connor and this is Angie. Say 'hi' to Michael you guys."

Angie turned her head upwards to look up at Michael. "You're really tall! It's scary!"

"Angie!" Sara said in an admonishing tone.

Michael just chuckled though. "I'm sorry." He then got down on one knee in front of the little girl to decrease his 'scary' height. "Is this better?"

Angie giggled and nodded. "Yup!" Sara couldn't help but smile at the scene.

"Sara!" The red head turned to see Lily walk up to them. "You're here!"

Sara smiled at her. "Hi Lily."

Lily then knelt down in front of Connor. "And who's this little guy?"

Connor smiled shyly. "Hi, I'm Connor. You're really pretty. What's your name?"

Lily smiled back at him. "Oh, you're so cute! My name is Lily. Are you hungry Connor?"

Connor nodded. "Do you have hot dogs?"

"Uh huh," Lily said, "Come on!" She took little Connor's hand and they began walking out to the backyard where Andrew was cooking.

Sara chuckled lightly. "Only six years old and he already knows how to smooth talk his way into a woman's heart."

Michael laughed with her and rose up from his knees. "Come on, let's go eat."

They walked out to the backyard where everybody was eating, chatting, and just enjoying themselves. The smells coming from the grill overwhelmed little Angie and her tummy rumbled.

"I'm hungry Auntie Sara," she said.

Sara saw Connor munching away on a hot dog next to Lily. "Do you want a hot dog?"

Angie shook here head and her pigtails swung in the air.

"How about a cheeseburger then?" Michael suggested to the little girl.

She smiled and nodded. "Okay."

"What about you Sara?" Michael asked looking to her.

"I'll have a cheeseburger too."

"Okay," Michael said. He turned to Andrew at the grill and yelled. "Andrew! Two cheeseburgers for the ladies!"

"Coming right up!" He yelled back.

Michael faced Sara and Angie again and smiled. "The condiments are right over there." He pointed to a table. "I'll go grab the buns and patties for you two once Andrew's done."

Sara smiled at him. "Thank you Michael." She took a hold of Angie's hand. "Come on Angie. Go pick out the things you want on your burger."

Angie climbed into one of the white plastic chairs at the table and pointed out what she wanted on her cheeseburger. Michael soon came up to the table with their burgers in hand.

"Here you go ladies!"

"Thank you Michael," Sara said again.

"Thank you!" Angie said as well.

Michael smiled at both of them but then turned suddenly at the sound of Andrew yelling. A lot of smoke was coming from the grill.

"Michael! Get your butt over here and help me!" He yelled as he tried to wave the smoke away.

Michael quickly rushed over to help his friend and the two tried frantically to fix the smoke problem, but the grill ended up erupting in flames.

"Wow! Fire!" Connor exclaimed in amazement.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Sara asked looking on, worried.

"Nah, it's okay. Michael got it," Lily said as Michael got a nearby fire extinguisher and put out the fire. "See? He figured that Andrew would end up burning something so he came prepared."

Sara giggled as both Andrew and Michael turned sheepishly to the crowd of people who had stopped whatever they were doing to watch the spectacle.

"Uh, everything is fine. You can go back to enjoying yourselves," Andrew said to everyone. There was some laughter from the crowd and the barbecue went on.

After Connor and Angie finished eating, they ran off to play with the other kids there and the dog that belonged to them. Sara watched them run around from a seat at a table.

"So you having a good time, Sara?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, thank you for inviting me," Sara said. "You're house is really lovely."

"Thanks," Andrew said proudly.

"It's actually his parents' house," Lily remarked.

"Hey! No it's not! They transferred full ownership to me when they moved to Mexico," Andrew defended.

"Mexico?" Sara was curious.

"Yeah, his parents live in Mexico. Baja to be exact," Michael explained.

"They went on a vacation there and loved it so much that they decided to live there forever," Andrew said.

"So you live in this big house by yourself?" Sara asked. Andrew nodded. "You should settle down then and find yourself a wife."

Andrew laughed. "You proposin' to me Sara?" Both Michael and Lily shot him a look.

Sara just laughed. "No."

"Hey Andrew," Lily began, "looks like the punch bowl could use more ice. Why don't you come help me get some more?"

"All right."

They went inside the house together and Lily opened the freezer with fury. "What the hell is up with your flirtation with Sara?"

"Whoa! Relax Lily! I'm just messing with Michael." He grinned. "It's not everyday he develops a crush on a girl that we get to tease him about."

Lily's fury calmed a bit. "So, you're not interested in her?"

"No. Why are you asking me this?" Andrew asked, a bit confused by her outburst.

"No reason," she said quickly and turned back to the freezer. "Just looking out for Michael I guess," she added to hide her own jealousy.

Andrew stared at her, wondering about her strange behavior. He then turned to look out the window to the backyard. He saw Michael and Sara laughing and smiling together. "They make a cute couple, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Lily agreed.

"I hope I find a girl that would like me as much as I will like her." Andrew said sighing.

Lily grabbed the ice from the freezer. "You just need to look harder."

---

"Wait, so Lily's in love with Andrew?" Sara asked for clarification. Michael nodded. "How does Andrew feel about her?"

"Not sure," Michael said, sipping his drink.

"You never asked him?"

Michael shook his head. "I guess I didn't want things to get awkward between him and Lily in case he didn't feel the same way."

"Oh." Sara then smiled. "That was kind of sweet of you."

Michael flushed a little bit. "Thanks."

"We should try and get them together."

"Play matchmaker?" Michael laughed slightly. "I think your stepmother's rubbing off on you."

Sara laughed with him. "Perhaps."

"It's gonna be a challenge though. Andrew can be dense at times and Lily's pretty stubborn when it comes to her feelings."

Sara grinned at him. "I like challenges."

Michael grinned back at her. "Good. So do I."

"Auntie Sara!"

They both looked up to see Angie and Connor run up to them with smiles on their faces. The kids with the dog were now leaving.

"Did you see us playing with the dog?" Angie asked excitedly.

Sara smiled at the twins. "Yes, I did."

"Do you think Mommy and Daddy will buy us a dog if we ask?" Connor asked her opinion.

"Maybe if you're good and ask nicely."

The twins cheered. Little Angie then jumped up and down in excitement. "Can we go to the park now?"

"Oh, you want to go now?"

Angie nodded. "I still wanna swing on the swings!"

"Okay then." Sara looked to Michael. "Sorry."

Michael shook his head. "No, it's okay."

Sara gave him a small smile and the two stood up just as Andrew and Lily came back.

"Oh, are you leaving Sara?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I promised the twins that I would take them to the park today."

"Well, I hope you had a good time here," Andrew said.

"Yes we did," Sara said. She then looked down at the twins. "Didn't we guys?"

The twins nodded and chirped "Yup."

"What do you say?" Sara asked the two six year olds.

"Thank you!" Angie and Connor said in unison.

Andrew smiled at them. "You're all very welcome."

"Okay then. Bye everyone!" Sara said. She cast one more smile in Michael's direction before walking away with the twins.

Michael let out a disappointed sigh. He had not wanted Sara to leave just yet. Andrew noticed this.

"Hey Michael, why don't you go after her?"

"What?"

"You know, tag along with them to the park."

Michael shook his head. "I just can't intrude in on them like that."

"Why not? I'm sure Sara wouldn't mind," Andrew said with a grin.

"You should do it, Michael," Lily chimed in. "It will give you a chance to show Sara how great you are with kids. Girls like that in guys."

Michael thought about it for a minute. He smiled. "Okay then."

"At a boy Mikey! Go get her!" Andrew cheered his friend on and slapped him on the back.

Michael smiled at his friends and then jogged through the house and out the front door. "Sara!" He called after her.

She turned around. "Michael? What is it?"

Michael slowed to a halt in front of her. "Well, I was wondering if maybe I could tag along with you guys to the park."

Sara smiled. She then looked down at the twins. "Well, if it's all right with them. What do you two say? Do you want Michael to come with us to the park?"

Connor nodded and Angie jumped up and down in excitement. "Yeah! He can push me on the swings!" she said happily.

Michael smiled. Sara looked back up at him and smiled too. "All right then. Let's go!"

They all got into Sara's car, each with a feeling of joy and excitement for the fun they were going to have at the park.