AN: Thanks to everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed and special thanks to my beta Spyke1985.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Six – Old Friends

"Rookie, isn't the point of leaving the office to stop working?" Philip asked Sarah, snatching her data-pad from her grasp.

"Hey!" She cried, leaning over the table to grab it back. She was on the verge of a huge breakthrough in the investigation. Philip was suddenly stunned as the data-pad was pulled from his hand by biotics, landing squarely in Sarah's lap.

"Ha!" She exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

"No fair. I didn't know that you got you biotics back." He said, shaking his head. She just kept grinning.

"I haven't." She said simply, flicking her wrist to show that she still had no control over her ability to generate mass effect fields.

"Sarah, shouldn't you go to a doctor or something? Maybe your implant's malfunctioning." Tiala interjected and Sarah shook her head.

"No, it's definitely psychological. It's like my sub-conscious has all of the control." She said and Tia gave her a slightly worried look.

"Because, you know, that's perfectly safe." She said sarcastically and Sarah shrugged, blushing. She wasn't used to people outside of her family worrying about her.

"Wait a minute…" Philip said, cocking his head.

"Wha-" Tia started but Philip interrupted her.

"Shhh!" Sarah frowned, listening. She couldn't hear anything but the low chatter of the other patrons and the soft melody being played over the speakers.

And then she heard the lyrics.

"-record like Charles Manson,
My AK-47 is a tool,
Don't make me act the motherfuckin' fool."

She and Philip started to snigger uncontrollably and Tiala just gave them a blank look.

"What the hell has gotten into you two?" He asked as Sarah looked over the counter and caught her Aunt Kara's eye, causing the woman to start laughing and press a finger to her lips.

"You never got that translator upgrade that would let you hear the lyrics to songs, did you?" Philip asked Tia, who shook her head in response.

"No, why?" She asked.

"Why indeed…" Came Lona's voice from behind them as she narrowed her eyes at Kara.

"What?" Kara asked, feigning innocence. Her wife rolled her eyes at her.

"You know what. You've put on an acoustic cover of a rap song again, haven't you?" She asked and Kara looked as guilty as possible while giggling.

"It's not as bad as the time she put on the piano version of Bitches Ain't Nothing." Sarah pointed out.

"Not helping." Kara hissed at her as Lona sighed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the father of my future children." Lona said sarcastically.

"Wait, when did you two start thinking about kids?" Sarah asked, frowning. Kara shrugged.

"Well, your mum said that, since it looks like you're definitely staying here, you don't have to stay here with us if you don't want to. You know that we love having you here, but I know how much you wanted your own place when you moved here and if you move out it's gonna leave an empty room." Kara said and Sarah frowned.

"Wait, when did Mum say this?" She asked and Kara raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yesterday when I called her. Sarah, when was the last time you talked to your parents?" Sarah shifted guiltily at that.

"Before I left home." She admitted, guiltily. "I mean, I write and stuff but I haven't actually called as such…"

"Wait, aren't your parents out in the Terminus? How could you get real time communication running?" Philip interjected and Sarah frowned a little.

"They have a QEC onboard." She told him, hoping that she wasn't giving too much away.

"Fancy." He said, before Tia suddenly started bouncing in her chair.

"Oh, Sarah! This is perfect timing! Alexa just got transferred to Noveria so I need a new roommate." The asari said excitedly, causing Philip to frown at her.

"Wait, why didn't you tell me?" He asked, clearly a little hurt. Tia just shrugged.

"You already have a roommate." She pointed out and he folded his arms, sulkily.

"You know how much Smith annoys me. Plus, I'm pretty sure he's a drug dealer." Tiala frowned at that.

"Yeah, he's your drug dealer." She said and Philip shook his head.

"Only for the legal stuff." He said dismissively and Tia sighed.

"So, why don't you just turn him in?" She asked and he rolled his eyes.

"Because I've been living with him for six months and Chellick is just begging for an excuse to fire my ass." Tiala just shrugged.

"Well, I'd be more comfortable living with Sarah." Tiala said simply.

"Why?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Well, she doesn't want to sleep with me for starters."

"I do-" He started but Sarah grabbed him before he could finish his thought.

"Quit while you're ahead, buddy. There is no way you can get out of this one." She warned him while Tiala smiled at him smugly. He huffed but remained quiet.

"So, wanna move in?" Tia asked and Sarah bit her lip. It would be almost impossible to hide everything from Tia if they lived together. But, then again, she was going for normal, wasn't she?

"Sure."

That night Sarah climbed up to the roof of Tiberius's apartment building feeling a little nervous. He had been… Off ever since that night the week before. He was quieter at work (which was saying a lot given how quiet he normally was), and every night he told her that he was 'busy'. Philip and Tiala had been more than happy to take up her evenings with various crazy ventures across the Citadel (she had been surprised by how many interesting places they knew that weren't crowded), but she missed Red.

So, she decided to see him tonight whether he wanted her to or not. She had been working on the latest intel, and despite Philip and Tiala's pestering, she had actually made a breakthrough. One that she was especially eager to share with Tiberius.

"Hey." She said as she spotted him sitting on the edge of the building as they often did, reading something on a data-pad. He didn't respond and when she approached, she noticed that his sub-harmonics were screaming with rage.

"Red!" She cried, trying to get his attention and he snapped out of his daze, throwing the data-pad away from him.

"Sorry, Blue. I… I should know better than to read that." He said and she frowned.

"Why? What is it?" She asked, picking up the data-pad but not looking at the files.

"I… Dammit. You remember last week when Tia…?" He asked as she sat down next to him.

"The incident with the girl?" She asked and he nodded. "Yeah, it hit you and Tia hard and you wouldn't say why. I told you I wouldn't push you about it. That you could tell me when you were ready." She remembered how appreciative he had been of that, how thankful he had been for her understanding and patience. Two things she wasn't exactly known for.

"That's why." He said, indicating to the data-pad. However, Sarah refused to let her curiosity get the better of her.

"Are you sure that you want me to read this?" She asked and he sighed.

"I… I'm not used to telling people about this. But you've been nothing but honest with me and I figure that I owe you the same." He reasoned and she shook her head. She had been honest with him about some things, but not with others. She was suddenly struck by guilt. It wasn't as bad when they both had their secrets. She wanted nothing more than to just tell him the truth. But she knew all too well the dangers of such an act. At the very least, she might lose their friendship and that wasn't something she was willing to risk.

"Tiberius, you don't even know who I am." She said and he frowned.

"You're Sarah." He said simply and she let out a small laugh. Was she? Or had Sarah been lost all those years ago? Was she just Angel pretending to be Sarah?

"Sarah who?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Doesn't matter." He said and she sighed.

"Doesn't it?" She asked, honestly looking for an answer.

"No. Wasn't it a human poet who said 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.'?" He asked and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"You mean Shakespeare? He was a famous playwright." She told him and he shrugged.

"I just know that line because it's quoted a lot." He admitted and she nodded.

"It's from Romeo and Juliet. I never really liked that one. It's about two teenagers who go so loopy for each other that they end up killing themselves. Fucking morons…" She said, shaking her head. Tiberius fell silent and simply indicated to the data-pad again.

"Just… Read it." He said and she nodded, turning her attention to the file on the page.

Quintus Tallin - Personal Log - Entry 352

Pinnacle Station is nothing more than a pile of rubble. I'm not exactly sure why the council is surprised by this or why it wasn't checked sooner but I guess it doesn't really matter now. What matters now is that I was supposed to be taking my final Spectre exam there and now the council don't know what to do with me.

To be honest, I want to go home. I never saw myself as a family man, hence the application to the Spectres, but if they didn't need every available hand, I think I would have declined the offer. I seriously considered turning them down, but as soon as Karina heard that I had the chance, she practically pushed me out of the door. And I love her for that. Because she's right. As much as I want to stay with her on Palaven and help rebuild, I have wanted to be a Spectre for as long as I can remember and the council really does need to rebuild the ranks after the war. Plus, I don't think I could stand it if Tiberius grew up with a father who gave up on his dreams.

"Bastard should have been more concerned about me growing up with a father at all..." Tiberius muttered as Sarah lifted her gaze from the data-pad. "They decided to send him on a live mission. He and his mentor both died." He admitted, his sub-harmonics trilling with grief and anger.

"It seems like he cared about you..." She observed, her voice soft and cautious.

"Not enough to stay alive." He said bitterly.

"You were too young to remember?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, but mom sure as hell remembered…"

"So, she...?"

"What would yours do? If one of your parents lost the other, what would happen?" He asked, his gaze finally locking with hers. She sighed at that. She knew the answer all too well. Omega would happen. Archangel would happen. Her parents had tried to shield her from the truth but she had picked up enough over the years to piece it together. She knew that her father hadn't had an escape plan. That he had fully expected to die.

She decided to tell him the truth.

"They would do enough stupid shit to get themselves killed." She told him and he nodded grimly. She inched closer to him, unsure of whether or not he would shun any physical contact. To her slight surprise, he didn't and she let her sub-harmonics trill with understanding.

"She kept it together for me while I grew up but..." He trailed off and she bit her lip, unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry." She said and he shrugged. "I know it doesn't help. I really do, but... I guess there's no right thing to say here." She said and he nodded.

"But thanks anyway." He said and she smiled a little.

"Just returning the favour." She told him.

"Thanks Blue." He said and she smiled as him.

"Any time."

Sarah leapt down the stairs and into the bakery, practically running past Tiberius as she tied her hair up.

"Sorry, I know I'm late. I overslept." She explained hurriedly as they made their way out into the ward.

"That's not like you." Tiberius pointed out as they walked hurriedly to work, Sarah constantly mindful of the time in the corner of her visor screen.

"I know! I think that's the first time I've slept properly for… Well, years." She said as they bypassed her favourite coffee place, still mindful of the time.

They barely made it in time and didn't manage to talk properly until they sat down at their desks.

"I totally forgot to tell you last night but there was a reason I dropped by." She started but Tiberius interrupted her.

"Actually, I wanted to thank you for, you know, listening last night." He said sheepishly. "And I also wanted to apologize…"

"No apology needed, Red. It means a lot to me that you would trust me despite… Well, my untrustworthy behaviour, I guess." She admitted and his sub-harmonics began to trill with guilt.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to apologize for… I wasn't entirely truthful with you last night." She frowned at that.

"What do you mean?" She asked, sub-harmonics trilling with confusion, and he shifted guiltily.

"I… I figured it out a while ago, Sarah." He admitted and she froze where she stood. Did he know who she was? Or, worse still, what she was? "Or is it Angel?" He asked, confirming her fears and snapping her into action. Before she could even really think about it, she had leapt across the desk and pinned him against the wall, hand pressed against his mouth, growling.

"Never say that name out loud!" She hissed at him, her fury at being caught allowing nothing else through. Except the sound of footsteps approaching. Just as quickly as she had grabbed him, she let him go, just as Philip and Tiala walked into the room.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Philip asked and Sarah shot Tiberius a death glare before answering.

"Nothing." She replied shortly and Philip looked between them before deciding simply not to ask, for which Sarah was glad, as her fury started to ebb away, leaving something unfamiliar in its place as the feel of his plates beneath her hand refused to fade. She tried to shake the feeling off, simply attributing it to the fact that it had been a really long time since she had had any sort of romantic encounter and the move had left her even more stressed than usual, with no way to blow off steam.

"Well, okay then… So, I hear there's a krogan in lock up. Dave says that he got wasted last night and they decided to let him sober up in a cell. And apparently your name is down as the krogan expert, Rookie." Philip told her and Sarah nodded before she headed towards the cells, her friends in tow.

Tiala wondered what the hell Tiberius had said to Sarah for her to seem so dazed as they followed her down to the cell block.

"What did you do?" She whispered to Tiberius, staying far enough away from Sarah so that she couldn't hear.

"I, erm… Nothing. I just didn't think before I spoke." He admitted and she shook her head.

"Men…" She muttered before heading back towards Sarah's side as they walked into the room, only to see her friend's eyes light up as she spotted the krogan in the cell.

"Mordin!" Sarah cried as she approached.

"Ha! I forgot you were slumming it at C-Sec, Pixie." He said excitedly and Sarah grinned widely at him. "You here to spring me?"

"As fun as that sounds, no. I'm respectable now, remember?" She told him and he shook his head.

"I had heard but I refused to believe it until I saw for myself. I didn't think you'd be a fan of all the rules." He said and she shrugged.

"You gotta do what you gotta do. Anyway, why are you here? Your dad kick you off planet?" She teased and he shrugged.

"Pretty much. I got volunteered into being an escort for Lia." He said, causing Sarah to frown.

"What's Lia doing here? She's too young for the Pilgrimage." She reasoned and the krogan shook his head.

"She's only off by a few months and you know Lia, as soon as her brother went off she just had to follow. Her mom agreed as long as I went with, so here I am." He explained and Sarah tried to contain her relief at the thought that Rael might be near by and she might finally have a chance to blow off some steam, as she raised an eyebrow.

"In jail." She pointed out. "Your dad is gonna have a fit."

"Nah, he thinks it's funny when I pull shit like this. Mom on the other hand, well let's just say I'm glad to be several systems away right now…" He admitted and her grin widened.

"I'll bet. Why do you think I'm so well behaved?" She asked and the krogan laughed.

"Ha! Good one, Pix." He said, causing her to shake her head in mock hurt.

"Ahem…" Philip mock cleared his throat, nudging Sarah with his elbow. She immediately blushed as she realized that she had been ignoring the trio behind her.

"Oh, sorry. Guys, this is Mordin. Mordin, this is Red, Tia and Philip." She introduced, not noticing how Tiberius' sub-harmonics trilled with a little relief as she used her nickname for him.

"Pix?" Philip asked and she fixed him with a warning glare.

"Yeah, Mordin's only allowed to call me that because I can't easily beat him up." She said, the threat clear. Although the krogan just laughed.

"Yeah, last time she tried, she broke her hand." He told them, causing her to round on him.

"What do you mean tried? I broke your nose." She reminded him and he chuckled a little, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but why Pixie?" Philip asked and Sarah frowned a little, trying to figure out how exactly to skirt the truth. Mordin spoke up before she had the chance.

"She was trying to explain her middle name to me and I thought that her parents had picked the wrong mythical creature. I mean, look at that face. She's definitely a pixie." He said and she shook her head. "Acts like one too." He added, earning him a playful glare.

"Wait, what's your middle name?" Tiala asked but Tiberius spoke up before Sarah had the chance to think up of a lie.

"Hey, apparently there's a quarian at the front desk asking about you." He told Mordin, causing Philip and Tia to turn their attention to the terminal he had been looking at.

"Thank you." Sarah mouthed to him and he frowned. She realized that he couldn't read human lips and so she instead sent the 'thank you' to his omni-tool, her sub-harmonics trilling with appreciation, forgiveness and a little apology for her earlier actions.

Her attention was once more diverted from him as a quarian entered the room.

"Sarah!" The quarian cried as the others took in the rare sight. It had been barely twenty years since the quarians had retaken Rannoch and any who had been born before then still tended to wear their suits when venturing off-world, since their immune systems still weren't as robust as they could be. It was rare to see a young quarian (at least one young enough to happily go without their suit) off Rannoch since the first generation was barely old enough to start on their Pilgrimage.

The quarian in question had flowing, dark hair that was pulled back at the sides so that it all fell down her back instead of over her face, showing off her small features and dark eyes. She was wearing what looked like a traditional quarian suit, minus the mask and sleeves.

"Lia! Mordin tells me that they kicked you out early." Sarah joked and the quarian cracked a wide grin as she hugged her friend.

"It's only because he, Tal and Harmony are with me. I've got my own little entourage." Lia told her and Sarah frowned a little.

"Wait, didn't you kick up so much fuss so that you could go with your brother? Where is Rael?" She asked and Lia sighed, folding her arms.

"He, um... He went with his girlfriend." She told Sarah cautiously.

"Oh." Sarah said, frowning a little. "I... I see." She said as her friends watched on, trying to figure out what Lia and Mordin already knew. Lia simply sighed.

"Sarah, you know that I love you like a sister, right?" She asked and Sarah nodded.

"Yea-" She was cut off by the quarian slapping her across the face. "Hey! What was that for?" She asked indignantly as she rubbed her cheek, hoping that her skin was tough enough to not turn purple at the injury.

"You lead him on for two years, Sarah!" Lia told her as Sarah's frown deepened. "He was convinced that the next time you came to Rannoch, you would stay for good. Stay for him." She told her and Sarah's heart clenched. Had she really been that cruel to him? She had thought that she'd made it clear that she didn't want a real relationship. Had she really been so blind? Or worse, had she known how he felt and disregarded it anyway?

"Lia, I am so sorry. If I had known..." She started and the quarian pulled her in for another hug and Sarah surprised her C-Sec friends by not objecting at all.

"I know, Sarah." Lia told her, softly. "If I thought for a second that you were even a little sensitive to that sort of thing, a slap would have been the least of your worries." Sarah snorted at that.

"I don't doubt that." She said and Lia pulled away from her friend, sighing and placing her hands on her hips.

"I'd better go and tell the others that I found him. I'll drop by and meet you for lunch, okay?" She asked and Sarah nodded.

"Sure."

"Wait, you're not here to get me out?" Mordin asked and Lia smiled smugly.

"No, I'm leaving you with Sarah. Harmony is more than capable of protecting me and you need to learn your lesson." Lia told him before leaving the room. "See you, Sarah!" She called as she left. Sarah turned to her friends and blushed a little.

"Sorry guys. I guess I kind of ignored you again there…" She said sheepishly and Tiala smiled at her reassuringly.

"No worries. We understand." She told her before Philip spoke up.

"Yeah, plus now your mysterious past is no longer so mysterious." He pointed out and Mordin gave him a quizzical look.

"You mean that you figured out all of Pix's secrets from that? Damn, you C-Sec guys are good." He joked, causing Philip to laugh.

"Just call me a genius." He said, shrugging and Sarah rolled her eyes at him.

"I already told you guys that I spent a lot of time on Rannoch and Tuchanka growing up. I'm not exactly sure what else you could have picked up from that." She reasoned.

"What about the fact that you are the worst girlfriend in the galaxy?" Mordin asked and Sarah rounded on him, her biotics flickering a little.

"I was not his girlfriend!" She cried indignantly. Mordin simply snorted.

"He didn't think that." He said and Sarah sighed, shaking her head.

"Can we please just talk about something else?" She asked.

"Yeah, you've gotta have some good Sarah stories." Philip said. "She's always so tight-lipped about her past."

"Well, there was the time we killed the thresher maw during my Rite…"

Philip and Tiberius both had to return to work, leaving Sarah and Tia with Mordin for most of the morning. Tia wondered at how Sarah was the most comfortable she had ever seen her with the krogan near. Although, Mordin seemed to treat her with the kind of respect Tia had only ever seen krogan display for great warrior, and while she had to admit that her combat skills were impressive, Sarah was hardly a great warrior. Maybe it's just because they grew up together she thought to herself, although she realized that Sarah too started to notice his attitude towards her at times and it made her squirm a little before changing the subject. She was still watching the two when Lia returned with a male quarian and a small geth unit in tow.

"Hey Sarah." Lia said before turning to the asari. "Sorry, I didn't get your name before."

"I'm Tiala." She supplied and the quarian nodded.

"I'm Lia'Reegar nar Rannoch. This is my cousin Tal and my friend Harmony." She introduced and Tia nodded to each of them in turn.

"So, where are Philip and Tiberius? I'm starving." Sarah asked Tia just as the two boys arrived. "Speak of the devils. Hey, guys, can we go somewhere, you know, decent for lunch?"

"No way! We have to show your friends a day in the life of a C-Sec officer. And that means lunch that's deep fried and cheap." Philip said, causing Sarah to roll her eyes.

"And hazardous to your health." She joked and the male quarian smiled at her.

"I'm sure we'll manage." He told her and she smiled back at him.

"I'm sure you will, erm… Tal, was it? I don't think I've met you before."

"No, I rarely have time to spend with my cousins, which is why I was so eager to join Lia on her Pilgrimage. But I have heard much about you." He said and she blushed a little, remembering what Lia and Mordin had told her that morning.

"All good, I hope." She said, sincerely hoping that he didn't think that she was some stone-cold bitch.

"Of course." He said, and she couldn't help but feel relieved.

"Does anyone want the end of my lunch?" Sarah asked, indicating to the pile of food that she had barely touched.

"Sarah, you do this every day. Why don't you just buy less food?" Philip asked and she shrugged.

"I'm used to eating a lot to deal with the calorie demand of my biotics. I always forget that I don't have them anymore." She reasoned.

"You lost your biotics?" Lia asked, seemingly a little shocked.

"Kind of. They show up when they feel like it. It's kind of unpredictable." She said and Mordin snorted.

"Just like you, then." He joked and she shrugged.

"I'm not that unpredictable" She reasoned and Harmony cocked its head in response.

"Untrue, Sarah. I am unable to predict your future actions with more than 1.64% accuracy." The geth told her and she shrugged.

"You think all organics are unpredictable, Harmony." She pointed out and the geth did a reasonable approximation of a shrug before turning to Lia.

"We will be late if we do not leave in the next few minutes." It told her, and the quarian checked her omni-tool.

"Keelah. We'd better leg it." She told Mordin and Tal and they nodded.

"Perhaps Sarah could accompany us." Tal suggested and Sarah looked a little sheepish.

"I'd love to but I've got work to do." She said and Tiberius shook his head.

"I can manage by myself for one afternoon. And I'm sure the Executor will understand." He told her and she nodded.

"Well, alright then…" She said, before getting up to follow Tal. Once they were out of earshot Philip shot Tiberius a glare.

"Why'd you let her go?" He asked and Tiberius frowned.

"Because she hasn't seen her friends since she arrived here, and she should catch up with them." He said, frowning at the human sitting across from him.

"Yeah, I bet that Tal guy wants to 'catch up' alright…" He grumbled and Tia raised an eyebrow at him.

"Given that she hadn't met him before today, that didn't even make sense. Are you acting like this because he clearly likes her?" The asari asked and Tiberius frowned at her.

"He does?" He asked and she smiled at him.

"Oh Smiles, you really can't read people, can you?" She asked, shaking her head. "Yes, he was all over her."

"Well, I don't like him. He's too… pretty." Philip said and Tiala raised an eyebrow at him, about to speak up, when Tiberius got up abruptly to leave.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked him and he shook his head.

"I… I've got work to do." He said before leaving. Tiala just sighed as Philip frowned.

"What's up with him?" He asked and Tiala shrugged, although she knew all too well.

"Who knows?" She said, playing dumb. "So, what's the real reason you don't like Tal?" She asked and he frowned.

"I just told you." He said and she grinned wickedly.

"You like her, don't you?" She asked.

"What? Who? Rookie? No, she's… You know she's… She's Sarah. You know?" He spluttered, causing the asari to laugh a little.

"If she asked you out, would you say yes?" She asked and he sighed.

"Well, yeah, I mean, she's hot." He reasoned and Tia rolled her eyes.

"Of course. But, is that it?" She asked and he sighed.

"Yeah, Tia. That's it. She's hot and she's a good friend. And it's not like I've got girls lining up to go out with me. I figure I might actually stand a chance with her. You know, as long as no asshole quarians ask her out first." He reasoned and Tiala frowned a little, wondering what exactly about the conversation was making her stomach clench.

"So, why are you acting all jealous of Tal but not Tiberius?"

"First of all, I am not jealous of Tal. I just think he's a smarmy git. Second, why would I be jealous of Smiley? Even if he liked Sarah, there's no way he would ever ask her out." He reasoned and Tia sighed.

"Sadly, I think you're right."

"I'd better go guys, it's getting late." Sarah told her friends as she got ready to head back home.

"It's been really nice meeting you." Tal told her and she smiled back, feeling a little awkward.

"You too." She told him before Lia pulled her into a bone-crushing hug as the boys and Harmony left the two girls alone.

"Ow, Lia! Can't breathe!" She protested and the quarian pulled away, looking a little sheepish.

"I'm sorry. It's just… I've missed you, Sarah." She said as Sarah frowned at her.

"What do you mean? You saw me what? Six months ago?" She said and Lia shook her head.

"No, Sarah. I last saw you over three years ago. And then every few months the Normandy would dock and a stranger would show up. She looked like you and talked like you but she wasn't you." Lia told her and Sarah sighed, folding her arms.

"You noticed, huh?" She asked and Lia smiled sadly.

"Sarah, everyone noticed. You suddenly stopped having fun and threw yourself into combat training, something you always swore that you would avoid. I was left wondering what had happened to 'giving destiny the middle finger'. I asked Auntie Jane about it once and she said that it was something you had to figure out for yourself. I guess she was right." She told her and Sarah stood silently for a few moments as she processed the information.

So, her mother had known. She'd known all along. But she'd been right. She had needed to work out her anger and learn her lesson. She figured that she wouldn't have listened if someone had simply tried to tell it to her. She probably would have pushed them away.

"Yeah, she has a bad habit of doing that." Sarah said and Lia smiled.

"It's good to have you back. I don't know how or why you're back, but I'm glad." Sarah smiled at that. She didn't know, either. But sometime in the past two months she had returned to the old Sarah, without even realizing it.

It was strange, like waking up from a bad dream slowly, so that certain fantastical elements lingered into the real world. She could remember the last three years, remember every action and the reasoning behind them, but the reasoning no longer made any sense. She could see the conclusions she had reached, but she had no idea how she had gotten there.

"It's good to be back." She admitted before leaving. There was still one thing she had to do.

Tiberius entered his apartment and sighed. He had been on edge ever since lunch. Ever since Tia had told him that Tal liked Sarah. Why was it bothering him so much? She was free to go out with whoever the hell she wanted. It was none of his business. She was just a friend. Barely that, given his behavior over the past week. He had pushed her away and as soon as she had gotten a little close, he had immediately alienated her once more.

"Hey." A soft voice came from behind him, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Sarah! Spirits, don't scare me like that… I thought you were an intruder. How did you even get in?" He asked as he spotted her figure sitting on the windowsill.

"In-tru-da window." She said, smiling weakly at the bad pun.

"That wasn't even a little funny." He told her and she nodded.

"I know. Sorry, I'm bad at this stuff. My 'humour heuristics lack an expert system' as my Auntie EDI would say… I guess there's no point in keeping up pretenses now that I've been rumbled." She reasoned, shrugging.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to figure it out." He said and she raised an eyebrow.

"What, you weren't even a little bit curious about me? The girl with no name and no past." She asked and he shrugged.

"Well, yeah, at first. But after that first night when you bumped into me on the rooftop… I decided to stop looking. I figured that you would tell me when you were ready." She sighed at that, shaking her head.

"So you figured it out without even trying? I'm really bad at keeping secrets, huh?" She asked, a little jokingly. He shook his head.

"No, I'm just really good at my job." He said, causing her to smile.

"Cocky."

"Only when I have reason to be." He told her and she laughed a little. Before she had one sobering thought. If he had figured out who her parents were, how long would it take him to figure out what she was?

"So, you figured out my last secret… It's nice. To not have to hide." She told him, hoping that he would never realize that she still keeping one last thing from him.

"It's a pretty big secret to have to keep from everyone." He said sympathetically and she shrugged it off.

"Thank you for keeping it."

"You don't have to worry about me telling anyone." He told her. "Who else would I tell anyway?"

"Tia, Philip… You're not as much of a loner as you like to think." She told him and he shrugged.

"Neither are you." He countered and she frowned a little.

"Who said I thought of myself as a loner?"

"Please, Blue, it's written all over your face." He told her and she frowned a little.

"Huh. How is it that you seem to know me better than I know myself?" She asked him and he shrugged. "I think… I think I became so good at lying that I managed to convince myself. Now I don't know what's true and what isn't."

"Now who's cocky?" He asked and she snorted.

"Red?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"You already said that." He pointed out and she shook her head.

"Not for keeping my secret. Thanks for this."

"Thanks for not kicking you out when you broke into my apartment?"

"Yeah. That."

"No problem, Blue."