Here's the next chapter. You probably won't be too happy with me b/c this chapter is bringing in some angst, but it'll eventually be resolved....somehow.... lemme know what you think.

Chapter 10

Three weeks. Sara thought. Three weeks since he left.

Sara sat at her desk taking a break from working on the single stack of paperwork that she had left to do.

"So I hear I missed a good show." The guy at the door inquired, leaning against the doorjam.

Sara smiled softly and waved him in.

"How was Marcia's wedding?"

"Good. She wasn't happy that you couldn't make it, but she finally understood that only one of us was able to attend. And she says thank you, by the way."

Sara smiled. "It made more sense for you to go anyways."

"Sara, you're the captain, you could have taken time off even though I was gone."

Sara sighed heavily. "Derek, you know that it would have been incredibly difficult to go with the girls. And anyways it was a good thing that I stayed otherwise this place would be in complete shambles and I would have quadrupled the amount of paperwork that was on my desk before you left!"

"Well you have two valid points there—and what's this about the girls' father being here?"

Sara sighed again. I really don't want to have this conversation, here or now! Sara thought to herself. "He was the consultant on the case that you had been handling."

Derek nodded his head as he said, "Ah, the Las Vegas crew."

Sara nodded, breaking eye contact.

"Sara, how do you fee—"

"Stop!" She said firmly, holding up a hand to reinforce her command. "Don't. Don't do this Derek. I thought you were different, but I guess I was wrong on that part." Sara stood up and walked around the office to look out the window.

"You still love him, don't you?" Derek whispered.

Sara didn't answer; she just walked out of her office.

Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, she dialed a number she knew by heart. Listening to it ring several times before a sleep voice answered, "Hello."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't even think what time it was there. Go back to sleep, I'll call you later." Sara said so fast that even a fully aware human would hardly be able to understand her.

"Sara…" he said, but he was too late, he heard the click and end of call blinking on the phone.

Sara sat down on the curbing, resting her forehead on her knees.

"This can't be good." Jack said, "What's wrong?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"Oh, nothing, just needed some peace and quiet."

"Spill it Sara." Jack stated firmly.

"Derek." Sara whispered.

"Ahhh…" Jack said, completely understanding now.

"Yeah, my life just hit an all new level of complicated." Sara muttered, her head leaning on her knees.

"Sar, you know that I won't tell you what to do, you know what you have to do, you have to listen to your heart."

"I never expected Gil to reappear in my life. I had taken so long to attempt to convince myself to tell him—but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Then Derek…" she shook her head.

"You're experiencing two different parts of your past. Derek, and then Gil."

" Yeah, but you're not aware of the missing link connecting the two. If I choose one, then I'll lose the other completely. Gil is the love of my life—I know that for certain, but Derek was always there, offering support, taking me out, and keeping me sane—even through college he did this." Then Sara lowered her voice to a whisper, "we dated in college for all four years, then I met Gil my first semester at Berkley."

"Sara, you can't think like that, you need positive outlooks."

"Jack, I dumped a fiancé to be with Gil, and it took him how many years to initiate a relationship?"

Jack was stunned into silence. Fiancé he thought, unable to comprehend what she said.

The ringing of her phone made them both jump.