A/N Still not making any money, still don't own anything.

Several events transpired in the week leading up to Sara's visit with Brandon.

The Borden Detective Agency assigned five agents to keep track of Penny twenty-four hours a day. They found a spot on a side road from which they could watch the entrance to the farm. They then stationed an agent at a point along the route leading to town, changing the position regularly. When the outlook saw Penny leave, he notified the other car that then followed her. If after she left, Leonard would leave, the outlook would follow him. He would then return to his station when the other agent notified him Penny was back at the farm.

Since they worked eight-hour shifts, that took four agents. The other agent just watched the Gentlemen's club while Penny was working. The two hostesses who were their inside sources kept track of Penny inside the club.

Leonard and Penny called the group on Saturday the seventh. As they had planned, they told them everything. Penny was slightly disappointed in their reaction to the fact she was a stripper. The one that was the most affected was Jasmine. It was apparent she thoroughly disapproved of Penny. Raj could only give Penny an apologetic look as Jasmine insisted they sign off. The others also were more judgmental than Penny would have expected. But, maybe she just needed to give them some time to absorb the information. She also had hoped Howard had gotten past some of his creepiness. He kept wanting to discuss details of what she did.

She had to admit, though, that once they heard about Brandon suing for custody, they quickly showed their friendship and pledged their support. Howard even suggested that they could maybe try to hack into the opposing firm's computers. In the end though, Leonard and Sheldon agreed that that anything they might gain from doing so was not worth the risk of getting caught, which could probably blow the whole case.

Amy and Bernadette decided they would like to come down to try to help. They planned to fly down the weekend of the fourteenth.

Sunday the eighth, Leonard decided to try to change the mood by announcing he was ready to ride Dallas on his own, albeit slowly. Sara, Penny, and Leonard arrived at the stable at 10:30 that morning.

Sara was excited but a little nervous for Leonard. "Are you sure you're ready, Leonard?"

"I'm sure, after all, I have a great teacher."

Penny spoke up, "He'll be fine, Sara, you know Dallas is as gentle as can be. The only difference from what we were doing before is that Leonard will be holding the reins. It will be slow and easy." 'As long as nothing spooks her', she thought to herself.

Sara and Penny worked with Leonard on how to handle the reins, how to control direction and most important, how to get Dallas to start and stop. They had worked on these things before but wanted to be sure Leonard was ready.

Finally, they decided it was time. With Sara slowly riding Daisy leading the way, Leonard rode Dallas after her, with Penny walking along behind. Along the way, they had Leonard stop and then get Dallas going again. When they reached the end of the trail, Leonard was able to get Dallas turned around and headed back the way they came. Seeing how good he was doing, they even had him speed up Dallas slightly and then bring him back to a slower speed.

As they got close to the stables, Sara suddenly sped up and left him behind. As he and Penny came into the yard, Leonard saw everyone waiting for him. As he brought Dallas to a stop everyone started clapping and cheering.

Blushing a little, but with a huge grin on his face, he dismounted. Wyatt came up and clapped him on the back. "Great job, Leonard, you looked darn good up there."

Susan, and to his surprise, Bridget, came up and gave him a hug, saying, "We're so proud of you, Leonard."

Leonard picked Jeremy up as he could see he was being shy. Jeremy managed, "Good job, Leonard."

Leonard smiled and said, "Thank you, Jeremy," as he put him back down.

Then Sara came up with a big smile on her face. He picked her up and said, "Well, Sara, you did it. You made a rider out of me."

Then Sara gave him a stern face, "We still have a long way to go. I can't wait until we can go on a long ride together and you know how it feels to ride fast."

Then she gave him a hug and said, "But this was great, too."

Putting her down, he saw Penny approach. She gave him a small kiss and said, "We really are all proud of you. You've come a long way."

Leonard turned to everyone, "Thank you all for this. It really makes me feel like I belong."

They quickly assured him that he did. Wyatt then interrupted, "Well let's get these horses settled in. We've got hot chocolate and mom's homemade pie for a celebration."

Sally Wilson called Penny first thing in the morning on the ninth to tell her that everything was set. Sara was to meet with Brandon and EIleen at the Manchester Hotel at two o'clock on January eleventh. She said she would come to the farm to pick up Sara at ten o'clock. At that time, she would go over with them all what exactly was going to happen.

That afternoon Sara got out some blank paper and began to draw. When asked what she was doing, she said since she couldn't show her Daddy the farm, she was going to draw it for him. When she was finished, she had two drawings. The one of the farm buildings showed where her interests lie. The Stable was by far the most dominant structure and contained much more detail, including pictures of Daisy and Dallas.

Her other drawing showed the members of the family. They were divided into two groups. Her Grandpa, Grandma, Bridget, and Jeremy were in one, while Penny, Leonard, and Sara were in the other.

Everyone had to struggle to control their emotions.

Then they all then complimented Sara on how great a job she had done.

The next day, Sara asked her mother if she could have a new dress for the meeting. Penny was a little surprised. Sara hardly ever wore a dress, and the ones she had were made by Bridget. But it was clear she wanted one from a store. In spite of herself, Penny felt a little hurt that she wanted something special to meet Brandon, but then realized they had gotten so caught up in what the meeting meant for the custody battle, that they had forgotten how exciting and important this was for Sara.

So, Penny, Susan, and Bridget drove Leonard's car to the mall and had Sara pick out a dress. She also got some bows for her hair.

When Leonard arrived at the farm the next morning, he found that the women were all upstairs getting Sara ready. It was about 9:30 when they came down. After they all said good morning to Leonard, Penny stood by the stairs and announced, "May I present, Miss Sara Lee Prentis."

With a huge smile on her face, Sara came down from the stairs. She was wearing a pink dress with white polka dots, and matching ribbons in her hair.

Leonard felt his heart swell. She looked so different. He had never seen her in anything but jeans and her bib overalls. He suddenly felt he knew even more how fathers felt about their daughters. How really special they were.

Sara came up to him. "Hi Leonard." She then twirled a little, "Aren't I pretty? Do you think Daddy will think so?"

Leonard smiled and said, "You sure are. I'm sure he will think you're the best daughter in the world."

Just then, they heard the sound of a car pulling into the yard. Penny spoke up, "That must be Sally." Looking at her watch, she went on, "She's a little early."

Everyone went into the kitchen and Penny went to the door and let her in. After taking off her coat, she came into the kitchen, where everyone was sitting around the table.

"Good morning, everyone, I'm Sally Wilson, it's nice to meet you all in person."

Sara then spoke up, "How do you like my new dress?"

Sally smiled and said, "I like it, you look very nice."

She then opened her briefcase and took out some papers. "I just need a signature from you, Penny. It just states you give your permission for me to represent you at the meeting. Since I am with the firm, it is probably not necessary, but Mr. Thompkins like to be sure we have covered all the bases."

Penny signed, and putting the paper back in her case, Sally continued, still standing up, "Thank you. Okay, let me go over what is going to happen. As you know the meeting is at the Manchester. It will take place in a regular hotel suite. The only people present will be Sara, the Plaintiffs, me, and their representative…." Checking a paper in her hand she said, "A Miss Betty Winston."

"Sara and the Plaintiffs will be sitting around a table while Miss Winston and I will be sitting in the background. We are just there to observe and to provide help and counsel if something should happen. Normally, we will take not part in what is going on."

"It is scheduled to last an hour. It may be possible it could go longer, but that would be unusual."

Turning to Sara, "Do you understand, Sara? If you have any questions, please ask me. If you don't have one now, you can ask me later."

Sara said, "I drew some pictures. Is that okay?"

Sally said, "May I see them?"

Sara went out into the living room and returned with them, handing them to Sally.

Sally looked at them, and in spite of herself had to smile at the one of the family members.

"May I ask why you drew these?"

"I wanted to show Daddy the farm, but since I can't, I drew it for him."

"Well, Sara, these are very good, and I see no problem showing him. Would you mind if I put them in my briefcase so they don't get wrinkled? I will give them to you when we get to the hotel."

"That will be okay. Thank you."

"No problem. Any other questions?"

Penny spoke up, "Will we be able to discuss with you what you thought of the meeting?"

"Yes, I will report to Mr. Thompkins, and he will get together with you and Leonard later this week."

"If there are no more questions, I guess we should be going."

"Oh, I almost forgot. "Sara, do you need to have something to eat before we go? Or do you want to eat something in town?"

Sara answered, "Can we stop for a Happy Meal?"

Sally smiled and said, "We certainly can."

Sara and Sally both got their coats on and walked out to Sally's car. Penny and Leonard followed them out and Leonard transferred the car seat from his car to Sally's. They waved goodbye as they drove off.

Penny then turned to Leonard, "Oh God, I am so scared. What if she wants to be with him after this?"

Leonard hugged her, "Don't worry, Penny, I am sure we can trust Sara to not be easily swayed. We both know how special she is. Now, let's get inside, I' m getting cold."

Putting his arms around her, they headed back to the house.

After partaking of a Happy Meal, Sara and Sally went up to the room. Just outside the door, Sally turned to Sara. "Are you okay, Sara? Is there anything that's bothering you?"

"No, I'm okay."

Sally knocked and a woman who Sally assumed was Betty Winston answered the door. She stepped back and said, "Come on in. Were ready for you."

As they entered, Sally took off her coat and helped Sara with hers. Brandon and Eileen were sitting by a table. When Sally escorted Sara to the table, Brandon and Eileen stood up. Sally and Betty then moved over to chairs away from the table.

Brandon was stunned. He had never imagined this would be his reaction when he saw Sara. When Penny had told him she was pregnant, the only thing he could think of was that she had entrapped him, that she was after his money. He really never gave any thought to the baby itself. He had no wish to be with Penny and form a family. When she turned down his solution to have an abortion, he was even more sure she would use the baby against him. Thus, he had been surprised when his Grandmother had suggested threatening Penny with taking the baby. He thought she would call his bluff. But to his relief, his Grandmother had been right again, and he was freed from any responsibility.

In the five years since, he had never really thought about the baby. Then, he had meet Eileen and fallen deeply in love with her. And when she returned his feelings, he was as happy as he had ever been. Wanting to keep no secrets, he had told her about Penny and the baby.

Then, about three months after they were married, Eileen shocked him by telling him she had contacted a detective agency and had them investigate the child's situation. She informed him she felt they needed to get custody to be sure the child had the best life possible.

Brandon could really not say no to her and even stood up to his Grandmother. He assumed they would hire their own lawyer and it would be a low-level case. Deep down, he hoped they would lose. But then his Grandmother had decided if they were going to do this, they had to win. Suddenly, the whole thing became huge and Warren Hampton of all people was handling the case. Although, he was now pretty sure they would win, the child herself was still just part of the case to him. At least Eileen would be happy.

He had seen pictures of Sara of course. The detective agency had provided them, but he had hardly looked at them.

Now, seeing Sara in person, he was stunned at what he was feeling. Suddenly, she was an individual, a real live person. Although she took after Penny, he could see features of his mother in her face. Then, she had his blue eyes. Suddenly, he realized this was his daughter. His flesh and blood. Suddenly, he wanted what was best for her. He wanted to give her what she deserved.

Ever since Sara had known of the situation with her father, she had often fantasized about meeting him. No matter what ever scenario she envisioned, one thing was the same. She had rushed to him, giving him a huge hug. But now that it was real, she found she had no desire to do so. This man was a complete stranger. She felt no tie to him.

The three of them stood there awkwardly, no one sure what to do. Finally, Brandon spoke. "Hi Sara."

Brandon struggled on, "Sara, I am your father. My name is Brandon and this is my wife Eileen."

Eileen said, "Hi, Sara, glad to finally meet you."

Sara said quietly, "Hello."

Eileen continued, "Why don't we all sit down?"

They sat down around the table. Eileen asked, "Sara, why don't you tell us about yourself, about your family?"

Sara then remembered her drawings. Turning to Sally she said, "May I have my pictures now?"

Sally said, "Of course," got up and retrieved the pictures from her briefcase and brought them to Sara.

With Brandon and Eileen looking inquisitively at her, Sara explained, "Leonard said you wouldn't be able to come to the farm, so I decided to draw the farm for you."

Brandon started a little at the name Leonard. Hampton had told him to find out as much as he could about Leonard's relationship with Penny and Sara. This looked like an opportunity to start finding out.

"Sara, who's Leonard?"

Sara looked up from her drawings. "Leonard is Mommy's boyfriend." Then she smiled, "I taught him to ride Dallas. When he first came to the farm, he was afraid of horses."

"How do you know he is her boyfriend? Did she tell you?"

"I saw them kissing and holding hands. When I asked Leonard if he was going to be my Daddy, he told me he was her Boyfriend."

Brandon and Eileen exchanged glances. It was apparently serious. It sounded as if they might be intimate.

"Does Leonard live at the farm?"

"No, he has a hotel, but he comes to the farm every day."

"Does he ever sleep there?"

"Just a couple times. He was there for Christmas eve. I was afraid he would stop Santa from coming, because he was in the living room."

Then getting impatient with all the questions, Sara asked, "Don't you want to see my drawings?"

Eileen quickly answered, "Of course, Sara."

Sara laid out the one depicting the farm buildings. "That's the house, that's the shed, that's the barn, that's where the chickens live, and that's the stable. The little horse is Daisy, she's who I ride. The big one is Dallas, Mommy rides her."

Eileen now saw an opening. The size of the stable showed clearly that Sara was into horses. She spoke up. "You know, I ride horses, too."

Sara looked up and acted interested for the first time, "You do?"

"Yes, in fact, I actually won some awards for jumping when I was younger."

"Really? I saw that on TV once. I thought it would be fun to do. Did you have your own horse?"

"Of course, her name was Moonbeam."

"Do you still have her?"

"No, I'm afraid she died."

"That's too bad, do you have any horses now?"

"Not yet, but Brandon and I are building a new house and we are going to have a stable with lots of horses."

Sara was obviously impressed. Then she remembered her other drawing. "And this one is the family."

Brandon and Eileen had to struggle to cover their dismay when they saw Sara obviously thinking of Leonard as part of the family, especially with him together with Penny and Sara.

Recovering, Brandon said, "Those are very good drawings. Thank you for showing us. Can we show you some pictures, too?"

"Sure."

Brandon opened his briefcase and took out some photographs. He then started to spread them out on the table.

"This is the land we are building the house on. There will be plenty of room to ride and play. We will also have swings and slides to play on. You'll be able to play lots of games on a computer and watch whatever you want on your own TV. It will be right in your room."

Sara interrupted, "I'd have a room of my own?"

"Of Course, Sara, and you can decorate it any way you want."

Sara thought how nice it would be to have her own room. Jeremy was her best friend, but it would be nice to be alone sometimes. Then she wondered if Jeremy would have his own room too. Then it hit her; Jeremy wouldn't be there. Nor would her Mommy or Grandpa and Grandma or Bridget. None of the horses would be Daisy or Dallas and she would never get to ride with Mommy or watch Leonard learn to ride fast.

Brandon and Eileen were going on about all the wonderful things there would be for her, but she was no longer interested.

Finally, they finished. "Well, how did that sound? We also want you to know that someday when you are older, you can go to any college you would like. You will be able to be whatever you want."

Then, Brandon took his shot. "Sara, we want to be able to give these things to you. We want you to know that we want you to live with us. We want to be your family. We know that Eileen will never replace your mommy, but we will do everything to make you happy. Isn't that what you mother would want for you?"

Sara was beginning to understand what was going on, what her mother had been trying to tell her. She also believed that her father did want her. Wasn't that what she always wanted? Why did it not make her happy now?

She realized it was Leonard she loved. It was Leonard who she wanted to be her father. She was sure he would want that to. She couldn't imagine being away from them all.

She looked up at them, she hoped she could say what she wanted to say.

"It has been nice to finally meet you. Ever since I can remember, I have hoped for this, to meet you, to know my Daddy wants me. But, I don't know, it's different than I thought. I'm sure, Eileen, it would be fun to ride with you, but I want to ride with Mommy and Leonard. It would be fun to have my own room, but Jeremy is my best friend, I would miss him."

"I think I understand now that it may not be up to me. But if it is, I would choose to live with Mommy."

Brandon and Eileen looked sadly at each other. Then Eileen said, "Thank you for telling us that. But we need to do what we think is best. We know you would have a better future with us. We hope if it is decided that you do come to live with us, that you will give us a chance to show you that we can make you happy. Will you promise to give us that chance?"

Sara wasn't sure what to say, but she was beginning to face the fact it could happen. She did not hate them and she was sure they would do what they could for her.

"Yes, I can promise that."

Eileen smiled, "Thank you, Sara."

Brandon stood up, "I think this would be a good place to leave it at." He smiled down at Sara, "It has been wonderful to finally meet you. Whatever happens, know that I and Eileen care about you and only want is best for you."

Sara got up too. "I'm glad I got to know you."

Eileen rose too, as Sally and Betty came up to them. Sally was getting the pictures from Sara, when Brandon broke in, "Can we have those? Would that be okay, Sara?"

Sara looked up a little surprised, "Okay."

Brandon took them and put them in his briefcase. "Thank you. Goodbye, Sara."

Eileen echoed, "Goodbye, Sara."

As she followed after Sally, Sara turned and said, "Goodbye."

Sally and Sara got their coats on and went out the door. They walked quietly to Sally's car. As Sally got Sara in her car seat, she asked, "Are you okay, Sara?"

"Yes, I'm okay. Are we going home now?"

"Yes."

As they drove away, Sally thought back to what she had seen. She had to let Henry know that they might have to rethink their strategy and what the odds were for the trial. She knew that Henry was not sure how big a part Sara would play, or if she would make any impact. From what Sally had seen, this kid was a Rock Star.

A/N Thanks again for your input. I just am amazed at your ideas and perspectives.