Sarah looked out the window again. The drive was just bumpy enough that focusing on her datapad was difficult, if not totally impossible. This meant she couldn't play the latest round of Mad Moose or study for her summer classes.

"Are we almost there, daddy?" Sarah asked with noticeable frustration.

"The exit is a mile away. It won't be long now," he replied.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. Being stuck in the car for four hours on a Friday was not high on her list of fun things to do in the summer, especially with the uncharacteristically-hot weather at home.

Ahsoka looked at her husband as he parked the car. He shut off the ignition, but left the key in the accessory position so that the radio would still play.

"I'll be back. Let me check us in," he said.

Ahsoka listened to the radio. With this being her first time in this area, the local news meant little to her until the announcer reported on the traffic and weather.

"Traffic is moving at posted speeds on the interstate and both main state routes. And it's another scorcher out there at 91º [32.7º C] with more 90-degree days in store for the weekend. I'm Kenny Walker and it's five minutes after the hour."

"It's still real hot, mommy!" Sarah exclaimed.

"At least it's not 100 [37.8° C] like it was back home," Ahsoka replied.

At that, her husband came back to the car. Both Ahsoka and Sarah groaned to feel hot humid air enter along with him. He slowly drove a short distance and parked in front of a small cottage.

"I'm curious how different they look inside. It's been a long time since I've been here. And from what I hear, the cabins are much more modern now," he said.

Sarah quickly ran up to the door impatiently while her parents grabbed suitcases and gear for the weekend trip. Sarah was finally glad when the door opened and she could go inside.

"I hope they have air conditioning," Sarah said.

"Sarah. Just relax for a minute. We have to unpack and get situated. Why don't you play Mad Moose while you wait," her father suggested.

"Okay."

"Sarah, do you have any threes?" Ahsoka asked.

"No, mommy. Go fish," Sarah replied with a giggle.

Ahsoka drew a card. She shook her head upon seeing the Queen of Spades.

"Have any Aces?"

Ahsoka sighed as she handed Sarah her Ace of Hearts. Sarah then laid down her matching cards, leaving her with none.

"I win again, mommy!" Sarah said joyously.

Ahsoka shook her head. "Honey, can you play with her now? She's already beaten me four times in a row."

"I'm about to start dinner. So you two can take a break for now," he replied.

"So that's why you brought the tabletop grill."

He nodded. "Remember the plan? We eat here tonight, and we eat in town tomorrow."

Ahsoka nodded.

Sarah and her father took a small walk in the open space between the cottages. Ahsoka, who needed to finish her own studying, chose to stay behind.

"It's so dark," Sarah said in a low voice.

"It is, but when we get closer to the river, we can see more." He told her as they continued to walk. "Okay, let's stop here. We don't want to fall into the river," he added.

"I can swim, I finished my class the other day."

"True, but a lot of boats go through here. And there's an abrupt drop-off. We can swim tomorrow at the beach on the lake near town."

Sarah smiled.

"Look up in the sky. Can you see all the stars?" he asked.

Sarah looked in awe. She didn't remember seeing that many back home.

"There's so many. Why can't we see 'em at home?" she asked in response.

"We have a lot of lights at home. Here, there aren't as many lights. You can see the stars better when it's darker."

Sarah continued to look at the stars. There was no way she could even try to count them. Still, she gazed at them curiously.

"You have a question?" her father asked.

"Which star is mommy's star?"

Her father was taken aback by the question before he realized what she was asking.

"Actually, your mom's star is so far away, you can't see it in the sky."

"Even with a … a … scope?"

"Yes, Sarah, even with a telescope. Are you learning about stars in your science class right now?"

Sarah nodded. "If mommy is from far away, how did she get here?"

"That's a story your mom will tell once you're older."

"Oh."

Sarah's father took her hand in his. "We should get ready for bed. Maybe tomorrow, I can show you some more stars and some cool things that may or may not be in your lesson."

With Sarah sound asleep, Ahsoka and her husband talked quietly in their own bed.

"Sarah seems much calmer now that we've settled in," Ahsoka said.

"Yeah. She really enjoyed looking up at the stars with me. I might try to find some constellations for her tomorrow so I can show her something else fun about stars. And maybe it will take her mind off of her latest curiosity?"

"Oh?"

"She asked me about the star you came from and how you ended up here."

Ahsoka felt the tips of her head-tails twitch slightly. "I'm not ready to tell her that, yet," she replied.

"I told her you'd tell her when she was older. But I wonder when that's going to be."

"I'm still not sure, myself. I'm thinking when she's 13. By then, she'll understand better and it can be my way of recognizing how mature she should be as a teen. But I don't want to tell her now. I just want her to move past what happened last month and enjoy herself. I need to as well."

"That's fine. That mainly why I took us here – just to have some rare quiet time to ourselves."

Ahsoka rolled over and snuggled up to her husband. Suddenly, he looked at her with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I wasn't expecting you to do that, that's all."

"Well, it's still quite warm. And the lady did the same thing in that movie you told me about... the one called 'Kissing a Rock' or something like that."

"Oh, that movie. I didn't realize we saw it together."

"We did right after we got married. You were the one that pointed out that particular scene."

"I guess you're right. Well, if you think it's warm enough to cuddle up this way, I'm sure not going to stop you," he told her. He gently embraced her and let his fingers caress her bare shoulders.

"Good night," Ahsoka whispered as she and her husband shared one last kiss.

The next afternoon, Sarah completed an assignment on her datapad when her father asked, "Sarah, did you finish your math homework? Lunch is almost ready."

Sarah nodded. "I just sent it," she replied.

"That's good. You have a test on Monday, so be sure you're ready for it."

Sarah joined her parents at the table for sandwiches.

"In about an hour, we'll go to the beach," her father told her.

"Is mommy coming?" Sarah asked.

Ahsoka shook her head. "Not this time, Sarah. You and your father can do something together today."

"But you swim better."

Ahsoka chuckled. "I have some studying of my own to do today. Go, have a good time with your father."

Sarah nodded as she started to eat her lunch.

Roughly an hour later, Sarah's father checked up on Sarah.

"Are you all set?" he asked.

Sarah nodded.

"Do you have your towels?"

"Yes, daddy."

"Did mom put your suntan lotion on?"

"Yeah!"

"All right, let's go."

Sarah wrapped one of the towels around her as followed her father out to the car. After a short drive, they arrived at the beach.

"There's hardly anybody here!" Sarah exclaimed.

"It's probably too hot for most people," her father replied.

After picking a spot in the sand, both Sarah and her father went into the water.

"It's not deep enough!" Sarah complained.

"I've noticed that. It's almost like there's a sandbar here. It's okay, though. We can just stay in the water here for now and look around."

Sarah waded in waist-high and watched a couple of boats come from the river by the cottages and into the lake. Her father stood a short distance away.

After a short time, they got out of the water and sat down on the beach on their towels.

"I know you didn't get to swim, but did you have fun?" Sarah's father asked.

"I guess so. I wish mommy was here," Sarah replied.

"Me, too. What do you say we head back and stop for some ice cream?"

Sarah's eyes lit up as she smiled happily.

That evening, Sarah and her parents spent the night looking at the stars again.

"See those stars that look a bit like a spoon? That's either the little dipper or the big dipper," Sarah's father told her.

"Do all the stars have names?" Sarah asked.

"Not all of them. I think there might be too many. But a lot of the more visible ones do."

"How do you come up with these constellations? I don't think we ever had that," Ahsoka asked.

"If clusters of stars have a certain shape or theme, I imagine people guessed at what they might represent."

"Interesting. At least it's not too humid tonight."

"True. But maybe we should head back inside for now."

On the way back, someone called out to them, "Hey, do you want to join us?"

Sarah looked up at her father to see what he'd say in reply.

"Actually, it's almost my daughter's bedtime," he answered.

"Oh. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow," the man said.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow morning for home."

"Maybe you can tell me what there is to do around here. This is my family's first time up here."

"About 20 miles [32 km] away, There are historical reenactments at an old fort. Also, there's a ferry to an island that is a tourist attraction. They're also known for their taffy and fudge. You and your kids might enjoy either – or both – of those."

"That's good to know, thanks for the heads-up," he said.

As Sarah and her parents headed back to their own cabin, they heard one of the kids asking, "Dad, can we go to that island and get some fudge?"

The next morning, on the way back from morning Mass, Sarah waited for her father to pay the balance due for the weekend. He promised to return the keys to the cottage on their way out. Ahsoka waiting for the pair with everything already packed up.

"Help me pack everything in the trunk, Sarah," Ahsoka said.

Sarah nodded and helped her mother finish packing for the ride home.

"So, did you two have a good weekend?" Sarah's father asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "It was nice to have some quiet time away from home for a change," she replied.

"I liked it, too," Sarah added.

"That's good. We'll stop for lunch halfway home then. Sarah, I know you worked on your homework during some of your free time, but make sure you're ready for your test tomorrow."

"Okay, daddy."

With that, the family entered their car and begun the drive back home. They could only hope the weather finally cooled down and the temperature had finally dropped below 100 degrees again. ▄