We All Have Secrets

AU . Post 3x16. Sarah and Connor connect in the most unexpected way as he treats her father. Season four and five alternative version with all Rheese twists. Now continuing my stories timeline.

Happy 2020 guys! Thanks for sticking with this story for so long. It's almost over now..

Do let me know what you think of these last ones.

10 years later

Things in the Rhodes household began quietly on Monday in late June. The house was quiet though and when Sarah turned to her side, Connor seemed to still be sleeping peacefully beside her.

Finn, she figured, would already be awake, he was her light sleeper and little grown up, who took charge when his parents weren't up yet, Colin who was 3 years younger than Finn was surely to be right behind him while Jamie, their only girl would be causing them to get in trouble most likely. Sarah would call it her little tomboy getting back at being the only girl. Luke and Jake who were the youngest of the brood were still babies in their own right, in fact, Jake had only been born 3 months before. Right around the time Cornelius Rhodes had been told he'd only have little time left to live. Yes, Connor's dad was still around, much to everybody's surprise. Eric and Claire had done their best to make sure that he was well cared for of course, but what Cornelius seemed to love at this stage of his disease and what kept him holding on was the idea of the rest of his grandkids paying him a visit.

Moving to New York almost a decade before hadn't been an easy decision to make for her and Connor, but it had been hard to refuse Max's offer after everything that had happened in Chicago in the years before they had left. Robert Haywood, had died in jail, from heart failure. It wasn't a fair outcome for a man who had caused so much harm to so many people, but Sarah had been glad to have him out of her life for good, although the scars of his crimes still haunted her and Connor even ten years on. She still struggled with nightmares around the time of the accident and the psychological and physical scars were there too. As for Connor, he walked with a limp, more prominent as the years passed and his right hand had never been the same after the accident. All and all, they were still healing over the harm that Robert Haywood had inflicted on them all those years ago, helped of course by the prospect of their children and watching them grow up.

Also, their anniversary was coming up, they had gotten married in early August and they always seemed to celebrate with Claire, Eric, his father and their combined children. Claire had had 2 more girls and a boy in the ten years since Lizzie's birth and Cornelius dotted on them so much that just like Sarah, Claire had figured it was them who had given her father yet another lease at life.

A small whimper finally made Sarah leave her bed, Jake was awake, he was now sleeping almost through the night but his feeding schedule was still mandatory and Sarah by this point was an expert at dealing with the chaos that came with raising 5 children. So, she got out of bed and headed over a few steps to the small crib, they would soon be moving Jake in with Luke but they didn't want to risk their newest addition waking their almost 2 year old.

Five kids, it was hard to believe how much had happened in the last decade of Sarah's life. She had finished her residence in Chicago finally under Daniel's watchful guidance and then opted to work with Iggy who as it happened was also another excellent teacher. By now though, Sarah had left the chaos of a city hospital for a school in New York. She was the school counsellor, it also helped her that her children were enrolled there so that she could work her schedule around them while still having a sort of romantic life with Connor who led the ED and Trauma department in New Amsterdam with Dr. Bloom. Their lives had certainly turned out pretty good in the end, Sarah figured, she had been given a taste of everything regarding her profession, when Olivia Benson had recommended her for a job as a profiler and consultant for the SVU team in NYC. Sarah found it cathartic to work to lock up people like Robert for a living. She hadn't had the closure she had expected with him early on, although she had gone to visit him in prison once, a few months before he had died, per her request. Connor had been mad at her for two weeks but he had come around. It was something she needed to do to finally give her some peace of mind. The fight though had resulted in Luke, because, who was she to refuse making up with Connor? She never wanted to be mad at him for long, she had learned, after their accident that things could change pretty fast. Sarah looked at her watch. It was almost time for the other kids to wake up and get them ready for school. She took a breath in as she fed her youngest, unaware that Connor had been watching her for a good ten minutes up to that point. "You know I can see you staring at me?"

"Yeah?" Connor said groggily, getting out of bed and standing behind her as she sat in the rocking chair which also made baby Jake eyes open and close. "I am just admiring my amazingly beautiful wife."

Her husband, the eternal charmer, Sarah sighed, the quiet of the moment would soon be interrupted because they had get back into real life and be ready for their upcoming Chicago trip to see his father. Yes, Cornelius Rhodes had surpassed every expectation and was still alive after 10 years and 8 more grandkids but the truth was, in the last few months, things had taken a turn for the worse and now Connor and Sarah would have to fly to Chicago to see him.


"Are you sure you'll be fine without me for two weeks?" Connor asked Max as they went through the plan once more. Bloom would be on her toes taking care of everything on her own.

"Connor, go be with your Dad man, trust me, we've got this, you just worry about what's going on there, it's already enough."

"Is it pathetic I'm dreading to go?" Connor asked. He'd been mentally preparing for this trip for the last week or so, ever since Claire had called him. The call he'd been dreading for the last ten years.

"No, it means you are human, and even though after everything, you love your Dad."

"You sound like Sarah..." Connor huffed.

"Then you should listen to her, she's a smart lady." Max said with a smile. "No man, I'm serious, you go, and if you two need anything…"

"No, I know, thanks Max, I really appreciate it." Connor hugged his old friend as he got a text from Sarah saying they were almost at the hospital to pick him up, "Sarah's here."

Max put a hand on Connor's shoulder. "You know you've done everything you could, right?"

Connor smiled, he wasn't sure about that, he'd practically denied his father for his entire life, except maybe since his kids had been born and he'd tried to make amends with the man with Sarah's help but he still felt he hadn't done enough to make repairs on decades of damage.


Connor had his eyes closed when he felt Sarah's hand squeeze his. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Nothing...I'm fine." He said, turning to face his wife.

"Right, and I'm not the mother of your children, come on babe, talk to me…" Connor looked at her, Sarah was 38 now, mother of five and just the most amazing woman he'd been a lucky bastard to have married. Or even have her look at him.

"Claire's said he's been sleeping since yesterday, no change… I still think they should take him to Med."

"Connor…"

"I know, I know, it's not respecting his wishes but...I don't really want him to die in the house, that's not the way I want the kids to remember him like, seeing someone being like that it's… it messes you up Sarah, My mother was like that before she died."

Sarah touched his cheek softly. "We'll talk to Claire… okay?"

"Okay…" Connor smiled wearily. He watched Jake in Sarah's arms and took the baby's small hand in his. One hour to go until they landed, he turned to watch his kids, Finn was on his video game, his mini me, true to his nature was just as stressed as Connor about seeing Cornelius and it really worried Connor what losing his grandfather would mean for him. Much like it had happened when his maternal grandfather l had died when Connor had been a teenager. "Why don't you try and get some sleep? I'll wake you…" Sarah said. Truth be told, he was exhausted, he'd worked late the night before and the baby barely let them sleep, plus, the overthinking had barely allowed him to truly rest. He closed his eyes to Sarah's hand on his hair soothing him. It did the trick most of the time.

"Connor. wake up. We're here." He'd barely closed his eyes when Sarah was shaking him gently to tell him they were in Chicago. "Are you ready for this?" She asked, her hand in his as the kids led the way down to the runway where a driver was waiting to take them to the Estate.

He'd didn't think he'd ever be ready.


This one is pretty short but a final one is coming soon...which makes me really sad because I love this story so much and all of you guys for sticking with it for so long. Until next time :)