Disclaimer: I don't own `em, don't get paid for this.
AN: Finally the end. Thanks for reading. Tell me what you thought of the end.
Bad Wisdom: Part 5
Nick's mind was reeling.
He had still been close to the door and had heard every word the two women had said. He didn't know what was going on, but the empty look on Sara's face was the only thing at the moment that concerned him.
He could hear the people inside start talking again and begin to go back to what every they had been doing.
He finally stopped walking under a large tree and watched Sara stare at the ground.
His heart ached for her.
"Sara?"
Her head moved up at the familiar voice, "Nick?"
She was confused, what was he doing here?
A few tears slipped past her guard and Nick found himself blinking back tears of his own.
"Do you want to stay?"
Sara met his eyes.
"No, I've said good-bye, that's only their bodies in there, I've got the rest of them here," she said, moving her hand over her heart.
Nick nodded, he understood.
He took her arm and led her to his car.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Home."
########
Nick followed her directions easily enough and in a few minutes they were back at her grandparent's house.
Nick stared at the three story, 10-bedroom, blue and white house with the wrap-around porch, two small balconies, and old porch swing in awe.
It took a minute for Sara to realize that he wasn't next to her anymore as she walked toward the front door.
She turned around and walked back to where he had stopped and looked up at the house with him.
"They always wanted a large family, a big house filled with kids. They always felt like their money went to waste if it wasn't spent on a child."
Nick watched her face as she spoke, her eyes softened and her lips smiled softly.
"I wish you could have met them, they really were the most wonderful people in the world."
They walked through the warm house to the garden in the back.
It had always been Sara's favorite place.
"Thanks for getting me out of there."
Nick looked at her closely, "Are you okay?"
"Sure, I'm fine," Sara lied.
"You can admit it, you know. I won't die of shock or lose all respect for you if you admit that you're human and that you aren't completely together right now."
"We built this garden together, me and my grandma," she said ignoring him. She sank down on one of the benches, her eyes focused on the past. "We planned out the colors so it would be beautiful in the summer and we planted the herbs and vegetables so we could taste the sunshine at dinner.
She would read to me out here, poems that we could both recite in our sleep. Then my grandpa and I would sit out here at night while my grandma would put on old records and sing as she sewed. He'd teach me the names of all the constellations and the legends behind them.
It was like a fairy tale- the fresh flowers and candles at dinner and the cookies just out of the oven with a big glass of milk waiting for me when I got home from school."
Nick didn't interrupt, didn't move until she stopped and cried.
He moved closer to her and covered her hand with his own.
They sat quietly until Nick's curiosity stand it anymore.
"You lived here? With your grandparents?"
Sara nodded and refused to meet his eyes.
"Is that why you and your mother don't get along?"
He could feel her tense up next to him before she stood up, letting Nick's hand fall away.
"No. I could never be as simple as that," she said bitterly.
Nick softened his voice, "Wanna talk about it?"
Sara whirled on him, "No, I don't want to talk about it. It doesn't concern you, it's my problem."
"Because I never forgave her."
"What?" Sara asked, calming down, "What are you talking about?"
"You asked me once why my mother and I didn't get along," he said catching her eyes, "because I never forgave her."
Sara sank back down next to him, "Never forgave her for what?"
Nick smiled sadly, "For hiring the baby-sitter. When I was nine, the girl who was baby-sitting me one night came into my room and raped me."
Sara closed her eyes in shock.
"I was angry at the world, I blamed her at the time. She was the one who had left me with her- she was my mother, she was supposed to protect me. She didn't understand my anger because I never told her what happened, but that just led to more arguments. I don't think either of us has fully forgiven each other for the things we said."
Sara sat in silence, her head trying to process everything he'd just told her.
She didn't notice she was crying until Nick wiped a tear from her cheek.
She looked in his eyes and everything just tumbled out.
"She hates me because I destroyed her perfect family and embarrassed her. After my dad died she remarried. My step-father used to come into my room at night and......."
Her eyes told him the rest.
"When I got a little older, I called the police on him, but my mother convinced them I was lying. I tried to tell her, but she just slapped me and told me not say such things. It got worse then, he didn't wait until night-time, he knew my mother didn't believe me. I got older and he got.. rougher. One night when I was 14, he brought his friends home with him when he was drunk and he let them all rape me. The bastard helped hold me down--" her voice broke and she couldn't stop herself from crying.
Nick held her as she sobbed, his own tears falling on her hair.
Sara refused to look at him when she finally pulled away. She felt so ashamed, so exposed. She had never told anyone before and she didn't like the fact that he knew.
She wished she could take it back.
Nick put a finder under her chin and turned her face back to his.
He understood what she was feeling.
Sara saw that understanding in his eyes. No disgust, no pity, just understanding.
Suddenly, she felt lighter, like she could breathe easier and realized that maybe it wasn't so bad having someone else know.
It was almost a relief to have actually spoken the words out loud.
"That's when I came here," she said softly, "they gave me my dreams back, made me realize I was worthy of real love and that it was actually easy to smile."
"You guys were lucky to have each other."
######
They stayed in the garden until they heard the car doors slam in the driveway.
They could hear voices as they made their way back into the house.
Sara's aunt met them in the kitchen.
"Sara, how could you do something like that in front of everyone, and at your grandparent's funeral?!"
Sara was calm as she looked her in the eye, "It needed to be done, grandma and grandpa would have understood."
"Well, I don't and I won't condone that kind of snotty, selfish behavior. Do you know how embarrassed everyone was?"
"Frankly, I don't care. This house is mine and I would like it if you left. Now."
Her aunt stammered, "Well... how dare... of all the... - C'mon girls! We're leaving!"
Her daughters materialized behind her and she glared at Sara.
"I hope you're happy."
They got their suitcases and slammed the door behind them.
Nick moved up next to her.
"You okay?"
"Actually, yeah. I guess today is the day for family confrontations," she said, giving him a small smile.
"Now, sit down guest, and let me make you a good old-fashioned family dinner."
#####
Nick stayed with Sara for the next few days, helping her take care of everything. Her grandparent's had left her the house, which was expected, and $500,000. Sara immediately arranged for the house and money to be used towards a shelter for homeless kids. Maybe other kids could find their lives again there, and her grandparent's house would finally be full of children.
They flew back to Vegas together and got right back to work. Both of them had missed it terribly.
Everyone welcomed them back and forced them to listen to their horror stories about the day-shift substitutes.
Nick and Sara smiled at each other over the team's voices, glad to be back where they belonged.
####
It was about two days after they had gotten back when Sara finally remembered to ask Nick about something that had been bothering her.
She waited until they were getting ready to leave before she got him alone.
"Hey, Nick, tell me something. Why did you go through all that trouble to follow me? I don't think anyone else would have ever done that for me."
Nick smiled at her, "I thought you could probably use a friend."
He took a step closer, "that and..." he caught her lips in her and kissed her speechless.
He smiled at her wide eyes and walked away, leaving Sara to stare after him with a silly grin that refused to go away.
AN: Finally the end. Thanks for reading. Tell me what you thought of the end.
Bad Wisdom: Part 5
Nick's mind was reeling.
He had still been close to the door and had heard every word the two women had said. He didn't know what was going on, but the empty look on Sara's face was the only thing at the moment that concerned him.
He could hear the people inside start talking again and begin to go back to what every they had been doing.
He finally stopped walking under a large tree and watched Sara stare at the ground.
His heart ached for her.
"Sara?"
Her head moved up at the familiar voice, "Nick?"
She was confused, what was he doing here?
A few tears slipped past her guard and Nick found himself blinking back tears of his own.
"Do you want to stay?"
Sara met his eyes.
"No, I've said good-bye, that's only their bodies in there, I've got the rest of them here," she said, moving her hand over her heart.
Nick nodded, he understood.
He took her arm and led her to his car.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Home."
########
Nick followed her directions easily enough and in a few minutes they were back at her grandparent's house.
Nick stared at the three story, 10-bedroom, blue and white house with the wrap-around porch, two small balconies, and old porch swing in awe.
It took a minute for Sara to realize that he wasn't next to her anymore as she walked toward the front door.
She turned around and walked back to where he had stopped and looked up at the house with him.
"They always wanted a large family, a big house filled with kids. They always felt like their money went to waste if it wasn't spent on a child."
Nick watched her face as she spoke, her eyes softened and her lips smiled softly.
"I wish you could have met them, they really were the most wonderful people in the world."
They walked through the warm house to the garden in the back.
It had always been Sara's favorite place.
"Thanks for getting me out of there."
Nick looked at her closely, "Are you okay?"
"Sure, I'm fine," Sara lied.
"You can admit it, you know. I won't die of shock or lose all respect for you if you admit that you're human and that you aren't completely together right now."
"We built this garden together, me and my grandma," she said ignoring him. She sank down on one of the benches, her eyes focused on the past. "We planned out the colors so it would be beautiful in the summer and we planted the herbs and vegetables so we could taste the sunshine at dinner.
She would read to me out here, poems that we could both recite in our sleep. Then my grandpa and I would sit out here at night while my grandma would put on old records and sing as she sewed. He'd teach me the names of all the constellations and the legends behind them.
It was like a fairy tale- the fresh flowers and candles at dinner and the cookies just out of the oven with a big glass of milk waiting for me when I got home from school."
Nick didn't interrupt, didn't move until she stopped and cried.
He moved closer to her and covered her hand with his own.
They sat quietly until Nick's curiosity stand it anymore.
"You lived here? With your grandparents?"
Sara nodded and refused to meet his eyes.
"Is that why you and your mother don't get along?"
He could feel her tense up next to him before she stood up, letting Nick's hand fall away.
"No. I could never be as simple as that," she said bitterly.
Nick softened his voice, "Wanna talk about it?"
Sara whirled on him, "No, I don't want to talk about it. It doesn't concern you, it's my problem."
"Because I never forgave her."
"What?" Sara asked, calming down, "What are you talking about?"
"You asked me once why my mother and I didn't get along," he said catching her eyes, "because I never forgave her."
Sara sank back down next to him, "Never forgave her for what?"
Nick smiled sadly, "For hiring the baby-sitter. When I was nine, the girl who was baby-sitting me one night came into my room and raped me."
Sara closed her eyes in shock.
"I was angry at the world, I blamed her at the time. She was the one who had left me with her- she was my mother, she was supposed to protect me. She didn't understand my anger because I never told her what happened, but that just led to more arguments. I don't think either of us has fully forgiven each other for the things we said."
Sara sat in silence, her head trying to process everything he'd just told her.
She didn't notice she was crying until Nick wiped a tear from her cheek.
She looked in his eyes and everything just tumbled out.
"She hates me because I destroyed her perfect family and embarrassed her. After my dad died she remarried. My step-father used to come into my room at night and......."
Her eyes told him the rest.
"When I got a little older, I called the police on him, but my mother convinced them I was lying. I tried to tell her, but she just slapped me and told me not say such things. It got worse then, he didn't wait until night-time, he knew my mother didn't believe me. I got older and he got.. rougher. One night when I was 14, he brought his friends home with him when he was drunk and he let them all rape me. The bastard helped hold me down--" her voice broke and she couldn't stop herself from crying.
Nick held her as she sobbed, his own tears falling on her hair.
Sara refused to look at him when she finally pulled away. She felt so ashamed, so exposed. She had never told anyone before and she didn't like the fact that he knew.
She wished she could take it back.
Nick put a finder under her chin and turned her face back to his.
He understood what she was feeling.
Sara saw that understanding in his eyes. No disgust, no pity, just understanding.
Suddenly, she felt lighter, like she could breathe easier and realized that maybe it wasn't so bad having someone else know.
It was almost a relief to have actually spoken the words out loud.
"That's when I came here," she said softly, "they gave me my dreams back, made me realize I was worthy of real love and that it was actually easy to smile."
"You guys were lucky to have each other."
######
They stayed in the garden until they heard the car doors slam in the driveway.
They could hear voices as they made their way back into the house.
Sara's aunt met them in the kitchen.
"Sara, how could you do something like that in front of everyone, and at your grandparent's funeral?!"
Sara was calm as she looked her in the eye, "It needed to be done, grandma and grandpa would have understood."
"Well, I don't and I won't condone that kind of snotty, selfish behavior. Do you know how embarrassed everyone was?"
"Frankly, I don't care. This house is mine and I would like it if you left. Now."
Her aunt stammered, "Well... how dare... of all the... - C'mon girls! We're leaving!"
Her daughters materialized behind her and she glared at Sara.
"I hope you're happy."
They got their suitcases and slammed the door behind them.
Nick moved up next to her.
"You okay?"
"Actually, yeah. I guess today is the day for family confrontations," she said, giving him a small smile.
"Now, sit down guest, and let me make you a good old-fashioned family dinner."
#####
Nick stayed with Sara for the next few days, helping her take care of everything. Her grandparent's had left her the house, which was expected, and $500,000. Sara immediately arranged for the house and money to be used towards a shelter for homeless kids. Maybe other kids could find their lives again there, and her grandparent's house would finally be full of children.
They flew back to Vegas together and got right back to work. Both of them had missed it terribly.
Everyone welcomed them back and forced them to listen to their horror stories about the day-shift substitutes.
Nick and Sara smiled at each other over the team's voices, glad to be back where they belonged.
####
It was about two days after they had gotten back when Sara finally remembered to ask Nick about something that had been bothering her.
She waited until they were getting ready to leave before she got him alone.
"Hey, Nick, tell me something. Why did you go through all that trouble to follow me? I don't think anyone else would have ever done that for me."
Nick smiled at her, "I thought you could probably use a friend."
He took a step closer, "that and..." he caught her lips in her and kissed her speechless.
He smiled at her wide eyes and walked away, leaving Sara to stare after him with a silly grin that refused to go away.