Catherine, Lindsay and Alaney sat round the table having a formal dinner.
"Alaney is that how you pronounce your name?" Lindsay tried to repeat.
"Alaney!. Just call me Laney - it's the shortened version" Laney replied in a friendly tone.
Unlike Sara, Laney seemed to be great with kids and great with Lindsay. Lindsay loved Laney and hardly got to see mummy's workmates.
"That's a really unusual name Alaney - do you know where it's origin?" Catherine asked.
"I don't know my parentage. I don't even know who named me - but I can make a pretty good guess as to where my name came from and it's not exotic!" Laney replied.
Catherine urged her on.
"Well, listen to it - lane plus there's a sounds pattern like alley - the first part sounds like AL plus LAY - Al - lay. Then Al - Lane are quite similar, basically my point is it's a mixture of Alley and Lane - it's just them squashed together - and add a 'y' on the end to make it a 'e' sound. The people who named me may have known or guessed I was born in a Alley or a Lane. So they called me Alaney. It even sounds like just 'A lane' with an e at the end" Alaney explained.
"That's tragic!" Catherine empathised.
"Not so exotic now you say that. I thought it was beautiful name!" Lindsay commented.
Laney and Lindsay laughed, and Catherine soon joined in after snapping out her sympathy.
"Anyway, change of subject!. How you settling in with Sara now?. She seems to have warmed to you!. I'm so glad!" Catherine said.
"It's getting so much better. iSometimes I even get the impression she might like me!i. No! the majority of the time now she's great!. We have a blast!. Plus she's becoming quite mumsy - you know doing mom stuff like wiping cream from around my mouth. Or nagging me to wake up!. Well actually she kind of did those things before being nicer - but she does them with a smile often now - like she's actually enjoying it!. But her being mumsy is kind of scary - I've never really thought of her in that way!. Of course, she could never be a proper mother figure to me - there's not enough years between us for her to have that amount of authority. Oh but she makes me tidy my room! - but I suppose it is her house!" said Laney, with some sarcasm in there.
Catherine and Lindsay laughed reminiscing of how they were like that sometimes.
Sara had been relieved, at first, to be rid of Laney. I mean Sara knew it was fun having Laney around but felt she needed some time alone. She hadn't had hardly a moment to herself since Laney had arrived. Laney had took over her life. Sara now sat staring at the clock waiting for Laney to return home. She was suppose to be here ten minutes ago!. Sara had tried to read a book when she returned home - but she missed Laney too much. She tried to watch some television - but she missed Laney too much. Sara couldn't find pleasure in any activity now - she missed Laney too much. What had come over her?. This is the girl she had dreaded having to let into her life. Sara had done fine without Laney in her life - so why couldn't she cope now?. Sara looked at the clock again. Laney was fifteen minutes late. Where were they?!?. Sara knew she should have picked Laney up herself but Catherine insisted she drop her home herself. At that point, there was a knock at the door. Sara rushed over and was relieved to find Laney, Catherine and Lindsay behind it.
"Finally!" Sara exclaimed relieved.
"You missed me?" Laney asked surprised but pleased.
Laney rushed past Sara to her room after exclaiming to Catherine,
"Thanks Cath.I had a great evening!".
Sara looked at Catherine and Lindsay asking,
"Would you guys like to stay for drink?. I have some milkshake Laney made me buy if you want to have some Lindsay?" Sara said.
"What flavour?. Yes, please!" said Lindsay rushing past Sara and into her apartment.
"Thanks!. Just ten minutes though because madam over there needs to get to bed at sometime!" Catherine replied.
Catherine took a look at Sara for a moment and then exclaimed,
"See I told you Laney would grow on you. Look at that flush in your cheeks - your attached to her" Catherine said pinching Sara's cheeks as she proceeded to past by and sit on the sofa.
Surprisingly this astounded Sara and Sara was left daydreaming in shock.
"I am aren't I!. Oh no!. What am I gonna do?" Sara exclaimed.
Sara walked back over to the sofa looking dazed.
"You are enjoying it though aren't you?. The pros outweigh the cons, right?" Catherine asked concerned.
"Yes!. It's wonderful!. I haven't thought about the cons in ages - but! - It's not that simple!. It's complicated!. I won't be allowed to keep her!" Sara replied.
"Umm Lindsay - why don't you go and keep Laney company. She must be awfully lonely in there. While your there why don't you ask her if she can play you that cd of hers you like - and play it loud!. But not loud enough that the neighbours will complain!" Catherine instructed.
"Cool!" Lindsay said running towards Laney's room.
"Sara!. Your in your thirties!. No one can tell you what to do!" Catherine exclaimed. "No! your right!. I'm in my thirties!. Oh! but no they can!. They have this way!" Sara said.
At that point music started playing.
"Who?" Catherine asked.
Sara took a deep breath and looked Catherine straight in the face with a worried expression on her face.
"My parents!" Sara exclaimed.
"Why do they care?. What's it to do with them?" Catherine asked.
"Well, for one their worried it might affect my career - and those two they think it may cause me too much stress - and that's just what I can tell you!. It's complicated!" Sara exclaimed.
"Fine - but just tell them the good effect it's having on you - and anyway Sara - there's a difference between being concerned about you and being angry with you - why are they being so pushy about this?. It's your life - you're a big girl now!" said Catherine.
"It's complicated!. It would ruin their lives if I got too close to Laney - and their scared I'd tell her - or she'd fine out" Sara mumbled concerned.
"Find out what?" Catherine asked.
Sara paused and looked worried at Catherine.
"Come on, Sara!. I care a lot about that kid - and I care about you.I'll keep it confidential.I won't even tell Grissom unless you want me to. The music in there is too loud for them to hear what we're saying in here. What's going on?!?. That kid needs love so why are you holding back?!" Catherine insisted.
Sara exclaimed as silent tears fell down her face,
"My parents don't want me to look after Laney.because.because.because she's my sister!".
"What?. But why did your parents give her up?. Were they having money problems?" asked Catherine.
"No, they've always had plenty of money!. It wasn't both of theirs - it was just my dad's. He didn't want anything to do with Alaney - and so he doesn't want me looking after her because their scared she'll find out and want something from him - or worse!. They don't want Alaney to go anywhere near my family and they definitely don't want me to attach to her and have feelings - which is very easy because I'm her big sister!" Sara said.
"It has a name, Sara, remember!. Alaney!" Catherine retorted.
"Well sorry but that's how she's discussed in my family - as 'it' or 'the child'" Sara defended.
"Your sister!. This is starting to make sense!.So that's why your aunt had her - and that's why she gave Alaney to you - and that's why you want her but you don't!. You can't help but be attached to her!. It's starting to make SOME SENSE!. Still not a lot though!. I thought your father had a illegitimate son already and that he accepted him" Catherine commented.
"Yeah. But Laney is different - I'm sorry but that's all I can say!. She's my little sister!. And I'm drawn into loving her - to looking after her - but my parents will kill me if I do - but no one else can take her outside camp cuckoo" Sara exclaimed.
Catherine looked stunned. Catherine snapped out of it.
"Remind me what's wrong with 'camp cuckoo'?" Catherine asked.
"It's dangerous - drugs, death, alcoholism. You know those cases we get where kids kill kids because their on hallucinogens - well people on hallucinogens = dangerous people, for one - well that's just the start of the effect those drugs can have. I've seen one bloke who never snapped out a hallucination - been in the loony bin ever since! - he's like a vegetable!. I don't want Laney to take drugs like that or be in danger of being attacked by people on drugs - and then there's other danger but I won't go into that" Sara said.
"But she'll be surrounded by druggies wherever she goes! - college!" Catherine said.
"But I can protect her - and anyway it's different - it's not the drugs I'm so worried about!" Sara replied.
"Well what ever your worried about - are you sure your not being paranoid?. I mean your fine!" Catherine suggested.
"Am I?. And by the way, you can ask anyone else in camp cuckoo if it's safe for kids her age to be there and they'll all agree that it's not - and anyway, the only reason why it's o.k. For me to be there is because I don't believe in the centre of the universe - I know the truth - the whole truth. I know what to expect - Laney doesn't!" said Sara.
"The centre of the universe?" Catherine asked confused.
"It's like a philosophy there - except I know it's all a lie - they're all hypocrites!. I know it doesn't work!. That's why I never succumbed to fit in with them all - because I knew their ways didn't work - it's all lies!. There's 2 parts to the centre of the universe - both lie - but one is dangerous and the other I don't respect" Sara said.
"The drugs are the dangerous part - and what the casual sex is the part you don't respect?" Catherine asked, trying to work out what on earth Sara was talking about.
"The hippy way of life isn't just about sex and drugs you know - but whatever!" Sara said defensively.
"Why do you care about Laney anyway?. You hardly know her - yet your really nice to her!" Sara commented.
"She's barely a child! - she's on that cusp between being looked after and having to live alone - and she's never had the stability to do that - she says her aunt never really felt like a mother - just a carer - like a temporary solution that lasted 18 years - that's what she said" Catherine commented.
"My aunt never did have much maternal instinct - but she provided her with safety and welfare" Sara commented almost internally.
"I left home at 16 you know!. But I was so much more ready than Laney - and I moved in with my boyfriend - I wasn't alone!. Does she have a boyfriend she could move in with?" Catherine said.
"No. She doesn't unfortunately" Sara said.
"Could you really bare to lose her though?" said Catherine.
"I'd have to!" Sara said.
"To be frank, Sara - no offence but you don't have experience with looking after kids - of any age!. And you weren't very keen to have her - so I thought I'd help a bit - help ease her in!. And well - Alaney is mature at work but she lacks maturity in a parental situation - because she's not stable - she's probably never experienced that sort of stability - and if you can't handle that Sara - well, I'm here for both of you if you need me - parenthood is my speciality!. And I'm worried about Laney" Catherine commented.
"How caring of you!" Sara muttered sarcastically under her breath.
Sara was a tiny bit jealous to be honest. She was glad Cath was helping - and she did need her help!. But was secretly jealous because Cath had never made Sara's settling in at LVPD crime lab easy!.
"I thought I'd ask Laney over tonight as to comfort and ease her - but also to give you a break from her. I thought you might need it if your finding her a nuisance - but you seem to be liking having her around" Catherine said.
"Thanks Cath - the thought is appreciated" Sara said. "We better be going - I'll see you tomorrow at work, o.k.?. And if you need to talk anymore I'm here" Catherine said.
"Thanks - you've been great!" Sara said.
Sara was confused though - she had always thought Catherine didn't like her too much. If Catherine was in a bad mood she usually took it out on Sara and no one else. She was aggressively frank to Grissom about his inadequies - but they were all true!. Yet here Catherine was really helpful to Sara - it was unusual!.
"Alaney is that how you pronounce your name?" Lindsay tried to repeat.
"Alaney!. Just call me Laney - it's the shortened version" Laney replied in a friendly tone.
Unlike Sara, Laney seemed to be great with kids and great with Lindsay. Lindsay loved Laney and hardly got to see mummy's workmates.
"That's a really unusual name Alaney - do you know where it's origin?" Catherine asked.
"I don't know my parentage. I don't even know who named me - but I can make a pretty good guess as to where my name came from and it's not exotic!" Laney replied.
Catherine urged her on.
"Well, listen to it - lane plus there's a sounds pattern like alley - the first part sounds like AL plus LAY - Al - lay. Then Al - Lane are quite similar, basically my point is it's a mixture of Alley and Lane - it's just them squashed together - and add a 'y' on the end to make it a 'e' sound. The people who named me may have known or guessed I was born in a Alley or a Lane. So they called me Alaney. It even sounds like just 'A lane' with an e at the end" Alaney explained.
"That's tragic!" Catherine empathised.
"Not so exotic now you say that. I thought it was beautiful name!" Lindsay commented.
Laney and Lindsay laughed, and Catherine soon joined in after snapping out her sympathy.
"Anyway, change of subject!. How you settling in with Sara now?. She seems to have warmed to you!. I'm so glad!" Catherine said.
"It's getting so much better. iSometimes I even get the impression she might like me!i. No! the majority of the time now she's great!. We have a blast!. Plus she's becoming quite mumsy - you know doing mom stuff like wiping cream from around my mouth. Or nagging me to wake up!. Well actually she kind of did those things before being nicer - but she does them with a smile often now - like she's actually enjoying it!. But her being mumsy is kind of scary - I've never really thought of her in that way!. Of course, she could never be a proper mother figure to me - there's not enough years between us for her to have that amount of authority. Oh but she makes me tidy my room! - but I suppose it is her house!" said Laney, with some sarcasm in there.
Catherine and Lindsay laughed reminiscing of how they were like that sometimes.
Sara had been relieved, at first, to be rid of Laney. I mean Sara knew it was fun having Laney around but felt she needed some time alone. She hadn't had hardly a moment to herself since Laney had arrived. Laney had took over her life. Sara now sat staring at the clock waiting for Laney to return home. She was suppose to be here ten minutes ago!. Sara had tried to read a book when she returned home - but she missed Laney too much. She tried to watch some television - but she missed Laney too much. Sara couldn't find pleasure in any activity now - she missed Laney too much. What had come over her?. This is the girl she had dreaded having to let into her life. Sara had done fine without Laney in her life - so why couldn't she cope now?. Sara looked at the clock again. Laney was fifteen minutes late. Where were they?!?. Sara knew she should have picked Laney up herself but Catherine insisted she drop her home herself. At that point, there was a knock at the door. Sara rushed over and was relieved to find Laney, Catherine and Lindsay behind it.
"Finally!" Sara exclaimed relieved.
"You missed me?" Laney asked surprised but pleased.
Laney rushed past Sara to her room after exclaiming to Catherine,
"Thanks Cath.I had a great evening!".
Sara looked at Catherine and Lindsay asking,
"Would you guys like to stay for drink?. I have some milkshake Laney made me buy if you want to have some Lindsay?" Sara said.
"What flavour?. Yes, please!" said Lindsay rushing past Sara and into her apartment.
"Thanks!. Just ten minutes though because madam over there needs to get to bed at sometime!" Catherine replied.
Catherine took a look at Sara for a moment and then exclaimed,
"See I told you Laney would grow on you. Look at that flush in your cheeks - your attached to her" Catherine said pinching Sara's cheeks as she proceeded to past by and sit on the sofa.
Surprisingly this astounded Sara and Sara was left daydreaming in shock.
"I am aren't I!. Oh no!. What am I gonna do?" Sara exclaimed.
Sara walked back over to the sofa looking dazed.
"You are enjoying it though aren't you?. The pros outweigh the cons, right?" Catherine asked concerned.
"Yes!. It's wonderful!. I haven't thought about the cons in ages - but! - It's not that simple!. It's complicated!. I won't be allowed to keep her!" Sara replied.
"Umm Lindsay - why don't you go and keep Laney company. She must be awfully lonely in there. While your there why don't you ask her if she can play you that cd of hers you like - and play it loud!. But not loud enough that the neighbours will complain!" Catherine instructed.
"Cool!" Lindsay said running towards Laney's room.
"Sara!. Your in your thirties!. No one can tell you what to do!" Catherine exclaimed. "No! your right!. I'm in my thirties!. Oh! but no they can!. They have this way!" Sara said.
At that point music started playing.
"Who?" Catherine asked.
Sara took a deep breath and looked Catherine straight in the face with a worried expression on her face.
"My parents!" Sara exclaimed.
"Why do they care?. What's it to do with them?" Catherine asked.
"Well, for one their worried it might affect my career - and those two they think it may cause me too much stress - and that's just what I can tell you!. It's complicated!" Sara exclaimed.
"Fine - but just tell them the good effect it's having on you - and anyway Sara - there's a difference between being concerned about you and being angry with you - why are they being so pushy about this?. It's your life - you're a big girl now!" said Catherine.
"It's complicated!. It would ruin their lives if I got too close to Laney - and their scared I'd tell her - or she'd fine out" Sara mumbled concerned.
"Find out what?" Catherine asked.
Sara paused and looked worried at Catherine.
"Come on, Sara!. I care a lot about that kid - and I care about you.I'll keep it confidential.I won't even tell Grissom unless you want me to. The music in there is too loud for them to hear what we're saying in here. What's going on?!?. That kid needs love so why are you holding back?!" Catherine insisted.
Sara exclaimed as silent tears fell down her face,
"My parents don't want me to look after Laney.because.because.because she's my sister!".
"What?. But why did your parents give her up?. Were they having money problems?" asked Catherine.
"No, they've always had plenty of money!. It wasn't both of theirs - it was just my dad's. He didn't want anything to do with Alaney - and so he doesn't want me looking after her because their scared she'll find out and want something from him - or worse!. They don't want Alaney to go anywhere near my family and they definitely don't want me to attach to her and have feelings - which is very easy because I'm her big sister!" Sara said.
"It has a name, Sara, remember!. Alaney!" Catherine retorted.
"Well sorry but that's how she's discussed in my family - as 'it' or 'the child'" Sara defended.
"Your sister!. This is starting to make sense!.So that's why your aunt had her - and that's why she gave Alaney to you - and that's why you want her but you don't!. You can't help but be attached to her!. It's starting to make SOME SENSE!. Still not a lot though!. I thought your father had a illegitimate son already and that he accepted him" Catherine commented.
"Yeah. But Laney is different - I'm sorry but that's all I can say!. She's my little sister!. And I'm drawn into loving her - to looking after her - but my parents will kill me if I do - but no one else can take her outside camp cuckoo" Sara exclaimed.
Catherine looked stunned. Catherine snapped out of it.
"Remind me what's wrong with 'camp cuckoo'?" Catherine asked.
"It's dangerous - drugs, death, alcoholism. You know those cases we get where kids kill kids because their on hallucinogens - well people on hallucinogens = dangerous people, for one - well that's just the start of the effect those drugs can have. I've seen one bloke who never snapped out a hallucination - been in the loony bin ever since! - he's like a vegetable!. I don't want Laney to take drugs like that or be in danger of being attacked by people on drugs - and then there's other danger but I won't go into that" Sara said.
"But she'll be surrounded by druggies wherever she goes! - college!" Catherine said.
"But I can protect her - and anyway it's different - it's not the drugs I'm so worried about!" Sara replied.
"Well what ever your worried about - are you sure your not being paranoid?. I mean your fine!" Catherine suggested.
"Am I?. And by the way, you can ask anyone else in camp cuckoo if it's safe for kids her age to be there and they'll all agree that it's not - and anyway, the only reason why it's o.k. For me to be there is because I don't believe in the centre of the universe - I know the truth - the whole truth. I know what to expect - Laney doesn't!" said Sara.
"The centre of the universe?" Catherine asked confused.
"It's like a philosophy there - except I know it's all a lie - they're all hypocrites!. I know it doesn't work!. That's why I never succumbed to fit in with them all - because I knew their ways didn't work - it's all lies!. There's 2 parts to the centre of the universe - both lie - but one is dangerous and the other I don't respect" Sara said.
"The drugs are the dangerous part - and what the casual sex is the part you don't respect?" Catherine asked, trying to work out what on earth Sara was talking about.
"The hippy way of life isn't just about sex and drugs you know - but whatever!" Sara said defensively.
"Why do you care about Laney anyway?. You hardly know her - yet your really nice to her!" Sara commented.
"She's barely a child! - she's on that cusp between being looked after and having to live alone - and she's never had the stability to do that - she says her aunt never really felt like a mother - just a carer - like a temporary solution that lasted 18 years - that's what she said" Catherine commented.
"My aunt never did have much maternal instinct - but she provided her with safety and welfare" Sara commented almost internally.
"I left home at 16 you know!. But I was so much more ready than Laney - and I moved in with my boyfriend - I wasn't alone!. Does she have a boyfriend she could move in with?" Catherine said.
"No. She doesn't unfortunately" Sara said.
"Could you really bare to lose her though?" said Catherine.
"I'd have to!" Sara said.
"To be frank, Sara - no offence but you don't have experience with looking after kids - of any age!. And you weren't very keen to have her - so I thought I'd help a bit - help ease her in!. And well - Alaney is mature at work but she lacks maturity in a parental situation - because she's not stable - she's probably never experienced that sort of stability - and if you can't handle that Sara - well, I'm here for both of you if you need me - parenthood is my speciality!. And I'm worried about Laney" Catherine commented.
"How caring of you!" Sara muttered sarcastically under her breath.
Sara was a tiny bit jealous to be honest. She was glad Cath was helping - and she did need her help!. But was secretly jealous because Cath had never made Sara's settling in at LVPD crime lab easy!.
"I thought I'd ask Laney over tonight as to comfort and ease her - but also to give you a break from her. I thought you might need it if your finding her a nuisance - but you seem to be liking having her around" Catherine said.
"Thanks Cath - the thought is appreciated" Sara said. "We better be going - I'll see you tomorrow at work, o.k.?. And if you need to talk anymore I'm here" Catherine said.
"Thanks - you've been great!" Sara said.
Sara was confused though - she had always thought Catherine didn't like her too much. If Catherine was in a bad mood she usually took it out on Sara and no one else. She was aggressively frank to Grissom about his inadequies - but they were all true!. Yet here Catherine was really helpful to Sara - it was unusual!.