A/N: I accomplished something verygreatwriting this chapter: I got it to be the longest chapter ever, holding over 2000 words, and I was even writing on page 4 in my word document. That is big stuff for me.

POV: Still Sara.

Disclaimers: All known CSI characters still belongs to CBS. Gareth and all of the Lowell family, you'll know who they are after reading, belongs to me.

Chp. 22.

Tamales Bay holds not even 2000 citizens, not a lot of buildings, so we're through showing it to Gil and Jacqui very quickly. We do show them the tiny schools we went to, before all that stuff happened. Since it's a very small bay area tourist town, everybody knew each other then, and knew of what was happening with everybody, but by some miracle, no one knew of the horror happening in the Sidle household. Not until that night, when police and an ambulance pulled up to our house, and later the coroners also arrived. Not much has changed. There are a few new houses, a new fishing store; building has been renovated, as has the small village hall, as well as the only hotel.

Evidently the old B&B has also gone through a change. It has been renovated, painted in new colors and the garden areas have gone through a few changes too, but it's still used as a B&B says the sign at the entrance to the driveway.

But all the same, I could deduct, as we stood in the drive way facing it. Or we were facing the part of the B&B, which took guests, was right ahead, and the small owner house was a small path away to the left. It's not visible from where we are standing, since trees obstruct the view, just as they did back then. The main house of the B&B is basically one large mansion, with the staff quarter converted into the owner's quarter.

Gar and I are standing side by side, with our loves beside us, or so I hope for Gar, since I haven't had a chance to ask him, how it went telling Jacqui that he love her. But they're holding hands, so I suppose that it went over well. We haven't been this close to the old B&B since that day; we came here after the funeral of our father, and were packing up our rooms. We were first placed in on foster home; well it was more of a group home, a middle station for kids for a few days, until coming to a real foster home.

Our case worker demanded that we were placed in the same foster home, our foster parents were Wesley & Marjorie Lowell, and they were the ones taking us to the funeral. It was them who went with me to see the grave, and did ask me if I wanted them to drive by the B&B, but at that time I couldn't handle it so I declined. I'm still in contact with them, so maybe next time we're out in San Francisco, I should drop by. The last time I saw them was after my DUI, where I went out to visit them for a small vacation. They are, beside Gar and the guys at the lab, the only ones I have that remotely resembles family to me, since I lived with Wes and Mary from the day I was put there at 12 years old, and until the day I turned 18. Even if I resented them when coming to live with them, I did end up loving them, since they provided a home for us, where no one had to be scared, when someone raised their voices. It took some time but eventually I started to feel safe, and let them get close to me. I'm brought out of my thoughts by Gil as he squeezes my hand.

"You okay?" He asks me. I notice that Gar and Jacqui has moved a bit away.

"I don't know yet." I say as truth is. "I haven't been standing here, since I was 12 years old, seeing police cars and an ambulance sitting here, before being whisked into this van, clutching the hand of that lady who accompanied Gar and me to the group home, and clinging to my brother with the other." I say. "Wes and Mary offered to drive by, after we had been to my father's grave, but I couldn't handle that at age 16."

I had told Gil about Wes and Mary, the week after I had told him about my secret, and he had seen pictures of the two people, who took a pair of scared siblings in, and made them a part of a caring loving family, with some grown up college aged foster siblings. Our foster brother Marcus "Marc" was 19, our foster sister Allison "Ally" were 24. Finally there was our second foster sister, Cassandra "Cassie", who was 21, and the adopted daughter of Wes and Mary, after starting out as their foster daughter aged 7.

"You were lucky to have Wes and Mary." Gil says to me.

"I was lucky." I agree. "It made me think, that we should have made time to see them, now we're in San Francisco. I know that they would be happy to meet you, and see Gar again no less. But seeing that we'll use all day tomorrow, to pack up Gars stuff, we have no time to go." I say sadly.

"Hey, we can always come out again, whenever Gar has some free time next." Gil says seeing my sadness. He pulls me into a hug, just as Gar and Jacqui comes back.

"What the matter sis?" Gar asks when seeing me in Gil's arms.

"Umm, I was just thinking about Wes and Mary." I start. "I was thinking that we should have made time for a visit."

"I was thinking that same, just a few minutes ago." Gar says squeezing my shoulder. "Then I thought that the next time I'm home, we could all four come back out to see them."

"Gil was just saying the same thing when I told him." I say.

Jacqui stands beside Gar looking lost.

"Who are Wes and Mary?" She asks at length, and Gar shakes his head, in a sign of his lack of elaborating.

"That was our foster parents, Wesley and Marjorie Lowell, who took us in and made us a part of their lives, after spending a few days in a group home." He starts to explain. "We got three grown up foster siblings too. One brother and two sisters named Marc, Ally, and Cassie."

"That was very different not feeling like walking on eggshells all the time." I say.

"I'm glad you got a good home." Jacqui says. "So I take it they still live in San Francisco?"

"Yes they do." Gar says, and then he looks at me. "So, you up to see the house? Or are you not up to that, it's your own choice."

The knot in my stomach, the one I have had in there since this morning, suddenly grows with an alarming rate. I'm suddenly scared witless. I thought that I could easily go see the house, with no problems, but all I want now is flee, and I know exactly to where. I look up into my brother's eyes, and I can see the scared 15 year old boy there, and I also know to where he wants to flee to. Reading right I nod in understanding, as we both starts to cry, and falls into the others arms. As we cling to each other, crying, I faintly feel Gils hand caressing the small of my back soothingly. I don't know how long we're standing there, crying into each others shoulders, since I have no recollection on it. Once we are done, and have somewhat let go of each other. Instead we find the arms of our better half, and cling to them instead. I look over at Gar in Jacqui's arms, finding his eyes and make a small indication with my own eyes at Gar to her, as if asking if she loved him too. He mouths a "yes", and I smile a bit faintly. Yes I was right, Jacqui loved him too. I bring my attention back to the man holding tightly me in his soothing arms, and let myself being as contend as I can be given our location.

"Let's go to the hideout instead." I say over Gils shoulder when I'm composed again, and it's aimed at Gar.

"Let do that." He agrees. "Let's hope it's still there. And not blocked off."

So without words, and not explain this "hideout", to our companions, Gar takes Jacqui's hand in his and leads the way. It goes through a small well-known path, on the right side of the B&B, and leads down to the shore. Turning right there, we walk a few minutes, before turning to see a small wooden shed, which was there also when we were kids, and it's amazing it's till holding up, even if it leans precariously to the left, all ready to fall over. Bit it's not the shed we want, it's what hides behind it. We walk around it to the right, not wanting to be knocked accidentally down by a molded shed, if we take the path to the left of it. When we stop on the back side of it, we look at the open entrance of "our hideout". It's a small cave we called "our hideout".

We explain to Gil and Jacqui, that this cave was the place we went to, when ever it was really bad at home, and we couldn't stand it there. Often Gar would go to friend's houses to sleep, but most times he would grab me, something to drink and eat, and then we would go here to stay for the night, and sleeping close to each other, in sleeping bags we kept there. We could easily go without the food, if we had to get out of the house fast, but sleeping in coldness we could not, so therefore the sleeping bags. Our parents never knew to this place, since Gar found it exploring, and since they were loose in keeping track off what we was doing, or where we went, they never went to look for us. As long as we came home and got ready for school. I always did due to that the school was my sanctuary. That was the reason for them never finding us here, and even if they found the shed, she'd never know to the cave behind it. The first time we ended out here, Gar had grabbed my hand, when hell broke loose, and ushered me out the door and then leading me down here. He was about ten, and I was almost seven. After a brief stay inside the cave, only we siblings, we all went back to the car, getting inside it we headed back to San Francisco, and the hotel.

At the hotel, we ate a small dinner and exhausted by the day's events, we retired to our rooms. Gar pulled a sheepish red-faced Jacqui with him into his room, and no one questioned this choice. I refused to think more about it, as Gil and I took off our clothes, and lowered ourselves into the bath tub to relax from the day. As we soaked there, we talked the day and it's events over. Later after drying off we crawled into the bed, settling into each others arms.

"I'm proud of you." Gil says to me.

"You always say that." I say and indeed he does.

"Well I am." He says determinately. "And I'll keep telling you that, since you need to hear it. I'm especially proud of you after today."

"Thanks." That's the only thing I can say to that. "And thanks for coming with us today, it means a lot to me."

"Anytime, Honey." He says as his. "I'd go with you to wherever you want me to."

I almost choke hearing these words from my love. Never have I heard any other guy, I've been with, say such a sweet thing to me. It's so romantic. I look into his eyes, trying to convey the happiness I feel by his sweet promise, but can't put into words.

"I love you more than anything in this world." I only say. "Do you know that?"

"Yes I know that, my love." He tells me. "I love you just as much." He caresses my back as he tell me that. "I hope you know that too Honey."

"Yes I do, sweetie." I say as I kiss his bare chest.

After that we kiss goodnight, settles into each other, and slowly drifts off to sleep.

A/N 2: You got the Gareth/Jacqui situation resolved.
A/N 3: Okay, only one more chapter, and then I'm done with the San Francisco visit. After that I can continue with stuff happeningin Las Vegas.
A/N 4: One asked about Laura Sidle, and not to worry, I have a plan in works about how tohandle that situation. Be patient, because it'll be there somehow in a future chapter. I can't say when though, since it depends on future chapters, and how things evolves.

Reviews please.