Chapter XIV

Memories

She was too thin, and she looked tired. It was, however, her Sara. Sara made it across the room in a few seconds and Janet happily took her into her arms and hugged her tightly. "Sara."

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A thousand memories rushed through Sara's mind.

Summer 1989

Malibu, California

She had always swum. She'd spent much of her childhood in the Pacific, but the waxed wood of the board attached to her ankle was a different thing entirely. Across from her, Janet grinned. "Come on, Sara, you can't be a true Californian without having ever surfed." Sara mumbled something under her breath that earned a playful splash of water. "Just remember what I told you."

Early Fall 1990

San Fran

"Just open the envelope, Sara." It sat between them, on the kitchen table. Neither of them were "kitchen people" so they both had cold cereal and coffee that was heavy on the sugar to hide the scorched taste of over-done Folgers. Sara squirmed in her seat. "What if they didn't accept me?" Janet rolled her eyes. "I am not going through this with you again. Just open the envelope before I do." Sara reached out for it, her hands shaking. She ripped through the seal and pulled out a sheaf of papers. She smiled, "They accepted me…they're giving me a…a…full ride scholarship." She looked across at Janet, "I'm going to Harvard." Janet took a sip of her coffee, "Of course you are. Now all we have to do is go down to the car-lot and pick you out something to drive all the way to Boston." Sara almost dropped her acceptance letter into her cereal. "Me? A car?" Janet chuckled, "Yes, you. Are there any other College Freshman living here? Because if there are, that would explain all of my missing socks." Sara blinked, "But I…" Janet grinned, "Think of it as a Graduation, Congratulations and a Birthday gift all rolled into one big package."

Fall 1994

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

"Sara Sidle, Magna Cum Laude" She walked across the stage and shook the Dean's hand. She looked out to the crowd and there, front and center, was Janet, just like she had promised. There was a camera in her hands and Sara smiled just in time for the blinding flash.

1998

San Francisco, California

She handed her the ID. Janet read over it. "Sara Sidle, CSI I." The woman smiled, "I'm proud of you, kid." She grinned at the picture ID again, "Crappy photo of you, but they all are." She pulled her into an impromptu hug. "This calls for a celebration. My girl made CSI."

She pulled out of the hug. "You're here…how?" Janet only smiled, "I have my ways." Sara glared at Catherine, who was busy trying not to look guilty. "So Catherine called you, huh?" Janet nodded, "That she did. Now, lets sit down and you can tell me all about it." Sara nodded, and with Janet's arm over her shoulder, she felt ready to talk.

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Sofia watched the two of them. They fit well together…like mother and daughter. They didn't talk about Laura, or Sara's past, at first. First they caught up, like families did when they got together. When they were together, their likenesses were unmistakable. A hand gesture here, a phrase there; they were close.

"So how is Harv?" Janet grinned, "He's teaching at the Academy. He loves running cadets around until they puke." Sara grinned, "He would, wouldn't he?" Sara looked up, her brown eyes dancing with humor. "Harv was Janet's partner. He's this huge guy, looks like a wall, but he's really a marshmallow when it comes down to it." Janet grinned, "Yes, well, I'm more interested in meeting all these people I've heard wild stories about. Nick, Greg and all the rest of them. Don't think you can hide me away, Sara. I've got embarrassing stories and pictures to go along with them." Sara winced, "Aaw, Janet!" The older woman grinned, "What? You don't want them to see your Garage Band days? Or your off-Broadway debut? Or worse, I can show them pictures of you after you wrecked that car I bought you." Sara sighed, "You are never going to let that go, are you?" Janet laughed, "We were two blocks from the dealership, Sara."

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Lindsey, who had been unusually quiet to that point, snickered. "Two blocks? Sara, you suck." Janet turned and regarded the girl. "You must be Lindsey." She nodded and then turned on the Willows charm.

"So you have, like, embarrassing pics of Sara? She was in a band? Was she any good, because if Guitar Hero is any comparison, it's a good thing she kept her day job. Do you have any goofy pictures of Sara from the eighties? Like with the bad hair and stuff? Did you let her go to concerts? I mean like you totally let her go to like Woodstock and stuff, right? Did she have a curfew, because if Sara didn't have a curfew, I totally don't think I should have one. Because hello, Sara turned out fine without a dumb eight o'clock on school nights rule. You have a gun, so you're a cop too, or are you a CSI? My mother yaks for like ever about how hard it is to be a parent and in law enforcement. Did you give Sara big long lectures about duty and stuff? Would you have let Sara pierce her nose if she asked?"

As each rapid-fire teenage-eese question came out, Janet's grin grew bigger. Sara and Catherine each grew redder and Sofia just leaned against the wall and smirked, enjoying the entire scene.

Author's Note: Poor Linds, we all use her as such a tool. One of these days someone is going to give her an actual part in a story. Not just to: a - get her mother with Sara, b - get kidnapped/run away or c - be Catheirne's accesory to be picked up and tossed away at whim. This isn't that fic, but someday someone might write it...or perhaps they already have, dunno.

Points to me, I gave Sara some happy memories!

I do not own Guitar Hero. It's pretty safe to say that the game owns me at this point. It continues to mock me. We have it set up for demo play at the store I work at...and it has made a fool of me multiple times in front of my coworkers... I'll beat it, I will and they will all see it. Eeer, sorry, got a little sidetracked there, didn't I? Anyway, I don't own that addictive &#$ing game.

Unfortunatly, "Happy Time" is almost over. What? You didn't think I'd forget about Laura did you?