One Month Later

"You are fussing more than a woman," Sara teased, watching Arthur adjust his coat for the fifth time. "Relax. She will like you."

"This is almost worse than Meet the Parents," he said. "Meet the Sibling is harder."

"How is it harder?"

"Because they're more free to speak their mind and opinion about what they don't like."

"I disagree," Sara snorted. "My parents were very well versed in doing that."

"So when do I meet them?"

Sara grew quiet then, swallowing. Arthur noticed, and he tilted his head at her with a questioning look.

"Sara?" he prompted. "Everything okay?"

"You won't meet them because they're dead," Sara said quietly.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't know," she nodded. "It's okay. It was a long time ago. Leslie raised me pretty much."

"Well, I'm meeting the parent and sibling at the same time. No pressure," he joked, trying to lighten the mood. He gave her a slight nudge, and she offered a half smile in return. If she was honest, she was just as nervous.

...

Abe played with the chip in his hand absently as he went over the documents in front of him. He was feeling frustrated that he couldn't convince Arthur to rank up. For whatever reason, the guy wanted to stay at the bottom. Abe didn't get it at all. He started taking an interest in the young Joe since Arthur seemed to like him so much. The kid was pretty good after all. If Abe had feelings, he'd feel something for this boy, but he didn't, and he wouldn't.

Such was the way in this kind of life.

...

"Well, well, well," Leslie said, taking in the sight of Arthur and her sister. "Aren't you a handsome one?"

"Les," Sara chastised.

"Oh, relax. This isn't high school, and he's no Tom Taylor. You remember him?"

"Of course I do. He was my boyfriend that you stole from me," Sara said curtly. Leslie grinned widely and flicked her hair back with her fingers.

"I did you a favor. He was a jerk."

Arthur watched this transaction, a slight smirk on his face.

"Hands off," Sara warned, making Leslie laugh and hold up her hands.

"I'll try," she promised. Then they hugged, and Arthur was left shaking his head and wondering what the secret to being sisters was all about. One minute they were snapping at each other and the next acting like it hadn't happened.

"Arthur," Leslie said, holding out her hand. He shook it. "Nice to meet you finally."

"Likewise," Arthur nodded.

"Come on," she said, gesturing towards the house. "There's coffee and a photo album calling our names."

"No," Sara said, sounding horrified. "You promised!"

"They're just pictures. God," Leslie said, rolling her eyes. Then the two sisters tried to race each other inside to get access to the album first. Arthur was laughing to himself as he followed. It seemed that so far, Leslie liked him. This was going to be a good afternoon.

...

When they returned from Leslie's place, Arthur noticed Sara was quiet. When he shut off the truck engine, he leaned back in his seat and turned to look at her. She was resting her head on her hand, looking out the window.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Hm? Yea," she answered. "Sorry. I was just...thinking."

"You two seem to be close."

"We are. Even though she annoys the hell out of me most of the time," she laughed softly. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without her."

She looked at him finally. She felt sad for him because she knew he had no family at all. She didn't want to know what that felt like.

"It's hard to miss something you never had," he told her, reading her mind. "Don't feel sad for me."

"I'm trying."

He flashed her a grin and got out and went around to open the door for her. She hopped down and took his arm as they went inside. Arthur paused at the door, watching her and wondering if she could tell he was in love with her.

"You coming?" Sara asked from inside, giving him a quizzical look.

"Yea," he answered. "I'm coming."

He figured she had to know. He wasn't the best at hiding how he felt about things. He went inside and listened to her talk more about her sister while he swallowed down the words "I love you" over and over again. He knew he couldn't say them to her yet. She wasn't ready.

And he wasn't ready to lose her yet either.

Days Later

"Okay," Brenda was saying. "Please tell me that you're going to marry this guy."

"Not this again," Sara groaned. She was trying to attach an earring to her right ear. It was already a busy night at work. She kept waiting for the man Arthur had beat up to return, but he hadn't yet. She hoped he never would. She never wanted to see him again.

"Why not? He's handsome. He's kind. He's such a gentleman. He treats you well. He's handsome," Brenda ticked off on her fingers.

"You said handsome twice," Sara pointed out.

"Because he is," Brenda said firmly. "And he's perfect for you."

"I don't know about that..."

"Oh please! He is and you know it."

"Brenda!" their boss yelled. "You're on! Let's go!"

Brenda stood and clapped Sara on the shoulder.

"Marry him," she said. "Get the hell out of here. I mean it."

She didn't wait for Sara's reply. Sara didn't even know what to say. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about it, but she was too afraid to allow herself to dream. Dreams got shattered. Dreams left you hurt. She couldn't do that.

No matter how handsome or kind Arthur was.

...

"You do realize I still don't know this woman's name," Joe pointed out. He was sitting in Arthur's truck as they drove down the highway. They were coming back from a job together. Abe wanted Arthur to train Joe a bit more on hand to hand combat techniques, and a job had come up while they were doing this.

"There's a reason for that," Arthur replied.

"Why?"

"You know why."

"I won't look her up," Joe said. "I swear!"

"Yea right."

"Come on! She has to be something in order for you to be so smitten."

"I am not smitten," Arthur tried.

"Dude, it's all over your face," Joe smirked. "Nice try."

Arthur didn't say anything. Joe was very much like him, an orphan. Purposeless. Nothing and no one. He was drawn to this kid whether he liked it or not, but that didn't mean he wanted to share everything with him. Not yet anyway.

"Rumor has it you were brought from the year 2011," Joe commented.

"That is some crazy ass rumor," Arthur said, playing along. He knew Abe had probably let it slip or else someone who worked for him did. His arrival was supposed to be classified.

"What was it like?" Joe pressed.

"My guess is it would be simpler," Arthur said, parking and looking at him. "Now get out."

"You're old enough to have lived it," Joe pointed out. "Even if you weren't brought directly from there to here. It was only 27 years ago."

"Get out," Arthur said again. Joe just laughed and opened the truck door. He knew better than to push Arthur too far. The guy was like a brother to him, though, and he appreciated it.

...

Arthur couldn't help himself. He went to the bar/club. He typically avoided the place, but he just couldn't help it every now and again. He had to make sure she was all right, but it was hard watching her work and flirt with other guys.

"There's Mr. Handsome," Brenda said, sidling up next to him.

"Hey, Brenda."

"In all seriousness, you gotta get her out of here," Brenda said pointedly. "You know what I mean."

Arthur did know what she meant, but he also knew that Sara had said this was just casual. It did not stop him from looking at rings, though, or from buying one. He figured he could work his way around her rule because he was convinced she loved him just as much as he loved her.

"Hi," Sara said, approaching him now. "What are you doing here?"

He resisted wiping the smudged lipstick off the corner of her mouth. He swallowed his frustration instead.

"Just thought I'd see if things were okay."

"He hasn't come back," Sara advised. "Thanks to you."

"I'm not one for letting my guard down," Arthur shrugged.

"I can't hang out," she said, catching her boss's eye. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'll see you at home."

Sara simply touched his leg and walked away. Arthur knew it was the boss's rule that his employees not make out with their significant others on the clock. He knew she would be all his again once her shift was over.

But it still burned inside to watch her with someone else.

...

"I'm all yours," Sara said after she set her purse down on the table. It was almost midnight, and she knew he was tired, but she also knew he couldn't resist her.

"Finally," he replied, grabbing the loops of her jeans and pulling her close. She never tired of kissing him. Never.

"Oh!" she yelped when he suddenly pulled her up into his arms.

"Tuck in," he instructed as they went through the door frame, and she pulled her legs and head tighter against him. He still felt bad for whacking her head off the door frame a while back, even though she joked about it whenever it came up. He set her down once inside.

"You want anything to eat?" he asked as she walked backwards in front of him in the direction of what she now considered their bed and not just hers. She shook her head.

"I just want you," she replied.

"It's always nice to hear that," he commented. He hoisted her up and playfully tossed her backwards onto the bed, making her shriek with laughter while he joined her.

"Hi," she whispered, touching his face when it was next to hers.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he asked.

"I have some idea," she grinned.

"Well," he said, kissing her. "Let me show you."

When it got to a certain point, he reached for the drawer.

"You're fine," she stopped him.

"What?" he asked, looking at her.

"It's fine."

"No, I don't think so..."

"Please, Arthur, I just started the pills," she cut him off. "You're fine."

"Still..."

"Killing the mood," she pointed out. "Rapidly."

"I'm just a safe than sorry kind of guy," Arthur said. She put her hands on both sides of his face and looked at him solemnly.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

"I do," he answered.

"Then trust me when I say it's fine. I'm protected. I promise."

Something niggled in the back of his brain to just be smart anyway, but he did trust her, and he wanted her to know he trusted her, so he went along with it.

She started her famous giggling once it was over.

"I don't understand what is so funny about this," he commented as he brushed her hair out of her face.

"It's not funny," she said.

"Your giggling says otherwise," he pointed out.

"I'm just giddy," she shrugged, smiling. He gave a small laugh in return.

"You are an odd duck," he told her, kissing her gently before moving off to lay beside her.

"Maybe so, but you still love me the same," she said. They both froze at this, and she realized what she had just said.

"Sara..." he started.

"I was kidding," she said. "It's just a saying. I didn't mean..."

"But it's true..."

"No!" she said loudly, making him flinch. "No, this is not serious. It's not. You promised."

Arthur felt the sting of these words, but he didn't want to scare her away or make her angry, so he just nodded. They could talk about it again later when she felt braver and ready to be vulnerable. He knew she could do it. He just had to be patient.

"You're right," he said. "I promised, and I keep my promises. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said quickly. She felt bad, but she just couldn't do this. She couldn't. She didn't know if she ever could.

Two Weeks Later

Arthur wasn't really sure what led him there. He was standing at the door, waiting for her to answer. There were so many things running through his mind, and it was hard to get answers sometimes.

"Hey," Leslie said, frowning upon seeing him. "Everything okay? Is Sara...?"

"She's fine," he answered. "I just came to ask you some things."

"You must really have it bad for my sister," Leslie commented as she stepped aside to let him in. He walked to the kitchen table and sat down. She sat down across from him. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your parents," he said. Every time he tried asking Sara, she shut down and wouldn't tell him anything. Looking at Leslie now, who had gone quiet, he wondered if he was going to meet the same dead end. She looked down at her hands before looking back at him.

"She blames herself," Leslie said quietly.

"For what?"

"The accident."

Arthur just nodded slowly, letting it sink in. He didn't even know how they had died. This was all new information to him.

"She knew something was wrong," Leslie went on. "I don't know if you realize this, but Sara can be sensitive to things. She tried to tell Dad that something was wrong with the car, but he didn't listen." She paused, collecting herself. Arthur already knew what she was going to say next.

"Brakes," he said.

"Yea," she nodded. "Mum and Dad died upon impact when they hit the barrier, and Sara won't forgive herself for not trying harder to make them stay home or at least check the car."

Arthur could only imagine how that guilt would feel.

"She was twelve. I was fifteen. I suddenly turned into mother number two," Leslie sighed. "It was hard."

"I bet."

"She got a bit wild," Leslie continued. "Her telekinetic powers were a big attraction to a lot of guys...most of them dirt bags. She got hurt, and she got lost. She refused to let me help her. Then she got the job where she is now, and she met you."

"I want to assure you that I would never hurt her," Arthur said.

"Good," Leslie replied. "Because I would really hurt you if you did."

"Duly noted."

"That's not all you're here for, is it?" she asked.

"You're right. It's not," he agreed. Just looking at her, he knew she knew what he was going to say next. She talked first, though.

"She won't say yes," Leslie said quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because she fears being left. If she never has to fully put herself in the position to be hurt like that, she won't. Not after what happened to our parents and what happened with her last boyfriend."

"What happened with the last boyfriend?"

"That is not my place to say," Leslie answered. "I'm sorry. All I can say is that it wasn't good."

Arthur shook his head, feeling frustrated.

"It's not you," Leslie promised, reaching to put her hand on top of his. "It isn't. As much as it feels like it is. This is her."

"How long before I wake up one morning to find her gone?" he asked.

"That's...hard to say," Leslie replied slowly.

Arthur hated how defeated he felt in that moment. He had come here for answers, but he hadn't gotten the one he really wanted. He had hoped Leslie would tell him that if he hung on, Sara would come around.

"I'm sorry," Leslie said, squeezing his hand before letting it go. "I guess you can either ride it out until she leaves or end it first. Your call."

"I'm not a quitter," Arthur replied, getting to his feet. He didn't say another word as he walked out to his truck.

He was going to ride it out.

Two Months Later

There was no denying it. Sara looked at herself in the mirror, noticing how different her belly was looking already. She dropped her shirt and sighed. She was pregnant, and she hadn't told Arthur yet. She'd known long enough to tell him, but she just couldn't. She was embarrassed that she had been wrong about being protected. She was always so good at keeping track. What had gone wrong? She couldn't figure it out.

Arthur was at work, and she was waiting to figure out what to do next. She paced as she thought. Did she love Arthur? As much as she wanted to deny it, she did. She knew she did, but she couldn't trust it. She didn't know why. She knew what her sister would say. Arthur was the only guy she had let meet her sister after her last serious relationship, and they had hit it off. She wanted to trust that he wouldn't leave her, but she was scared. It was always better to do the dumping than be the dumpee, right? What if he didn't want to be a father? Hell, she was not ready to be a mother. Then another thought hit her. What if he was angry at her for making him trust her when she said she was protected? The baby was proof she hadn't been. Maybe he would leave her for that reason.

But...he had almost said he loved her the night before. He had wanted to say it to her before, especially after her slip that one night. She heard him say it that morning before he left. She hadn't been entirely asleep. What would be so wrong with staying?

Then she found the ring, and the panic took over all logical thinking.

She was gone within the hour.

We are back on track with the timeline where the first chapter ended. I will be moving ahead to the events of the Looper film from here on out.