Sara walked out of the court room and let out a sigh and wiped away the tear that ran down her cheek.

"Looks like you could do with a hug darlin'." A voice from behind her said.

"Nick." She swung around. "What are you doing here?"

"It's the damnedest thing; I went out for milk and ended up here. So where did we land on that hug?"

"I'm glad you're here." Sara walked into his arms.

"I wasn't going to let you deal with this by yourself."

"So you caught a plane out here."

"I even have the seat next to you on the flight back." He told her.

"When did you decide you were coming to San Francisco?" Sara asked.

"When I booked your tickets, I booked mine too." Nick admitted. "Are you mad?"

"No, I love you even more." Sara kissed him.

"So this is San Francisco?" Nick said.

"I don't think you can judge it from the court house." Sara told him.

"Rumour has it that there is a beach with an actual ocean."

"You shouldn't listen to rumours, but that one is true."

"What do you say we grab something for lunch and go and have a picnic on the beach?" Nick suggested.

"You just want to paddle in the ocean."

"When do I get to see the ocean? We live the middle of the desert and the closest thing we have is a lake."

"Sounds like a plan. I need to change out this suit." Sara had her overnight bag with her having checked out of the hotel before heading to the court house.

"You know if we weren't where we are I would offer to help you." Nick whispered in her ear.

"I know you would." Sara smiled they started to walk towards the bathroom.

"Ms Stokes." A voice behind them made them stop. Sara reluctantly.

"Mr Kinney. Nick, this is Mr Kinney my mother's lawyer. Mr Kinney, my husband Nick." Sara made introductions.

"Nice to meet you." Nick said.

"Likewise." Kinney stated. "Ms Stokes, the judge decided to take a recess for half an hour. Your mother asked me to ask you if you would be willing to talk to her before you left."

"I don't know…" Sara said.

"Mr Kinney can you give us a minute?" Nick requested.

"Okay." Kinney backed off.

"Sara, this is why you came here to talk to your mother. This may be the only chance you get to talk to her, have her answer some questions. You know what they say; if it doesn't kill you it only makes you stronger. Everything that's happened to you good and bad made you the woman I fell in love with. Just give her a few minutes."

"You'll come with me?" Sara asked.

"I'll be with you every step of the way I promise." Nick assured.

Sara took a breath and then told Kinney that she would see her.

…

Sara and Nick waited in the room for her mother to be brought in.

"We can go to the beach for our honeymoon." Sara told him.

"I told you I'd take care of that and make it a surprise." Nick rubbed her arm. "We just need to get you a passport."

"I need to go to the DMV when we get back. Get my address and name on my drivers licence changed. Then there is the paperwork at work. Do you mind if I keep my name at work? It will be less hassle."

"Whatever you want. Warrick and Greg offered to help move the rest of your stuff over."

The door behind them opened. Sara's mother walked in in handcuffs with a guard and sat in a chair.

Sara didn't know what to say.

"Mrs Sidle, I'm Nick Stokes, Sara's husband." Nick introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet you." Sara's mother replied. Nick couldn't help but notice how much Sara looked like her mother. "Stardust."

"It's Sara Mom, it has been for a long time even before I got it legally changed."

"Your grandmother used to call you Sara."

"I know." Sara stated.

"So you went to Harvard and you're a criminalist?"

"Yes." Sara confirmed.

"I didn't know they were separating you and your brother." Her mother told her.

"It was a long time ago." Sara replied.

"Tell me about your life."

"Let's see I came home from school one day to find Dad passed out drunk, and then a few hours later I see you stabbing him and when a police officer finally coaxed me out from under the bed I find out that you'd stabbed him 23 times. He was a drunk and abusive but there were other ways out Mom. Then I get stuck in the foster care system and bounced around while keeping my grades up enough to get a scholarship to Harvard and I got kicked out on my 18th birthday. I got my Masters degree, got a job with the San Francisco Medical Examiners office, moved to Las Vegas and got married. The end. So how's jail?"

"Sara." Her mother said.

"No Mom. I didn't want to be here but my lawyers couldn't get me out of the subpoena. I know what happened I've read everything connected to the case. There were other ways out than killing him. I got you the number for a shelter, you tore it up. I called the police you told them I was a kid with an overactive imagination and just took an argument out of context, it didn't matter that Dad had tried to strangle you. I tried but I was a kid there wasn't anything else I could. I can't deal with this." Sara turned away.

"Sara, I'm your mother I love you. I was trying to protect you."

"Don't put this on me Mom. I've been taking care of myself for a long time. I tried. It took me a long time to trust anyone because I was always concerned they would leave or I would be taken away. Nick was the first person I trusted to tell him the whole truth about what happened, and that took a long time." Sara sighed. "I've got a good job, good friends, a great husband and I'm finally happy. If you get out now or some time in the future don't bother contacting me, you're not a part of my life any more. I don't have anything else to say." Sara walked out the door.

"It was nice to have met you." Nick told her.

"Take good care of my baby." Sara's mother requested.

"Always."

TBC