Sorry this took so long. It's been – what? – a week? I didn't mean to make you wait so long. Been pretty busy. Anyway, here's the next installment of my – seemingly so far – popular fanfic.

Author's Note: Just want to point this out before you read. I'm introducing a character named Officer Cooper. If you don't remember, she's the person who gave Albrecht the file on Eric and Shelley's death and called him crazy for drawing the "Crow" marks on Eric's picture. It took a long time, but I was finally able to get a decent look at her badge and I'm pretty sure it said Cooper. Just a heads up.

Now on to the story.

Crow and Dove

Chapter 3:

Sarah woke groggily to the sound of something boiling. A strange and foreign scent wafted to her nose. Though she did not recognize it, her mouth began to water and her stomach grumbled pathetically. There was food nearby.

As sleep ebbed away from her eyes, Sarah looked around her surroundings. She tensed at the sight of unfamiliar walls. She was in someone else's house. But who's? Yesterday was too much of a blur to help.

Sarah turned her head to get a better look but cringed at the movement as he vision swam and her head pounded painfully. She forced herself to focus and finally registered that she was in a bedroom. There was one lone dresser against the wall with a mirror on top. A few pictures decorated the dresser as well as a basin of water, a roll of crisp bandages, and several bottles that contained some sort of medical liquids. A ragged window was beside it, covered with a thin curtain.

Sarah turned her head again, slowly this time, and saw an open door. The smell was coming through there as well as footsteps and the clanging of cookware. So maybe this place wasn't hostile, but Sarah wasn't willing to stay around and find out.

First she had to get out of the bonds she was in. Sarah pulled one hand free from the cloth that was bound around her. The cloth – for it was soft – trapped her entire body. She pulled at it and it gave no resistance. With one free hand, she immediately slapped her hand to her chest to make sure the ring was still around her neck. To her relief, she felt the cool metal against her fingers. She quickly freed her other hand and tore the cloth from her body and threw it to the floor.

Now that she could see it clearly, Sarah was surprised. The cloth was a blanket. Sarah caressed her fingers over the padding she lay on as the memories returned.

She was on a bed. How long had it been since she'd been in a bed? She turned her head as far as it would go to the side to see that she was resting on a pillow. She had forgotten how soft they were.

Although the bed was comfortable and she wanted to sink in it forever, she had to go before the owner of the house decided to pay her a visit.

Sarah pushed her torso up with her hands. A sudden pain flamed in her shoulder and she swallowed her cry quickly. She fell back onto the bed with a whimper and trembling lips but she did not cry out. She looked at her shoulder to see that it was tightly bound in a fresh bandage. She trailed her fingers over it. It was very well done.

A hazy memory came back to her. She had been shot by one of Trash's minions. She didn't remember having it bandaged though. Her fingers trailed up to her face where she felt the shape of a band-aid sticking to her cheek. A bullet had grazed her face here. But what happened after that?

Confused and sore, Sarah again lifted her torso from the bed, relying on her good arm. With a gasp, she managed to get into a sitting position. Now she could see the rest of her body.

She gave a slight gasp of surprise to find that she was in a clean nightgown. She remembered running in the rain and falling in mud but the evidence of her current condition contradicted her memory. Her body was scrubbed clean, revealing the soft, pale color of her skin. Her cuts and bruises had been lathered in medicine and bandaged expertly. She was actually clean and it felt good. The nightgown was soft, a luxury to her. She ran her hand over her hair to find that it too had been properly washed and braided with care.

No matter how good it felt to actually live like a normal person again, Sarah couldn't stay. Maybe the owner of the nightgown was a chivalrous person – a rarity nowadays – but Sarah couldn't be sure. She had to get out before something happened.

Sarah swung her feet to the side of the bed and carefully placed them on the floor. She mentally prepared herself for standing, knowing it would hurt. Then, with a deep breath, Sarah pushed herself off the bed and onto her feet.

She collapsed instantly.

With a cry, Sarah fell to the floor heavily. Her legs shook and pain flared throughout her body. They were stiff and sore and refused to walk; refused even to stand. Sarah gasped on the floor as she crawled her way back towards the bed. Gasping with tears strewn on her face, she clawed at the sheets, trying to rise to her unwilling feet.

There was a sudden bombardment of footsteps coming towards her. Sarah gave up on her legs and instead pulled pushed herself into a sitting position in preparation for a fight. Someone burst through the open door and stopped at the sight of her.

Sarah froze in surprise as the tension eased from her limbs and she relaxed against the side of the bed.

"Albrecht," she smiled with a sigh of pure relief.

The ex-officer's eyes were side with surprise as his mouth hung agape. He quickly collected himself and hurried to Sarah's side.

"You ok?" he asked worriedly as he looked over Sarah.

"Yeah," she sighed, leaning her head back. "Just a little startled is all."

"I knew I shouldn't have put you in bed," Albrecht teased now that he was past the shock of seeing Sarah on the floor. "Figured the shock would hit you. Didn't think it would get you this bad though."

His eyes examined Sarah once more before he was satisfied that she wasn't severely hurt. He carefully picked Sarah up from the floor and sat her on the bed. Seeing that she had no intention of lying down, he sat beside her.

"Sorry about that," Sarah mumbled. "Head's a little fuzzy right now."

"Well I don't blame you, after last night," Albrecht replied with a sad shake of his head.

Sarah looked at Albrecht. "What happened last night?" she asked.

Albrecht sighed and rubbed his chin. "Well, I don't know what you were up to but I found you in the graveyard with a bullet in your shoulder."

Sarah nodded numbly. She remembered that now. She was running from Thrash's gang and took refuge in the cemetery. He hand unconsciously went to the ring around her neck, seeking its comfort as she stared at the floor listlessly.

"You ok kid?" Albrecht asked after a moment.

Sarah blinked the images away and looked at Albrecht with a smile. "I am now."

Then a different thought crossed her mind. She looked down at her lap, seeing the nightgown covering her clean and bandaged legs.

"Just one question though," she started hesitantly. Albrecht looked at her expectantly.

"Did you dress me?"

Albrecht looked shocked for a moment but then he broke out in a hearty laugh, making his mustache ripple. He patted Sarah's back as he clutched his stomach from the laughter.

"No, no my dear girl," he chuckled. "You don't have to worry about that. I wouldn't even dare." He smiled at Sarah warmly as his laughter subsided. "I've seen the last guy who tried to put you in a dress."

Sarah smiled ruefully. Her actions were always relayed to Officer Albrecht some way or another, even though he was no longer in the service.

"No, I didn't clean you up," Albrecht continued, ruffling Sarah's hair slightly. "Officer Cooper did. You remember her right?"

Sarah pretended to think about it. Truth was, she had forgotten a lot of things. Those very same memories were things she wanted to forget; things she was better off not remembering. The officers at the police station were one of them. Most of the last six years had been voluntarily wiped from her memory. Besides her friend and mother of course, and the two people that slept in the cemetery.

"Sorry, can't recall," she answered apologetically.

"Nah," Albrecht said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "No problem. You can just meet her again."

As if on cue, a dark-skinned woman entered the room with a bowl of steaming liquid on a tray. She had a gentle smile that revealed her white teeth. Her chocolate eyes were warm and sparkling with mischief. A shock of curly hair jostled on her head as she walked over to the bed.

"Glad to see you're feeling better sweetie," she said as she placed the tray on the bed beside Sarah.

Sarah looked down into the bowl, her stomach rumbling lowly as she inhaled the scent of spices coming from the soup that was in the bowl. Her mouth watered. But she forced herself to look away and focus on Officer Cooper.

"How long was I out?" she asked.

"For the rest of the night and the whole day," Officer Cooper replied sadly. "It was a little hard getting you cleaned up but I managed." She gave Sarah a wink. "And don't even think about saying that you owe me one."

Sarah smiled gratefully back at her.

"Well," Officer Cooper said, "you eat your soup and get some more rest." She looked at Albrecht. "I'll have to get back to the station. If you need me, just call."

Albrecht nodded and Officer Cooper smiled. Then she bent down to place a soft kiss on Albrecht's lips. They parted and Officer Cooper left the room, smiling at Sarah and waving at her. Sarah waved back and then Officer Cooper was gone.

Sarah turned to face Albrecht with a smirking smile on her face. "What was that?" she asked.

Albrecht blushed and looked away as he rubbed her mustache. "Well, Officer Cooper and I… we're kinda… you know… seeing each other."

"You dog," Sarah laughed, giving her friend a light punch on the shoulder. "When did that start?"

Albrecht coughed embarrassedly. "Well, she helped me a lot with Eric's case and she was always giving me info for those tough cases. After I divorced with my wife and quit my job, she was just there. So, I decided to see where she took me and… here we are."

Sarah nodded with a growing smile. "Good for you," she snickered. "'Bought time you got yourself a nice lady."

"Enough of that," Albrecht said with mock-seriousness. He couldn't hide the smile playing on his lips. "Shut up and eat your soup."

He stood up and looked at Sarah. "I'll give you some privacy. Just call if you need anything."

Sarah nodded in agreement and Albrecht headed towards the door.

"Albrecht?" Sarah asked suddenly.

Albrecht turned and looked back at her.

"Thanks," she said sincerely.

Albrecht nodded with a smile and left the room.

Sarah listened until his footsteps faded away and she heard the radio turn on. Then she put the tray on her lap, relishing in the warmth that seeped through the metal to warm her legs. She picked up the spoon besides the bowl and dipped it into the thick liquid laden with spices and chunks of vegetables and meats.

She took a decent spoonful, blew on the steaming liquid and put it in her mouth. She couldn't help but purr in joy as the delicious soup trickled down her parched throat to fill her stomach with warmth. She took spoonful after spoonful of the decadent soup.

Soon her belly was full and the bowl was empty. Sarah licked the last few remains of liquid before returning the bowl to the tray with a content sigh. Not wanting the risk staining the sheets of the bed, she lifted the tray and once again rose to her feet.

After a filling meal and a good rest, they stood shakily. She slowly made her way to the dresser and placed the tray beside the basin.

There was a towel floating in the basin and Sarah picked up the wet cloth to dab the cold liquid across her face. Feeling refreshed, Sarah dropped the towel in the basin and looked up. She met the cold stare of her own eyes.

Startled Sarah took a step back. She realized that she was looking at her own reflection in the mirror. She lived in a place without mirrors so she never got to see what she looked like. The image seemed foreign to her. Her own face was like that of an alien's.

After six years, she had long grown out of her childish features. Her eyes had hardened, gleaming with distrust. Her face was scratched up pretty bad but she could still see the smooth skin underneath. Her lips were delicate but chapped. Her hair was a dry straw color, stiff and a dull blonde due to lack of care.

Her body had also changed greatly with the years. She had grown tall as well as wide, in certain parts. With little food, her waist was effortlessly thin. But – seeing as she had her mother's genes – she had a full chest and curved hips, making her look somewhat like a peanut.

In a different light, one would have considered her to be beautiful. But here in the dark streets where crooks and pedophiles hunted both day and night, she had turned into an animal just like the rest; a creature living merely to survive in the harsh conditions.

She flipped her hair. She had grown it long in the memory of Shelley but lately, it had become a nuisance. She would have to cut it soon, but not now.

Sarah tore her eyes away from the strange woman n the mirror and stumbled to the draped window. Clutching the windowsill to stay upright, Sarah ripped the curtain away from the glass. As predicted, all she could see was the constant downpour of rain. In the distance, a few lone rays of light trickled from the clouds. The sun was setting.

Sarah closed the curtain and looked down in thought. Dark was coming and she couldn't stay in Albrecht's house at night. Thrash's gang would surely be looking for her and if a trail led to her friend's house, Sarah would be trapped as well as Albrecht.

In order to protect her friend, Sarah had to go. She looked to the open door. She knew that if she tried to leave now, Albrecht would catch her and force her to stay. Since that was the case, Sarah decided to stay a little longer, rest up, and leave when Albrecht fell asleep. Hopefully she would be able to get out of the bed.

Already tired, Sarah trudged back to the bed. She picked up the blanket she had throw and got into bed. She pulled the blanket close around her and snuggled against the warmth it offered. She nestled her head comfortably against the pillow and allowed her eyes to drift close. With a final sigh, she slipped into sleep, setting her internal clock to wake soon.

Hopefully, she would hear it.

Once more, the description of Officer Cooper is at the top behind the label "Author's Note" in case you missed it the first time.

Well then, that was the chapter. I'm sure you're all waiting for Eric to come. Be patient a little longer. He's coming in Chapter 5. I just need to give you plenty of background info on the new Sarah and everyone who's going to be involved in the story. Just a little longer, Eric's coming. (Kinda ominous huh?)