AN: Reviews make my muse salivate, and so I've had to resort to wearing a poncho indoors. Things are starting to get interesting...

*

Sara didn't really care for the group home. There were far too many people for her liking, so she spent her time there just trying to stay out of the way. She was used to making herself small, and tucking herself in a corner while watching the chaos in front of her was pretty much second nature. At least she was going to school again, so that helped to break up the day. The only good thing she could think of with so many people around was that she had to be safe there, didn't she?

Almost a week passed with the same routine. The first day she had went back to school she had gone by herself. By the time she had reached the building she was on the verge of a panic attack. Sara had kept looking over her shoulder, sure she'd see her father somewhere in the crowd. She knew it was against the rules, Olivia had been sure to explain everything to her, but that didn't stop her from looking. Sara knew well enough that not everyone followed the rules.

A.J. had calmed her down, and insisted on walking her back at the end of the day. He offered to meet her near the home the next morning to go in together. Sara had told him he didn't have to go so far out of his way, her voice lacking all sincerity, and he had been going with her to and from since. So now she only had a couple blocks to weather on her own rather than the whole trip.

She had even started bringing the bunny to school with her. It was hidden in her bag, a fifteen year old with a stuffed toy was just asking for ridicule, but she'd sneak a squeeze or a pat every time she reached in for a book. With her life turned all around, she needed all the comfort she could find.

Now it was saturday and she met up with A.J. at the park. She didn't usually allow herself indulgences like this, but things were changing. No one was going to yell at her for going out somewhere.

Sara sat down on a swing, the bunny tucked inside of her fall jacket. A.J. sat down beside her, feet dragging in the dirt.

"They say it's gonna at least be another week before they can find a place for me," Sara announced. The idea of an actual foster home was pretty scary in itself, so she wasn't entirely sure if she was happy or sad about the delay.

"It's not so bad there, is it?"

Different, she guessed, more than anything. "Not really. Just not used to being around a lot of people all the time."

A.J. nodded, pushing off to gain some momentum. She watched for a moment before following suit. It was nice being out in the cooler weather, she felt less self-conscious about covering up. In fact, this was probably the best she'd ever felt out in public.

"Are you getting out too?" Sara asked over the creaking of chains. He deserved a change just as much as she did. A.J.'s dad was violent, and his mother wasn't any help.

"Maybe."

She dragged her feet, coming to a stop. He took her lead and did too. "They'd help if you asked. I know it."

"Yeah," A.J. agreed, "but who knows where I'd end up. We might not be able to see each other."

Well, she hadn't really thought it through. "You'd probably end up where I am, if things really are so busy."

"You're not gonna be there forever. Maybe when this whole thing's over I'll think about it. I hear trials are tough, so I wanna be around."

Sara smiled in gratitude. She was dreading it, the questions she'd have to answer in front of all those people. It was nice to know someone would be there for her.

"It's weird. Now I can basically do what I want and not worry about it." And what did one do with such a freedom?

"So," A.J. grinned, "what do you want to do then?"

It was something she didn't think a lot about usually, so it took her a moment. "Let's go to the movies."

"Yeah, there's like this one out about robots, or aliens, or robot aliens. I'm not sure which." He jumped up in excitement, and Sara found it contagious.

"Cool!"

She didn't care that tickets were so expensive. Even the movie itself wasn't nearly as important as what it represented. It turned out that there were movies running the whole gamut of robot/alien varieties. Sara stared between posters before she was finally able to pick one. They even split an overpriced box of Sour Patch Kids. It was totally worth it.

In fact, she had had such a good time that she found herself staring at the ceiling when she should have been asleep. But her mind wouldn't shut down. Sara was just too giddy with all the possibilities, it was the first time that she thought maybe she could actually do something with herself. That she wouldn't always be stuck and hopeless. It was all she could do not to run across the crowded room shouting at the top of her lungs and wake up the entire place.

Sara gave up on sleep, climbing down off her bunk with her bunny in hand. She only pulled it out at night when no one was looking. With a squeeze, she looked at its rumpled features. It didn't have a mouth, but she was pretty sure it was smiling anyway. Maybe if she went to the common room and read one of her books she might be able to calm down enough to get a little bit of sleep.

The heat leeched from her body instantly, freezing her in her steps. Sara's mouth opened to scream, but her heart had firmly lodged in her throat preventing anything more than a wheeze. There he was, on the other side of the street staring through the large window. Even with the distance and only the street lamps for light, she knew that coat. She knew him anywhere.

Her father's head turned ever so slightly, and she knew he was now looking directly at her. She should turn the light back off, leave the room, or even scream her lungs out. But she couldn't make herself do any of those things. Her body refused to comply. The flood of adrenaline made her chest hurt.

Time passed—hours, seconds, she couldn't be sure—before he turned and walked off. More uncountable time passed as she just stood there, staring out onto the street.

"It's three thirty, what are you doing up?" one of the women who worked there asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder. Sara didn't really hear her, but the contact was enough to finally make her shriek. She jumped as if she had ten thousand volts put through her, taking off down the hallway before the woman could respond.