A/N: After all this time, finally I have an update!! Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews and for sticking with me on this story for so long! This should be wrapped up in just a few more chapters…
Sarah was standing outside Peter's office, trying to muster up the courage to knock. Somewhere between the picnic bench and his office she had lost her nerve. She was no longer sure she wanted to do this. Her heart was racing. She turned, starting to leave.
"Sarah? Shouldn't you be at breakfast?" Peter had chosen that exact moment to leave his office.
She faltered, not sure what to say. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. This was going to be harder than she thought.
"Something on your mind?"
She nodded, afraid to speak. Peter opened the door to his office and let her inside. She sat down in the same chair she had on her first day when Peter had lectured her for fighting with Shelby. It seemed so long ago now.
Peter sat down across from her and waited for her to begin, but she seemed in a daze. "Sarah? What is it you need to talk about?"
She looked up. She had almost forgotten he was in the room. "I…I, uh, need to talk to you about….about my brother."
Peter smiled. "I was hoping you would tell me about him."
She shook her head. Her courage was coming back now. "Look, Peter, if I tell you this, I need to trust you. I mean, really trust you."
He nodded. "You can trust me Sarah."
"Well, a lot of people have told me that and it turns out that they lied." She paused. "Every time I tell this story I end up in another state, at another school. I really don't think I could take it if I had to go through this all over again. Seriously Peter, this is my life I'm trusting you to."
Peter pulled his chair next to her and grabbed her hand. "You can trust me Sarah." He looked her straight in the eyes. "You're safe here."
Sarah blinked back her tears. She didn't have time for crying. She needed to tell her story before she lost the nerve. This was her last chance.
Peter smiled at her. "Tell me about your brother Sarah."
She nodded. "His name's Darek. I haven't seen him in ten years. The last time I heard from him was four years ago. He's my dad's son from an affair. An affair that my mom pretends to know nothing about. I don't know, maybe she really doesn't know anything about it." She stopped for a second to gather her thoughts. "I've been looking for him forever. It's not right to have a brother and not be able to see him or talk to him. I had almost given up hope. Then Cole came."
"What does Cole have to with this?"
"He recognized me. Recognized me from a picture that Darek carried with him. Turns out that Cole is best friends with Darek. So after all this time, I know where my brother is but I can't do anything about it."
"Your dad wouldn't let you see him because of the affair?"
She nodded. "It's more than that though." Her courage began to waver. "My parents aren't the best, you know? But to everyone else they're this perfect couple. They do a lot in politics, I'm not sure exactly what it is they do." The tears were streaming down her face now. "I didn't fit into the equation. I was a messed up kid that could hurt their chances of making it to the Supreme Court one day. I was never supposed to be here. I was an accident, a mistake. They never let me forget that." Peter squeezed her hand, a silent encouragement to keep going.
"Things were always bad in their marriage. They fought for as long as I can remember. I used to stay outside all day, just trying to avoid them. They liked to use me as their pawn. They took their frustrations out on me. When I found out my dad had the affair, he shipped me away to my first boarding school. I didn't know for awhile that I had a brother. He let that slip once when we were arguing."
"So he was trying to keep you quiet?"
She nodded, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand. "I mean, of course I wanted to find my brother then. It's not right to keep us apart." She paused. This was the part of the story that still haunted her. "When I told the headmaster at my boarding school, he promised to do whatever he could to help me find Darek. Two weeks later, I was on a plane out of state, to a new school. Every time I ask for help, I end up leaving. Off to a new school with supposed new "problems." But not before my dad has a chance to threaten me." She looked up, fear in her tear-filled eyes. "I'm afraid of what he'll do to me."
Peter grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "You're safe here Sarah. He can't hurt you anymore."
A million questions were still running through Peter's mind and he couldn't help but feel that there was still something she wasn't telling him, but Sarah seemed to be finished with her story for now. He didn't know what her father was capable of, he didn't know how he would be able to do what no one else in her life had been able to do, he didn't know how he was going to make this right, but he knew he had to, for Sarah's sake. He was her last her hope.