For the first time that morning a genuine smile began to appear on Luke's face. Anyone watching would have seen some of the tenseness leave his shoulders as he nodded even though Sara couldn't see him.

"Call after 6... you got it. Sleep well Sara and I'll see you this evening."

That had gone better than he expected and a lot of the tension had been diffused. Now if he could just get his phone back without completely alienating Sara he would have accomplished everything he wanted. After hanging up the phone Luke slowly stood as he took another sip of hot chocolate and just enjoyed the feeling of the warm sunshine beginning to hit his face while the light breeze rustled his hair. Maybe this would turn out to be a good day after all... maybe it would.

Sara yawned as she clicked the phone shut. Yet again, disconnecting the conversation. This time, the polite way.

It was entirely too early to have a witty conversation. Hopefully Sara’s mind would be working better after a cat nap. She checked the clock on the phone. 6:20am. Sara would probably wake up in 5 hours. Her mutation allowing her body to reenergize. Plenty of time.

Sara resumed her position on the floor with one arm cushioning her head, and the other over her eyes. Soon, she went back to sleep.

Things were quiet and must more relaxed now that Luke had worked things out with Sara. The cat-woman was tired and so their meeting would wait until later in the evening and that was fine by him. Being disconnected from the office wouldn't hurt anyone for the next few hours and, as long as Sara didn't mess with any more clients, hopefully the business wouldn't be damaged to much by this little mishap.

"Maybe a day relaxing at home is in order." Luke muttered to himself as he made his way towards the fire escape and his path back down to the street below, "I still haven't finished White Fang this time... maybe I can finally get through reading it for the umpteenth time."

Sara awoke, five hours later. According to the phone, it was about 11:36 am. Still morning, but Sara felt physically refreshed. Mentally refreshed was another story. When people say they need to sleep on a decision, you think their being lazy, but sleeping on a decision really is thinking. For the past hours, Sara’s mind went back and forth.

She was going to a customer’s house. She would willingly enter, and she might actually be honest. But she still didn’t know how she would be reacted to. She was a cat, cat’s didn’t get everyday jobs. Cats weren’t trusted as consultants, or what ever the job this estimate was going to be called.

Sara sighed. She could take advantage of this opportunity. She should take advantage of this opportunity. Posing as someone who actually had a job. Posing was almost as good as the real thing. Humans posed as being mutants all the time, when they wanted people to fear them or when they wanted respect. Couldn’t a mutant posing to be human, a normal human with a normal job, be a positive. Others did it every day. Was there something wrong with Sara doing it, just this once?

The problem was, Sara wasn’t like a human. Sara wasn’t even like a normal mutant, who had the choice to show off their mutation. Even if Sara managed to hide her face, and her tail, Miss Moors, would see that she was different. Everyone always did… But she was going, and she was, most likely, probably, doing the estimate.

Decision make. No ifs ands or butts.

12:00 Sara finally pushed herself off of the floor. By 12:42, she had her hair combed, her teeth brushed, and her fur settled, and tamed, so that it no longer stuck in all the different directions.

1:55. Sara had fed herself, while listening to Johnny’s words of worry for her. Cute kid, but gullible, and, then, was eyeing a pair of thick, heavy gloves, and measuring tape, that were sticking out of the back of a construction workers back pocket. 1:56, Gloves, and measuring tape, were Obtained. However, to Sara’s dismay, the fingers were uncomfortable to wear with her claws, and her padded fingers.

2:30 the phone alarm went off, reminding Sara that if she wasn't headed to Miss Moors's house already, she was going to be late. 2:37 Sara was running across the roof top of one of the many warehouses, as a short cut. 2:56 Sara stood in front of the house of Miss. Moors. She was doing this. She was about to ring the door bell, she was about to be let into a house, and she was about to act like she knew what she was doing to give Miss Moors and Estimate on a wall safe.

Sara’s gloved hand raised, and she was about to knock. This was new territory for her, and she paused. Her arm let out a shiver, but staid steady. Her other hand held her note book, that was open to a clean page, with a pen, and her newly obtained measuring tape. There was so much wrong with this picture. She wasn’t doing this.

I'm Sorry Raina.

2:57 Sara ditched the gloves, on the door step, and headed around the back of the house. Old habits were much more comfortable than new ones.

The afternoon had started off quietly but even as Luke sat reading 'White Fang' he had begun to feel like he really should at least check in with Miss Langstan. For several minutes he was able to push the thought to the back of his mind and ignore it but slowly the idea began to press on him more and more until finally he placed a bookmark in the center of his book and closed it in exasperation.

"Well hello Deborah... you sound chipper today." Luke said when the connection was made.

"Today is going quite well, thank you." She replied graciously, "And it took you long enough to finally call and say you had your cell phone handy. I had to learn about it from one of our customers."

Suddenly red flags were going off all over the place and he found himself sitting up a little straighter and being a little more attentive. "What customer?"

"Miss Moors. She confirmed an appointment with you at 3 p.m. today."

So Sara was out to do something after all... even though it was annoying he should still give her the benefit of the doubt. "Oh... of course. I completely forgot. Thank you Deborah. What was the address again?"

***

Luke stood across the street from Miss Moors's house with a newspaper held up in front of his face as though he was reading. Sunglasses were placed firmly on his face and his sonar was kept tightly reigned in, only going three to four feet out from his body. Even though he couldn't see the "customer's" doorway, he could hear. Sara was quiet, but she wasn't trying to be absolutely silent as she made her way up to the front door.

"Maybe she's giving honest work a try." Luke thought, trying to be hopeful even though a part of him kept saying that it just wasn't possible, "Maybe... maybe..."

For a few minutes it continued to look like everything was going well and then suddenly there was the sound of leather gloves hitting the ground and the soft sounds of Sara moving around the house.

"Why did you have to go do it Sara? I won't catch you like this." Luke murmured softly as his mind raced on how he could work this situation to his advantage. Wasn't there some way he could keep Sara from steeling from Miss Moors while still making her look like a good citizen?

Where Sara hadn’t bothered keeping her feet quiet, while approaching the house, now that she was sneaking around the side, she did. Careful to avoid fallen leaves, from the fall weather. Sara crouched down at the side of the house, putting herself between a bush, and the brick foundations, where she examined a small, low, window that was level with the ground, and would lead into the basement. Miss Moors had left it open, with a screen left in place, to keep out unwanted pests. Sara’s claw extended and she carefully undid the screws that she could reach, till she could move the screen, and angle her hand inside to remove the rest.

Sara ended up bending the screen, but not so much that she wouldn’t be able to bend it back into place. She intended on getting in and taking only a few possessions. Hopefully things that Miss Moors wouldn’t notice ever missing. The break in had to be the same way. Something that Sara could easily put back in place, and that wouldn’t easily be noticed if there was a change, from before she forced her entry. The fact that this window had a large bush out side it, was a good chance, anything she did that changed the screen, wouldn’t be noticed for a while.

Sara finally had the screen loose enough, she could slide herself into the basement. And pushed the screen back into place. Leaving the screws on the ground, just outside the window.

The basement was one of those finished basements. The walls had that expensive, pine running up and down them, the ceiling was painted off white, and there was a three foot boarder running between the tops of the wood paneling and the tops of the walls that was painted dark green. The carpet, made Sara’s foot steps even more silent.

The basement had been transformed into an entertainment center. A large TV sat across from a love seat, and a big L shaped couch. There wasn’t much to Sara’s interest or use down here. She could steal a DVD or CD but why steal that, when you have nothing to play it on? Quite pointless. Sara moved on to the second room, that was in the basement. This one had been transformed into a laundry room. She took one thing from here. A wash cloth, that she stuffed into her front pocket of her sweat shirt before listening for movement up stairs. Miss Moors was moving across the basement door way, to the front of the house. Sara took the opportunity to creep up the stairs.

She ducked across the hall way, and found the jack pot. Bedrooms. There was a jewelry box at the far corner of the room, sitting on a dresser, that was wider than Sara was tall. Perfect, perfect, perrrrrfect. Glancing behind her shoulder, Sara moved to the box, and carefully opened the little doors. There were pearls, gold, silver, a necklace made out of spaghetti and yarn, and they all shined. Giving Sara a little dance to watch, when the lights moved around them. Sara liked shiny things.

Slowly, she began moving the jewelry a side. Keeping careful attention to the noises that went on in the rest of the house. Come on, Come one. Something of value. Something that wouldn’t be missed. She sorted carefully, to the back here she found a necklace that had been against the back wall so long, the silver had darkened. The three diamonds going down the center were real though. And she could pawn it, once she cleaned it up.

The necklace was pocketed, and Sara started looking through the rings. Two more pieces of jewelry were taken, before Sara shut the large box, and started going through Miss Moors’s Underwear drawers.

"Ok... I'm a security inspector coming to examine the house... why would I WANT Sara to be there?" Luke mused to himself from his stop across the street as he tried to think of how to turn this situation to his advantage. "They need to know how badly they need a security system... Perhaps a demonstration? I hired one of our consultants to sneak in, while they were home and show just how vulnerable their whole house is? Bingo!"

Swiftly folding the paper Luke walked across the street, allowing his sonar to sweep out approximately fifteen feet around himself to make sure no traffic was coming. As he approached the door he systematically drew the sonar back in until it was only extending out approximately ten feet. As he stood at the door Luke reached into his back pocket and withdrew his collapsible cane, immediately putting it back in position. Anyone that knew about 'Jacobs & Jacobs' would know that Luke was blind so it was best if he continued to act the part. Reaching a hand for the doorbell he put on a confident smile, even though inwardly he wasn't the most confident.

"Don't let me down Sara... work with me here." He murmured quietly as the sound of buzzer echoed through the house.

"Yes? Can I help you?" A woman that Luke assumed was Miss Moors asked as she opened the door.

"Miss Moors? Hi, I'm Luke Jacobs. I'm here for the appointment about the..."

"The wall safe. Of course." She replied instantly, not even noticing Luke's hesitation of not knowing exactly what the appointment was about. "Please come this way. I've got so much jewelry that I've just been feeling like I need some type of safe to keep it all in. Some of the pieces are priceless family heirlooms."

"Of course... but I have to ask, have you ever thought about getting a complete security system along with the safe? You would be amazing at just how easily someone can slip into a house like this... even when you're at home."

The conversation was going right where Luke wanted it to go... now if he could just get to the right moment, hopefully before Sara tried to get out of the house, it might be for the best. As he stood there talking suddenly a nagging doubt began to move into his mind... was Sara even in here? Luke hadn't seen or heard her enter the house so he was simply going on assumption.

"Never assume." Luke thought as he maintained the smile while talking with Miss Moors. Swiftly extending his awareness, Luke filled the house with his Sonar. Thanks to the concrete floors there was no way to be sure what was in the basement but his view of Miss Moors' bedroom was perfect. There was Sara, caught with her hand in the cookie jar... or the clothing drawer actually.

"But I'm almost always at home... there's no way that anyone could get in without my knowledge." Miss Moors replied, a touch of haughtiness coming into her voice, "I follow all the basic security... I keep my doors and windows locked and I have bushes in front of all the windows to make it more difficult to enter."

"You may be surprised ma'am... you may be very surprised." Luke said with a forced chuckled before finally raising the volume of his voice.

"Sara?! Are you here yet? I think our demonstration is a success."

"Please listen Sara." He silently begged as he kept the smile on his face and waited to see if his 'partner' would reveal herself. "Please!"

Sara was through the first drawer. This one she found a small mirror, that had been tucked behind the socks. It was real class, with stained glass covering the back, and hand made. A metal butterfly decorated the corner, in the front, and the hole thing fit into the palm of her hand. Small, but hand made, and a piece of art. Sara tucked that into her front pocket as well. The second drawer had a pen, that when Sara scratched it across her paper, she liked the way it wrote, so that was dropped into her front pocket as well. She was just into the third drawer, when she heard the knock at the door, and she recognized that voice.

Her ears flattened against the back of her head. That voice was becoming increasingly annoying. She froze in place as she listened to the conversation held between that annoying evil man, and Poor Miss Moors. Ha! Yeah. Really good security measures lady.

Sara still had her hands in the drawer, when she felt the sonar. Oh, he must feel so smug with himself. She thought, as she stood up from the drawer, carefully pushed it back closed, leaving things like they were when she came in, and stood straight, Facing the door. Sonar this. She extended her, furry, middle, digit. He promised he would keep Wraith out of her business, but he didn’t promise to keep himself out. That’s right Mr. Jacobs. Work all the angles you have.

"Sara?! Are you here yet? I think our demonstration is a success."

Sara glanced at the bedroom window. She could just leave. Leaving would let her hand those little possessions, and make Luke look like a donkey’s behind. Leaving was good. Leaving would be the best thing in the world to bite him back for following her again…

Sara didn’t leave…

Luke was working an angle for her. He was forcing the angle but it was an angle nonetheless. She could hate the angle, she could hate him, and she could hate herself for chickening out the first time, at the door, with those uncomfortable leather gloves. She took a step towards the door of the room, then hesitated. The anxiety she had from before, flooding back. Oh just do it. Well…

Sara stood there for what was really only a few seconds. It felt so much longer. She painted a closed lipped smile on her face, using the vanity above the drawers, and walked out. Reminding herself that she could always run.

“Hi Miss Moors.” Sara came around from the back of the house. Nothing to hide her feline features. With her tail flicking so fast, behind her heals, she might as well have been a rattle snake. “We spoke yesterday, on the phone. My name is Miss Nobes.” She extended her paw like hand. When Miss Moors just looked down at it, she shot Luke a glare over Miss Moors’s shoulder, Returning the smile, when the lady looked back up at her face.

"Who in the world is Sara?" Miss Moors had begun to ask before suddenly jumping as Sara came out of the bedroom.

“Hi Miss Moors. We spoke yesterday, on the phone. My name is Miss Nobes.”

You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that this particular cat-woman was not very happy. In fact her hand gesture when the sonar hit her had been more than enough to convey that fact. For a few seconds Luke had been worried that she'd turn and run but it seemed as though she had decided to play along.

"Thank you Sara." He thought to himself as a sense of relief moved through his body, "Thank you very much."

"But how... where... when?" Miss Moors gasped out, her gaze moving back and forth from Sara to Luke. There was no way to be sure exactly what it was that made her nervous... the fact someone had broken into her house without her knowledge or the fact that 'someone' was a mutant that looked like a miniature lion.

"We often gets calls from people that feel like all they need is a wall or floor safe." Luke replied, his tone as soothing as possible as he tried he reassure the woman, "What people don't realize is that a safe is not the perfect solution. While the safe can protection a few or your treasures, there are many more that will still be left out on display which are perfect for a thief to take. Miss Nobes is a consultant that we sometimes ask to test our security systems."

Luke knew that was a small lie but hopefully Sara would forgive him for that one. He was trying to keep her out of trouble after all.

"Her experience and expertise has helped us protect customers, such as yourself, from burglary as well as the feeling of violation that accompanies such crime. But, I'm speaking out of turn. Sara, would you mind explaining to Miss Moors how you were able to slip in and what rooms you were able to go through without her knowledge?" Luke said, his voice and tone extremely gracious sounding as he turned his 'gaze' towards the cat. He knew from his sonar that she was sending him all kinds of dirty looks but it was best to ignore that just keep working towards keeping her out of trouble.

"Truce Sara." Luke thought as he pulled his sonar back in close enough that it was no longer touching the cat or bothering he hearing, "I just want to be friends."

Miss Moors looked back and forth between them and Sara could just imagine the screams that the lady could be giving out. Just for the heck of it, when Miss Moors wasn’t looking, Sara continued trying to send Daggers through her eyes, straight at Luke.

Miss Nobes is a consultant that we sometimes ask to test our security systems."

[/i]Did Mr. Jacobs always feed his customers this much BULL?[/i] Sara let her smile return to her face, as Miss Moors turned back around to face her. Making her feel like a specimen or a thing, rather than a sly smart thief that she was. Perhaps Luke himself, needed his security system checked. Since Sara would hate to make an exact lier out of him.

Blab la bla

But, I'm speaking out of turn.

Apparently

Sara, would you mind explaining to Miss Moors how you were able to slip in and what rooms you were able to go through without her knowledge?"

Sara let the warm, closed lips smile come across her face again. “Thank you Mr. Jacobs.” Sara motioned to the back of the house where the basement was. “Those windows you mentioned behind the bushes, are actually thief magnets. They can obscure someone from view while they open a window. That’s how I got in.” Smart Luke wanted an example of what she had done, fine. Take notes Luky boy, because your place should be next on the list. “People don’t pay attention to what isn’t right in plane sight. Once I had the screen open, I as in your reck room, in the basement. I walked in your laundry room, and then got up stairs, where I crossed your hall here, into your bedroom.”

Miss Moors gasped, and her hand was at her mouth. Sara couldn’t tell if it was shock, or anger that Sara had gotten that far. Did people actually give warnings when they made security tests like that?

Sara stood at the table in hall and started pulling the possessions out of her pockets. No doubt Luke would force her hand, and have her do it anyways. Take that Luke, you don’t get the pleasure of telling her I took things. I do. So take that! Out came the mirror, the two rings, the necklace, and Sara placed them on the table. But the washcloth staid with her. Ha!

“As a demonstration, I also retrieved a few of your belongings.” Sara’s eyes rolled back to Luke, though his sonar as no longer so strong. “The necklace was in the back or your jewelry box. Nothing else was moved, Same with the rings and the mirror.” But the wash cloth Was Sara’s now!

Happy Luke?

As Sara went through her explanation about entry point and how things had worked in her favor Luke could only listen in admiration. "She's good... really good." He thought to himself, "If only she would put those skills to use in a positive way."

What surprised him even more was when she pulled out the things she had snatched. Luke had suspected she'd taken some things but without actually seeing her do it on his sonar there was no way to know for sure.

"Good for you Sara... you're actually making me a little proud." Luke thought, his smile broadening slightly as he listened to her make the rest of his sales pitch for him.

"I... I... I don't know where to call the police or thank the both of you." Miss Moors said, her voice noticably weaker than it had been earlier when she was speaking with Luke, "I always thought things were so safe."

"With just a few security measures your posessions can be exactly as safe as you always thought they were." Luke replied, continuing the soothing tone he had used with her before, "If it's OK with you I'll have a team come out tomorrow morning. They'll have the two most common sizes in wall safes with them as well as the basic equipment it would take to get your place set up. They can walk you through ever step and answer any questions you may have about what is best to cover which areas. How does that sound?"

"I think that would be fine." Miss Moors replied, still obviously somewhat dazed at how easily Sara had gotten in. If she had been thinking clearly then she may have wondered why Luke and Sara couldn't do most of what he had just described but she was still to shocked to think up those kinds of problems. "Would 9 o'clock be OK?"

"Of course that would be fine. Sara, I think you and I can be on our way. The Jacobs & Jacobs security team will be here tomorrow morning at 9. Take care Miss Moors." Luke replied, beginning to edge towards the door, "And if you have any more security concerns, feel free to call our office at any time."

A few moments later Luke and Sara were outside, walking along the pathway out towards the street. "I'm impressed Sara... your taking my cell phone was good but the way you got in back there was top notch. And thanks for playing along... it would have been a major issue with my company if you had just left." Luke said, his tone grateful at the end. It was obvious that he was being honest with her although, that probably didn't really matter to Sara. He had still caught her in the middle of a job and lied to her about his identity.

Sara nearly choked as Luke finished the sales pitch. Sure he thought he was getting Sara out of trouble, but the truth was, she could have left and made him look like a fool. He interfered and she saved his butt. So there. To keep herself from laughing openly, Sara excused herself to duck down stairs, and put the screen back up. Poor Miss Moors. Luke better treat her right as a customer.

.. .. .. … .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

A few minute later, Sara found herself back, walking next to Luke, as they continued to make their way away from Miss Moors, who was no doubt, going to have trouble sleeping until 9 am came around. Again, Sara bailed Luke out. Not the other way around. She didn’t show up, he would look like a fool, and out of the cost of securing Miss Moor’s home. “You should just give me that Sales commission.” Sara replied to him, as they walked. Hoping the joke would make herself loosen up a bit. He cost her a heist. “you call me a thief but back there, you manipulating the situation, that’s not that far off. I’m a crook but at least I’m an honest crook.” Honest to herself and to those she was stealing from. Minus the truth she had not given back one wash cloth of course.

They turned, onto the sidewalk and Sara slowed her pace. Her head tilted down so that her long hair sort of hid her face from the sides, as she walked. “I woke up, fully intending on giving, being a sales woman a try. I hit the door step, and I couldn’t do it.” Sara confessed.

“You should just give me that Sales commission. You call me a thief but back there, you manipulating the situation, that’s not that far off. I’m a crook but at least I’m an honest crook.”

Luke raised an eyebrow and almost turned his head to 'look' at her but decided against it. Why bother? "You're right." He said calmly though inside he was beginning to simmer a little bit, "I'm a manipulative bastard that cares about myself more than anyone else in the world."

“I woke up, fully intending on giving, being a sales woman a try. I hit the door step, and I couldn’t do it.”

Luke stopped walking completely and pivoted so that he was facing Sara. "You don't get it do you? You're welcome to the sales comission... I don't take comissions anymore. A blind man going to give an estimate is laughable and if she hadn't been shocked by your appearance she would have realized that. And I'm sorry if I don't measure up to your ideals of honesty and integrity... I've got a company that employs a lot of people and you stealing like that could easily have black listed us and made it necessary for me to lay off I don't know how many people." Luke's voice was stern, but he was doing his best to remain in control even if he wasn't particularly succeeding.

"You want to live by stealing... fine. Just remember that sometimes what you do affects more than just you and the person you stole from. You got ticked because I wouldn't admit that Wraith and Luke are one and the same... I try to protect people. I may not be very good at it... heck even you are probably better, but I do what I can."

He had vented and already he was upset that he had let it all out on Sara. Turning back on the sidewalk Luke began to move on slowly, hoping that Sara would continue to walk along with him.

"I'm not interested in trying to turn you in Sara." Luke spoke quietly, "You were in the camps... humanity owes you something and its a debt most people don't want to think about. I appologize if I come across as 'holier than thou' because I'm not... I've watched humans die as a mutant killed them because they were criminals. I should have tried to stop it but I didn't because I didn't think they were worth it."

Well that was something he had never told anyone else. How in the world that had popped out Luke wasn't sure but the horse was out of the barn and there was no way of getting it back in.

Sara felt her ears, press through her hair, against the back of her neck, Just before Luke started talking. His heart beat had changed and she didn’t like the tone she was being spoken to, with, when he did speak.

He spoke of the ripple effect her little crime would have had, and her jaw tightened. Teeth gritting tight together. Yeah, that ripple effect bothered her. She pushed the thought out of her head, every time she allowed herself t be hired for a job that involved breaking and entering, or every time she picked from someone’s pocket. Did she take pride in herself when it came to the thieving abilities she had? Hell yeah. Without those thieving abilities, she would have died in the camps. Weather it have been her starving to death because those camp servings were so meager, or when she was trying to gather supplies for others, because, if the guards caught her, they wouldn’t care. Even if the thieving as a choice between life and death, because it got them the bare essential.

Was Sara proud of the fact she still stole? Hell no. She hated it, and everything that it meant. Including those ripples it sent out to other people. That’s why she tried to make the proof that things were missing as unnoticeable as possible. The cell phone was an exception. She had the device, and the fact she had it, and played with it, brought out a younger side, with less experience, less thought, and less care, that she sorely wished she had a chance to know. The side that another thief, had stolen from her.

Sara wasn’t apologizing, but she wasn’t arguing either. Everything that Luke was telling her was so, absolutely, wrong, and at the same time, right. Honest, and right, and it SUCKED! Her head lowered and her jaws clamped tight while she stared at the sidewalk that moved by, right in front of her feet, and still he went on.

I appologize if I come across as 'holier than thou' because I'm not... I've watched humans die as a mutant killed them because they were criminals. I should have tried to stop it but I didn't because I didn't think they were worth it."

“I’m sorry… for your loss, back then.” Sara’s words were soft at first, but the next ones were practically spit out, as her head turned to actually look at Luke. “but I’m not sorry about being ticked off. Every time I’ve been lied to, someone was fooling with me. I get lied to I get hurt, and I’m not letting myself get hurt anymore.” Ok little too much let out there. Sara’s lips pressed together and her head dropped again, so she could stare at the sidewalk as she continued.

“I have no skills when it comes to protecting people. During the break out, my last break out, I got one kid out to the chaos, a little boy who made me promise the moment I found him under his camp cot, and I tried to get more…” Sara trailed off not liking the entire confession that had tried to run out of her mouth. She bit back the rest, swallowed the words, and shoved the memory to the back of her mind. “People running every where, plenty of people to choose from. Mutant, human, what ever, and I get one out.” While watching hundreds be slaughtered.

“Raina found me, after I went back.” Sara wished Raina hadn’t turned back for her. Thankful she’d found her and frustrated she had looked. Sara healed, and she could take care of her self. That’s why she found the life of a thief so much easier. Why she had trouble adapting to the idea of real work. Real work, you also relied on someone else. Thieving, Sara could do that herself.

Listening to Sara suddenly express her feelings was something of a surprise... even though he didn't know her well Luke had begun to get the idea that she enjoyed being able to go it alone without anyone else. To here her admit that she had been hurt in the past made certain things click in his mind.

"Not all friends are out to hurt you and not all lies are meant to hurt you either." Luke replied softly, maintain an even pace with Sara as they walked along, "Raina's special... she has a good heart and she can see past things that would normally blind people to the heart you have within. A lot of people don't have that kind of heart so you're blessed to have found someone like that."

He wasn't sure if he should even mention the camps or say anything about them... having been on the outside and never truly experienced the camps Luke wasn't sure that his words could even carry any meaning. He had heard of the atrocities of course but without actually experiencing it there was no way to completely sympathize with Sara.

"I'm sorry for what you had to go through in the camps." He finally spoke, his mind flashing back to the conversation he had been in with Raina about her time in the camps, "I wish I could have taken your place or someone else's place. I was categorized as a minimal threat so I was never put into the camps. I did what I could with trying to get the Registration Act struck down but I still wonder if there was something more I could have done to help. People died... on both sides... and people now carry scars... on both sides. If I had been a little smarter maybe I could have helped stop the bloodshead but I wasn't and I didn't. You saved someone Sara... I never could."

It sounded like a pity party and that was deffinately not in Luke's tastes. He had come looking for his cell phone and then had set out to keep Sara from getting in trouble. Now he was involved in a philosophical debate. "How in the world do we get out of this?" Luke pondered as he focused his sonar straight ahead with it only going a few inches from his skin in other direction. He would hear if Sara decided to leave but the least he could do was eliminate the buzzing in her head.

"So where do you go from here? Any chance of our being friends or will we simply remain aquaintances that are friends of Raina's?"