Sara had picked her way through what had seemed interesting over at the buffet, but found that much of the food was too rich for her taste. Instead, she had settled on some foie gras on crackers, and, from the drinks table, a glassful of Dragon’s Breath, which had earned her a shocked glance from the server. However, he had acquiesced to her request for the strong beer, and the expensive import was added to the selection of fine wines and liquors.
During her socializing, Sara glanced at an ornate clock on one wall, unsurprised to note that it was nearing four in the morning. However, she had one thing left to do before she even thought of packing it in and going home. It took some time, but Sara finally found Magdalena. Walking over to the older woman, Sara nodded discreetly, noting with little surprise that Magdalena was on her sixth glass of champagne.
Magdalena spoke first, and the barely veiled anger in her tone was easily apparent to Sara. "What do you want?"
Sara sighed. "To talk to you."
Magdalena snorted derisively, looking over at Sara as she did so. "Yeah right. I saw that you were talking to Jacinta for almost ten minutes, and she seems to be happier than when you got her out to the balcony. What did you do? Make a joke about jumping off?"
Sara shook her head, edging closer to Magdalena as she did so. "No. I only put her situation in perspective."
Magdalena didn't look convinced, and Sara sighed. "Fine. Do you want to know what happened when Jacinta and I first met?"
Magdalena, confused by the sudden shift in conversation as well as Sara’s attitude, only nodded. Sara smiled slightly, then gently pulled Magdalena towards a deserted corner of the room. "I first saw your daughter in the back yard of Jose’s mansion, practising with a sword. Anyhow, to make a long, involved fight short, I whacked her over the head, picked her up, and high-tailed it out of there. That’s how your ex got to meet her."
Magdalena chewed on her lower lip, glancing towards where her ex-husband was still hobnobbing with the mayor. Sara frowned in response. "Yeah, I know he’s monopolized the mayor’s time, but I have no reason to drag him into the real world. Anyhow, Jose didn’t take too kindly to my ‘raid’ and gave chase. It only ended when I pulled a gun on your daughter and told Jose to back off."
Sara was then forced to block Magdalena’s well-aimed and anger-fuelled slap. The force behind the blow was obvious, and Sara felt her left shoulder joint loosen from the impact. "Ow. Let me finish before you tear my head off. Jose had a vendetta against me for about five months, give or take a week. Now, if he didn’t care about your daughter, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, and your daughter would have a plot of land six feet deep as her only property. Instead, he backed off. As a result, your daughter’s still in one piece, and she came out of it with a sincere apology and fifteen grand."
Magdalena, who had raised her hand for another slap, was stopped cold when Sara’s hand snaked out and grabbed her elbow. "Now, I personally don’t know and don’t care about what’s going on between the two, but if she’s happy, you may as well set aside your misgivings and give her your blessing. It’s the only thing a parent can do after everything else has been done, except to support, through thick and thin, your child."
Sara turned and began to walk away, only stopping when Magdalena asked a question. "Why are you doing this?"
Sara turned slightly, looking at Magdalena through the fall of hair on the right side of her face. She then swept the hair back, giving Magdalena a perfect view of the scars on her face. "Because, I lost my own child seven years ago. I don’t want to see anyone else suffer through what I have. By the way, I can tell that you rebelled as well when you were younger. Your eyes gave it away."
Magdalena nodded, staring at the twisted tracery of lines that covered most of Sara’s right cheek. Sara then swept her hair back into place, and walked away, seemingly heading back to the drinks. Finally, Magdalena nodded, fingering the cross at her throat. "Maybe that is why she chose the name Angel of Redemption."
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"It's getting late...or early," CyberSix said, glancing inside at the clock on the wall. The party was winding down, and about half of the guests had left with several varieties of alcohol swimming through their heads.
"Yeah," Jacinta agreed with a yawn. Going through the entire emotional spectrum in one night takes a toll on anyone. "I should probably find my mom." She clutched CyberSix tightly in a goodbye hug. "I'm really glad to see you again."
"Me too, Jacinta," her aunt replied softly. "If you ever need someplace to stay or someone to talk to, you know where I am."
Jacinta pulled back and nodded. "Thanks for listening," she said with a tearful smile. "I love you."
"I love you too,"CyberSix replied, letting her go and watching her disappear into the crowd. She crossed her arms and bowed her head in deep thought and anxiety. Jacinta made her rounds, bidding farewell to Reba, Dr. Zack, and Lucas. She hesitated when she spotted her mother alone in a dark corner of the hall. *Not yet* she thought, her eyes sweeping the room for one last person to say goodbye to.
She found Sara back at the drink table, a pensive frown wrinkling her forehead and pulling at her mouth. She wondered if she should say anything at all, but decided she needed to if she was going to leave with a clearer conscience. "Sara?" Jacinta asked tentatively. "Um, I'm going to go. It's getting late."
Sara nodded, her frown lessening somewhat. "Okay. Take care, all right? And remember what I told you. Don't let anyone try and stop you from being happy."
Jacinta nodded slightly, pursing her lips together. "Thanks," she said. "I'll try. And I won't tell anyone about, well, you know." she pointed at her hand to indicate Sara's earlier demonstration with her knife.
Sara smiled, nodding slightly. "It would be greatly appreciated. I hope you'll think better of me from now on. I'm not all about guns and fighting, you know?"
"Yeah," Jacinta replied awkwardly. She unconsciously started to fiddle with the ring on her finger, obviously looking like she wanted to say something else. Instead, she turned and began to walk away. "Bye." She said quietly with a little wave, then took off.
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Sara sighed, watching Jacinta until the girl had disappeared into the elevators. "I wish you luck kiddo. Everyone deserves at least one chance."
"What’cha talking about Sara?" Sara started slightly, then looked down at Reba, who was all smiles. Noticing the infectious grin, Sara couldn’t help but smile back.
"Nothing really. By the way, where’s everyone else? Waiting for me by the elevator?" Reba nodded, and Sara chuckled. "I’ll be there in a few minutes. I just have to offer a ride to someone."
With that, Sara turned and walked towards Magdalena. "Come on. I’ll give you a ride home."
Magdalena snorted, but then noticed the look in Sara’s eyes. Sighing, she nodded and accepted the outstretched hand. "Looks like my good-for-nothing ex has forgotten Jacinta and I, so I should take up your offer. By the way, where is Jacinta?"
Sara smiled to herself, mentally shaking her head. "She’s already downstairs, probably waiting for her daddy’s limo to pull up and collect her. I wouldn’t bet on it though. He was the first person to leave this shindig. Come on. Reba’s waiting for us so she can get home before her shift at the hospital starts, and I have a pile of biology labs to go through and mark before the end of the weekend. Besides, Lucas and Cyb are both looking quite antsy. Probably because of the half-dozen whiskies Lucas drank though."
Magdalena laughed, as she had seen Sara finish off the same amount of whiskey in less than half the time. "Good thing you’re not driving though. Your blood must be at sixty proof by now."
Sara, completely unfazed from the amount of alcohol she had consumed, smiled as she quickly recited a verse from ‘A Modern Major General’, keeping the tempo perfect. After she finished, Sara glanced at Magdalena, who had started laughing. "Works better than reciting the alphabet backwards, huh? Come on, let’s get outta here before the candystripers come running."
The two walked over to the elevators, Sara neatly snagging Reba by an earlobe when she noticed the growth-retarded doctor trying to get her hands on the half-empty glass of beer Sara had left on the drink table. Ignoring Reba’s yelp of pain, Sara neatly joined her original group of friends, all of whom were beginning to look at various timepieces. The elevator took less than a minute to arrive though, and the six people were quickly whisked to the ground floor. Walking out of the hotel, Sara snagged the nearest valet, giving him the card to wake up the limo driver.
As the limo pulled up, Sara looked around for a few seconds, and, as the rest of the group piled into the limo, Sara walked over to Jacinta, who was looking almost forlorn as she watched the last few stragglers leave the party. "Hey."
Jacinta nodded, but left an opportunity open for Sara. "Wanna come with us? Probably better than trying to walk home in those shoes, and it looks like your ‘father’ buggered off early."
Jacinta looked at Sara, angry for a second. "Y’know, considering the sarcasm you put on that one word, it looks like you like him less than I do."
Sara nodded, smiling. "Good. ‘Cause I really don’t like anyone inattentive enough to leave their own flesh and blood in the lurch. Come on. Let’s blow this popsicle stand. Besides, you probably want some sleep, and we’re the last ones from the party."
Jacinta nodded, and Sara, charitably enough, let Jacinta enter the limo first. Of course, that was about two seconds before Jacinta saw her mother sitting next to the only empty spot in the back seat, as Sara had squeezed in, closed the door, and firmly planted herself between Cyb and Lucas, both of whom were looking slightly irritated at their friend. Sighing to herself, Jacinta took the only empty seat, absently noticing that Reba was already asleep and slowly leaning into her right side, pushing her closer to her mother.
Jacinta glared at Sara, but Sara simply knocked twice on the partition, setting the limo in motion a few seconds later. Sara grinned, her lips moving slightly, and then the bracelet on her left arm changed. Flattening out, the bracelet covered Sara’s upper arm to the elbow, and then spread across her chest to her other arm. Less than three seconds later, Sara was wearing a dark purple half-jacket that neatly covered her upper arms, and was open down the front, looking just like a denim jacket would. Jacinta’s response was unsurprised, but everyone else turned and looked at Sara, with the universal question being asked by Six and Reba. "How do you do that?"
"Trade secret. Let’s just go home, okay?" With that, Sara closed her eyes, listening as each person gave their respective addresses to the driver.
_______________________
Jacinta grimaced and squirmed at the uncomfortable closeness in the backseat, namely being smushed against her mother.
"You know, I'm not going to bite." Magdalena said dryly.
"Oh, really? You looked like you were about to take my head off back there." Jacinta sniped, gently lifting Reba's head off of her shoulder and leaning it on the windowpane. Not exactly too comfortable, but she needed room to move.
"Let's not get petty, all right? I'm still angry." Her mother said with a violent sigh of resignation. "And I would have forbidden it, except your friend there," she jerked her head in Sara's direction, "reminded me of how I felt when I was your age. I still don't understand it, but I won't stand in your way if this is what you want."
Jacinta's face softened, but her eyes remained sharp and bright as she studied her mother's face, a face that suddenly seemed tired and beginning to reflect its age. She felt a twinge of sympathy knot in her. "I don't know what to say," she said in a low, stunned voice. "I know this isn't easy for you, but... it is what I want."
Not another word passed bewteen them for the rest of the ride. Reba was first to be dropped off, then Dr. Zack, and then Cybersix and Lucas. CyberSix gave Jacinta one last parting look before letting her date help her out of the limo.
"So, that leaves just the three of us then," Sara said as soon as they'd gone, her tone almost cheerful. "Where to?"
Jacinta glanced uncertainly at her mother.
"My apartment," Magdalena said. "Then take Jacinta wherever she wants to go." The barest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she met her daughter's saucer-eyed stare.
_______________________
Sara nodded, using the intercom to tell the driver where to go. Meanwhile, Jacinta still hadn't recovered over the mental shock of her mother's almost-sudden acceptance of her own situation. Twenty minutes later, Magdalena had exited the limo at the entrance of her own apartment, and Sara, seeing Jacinta yawn, nodded to herself. "So, you want to head out to the mansion now, and probably fall asleep in the entrance, or would you like to crash at my place for the rest of the day?"
Jacinta smiled, realizing that the sun was just peeking out from the horizon of the city. "Umm, I think I'll crash at your place. I'll be able to get to my normal home without much of a hassle tonight, and I am feeling pretty toasted."
Sara smiled and nodded, knowing the feeling. "Yeah. Good thing the guest room has silk instead of cotton."
She then told the driver to head to her house, and flipped around so she was sitting beside Jacinta. Watching the streets go by slowly, Sara yawned and stretched, then cursed in pain. Jacinta, surprised, looked over at Sara, who was grimacing as she slowly flexed her right arm. Finally, underneath the thick material of Sara's pseudo-jacket, Jacinta saw Sara's right shoulder shift around, seemingly dislocated. However, before she could ask about it, The limo pulled into the driveway of Sara's house, and let the two women leave the vehicle.
Sara, nodding to herself, pulled out a thick wad of bills from somewhere underneath her right arm, and peeling six off of the outer layer, she paid the driver. Sara then walked up to the front door of her house, and instead of fumbling for a key, she simply pressed her thumb against a flat plate next to the door. A few seconds later, the door unlocked with a dull clunk, and Sara grandiosely opened up the front door to her house.
Jacinta, taking to the invitation, walked inside, noticing the massive couch sitting in the open living room, then noticing the huge gas plasma TV right across from the couch. "Wow. this place is pretty neat."
Sara's response was a light smile, followed by a shrug. "Well, you can look around if you want, but I have to crash and burn in a few minutes. I'll see you in about six hours."
With that, Sara headed upstairs, leaving Jacinta to her own devices.
_______________________
Jacinta looked at herself in the mirror as she reached up behind her head to let her hair down. She'd already taken off her jewelry and dealt with her painfully toe-pinching boots, her feet glad to be free of their confines. It was amazing how much pain women had to go through to look their best, she realized.
*Damn! How many bobbypins had the hairdresser stuck in there?* She made a face. Finally all the little suckers lay in a pile on the dresser and her hair, unused to being bound up for so long, fell around her face in crazy waves. *Bugger. That'll be fun to get out in the morning....er...later in the morning.*
Her frown deepened as she tried to smooth her hair down, but to no avail. The hairdresser had used too much hairspray.
"Oh, what the hell." She muttered to herself, flopping down on the Queen sized guestbed, pleasantly surprised to find that the sheets were indeed silk and the mattress was made of down. Yet as comfortable as it was, she couldn't bring herself to sleep. It was certaintly gracious of Sara to let her stay, Jacinta thought, past feelings of sourness she'd held towards the bounty hunter dissolving into a grudging admiration.
She wondered what Sara had said to her mother to make her seem to change her mind so quickly. She couldn't be sure Magdalena really approved. In fact, she was sure her mother probably never would approve. But whatever Sara had done had shown Magdalena that her daughter had grown up, and could not be controlled by her anymore. As much as she loved her mother, Jacinta could not help but admit to the secret feeling of relief that she was free from her.
Not completely, of course. Some ties could never be broken. CyberSix had shown her that a long time ago. It was the fact that she was now free to chose whom she loved and free to make her own decisions about her life that put a contented smile on her face. Lifting up her left hand, she watched the moonlight that came filtering through her window glint off of the silver ring and drifted slowly off to sleep.
Meanwhile....
Back at the hotel, Myron had become increasingly aggressive due to the obscene amounts of alcohol inebriating his brain. Being the mayor's son did not excuse him from the indignity of being escorted out by two policemen, followed up with charges of harassment and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement. Naturally, it's hard to coordinate, much less cooperate with anything when your eyesight is fuzzy and it looks like you're walking through a Pablo Picasso painting.
Miguel, however, was much less fortunate. After having passed out, Jose, having lost communication with the Techno, immediately dispatched one of his more reliable agents to retrive him. A nice, hard beating with a riding crop jarred him out of whatever void his mind had been floating in and he was interrogated about every detail of the party right up until his untimely demise. When questioned about the whereabouts of Jacinta, Miguel couldn't answer and the poor man found himself becoming a chew toy for Jose's dog.
_______________________
Sara sat on the edge of her bed, sighing in relief as she wiggled her toes, restoring the feeling in them. Setting the knee-high boots to one side, Sara then pulled off her gloves, carefully unstrapping the stiletto’s sheath from the inside of her left glove. Her hair was next, and, after untying the small ribbons that held her braids together, Sara neatly plucked out the half-dozen pins that had held her hair up all night.
Shaking her head, her hair went flying freely about, swiftly restoring itself to its usual straight style. Then, after divesting herself of her dress, which was neatly hung up in her closet, and putting on a pair of shorts and a halter top, Sara walked out into the hallway, noticing that the guest room’s door was still open. Moving quietly, Sara peeked into the room, noting that Jacinta was fast asleep. Sneaking silently into the room, Sara closed the curtain before the early morning light could touch Jacinta, and then, leaning over her guest, she gently kissed her on the cheek. Sara quietly moved back into the hallway, somewhat bemused by what she had done.
Moving downstairs so she could start marking the bio labs from her classes, Sara whispered something to the still air. "If only you knew how much you remind me of my own life. That’s why I’ll keep on giving you advice, even if you require a beating over the head and shoulders with a blunt object to make the lesson stick. I hope, one day, that we’ll be able to call each other friend."