She doesn't think about her father much anymore. Every day he's a little more distant, though occasionally something will happen to bring him full force back into her life. He's like Joe in a lot of ways - on the periphery of her life, but not allowed to take center stage anymore. It's harder with Joe, but easier too. He's done everything he can, short of giving up all his rights to their kids, to be invisible to her. She used to pretend it was because it was too hard to see her, but now she thinks it was too easy, so maybe it was all inevitable anyway.

"Hey, Sarah! You think you might want to join us in here? We promise we don't have cooties."

"It's not cooties I'm worried about," she informs them with a smile, taking her coffee and moving back into the living room. "It's whatever is making Ethan look like that."

"Ids jush a code."

Sarah laughs and settles next to Kyle on the couch, keeping distance from Ethan. "It looks like the plague from here. Maybe you should go home and let us handle today, huh?"

"I wad hobing bore soup."

"I promise I'll send Kyle home with soup. You go home and go to bed." Sarah gives him a stern look, her 'mom' look, and Ethan crumbles, shuffling to the door for his coat and scarf and gloves, even though it's at least sixty degrees out. "Drink some water before you go to sleep."

"Yeds, Mob."

Sarah laughs and shakes her head. "Maybe you'd better drive him, Kyle."

Kyle nods, frowning at Ethan. "Yeah. I'll be back in a bit." He follows Ethan out the door and Sarah sighs, getting more comfortable on the couch and propping her feet on the coffee table. The kids are with Joe for the weekend, but since she's hooked up with Greenatopia she hasn't had a quiet moment alone, and the silence of the house is almost unnerving. It must be how Nora feels now that Justin spends most of his time over at Rebecca's and everyone else is gone.

Still, it's nice too in small doses. She sets her coffee cup down on the table and exhales slowly, closing her eyes. Sleep has been hard to come by in the wake of her life falling down around her, but the silence lulls her enough that she can feel the tension coiled in her back and shoulders unwind just a little bit. She stretches, arching her back, and then settles back against the couch, tugging a pillow from against the arm of the couch and cradling it against her chest.

"Sarah?" She smiles and turns her head toward the voice, lost somewhere between sleep and waking. She can hear the humor lacing his tone as he says her name again, and she blinks slowly, wanting in on the joke. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty."

She can feel the blush heating her cheeks as she looks up at Kyle, the sun haloing his blond hair as he grins down at her. It's tempting - so tempting - but Graham taught her a lot of things, and this was lesson number one, so she doesn't give into the urge to reach up and touch Kyle's jaw, to curve her hand around his neck and pull him down to kiss her. "Sorry, Kyle. I don't think Prince Charming plays the guitar and is up to his ears in debt."

"No. That's more Prince Charming's younger brother who still lives in the castle's basement." He heads to the kitchen and brings back the coffee pot, refilling Sarah's cup and pouring one for himself. "So, we've ruled out kissing as a activity. I guess that means we get back to work?"

"Yeah. We could." She sighs and tilts her head, looking at him for a long moment. "Or we could just sit here for a while."

"Just sit?"

"You haven't done that much since you started this, have you?"

"Just sit and do nothing?" Kyle keeps looking at her, and she wants to laugh at the suspicion in his eyes.

"Yeah. Relax. Drink our coffee." Sarah takes a sip as an example and smiles at him. "Maybe talk about something that has nothing to do with fruit or vegetables or any other comestible."

"You're talking crazy, you know." Kyle's smiling though, so Sarah knows he's just giving her a hard time. "The Sarah Walker I know doesn't relax. She doesn't take breaks. She's got all these responsibilities, and therefore we have to bust our ass every second of the day."

"The Sarah Walker you know sounds kind of like a bitch."

Kyle shrugs and then laughs. "Sometimes. But she's pretty to look at."

"I'm sure her business degree and other accomplishments are pleased to know she's a hottie."

"I didn't say she was a hottie. I said she was pretty." Kyle laughs and shakes his head. "Besides, I think 'hottie' is over now." He reaches out and touches a strand of Sarah's hair then pulls his hand back. "So, what do we talk about if we're not working?"

"You? Me? TV? What you're buying me for Christmas?"

"I'm buying you something for Chrsitmas? With what money? Am I robbing a bank? Are we going to be Bonnie and Clyde now?" He looks at her over the top of his coffee mug, his eyes bright with amusement. "I don't think Ethan's going to like being excluded."

"Bonnie, Clyde and Ethan?" She shakes her head. "No. Doesn't have a good ring to it. Of course, if it's for my present, maybe you and Ethan should just be Bonnie and Clyde."

"I get to be Clyde."

"That's between you and Ethan." Sarah closes her eyes again, relaxing against the cushions. "This is nice."

"You're nice."

"You said earlier I was a bitch."

"No, you said you were a bitch. I just didn't disagree." He reaches in his coat pocket and pulls out a small package. "Merry Christmas, Sarah. From me and Ethan."

"Oh." She sits up, surprised and looks at him. He's blushing slightly and she shakes her head. "You didn't have to get me a present."

"I know. And don't get too excited. Our finances are more 7-11 than Rodeo Drive." He shrugs, blushing more. "But you've been the best thing to happen to us since this idea hit, and we wanted to say thanks."

"I should wait for Ethan to be here to open it."

Kyle nods. "Yeah. He'd like that, I think."

"We're partners, after all. The three of us."

"And friends," Kyle offers up. "Even if you are a bitch and we're irresponsible teenagers."

"You're perfect," Sarah assures him.

"No. You are." His voice is soft as he leans in, kissing her cheek. Sarah closes her eyes at the pressure, feeling him breathe her in. She resists all the small urges inside her, the voices telling her to turn her head and kiss him, to make another mistake and damn the consequences, but she stops herself. Once in a lifetime was more than enough.

She waits until Kyle pulls back and smiles at him before getting to her feet and heading back into the kitchen, turning the slightly awkward silence to business. He lets her without comment, following her and sitting on the other side of the island, spreading out the folders as if nothing happened. Sarah's grateful. She's learned she can live with nothing. It's trying to have something that's hurt her every time.