Sweet Sara, Sarasponda Sinclair

No' stood outside Bar Choc, he had text Sara about 15 minutes ago to meet him there. He wondered why he had did it. He hadn't seen Sara in a long while. From one tech geek to another she might be able to tell him how he got the message on his computer from the Legion without them being detected by his IT department. He had already talked to the police but did not want her to know that. No' knew that he didn't miss anything when it came to computers but seeing as he was a bit shaken by the whole experience he is probably overlooking something that Sara could pick up, he didn't want to tell Horatio what was going on, that last thing he needed was mass panic of a terrorist attack at TeleCom Inc.

He sighed softly checking his Edward Piguet Tourbillion watch, he checked his phone for messages. None. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, he wasn't sure if he should just grab something to go and figure Sara was a lost cause as far as meeting him. The Legion letter was still in his pocket, he could feel the parchment against his hand. He didn't want to txt or call Sara about the reason he called her, he didn't know how far the hand of the Legion extended and they could have tapped into his phone or something. He reminded himself to encrypt his phone and computer when got back to the office. He considered changing mailboxes even though he just got it. He dismissed the idea, if the Legion wanted to contact him they would definitely find a way seeing as they already have. He glanced at his watch again, ten minutes had passed. He sighed again looking up at the sky before lowering it an turning to open the door to Bar Choc.

Sara was a little shocked when she got the text message from Noah of all people. She hadn’t talked to him one-on-one in what felt like ages, much less actually met up with him outside of a group social event. Sam, of course, talked about him constantly, but Sam was always talking about what antics he, Julian, and Noah had been getting up to as of late. Like any proper older sister, she did a stellar job of ignoring him most of the time. Maybe this had something to do with Sam. It wasn’t his birthday…but maybe Noah had something in mind. She realized as she left her office, already running late, that she hadn’t texted him back. Oops. Well, he would survive. Texting and walking wasn’t her forte, and the last time she’d tried it, she’d nearly walked into a light post. She walked too quickly to attempt to multitask.

The real reason she was coming, she convinced herself, was the hot chocolate. There was nothing she loved more than the Mexican dark chocolate, with just enough cayenne to make her sniffly for the remainder of the day. Mmm, or the vanilla bean white chocolate. Mmmmm. No, the idea of sitting down to just chat with Noah made her nervous, so instead she focused on the edible part of the rendezvous. Pulling the door open, she was greeted by the scent of warm chocolate, which immediately put a smile on her face. Glancing around the small shop, she found Noah standing next to a table for two, glancing down at his phone. “Sorry I’m late,” she offered an apologetic smile. “But you know, it’s not exactly polite to give a girl fifteen minutes’ notice.” She sank down into the booth seat – booths were always preferable to chairs – and shrugged off her spring trench. “How are you?” Oh god, she was going to start babbling. She could already feel it coming on. That was what she did when she had to talk to her exes.

Opening the small menu, with lists of chocolate food items and a multitude of gourmet cocoa preparations, she let herself focus on that for a moment. Give her a second to take a breath. “Is your favourite still the one with the gingerbread?” She mumbled, remembering that that had been his favourite when they were teenagers. Was it weird that she remembered that? Urgh. She really needed to make more of an effort to purge unnecessary information from her brain every so often.

"For a minute there I thought you ditched me."

No' smiled as Sara entered approaching the booth that he stood by.

"Sorry, it was spur of the moment thing..you know that thing you don't like to do."

He sank in the booth as well taking off his trench laying it next to him. He set his phone on the table clasping his hands together elbows resting on the table.

"I'm good. How are you? Busy as always?"

He smiled to her, he enjoyed having someone to bicker with it differed greatly compared to the superficial talks he dealt with on a nightly basis. He looked to Sara glance at the menu, she always looked at it even though she knew what she wanted.

"That depends, you still like the Mexican dark chocolate with enough Cayenne that makes you sniffle like you're a big baby about to cry on the drop of the dime."

No' grinned how could he forget that. He stared at Sara while she glanced at the menu before he caught himself leaning back clearing his throat. He laughed nervously.

"Yeah...some things have been going on at TeleCom and I was wondering if you could help me out?"

No' kinda winced he never asked Sara for help and he knew she was going revel in this moment that the great Noah Templeton who asked help from no man (or woman) beckoned sweet Sara to come to his aid. He reached in his pocket taking out the parchment letter from the Legion sliding it cautiously across the table looking around.

"I got this in the mail...and that's not all."

Maybe Sara would realize the severity of the situation and not judge him to harshly and understand why he came to her out of all people. He didn't want to get Sam or Julian involved, not sure if it was because he couldn't rely on them or he just didn't want them to think he was a big wuss over a letter and computer glitch.

"It clears out my sinuses!" She protested when he made fun of her reaction to the Mexican hot chocolate. "Look at me. My body wasn't made to handle spice. I've had to beat it into submission." She loved spicy food, but her body didn't so much. It was a constant struggle. But she would never give up her drunken noodles or her lamb vindaloo. Not to mention the Cholula she liked to put all over her food. "But if you're going to mock me, maybe I need to pick something a little milder." She cracked a smile, though she had no intention of giving up her Mexican treat.

She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when Noah said that he needed help with something related to TeleCom. They didn't talk business. Like...ever. He knew that she was jealous of his CEO status (despite the fact that she loved her father and loved being part of the family business), and that she didn't like people comparing the two of them. She was a tech genius, damnit, and she didn't need Mr. Party Boy competing with her. Still, she kept her thoughts to herself as she looked at the letter he shoved across the table at her.

"Oh, this?" She was immediately relieved, glancing over the text. "They sent this to everyone, Noah. It's the Legion, they're always trying to threaten us into thinking they have good ideas." She wrinkled her nose. She really did hate the Legion. They were just always threatening people. "Did something else happen?" She shoved the letter back across the table at him, flagging down a passing waiter so that they could put in their orders. Once he was gone, she turned back to Noah. "Sorry, what else were you going to say?"

He mimicked her verbatim when she said 'It clears out my sinuses!' he grinned and laughed as she explained how her body wasn't made for spice.

"Still using the Cholula?"

Noah shrugged and threw up his arms in mock defeat.

"Whatever the lady wishes. My treat."

He rested his elbows back upon the table clasping his hands together, his watching sliding slightly up his wrist. He knew the last thing he needed was to bring up TeleCom with Sara and he had to admit that he was jealous that her business built by her family. He struck out on his own. He didn't think Sara knew how he truly felt. Family talk was a sore spot with him, he think she knew that much.His eyes widened, shocked by Sara's nonplussed attitude. It wasn't like it was the daily newsletter from the pep squad.

"It's not an invitation to the ball Cinderella."

He tapped with his finger as if it were going ring the tone of seriousness it had. He sat back kinda defeated by her reaction. Was he like the only one that wasn't up to par on these things. His hands fell on his lap as he crumpled the letter away.

"Yeah there's something else..."

He felt like Sara was always killing the moment. He was sure if she showed her his new watch she would be like 'It's a watch No' and then try to be geniune and say 'Oh it's a nice watch'. He shook the thought from his head.

"They got in my computer displayed this message all over my screen."

His tone was serious and Sara of all people should know how serious it is for one to be able to hack a computer of a major corporation with such ease and stealth. It did not bode well with Noah, his company was his dream and to see it threatened put him on edge and brought up uncomfortable feelings about his father.

Sara gave him a patient smile. She knew that she drove him crazy with her magical rationality. It was a wonderful gift that she had been given, and she considered it her job - nay, her duty - to share it with the world. Of course, no one else liked it, but such was the trouble with being better than everyone else. She'd discovered that a long, long time ago.

Choosing to ignore the comment about Cholula - so she was predicable, sue her - she raised an eyebrow at his indication that he had something more to tell her. She resisted the urge to ask if the Legion had sent him an invitation to that speech in Hyde Park too. That would just be bitchy, and she was still annoyed that she had a bandage on her shoulder from that whole situation. She hated the Legion, and she would be content if she never heard from them again, but Noah seemed perturbed, and so she sighed, nodding for him to go ahead.

The news that they got into his computer actually piqued her interest. "Seriously, they hacked you?" That was unfortunate. "How on earth did you get hacked?" Her voice was low, as hacking was serious business in their world. If people didn't feel secure on TeleCom...he was kind of screwed. She was upset on his behalf. "Has it happened again?"

He shook his head quietly looking to her before glancing off to the side the waitress approached them and he sat back.

"The lady with have the Mexican Dark Chocolate, heavy with the Cayenne. I'll have Hazelnut Vanilla & White Chocolate."

The waitress was off with their order and he eased in his seat resting his elbow on the table looking to Sara. Noah had only heard of the Legion and the events of Speaker's Corner from Julian. He sighed shaking his head feeling as if somewhere along the line he had made a mistake.

"To my knowledge no. Horatio couldn't even finding a trace of the first hack so I doubt if it happened again we'd have any knowledge of it. You haven't experienced anything on your end?"

Part of him hoped that wasn't the case with Sara but another part of him hoped he wasn't alone in this. He was really worked up over it. He glanced up as the waitress came back with tall mugs filled with their respective drinks. He nodded and glanced to Sara a smile forming on his lips. He thought it was cute when she sniffled. His thoughts have been dark lately so a little amusement was most welcome.

"The first hack was harmless....what if it's not the next time Sara?"

"I just love it when you order for me." She rolled her eyes when he told the waitress what she wanted. Just because he was right didn't mean that it was okay for him to be all bossy-like and controlling. He knew exactly how much she liked control, and that was why he took it away from her. He'd always been like that, claiming that it was for her own good. That he was helping her break free of her OCD. Rude. But she didn't make a bigger deal of it, mostly because she didn't want the waitress lingering. He had a serious issue on his hands, and she wanted to be able to help.

She shook her head, frowning as she tried to think of whether she'd noticed anything out of the ordinary in the most recent firewall reports. Nothing was coming to mind, but of course, that didn't guarantee that some lesser peon in the company hadn't successfully blocked an attack. She prided herself on her security systems, so it wasn't surprising to her that they hadn't experienced something similar, but she knew that Noah was more than competent. If he was susceptible now, it meant that she would be susceptible sometime in the future. Especially if they continued using the same hackers, building on that skill base.

"Alright, so I'm just doing this because I like you, and don't ever ask me again, but I'm going to look at your firewalls and see what I can do." She sighed. She didn't like sharing. Not one bit. But Noah was a friend. More than that, really. He was one of her brother's best friends, and he was her old...whatever he was. She couldn't look at him and not feel her heart racing a little faster. She would probably always love him, much as she told herself not to. He was her very first love, and that never went away. "They're not going to get into your systems, I promise."

"You know if you weren't such a control freak you probably would love it."

Noah rubbed the back of his neck, he was just trying to be nice. It wasn't like they were out to eat and he ordered her a salad while he had a five course dinner. He shook his head sitting back.

"I was trying to be nice...I'm not trying to control you."

He should have just let her order now that he thought about it. It wasn't his place to do those type of things. Maybe that's why she was upset? He let out a slow sigh glancing to Sara. He was enjoying to escape and it seemed like all his problems were gone. But they weren't. They haunted him. He grinned at Sara's offer he was happy and relieved. A sigh of relief and happiness escaped him.

Noah, at first, was very apprehensive about approaching Sara about his problem but he felt she was the only one who truly understood how important this was to him more. That was one of the things he loved about her most and it always made him wonder "what if?". His eyes caught Sara's and he stared into them as if hoping to find the answer.

"Thanks Sara...you don't know how much this means to me..."

Sara actually cracked a smile at him, a little amused by his retort. "You know, if I weren't such a control freak, I probably would love it." She knew that lots of girls - including some of her friends - would die for a man who would pull out chairs for her and order for her and generally take care of her. But if she were just like her friends, he would never have loved her like he had, once upon a time.

Or maybe if she had been more like her friends, more like a normal girl instead of a high-strung tech nerd, he would still love her like he had. But she didn't like to think about that possibility, and instead simply offered him a small smile. "Of course I know how much this means to you." Her grin widened slightly in amusement. "That's why I'm doing it for you." The truth was that she would never let her friend's company suffer, even though they had the potential to be competitors. Her father had always been respectful of the relationships she and Sammy had with Noah. Sinclair Industries had never been focused on telecommunications, and they preferred to work together instead of against each other. Sam and Noah were always trying to figure out the next big thing.

When a barista returned to deliver their drinks, it broke the brief spell between them. Still, she felt for the first time in a long time that something might be missing in her life. The gunshot to her shoulder had knocked her off kilter, and in trying to regain her footing, she was looking at things in a different way. To feel a pull towards Noah...it both scared her and excited her...which was even more alarming. "We should have taken these to go." She cut into the silence, again managing a small smile. "We could be at your offices in ten minutes."

"Do you think that's why..you and I.."

No' motioned between him and Sara signifying that was the reason they didn't work out it. His motioning came to a halt. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to that questions. He shook his head and looked out the window quickly before looking back to Sara. He wondered if it was the fact that he was trying to love her more that she couldn't let herself go?

He smiled briefly at her comment finding it comforting he was glad he could depend on her still even Sam knew that No' had a soft spot for Sara. He grinned at the thought looking to the barista as their order was delivered to them. He looked to Sara as she mentioned ordering to go at first he thought she had enough of their meeting but was pleased to hear that they could be at his office. He glanced at the cups then to Sara. He shrugged.

"We could do that...or make the best of the moment and go after."

He grinned and sipped from his cup not realizing he had whip cream on his upper lip and the tip of his nose.

Sara felt incredibly confused. At this rate, she was going to end up causing major problems in a lot of lives, and then she was going to be wrought with guilt. But how could she possibly move forward with her life when she felt like she was being pulled back? Didn't she owe it to herself to see figure out why everything had gone wrong? Was it truly because she was a control freak, as Noah started to suggest? Or had she just been too young? Too driven, too focused on her career to think of anything else...to properly give her heart to anyone else?

"Yes...making the most of the moment. Not my strong suit, I know."

She smiled, blowing gently on her cocoa so that she could have a sip - burning her tongue nonetheless. Wincing, she scowled at herself. Every single time. Would she never learn? Fortunately, it cooled off fairly quickly, and she managed to drink a bit a minute or so later. Sure enough, by the time she was halfway finished with her cup, she was sniffling, dabbing at her nose with her napkin.

"It gets me every time," she confessed of the cayenne. But he knew that, of course. She peered at him over her mug, sighing quietly. He really was a handsome devil. Always had been. It just made it all worse, of course. She was getting lost in daydreams that weren't appropriate for a woman in her position.

No' smiled at Sara and went to touching his lip realizing he had whip on his nose and mouth. He chuckled and wiped it away with his napkin before sipping a bit more cautiously from his cup checking his nose and mouth for whip this time.

"So if you know it's not your strong suit...why don't you try to make it your strong suit?"

He was curious as to why people just give into their shortcomings and not try to overcome them. He refused to give into to his weaknesses. He had to be strong. He thought of his father and his thoughts grew dark only to be distrated by Sara burning her tongue. He chuckled at her especially when she began sniffling.

"Everytime..."

No' reached over and tapped her nose playfully grinning at her.

"Don't ever change that about you Sara..."

Sara grinned at the whipped cream he managed to get all over his face. She'd been enjoying it, really, but it was almost as fun watching him wipe it away. When he suggested that she actually attempt to address her flaws, she simply raised an eyebrow at him. "Where would I be without my dozens of flaws, Noah?" Cracking a smile, she had another sip of her too-warm cocoa. "Anyway, haven't they explained to you that it's impossible to change a woman?" Just like it was impossible to change men. She'd given up on that long ago.

But when he tapped her nose, she just laughed. "You act like we're still fifteen, Noah." Shaking her head, she set her cocoa down. "I've grown up." She was quiet, but a little serious for once. She wanted him to understand that she wasn't the same person that she had been when things had gotten so awkward between them. She might still have all of her silly characteristics like burning her tongue on her cocoa because she was much too impatient and sniffling through the cayenne because she would always be a wimp about spice, but she was an adult now. She didn't make stupid mistakes, and she didn't hide from her problems.

At least not as much as she used to.

"Noah...would you come over for dinner sometime?" She asked quietly. Maybe this was her attempt to reconcile the old and the new aspects of her life. If Noah met Ben, then Noah and Ben would exist on the same plane. She wouldn't have to see herself as two different people with the two of them. She wouldn't have to not trust herself.