A/N: Yes, I already posted this chapter, but when I was reading over it, I noticed some things that could be improved. So, I did it and reposted. Hopefully, that hasn't caused too much confusion.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kyle XY or anything affiliated. If I did, one of the most beautiful shows on all of television (this one) would NOT have been canceled until it'd had its run.

Long Ago

She couldn't explain it, really. She just…had a sudden urge, no, need to go down to the old diner. She'd opposed it at first, of course, but after a while, obscene nightmares had begun to afflict her sleep; fevers resulting from that conflict started to bombard her soon after; and finally, physical pain had come up, sometimes holding her up in her apartment for hours on end.

Having no other option, she gave in, driving her gray sedan to J.P.'s Diner, not smiling at the old man who stared at her fixedly, eyes wide in amazement as he closed up shop. She hadn't forgotten this man, even after twenty long years.

J.P. Harken was still the same as he'd forever been, albeit older; he was still kind, selfless, and compassionate. He had always had a soft spot for her and Adam when they'd made their countless visits to the diner during their college years, and she appreciated him immensely.

When asked of her presence, she merely told him she'd felt a need to reminisce, and the man grinned again, a twinkle in his eye.

"I bet I know why. Tell your boy I miss him, will you? You two should come by during the day sometime; I'd like to introduce you to my granddaughter. She still doesn't believe we saw your kids here a few weeks ago. They were the spitting image o' the two o' you; I actually mistook them for you and your boy. No wonder they seemed so confused."

He laughed, but Sarah didn't smile; the pain was back, but worse than before. She closed her eyes tightly and leaned her elbow against the door of the diner, her fingertips sprawled out and pressing on her forehead.

She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder; it was wrinkled and tense, yet warm and caring. She didn't have the strength to open her eyes at the moment, but there was no need; she knew who it was.

"You okay?" She could hear the concern in J.P.'s voice, and she replied, though uncharacteristically slowly.

"Yeah. Don't worry; it'll pass. I just…" She paused as the pain intensified for a moment, and then she managed to mostly relax before continuing. "Have been feeling a little under the weather recently." She sensed the old man nod and very lightly, almost unnoticeably, he squeezed her shoulder.

"All right. Hey, you know what? How about you come inside and I make you a cob salad and cherry cola, just like I used to, huh?" He beamed and fished his keys from his pocket, unlocking the door and leading her inside. Instinctively, she went straight to a booth that seemed to be calling her, and the second she sat down, upon feeling the familiar grooves in the otherwise unscathed tabletop, she knew why.

A + S

Forever

June '82

Below it all was the Latnok symbol. She swore it was mocking her; every word, number, and mark. A and S…Adam and Sarah…The happy couple… She glared insincerely at the letters and addition sign, the smallest hints of broken tears forming, but was startled from her meanderings when a full salad bowl and glass of carbonated, dried blood-colored liquid were set down in front of her.

She involuntarily drew a frightened breath and lifted her head immediately to find J.P. in front of her, staring at her perceptively, his eyes penetrating her soul through her eyes.

She quickly lowered her head again, looking away toward the window and into the dark night. She tensed, eyes wide, however, when a hand cautiously slid through her hair, gentle and caring, never mind that it was shaking. Smiling blissfully, she closed her eyes and leaned against the touch, as it felt just like his… Adam used to thread his fingers through her hair like this…

"You sure you're okay, sweetheart? Maybe I should drive you to the hospital, just to get you checked out…?" The soft, worried voice asked, and Sarah was immediately shaken from her reverie. She straightened up instantly, snapping her eyes open and looking directly ahead, shuddering despite herself. She flickered her eyes to J.P.; he was the one to stroke her hair in such a spellbindingly familiar manner.

His words suddenly came back to her, and she wondered if, perhaps, that would be such a bad idea. The pain had been coming more frequently lately, the nightmares and fevers getting worse right along with it.

Speaking of which, another wave of crippling pain hit her, and she couldn't stop the quiet shout that came through her lips. She clenched the other side of the table strenuously, eyes closed and teeth clamped forcefully.

As this occurred, Sarah felt two hands; two calloused, loving hands resting on hers… They felt just like Adam's…they communicated the same words as they caressed her hands the way he once did…

She swore it was him. It had to be. No one else in her life, no one she had even known briefly, had been as gentle or as tender with her as him. Her prayers had been answered; he was here.

She willed herself to shakily lift her chin in order to face her distraction from the pain, and a blessed one at that. She was setting everything she was and had been out on the table for him to see, for him to touch…for him to mend and never let break again.

He had recognized her, no matter the twenty years that had passed and how different they appeared; they'd always been able to know the other when no one else could.

She had identified him when the hospital couldn't after he had gotten his face smashed in while protecting her in a bar fight she'd accidentally started, back in their college days. He'd done the same after a fall when rock climbing had bloodied up her face so badly she'd had temporary amnesia, making it even harder for the doctors to put a name to the already unidentifiable face.

Upon finding the strength to open her eyes into little more than slits, she realized just what she had been missing all these years: deep brown hair, beautiful, expressive eyes, an incomparably warm smile, that forever loving face…

His face was soft with adoration; he seemed to be speaking to her soothingly, but she heard nothing. She could only bring herself to focus on the fact that he was here, here to take away her pain and convince her that he was there to stay.

Suddenly, everything froze, stopped; was silent. She momentarily forgot Adam, the diner, J.P., the pain…everything.

A strange, yet familiar string of notes, chords, and words gradually filled her head, and she listened. There was something beneath all of it, though, that seemed to be speaking to her, and all too quickly, everything around her shattered as if made of glass.

She gasped loudly, bolting into a sitting style that suggested an unbendable spine, incredibly wide eyes and irregular breathing along for the ride, too.

Words ran through her head as she raised it, staring at J.P., who now leaned against the counter of the restaurant, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut.

It's all right, Sarah. This will all be over soon. Keep me close.

Her breathing was instantly calmed at his voice, eyes contracting to their original size and her shoulders losing their tension. Silence reigned throughout the old place until the elderly man regained his breath.

"By Joe, little lady! You scared me half to death! I thought you weren't going to come out of that spell until the paramedics got a hold of you! I could only think to play that song of yours and your boy's to see if it'd bring you back!" His eyes were worriedly tired, and it didn't seem as if he'd ever again move from his leaning position against the counter. It was while observing him that she noticed a portable record player atop the counter, powered down and without anything to play. "I'm glad it worked, too. You nearly gave me a heart attack…"

He sighed, but the rest of his actions were lost to Sarah as she concentrated. His words and the mysterious appearance of the record player symbolized something important… Her brown eyes narrowed for a second and then grew wide.

Their song was the key! The pain had completely faded when its first notes had flowed into her ears, and the message from Adam had only made her relax, just as he and his whispers had back then…

It was so good to see an image of him; he looked exactly as he had so long ago in college. Her heart sank; nonetheless, an image did not ward off the enormous ache in her heart.

Shuffling feet warped her back to reality for the time being as J.P. walked toward her and sat down in the seat across from her, dragging one of his wrinkled hands down his face and then resting it on his side of the table.

His other hand was brought from his lap and put on the table, holding a large, white envelope. Though his fingers covered some of the letters scrawled neatly across its outside, she could easily read the writing: Sarah. She raised her head a bit, interested now more than ever.

He had remembered her name after all these years; she wondered if he remembered Adam's, too…? However, what captured her interest even more was the envelope's contents.

He noticed the object of her gaze and smiled, slowly handing it to her. She took it eagerly, quickly but delicately ripping it open, only to touch something she never thought she would again.

Her eyes scanned the title on the vinyl record's center, tears forming quickly and sliding down her face.

She Could Be You. This song had saved her before, had washed away every bit of her pain by sending her an image of Adam, his words resounding in her ears. Now, simply holding the record dispatched a feeling of absolute rejuvenation throughout her body. She felt…new, beautiful; each time she had seen him, Adam had made her feel like that…

She gripped the record a bit tighter as realization dawned: that had been the plan all along! Adam had placed one last message to her within the music all those years ago, knowing she'd need to hear it eventually, and the physical afflictions had been her "punishment" of sorts for fighting destiny.

She had to communicate with him; if not directly due to her faint heart, then through Jessi and Kyle. She'd inconspicuously give the beloved record to Jessi, who'd show it to Kyle, and once his sleeping patterns started being affected, Adam would be consulted. Then, they'd find her message within the music, and he would know. It would all work according to plan, she was sure.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, slid out of her seat, and startled J.P. by hugging him tightly for the first time in either of their lives.

"Thank you for everything. You've done so much for me over the years, and I wish I could express how much that has meant to me." She whispered in his ear and then pulled back to beam at him. She sat back down and spoke with him for hours, one hand clutching She Could Be You and the other allowing her to eat her salad and drink her cola.

When they locked up shop for the second and final time at two-thirty the following morning to go their separate ways, Sarah chose to contemplate everything that had happened.

Sitting in her car in the diner's parking lot, record in hand, she knew she had fully come to terms with how much she honestly missed Adam. She had been completely avoiding the topic every single moment of every day since she'd left, for that's how often her mind and heart went back to thoughts of him, but she found she could ignore it no longer.

It had killed her, figuratively speaking, to leave him. To find him again after so long... She would do it; she was scared to death that he would hate her, reject her, scorn her for all that she had done, but in her heart, she knew that wouldn't happen. All from her past and all from her present had pointed her in the direction of what was awaiting her in the future, and that was all that mattered.

Seeing that Jessi was safe and happy was her goal; tracking down and staying with Adam was her utopia. As she started her car and drove down the deserted road, her mindset was clear: Make it real.