Michael awoke to the bright fluorescents glaring down on him like an unforgiving sun.

His eyes hurt, his head ached and it seemed every bone in his body would scream in protest as he eased himself into a sitting position on the cold tile floor.

As he took in the white walls surrounding him, he tried to piece together a possible scenario for how he had come to be in this sterile environment. But everything including his vision was fuzzy.
As his eyesight cleared a little he heard a movement off to the side, and swung his head in the direction from which it had sounded. He made out a dark shape and watched as it moved. Whoever it was seemed to be regaining consciousness.

He blinked rapidly and rubbed at his eyes. He saw the shape become clear as his eyes fully regained normal focus and the brilliance of her auburn hair against the stark whiteness of the tiles seared into his retinas and straight into his heart.

She rolled over with a groan.

His heart pounding faster at the sight of her, Michael watched as Sara tried to push up from the floor, her hair hanging like a curtain in front of her ashen face. He was pretty sure she had come to be there the same way as him, now if only he could remember what had happened to him.

"Sara"? He spoke, his voice issuing loudly from his dry throat.

Her head swung up and she looked in his direction.

"Michael? Is that you"? She said and he could hear the fear and confusion reflected in her voice.

But he could also hear the hope.

"Michael"? She repeated, and he was guessing her vision had cleared somewhat, because she began to crawl frantically towards him.

He quickly made his way towards the middle of the room meeting her halfway.

"Oh, God, Michael, it is you"! She said relieved.

She threw her arms around him.

His breath left him at her closeness, as his arms came up to cradle her.

He had wanted this for so long; to feel her in his arms again. And he had thought he would never see her again after she left him in the motel room. But here they were and she felt so good.

He took in the fragrance of her, relishing in the scent he had visited so often in his dreams and then she was pulling away.

She had just brought her eyes up to meet his when the lights went out.

He could here Sara's frightened breathing in the deafeningly silent room.

"Hello, Michael... Sara. I'm so happy the two of you could join us this evening. I'm sure your wondering why you're presence was so important that we should go to the trouble of drugging you. Well perhaps I should explain"? The voice was distorted and Michael knew it was being synthesized.

"Michael".. Sara began, but his fingers found her lips in the dark, silencing her.

"Listen carefully as I explain how the two of you will die". The voice continued.

Michael heard Sara's breathing increase as her fear escalated. She was holding onto him tightly, her finger's digging into his back.

"Who are you"? Michael finally spoke, the voice issuing from him much stronger than he would have thought himself capable given the situation.

"Who am I? The voice bellowed with what Michael noted as a degree of amusement.

"Who I am is of little importance, Michael. My ability to exterminate the two of you should be your only concern", the voice spoke coldly.

"Michael Scofield... Sara Tancredi? You have exactly 1 hour to live. In one hour this room will fill with an odorless gas... virtually undetectable. It will enter this sealed chamber...don't bother trying to escape, as there are no blueprints to this facility tattooed on either of your bodies", the owner of the voice chuckled.

Sara's arms tightened around him and he held her closer as the voice continued.

"You now have 59 minutes before the gas will enter filling this chamber and your bodies with its toxins. Are you ready to die"?

"If you think we're going to just sit here"... Michael began.

"Silence"! The voice bellowed in anger.

"The clock is ticking. Make peace with your God, if you have one".

And then the hum in the air was gone and Michael knew the connection delivering their fate had been severed.

"Michael"? Sara said her voice a mere whisper.

The darkness around then was a solid thing and no amount of time would allow his eyes to penetrate it.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them.

"Sara, I'm going to stand up and move to the wall behind me. I want you to stay here, okay"?

"Okay", she replied and he felt her arms fall from around him.

He stood and eased away from her and then turned.

He had just reached the wall when the fluorescent lights once again flooded the room, blinding him in their brilliance.

Once his eyes adjusted he looked to Sara. But she was already moving to stand beside him.

He met her eyes and their unspoken words hung between them for a moment.

And then, "He said there was no escape from this, Michael", she said softly.

"There's always a way Sara. Where there's a way in there has to be a way out" , Michael said as he moved along the walls thumping and pressing.

Sara began to feel along another wall. They searched in silence until every inch had been covered at least twice. The room was a perfect square. And for the life of him Michael couldn't figure out where or how they had entered.

He knew there had to be something they had missed. He was starting his search again when Sara's hand found his.

He looked at her gently in the harsh lighting, finding her beautiful despite her paleness.

Her expression was grim.

"We can't give up, Sara. There's a way ou"..

She put her hand over his lips, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Michael, we've searched this whole room. We even searched the ceiling".

And it was true. Sara had climbed on his shoulders and searched every inch. The floor was solid as well. The two of them had been thorough.

"We only have about 30 minutes I'm guessing", she said softly.

"Michael, there are so many things I've wanted to say to you".

Michael pulled her close.

"Sara, this isn't it for us, it can't be. I won't let them hurt you... I"...

Sara pulled his lips to hers, her mouth warm and her tongue sweet as it danced against his.

He felt his passion grow as her hands eased his shirt up and her fingers traveled the inked flesh of his back.

He pulled his lips away, "Sara, we can't... I want to... God knows I want you so much, but if this is it. If this is truly it, I need you to know something. I need you to believe that I never meant to hurt you, I never meant to... Sara, I love you"...

His lips found hers and she whispered against them.

"I love you so much, Michael".

His tongue caressed hers as he eased her to the floor cradling her body against his.

His lips traveled along her neck and she pushed herself closer, but Michael knew they could never be close enough; he knew this moment rushed as it was, was the most intimate moment of his life She moaned his name as he found her, his fingers pulling her into him... And he poured all of his feelings into the mere minutes they had that were meant to make up for a lifetime.

As they moved together their kisses fed their passion, and as she gasped her love for him once more against his neck he followed her into a bliss he never thought he would own.

Afterwards he held her, his fingers trailing through her soft locks. He knew the clock was ticking closer and closer to a certain death. But he also knew that this was where he belonged, in her arms; in this room with her.

He held her tightly as a bell rang somewhere; inside the walls he assumed. He closed his eyes and held her tighter still, as a hissing noise filled the room. He felt Sara's mouth fall on his, and her tears were wet against his cheeks. And then she looked into his eyes and he watched them closing, before her limp body fell heavily against his.

He pulled her closer breathing deeply the smell of the rose shampoo she had used so recently. He breathed deeply, the last scent of her entering his lungs and then his tear filled eyes closed as he joined her.

The End