AUTHOR:
Nicky Ji
RATING: G
CHARACTERS: Michael/Sara
TIMELINE:
Post-series
SUMMARY: She wonders if it is worth it all.
WORTH
The familiar feeling of anger twists in her gut, slicing up her stomach. They have already had an argument this week, three this month. Her throat is still sore from the shouting. And though she hates herself for it, Sara can feel the burn of the question in her heart, the one that will scorch a path of hurt and hate, and answers its demand to be said.
"Michael, do you think that maybe this isn't worth it?"
He doesn't respond or react, immersed in the wires and washers of their pawn-shop-bought lamp that has been stubbornly refusing to light. Sara had thought she had blown the fuse; Michael said the connections inside were loose.
She repeats his name and pushes the lamp across the solid pine table, away from his twitching fingers. His eyes flicker between Sara and the lamp, then pins his stare to her. The silence is almost suffocating, but then Michael discharges it with his reply, "That would depend on what 'this' is."
Sara suppresses a shiver by folding her arms against her chest. She can see clouds of confusion gathering in his eyes, yet they hold a clear coldness that voices his knowledge of her mind. But it doesn't matter as she explains anyway.
"Us. Our relationship."
Michael's lips tighten. "Of course I do."
"Right. Of course." She withdraws herself and starts to retreat back to the bedroom, back to the newspaper she was reading. "You're Michael Scofield."
His fingers lock around her wrist and pull, pulling her hip into the bump of the table. The lamp shakes but stills within seconds.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Sara tries to think through a secure reply but finds herself choking on stray thoughts and loose emotions. The few pieces she was trying to hold together fall apart and scatter over her feet. "You think everything is worth saving. But you don't realise that there are some things that are worthless, that can't be fixed or saved. They're just broken. Lost causes."
His grip softens along with his stare. "That doesn't change the fact that I think they're worth something." Michael holds onto her for a beat longer then lets go with the offering of a brief kiss. Sara stands still although no longer restrained and watches as Michael continues to mend the cracked lamp that they really could just throw away. She won't say it to him, but she's certain that getting a new one would be a whole lot easier.