Chapter 1: Start of Something
Rating: M or R
A/N: Well, I'm back with a new story. I hope you guys like this one too.
Her feet were killing her!
Sara swore under her breath as she tried to walk in the new heels her stepmother bought her to wear especially for her father's charity dinner. The shoes were beautiful, black and high with straps wrapping around her feet and ankle, but they hurt like hell! Sara was sure that she would fall and/or snap one of those heels before the night was done.
After fiddling with one of the straps on her left heel, Sara set her foot down and smoothed down her black dress which reached an inch and a half past her knees. She turned to look at herself in the bathroom mirror, giving her reflection a forced smile. She really didn't like going to her father's dinner parties, even if it was for charity. She never really meshed well with the people that went to these kinds of things. Sara sighed.
"Well, back to the party."
With her hand on the washroom door handle, she took a deep breath before stepping back into the thrall of people drinking, eating, and chatting the night away. Sara searched the small crowds for the heads of her father and stepmother, but it was her stepmother who found her first.
"Sara! Sara!" The blonde haired petite woman waved her arm in the air, trying to grab her stepdaughter's attention.
Sara smiled at her. She found her stepmother's lively nature and enthusiasm endearing. Her kind nature and bright smile made her father's remarriage after Sara's mother's death easier for her to accept when Sara was a teenager. It wasn't possible for her to not like the sweet woman. But still, Sara wondered how an optimistic woman like her stepmother fell for a grouch of a man like her father. She guessed some things in life would never be explained.
Sara began walking in the direction of where her stepmother and father stood, but someone took a step back and bumped right into her. She, being unable to walk properly in her new shoes, stumbled and began to fall. Sara shut her eyes and braced herself for the impact of her body hitting the tiled floor, but it never came. Instead, she felt two long strong arms catch her and set her back on her feet.
"Whoa, I got you!"
Sara looked up at her savior and found herself staring into the most gorgeous pair of blue green eyes she has ever seen in her life. She immediately felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. A small gasp escaped from her throat. He smiled down at her. Sara felt her knees shake and she knew it wasn't because of the shoes.
"Are you all right?" He asked her, his voice deep and husky and very pleasing to her ears.
"Yes, thank you," Sara replied to her shaven head hero, a slight blush upon her cheeks.
"You're welcome," he said, still smiling. He let go of her shoulders and Sara instantly missed the warm contact.
He chuckled slightly. "You're very graceful," he said with a bit of playful sarcasm.
Sara blushed even more, but this time in embarrassment. "It's my new shoes. I haven't exactly broken them in yet."
"Sara! Sara!" Her stepmother was calling her again.
Sara looked to the man in front of her. "I should go," she reluctantly said, motioning to her stepmother. "Thank you again, for catching me."
He smiled again and Sara felt her breath hitch. "No problem."
Sara nodded and excused herself as she began walking away. She couldn't help but sneak one more glance back at the man as she did.
---
Her stepmother ended up parading Sara around the party, introducing her to all of her father's young eligible male employees and such, trying to play matchmaker. But Sara wasn't interested. And she was tired of walking around. She eventually managed to sneak away to the balcony of the building. Standing in the cold night air, she slipped off those terrible shoes and held them by the straps. They dangled from her hands as she leaned her arms onto the stone railing of the balcony. She looked down below her, seeing the bright streets of Chicago before her and let out a small sigh. She was very tempted to let go of the hold she had on her shoes and let them fall to the streets below.
"You took off your shoes," a voice behind Sara said.
She turned slightly and saw the man who had caught her earlier. He smiled and came up beside her.
"Yeah, I couldn't take wearing them anymore."
He chuckled. "It must be tough being a woman."
Sara smiled. "You have no idea."
The man held out his hand to her. "I'm Michael by the way, Michael Scofield."
Sara took his hand into hers and shook it. "Sara Tancredi."
"Tancredi?" Michael asked, his eyes perking up in curiosity, "Like the governor?"
Sara bit her bottom lip and looked away. "Yes."
Sensing her discomfort, Michael decided to change the subject. "So Miss Tancredi, what are you doing out here?"
She looked back up at him. "I'm hiding from my stepmother."
Michael smiled lightly. "Why? Is she evil?"
Sara laughed. "No, she's rather sweet. It's just that all night she's been trying to play matchmaker for me."
"Ah, I see. None of the suitors she picked to your liking?" He playfully asked.
"Not exactly, I just don't want to get involved with a politician, especially ones that work for my father."
"Oh," Michael said, smiling to himself. He turned around and leaned his back against the balcony railing. "Then I guess the odds are in my favor, seeing as how I'm neither."
Sara turned away, a deep crimson blush staining her cheeks and a smile threatening to form on her lips. She laughed slightly before looking back up into his eyes.
"Are you flirting with me, Mr. Scofield?" She asked with a smile.
"Maybe," he responded with a smile of his own and a twinkle in his eye.
They both laughed. Sara breathed in the cold night air deeply before speaking once more.
"So, you're not a politician and you don't work for my father," she began, "so what are you then, Mr. Scofield? A party crasher?"
Michael chuckled. "I'll have you know, Ms. Tancredi, that I am a structural engineer. And I was invited to this little shindig." He smiled at her.
"Oh really?"
"Yup. My firm was the one that designed those new offices for your father's workers. So we were offered an invitation in thanks."
"Oh," Sara smiled and continued, "I stopped by those offices a few days ago. I love the layout and the design. You guys did a fine job."
"Thank you. It was my first big project."
"Well, congrats on your first big successful project, Mr. Scofield."
"Thank you," Michael said again, "and you can call me Michael."
"I will, if you'll call me Sara," she said.
"All right then, Sara." Michael smiled. He liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. So did Sara.
Sara involuntarily shivered. A cool night breeze blew by, causing her to grab her bare arms with her hands and rub them. Michael saw this.
"You cold?"
"Just a little."
"Do you want to go back inside?"
"No. I like it out here," Sara said, and in her mind she added, 'with you.'
Michael then began to take off his suit jacket. "Then wear my jacket."
Sara held up her hands in polite protest. "I couldn't."
"I insist," and with that, Michael wrapped it around her shoulders.
Sara smiled to herself, slightly blushing. "Thank you," she said as she tugged on it to wrap it even more tightly around herself. The jacket was very warm and was still strong with his male scent.
A comfortable, yet somewhat shy, silence passed between them before Michael spoke up once again.
"So," he began, "what do you do for a living, Sara?"
"I'm a doctor. I'm just finishing up my residency."
"Wow, beautiful and smart," Michael said smiling. "You're turning out to be a dream-come-true."
Sara chuckled, turning red once again. "You're turning out to be quite the charmer."
He laughed along with her. "I try."
---
Eileen Tancredi practically searched the entire building for her stepdaughter, but she had no luck. She even took a peek into the men's restroom, earning herself a yelp from a guy standing at a urinal.
"Have you seen Sara?" She asked one of her husband's co-workers. He shook his head at her. She let out a disappointed sigh and politely thanked him.
She walked around the hall, searching the crowds for a red headed woman. Still no luck. She continued scanning the room, and then caught sight of a red head standing out on the balcony with a man. She neared the balcony entrance and heard the woman laugh. Eileen instantly knew it was Sara. She had a laugh that was different from other people, and she laughed so rarely it was easy to tell it was her.
"There you are!" Eileen exclaimed, coming up behind her stepdaughter and the man she was chatting with.
The couple turned towards the balcony entrance to see her approach them.
"I've been looking everywhere for you!" She exclaimed with her eyes set on Sara. But then she stopped in her tracks and took a good look at the man next to her. She blinked then grinned. "Well hello!"
Sara chuckled inwardly. "Mom, this is Michael Scofield. Michael, this is my stepmother, Eileen Tancredi."
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Michael said, shaking her hand.
Sara's stepmother looked at him from head to toe, checking him out. "Very pleased to meet you too!"
Sara chuckled once again before speaking. "You were looking for me?"
Eileen turned to her daughter. "Oh yes. Your father wants to speak to you."
"Oh." Sara glanced at Michael and then turned back to her stepmother. "Can you give me a minute?"
"Sure Sweetie," Eileen said with a smile. She left them alone on the balcony once again.
Sara turned to Michael and began slipping his jacket off her shoulders.
"Thank you for letting me wear your jacket." She smiled at him. "It's been nice talking to you."
Michael smiled back. "It's been nice talking to you too." He paused and quickly glanced down then back up. "Maybe we could talk again? Perhaps over a cup of coffee?"
Sara smiled and nodded. "I'd like that." She reached into her purse and rummaged in it to find a pen and something to write on. She found a candy wrapper. It would have to do. She scribbled her phone number on it and took a hold of Michael's hand, placing the wrapper into his palm.
"That's my cell phone number."
"When's a good time to call?"
"Before nine is good."
"An early riser, I like that," Michael said with a grin. "So if I called you tomorrow morning, would you answer?"
Sara slyly smiled back. "We'll see."
She reluctantly slipped her shoes back onto her feet and began walking away. She snuck one more glance at Michael before she re-entered the building, and saw that he was grinning right at her. She smiled back.
This was definitely the start of something.