Michael sat in the silence of the dark house they had taken refuge in, his eyes luminescent in the blue light of night. All around him his exhausted companions slumbered deeply unaware of his fretful gaze. Despite the lack of sleep and fatigue and even the knowledge that he had to sleep if he was to continue their feverish pace the next day his mind would not let him rest. The effects of his guilt were evident in the dark rings that had been slowly appearing on his face and the colour that was gradually draining away. Two days on the run had seemed like a lifetime and even in the calm of this deserted old house he could still hear the sounds of the dogs barking, the men shouting and guns firing from his memories. However these bone-chilling sounds from their flight were not what was haunting him but rather the simplicity of a woman's expression. The look a betrayal and anger but most of all the sadness she did not have time to hide. He'd seen it in her eyes. Michael pressed the heals of his palms against his bowed forehead, love mixing with misery. Reeling, once again, from the pain of knowing he was to blame for her sorrows he uncharacteristically let a groan slip passed clenched teeth.

On the other side of the room someone stirred. Michael quickly composed himself as best he could; knowing the last thing he could afford was his fellow convict escapees seeing any signs of weakness in him. It was Sucre who slowly dragged himself into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. Michael relaxed his posture a little but remained sitting straight against the wall. After a yawn Sucre gave a dull look around the room then frowned as his eyes fell upon Michael.

"What are doing up Michael?" He whispered sleepily. Michael looked away and after a few moments he replied.

"Just thinking, go back to sleep" He waited for his Hispanic room mate to lie back down but was surprised when he didn't. Instead Sucre sighed and made his way carefully across the room avoiding the others as he moved. C-note mumbled but didn't wake as Sucre accidentally bumped into him, eventually coming to sit against the wall next to Michael.

"What's the matter?" after another minute of silence he added, "You barely slept last night as well" Michael continued to stare away unwilling to engage in what he knew was a useless conversation. Sucre looked around the room and smiled inwardly; taking a deep breath of the musty air, it was so pleasant in contrast to the reek of prison. Then he turned back speaking quietly again.

"Michael if you need to say something why don't you say it, huh?"

"It's pointless to talk about it, what's done is done" he answered dismissively but Sucre knew he was wearing him down.

"It's the doctor isn't it? Are you still thinking about her?" Sucre asked the only one who really knew what was affecting him so profoundly. Michael's mind was cast back to their conversation in the car on the day after their escape; his wonderings hadn't been quite so dominant then.

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"What are you thinking about?" Sucre asked leaning over the back seat.

"Mistakes" Michael said not wanting to elaborate in their precarious position, the less convicts knew about the ones he cared about the better.

"You had to do it" Sucre tried to cheer him up but he could not be convinced.

"Not like I did…I ruined her life" Michael retorted, he placed the blame heavily on his shoulders.

"Well there's nothing you can do about it now" Sucre began but Michael cut him off.

"That's not true" he snapped. Sucre stared at him for a second then put his hand on Michaels shoulder as understanding and a little pity dawned on him.

"You fell for her huh?"

Michael sat his mind plummeting back to the red head that hadn't been far from his thoughts since he'd climbed over the wall; then he leaned forward ending the conversation.

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"There were things I did…things that weren't necessary" he said slowly his expression becoming darker "In the beginning all I needed to do was see her every day – be polite and be there in the infirmary so I could open the way for our escape but I-" he paused looking up to the ceiling and followed the cracks in the plaster.

"I did more than that" he continued slowly letting his head slip back down to his hands.

"What did you do?" Sucre asked his accent distinct as it echoed through the room. For the first time in days a small smile, but a sad smile, appeared on his lips.

"I joked with her... I talked with her… I cheered her up when she was sad… I gave her a flower…I trusted her…I asked for her help…I made her smile…I saved her…I called her by her name…I kissed her…" each short sentence he spoke had such meaning in it as every one carried a fond memory he had of her. His voice was coarse as he named them each carefully as if they were on a list, though he kept some events for himself. The sweet moments that had passed between them, the truths that he had told her and his plead for her to wait for him seeming all the more painful now were just a few of those he did not speak of. He felt a hand pat his shoulder, snapping him out of his nostalgic thoughts, and he looked over at Sucre who was giving him a crooked yet understanding grin.

"You got a plan don't you?" he said quietly and Michaels smile grew and he nodded. Sucre could never know how grateful Michael was for his comradeship in his hour of most need. He was helping to lift the unjustly heavy weight on his heart.

"Yes"

"Of course, you are the man with the plan" he Sucre said cheerily giving him a playful shove. Michael's mood improved as he pushed himself back up against the wall.

"So…" he said "You kissed the Doc?" Michael let out an embarrassed snigger and nodded again but said nothing.

"Oh come on fish if you are not gonna sleep you might as well give me the details" he half laughed.

"No" he replied.

"Come on"

"No" Michael said letting out a laugh.

"Can you two keep it down? Go to sleep!" Came Lincoln's gruff hushed voice as he turned over so he no longer faced them.

"Sure Linc" his brother replied finally lowering himself down to the floor with Sucre doing the same.

"You are going to tell me when this is over" Sucre whispered his dark eyes sliding closed.

"No I'm not" Michael replied his eyes now closed too, his smile not fading.

Once he was lying still on the soft carpet in the dark house drowsiness set in quickly. The last thing he heard was a whisper so silent, it might have just been a final thought running through his head as sleep finally took him.

"I will make it right Sara. I swear…"