Hey, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter!

Guest: Thank-you so much! It's nice to hear someone with personal experience say that I've captured what it's like to live with Fibro full blown. I believe I'm in the early stages of it (I have some of the brain fog, memory loss, pain, etc), but I haven't hit it to the level of Mckayla quite yet.

Crazynurse: Thanks for accepting the pairing! But Michael, Sara and Lincoln don't know about her feelings for Kaden yet; just give it time…

And thank-you, tazsgirl6969 for favoriting and following this story! It's a nice coincidence that you've started to follow this story just as I got the next installment up! Enjoy!

It's amazing what three seconds of research will accomplish; I haven't seen the 5th season of Prison Break, but thanks to Wikipedia, I discovered that everyone is settled in the USA, so since I didn't really mention outright in my last chapter a location (other than introductory statement), they're in the USA.

On a side note, I still haven't decided who to put Lincoln with yet, being that no one's cast their votes yet, so I'll give it one more chapter before I decide. A resurrected Veronica Donovan, Sofia or Sheba? Who do you think I should go with?


"It's so beautiful out, today!" Mckayla took in a deep breath as she and Kaden walked downtown. She spun around taking in the mild breeze. Normally she would care about how much attention she brought to herself, but today she didn't cared who stared. It was one of the few days she was actually feeling well enough to go out.

"You don't think you're overdoing it?" Kaden asked looking concerned coming up beside her.

"Oh, I know I am, but I don't care. I'm feeling good today; don't ruin it for me, Kade." She took his arm and leaned it to it as they crossed the street.

"Besides," she added, "I want to spend as much time with you as possible before you head off to college in the fall and abandon me."

"Ouch." Kaden chuckled, "That's a little harsh."

"I know." She wrinkled her nose up at him in mischief.

"So, what's it going to be, Miss Guilt Trip?" Kaden looked down at her with a smile.

"The flea market; I miss it the most." She breathed wistfully.

"Alright," Kaden commented, "The flea market it is."

Before she got sick, Mckayla always liked to spend the weekends with Clarissa shopping at the flea market. She and Kaden didn't really do it that often because it wasn't his kind of thing. He could handle it to a degree, but he didn't care for the noise and how crowded it was. He would much prefer playing basketball with his buddies or tuning a car with his dad in the shop (and getting paid for it). It was funny because Kaden was a relatively social guy; he just didn't like the flea market.

"When's Mike coming home again?" Kaden asked right outside the entrance of the market.

"Tomorrow. His flight got delayed." She smiled at the thought of seeing her brother again. There was an eight year difference between the two of them, but he had never seemed to notice the age gap. Even in high school, he never saw the problem in including her in his activities even though some of his buddies protested that his "kid sister" was hanging around. Mike never paid attention to them however; it just rolled right off his back. He even interacted with Clarissa whenever she was over. After all, the Sucres were old friends and Mike was friends with Clarissa's older brother who was a couple years ahead of Mike in age, but no less friends. He would be as happy as anybody when Mike was back from his trip. He didn't know it, but her parents were planning a whole welcome party, and everybody who had grown up with Mike was going to be there. She just hoped she felt well enough to leave her bed the next day.

Mike had been gone for a year on some king of top secret mission that he couldn't share. With his brains and natural athletics, it figured he ended up a spy. No one, but she, her parents, and Kaden and his family knew what he was. To everyone else, he designed medication. If it wasn't for the fact that the entire family, including Kaden's had been on vacation where Mike just happened to be on a mission two years prior, he probably would never had told them either. But they knew, and thankfully, everyone was trustworthy.

"Of course your son's a spy." Her mother had said to her father on the way home in the car.

Her father had snickered in response.

"No one encouraged him, Sara."

"No one had to; it's in the Scofield/Burrows blood to live dangerously."

She wasn't wrong.

"So, which stand first?" Kaden shouted above the noise of the market, pulling her out of her troubled thoughts.

Mckayla looked around the bustling market until one stand in particular caught her eye.

"This one," She smiled, walking over to the one with various necklaces hanging off their little jewelry stands.

"Figures." She heard the smile in his voice as she felt him move right behind her.

Mckayla picked up a turquoise teardrop pendant hanging from a dark silver chain.

"Ah," the jeweler said with a smile, "that brings out your eyes quite nicely, Ms.; a lovely shade of mint."

"I've always liked turquoise." Mckayla smiled and clipped it on looking at the mirror standing next to the necklaces and bracelets.

"What do you think, Kaden?" She turned to look at him, "Do you think it's worth $20?"

Kaden raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose, if you like it that much."

"She was beautiful before," the sales person spoke up, "don't you think your girlfriend looks even more so with that stone around her neck?"

Kaden's eyebrows shot up and Mckayla felt herself blush at the jeweler's assumption.

"She's not my girlfriend." Kaden stated bluntly.

Mckayla nodded and looked sympathetically in the salesman's direction.

"Oh," he looked apologetically, "My mistake. I saw the way she was hanging on your arm and the gesture made it look very much like you were a couple."

"It's okay," Mckayla smiled, "you're not the first, so don't worry about it."

It was true. Since they looked nothing alike, people assumed all the time that they were a couple. Mckayla cursed herself all the time for wanting it to be so, but she didn't choose to fall for her own cousin; it just happened. It didn't help that they hung out when she was feeling good, he was always there for her when she wasn't, and that he was so dang attractive…

"Earth to Mckayla." Kaden snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. "You wanting to buy it?"

Her vision came into focus on Kaden's playful smile and she swallowed hard.

"Yeah; I think I'll get it." She looked back into the mirror, "It's been a while since I've bought a nice necklace."

"Would you like the matching necklace and earrings?" The jeweler asked, "The whole set is on sale for $40."

"Hmm." Mckayla regarded the set thoughtfully, "Sure."

Kaden whistled behind her.

"You wanna leave now before you buy the entire flea market?"

Mckayla shot a glare at him to see him smirking playfully. She rolled her eyes then turned to look at the merchant, "It's been a while since I've been shopping."

"Then you deserve to treat yourself." He smiled and bagged her items after she handed him the money.

"Thank-you." She took Kaden's arm as they moved on.

"Where to next?"

"Are you sure there isn't any stand you want to visit?" She looked up at him.

"Well, those mangos look tempting, but I'll hold off till we're about to leave; wouldn't want to have sticky fingers the entire time we're here."

"True." A flash of blue caught her eye causing her head to turn to see a rack of dresses under a shaded stand next to a dressing hut.

"Uh, oh," Kaden commented, "I think I have a sneaking suspicion to where we're headed to next."

Mckayla felt herself smile as she tugged him to the dress stand.

"Look at this blue dress." She picked it off the rack and looked it up and down, "it's my favorite color." She looked into the stand-up mirror and held it up to herself. "It's my size and it matches one of my necklaces at home."

"Hm."

Mckayla turned around to see him staring at her thoughtfully, which was unusual because he had never taken an interest in her clothes before.

"You like it?"

"Well, I need to try it on first."

"Alright; you do that."

"Okay." Mckayla pulled back the blanket that served as the dress hut's door and pinned it to the inside wall. She pulled off her sun dress and hung it on the pin then slid the sleeveless dress over her head avoiding the pain that was bothering her arms and shoulders.

Once she got it situated she found that it fitted her perfectly; it was like the dress had been tailored for her. She couldn't wait to show her mother this one. How much was it, though?

Mckayla picked found the tag on the thread hanging from the side of the dress and looked at. She felt her heart sink at the price $35. She shouldn't have spent it on the necklace set. She usually wasn't so frivolous with her money.

"How'd you like it?" Kaden asked once she got out back in her sundress.

"I love it."

"Then why are you hanging it back on the rack?"

Mckayla felt slightly perplexed at Kaden's sudden interest in the dress.

"Because it's $35; should have held off on the necklace." She allowed her fingers to linger on the light blue fabric before looking at the rest of the dresses.

"Hmm." Kaden looked at the dress. "I'll get it for you."

Mckayla looked up from a yellow dress. "What?"

"You heard me."

"You sure?"

Kaden shrugged.

"Yeah."

"What's the occasion?"

Kaden stuttered.

"Well…just…think of it as my apology gift to you since I'll be abandoning you in the fall."

Mckayla raised an eyebrow.

"You sure?"

"You know me; would I be offering if I wasn't?"

She looked at the dress.

"I do like it a lot." She looked back at him trying not to look too excited, "Alright."

The moment the dress was paid for, Mckayla grabbed it off the table and changed into it in the dressing hut.

"Couldn't wait until you got home, huh?" Kaden laughed as she came out.

"Nope." She twirled in front of him, knowing she would regret how she would feel afterward.

"It does look really nice on you."

Mckayla felt herself blush and was glad that she was naturally tanned.

"Mckayla Scofield?"

The familiar voice came from behind her and she saw Kaden stiffen in front of her as his eyes formed into a glare for whoever was behind her.

Why did she know that voice?

Mckayla turned around and felt her jaw drop as she saw Jake Gonzales remove his sunglasses.

"Jake."

"Wow," he smiled, "You look good; and I mean," he gestured to her, "Really good."

Three years. It had been three years since he had been sent to a boarding school in California right after he broke her heart. She had nearly forgotten about him, and had almost gotten to the point where she could think about what he had done to her without feeling a pang of self-hatred and resentment…until now as he stood in front of her as if nothing ever happened.

"What are you doing here?"

"I graduated." Jake placed his sunglasses on top of his head. She noticed how he his eyes darted nervously from her to Kaden, and Mckayla couldn't help but feel some sort of satisfaction that he had some PTKD (Post Traumatic Kaden Disorder) from three years prior.

"So, you're not going to college?"

"Oh, I'm going to college," she had forgotten how cocky his smile could get when he was arrogant, "In fact, I'm going to Stanford come fall; I'm just here in my home town until then."

She felt Kaden move right behind her.

"So…" Jake looked briefly behind her then turned back to Mckayla, "What's up with you, Kayla? Cured yet?"

She swallowed hard.

"No."

"Oh, so you didn't finish school."

She felt her eyes flash. Why did she even date this guy?

"I finished school. Just online."

"What do you want, Jake?" Kaden spoke up for the first time.

Jake looked evenly at Kaden.

"I just want to talk to your cousin, that's all; got a problem with that, ese?"

"Kaden." Mckayla looked up at him and saw his jaw tighten.

She looked back to Jake not knowing what to say to him.

"What are you doing to school for?"

"General studies."

"Ah; I'm probably going to do an online degree on Mathematics."

Jake looked doubtful.

"How are you exactly going to do that?" He scoffed.

Kaden growled.

"Online. At my own pace."

Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Good luck." He didn't sound like he meant it.

"Well, see you around, Jake." Mckayla turned away more annoyed at him than she had ever been in the entire time she had been dating him.

"See you, Kayla."

Kaden followed her as they walked in the opposite direction.

"You still have a good body!"

He just had to humiliate her on top of condescending her.

If looks could kill, Jake would have been dead the instant Kaden had turned his eyes in his direction.

"Let's go, Kaden." Mckayla grabbed his arms before he could do something drastic.

"The nerve of that guy," Kaden growled as they stopped at the mango stand.

"What did I ever see in him?" Mckayla would like to think that she wasn't the least bit hurt at her encounter with her ex; that she had risen above her past and that his comments now meant nothing to her. But the moment that she had come face to face with him again, every jab, every word she had said to her before he had called off their relationship, had come back vividly as if it had happened yesterday.

"He was nicer when you first met him; there was a reason he was my best friend until he dumped you."

"I know but still. Looking back, I realized just how fake he was even back then."

Kaden tilted his head in agreement as he paid for two mangoes, "True." He looked back at her concerned.

"You okay?"

He always seemed to see straight through her.

She looked away.

"I will be."

Kaden handed her one of the mangoes as they left the flea market.

"He never deserved you, you know."

Mckayla shrugged.

"Seriously, Kayla. Remember all those flowers that I had to deliver from all those guys from school? You could have had any guy you wanted."

Mckayla laughed at the memory of Kaden walking in her room with two different bouquets from two different guys.

"This one's from Bobby, and this one's from Brandon," He had rolled his eyes before giving them to her.

"None of them ever visited me, though; they were all just like Jake in the end."

"True."

"You're the only who hasn't left me," she looped arms with him and leaned into his bicep. She looked up at him and saw the warm glow in his eyes that he seemed to only show when he was around her.

The warm glow was suddenly replaced with a troubled look.

Mckayla felt her eyebrows draw together.

"Something wrong, Kade?"

"I, uh…" he cleared his throat. "Nothing. You want to head home now?"

As much as she hated to admit it, the encounter with Jake had ruined her outing, plus, Kaden looked like he was done as well; which was unusual for him.

"Um, sure."

They didn't say much on the walk home and he still looked uncertain as he left for his door while she headed for her own at her house.

"See you , tomorrow?" Mckayla felt perplexed.

"Yeah…see ya." He gave her a brief smile before opening up his screen door and letting it bang shut behind him.

Mckayla couldn't help but feel concerned as she opened up her front door.

What was wrong with him?