Author's notes:

A very informed guest reviewer told me that the tattoo I was alluding to in the author's notes for my first chapter is actually SWC's own real tattoo. Apparently, it's a butterfly. However, in the world of fanfictions, I am the master of my ship so I'm going to stick to what I had intended in the first place for Sara's second tattoo. Its location will remain the same but the actual image will differ :)

FYI, I am planning a few more chapters after this one to follow our favorite family.

"Do we need to explain it to you?!"

On Thursday, for their second morning of freedom, the Scofields woke up in the same order: first Mike, then Michael, and finally Sara. As the morning before, father and son quietly made their way to Lincoln's bedroom and settled for another episode of Mike the Knight. Sara joined them 30 minutes later, fresh out of a quick shower. They enjoyed breakfast together in front of the television before Sara got up and went to their room, soon followed by Michael.

"You're sure you don't want me to come, Sara?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Michael. Heather will be there with me. I want you to stay with Mike and spend some time with him as well as your brother and nephew."

Michael looked for any signs of uncertainty from Sara but found none. She would always surprise him, in the best possible way. Her resilience was unparalleled and he nodded his approval. She was right as usual. He needed, no, he wanted to spend time with his son but it didn't stop him for worrying about Sara. After all that he had put her through, he couldn't help it. Before he dwelled any longer in his negative thoughts, Mike arrived and commanded their attention. He wanted to get out of the room and do something while his mother would be gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"How did it go?" Michael asked Sara as soon as he entered the room, less than five minutes after Lincoln had received a text from Sara telling them that she was back at the hotel.

She was just out of the shower after a morning spent at her soon-to-be former house with Heather. Before selling the house that she had bought after her return to the States with Mike, she needed to take care of a few things and that's why she had returned there that morning. "It went okay, I guess." She shrugged. "I feel better now that it's done." She had taken some things with her, including official papers and clothes for her and Mike, while she had packed others, leaving a few boxes with Heather until they knew where they were going to live. She had thrown Jacob's possessions out as well as all the pictures of him with her and Mike. The rest would stay in the house for visits with potential buyers. Heather's husband was a real estate agent and he had offered his services in helping her sell the house, which she had gladly accepted. After locking the house, she had given her keys to Heather so that she could give them to her husband and just like that, she had driven away, not even bothering to have a look in the rear-view mirror when the car sped up. She had asked Mike if he wanted to join her but he had declined, stating that last time he was there, Jacob had told him that she was dead. Like her, he was ready to put Jacob and their life with him behind them. Willing herself out of her own thoughts, Sara interrogated Michael: "Where were you? You arrived quite fast."

"We were at the pool. Mike wanted to go swimming again. LJ had his swimsuit so he went with him in the pool."

"Have you been at the pool all morning?!"

"No", Michael chuckled. "We went to Barnes and Noble first. Mike suggested that we go there."

"Did Lincoln and LJ accompany you too?!" Sara knew that her brother-in-law wasn't an avid reader and she suspected that LJ wasn't one either.

"Well, they found the café and waited for us there while we went through the kids' section. We bought two very interesting books about Greek mythology. They're intended for children but they're so well done, Sara, that you will want to read them too! The descriptions, the illustrations, everything is great!" Sara smiled at his enthusiasm. She was happy to know that they had found something to do just the two of them, something that they were both passionate about. "I got you something", Michael suddenly added with a mysterious smile. He went to the table where there was a paper bag from the bookstore.

Sara took the three books that Michael handed to her and frowned. "Travel guides?"

"I figured they could help us decide", he explained. Michael and Sara were still debating what to do and where to go next. They knew that they wanted to live in a liberal city and it was important to them that they had no previous history with said city. In the end, three cities had made their short list of potential places to raise their family: Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Boston, Massachusetts. Hence, Michael's choices of travel guides about the three cities. "We can always visit the other two once we have settled down. You know, one day."

Sara gently put her left hand on his cheek and kissed him softly on the lips. "That's a great idea. Thanks, Michael." Sara walked to the dresser and picked a pair of gold earrings in the jewelry box that she had brought back from the house.

"I've always loved these earrings", Michael commented as soon as he noticed them. They were the ones that Sara wore for their wedding.

"I know", Sara replied with a hint of a smile on her lips. She was facing the mirror next to the dresser and Michael smirked when he noticed that there was Mickey's winking face on the front of her blue striped tank. She moved her hair on one side to be able to put her right earring on and that's when, with her skin exposed, Michael saw the tattoo on her shoulder for the first time. Jacob had never liked that tank, claiming that he wasn't a big fan of Mickey, but she had always suspected that it was because her tattoo was then partly visible. That day of all days, Sara had decided that she was going to wear her Disney top. She was relieved after having gone to the house. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and Mickey's happy expression was just what she wanted after her shower. Michael's fingers instinctively moved to touch the crane delicately. "Do you like it?" Sara inquired.

"Yes", he answered, his voice barely above a whisper and his eyes never leaving the inked shape. It was one thing to know that she had chosen to have a crane tattooed on her skin, it was another one to see it for himself.

Sara turned around and her fingers started to fidget with the hem of her top nervously. "Do you want to know about the other one?" Michael's gaze locked with hers and he nodded. "I got it a few days before Mike's first birthday", she explained simply. She then slowly lifted her tank, revealing a second tattoo above her left hip bone.

Michael's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed on the form of an origami rose, an almost exact replica of the one Michael had given her in Fox River. The image left him speechless for a moment. He looked Sara in the eye, then focused on the rose once again before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her on the lips with passion. Sara was surprised for an instant but quickly caught up and kissed him back. So far, she had been the one initiating all of their kisses since their emotional reunion in Crete. It was as if Michael was giving her time and space to deal with him returning from the dead but the sight of her second tattoo unleashed something in him and she wasn't going to complain about it. Michael pushed her against the nearest wall, his right hand moving to the small of her back, to keep her as close to him as possible, while his other one played with her hair. If their previous kisses had been rather chaste, that one wasn't. Michael parted his lips, wanting to deepen the kiss and Sara gladly obliged. She felt her own desire build up rapidly and couldn't help but moan when Michael's tongue started to dance with hers. When they eventually broke the kiss, both needing air, one of his hands moved from her back to her hip, then under her top and Sara's heart skipped a beat. God, she wanted him so badly that she was ready to have sex with him against the wall of their hotel bedroom (seven years without your husband would do that to you apparently). Alas, fate had other plans for them because they were stopped in their tracks by three firm knocks on the door.

"Sara, it's me."

Reluctantly putting a little bit of distance between Michael and herself, Sara answered with a loud but shaky voice: "Just a second, Heather!" Then, more quietly, she added for Michael: "Sorry, we'll have to continue that later…"

Michael gave her small smile and one last kiss on the lips before she went to open the door. He missed her body instantly and exhaled loudly. Seven years, he thought. Seven. Years. They deserved better than that anyway, Michael tried to rationalise, somewhat unsuccessfully.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

When Mike and LJ had paid for their tickets and entered the cinema, it was time for the others to go shopping. Michael had a lot to do since he basically only had what was on his back when he had arrived in the States. Lincoln volunteered to join him in his expedition around the huge mall. As for Sara, she had enlisted Heather's help for a trip to Victoria's Secret. If she had taken all of her clothes from the house (minus the few items that Jacob had complimented her about at some point or another), she had decided that she absolutely needed a new collection of panties and bras as well as new sleep wear.

Before they went their separate ways, Sara wished Michael and Lincoln good luck. "And Michael", she added with a teasing tone, "please try to buy more than just long sleeve tee-shirts and blue shirts!"

Michael scoffed at Sara's request. "Why would you think that I was only going to buy blue shirts and long sleeve tee-shirts?!"

"Seriously, Michael?!" Lincoln interjected. "Do we need to explain it to you?!"

"Okay, okay, you two. I get it. I'll do my best… See you in a bit. Text us when you're done!" Michael quickly kissed Sara on the cheek and they started walking in opposite directions.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Michael was always methodical and efficient and his shopping was no different. He found all the items on his list in record time:

- Several pairs of pants, including jeans, and a leather belt;

- Shirts (of different colors!);

- Tee-shirts and long sleeve ones because you always need a long sleeve tee-shirt or two;

- Socks and underwear;

- Sleep wear;

- A light gray full-zip hoodie (he had always liked hoodies);

- A khaki jacket;

- Shoes, notably a pair of black New Balance sneakers that he was particularly looking forward to wearing;

- A wallet;

- Sunglasses (black rimmed Ray Ban glasses because what else?!);

- A smartphone (he was fed up with having to rely on Lincoln to pass him messages from Sara);

- A big suitcase to carry all of his new clothes.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Two hours and thousands of dollars later, Lincoln and Michael joined Sara, Heather, Mike and LJ on the indoor patio of The Cheesecake Factory.

"Sara, you'll be happy to know that I didn't only buy blue shirts. I also got white, gray and black shirts. I even got a light pink one!"

"Is that right, Linc?!" Sara asked suspiciously.

"I dared him to buy it and he just did!"

Michael smiled and said nothing. His new clothes, including his new pink shirt, his shoes, his sunglasses and even his phone meant more than simple material possessions. They represented his rebirth as Michael Scofield, as Sara Scofield's husband, Mike Scofield's father, Lincoln Burrows' brother and LJ's uncle.

The group of six stayed a long moment on the patio, comfortably seated and enjoying delicious treats, before making their way back to the hotel.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I can't wait to see you in your pink shirt, Michael!"

"Maybe I'll wear it tomorrow, Sara", Michael replied. They were in bed, next to each other. Sara was resting on her stomach, her upper body raised on her elbows. Michael was lying on his back, his gaze on his wife. He looked at her face intently and asked: "Are you really okay after having been to the house this morning?"

"I am now. I won't lie, it was weird going back there. But it was cathartic to throw what I threw away and to lock the front door one last time, leaving with only my things and Mike's."

Michael nodded and contemplated her response for a minute. He hesitated before speaking up: "You know, Linc and I went to your house when we made it back to the States. We were hoping to find you and Mike but you were at the lake house instead." Sara remained silent. She knew that Michael had more to say. "That night, I understood why you never responded to my messages."

Sara was confused. "What messages?"

"Sara", he started, closing his eyes momentarily, "I tried to contact you, even though I wasn't supposed to. I sent you messages on origami cranes like I used to. Lots of messages." He marked a short pause before finishing with a loud sigh and rubbing his eyes with his hand. "They were intercepted and ended up in the drain by your mailbox."

Sara opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. He had tried to contact her. He had wanted to contact her. She leaned forward and captured his lips in an instant. In that moment, kissing him seemed to be the only thing that made sense, the only thing that made her feel complete. So, she kissed him with all the love that she had in her heart for Michael. Her tongue wandered on his upper lip until his mouth opened. Their kiss became more heated and Michael rolled them over so that he was on top of Sara. They lost themselves in the kiss but when Sara's hands sneaked under his tee-shirt and started to caress his back, Michael broke the kiss. If he didn't stop them now, they were going to have sex while their son was sleeping in the same room as them and that wasn't something he was willing to do, no matter how much he wanted to make to love to Sara. She was under him and looked as flustered as him. He kissed her one last time, that time on the shoulder, before returning to the bed and lying on his back. "We'd better cool down a bit", he stated in a whisper.

"Do you think we can still cuddle?"

"As long as we both remain fully clothed", he responded with a chuckle.

"I love you, Michael."

"I love you too, Sara."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sara woke up in the middle of the night. She was alone in bed. She noticed that there was light coming from the bathroom and quietly got out of bed. She found Michael sitting on the bathroom floor, his knees against his chest. He had his arms folded on his knees and his head resting on them. His eyes were closed but they opened as soon as Sara entered the room. He gave her a look that broke her heart instantly. He seemed so sad and lost that she instinctively sat down next to him and enveloped him in her arms. They were silent for a minute before Sara inquired: "Do you want to talk about it?" Michael buried his face in the crook of her neck and she felt his hand grab her tee-shirt and hold it tightly. "Bad dream?" she suggested.

Michael nodded imperceptibly. He knew that it was just a nightmare but it had felt so real that he had had to get up and hide in the bathroom until his breathing had returned to normal. He had then opted to remain in the bathroom, too afraid that his mind would continue to play tricks with him if he were to fall back asleep.

"Sometimes, it helps to talk about it", she offered.

Michael distanced himself from Sara and swallowed with difficulty. "The guy who stabbed me and poisoned me, he followed us across the desert. In order to get rid of him, we separated. Lincoln went with Whip and Ja to find Phaecia and leave tracks for me. I managed to outsmart him but my car broke down and I had to walk for miles. I thought that I was lost but then I saw the fireworks." Michael swallowed again and moistened his lips. "In my dream though, there were no fireworks and I never found them. I continued to walk aimlessly in the desert until I was too tired to continue and just gave up, knowing that I was going to die there. That I was never going to see you again. And that I was never going to meet my son."

Sara couldn't find the words that would help Michael. Instead, she gave him a kiss on the head and stroked his back gently. They stayed in the bathroom for several more minutes, Sara offering him her presence in support. She sincerely hoped that time and love would heal his scars. Love, she was confident that he would get plenty with herself, Mike, Lincoln and LJ. However, considering what he had been through, he was also going to need a lot of time before he felt somewhat normal.