Chapter Six
As the car rolled to a stop, Lincoln unclipped his seat belt and climbed out of the car. He was followed soon by Veronica, who hurriedly tucked the keys in her bag, and LJ jumped out of the back seat. The three headed up the porch steps to the front door, and Lincoln reached out to turn the knob but found it locked.
He knocked loudly on the door, and the three huddled together on the stoop as they waited. Lincoln kept glancing around nervously, despite knowing he was exonerated. He had learnt too much the past few weeks to drop his guard.
"Hey guys, you're back," Michael greeted them as he pulled the door open after checking through the window. They hurried inside, and he relocked the door after them.
"So Jane got picked up, and she's meeting up with a few attorneys this afternoon," Veronica filled him in as she took her jacket off.
"Good, good, everything's set to plan. Are you right to go tomorrow like we planned?" Michael asked her, and an indignant look grew on his brother's face. "You can go along if you want," he told Lincoln, who nodded gladly.
"What about me?" LJ asked uncertainly. Michael grinned at him, giving the teenager a slight one armed hug.
"That's up to you. Sara and I will be here, so you can just chill out here for the day or go with your dad. We'll probably be leaving here the day after," Michael informed him.
"That soon?" said a new voice, and the group turned to see Sara entering the room.
"Yep. I'll know more one I speak to Jane on the phone tonight," he told her, automatically reaching out to take her hand. "But for the rest of today, we can just relax, have a few beers, catch up with each other." This last sentence he directed more at Veronica, who grinned.
"Damn, we left the beers on the boat, didn't we," Lincoln groaned. "Mike, wanna go with me and grab them? I'm not too sure where the boat is."
Michael nodded, and gave Sara's hand a quick squeeze before releasing her. "Coming, LJ?" he asked, who nodded. The three men headed out the front door, leaving the two women to themselves.
"Uh, do you want a cup of coffee? Or would you prefer a beer when the boys get back?" Sara asked, trying to avoid an awkward silence. Veronica smiled.
"Coffee would be great. Let me help you," she replied.
The two women busied themselves making coffee, and sat down at the table with the steaming beverages. Conversation came easily to them, and Sara found herself really liking the other woman. Veronica felt likewise. They chatted about everything – from Michael and Lincoln, to Fox River and the run, to hobbies and interests – and not once did the conversation lull.
Before they knew it, half an hour had passed and Michael, Lincoln and LJ returned. They walked through the door, joking and laughing, and Sara couldn't help but notice how happy Michael was. Such a big difference to the silent, smooth inmate he had been at Fox River, and she loved this light side of him.
"Did you miss me?" he asked, coming over to her and wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"Didn't even notice you were gone," she replied jokingly, and chuckled at the wounded look on his face. She grinned and reached up to kiss him lightly. "Of course I did," she added quietly, so the others wouldn't hear. A beam flashed across his face.
The small group moved into the living room, spreading out on the couches with their beverages. The mood was calm and relaxed; for once the stress and tension from the escape had dissolved, if only for the meantime. Michael leaned back into the sofa which he was sitting on next to LJ, watching Sara out of the corner of his eye. She was next to Veronica on the other sofa opposite him, with her legs curled under her.
Lincoln sat in an armchair, surveying the people before him. He smiled to himself. This was his family, and they were all together. Maybe not for long, but for now, and at the moment that was good enough.
The group easily moved into conversation, each person taking care not to mention police, or the run, or anything that would evaporate the relaxed atmosphere. They talked for an easy hour or two, and when the conversation lulled Veronica asked Sara a question. The two women began chatting to themselves, and occasionally Michael, Lincoln or LJ would talk between themselves. However, when Michael finished saying something to Lincoln and the older brother didn't continue, LJ chose the opportunity to voice a question that had been plaguing him since Jane had told him they were meeting up with his dad two days earlier.
"Hey, uh, Uncle Mike?" he began slowly.
Michael glances at him, noticing how the teen was staring at his hands. "Yeah man?" He glanced quickly at Lincoln, but the man wasn't paying attention.
"Well, what's going to happen now? Once you and Sara are cleared, and we go back to living normally, how will that work? I mean, dad doesn't have a house, and Veronica's house got blown up, and you lost your loft when you went to Fox River. Where are we going to go?" LJ asked, raising his head to look at his uncle. "And you guys don't have jobs anymore, and-"
Michael held up a hand to stop LJ's questions. "Hey man, don't stress about that. I still need to talk to everyone properly about this; we all – including you – need to decide a few things. Do we want to stay living in Chicago, or move around, we have a few options. We have money, so that's not a problem. But I wouldn't mind living in a house next door to you and your dad, and knock the fence down so we can have a huge yard and chill out on the weekends having barbeques."
LJ smiled. "That would be cool," he said, losing some of the worry that was etched across his face.
""But we'll wait til this is all over before we decide. Just keep in mind, we're a family still. We're in it together now, no more running." Michael lightly punched his nephew on the arm, who grinned and shoved him back.
Sara, still chatting with Veronica, stole a glance at Michael and LJ fooling around, and smiled to herself. He's going to make the best dad one day, she thought to herself, then shook her hear lightly. She was doing it again, assuming her and Michael were going to get married and start a family! She had to stop that, before she accidentally blurted something out and totally embarrassed herself – again.
"What?" Veronica asked quietly, noticing the light blush on Sara's cheeks.
Sara looked up at the other woman, and smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing. Once or twice I've caught myself thinking something about the future, as if Michael and I are getting married and having kids. I accidentally blurted something out in front of Linc, god that was embarrassing. But Michael and I haven't even discussed what will happen in a few days time when we're cleared, let alone where we stand for the future."
Veronica grinned, grabbing Sara's hand and giving it a sisterly squeeze. "Trust me; I don't think you need to worry. I've known Michael all his life, and I've never seen him look at another girl the way he looks at you."
Sara matched her smile. "That's really good to know, thanks. What do you see happening for you and Lincoln? I've only seen you two together once, when he was nearly executed – sorry, don't mean to upset you," she added hastily as Veronica flinched slightly.
"It's okay," Veronica replied. "I just can't believe how close I came to losing him. We've always been close, dated for a while, but I never realised how important he is to me til I almost lost him. I hope we can make it work this time."
Sara smiled to herself, hoping that things would work out well between Veronica and Lincoln. She had an image of her and Michael living in a house next door to Lincoln, Veronica and LJ, getting together for barbeques every weekend. Little did she know, Michael had been having almost identical thoughts.
"Who's up for spaghetti?" Lincoln asked an hour or two later, glancing at his watch and realising it was past six.
As he heard his brother speak, Michael felt his stomach grumble slightly. LJ heard it and laughed as he got up. They all moved into the kitchen, and the two women sat at the table and resumed chatting, leaving the men to cook.
The meal was made and eaten, and they moved back to the living room. Everyone was feeling relaxed and lazy, and Michael put a movie into the DVD player. He stretched out on the couch and Sara automatically joined him, settling between his legs and resting back on his chest. The last thing she remembered was the soothing feel of Michael's arms wrapping around her stomach, before she drifted off in his arms. LJ, who was sitting on the sofa with Lincoln, fell asleep barely ten minutes into the movie.
"So, I gotta admit, I'm proud of everything you accomplished, to break out of Fox River," Veronica said quietly to Michael. He grinned. "Well, at least now I realise why you wouldn't put up a fight at your hearing for robbing the bank," she continued. "I just thought you did it to be close to Linc. God, you guys need some serious therapy."
"Hold on, I'm the normal one thanks," Lincoln protested humorously. He nodded towards his brother. "He's the screwed up one who tattooed a blueprint on is body."
Veronica smiled softly at Lincoln, and they shared a sweet look. She broke eye contact first, feeling slightly nervous at the tingles she was feeling in her stomach. All her feelings were coming back to him, twice as strong.
"But how you managed to plan all that is beyond me," Veronica said to Michael, trying to stay focused.
"Yeah, well my LLI has been a part of that. It comes in handy, I'll tell you that," Michael answered lightly. Lincoln raised his eyebrows slightly. Never, in all the years the two had been brothers, had Michael mentioned his LLI. He normally hated talking about it, which both Lincoln and Veronica were well aware of.
"Uh, if you don't mind me asking…does Sara know about it?" Veronica asked somewhat carefully. She had to be careful with this topic, as it often made Michael clam up.
"Yeah, she knows. I don't know how, I haven't told her, but she does and I'm glad. I want to be upfront with her about everything, no more lies. Once this running is all over, we'll talk about it," Michael replied neutrally. He didn't appear bothered by the question, but avoided eye contact by gazing down at Sara's sleeping face.
Lincoln couldn't help but to feel proud of his little brother. And despite the situation they were all in, he hadn't seen him happier. It was time his brother got what he deserved.
They drifted off into a comfortable silence for a few moments, each pondering different thoughts. Veronica let her gaze drift around the room, until it landed upon LJ, reminding her of something.
"So, I noticed LJ asking you before but I didn't hear your answer, what are we going to do after all this is over?" she asked Michael. Lincoln glanced up curiously.
"I'd rather talk about it when Sara's awake," Michael replied, "but I'll give you the brief idea. We have some options; we have Westmoreland's money but we can't use too much in case we tip off the police. However, I have a feeling we may get given money from the government, for all this we've been through – after all, they did almost execute an innocent man. But money aside, we need to decide where we want to settle down. I'd rather leave Chicago, but Sara still has her apartment – I've had someone taking care of it," he added hastily as Lincoln looked up at him with a questioning look.
"But what if Sara wants to stay?" Veronica asked softly, her eyes drifting down over Sara's sleeping form in Michael's arms.
"If she stays, I stay. I'm not leaving her behind. But considering everything that has happened, I think she'll want a fresh start somewhere else. Go to a place where she doesn't have any memories," Michael replied as he slipped his hands under the hem of her top and began tracing light patterns on her soft skin. She shifted slightly and burrowed further into his arms without waking. Lincoln noticed this and grinned.
"Hmm, something tells me there's going to be wedding bells in the not too distant future," he teased, and Michael's cheeks tinged pink slightly. The younger brother chose to ignore him, and instead glanced down at Sara's face.
"C'mon, I think it's time to get her, and LJ, to bed. We're all going to need plenty of rest for the next few days though, I think," he said, smoothly changing the subject. The others nodded.
Michael rose and gently lifted Sara up in his arms, cradling her tightly to his chest. Lincoln shook LJ on the shoulder, who awoke with bleary eyes.
"C'mon man, let's go to bed," Lincoln said quietly. Still half asleep, LJ nodded and got up, following the others upstairs. Michael nodded towards a door on the right at the end of the hallway, signalling an empty bedroom to LJ.
"Goodnight guys," LJ said with a yawn, and headed off towards the bedroom.
"This room is Linc's, that one is mine and Sara's, and the one opposite LJ's is another bedroom," Michael told Veronica, who nodded. She wished Michael goodnight, then turned to Lincoln and placed a soft kiss upon his lips. Before he could respond, she turned and disappeared into the spare bedroom.
Lincoln simply shook his head, and after glaring at Michael's smirk he entered his room and closed the door. Michael was left standing in the hallway with Sara, who was still fast asleep in his arms.
Entering their room, he carefully placed her on the bed without her stirring. He lay down next to her and drew a blanket over them. She automatically reached out to him and curled up against his side, and he placed a soft kiss against her temple.
"Love you Michael," she murmured, yet her eyes were still closed. Michael smiled in the dark and brought his arm around her shoulders
"Love you too Sara."
A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews, they're highly appreciated. Hope this next chapter met your expectations, it was bit of a filler to give info and stuff. More to come soon…