Chapter 7

The sound of thunder slowly infiltrated the little homestead. Joseph Quinn sat on a chair by the window watching the trees blow in the forceful wind. A storm was rolling in from over the mountains, somehow matching the storm that was brewing in his own soul. He was still reeling from the past twenty-four hours, unsure if he would ever be able to wrap his mind around what had happened. How could eight years mean so much? Joseph still staring out the window, mindlessly fiddled with a gold piece from his pocket, spinning the coin between his fingers. He needed to keep his hands busy. Although he hadn't practiced medicine for some time, he still carried all of the characteristics of a surgeon. When he was nervous or bothered by something, he needed to keep his hands moving in a slow and methodical motion. It was the only thing that was keeping him from pacing the floors and possibly waking everyone in the house. Taking a deep breath, he slowly ran his mind over the events of the day, trying to understand.

Michaela, his Mike was a married woman. Her life had changed drastically since the last time he saw her, the last time he practiced with her. He could remember when she was little, she used to sit in the window seat in his office and dump out the contents of his medical bag only to examine all of the instruments and to put them up again. "I'm gonna be a doctor one day." She would say with a smile. "I'll have a bag just like this!" She had set that goal when she was such a small age, and she had obtained it. Now, thinking back over the past few days, that goal seemed to take second place in her life if not third or fourth. Of course, he was proud of her. Michaela was such a good mother, so kind and caring. Her girls truly looked up to her and judging from the conversation he had with Matthew earlier this morning, her older children adored her just as much, but she had been such a good doctor as well, and Joseph hated to see her loose that. It pained him to see her neglect such a talent.

Then there was Sully. Joseph simply didn't know what to think about this strange man who had become so prominent in his daughter's life. There was something about Sully that he hadn't like from the start, something that he noticed when they met. Thinking hard over their first meeting, Joseph realized that he partly blamed Sully for the place Michaela was. It was his fault that her attention had been pulled away from her practice. It was because of him that her world was dinner, sewing, and childcare. But he loves her. The thought was there and gone in an instant.

He ran. He had ran from so many things in his life that Joseph seemed to wonder if there had ever been any stability. Mining, a previous family, his military career, they were all things that he seemed to run from when things had gotten too tough, too dangerous. It made him wonder how easy it would be for him to leave Michaela if it got too hard. But he could never leave her. Did you see? Did you see how he held her? He had done it before; he could do it again.

He had taken her innocence away, that beautiful naivety that made her so special. She had been his Mike, but now she seemed to be different. Now she was Michaela, and he wasn't sure where the change had occurred, but he knew that Sully had somehow played a part in this. He wouldn't have taken anything that she wasn't ready to give him. But she had been vulnerable. She was in a strange place without a living soul she knew around. That was enough to wear anyone down, to make them seek assurance elsewhere. Joseph was certain that this is what happened to Michaela. Did you see them together? There was emotion there, an unspoken energy that flowed from them. 

That can't be forced or learned, it must be natural. Joseph seemed to argue with himself, finding no comfort in his own thoughts. Glancing back out the window, he watched as the dark cloud rolled in.


The thunder was getting louder and the wind was blowing harder in the valley now, bringing in colder air. Lightening was beginning to strike off in the distance, lighting the little rooms of the Sully homestead with an ominous shade of blue. One bolt of lightning struck particularly close to the house jarring Sully from his deep sleep.

He was slightly disoriented as he reached up to rub his eyes in an effort to clear his mind. Sucking in a deep breath, he made to stretch his tired muscle but found he was hindered by something heavy on his chest. Eventually managing to find his night eyes, he turned his head to the right to find Michaela's head laying next to his on his pillow. She was sleeping so deeply, so peacefully with her hair splayed around her shoulders. He reached up to stroke the side of her smooth jaw. She was beautiful. Stretching his body the length of hers, he could feel the softness of her naked body as it pressed against his. Her leg was curled around his in a cherished hold and her arm was stretched across his chest, her hand laying protectively over his heart.

Sully laid his head back, content that all was well in his world. He wasn't sure what had woken him, but he fine with drifting back to sleep. However, before he could, a loud clap of thunder shook the little home on its foundation. Sully was alarmed that it seemed to be so close knowing that it was probably accompanied by lightening and raised his head off the pillow in a failed attempted to glance out the window. Michaela stirred beside him.

Moaning a little, she buried her head in the pillow, struggling against her own consciousness. Soon another bolt of lightning lit up the small room, and Sully tried to gently extract himself from Michaela's embrace. If such a storm was blowing in, he needed to make sure the house was secure. His movement, however only served to wake Michaela further as her palm slide over his bare chest. Lifting her head from the pillow, she watched him rise from the bed.

"Sully? What's wrong?" She asked, yawning and stretching her arms.

"Storm's blowing in." He stated simply, staring out the window.

"Is it bad?" She pulled the quilt more securely around her and sat up in bed.

"Clouds look angry, and the horses are out, they're gonna spook if I don't get 'em up." As he made to reach for his buckskins, Michaela pulled herself from the bed.

"I'll help you." Reaching for a nightgown out of her dresser, she slipped it over her head before following Sully out the door.

Joseph had heard the loud thunder, as well as the movement from the room across the hall, and wondered if a storm of this nature might be dangerous. He wasn't sure what would be needed to make sure everyone was safe. The unknown of this situation made him slightly uneasy. Opening the door, he peered into the hallway. What he found was Sully passing him on his way to the stairs, bare chested as he was slipping his shirt over his head. Somehow, the scene reinforced his thoughts from earlier, that his Michaela was a grown woman; she lived in a new world now. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the weather.

His son in law was quickly followed by Mike, who was hastily tying her robe tightly around her waist. "What's going on?" He asked her, stepping out of the room.

"There's a bad storm blowing in. We need to make sure the house is safe and the horses are up." Wordlessly he followed them down the stairs, in hopes of being of any assistance, although he saw the pointlessness of this action. There wouldn't be anything he could do; he wasn't experienced with this at all.

By the time the three adults made it to the bottom floor the cold air was flooding down from the mountains, bringing with it rain. A few drops of rain were beginning to fall, wetting the earth and filling the air with the fresh smell of glistening leaves and dampened dirt. The air was settling heavily and was producing an eerie feel. Sully was the first to make it to the porch, but stopped just short of the steps long enough to take in everything around him. Living with the Cheyenne had taught him to listen when Mother Earth was speaking, and she certainly seemed like she had a lot to say on this particular night. The sky just beyond the mountains was flickering continuously. The clouds were hanging low and moving fast. The storm would be here soon, and everything must be ready.

Michaela came walking up behind him with his jacket in her hand. She stood quietly for a moment, allowing him to observe everything around them. The thunder was getting louder now, and the horses were beginning to get agitated. Turning toward Michaela, Sully took the jacket from her and pulled it on, it was getting cold. He bent close to her ear to tell her something, but the wind was blowing harder now catching his words from his mouth and tossing them to the night sky, causing him to yell.

"Stay here; I don't want ya getting' wet if ya don't hafta." Michaela just nodded at his instruction, grasping the edge of his jacket. She hated bad weather, she always had, but she felt better knowing Sully and the girls were home with her tonight. They were all safe together.

Looking up from her, Sully's eyes caught Joseph's stare before he stepped off the porch, making his way to the barn. Michaela, who seemed to be completely unaware of her father's presence by her side, stepped down off the porch and came to rest at the bottom of the steps. The wind caught her loose, unbrushed hair, sending it fluttering about her. The edge of her nightgown and robe were engaged in the same dance, but she didn't notice. Michaela simply pulled the material closer to her body, attempting to block the near freezing wind. Her eyes never left her husband.

As Sully reached the gate, the rain began to fall harder, coming in at a nearly horizontal angle. The drops were small and forceful, almost painful when they landed. The thunder was now coming closer, and a loud clap rang through the air, causing Michaela to jump from her position. Slowly she became aware that someone was calling her name, and she felt a hand wrap around her arm. She turned to face her father, who was leaning off the porch and saying something to her that she couldn't understand; following the tug of his hand, she stepped back under the safety of the porch before turning back to Sully.

The horses were very skittish now, and were trotting in circles around the grazing area. Sully had reached the first of the horses, Mags, the one that he rode so often, and was slowly trying to attract her attention. However, his efforts were pointless as Mags struggled to pull herself from his grasp. Grappling with the large animal, Sully tried to calm her, pulling her head down to his shoulder and petting her mane as he attempted to walk her back to the barn. He had made some progress, but the presence of the Flash at the other end of the pin was beginning to make him nervous, he simply couldn't handle both beasts alone.

As thunder sounded loudly around them, the ground underneath their very feet seemed to shake. This was all it took for Sully to lose what little control he had gained over his horse, which reared high and knocked him down. Struggling to catch her, he stepped dangerously close to the scared animal, reaching out and attempting to grasp her muzzle again.

Before Sully even stood up, Michaela was off the porch, leaving her father watching stunned. The rain was coming down harder now and she could barely see where she was going, in addition, she was struggling to maintain her footing in the accumulating mud. Staggering her way to the fence, she hit it with a thud, almost launching herself up and over the wood. "Sully!... Sully!" She was yelling his name as her hands hastily tore at the belt that held her robe closed. Somehow, he seemed to hear her, despite the wind that whipped around them, and he turned toward her just in time to catch the edge of her dressing gown as it came hurtling at him. With a jerk of his wrist, he snatched the rest of the garment into his hand and wrapped it around Mags' eyes, using the edge of the linen edge as a hold to pull her. Without sight, the animal seemed to calm down significantly and Michaela watched as Sully was successfully able to pull her inside.

Michaela stood on the bottom rung of the fence, watching as the rain poured around her causing her nightgown to stick to her body and her hair to stick to the side of her face. The thunder was almost deafening now and each loud clap sent Flash into more spasms. The lightening had moved from the other side of the mountains and was now striking close by. As Flash trotted around the fenced in area, she happened to get close enough for Michaela to grab her, holding her still until Sully returned. However, she was in an awkward position, standing on the fence and leaning over the edge all the while trying to shield the scared horse's eyes with her arms. Bending as close to Flash's ear as possible, she tried to whisper soothing tone to the animal, although she knew this was useless. She just had to keep her calm until Sully made it back to them.

Joseph, who was still standing on the porch, witnessed the teamwork that had just taken place. It was incredible, almost as if no words were needed. Each knew what the other was doing almost instinctively, and Joseph found it fascinating to watch them together. For the first time in the past few days, there wasn't any confusing thoughts or strange emotions, he simply got to witness how Michaela and Sully handled situations together. This calm observation was short lived, however, for as soon as he saw Michaela catch the second horse coming around the fence he felt uneasy. She was greatly handicapped by the fence that separated them and she didn't seem like she had a good grasp on her center of gravity. Tightening his arm around the porch column, he held his breath as the horse began to jerk it's head wildly, desperately trying to free itself from the confining embrace. The animal had such strength that it was nearly picking Michaela up, completely eliminating her balance.

Michaela was struggling with Flash tremendously and she was beginning to get scared. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold the animal in place and she needed Sully. Looking in the distance, she could see his outline step out of the barn and she felt relief flood her body, but this relief was short lived. A bolt of lightning came piercing through the air, striking the ground just behind the barn. With the next clap of thunder, Flash broke free from Michaela's embrace and reared high into the air, throwing her off balance. When the horse landed, her front hoofs crashed into the fencing next to Michaela. As the fence collapsed around her, Michaela was knocked flat on her back landing with a loud and painful thud.

Sully had watched the scene in horror. He was almost certain his heart had stopped beating and yet, his legs worked to carrying him to her as quickly as possible. The journey felt like a lifetime as he prayed to see any sign of movement, knowing that she could easily have broken her back, or worse. However as he reached the broken fence, Michaela had rolled over and was reaching for Flash as she breezed by. Pulling herself to her feet, she made a sluggish movement to chase the animal, but Sully got to her first. "Let her go!" He yelled wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her to his chest, cradling her head in an attempt to protect her. She in turn grasped his upper arm and held it tightly, as she sought the safety from the elements around them. She was beginning to shake. In an effort to see her face he tried to turn her.

Her eyes were closed tightly, "I'm fine!" She was yelling and shaking her head. Another lightning strike caused Sully to pull her closer to him, protecting her head with his hand and body all the while guiding her as gently and quickly as possible to the porch. When they got close enough, Joseph stepped down, holding an arm out which Michaela instinctively took. Together to two men helped her inside and sat her at the table.

"I'm fine. It looked worse than it was." She said sitting stiffly in the chair. Her back was aching and she had most certainly pulled some muscles, but there was no major damage. She was lucky. She knew it and Sully knew it. She could see it in his eyes as he draped a blanket around her shoulders. She was beginning to shiver violently now. Sully just watched her closely, knowing that she wouldn't tell him anyway if she were in pain, but her eyes reassured him. She certainly looked like she felt alright. She smiled up at him, and then to her father who was sitting looking worried. Another loud thunder strike and all three of them ducked. Michaela could hear the terror filled screaming of Nellie upstairs. She heart instantly sank, thinking that she left the girls inside, but she knew that there wasn't anything she could have done. Turning to Sully placed a hand at the center of his chest. "Go, finished the house. I need to be with the girls."

"Ya sure you're gonna be alright?" She nodded.

"I'm fine, I promise."

Joseph sat up a little straighter in his chair. "I'll help her upstairs." Sully gazed at the older man. Of course, they weren't necessarily the best of friends, but Sully knew that no matter what, 

Joseph would watch Michaela closely. Sully silently nodded, helping Michaela to stand as she made her way stiffly over to the stairs. Watching until they were well out of sight, Joseph safely guiding Michaela's actions, Sully stepped out to shudder the windows.

"Momma!" Katie shouted as soon as Michaela entered the room. She was standing next to Nell's crib clasping her little sister's hand through the bars. "Momma it's a storm!" Katie looked almost as upset as Nell was, but not quite. She was trying to be brave for her little sister, to make Nellie feel better, but now that Momma was here, she knew that everything really would be fine. Michaela breezed into the room and went straight for the crib.

Nell was sitting up cross-legged with tears streaming down her face. Her face was red and her hair mussed, as she held her arms out to Michaela. Patting Katie on the head, Michaela tucked the little girl close to her leg as she reached in to lift Nell from the crib. She groaned as the child's weight strained her back muscles, but bit her lip. She didn't want to give the girls something else to be afraid of. Careful to keep Nell on the other side of the blanket so as not to get her wet, Michaela sat with the girls on the edge of Katie's bed.

"Momma, you're wet!" Katie exclaimed patting her mother's hair, but not making an attempt to come any closer. She was already cold, and she didn't want to be wet too. Nell however, didn't seem to mind, still sniffing, she crawled into Michaela's lap and laid her head over on her chest. Michaela instinctively tried to wrap the little one in a blanket.

"I know sweetheart, I had to help Poppy put the horses in the barn.

"Is that why you weren't here?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." She shifted Nell, so she could see her face before asking her, "Do you forgive me?" The youngest girl didn't make a move one way or the other. She was just happy to have her mommy with her again, and rested comfortably, if not a little anxiously in her embrace. Katie on the other hand, wrapped her arms around Michaela and kissed her on the cheek.

"Yes ma'am."

Michaela smiled. "Good…" before she could finish her sentence another clap of thunder shook the little house. Nell buried her head further in to Michaela's chest, tugging on the blanket draped over her shoulders as Katie tightened her hold around her mother's neck.

"Is Poppy coming back?" she whispered in Michaela's ear.

"When he knows that the house is safe."

"Will the storm be over then?"

"Not yet, but soon." Looking up into her daughter's eyes, she could see the fear there. The same fear the she herself was feeling at the moment. She just wanted all of her family to be together. 

Wrapping an arm around Katie's waist Michaela pulled her close. "Why don't you sleep with me and Poppy tonight? Until the storm passes?" Tilting her head to one side, she pushed a strand of blonde hair out of Katie's face, tucking it behind her ear. She watched as Katie wordlessly nodded her agreement, and Nell peeked up at her. "Ok, let's do that.

Joseph was still standing in the doorway watching the little scene in front of him. There were so many things about Michaela's family that seemed different from how he knew she grew up. Everything seemed to be much freer here. There wasn't any emphasis put on convention or acceptable propriety. Michaela and Sully simply acknowledged only what was right for them. The offer for the girls to sleep in their parent's room was a novel idea to Joseph. It was something that Elizabeth would never had permitted in Boston. Propriety would simply not allow it, but then again Michaela had never been one to follow propriety.

As he watched Michaela struggle to stand, he stepped from his position in the doorway to aid her. "Let me help." He said lifting Nell from her arms, in an effort to relieve her of the weight. Nell protested a little, but Michaela quickly reached up and stroked her little hand.

"I'm right here." She stated, reaching down with the other hand and grasping Katie's hand in hers. Michaela lead them down the hallway.

"Scoot to the middle." She commanded softly, boosting Katie up onto their bed and arranging the pillows for them. Nellie began to wriggle her legs until Joseph finally let her down on the big bed. The two girls snuggled together against the warm fabric as Michaela pulled the sheets and a quilt over them.

"You need to change clothes before you catch cold." Joseph commanded quietly in a fatherly voice. The tone made Michaela stop. How long it had been since she heard him speak to her like that? The tone was comforting and nostalgic for her. Standing here she almost forgot what Sully had told her about their afternoon together, but not quite. Although she saw her father standing before her speaking to her like he always did with a little glint in his eye, there seemed to be something that separated them. A wall of words, spoken or not, that held his true thoughts. She wasn't quite sure how to be with her father and Sully at the same time. It felt as if she was being forced to choose. Looking up at him she tried to smile, but she was shivering.

"I will. You go get some sleep. I'm sorry that we've woken you."

"Not at all."

"I'll see you in the morning." She reached out and patted him on the arm.

Turning toward his room, he stopped at the doorway and turned toward her. " I'm glad that you weren't hurt."

"Thank you." She smiled at him, seeing the concern in his eyes.



There seemed to a tension between them, but Joseph couldn't identify what it was. Had Sully happened to tell her what was said this afternoon? Of course, he would have. How could he be so foolish as to think that Sully wouldn't come home and tell her? But why should this bother him? He had said those words and that's what he felt. He shouldn't be ashamed of what he believed. There should be no reason that he felt he could say these things to his son in law and not to his daughter. So why did he feel ashamed of her knowing?

As Joseph stood in the doorway of his room, his hand on the doorknob he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Looking up to see a soaking wet Sully coming toward him, he nodded wordlessly to the younger man. "Is everything alright?"

"Yea," Sully answered, wiping water off his mouth with the back of her hand. "Storm looks like it'll pass soon."

"That's good." Joseph answered. An awkward silence fell upon the two men as they stood facing each other in the hallway. Sully felt like there was something else that needed to be said, but he wasn't sure what that was. He stood there for a moment, giving Joseph the opportunity to clear his mind and speak, but no words came. Nodding silently to himself, he let his eyes wander back over to where he knew Michaela was in their room. He was anxious to see that she was ok. "Ok, well ya get some sleep." He made a slight nod to the older man before stepping into their bedroom and shutting the door behind him.


It was early the next morning, and Sully was standing on the porch of the homestead similar to how he did the night before, surveying the storm damage. This morning seemed to be exceptionally bright, the sunlight glistening off the water covering the world around him. The front path was all mud, with some large standing puddles in the low-lying areas of the yard. The ground was littered with tree limbs that had blown in from the surrounding areas. The size of these limbs varied anywhere between small twigs to a large limb that had struck the corner of the porch, tearing off the wooden shingles that covered the roof. Then there was the fence. The damage looked even more extensive that last night. A large chunk of the structure was now lying in a scattered heap across the ground.

Sully's mind flashed back to the night before. He could vividly remember watching Michaela fall backwards, surrounded by the crumpling pile of fencing. She bounced, almost in slow motion as she landed hard on the ground and when Flash took off, she came dangerously close to being trampled. Closing his eyes, he said a prayer of thanks that things had turned out the way they had.

When he made it back to his room that night, he was greeted by both Katie and Nell, who were covered up to their necks in with the wedding ring quilt that covered their bed.

"Hi Poppy!" Katie was the first to call out, smiling sweetly from her cozy place. He smiled down at her and, drying off his hand reached down to pat her head and run his fingers through her hair. Winking at Nell who was still wiping tears from her eyes he spoke softly, "Hey, my brave girls. 

Ya warm in there?" Nell nodded slightly. "Ok, the storm's gonna be over soon." He tried to reassure them, but he wasn't sure if Nellie was believing him or not. She pulled the sheets tighter under her chin.

Feeling a light touch on his shoulder, he turned to see Michaela, warm and dry, standing next to him. "Everything's alright with the house?"

"Yea, I think it'll be over soon. How're ya feelin'?" He gently laid his hand on her back, allowing his fingers to run down the ridge of her spin until it came to rest at the curve of her hip.

"I'm fine. I'll be a little stiff, but that's not bad." She stepped a little closer to him, but realized he was still wet. "You need to get out of those clothes."

"I will once I get ya into bed." Guiding her with his hand, he pulled the covers back just enough for Michaela to sit down and stretch her legs out before covering them over again. Letting out a deep breath, Michaela slowly relaxed the muscles in her tense body, letting herself to sink back into the feather tick. Once she had relaxed enough, she turned her head to face the little girl who was laying next to her on her pillow. Reaching out with her index finger, she stroked the side of Nellie's cheek.

"Sshhh. It's alright now." She whispered to the little one who reacted by curling her arms around Michaela's and snuggling down in the crook of her neck. Lifting her head slightly to see over her youngest daughter, she reached out and clasped Katie's hand pulling her closer to them.

This is how Sully found his girls when he emerged from behind the dressing screen. Sound asleep snuggled with each other in the warm bed he had made Michaela for their wedding.

Sully was still standing on the porch when he heard Michaela's voice ring out from behind him. "I thought I'd make some breakfast and we could get started. The girls can sleep a little late this morning." Turning, Sully stepped toward her and cupped his face. He wanted to protest, he didn't really working and taking the risk of making her back any worse, but before he could she seemed to read his thoughts. "You're going to need the help, Sully, and moving around will just help work some of the soreness out."

He gazed at her intently, his crystal eyes dancing over her beautiful face. He wanted to remember everything about her, to soak it all in. She was gorgeous. Absentmindedly his thumb began to stroke her cheek, and her eyes softened at his touch. Pulling her close, he placed a kiss to her forehead before turning to follow her inside.

"Hold this here." Sully said, placing a wooden beam in Michaela's hands. It wasn't long after breakfast and Sully had decided out of everything, he needed to get the fence patched the most. Having surveyed the damage, he realized that some of the beams were completely broken into pieces, preventing him from actually rebuilding the fence until he got over to Loren's this afternoon and got some new wood.

Michaela did as she was told and held the timber as still as possible as Sully tied it into place with rope. His hands moved fast, almost looking as if they were dancing. They worked seamlessly in silence, they way they often did. Often times if Sully needed another pair of hands, Michaela had gotten used to helping him, and although she wasn't always aware of what she was doing he was patient with her. As he was finishing up with one end of the beam, she slowly walked her hands to the other end and waited patiently as he started on that side.

"Your Pa's helping the girl's pick up limbs?" Sully asked breaking the silence between them. He had noticed that there seemed to be tension between Michaela and Joseph this morning over breakfast, and this bothered him a little. He didn't want to see Michaela's relationship with her father deteriorate because of him. He had foolishly allowed that to happen once, but he wasn't willing to watch it occur again. Joseph was too important to Michaela, had played too much of a part in her life for her to be forced to choose her husband over her father.

"I suppose he is." She said softly, watching his hands intently. She didn't want to look at him, she didn't want him to see what she was thinking at that moment.

"Don't do that." He sighed, his hands moving more forcefully.

"Don't what?"

"Don't shut him out 'Chaela. It isn't like that." She looked up at him, questioningly not entirely sure what he meant. "It ain't me against him. Ya don't hafta choose." As his words settled around her, she felt the emotions that had been boiling around her constrict around her heart. None of this was fair, it wasn't fair that her family had to go through this, that she felt it must be her father or Sully. She didn't want to choose. As tears welled in her eyes she found herself fighting the urge to cry, but refusing herself that luxury.

"I don't know how." She whispered causing Sully to lean toward her more. When she spoke again her words were a little louder. "I don't know how to be near him without this… this thing between us."

"Just enjoy his company. Tell him your stories and listen to his. That's all ya gotta do. You've been given such a gift 'Chaela. Ya gotta enjoy it."

"It's not the same. It can't be the same."

Why not? Sully wanted to ask her. He wanted to understand what she was going through. Looking back down to the timber, he made his final knot. As he did so, he realized answer to his question. He could understand the meaning behind Michaela's words, about why she felt like they couldn't be the same as before. "'Cause he doesn't approve?" he asked, jerking on the last of the rope. "You've always had his approval until now."

Michaela visibly flinched. Nothing would hurt her more than for Sully to believe this was his fault or that she regretted her decisions in anyway. "No, no of course not." Glancing down at the destroyed fencing, Michaela could feel the tears building again. She was quickly losing control.

Sully noticed how quickly she responded to his question and how she attempted to avoid his gaze. He hadn't realized how hard she was struggling with her emotions, and he recognized in part that this was because she was purposefully hiding from him. She didn't want him to know what she was feeling, what she was thinking. Now she was lying to him about it. Why?

Stepping between two of the broken posts, Sully stood beside her and leaned against the beam they had just fixed together.

"What are ya doin' 'Chaela?"

"We need to finish this Sully. I need to get to the clinic after lunch." She made to move away from him still avoiding his stare, but Sully reached out and caught her. Tugging her chin up to face him, he restated his question.

"Why are ya lying to me?"

"I'm not… I'm not lying to you." Reaching up to grasp his hand she pulled it from her face. She couldn't do this right now. She couldn't look at him, at those pain-filled eyes. She didn't want him to stand there and watch her cry and to think that it was because of him.

However, Sully was not to be deterred he kept his hand under her chin and looked into her eyes. "Then what are ya doin?"

This was her downfall. She couldn't escape him and she wasn't strong enough to tell him anything less than the truth. "I just… I don't want you to think I regret." Her words were choked and she could feel a tear travel down her cheek. "I don't want you to think that this is your fault, because it's not. This has nothing to do with you." She sniffed as the tears began to flow freely now.

As Sully slowly began to realized the meaning of her words he felt his heart swell. She had been trying to protect him. She was trying to shield him from hurt, but was hurting herself in the process. Although he couldn't stand to see her cry, he knew that this is what she truly needed, to let it all out. Pulling her to him, he soothingly rubbed her back. "Ssshhh. It's ok." He whispered as he supported her head against his chest. "It's ok ta hurt Michaela. It's normal 'cause this ain't easy."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She wept against his shoulder.

"Ssshhh. There's nothing to be sorry for." He patiently stood there, rubbing her back while she finally allowed herself to feel all of the emotions that had boiling on the inside. Her hands clutched at his jacket, pulling him closer to her in her distress. When she was finally done, she 

pulled back slightly, but not far enough to break their physical contact. She still needed him close.

Looking down at her, Sully reached up slowly and gently brushed the bangs out of her eyes. "I'll make you a deal." He said softly, eyes glistening. "I won't think that you regret anything, if you don't bottle everything up inside." Moving his hand from her head to her chest, he covered her heart with his palm. Michaela covered his hand with her own as she sniffed and nodded, smiling softly. "Good." Sully seemed to hum, glad that she was feeling better. Taking a calming breath, he allowed the edges of his mouth to curl into a subtle smile to match the gracious love glowing in his eyes. "Now whadda ya say we don't fix this fence so you can head to the clinic and I can go find Flash after lunch?"

Michaela took a deep breath, her chest, and shoulders relaxing as if physically expelling the last of those horrid emotions. "I think that sounds rather nice."

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!