Chapter Seven
A shrill scream pierced through the dark, silent night. Michael's eyes snapped open and he shot up into a seated position in the bed, to see Sara sitting up next to him. She was shaking and sweaty, yet what got him most worried were the tears streaming down her cheeks, shining in the moonlight.
"Sara, what's wrong, what's happened? Are you hurt?" he asked frantically, bringing his hands up to cup her cheeks as his eyes did a quick scan to check she was physically okay. She didn't reply, simply turning to him and burying her face in his shoulder, clutching him tightly. He brought his arms around her back, hugging her just as tightly to his chest as he whispered soothing words into her ear.
Just as her shoulders began to ease in their shaking, the bedroom door burst open, startling them both. Lincoln stood in the doorway, a worried expression upon his face, and Veronica and LJ peered in from behind.
It's okay, Michael mouthed at them. Lincoln nodded and backed up, closing the door quietly behind them. Michael turned his attention back to Sara, who's shaking was easing up. He gently stroked her hair with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. After several long moments, Sara withdrew slightly and drew in a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that," she said slowly, bringing a soft hand up to gently caress his cheek. "It was just a nightmare, it was nothing. You can go back to sleep."
"Hey, it's not nothing if it got you this upset," he replied, his voice soft but his tone firm. He stared into her beautiful brown orbs, relieved to see there were no more tears. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She drew in a deep, shaky breath, smiling tightly to mask her true emotions. "I, uh, I've just been having a recurring dream lately…ever since Gila," she said, tensing at the last few words. She knew he would understand immediately, and he reacted just as she thought.
Michael's eyes narrowed and an angry expression crossed his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a finger over his lips.
"Michael, I should never have left you in Gila. I got out to my car, then realised I didn't want to be without you. It was my fault; I made it easy for Kellerman to capture me. I'm so sorry," she said sadly. She took her finger from her lips and brought her arms in front of her body, slightly hugging herself. To Michael, it looked like she was trying to shield herself from the memories, and it made his heart break.
"Don't blame yourself, Sara. I should have gone outside after you, I could have protected you. I'm so sorry that this has happened to you, and I wish I could take it all away. But right here, right now, I promise to you that as long as I live, no other person will ever hurt you again. Ever." He took her hands in his and pulled her lightly forward, so there were only inches between them. He rested his forehead against hers, gazing into her eyes to show his sincerity. "I promise."
Her lips found his, and they shared a strong, heated kiss, showing each other how much they meant to one another. They broke apart, but stayed very close. "Promise me something else," she said so softly, barely above a whisper.
"Anything," he breathed back.
"Promise me you'll never leave me." her eyes suddenly filled with tears, which concerned him. One spilled over and slid down her cheek, and he leaned forward to kiss it away.
"I promise I will never leave you. I couldn't Sara, you mean too much to me. Without you, I have nothing…what brought this on?" he asked concernedly.
"Uh, well I'm not just dreaming about what Kellerman did to me. I see them take you away from me, getting thrown back into Fox River and never getting to see you again. I can't live without you." She stared at her lap, too afraid to look up at him. What if she was scaring him off?
Her worries were soon put to rest by him, as he tilted her head up, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I love you too much. So, wether you like it or not, you're stuck with me."
They shared a sweet smile, before Michael lay back down on the bed, pulling her along. She leaned against his torso, resting her head on his shoulder.
"So, what can I do to take these nightmares away?" he pondered aloud. She glanced up to see him grinning, and their lips met halfway.
Definitely a good way to distract me, Sara thought contentedly during mid-kiss.
The next morning, Michael awoke early. Sara was still nestled in his arms, fast asleep, and he carefully eased off the bed without disturbing her. The room was mostly dark, and as he passed by the window he could just see the first few weak rays of the sun, which was yet to rise. He tiptoed out of the room, and headed down the staircase.
"Morning man," said a voice as he entered the kitchen, and Michael glanced up to see Lincoln at the table with a mug of coffee in his hands.
"Morning Linc. You're up early," Michael replied, going over to the counter and getting out a mug. There was a nearly full pot of coffee already brewed, which he helped himself to.
"Yeah, too much on my mind. I'm sure I'll sleep better in a few days," Lincoln replied. He waited until Michael sat down across from him at the table with a mug of coffee, before lowering his voice slightly. "So, Sara last night…is she okay?"
Michael noticed the concern on his brother's face, and gave a tired smile. "She's okay. Not doing too great, all the stress of the past few weeks has really caught up to her. She's been having nightmares, from what Kellerman did to her…" His voice hardened up at the last few words. "And I let him near her. When he was helping us on the train, and with Sara's key…After she tried to kill him, I should have known that it was worse than she let on. God, why didn't I do something about it then?"
"Hey, hey, don't beat yourself up about it," Lincoln interrupted. "She had already been hurt by him, and as long as we were around he wouldn't have done it again. We used him to help with the key, and then we dumped him. It's all in the past, so now you need to focus on the future, and helping her get past it."
"Yeah, you're right I guess," Michael replied.
"Of course I'm right. I'm the older brother," Lincoln joked lightly, making Michael grin. They kidded around with each other for a few minutes before being distracted by footsteps coming down the staircase.
"Hi guys," Veronica greeted them, dressed in a pressed shirt and knee length black skirt. "Linc, don't forget we have a meeting with that friend of Sara's father today. We're going to have to leave soon; the plane will be there to pick us up at 9am." She headed over to the coffee machine and poured a quick cup.
"Good, so I need you to call me immediately after that meeting," Michael replied before Lincoln had a chance to respond. "This should all get cleared up after today, I hope, depending how it goes."
"Sure," Veronica answered as she took a seat at the table next to Lincoln. "From what Jane told me yesterday, she got the names of some government members who aren't involved with the Company, so they will be there too. I have a good feeling about today."
"Well I better get ready then," Lincoln said, getting up from the table. He headed upstairs, leaving the two to continue talking about the Company members and the meeting.
Lincoln spent a few minutes having a quick shower and getting changed, then headed out of the room. Instead of going back downstairs, he poked his head into LJ's bedroom, where he saw his son fast asleep in bed. He decided to let him sleep, and tiptoed out of the room.
LJ slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the bright sunlight streaming through the window. He stretched out in the bed, contemplating wether he should get up or not. He had no idea what time it was, but felt so comfortable under the warm covers. However he could just hear faint noises coming from downstairs, and figured he may as well get up and find out what the plans for the day were.
Yawning loudly, he got up and exited his room, not bothering to change out of the sweatpants and shirt he had slept in. He followed the sounds downstairs, and towards the kitchen.
"Hey sleepyhead," Sara said as LJ entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. She was standing at the counter with a loaf of bread, making sandwiches.
"Morning Sara" he replied. "What time is it?"
"Twelve thirty. Guess you were really tired," Sara told him, grinning slightly at the surprised look on his face at hearing how late it was.
"Is dad here?" LJ asked, gladly accepting the sandwich that Sara held out on a plate and taking a seat at the table.
"No, he's with Veronica and Michael, they've been meeting with some government people and people from our side all morning, getting this sorted out. I'm just waiting on their phone call to see how it all went, it should be over soon." She joined him at the table with her own lunch, and joined him at the table. Wanting to avoid an awkward silence, she asked him a question about school, and were both chatting along like old pals in no time.
Around twenty minutes later, a cell phone sitting atop the kitchen counter began to ring loudly, the shrill sound startling them both. Sara jumped out of her seat, and after quickly checking the caller id she flipped the phone open.
"Hello?" she said into the phone, and LJ eyed her with interest. He had no idea what the person on the other end of the phone was saying, but it must have been great news because Sara's face broke into a huge grin.
"Thank god…that's wonderful…how much longer?...yeah…" she continued, nodding into the phone. Michael's voice, although sounding slightly tinny through the phone, was extremely excited, matching just how she felt. Everything was over; there would be no police or anyone pursuing him or her, and the entire Company had been completely dismantled, with many of the higher up people locked away in prison.
"What, what is it?" LJ asked as he caught her eye. She smiled and glanced away, concentrating on what Michael was saying to her.
"Okay…sure…love you too. Bye." She flipped the phone shut and placed it carefully on the counter, then casually walked back over to the kitchen table. She purposefully sat down at the table and took a sip from her coffee, before glancing up at LJ's expectant face.
"Oh, right. It's over," she said, and they both broke out into matching grins. "They'll be here in a few hours, but it all went well, the Company leaders are in prison, and Lincoln was awarded a settlement payout for almost being wrongfully killed in Fox River. Michael, you and I have all been given full pardons as well."
"That's awesome," LJ said. He rose out of his chair and leant over, wrapping his arms around Sara in a hug. She was slightly surprised, yet hugged him back.
"Thanks Sara," he told her, blushing slightly at his show of affection as he withdrew.
"For what?" she asked as she picked up their dirty plates and took them over to the sink.
"For not treating me like a kid," LJ replied. "This whole time, Dad and everyone's been treating me like I'm still a child, but I'm sixteen, I'm not a kid anymore. Even Veronica has, the past few days. But you don't, and I really appreciate that."
"It's okay. But your dad and everyone? Give them time. These past weeks have been stressful on all of us, but things will settle down now, and your dad will see you're not a kid," she told him. He sighed slightly but nodded, and slowly got up from his chair.
"Okay, well I think I'll go have a shower," LJ said, and headed out of the kitchen, leaving Sara to herself. She slowly moved back over to the table and picked up her half full mug of coffee, and took a sip. Deep in thought, she sat down at the kitchen table and gazed into her coffee, plans of the future running through her head. Although she would never tell anyone, those plans included an intricately designed cot and a small, blue eyed, auburn haired baby.
A/N…I'm pretty sure I'm nearing the end, most likely to only be one more chapter after this, although if it's liked enough I may consider a sequel. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :)
