Disclaimer's Note: I do not own 'Prison Break' and I do not make any profit through the following.

'Blast you, gophers; you haven't been kicking your heels, have you? I want you in the car – fully dressed… That doesn't refer to him.'

'I hate her.'

'Believe me, so do I.'

Chapter 10

…Only one but the bait is

All the difference that it makes…

Fox River State Penitentiary

Joliet, Illinois

'Visitation, Scofield!'

Michael cut fraying a thoroughfare in the cell floor and waited for the door to slide open.

The guard stopped at the visitation room entrance, rapping a fist on his shoulder.

'She's bloody gorgeous, really. But I don't know how you keep tabs on her – dude, her mouth won't shut for a sec.'

Michael granted him with a silent glaze before going in. The hands in his pockets clenched in fists while he slowly skimmed through the tables.

'Here, pumpkin.'

He slowly exhaled and made his way to the table without taking a seat.

'What do you want?'

'Seize me and let's do it on the table.'

Michael kept his blue eyes on her.

'What about something I'm interested in?'

Sally sighed theatrically.

'What about a business offer?'

'I don't do it for money.'

'It's not about sex, beaver. I'm offering you a job.'

State Court Hall

Chicago, Illinois

'You okay?'

'Smashing.'

Lincoln's eyebrows rose but he providently spared any further questions, deciding he didn't have the least desire to experience the smash himself.

'… for the general welfare, I advise you not to take any further self-destroying actions, including gargling with legislation, criminal law or correctional services. If you need to spare somebody, start with me. Spare me any further contacts with your own personality on this side of the bench. Feel free to go.'

Michael stood up and nodded. Turning to his brother, he said:

'You owe me a drink.'

'You've got it.'

'Just give me a sec.'

He glanced at the back rows and made his way to one of the spectators to the trial.

'Hi.'

'Hi.'

'You didn't appear for the prosecution.'

'So I noticed.'

'I… I hoped you'd come. To visitation, I mean.'

Michael talked while intently watching the district attorney's expression. Her reaction, however, bore no more excitement than the one at listening to a seminar on dragonfly population in the surroundings of a sparsely populated Welsh county.

'Look, Jean, I wanted to…'

What did he want, actually? To give her promises? To take such out of her? Take permission to make her part of future plans? Have a talk? Or stay silent? It simply…

'…damn… say something.'

'It's far more exciting to watch you squirming.'

It simply…

Michael had never been in for simple things.

Locking fingers behind his nape, he rested his head and sat beside Jean.

Sentences like 'I say, we should try, shouldn't we', 'I'm yours; take me' and 'Hi… 'ts up' were too far from his style.

Observe her silently, his dove-colored eyes unblinkingly drilling hers, leaving the emotional part of the conversation to her. Start excusing for things she'd never think were his fault. That was too close to his style. And would've led him… nowhere, actually. Just the way it had always had.

While his brain was skimming through top ten dumb sentences, his vocal organs pronounced the one, exceeding all classifications.

'It's probably not the most seducing offer you've heard and you might as well kick my ass, but…'

She shook her head. Michael leaned elbows over his knees, locking his fingers together.

Like surviving after shark attack and then die from choking with a mackerel ossicle during the festive dinner party. Easy wasn't easy. What was hard… wasn't easy, either.

It didn't really matter how he'd go in for it, actually. According to iron manly logics, what mattered in that case was whether she took interest or she didn't. Whatever he said now, couldn't change it.

'You don't wanna have any relations to an inmate in Fox River.'

'No.'

He exhaled loudly, not finding what to say. Questions like 'you sure?' or 'Why, why? WHYYY?!' matched the upper classification perfectly.

Why should he have opened his mouth at all?

'It's just you aren't an inmate in Fox River anymore.'

Jean tapped him on the shoulder and stood up.

Michael looked up.

'Hey, does that mean I can ask you out?'

Jean rolled her eyes up.

'Yeah, I guess it does.'

He also stood up and caught up with her. He had tangibly stopped squirming.

'We're going out for a drink with my brother…'

But I can't do this alone…

In a while your dreams will be worn.

Will you still be a hero by then?

It's not about what has been done.

It's about what you can.

You score and it's still one to one.

You can't always think a plan.

I can do anything I've set my mind to –

I feel it in my bones.

Oh, really? You can pull all of your plans through?

Anything I've set my mind to.

You're hell of an optimist, man.

And you may actually get me to believe you.

Empty-handed, both we can. We can pull this through.

No guarantees, no plan.