A/N : Okay, so I was reading some of my stories again this morning, and I just felt re-connected to this one. SO : I got you another chapter. I really hope you like it. It's a pretty long one, but for some reason I felt like I couldn't divide it into 2 chapter. So one big chappie.

Please let me know what you think about this chapter? Please? It's just -- I need to know whether or not people still like this story... Pretty please?

XO, as always

Michael

"Michael…"

He looked at her lovingly, listening to her speak the name that she had repeated over and over in her sleep. It was a wonderful half sigh that was proving to be addicting to him, and he would never get enough.

"I'm here." He whispered, touching his finger to her cheek and lightly caressing it. He wondered how he could have ever gotten this lucky – and the answer to how she found him and simply knew, was still eating away at him. He knew that it shouldn't matter, that all that was important was that they were here, together, but still…

She cleared her throat. "Not to worry you, but could you please go and get Maggie? I'm feeling a little…" she stopped. "But I'll be okay, I just need to ask her something."

Michael pressed a kiss to her hair and nodded. "I'll be right back." Not to worry you,… God, his mind was racing with it. He tried to remain cool and calm, showing her that he could be the rock, be her pillar of strength when she needed him to be – but he was screaming on the inside.

"Maggie?" he carefully knocked on the couple's bedroomdoor and almost laughed when the woman answered it, still drowsy from sleep, and still in her flower print nightgown. "I'm so sorry to wake you, but Sara needs you. I don't think she's feeling well."

Sara

The next thing she knew, she felt Maggie's soft yet worn hands touch her forehead and heard her sigh a little. She could feel Michael's presence in the room, could feel the worry oozing from his body. Damn it, she wanted to be stronger than this. They didn't have time for this.

"Sara," a voice cut through the haze. "Sara, honey, I think you're running a bit of a temperature. Can you open your eyes for me?"

"I'm not.." Sara sighed, and tried to open them. Her eyelids felt really heavy and she only managed a slight crack. Great, now she could see the worried faces. "I'm just really tired and I feel very heavy."

Maggie nodded. "I know, honey. I think it's normal – your adrenaline and the stress of yesterday's situation kept you going, but I think the side-effects of your coma are catching up with you."

"What exactly does that mean?" It was the first he'd spoken since they'd entered the room and his voice sounded a bit broken. "I mean, what else is coming?"

"I'm not really sure. I'm going to give her something that will leave her feeling a little sick, but should make her better by nightfall." The phone rang, and she excused herself to answer it.

Michael sank down onto the bed and stroked Sara's hair. "You're going to be alright," he whispered before leaning down to kiss her cheek. "You'll be okay."

"You can't wait for me." She squinted up at him. "You have to go, Michael."

He shook his head decidedly. "No. I'm not leaving you. One more day won't make a difference."

"I'm not strong enough, Michael. Please, every second you stay here is a second they can find you. Please."

He bit his lip. "No."

Maggie entered the room, a syringe in her hand and a disturbed expression on her face. "That was Mal – he said that the FBI came into his shop and asked him questions. It won't be long before they figure this thing out, I'm afraid."

"There." Sara croaked out. "Michael, you have to go. I won't lose you like this."

"He's not the only one that needs to disappear, Sara – we'll have to find you a place as well."

"She's coming with me."

Maggie shook her head sadly. "She's still too weak, running would put her at risk right now. Sara, do you have a place in mind?"

"I have to return the bulletproof vest to a friend of my grandfather. I'll stay with him for a while." She reached up and softly kissed Michael. "I'll be with you as soon as I can, I promise." She could just make out the sadness in his eyes. "I promise, Michael."

He sighed. "I don't like it, but if you think this is the best… Just lay down for a while. I'll stay just for today. Is that okay?" He turned to Maggie for affirmation.

"Okay. Sara's going to need you anyway for the next few hours. I'll make the arrangements for your accomodation. Now, sweetie, this might sting a bit, you might want to squeeze something."

Maggie expertly inserted the needle into Sara's veins, while she grabbed Michael's arm for support. He didn't mind one bit that it was nearly squeezed to a pulp – it was his job to do this for her, and he'd been through a lot worse. "Oh God."

"There you go – now, you might get sick, so I'll bring you a bowl. And Michael, I'll inform your brother."

"Thanks." He laid down next to Sara and simply looked at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Heavy and light. It feels weird." She turned to him, now able to better open her eyes. "Thank you for staying with me."

He gave her a sweet lopsided smile. "I'll always be here. Except when you," he rolled his eyes, "demand that I leave."

Sara let out a little laugh. "Just wanted to establish who wears the pants in this relationship."

He pouted. "Yeah. I mean, you run out of the bushes and save me like some heroine, firing the gun like a pro, and now boss me around. Let me be the man for once, will you?"

"You can take care of me." She hummed. "And you're my man."

He grinned as he watched her eyelids droop closed. "I sure am."

--

She woke with a start and noticed that her palms were sweating. Her breathing was irregular and she was having a hard time swallowing. Michael immediately sat up and rubbed her back, handing her the bowl Maggie had placed beside the bed.

"It's okay, Sara. You're going to be okay."

His presence was soothing. It was as if nothing could touch her, despite the illness that had taken her. She was happy that her eyes were fully open and that she felt awake. That, at least, was something. Now she just wished that the desperate need to empty her stomach would disappear. She sighed when he took the bowl back from her. "Is that it?" He whispered.

She nodded. "For now, at least." Michael wordlessly stood and went to rinse the bowl, before handing her a glass of water.

"Maggie cleared it with Clive," he told her. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you like, and he can get us to Panama. Apparantly, the man has a plane." He huffed a laugh. "You keep on saving us, Sara."

Clive. Yes, of course. She'd forgotten his name, but now that she heard it, it all came back to her. How could she have forgotten… " It's my job, " she smiled.

Michael pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you."

"You're lucky I love you." She teased.

"I know." He said, and looked at her in a way that made her feel all warm and fuzzy, temperature aside.

--

[The next day.]

"Are you sure?"

Sara nodded, blinking up into the blue early summer sky. She looked at the building that would shelter her for God knows how long, and smiled. "I'm sure, Michael. I'll be safe here. You'll be safe. It'll be great. C'mon." She reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers, softly pulling him towards the front door.

The house looked somewhat worn, with creaking frontsteps and an all around familiar air. She wondered if her grandfather could see her now, standing in front of his best friend's house, holding hands with an escaped convict. She missed him a lot.

They knocked on the door and were immediately met with a toothy grin. "Hello babydoll. So I reckon this is the guy you went off to save?" He held out his hand for Michael to shake. "I suppose he'll do." He winked at Michael and motioned for them to come in. Only then did he discover Lincoln standing behind the two of them. "And you must be Lincoln? Welcome."

Sara immediately took a deep breath when she entered the house. "I remember this smell," she mused. "Grandpa took me here once, didn't he?"

Clive nodded. "Sure did. He was tired of 'playing cards in his old dumpster', he told me." He rolled his eyes. "That house was a beauty. Especially that old table."

"I remember that I hit my head on that old beauty a few times, Gramps." A voice spoke up behind them. Clive laughed. "That's because you were so petite, blondie." He motioned for her to come closer. "Sara, you remember my granddaughter Evelyne?"

A woman who was about Sara's age, with blonde hair and blueish eyes, stepped into sight. Sara's mouth fell. "Lynnie?"

Evelyne cocked her head. "What's up, Beetlejuice?" She nearly ran towards Sara, who immediately enveloped her into a bear hug.

"I can't believe you're here!" Sara exclaimed excitedly.

The other girl laughed. "Hey, this is my grandfather's house. I can't believe you're here."

Sara rolled her eyes. "It's a long story."

"Evelyne has been living with me for almost 8 years now." Clive told them. "She said it was a 'temporary thing'."

"Yeah, so-rry! How was I supposed to know that hag would live through the day?" She turned to Sara to explain. "My dad – do you remember, the beard-y guy? –" she made a pointy gesture below her chin, "married the wicked with of the West, who kicked me out."

"She kicked you out?" Sara huffed. "Hate her already."

"Yeah, anyway, and seeing as I don't have a hubbie or anything, I figured, why not look after the old man?" She nudged her grandfather playfully. "Speaking of men, who are your friends?"

"Yeah, sure, sorry." Sara grinned sheepishly. "This is Michael, and his brother Lincoln."

Evelyne clapped her hands. "Nice to meet y'all!" Next, she leaned in close to Sara and whispered : "Cute!".

Sara smiled before answering. "Yeah, but keep your grubby hands off of Michael. He's mine."

"Nice." She praised. "And my hands are so not grubby. Alright, maybe a little."

"Lynnie, darlin', would you stop wearing Sara out. She's here to rest, you hear me?" Clive scolded.

"Right." She amended. "But you know you're going to tell me every little detail, right? Now, grandpa will show you to your room, while I get to know my passengers a little."

Lincoln's mouth fell. "You mean you're going to fly us to Panama?"

"Panama, Brazil, anywhere you wanna go, tough guy." She frowned. "Why? You questioning my capability?"

Michael shook his head. "We're a hundred procent sure that you'll be great."

"I thank you. Now, we leave around 5, so that leaves you about half an hour to get yourselves ready and say goodbye and all. I'll see you then."

--

Michael

She would be safe here. She had her friends here, who – it was very clear to him – loved her and would protect her, no matter what.

Still, it was hard to leave her, not knowing when they would see each other again. It felt as if they never stopped saying goodbye to each other. It was hard that very first time, when he ran away leaving her angry and confused, and it would be equally hard now, when she was sick and they'd finally had real time together.

He shuffled up the wooden stairs and followed the sound of her voice, explaining to Clive what had happened before, how everything had turned out and how she had saved his life. How his bulletproof jacket had saved her life. He remembered his own agony when he'd heard the gunshot and had seen her fall to the ground. It had felt as if his heart was being ripped out. But she'd survived and lead the way.

Michael leaned against the doorframe and observed her. Her hands flew in front of her body, enthusiastically gesturing to better explain. He saw her smile happily and free. It struck him again how empty he would be without her.

Without her.

She noticed him standing there and fell silent. Her smile turned somewhat sad and her eyes immediately showed the love she felt for him. He walked over and sat beside her, while Clive subtly removed himself from the scene.

"We leave in half an hour."

Sara cast her eyes downward, now focussing on her hands that lay still in her lap. Michael reached for them and pressed a soft kiss to her palms. "You'll be safe here. Happy."

She closed her eyes. "I know. I've been blessed."

"…and I'll call you, okay? And I'll be waiting for you." He leaned against her while she gently pushed them back so they were lying on the bed. She cuddled up to him and idly traced patterns on his chest. "I know."

She huffed a laugh. "All of a sudden this doesn't seem like such a great idea. But I know it's for the best. I'm not… well enough. And Lynnie will fly you there safely. And when I'm better, she'll bring me there, too." A heavy sigh escaped her lips. "I'll miss you."

"Me too." He looked up towards the ceiling, where a glass shield granted them a view of the sky. "We'll see eachother soon, though. I know it – I just know it."

"Sara? Will you tell me how you knew where to go the other day?"

Sara

She raised herself on one arm and turned to him sideways, resting her head on her hand. "You'll think I'm crazy."

He tapped her nose with his finger. "I promise I won't."

Sara took a deep breath. "So, I woke up from the coma and Maggie was there, right? And the day passed, my father came by and we fought, Maggie and I talked about you and how I felt about you. At one time, she asked me how I would feel if something were to happen to you, and the question scared me, 'cause the very reason I woke up in the first place was because I heard you.. I heard you shouting my name in fear, and – that's when I woke up." She shook her head as if to clear the sound from her memories. She could still hear it in her mind, as if wasn't over yet, and she still had to go through all of that again.

"You called me that day, and I was angy with you. I shouted at you, I was…mean and pretended like I just..didn't care. When I turned on the television afterwards, there was a report on the news. They said that –" She took a deep breath to steady herself. Her hands were shaking and she felt a sudden coldness envelop her. " They said that – you were gone. They'd shot you and you were lying there," A sob wrecked her body, and Michael drew her into his arms again, shushing her. "you were covered with a white blanket and you were – God, Michael. You were just gone. And I was – I couldn't breathe, and there was darkness."

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "It was all a dream."

"That's the thing," she whispered, looking into his eyes again, confusion clearly written in her own. "It wasn't a dream. When I woke up again, the day just happened all over again. Every single detail was the same. You weren't gone yet. And I had to save you. I had the possibility of saving you, of being with you before it was too late. Maggie helped me,because she knew, Mal, and Clive,… – I couldn't get the image of you underneath the white sheet out of my head, and it was as if I'd memorized the place where it had happened. So I went there – and I found you."

She gave him a sideways grin. "Still don't think I'm crazy?"

Michael

Michael pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Nah. I'm just so – grateful. They gave us a second chance, Sara. Craziness aside…I'm just really happy. They brought you back to me." He kissed her tenderly, while she closed her eyes in contentment.

Their private moment was interrupted by Evelyne, calling for Michael, saying it was time to leave. Sara looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. "You have to leave again."

"Ah." He said, "but this time it's not for good. We'll see eachother soon." He brushed his lips against her lips, her eyes, her nose. "I love you, Sara."

She looked at him and smiled. "I love you too. I'll be with you soon."

--

When he sat in the plane, Lincoln beside him and Sara standing outside, her arms folded and a sad yet reassuring look in her eyes, his breath hitched. She was fading in the background until she was completely out of sight. He had a aching need to take over the plane and fly back to her, but he couldn't. They were almost there – they would be free.

And she'd come to him. She'd come.

I wish I could give you the answers and paper and ink
I wish I could stop all the tears before they start falling
But we're feeling our way and we're always beginners
We're all cuts and no scars

The higher you reach
The further the sky
The more miles you walk
The longer the road
The steeper you climb
The harder you stand to fall
The stronger you get
The heavier the load

- The Gabe Dixon Band, "The further the sky". I don't know, it sort of fit, I can really see it playing as the plane takes off. That's just me, though.

So? Please tell me what you think? Please? O, and what did you think about Evelyne? She's like, this somewhat crazy person, who's really really sweet. Have you ever seen the movie "Sydney White"? Well, she's sort of like Dinky, but not with the big hair and stuff. Just this really happy, really sweet and kind person. I was thinking about maybe writing something between her and Lincoln, but I'm not really sure. So, if you have an opinion on that, you can let me know, too!

Please, please, tell me what you think? I really need to know.

Xo, as always,

Laura