Sara blinked. "What?"
Alice's eyes roamed their surroundings. Sara could see the sweat beginning to form on her forehead. The anxiety causing her fingers to tap restlessly against the steering wheel.
"We don't have time for this Sara." Alice muttered. "They won't wait at the meeting place for much longer. You don't have much time."
"You're letting me go?" Sara asked, stunned.
Alice forced herself to look steady at Sara. "Yes. Now would you please go?"
"Why?" Sara asked, ignoring the urgency. "Why…after everything?"
Alice sighed; she quickly scanned the area before looking back at Sara. "Because I never meant to fall for him. I never meant to consider you friend…" Sara could see the tears welling in the other woman's eyes. "Sara I never wanted to be part of their organization. But you don't understand just how high this goes. The people who are involved will go to any extent to continue with their plans. You don't understand how powerful these people are."
"So why are you letting me go?" Sara repeated, confused.
"Because," Alice exhaled, "Because I cared about Lincoln…he's the first person in years to look at me and see who I really am. See who I wanted him to see." She paused. "When you met with Jane Philips and his son…when I asked you to let me out?" Sara nodded, the other woman continued, "I started to leave, I wasn't going to follow my orders and kidnap Scofield then kill the rest of you. But I was scared-the organization….they would have killed me if I came back with nothing."
"If you let me go you will come back with nothing." Sara pointed out slowly.
Alice turned to Sara, "I can't do this to you. Despite everything I consider you a friend."
A passer by stumbled into the black SUV causing both women to jump.
"You'd better go." Alice muttered shakily.
"Come with me," Sara replied, her hand reaching for the handle.
Alice smiled sadly, "I can't. They'll know…if I'm with you, you'll never be able to escape them."
Sara nodded, yanked open the door and slide out of the car. She looked back in.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I shot your boyfriend. But for what it's worth I want you to know I tried to aim so I would miss any organs. It shouldn't have been a fatal shot."
Sara flinched. "I…" Sara looked around. "I'm not sure I can forgive you for hurting him….even if he's alive, he's still injured. But I honestly believe you're sincere, so thank you for that."
Alice nodded, accepting Sara's gratitude and logic with the same grace.
"I hope Michael's alright. Please let him know I'm sorry…" the woman's eyes flooded with tears. "Please let them both know how sorry I am…"
Sara paused, still confused and shock by the sudden twist. "I will…"
Before either woman can speak again Alice's radio crackles,
"Williams? Alice Williams…this is your commanding Officer…Report back ASAP. Williams?"
Alice shat Sara a quietly look. "Go."
"Alice-" Sara started once more. But before the doctor could make another attempt Alice slammed her foot against the peddle, causing the car to jerk to life.
Michael gritted his teeth as his brother applied another round of bandages to his body.
"Have Jane's men reported back yet?"
Lincoln kept his eyes steady on his job. He was trying not to be annoyed by his brother's constant badgering but his temper was starting to fray.
"Dude it's been four hours." Lincoln muttered.
"Damn it Lincoln…this is Sara's life!" Michael glared at his brother. "Do you understand that the longer they have her the more danger she's in?"
"I know what's at stake Michael." Lincoln said slowly. "But there's nothing we can do besides what we've already done. Jane has twelve agents combing the area looking for any sign of her. LJ and Jane are making phone calls and publishing rewards. And I'm leaving in twenty minutes to look myself."
Lincoln finished tapping the wrap against Michael's skin then look at him. "And in three days you can join us. But until then you're sitting right here and if you so much as think of moving I'll beat the shit out of you."
Michael trained his eyes away from his brother. He had been so strong, so unbelievably reasonable since she was taken. He knew he couldn't get up himself and look for her. At any point in time he could barely keep water down without making his body feel like it was being ripped in two. He knew that he was no good to her in the long run if he was dead.
"Do you think she's alright?" Michael whispered, suddenly reminding Lincoln of his older brother statues.
"Ya know-when we were trying to get you out she was a mess. Crying all the time…locked herself in the bathroom more times then my bladder wants to remember." Lincoln grinned, "But the entire time she was the best mess I could have asked for. She saved her breakdowns for convenient times. Did whatever was necessary to survive but nothing to compromise herself, but she still got the job down. And she was so damn persistent. She would have fought against anything and anyone to get you out of there."
Michael stared at his brother, "That's why I need to get out of there, that's why I need your help. Because she's done so much for me, since the moment I met her she's wanted to help. And I've done nothing but drag her down, ruin everything good in her life."
Lincoln sighed heavily, wondering how many times he was going to have to repeat himself. He opened his mouth to attempt to convince his brother that Sara would survive, that she would come back to him. His mouth clamped shut when he stood and realized tears prickled at his brothers' eyes. He watched Michael's throat flex in an attempt to hid e emotion.
"Michael-"
Michael dropped his head onto the pillow, allowing his entire body to completely give in. His eyes dropped close, warm tears running down his tanned cheeks. "I was horrible to her. I wanted her to pay. I wanted her hurt her."
"What are you talking about?" Lincoln asked. He knew very well of Michael's confusing treatment of the doc. Yet Lincoln knew his brother well enough to know Michael would never purpose hurt anyone he loved.
"I was furious with her." Michael whispered more to himself then his brother. "Why did I have to meet the woman I could love more then anything during this whole thing? Why did I have to use her, hurt her then abandoned her? Why did-" Michael chocked on a sob, his body shook violently as he tried to suppress it. "Why did being together, running off into the sunset mean she had to take someone's life?"
"Dude-" Lincoln sat on the bed, close to his brother. "It's chance-is all. Bad luck all around. But hey-it worked out for the better…right…you're alive….she's alive…" Lincoln let his words train off, it sounded lame even to his ears.
Lincoln sighed in a strictly big brother way, "Listen Mike. You've both been through hell. And when we get your girl back, cause we will, you're going to be together and nothing else will matter."
"If-Linc-if we get her back. They could have already killed her." Michael opened his eyes, his expression no longer of mass emotions.
Lincoln flinched at the hardness of his little brother's tone. "You don't believe that anymore then I do. They won't hurt her."
"You don't know that." Michael threw back at him.
The older brother sighed and stood, "Get some rest; I'm going to back some calls."
Michael waited until Lincoln reached for the door to speak again. "Lincoln-"
Lincoln turned, "Yeah?"
"I wanted to push her away to save her. I thought I wasn't good enough for her anymore. But-" Michael's eyes fell from his brother's face. " But I still love her."
Lincoln watched Michael lift his eyes back to him, "Do you think she knew that? Do you think she understood?"
Lincoln yanked the door open and threw a smile over his shoulder. "Dude, that chick had you figured out before you even opened your mouth. She's crazy about you…she understands you completely. And that, little brother, is reason enough to move heaven and earth to find her. Someone to deal with you?" Linc smirked, "Now there's something worth fighting for."
Sara was so exhausted when a white an approached her that for a moment she wouldn't have carried who's team he played for. It was to hot, she hadn't had any food or water in god knows how long and her entire body seemed to tremble with each step.
"Sara Tancredi?" The man muttered carefully.
Sweating trickled down her body, "Who are you?"
"We've been looking for you." The man said with a relieved smile, he didn't wait for her to continue, instead he gestured toward another SUV. "If you'd please get in, I know of a few people who would like to see you."
Sara eyed the man suspiciously, "Who are you?" she repeated.
"Let's just say you're boyfriend's father cut my checks." He winked, giving a smile.
"Oh so you know James?" Sara asked causally, taking a step toward the SUV.
The man stepped in behind her. "I knew Aldo, Dr. Tancredi, and I'll sincerely miss him."
"Sorry, for the test but it's been-" Sara turned, startled by the man's sincerity.
"You don't need to apologize, and don't worry. I'm here to take you back to Burrows and Scofield." He allowed her to lead the way to the SUV then opened the door for them. "Good thing we found you when we did….Scofield was shooting daggers at everyone….this should help his recovery."
"Michael-" Sara gasped, surprised, "He's alright?"
The man smirked sideways at her, "Hell yeah….I don't think that family understand the meaning of injured."
Sara fell against the seat with a smile. He was alright-they were free…..they were together.