Michael had looked so angry, his blue eyes, pools of oceanic fury, his posture stiff as he stood staring at the tops of the trees.

After her initial shock at his anger, Sara had been hit with the brief concern that Michael would simply dive off the cliff after the phone. But that was silly. It was just a cell phone, wasn't it?

The phone must be important to him, that's all. Maybe it held all of his important client info? If so, the retrieval of the SM card should fix everything, well that and a new phone. And when this was over, Sara intended to buy Michael the very best cell phone money could buy. It was the least she could do, after all it was her klutziness that was to blame for all of this.

Fighting the urge to apologize yet again, Sara took a quick glance behind her to confirm that Michael was keeping up.

The conversation between the two of them had been pretty much nil so far, with only an instruction or two on Sara's part, to watch out for this branch or that rock.

It was the sound of Michael swearing softly behind her now, that made Sara slow up. She was used to moving briskly through the trees and had to remind herself that Michael, who was most likely not a seasoned hiker might need a slower, less aggressive pace.

"You okay?"

Michael was starting to sweat, the fine beads on his forehead glistening in the summer sun. "Yeah, I'm okay, I just slipped...I thought you said the way down was steep?"

"It will be when we actually start to head down. But first we have to get to where the cliff is lower, less steep. We couldn't climb here without the proper gear. Not unless we want to wind up in a heap at the bottom."

Michael just looked at her. After a beat, Sara turned back around, her hand shooting out with grace to push aside a low branch.

Fifteen minutes later they found the perfect place to start their descent...

XXXXX

This was the spot, one Sara had visited many times, and yet it never ceased to amaze her.

She had discovered it as a little girl. Her sister Katie, much too girlie to come so far into the trees, didn't even know it existed.

This was Sara's special place, always had been. The place she came to cry when her prom date told her on the day of the prom that he wouldn't be taking her, that he was taking Jenna Wilkins instead…

The place she always came to when Katie, ever the star, made her feel like so much dirt beneath her hovering feet…

This was the spot that made it all seem better, or at least more tolerable...

This was Sara's special place, and she was ready to share it with Michael…Maybe it would help him with whatever it was that he faced each night when he closed his eyes for sleep?

Maybe...

XXXXX

When he came through the clearing Sara was stooped in front of him, her lean body bent low as she tightened the laces on her hikers. It hadn't taken Michael long at all to notice the ease and grace of her movements, as she led him through the trees. But how could Sara be so graceful at something like this, hiking, when every other activity, where she was concerned anyways, seemed like an accident waiting to happen?

It was certainly puzzling.

Shaking his head, Michael bent to tighten his own laces. When he was standing again he saw that Sara was now standing near the cliff's edge, staring out but not down. He joined her, his mouth opening to suggest they not waste precious daylight when the beauty before him stopped all thought.

The area below was lit with movement. Colors kissed in sunlight, blues, purples and bright oranges mingling together as the butterflies danced. And it was as if they were dancing, their beauty of movement elegant and graceful as the wind carried them along an invisible trail set to an inaudible song, one only they could discern.

"There's so many of them," the awe in his own voice was not lost on Michael and when Sara turned to look at him, he forced his eyes away from the butterflies to meet her stare. "This place is…It's amazing…Did you know this was here?"

Sara nodded, as a shy smile touched her lips. "It's where I've always felt at home." She blushed then and broke eye contact, her eyes moving back to the Dance Russe below, but Michael's eyes never moved from Sara as he studied her. She was at home here; he could see it in her eyes, her stance, in the very air that surrounded her. This place was hers. Swallowing hard at the significance of this discovery, Michael bent to tighten his shoelaces again.

With this redundant task complete, "We should ah, we should probably head down now, don't you think?"

Turning, Sara nodded, the sunlight in her hair setting it ablaze as it blew back from her brow. "I'm ready whenever you are, Michael."

XXXXX

"He's still not picking up." Lincoln was cupping his cell phone in his large hands. He brought it thoughtfully up to his chin as he paced.

It wasn't like Michael to not answer his phone and it was near impossible that his brother wouldn't have responded to one of the many messages left for him by now. Linc had left a total of five messages so far that day. Maybe he is out and just forgot to take the phone along? Again, not like Mike, but shit happened, right?

The problem was the cell phone was the only way Linc had of contacting his little brother. He hadn't a clue what Sara's last name was, much less a phone number for her there in California.

"You're about to wear a hole in the carpet, you know?" Sammie said with a soft smile from her spot on the brown corduroy sofa. She was aware of the anxiety her man was feeling and was hoping to relieve some of it with a little bit of light teasing.

When this got no response and did little to erase the crease between his brows, "I really like my flowers, you know? They remind me of that field where you and I…"

This got the desired reaction and soon Lincoln was setting beside her on the sofa. "Oh, that one," he grinned, "I remember that field. I knew those flowers drew me to them for some reason," his mood was steadily lightening as he spoke, his fingers stroking along Sammie's inner forearm, from the bend of her elbow to her wrist, making her sigh.

Returning the favor as any good girlfriend would, Sam slowly ran a fingertip along the tattoo that graced his muscled upper arm. Soon her lips were tracing the pattern made by her lazy fingers and the sounds that filled the quiet room were deeper as he sighed.

"Maybe we should move this to the bedroom, what do you think?" his voice was husky with need.

"I was thinking the kitchen?" Sammie grinned as she nipped at his lower lip. "I'm kind of hungry."

His sexy grin drove straight through her and then he was slipping up from beneath her and scooping her into his arms.

The living room was filled with giggles as he carried her through to the kitchen.

Soon the sound of a Reddi-whip top being popped off could be heard, followed by another burst of giggles.

XXXXX

The climb down the side of the cliff had left Sara's palms sore, but she hadn't let that stop her. She was on a mission. This was her fault and she had been determined to find the cell phone and make it right. Usually she would bring along gloves for climbing but the impromptu trip this day hadn't allowed for such luxuries.

I

t was despite and perhaps because of this determination, that the search beneath the trees had been wide and thorough, but hours later there was still no sign of Michael's cell phone. And though she hated to be the one to voice it, Sara was beginning to think the time had come to give up and admit defeat. The cell phone was gone, lost.

She was about to do just that when Michael, who of course hadn't spoken much, just followed her lead, his long legs taking him along, his head lowered as he canvassed the needle strewn ground beneath the trees, spoke up. "Sara?"

The quiet, which had grown so intense between the two, shattered and Sara jumped in her skin.

"Did you find it?" her words, a feeble attempt to cover the reaction startled from her in the dense forest, was for her benefit only as it turned out, Michael wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were trained instead on a slice of darkening sky that peeked through a thin patch of tree branches above them.

When had the sky grown so threatening? Sure they had been at their search for a while but the day had been sunny and bright when their feet first touched solid ground, hadn't it?

The wind as if in answer, gusted against the backs of Sara's thighs and the smell of ozone hit her olfactory senses. It would be raining soon. The trees stirred angrily around them as if agreeing with this analysis and Sara felt or imagined the first drop of rain as it fell through the trees.

But imagined or not, it did get her moving.

"Come on." her voice carried easily as the wind died down. "We need to find a place to wait out the storm."

Without waiting for an answer, Sara turned and started to head back. They needed to get out from beneath the trees. If the clouds only brought the promised rain the trees would be a great shelter, but Sara had a feeling there was a storm brewing in the churning sky above them and that meant lightning.

They had made it to where the trees were starting to noticeably thin when the sky opened up. The rain fell hard and fast then in huge, fat drops that penetrated the summer cotton they both wore as it pelted down at the earth. It took only moments before their t-shirts

were glued to their bodies and Sara's auburn hair was plastered to her head.

Pushing aside the dripping strands, she sped up her pace. Michael had managed to keep up thus far, and Sara was hoping this would continue to be the case as the first crackle of lightning parted the sky.

The loud boom of thunder that followed close behind made her jump, despite the fact she had been expecting it.

The storm was worsening...

XXXXX

'The cave', one Sara had discovered years ago, wasn't far, but they were soaked to the skin by the time they reached it. Soon the sounds of the storm were muffled and the louder noises of their labored breathing was echoing off the rock walls of what was really just a deep hole in the side of the cliff's wall.

"We should be okay here. We just have to wait out the storm." Sara knew the anxiety was still present in the tone of her voice, but if Michael noticed he chose to ignore it as he scraped a hand over his wet face and plopped down on one of the large rocks inside the 'cave'.

Sara knew what he must be thinking, that his cell phone was not only lost, but most likely water logged, and the SM card probably ruined as well.

This was her fault, all of it. And now they would be stuck here in this cramped space for God knows how long waiting for the storm to blow over.

Sighing deeply, Sara let her defeated form sink onto the rock next to Michael's. "I'm sorry, Michael. This is all my fault. If I hadn't startled you, you never would have dropped your phone and we wouldn't have had to look for it and we wouldn't be in this mess." A shiver passed through her body, making her last words shake on her lips and Sara pulled her arms close to her chest in an attempt to gain some warmth.

"It's okay Sara. I mean it wasn't your fault. I'm the one that dropped the phone, remember? And this, this is fine; I mean I've always wanted to hang out inside a cave. It brings back my childhood fantasies." he quirked an eyebrow as he spoke, "I used to pretend I was Batman, you know?" the warmth of his smile as he tried to play down her role in their current predicament almost took away the chill that was seeping into Sara's bones, almost.

The 'cave' while mostly dry, was cooler than the forest despite the drop in temperature that had accompanied the storm. The shorts and simple t-shirt Sara had dressed in that morning had seemed like the right choice then, but now? What she wouldn't give for a pair of warm, cozy sweats!

"Batman, huh?" Sara smiled as she attempted an answer through her now chattering teeth, "I've always been more of a Spiderman girl myself."

Michael, if he even noticed, ignored this, along with the large goose bumps now traveling along her bare arms. It was as if to acknowledge them, he would then have to offer more than a warming smile to ease her discomfort.

"Yeah, well after watching you scale the side of that cliff today, I can see where you and Spidey might have a mutual admiration society thing going." He hopped up then, and moved to the opening of the 'cave'. "It looks like the rain is easing up a bit." He said this without turning, keeping his back to her, much to Sara's relief.

Her cheeks had flared heat at his words, but she was still freezing to death despite their now rosy appearance.

Turning now, hands deep in pockets, the perfect picture of casual, "We could build a small fire, I mean if you're cold?"

Duh, if she was cold? Nodding eagerly, Sara stood up, a clump of the auburn mess that was her hair conveniently falling from behind an ear to cover her face as she ducked her head. "I'll go gather some branches and twigs."

"No, you stay here where it's dry," Michael insisted, already turning back to the open mouth of the cave, "I think I can handle it. And then, unless you have some matches on you of course, I'll show you how to start a fire caveman style."

"I bet all you'll have to do is look at the wood," Sara said softly as the hottest caveman in the land exited the bat cave.

XXXXX

As the small twigs began to smoke and smolder Michael sped his actions, leaning low to blow a light puff of air beneath the pile of dry, well mostly dry pile of debris until it caught, the fire blooming small but welcoming in their dreary, dank shelter.

He could hear Sara's awed little gasp and looked over to see her clapping her hands together for him like she was a small child and this was a magic trick he had just preformed for her. Still he couldn't help but grin, the smile turning his lips upward in the warm glow of the scant fire light while it seemed to lend a spark of its light to his eyes.

"Hand me a small piece of wood," he commanded of his 'audience' and she swiftly did as he asked.

Already she didn't look as cold as before, and Michael told himself that he must be crazy, the fire couldn't have warmed her this quickly, it was barely an ember. But Sara did seem to have a certain glow about her that hinted at warmth, belied the cold. And Michael had to admit the tinge of blue staining her lips was not nearly as noticeable as upon his return to the cave.

Shaking his head in further denial, he fed the small piece of wood to the flames, being overly cautious not to smother them out. Soon the fire light was dancing along the cold stone walls warming them, or at least giving off an essence of warmth, making the cave homier.

XXXXX

Some time had passed and still Sara had her hands held out, wiggling the tips of her fingers, presumably to speed the warmth. Her clothes were almost completely dry too and this was a good thing, at least he could look at her now.

Or so he had thought. He was forced to look away as his thoughts took the turn he had sought to avoid earlier when Sara's t-shirt was glued to her skin, the outline of her bra beneath the thin, wet cotton easily tempting his eyes. Avoidance of looking anywhere below the neck was the only way he could feign normalcy, as he pretended not to notice her discomfort from the cold, that the natural thing to do in this situation would be for him to offer her the warmth of his arms.

Natural only if we had an audience, he reminded himself now, stonily, his jaw set tight.

This was not a date, it was a job.

But it was Sara's apology, her mention of the lost phone that had sent guilt spiraling through Michael, guilt that she could think that this, that any of this was her fault. Putting warmth into a smile he had practiced to perfection, he had spoken the truth then, telling Sara it was him, making light of it to be sure, backing it up with a joke about Batman of all things, but still it was the truth. It wasn't her fault, none of this was. His guilt had manifested tenfold then as he thought about Angela. He had pushed aside his thoughts, tossing out yet another joke as he hopped up and away from her eyes; were she to look at him, he didn't want to leave it to chance that Sara should notice the change in his expression. He had stared out at the slackening rain until he felt confident he could appear casual when suggesting they make a fire.

With the light of said fire blinding between them now, he let himself go to a place when in company, he often avoided. He could picture her now in her stasis of frozen beauty, Angela, her golden hair spread out upon starched, white hospital linen, unchanging as all around her sped him fast forward through the seasons to this point in time. And everything that had led him here was his fault… his fault that he was so alone.

"And I deserve to be alone."

"Did you say something?" Sara, her coppery eyes dancing amber in the firelight questioned as she glanced around at him.

He blinked, his eyes coming back into focus, "I was ah, I said I think we should get home…We should get going, I mean. The rain has stopped and it's been a while since the last round of thunder."

He wasn't sure of this last, his thoughts so captured by the past he had grown inattentive to the noises, the elements of the storm around them. He watched as Sara nodded and climbed to her feet, and he figured he must not be too far off. Taking her actions to mean that she agreed with his assessment of the storm, he quickly moved to stand, and kicked dirt over the fire he had fought so hard to keep alight.

But the fire had served its purpose, he supposed. It had warmed Sara and it had warmed his skin, even if it had done little to quell the chill that lived deep within where he still lay bleeding and broken.

XXXXX

The rock wall was slippery from the recent rainfall, but Michael was moving with a determination to keep up. Sara was a few feet above him, moving sure footed along a path presumably only she could see when he suddenly felt himself slipping. He grabbed for the rock in front of him, heart pounding harder than the thunder that had rocked the earth, as his fingers latched on in a death grip, the rocks in front of him becoming his salvation, keeping him from sliding back down the cliff's craggy face.

"Shit!" the expletive left his lips making Sara look back at him, her steady progress coming to a halt.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, I just slipped a little, that's all." The words had barely left his lips when he heard Sara gasp and then she was sliding, the rock wall crumbling away in her grip.

Michael felt panic hit him square in the chest then, but he was frozen as she slid toward him. "Sara!" his hand, shot out at the last second seeking to grab her t-shirt and he could hear the thin cotton ripping when his fingers made contact and it was as if the sound track was set in slow motion. Everything was as he reacted, "Grab onto my hand!"

XXXXX

Michael's hand gripping her t-shirt was all that was keeping her from sliding the rest of the way down the cliff and Sara knew this, even in her panic. Her hands were raw as she clawed at the rock wall still trying to get a grip but it was useless. Her fingers weren't working, why wouldn't her fingers work?

"Grab onto my hand, Sara!" he repeated his instructions, the words finally seeping through the fog of panic in her head and the loud pounding in her ears as her heart sprinted in her chest.

Sara stopped her efforts at the wall and reached blindly above her to grab for Michael's hand. She grabbed on, somehow making her frozen fingers function, but the blood on her palms was slippery and she felt herself slipping from his grip. Michael's hand tightened down in refusal and she could faintly hear his labored breathing, the strain and effort he was putting into pulling her forcibly up the cliff wall, hauling her up next to him.

Blood was running along her cheek from a shallow scrape but she could barely feel the sting, the brief irrational thought that her sister was going to kill her for marring up her face before the wedding was stronger, as it sailed along the fog in her mind, along with so many of the things Sara wished she had or had not done with her life.

And then she was in Michael's arms, safe, her body pressed tightly between his and the rock hard sureness of the cliff, the pounding of his heart against her back along with that of her own making Sara's body quake or maybe she was just shaking? She didn't know, couldn't care. All that mattered was that Michael had saved her.

Sara became aware of her cheek pressed almost painfully against the cool rough rock wall at precisely the same instant she felt his lips in her hair. He was shaking now, his body still pressed tightly against her.

And as the danger ebbed away, the fog in Sara's head cleared and she could faintly hear his low words, words she was sure he had been mumbling all along, as he breathed them painfully into her tangled hair, "Don't…please don't…please don't …please…Sara…" So much like one of his dream sentences her mind insisted, and Sara felt her heart beat painfully against her ribs but this time for a very different reason.

"It's okay Michael, I'm okay, I'm here. You saved me." She was attempting to turn her head just enough to look at him when his body stiffened.

XXXXX

"We should get moving Sara," Michael's tone was detached now, making Sara wonder if she had imagined the painful desperation of his mumbled words just moments before. But no, she hadn't imagined them, nor the death grip with which he had held her pressed against him. She could still feel the warm contours of his body even as the humid air of the forest passed between them. He was pulling back both emotionally and physically.

A beat later, he was moving aside, attempting to find purchase on the rock wall in front of them. Michael needed to further distance himself, everything about his rigid posture, the avoidance of any eye contact told Sara this. It was this feeling that kept her from reaching out to him, well that and just the natural insecurity that was Sara Tancredi.

Without another word they began to climb, the forest seeming to grow especially quiet. It was as if the birds and the other creatures of the forest had witnessed what had just transpired and were holding their breath for more edge of your seat action.

If this was the case, then they would be sorely disappointed. The climb up was slow, due to still shaky limbs and slippery rock, but it was successful. Soon the two were seated on solid, if damp ground, a new kind of quiet enveloping them.

It was Michael who finally spoke breaking the uncomfortable stillness in the air. "You need to get those hands looked at."

Sara nodded, her words a direct contradiction to this tiny movement. "Their fine, just a few scrapes and scratches." Her eyes were directed straight ahead just like Michael's. Neither had chanced a look at the other while speaking.

It was with a continued silence then, that the two climbed to their feet and headed for the trail that would take them back the way they had come.

The forest as if sensing the drama was over, resumed life as normal, and the slight breeze that moved through the tress gave flight to the butterflies once again.

But this time neither Sara nor Michael made any effort to notice their silent dance of flight.

XXX

When they reached the gate to the Tancredi's large home it was to Sara's surprise, but really she knew she shouldn't be, that Michael told her to go on ahead.

The slight nod she could manage in response to his proposal went unnoticed as Michael turned without a glance in her direction, and headed away from the sprawling lawns.

Where was he going? Wasn't he as tired as she? Sara's legs felt as if she had just run a marathon and she was the seasoned hiker. Her silent questions going unanswered, Sara watched his lone figure growing smaller and smaller until he was out of sight.

But really she thought she knew the answer, Michael just wanted to be away from her.

Pushing away the ache this thought brought along with it, Sara turned with a sigh. She was only halfway up the drive when she spotted Katie's car. It was parked right where her sister always parked it. Suddenly the idea of explaining everything to her mother and Katie felt like too much, but Sara wasn't given the chance to run away.

"Sara, where have you been? Oh, my God, what did you do to yourself? Mom!" Sara tuned out Katie's overly dramatic reaction as best she could as her sister headed back into the house, but soon she was back with their mother in tow.

"Sara, what happened?" Without waiting for an answer, Jill continued, "Your face, your hands! And the wedding is in five days!" Finally managing to successfully tune the two out, Sara let them lead her silently up the drive, her mother calculating the damage and at the same time wondering aloud if Jean Paul, make-up guru to the California elite could work his magic.

Neither sister nor mother seemed to care anymore how Sara's face had gotten injured. They were too busy trying to figure out how to fix things; how to fix the damage Sara had once again inflicted, only this time it was upon the perfect wedding for the perfect girl.