Author's notes:
I believe notifications for new chapters did not work well in the last week or two, so just to make sure that nobody missed any chapters, here is a short recap… Chapter 27 was about Michael and Sara's trip to Costa Rica. Chapter 28 ("Chicago") dealt with the week following their return home and ended with Sara and Michael having an important conversation. The action in this chapter happens the day after.
I learned that guest reviews needed to be moderated (approved) within 36 hours, otherwise they would disappear. Because of that, I "lost" some of your reviews. I'm sorry about that! Do not hesitate to review again!
Enjoy this new chapter and tonight's episode!
(I've included a short review for Episode #5 and Episode #6 at the end of this chapter… Don't read if you're not up to date with the show!)
A very productive Saturday
Saturday, July 29th - 8:17 am
"You know it's creepy, watching someone sleep, and I'm not even talking about you trying to take advantage of my naked body while I'm sleeping…"
"I wasn't watching you sleep", Michael argued. "I was… thinking. And believe it or not, drawing abstract patterns on your back was helping me focus."
Sara scoffed. "I fell in love with a dork", she declared, turning on her back while putting the sheets up to cover herself.
Michael chuckled. "Sorry but we're already engaged so you're stuck with me!"
"Ha! Is it going to be your excuse now, every time we disagree on something?"
"It might be", he replied cheekily. His tone became serious suddenly and he looked at Sara with apprehension. "There's something I need to tell you. I haven't been completely honest with you."
"Michael, this is not what one wants to hear the day after deciding to marry you!"
"Huh, sorry. It was a very bad preamble. It's not as bad as it sounds, I promise."
"Okay…"
"You remember the dream I had about you and I on the beach?"
"Michael, you've had several dreams about us on the beach. You're going to have to be more precise than that."
"The one where you were wearing a gorgeous dress and I said that we were just walking on the beach?"
"Yes, I remember. What about it?"
"We were on the beach for a very specific purpose… We were actually getting married." Michael lowered his head as he finished his sentence. He should probably have told Sara before. He felt bad about it now.
"You're saying that you dreamt about our wedding?!"
"Yeah."
"Wow! You never cease to amaze me!"
"It's a good thing, right?"
"I guess it is… I mean how could I be mad at you for dreaming that we were getting married in the first place?"
Michael smiled sheepishly. "That's not the only thing that I omitted to mention… The day after that, I dreamt that I was making French toasts for you…"
"Yes, I recall that! So?"
"Well, I wasn't only making breakfast for you. It was also for our… kids."
"For real?!"
"Yeah, for real."
"Just out of curiosity, how many kids did we have in your dream?"
"It wasn't clear. Three? Four?"
"Wow. I'm speechless, Michael!"
"Sorry I wasn't upfront about it but I was afraid to jinx it if I revealed everything…"
"Wow", Sara repeated. She knew that Michael had a very wild imagination but that was something else!
She decided to change topics: "So, what were you thinking about when I woke up and you were playing Michelangelo on the skin of my back?"
"Many things. Like where we're going to live, our wedding…"
"Michael, I'm going to cut you right here: we're not going to have this conversation while we're in bed, totally naked."
"No? You're afraid I'm going to distract you too much?!"
Michael smiled at Sara and she simply shook her head. "We need to get dressed before we start."
"But I want to enjoy your body a little while longer", he complained. "Tell me just one thing: do you really want to change your name to Scofield and become Sara Scofield?"
"I always told myself when I was younger that when I would get married I would change my name just to avoid being near the end of the alphabet. Now, with my father being the Governor of Illinois and all, I also look forward to a little bit of anonymity."
"So basically, you only want to change your name for very selfish reasons, not because you love me."
"Exactly. And to be completely honest, I would have preferred you to be called Michael Crane but I guess Scofield is an improvement from Tancredi…"
"Crane?!"
"It sounded better than Origami", she replied with a wink and a soft smile that Michael returned instantly.
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After a quick breakfast, Michael talked again: "So I've had time to think things through and I think I should sell my apartment and we should live in yours until we find a home for our future family." He smiled at the thought. Their future family. He liked the sound of that. "I've always been told by my real estate agent that it would sell in no time and for a good price. Besides, your place has two bedrooms while mine has only one…"
Sara cut him: "Are you planning on sleeping in the guest room?!"
"No", he chuckled. "But another room means extra closet space and that is the incentive behind having a second bedroom."
"I see your point."
"Then, once we've sold my place, we can start looking for a new home. What do you say?"
"Okay. It seems like a good plan."
"Great!" Michael grinned. They were going to live together!
"I guess we should make the most of your brother's truck to move some of your stuff."
"You're right."
"Maybe we can start to pack now and ask Sam, Anna, Ali and Marc to help us this afternoon."
"Excellent idea, Miss Tancredi soon-to-be Mrs Scofield!"
"Thank you, fiancé! I have my moments! Now, we need to decide where we're going to get married…"
"I have two words for you", he said enigmatically. Sara looked at him with curiosity. "Las. Vegas."
"Oh no. Absolutely not! We are not going to elope to Las Vegas and get married by an Elvis impersonator." Sara laughed at her own joke but she wasn't sure Michael wasn't serious when he mentioned the capital of Nevada.
"It was just a suggestion, Sara. But think about it: we could fly there and get married in a few hours. It would save us a lot of trouble. I'm just saying… I only want to marry you."
"Oh Michael, you're so romantic… But no, we are not going to fly to Las Vegas. That being said, I might have an idea… You only need to tell me how many guests you're planning on inviting."
"My brother, Sofia, LJ, Sucre and Maricruz, my friend Adam from Loyola and his husband, Dr. Pope and his wife and some of my coworkers plus their date: I would say about 30. You?"
"Approximately the same. Dr. Pope? Is that your… therapist?"
"Ha! No." Michael laughed quietly. "He is a professor at Loyola and he taught me when I was a freshman. He then was my advisor for my Masters. He became some kind of a father figure to me. I see him and his wife once a year, usually after I visit his first-year class. He thinks it's good for students to get an idea of what a real-life engineer does and I must say that I like it. They always ask good questions."
"You never told me that", Sara mused.
"It never came up. Sorry."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Michael started packing as soon as Sara went to shower and was startled when he heard her voice behind him. "You should go shave and then shower otherwise we're going to be late."
"Bossy", Michael responded in mock indignation.
"I thought you knew how much I like it when you're clean shaven", Sara retorted with a teasing smile.
Michael didn't reply anything but he almost ran to the bathroom, which made Sara giggle. She looked for her phone and scrolled down her list of contacts. She needed to call an old friend. She hoped that she would pick up.
"Kate! Sara Tancredi."
"Sara! It's been a while. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great! You? Dan and the kids?"
"We're all doing great! Thanks!"
"How old are the twins now?"
"They turned two in March."
"Wow! They must be a handful!"
Kate scoffed. "You can say that. They're adorable and annoying in almost equal parts…"
Sara chuckled at her friend's comment about her children and continued with the reason for her call: "Are you still working at the Museum of Contemporary Art?"
"Yes. Still in charge of special events."
"Excellent. So, you're the person I need to contact if I want to book the MCA for a wedding, right?"
"Yes", Kate replied, unsure. "Are you…? I mean, is it for you or are you calling me for someone else?"
"That would be for me actually."
"WHAT?!" When Sara only laughed in the phone, Kate continued her interrogation: "When did that happen? Who is it? Do I know him?"
"Slow down, Kate!" Sara pleaded. "We started dating in November. His name is Michael and I don't think you know him."
"Physician?"
"Not at all. He's an engineer."
"God, you need to send me a picture of him because the image I have in my mind right now is one of a boring and very unattractive nerd and I suspect this is not accurate!"
Sara giggled. "I can send you a picture but you need to tell me if we can get married at the museum or not."
"When are you looking at?"
"I don't know. Tell me what dates you have available and we'll go from there?"
"Sounds good. Give me a few minutes but in the mean time, I'm waiting for this picture!"
"It's on its way!"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Ten minutes later, Sara's phone rang. It was Kate. "You're sure he's an engineer and he doesn't work as a model instead?"
"Ha ha ha! Yes, I'm sure."
"Well, all I have to say is that he made me change my mind about nerds! They can look sexy! But enough about me drooling over your fiancé. I have checked all of our availabilities for the next year, year and a half and we have two dates that are available."
"Two. That's good!"
"One is January 6th…"
"No wonder it's still available", Sara mumbled. "I mean, who wants to get married in January?!"
"That's what I thought." She paused for a second before adding: "And the other date is September 9th."
"September 9th, 2018?"
"No… September 9th, 2017."
"Oh."
"Yeah…" Kate heard Sara hum on the phone and didn't know how to interpret her friend's reaction.
"Listen, Kate. I need to speak with Michael but I would really like to get married at the museum. Do you think you could hold on to the dates for me?"
"Yes, no problem."
"Okay. I'll call you back in 15 minutes, 30 minutes maximum."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"So I called a friend from high school when you were in the shower and I may or may not have found a venue and a date for our wedding…"
"You didn't waste any time!"
Sara smiled. "I guess not. My friend Kate works at the Museum of Contemporary Art and she happens to be the go-to person if you want to organize events there, including weddings."
"Convenient", Michael interjected before Sara continued.
"They only had two dates available."
"Let's hear it!" Michael looked at Sara with hopeful eyes.
"January 6th is one of them", she started, wincing.
"Just after the start of the new year: yeah right!"
"Exactly… Which leaves us with the other date: Saturday, September 9th."
"September 9th, like in little over a month from now?"
"Yep! What do you think?"
"I think that I was ready to fly to Vegas and be married to you before the end of the weekend so September 9th seems very distant in comparison!"
"Is that a yes?"
"If you believe we can make it happen, yes. Absolutely."
"My main concern is my father. Sam, Anna, Ali and Marc should all be free on that weekend."
"My brother too. Sucre and his family as well. But yeah, your father might have a busy schedule in September…"
"Let me call his secretary." It didn't take long for Sara to get in touch with Governor Tancredi's assistant. The woman said that the Governor's schedule was free on that weekend. Michael was getting excited but Sara first needed to confirm with Bruce Bennett, her father's right-hand man. He would know if something was susceptible to happen on that day or not. To her relief and utter surprise, nothing was planned, nor in the works. "Well, it looks like we have found where and when!"
Michael's grin mirrored Sara's. "Yeah! It's all set then!"
"Not so fast!" Sara saw Michael's puzzled expression, Sara explained: "We still need to decide where we're going to go on our honeymoon."
"How could I forget?! Where did you have in mind?"
"Where did you have in mind?"
"Here is what I propose, just to make sure we don't influence each other: we both write our top 2 destinations and then we can discuss our options."
"Okay."
They did as Michael requested and Michael read what was written on Sara's piece of paper. "Well, it looks like we're going to Paris, France!"
"Fantastique!"
"Oui!"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
After a morning that was busy with phone calls and important decisions, Michael and Sara drove to the restaurant where they were supposed to meet Sam, Anna, Ali and Marc. They spent some time catching up on their respective vacations and making small talk but when the waiter finally brought them their food, Sara couldn't wait any longer: "So, Michael and I have news…"
Ali reacted first and almost shouted: "You're pregnant!"
"Huh, no", was all Sara could say at first. Then she started laughing because Ali's response totally took her by surprise. "Sorry, it's not funny. But no, Ali, I'm not pregnant."
"You got married in Costa Rica", Anna offered with a big smile, while Sam said at the same time: "You finally decided to move in together!"
Sara and Michael looked at each other and grinned, silently debating who was going to respond. Sara was the one who answered eventually: "Sam, you're right. We are moving in together. Why did you say "finally" though? It's not like we've been dating and living apart for years." Sam shrugged and looked at them proudly. Sara wasn't sure if she was proud of them taking that next step in their relationship or proud of herself for having guessed correctly. In any case, Sara needed to also address Anna's suggestion because that was the big news they wanted to share… "Anna, we did not get married in Costa Rica, even if I'm sure Michael would have loved the idea." Michael nodded in approval. He could already imagine it. "However", Sara began, instantly catching everyone's attention, "we are planning on getting married and are hoping that you can all be there to celebrate our special day. So are you free on Saturday, September 9th?"
What followed was a mix of screams, hugs and questions (lots of questions) with a little bit of (happy) tears. The commotion attracted the other patrons' interest but the group didn't even notice. They were too busy trying to recover from the emotions of the moment.
Michael and Sara did their best to answer their friends' numerous questions, such as why Sara didn't have an engagement ring (Sara explained that being an E.R. doctor and having to wear gloves all day meant that it was best to stay away from rings with big (or small) rocks, which Sam confirmed); did Michael propose in Costa Rica (Who says I'm the one who proposed, Michael countered. Smiling at her friends' confusion, Sara added that maybe one day they'll know the real story behind the proposal and left the four even more curious). Having answered every question, except the one concerning the proposal, Sara had one question for Marc: "Would you help me with my wedding dress, please?"
"Sara, you're aware that wedding dresses are not my specialty, right?"
"Yes, I am. But I'm not planning on wearing a wedding dress. Let me rephrase that: I'm planning on wearing a dress but not a wedding dress, you know, the big "meringue" kind. I might go for white though but it won't be an actual wedding dress. So, do you think you'll be able to help me?"
"I would love to!"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
After lunch, the "Magnificent Six" worked in teams to help Michael and Sara with the move. Sam joined Sara and went to her apartment to free some space and organize her own things before Michael, Anna, Ali and Marc went back to his apartment to pack what Michael had identified as the strict necessary, notably his clothes and kitchen stuff. While Ali focused on the kitchen and Anna on his bookshelves, Marc gladly took charge of Michael's suits and Michael put his clothes in two big bags. They also took one item that couldn't stay behind, his framed reproduction of "Alastor". The painting forever a reminder of their story.
The afternoon passed by very quickly and soon it was time for the couple to go to Frank Tancredi's house for supper. The Governor greeted them in the living room of his large residence. He hugged his daughter and shook Michael's hand.
"You look so much like your mother with your freckles", he mused, with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
Sara put a strand of hair behind her ear in an effort to mask the uneasiness she felt every time her father mentioned her mother. "I put a lot of sunscreen in Costa Rica but we spent our last day on a boat and I guess it was too much", she tried to joke.
"I remember my first Summer with your mother and I discovered that she had freckles when her skin was exposed to the sun. I told her that I thought it was funny, that she was transforming under the sun, and she just laughed at me. She found me weird!"
Sara smiled and Michael put a hand on hers in support. Sara had told Michael that she wanted to tell her father about the wedding right away. He knew that she was feeling a little apprehensive (Michael was too, even if he tried not to let it show).
"Dad, Michael and I have something to tell you." She paused for a second before blurting without taking a breath: "We are getting married on September 9th and before you say anything, I've checked with your secretary and with Bruce, you're available on that day."
Frank looked at Sara and Michael with big round eyes before a huge grin graced his face and he got up to hug his daughter tightly. Caught up in the moment, he hugged Michael too, a half-hug, but a hug nonetheless.
"Congratulations! That's great news! I'm very happy for you two."
"Thanks, Dad", Sara responded, still somewhat uncomfortable. "You're not upset?" Sara had finally voiced her concern.
"Why would I be upset, Sara?"
"I don't know… Because we've decided to get married after dating for less than a year?"
"Oh, sweetheart… I asked your mother to marry me six months after meeting her so no, I don't think it's too soon." His eyes showed her he was sincere. Sara sighed, relieved.
Michael's phone rang unexpectedly and he excused himself, leaving father and daughter alone to talk to his brother to announce him the big news.
"You're sure you're okay with us getting married, Dad?" Sara asked once again.
"He makes you happy, Sara. I can see it. Everybody can see it. What more could I ask for?"
"Thanks, Dad. I love you."
"I love you too, Sara."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"That was a very productive Saturday", Michael declared when they entered Sara's apartment (his apartment now too, he corrected himself). He went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and Sara glanced at the box that was on the counter. She grabbed the item that was on top and unfolded it. It was Michael's apron. It had the image of a Jedi with a glowing wooden spoon in his hand instead of a lightsaber.
Sara smiled at Michael. "Between your "Cooking Jedi" and my "Wonder Woman", we can face any challenges life, and food, will throw at us!"
Michael looked at her and returned her smile: "You're absolutely right! But before we take on the world, what do you say I'll show you my other Jedi skills?!" He raised his eyebrows suggestively while getting closer to Sara and brushing his lips against hers.
"Please don't even think about mentioning your lightsaber", she ordered, capturing his lips in a short but intense kiss to silence him. She then took his hand in hers and led him to the bedroom. Michael followed with a smug grin on his face.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Review for Episode #5 and Episode #6
Episode #5
Okay so how frustrating were Sara's exchanges with Jacob?! She suspects something is shady with Jacob but she doesn't want to believe that the conspiracy could go that deep. Unless she knows…
RIP Sid. I liked him and he died a hero but it was still sad.
How great was Ja singing "We are the champions" while preparing a trap for the guys from ISIL!
Lincoln and Michael's scenes were beautiful. Michael's break down was so emotional…
Episode #6
No Sara in this episode but the escape into the desert, wow!
And the end…
Who else loves Whip? I love him! But I still miss Sucre…
I can't wait for Episode #7! MiSa!
Hopefully I'm going to survive and be able to finish this story… Hopefully we're all going to survive tonight's episode, although it's far from being certain…
