10 reviews...you do spoil me! Ok so next chapter is longer, because this is Jacob's and Michael's first meeting. I hope i do it justice...
It was a slow walk to Jacobs class. Sara checked her watch, they would be finishing soon. They could slip in without him noticing they were there. Hesitantly they approached the door and she noticed he was in full lecture mode, she looked behind her to Michael, "Ready?" she asked him.
He nodded and she opened the door like she had done many times to visit him, only this time it was completely different.
"In game theory, it serves you to be two-faced. Be everyone's friend till the moment your not," Jacob was speaking to his class. Sara turned and Michael's eyes were solely on him. A deep glare. Suddenly Jacobs eyes had come to them. However there was no look of shook on his face, instead his eyes were on Michael and he carried on talking, straight to him "You make them love you so much that when they're up against it, their loyalty will make them act against their own best interests" he tilted his head. Jacob was aiming every word at Michael and it hurt her, "So that's game theory, a cold, rational focus on winning. Even if its at everyone else's expense. You bring people into your life and keep them peculating until you need to manipulate them to your advantage. But the dance between good and evil can become jumbled until the manipulation is the most important thing-" the bell then rang and Jacobs focus snapped and he looked back to his students, "great! Until tomorrow guys!"
The students all packed up their books and made their way out.
Jacob had started wiping down the board and Sara and Michael approached slowly. Her stomach was going round in knots.
"Thought i told you i needed time" he spoke not turning round but sensing them there. His tone was harsh and cutting.
"Hardly sounded like it-" Michael piped up in an agitated voice. Obviously annoyed at the speech that was directed towards Michael.
Jacob spun round and stared at Michael, "What my class hit a nerve? Resonated with you somehow?"
"It's funny," Michael edged closer to him, "sounds like you had that all ready for me...yet you didn't know I would be here?..." he commented.
Jacob smirked at Michael, "Your right...i saw your car driving into the lot" he looked to Sara over Michael's shoulder, "but wow your conceited to think that was all about you-"
"Stop" Sara said immediately, looking between the both of them. She wasn't doing this dance. She should have known this wouldn't go smoothly, but instantly Jacob had planned his class around Michael hearing it? It felt off to her.
Jacob took another glare at Michael then to her, "What do you want Sara?"
She sighed, she need to get to the point of why there were there, "You took something that belongs to me. I need it back" she told him.
He sniggered, placing the board wiper down on his desk and moving his papers.
"Something funny to you?" Michael asked. She could hear in his voice he was getting annoyed, but they had to play it cool if she was going to get her passports and Mike's birth certificate.
Jacob looked up, "Yeah. I mean. I have to laugh at this situation. My wife has gone back to the husband i thought was dead for the past 7 years" he then turned to Sara, "did i really mean that little to you?"
Sara looked down, the guilt getting to her. She couldn't explain it. It wasn't a proper life, she had been lying the whole time, and she didn't even know she was. Not until Michael came back. She was costing along in a life she didn't belong in, "Jacob i cant explain it-"
He put his hand up to stop her, "I don't need excuses Sara" it was true. She couldn't, he had every right to be upset. There was no denying she had screwed it up. But she didn't regret wanting a life with Michael. However she regretted how she handled the situation entirely.
"I'm not going to make excuses Jacob. Your right, i can't tell you how sorry i am for ruining your life" she spoke quietly, ashamed, "but right now you have things of mine that i need back. Urgently"
"Why?" he asked. It wasn't a response she thought she would get. So he did have them, but he was toying with her.
She frowned, however Michael stepped in, "Why does it matter why she needs them? You took something that doesn't belong to you"
Jacob looked to Michael and a smirked appeared on his face, he let out an ironic chuckle, "If you ask me you've got back what apparently doesn't belong to me"
"Stop with the games Jacob!" Sara shouted. She knew what he was doing, "ok? I'm not some possession you can talk about or own. You took mine and Mike's passport and his birth certificate. Why?" she had to get back to the point at hand. Not talk about how Michael had 'got her back' like a possession.
Jacob sighed, "You cant prove that"
"What?" Sara quickly added. He was really doing this?
Before she knew it Michael had moved from his spot and moving quickly around the desk towards Jacob.
"Michael!"
Jacob looked scared, however he tried to hide it, "Thought you said he wasn't a violent man Sara" Jacob commented, trying to stand his ground, however Michael towered over him. Leaving him looking like a shell of a man, he looked angry and Jacob was right, it looked like Michael as about to hit him. However Michael had not touched him.
"He's not" Sara stated moving closer and trying to gently push Michael back. After his time away Michael was different. With her he was still the same. But with others. It was different. He was ready and defensive. After his time away she imagined he had to take care of himself more. She had noticed the muscles on his arms had got a little bigger. Michael didn't like to hurt people. But he had to defend himself. Something she still knew little about.
Michael was close to him glaring, "Give Sara the passports back"
"So right now. If i said no. What will you do? Sara says your not a violent man. Or will i finally get to see that mind at work to get what you want out of this situation? Because apparently your nothing like your brut of a brother who uses his fists to get what he wants" Jacob was hitting a nerve.
"You don't know me, and you don't know my brother" Michael responded, he got annoyed at the mention of Lincoln being a brut.
"Really? I've seen first hand what your brothers like" Jacob responded. It was a time she wanted to forget. Lincoln had no idea that she had been seeing Jacob for a while and kept it hidden. The first time he had stayed over, Jacob was in the kitchen getting a drink when Lincoln had come in, early hours of the morning. He did because Sara let him have a key for whenever he needed it. But Lincoln automatically thought it was an intruder and instead of questioning him, he punched him, threw him to the ground and threw him out until Sara heard the commotion and came down to tell Lincoln who the man really was.
"I explained to you what happened that night Jacob" Sara said. Not wanting to talk about this in front of Michael.
Jacob almost ignored her, "I'm not giving over those passports" he stated simply and backed away from Michael.
Before Sara could speak, Michael did, "Do you not care about Sara or Mike?" he question him.
Jacob spun round, "What kind of question is that?" he sounded offended.
"Your denying them of safety. Those people who came to question you? Chased Sara the day before" Jacobs eyes grew and the defences started to drop, he had no idea that had happened, "Sara and Mike are going to a safe house. I don't know where. But while i settle this. I need them safe. Surely after everything..." Michael paused, she knew he struggled to have this conversation with Jacob, "after everything that's happened you still want to keep them safe"
Jacob swallowed, "I took those passports to keep you safe" he looked to Sara, "to stop you going overseas to get-" its like he couldn't say his name, instead he just looked at Michael.
"What you said Jacob in your class. That's not Michael" Sara spoke, trying to get through to him, "i know you want to think the worst. But Michael may start off in the way you describe," she looked over to him hesitantly,"but Michael's problem was always getting attached. He was never cold and calculating once he started to care...because even if manipulation was a goal...it didn't work on those people he needed to do that too, he saw their humanity, the person they were and begin to care for their safety. It crept up on him and he would tear himself a part if he felt he had hurt them"
Everything she had was mainly about them. But he did do it to the majority of his friends. When they all first met in Fox River it was about getting his brother out. Using those people as a means to an end. He didn't count on these people touching something in him.
"This is all very touching Sara," Jacob sighed being sarcastic. It obviously didn't work, "but this man manipulated you from the beginning. Whose to say he's not doing it now?"
It was like talking to a brick wall. No matter how many times she had said to Jacob that Michael was different. It didn't work.
"Where are they?" Michael approached Jacob again.
Jacob shook his head in defiance.
"Where are they?!" Michael shouted again.
Before it could go further Sara spoke up again, "You want to know how i know?!" she cried. Both men looked to her, "i know he's not manipulating me and hasn't done since Fox River..." she was now going to go into their past, "because would you leave coded messages for someone you didn't care about? The manipulation done. Damage done. However he still reached out to me," Michael looked at her, not wanting her to go on. Just for the sole purpose of letting Jacob in on what was real about their relationship. But she had to prove it to him, "get me to try and flee to South America because you knew i was being hunted and wanted to protect me?" Jacob just stared at her, this information was all new to him.
"Sara" Michael tried to stop her from saying the next bit. Because he knew she hadn't told Jacob. But he had to know this. It was the only way to get through to him.
"Would you admit to killing another human being and go to Prison,-" she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, that moment was always with her, "because i was the one who actually did it?"
She opened her eyes to Jacob staring at her in shock, "You?...you?" he stuttered and Sara turned away, her hand to her mouth. It was a evil human being. But its was still a mans life. It still haunted her until this day.
"Sara you don't have to do this" Michael whispered. He was reliving it too. The moment they had in that shack, him telling her he was going to do anything he could to help her. Little did she know he would have pretend to have held her hostage, to then admit to killing the man over and over again, so they couldn't hear her shouts of his innocence.
Sara let out an ironic chuckle and turned back around, "Its already been done Michael" she shook her head.
Jacob shuffled on the spot, "You killed a man?" he asked, still shocked.
"He was going to kill myself and Lincoln" Michael stated. Not that she imagined it would help the situation, "Sara saved us"
"Listen to what i'm saying Jacob" she had to get back to the point at hand, "Michael admitted to killing that man, to stop me going to Prison"
"For something that was your fault?" Jacob turned round to Michael, "so it was out of obligation you did it? She sacrificed for you and you felt guilty"
"No" Michael instantly said. She had to admit she always wondered that. He did it as a thank you. Michael's way of saying thanks, "i fell in love with Sara in Fox River. Seeing her go to Prison was not an option. I told her i would do anything to help her and i choose to do that" he wasn't going to let Jacob think he didn't care, "Sara had sacrificed her life already for me and my brother. I wasn't going to let anything else happen to her" Michael stepped in, "i couldn't bare the thought of her going to prison"
It wasn't convincing Jacob of Michael's love for Sara. She could see that, so she had to push further, however Michael saw what she was going to do.
"Sara" he spoke and she turned to him, he drew closer to her and away from Jacob, "this is our past. Do you really want it laid out here for-"
"-for your freedom? Yes" she responded. She now didn't care how much Jacob knew about them. He needed to know to grasp how much Michael did care for her. She then looked to Jacob and leaned on his desk, "want to know more?"
"Not particularly" Jacob responded, he didn't roll his eyes. But Sara could hear it in his voice, "but i feel i'm going to hear it"
"Just listen" Michael commented, "i don't feel like you need to know anything about this. But its Sara's decision and i'm going to respect that"
"Ahh i see. So she can convince me of your innocence and love for her? I need to hear about how wonderful you were to her?" it was a snide comment, "you don't love her. Who leaves their pregnant-" he didn't need to finish the sentence, because it was one that made Michael snap. She witnessed Michael move round the table quickly and press Jacob up against the board. Hand to his throat.
"Michael!" Sara cried running over and tried to pull him off. This wasn't him. He wasn't violent.
"Fine!" Michael sneered, "you want to know everything?! Here it is. I was away and presumed dead for 7 years because corrupt government operatives threatened the lives of my wife and son. Hear that? 'Wife'. Why would i marry Sara if i didn't love her?" he questioned and Jacob made a wheezing sound. Sara could see he didn't have a tight enough grip to choke him, but enough to scare him, and she knew that's what he was trying to do, however she still kept her hands around Michael's arm for restraint, and he carried on, "every single day i was away, it tore me apart. My wife was on her own raising our child. The child i never got to meet. The child i prayed to meet one day. Sara kept me going. She was what i thought about everyday. I may not be completely the man she fell in love with now...but I didn't care?" he questioned, "those messages Jacob. I sent them to her as soon as i could to let her know i was alive and would be back for them one day. But she didn't get a single one," his face was close to Jacobs and he was taking in every word ,"because of you"
Sara closed her eyes. There it was. He did resent Jacob for stopping those messages. He always wanted to get back to them. Tears were forming and she heard Michael release Jacob and suddenly she felt his hand come up to her face and cup her cheek, "I'm sorry" he whispered to her. She nodded. She got it. He had to do that. It was a Michael she didn't really know existed. Going through that time alone, with only his thoughts, he probably lost part of himself...the part that didn't snap at words. But he apologised because he went there, because he had to. He had to show Jacob what his feelings really meant. Because this time the words he was saying were not getting through. She knew he would be disappointed in himself.
She opened her eyes and Jacob was still coughing, "Please tell me you understand" she whispered in his direction.
He took a seat in his desk and contemplated, he opened his draw and Sara felt a sense of relief, he was getting the passports and certificate. He had heard what Michael had said and took it all in. They would finally be able to get to safety and help Michael in his bid for freedom, "Tell me this Michael," he directed at him. Michael turned to him as he was facing Sara and Jacob carried on, "would you die for her?"
"What?" Sara let out and saw Jacob pull a gun out from his desk draw.
I'm sorry!