Set during 4x07 'A Good Body,' what if Michael followed Sam after she said goodbye to him?
Sam had caught a glimpse of him in the hustle and bustle of the function room, she could always spot him out in a crowd; he always stood out to her, always caught his eye. It would've been easy to slip away undetected, it would've been easy to just forget about him - she had done so quite easily over the past year. But seeing him again, his hand brushing her arm, his smile sending shivers down her spine, she had quickly realised that she was far from forgetting about him. Walking away would've been the easier option but Sam wasn't an easy person.
She turned, heading towards the function room and pushing her way past the crowd of mainly men; it wasn't a situation she was unfamiliar with, her career was severely male dominated after all. And she was used to the sneers and the dipped glares whenever she walked into a room. It wasn't something she enjoyed being used to, but she either had to ignore it or lose her job; because they certainly wouldn't.
Andy had spotted her first, he gave her a simple nod of acknowledgement. He was a nice lad, a bit quiet but he was good at his job, and he listened to her, that was always important; he never overstepped the mark. She had had many male students walk in and think they're God's gift, talking down to her as if she were the student instead. But Andy was sweet and she quite enjoyed his company.
It wasn't long before Michael had followed Andy's gaze and he was looking directly at her, she tried to ignore the way her stomach had burned, the way her skin had tingled; the smile the tugged at her lips simply from the sight of him. She'd thought the feelings had washed away, that she had gotten over him. But as she edged towards him now, she was far from that.
"Sam, what are you drinking?" Michael asked, his fists clenching in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out to her. It was a habit really, something he had always done whenever she was around, a hand on her arm here and a hand on her back there. He had just always felt the need to be in contact with her in one way or another, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"No, it's time I was off now, Michael," because that was all she was here to do, say goodbye to him because she couldn't leave, she couldn't be at peace with herself, if she didn't.
"Well," his eyes dipped to her lips involuntarily, that was something else that felt like the most normal thing. He had known what those lips felt like, which made it all the more harder. He had felt them, soft against his own. He had ran his fingers through her hair, he had pressed his forehead against hers. He had had a glimpse of what could've been. What they could have if he didn't let her slip away each time, if he just had the courage to end things with Helen. "I'll catch up with you in London, we can do lunch or dinner, or…" He trailed off, she got the picture; he was willing to spend time with her, he wanted to spend time with her.
"Yeah, lunch would be great," she smiled, it wasn't what she came here for but it gave her hope. Her eyes scanned his briefly before quickly remembering that it wasn't just the two of them in the room, there were other people who were looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to make conversation with them and not just keep her attentions solely on the DI. "Mr Fisher?" She held her hand out, shaking the older mans hand.
"Professor," he nodded politely.
"Thank you, bye," she turned back to Michael once again, with one last pleading look. She had seemed to have lost all the confidence she had walked in with, she had so many things she wanted to say to him but she couldn't seem to find the words. She wanted him to follow her, she wanted him to tell her he felt the same, that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her as well.
Michael watched her walk away, like he had done a million times before; all the words were there, on the tip of his tongue. His relationship with Helen was barely there, they no longer slept in the same bed, they barely talked and when they did, it was usually about David. He had thought about Sam every day, he had hoped with all his might that he would see her again. And now he finally had. Finally, he had been given a second chance to make things right and he was letting her go again.
"Win some, lose some," the man next to him spoke, he didn't even register who it had come from, his eyes too focused on the back of Sam's head as she slowly made her way out of the room.
"Eh?" He turned his head, trying to look away from her, trying to forget about her all over again.
"Why don't you go after her?" He was giving him a knowing look, had it been that obvious? "Go, before she gets away again," Fisher took hold of Michael's drink, his hand landing on his shoulder as he pushed him in the same direction as the pathologist had left in.
That was all he needed, a push. He held his arm out as he moved people out of his way, he had to be quick before she left, although only seconds had passed. He found her at the desk, one person in front of her signing various papers. She seemed lost in her own world, a sad smile decorating her face. Michael's chest heaved as he looked at her.
"Sam," he breathed, grabbing her attention.
Her head had flicked up to him instantly, her features softening as she caught the sight of him, "Michael?" He had finally done what she had always wanted him to do. Her hand gripped onto her case, her knuckles turning white. She wanted to move, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and capture his lips between her own but she couldn't move; she was stuck, waiting for him. He was the one with a wedding ring on his left hand after all.
Michael stepped towards her, his hand coming to cup her cheek; his forehead pressed against hers. He wanted to kiss her again, he wanted to taste her but it was not the time nor the place. Sam's fingers had wrapped around his wrist, her heart pounding as his breath brushed across her cheek. She seemed to have lost the ability to control over her body as her face turned into his, her lips catching the corner of his mouth. Her breath hitched; so close yet so far away.
She seemed to have read his mind as her hand took hold of his, guiding him up the stairs towards the room she was yet to book out of, the room that he had chosen for her. The key card had already been in her hand, waiting to hand it back in, ready to give up on Michael for the last time. But he did the one thing she had wanted him to do last year, he stopped her.
She pushed the handle down, entering the room, throwing her case down to the floor, she'd worry about that later. She waited, waited for the door to click shut, waited for his arms to wrap around her and his face to tuck into neck, peppering her flesh with kisses. She didn't seemingly have to wait long as she felt her whole body ignite under his touch. This was them, finally leading somewhere they had always hoped. Somewhere they had always anticipated but never quite had the confidence to.
She spun around in his arms, her eyes searching his. Sam's chest rose and fell as she watched him, waiting for him to close the gap between them and just as she had read his mind earlier, he read her mind now; his lips connecting with hers. It was like the spell had been broken, their movements quick as Michael's fingers filtered though her hair, holding the back of her head as the kiss deepened.
Sam's hands slipped under his blazer, letting it drop to the floor. Michael struggled loosening his tie, a laugh escaping him, his mouth never leaving Sam's. She rested her hands on top of his, calming him as she expertly unwound the tie, pulling it from his neck.
Michael's lips travelled from her mouth, across her jawline before settling at her neck, his hands grasping at her waist. Sam could feel herself melting under his touch, she had dreamt of this moment too many times. Her fingers gripped at his shirt, untucking it from his trousers as she walked backwards, until the back of her legs hit the bed.
They lay there, his arms wrapped around her bare waist, her head resting on his chest. She couldn't stop the smile that was permanently spread across her face. Michael's fingers drew circles into her skin.
"Sam," he spoke softly, feeling his heart dropping as he felt her hum back in response. "Helen and I are getting a divorce."
She lifted her head up to look up at him, her eyebrows pulling together, "I hope you're not just saying that because we slept together, Michael."
He shook his head at her, almost chuckling, "I was going to tell you before, just didn't know how," he let out a sigh as he watched her. He couldn't quite believe he was getting the privilege to see this side of her; the calm, relaxed Sam. The Sam who didn't care about hiding her emotions or turning her feelings off for the sake of the job. This was the real Sam and he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to let go of her again. "I never stopped, you know."
Sam nodded, moving forward to capture his lips with hers briefly, "I know. Neither did I," her hand was cupping his cheeks, their mouths melting together.