I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to review, I REALLY appreciate it. Please let me know if you see something that needs work or if you have any ideas that you want incorporated. I am planning to wrap this one up in the next two chapters, after that I will not have anything really to write until my muse gives me something to work with….

Thlayli the Furhead -- You Crack Me Up! I look forward to reading the replies that you leave

Mrs. Boyscout -- In answer to your question, the "In My Life Thing" referred to a song by the Beatles. Grabbed it outta thin air and made it Sara's fav…:)

Smiling to herself she knew exactly what he was referring to.

"I need a reminder every now and then." she explained quietly with her eyes still closed.

Michael pondered this for awhile as he traced the line of the Kanji symbol for strength on her lower back.

"Why?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"After I got out of school, everyone was determined to make me see that I couldn't accomplish what I was setting out to do, especially my father. I decided that I wasn't going to be swayed that easy, and if I had a visual reminder I wouldn't be able to give up. When I was doing my missionary work, one of the locals there did it for me."

"Really? I wouldn't have pictured you to be the type that would have a tattoo." he replied with a grin.

"Who says I only have one?" she shot back, turning over. When a rather shocked look came across his features she began to laugh. "You aren't the only one who gets to have all the secrets and all the fun."

The look that he then gave her spoke volumes, leaning down he gently grazed her lips with his.

"This could get us into trouble you know and I am trying to work on my tan…." she said reluctantly but playfully.

With an over dramatic sigh, he laid down beside her on the oversized beach towel she had brought out with her. Sara couldn't remember another time in her life that she felt more comfortable with another person. Trying to absorb everything about the moment she felt Michael take her hand and bring it up in front of his face. Looking over at him she saw that he was examining every detail that he saw.

"How long can you stay?" he asked quietly.

Turning her face away she answered, "Three more days."

When he heard this he held her hand slightly tighter and moved it to lay on his chest. Sara didn't want to think about this, she didn't ever want to leave. How would she return to her normal life when she didn't have the one calming force that she needed? They both knew that neither one of them was going to say what needed to be said. She wasn't part of this. She could love him with all of her heart but this was his fight, not hers. The one thing that she could hope for was that he would eventually be free of this mess and that they may have a shot at a normal life then.

Long moments passed, each of them with their own thoughts, to terrified to tell the other what they were thinking. Deep down they both knew that there was more to 'them' than just attraction, they both knew that they were loved by the other. However, fear of the unknown made it impossible to say the words out loud. Pushing these thoughts out of the way, Sara turned on her side and laid her head beside their entwined hands on his chest. She wanted to have every memory of their short time together firmly engrained in her mind. When she returned to her lonely existence, she was going to need every single one of them. Michael wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Unknown to Sara, he was trying to do the exact same thing.