They basically lived one day to the next unsure of what was going to happen. They talked about everything including favourite sports teams, kindergarten ballet recitals, family pets, nicknames they wish were never acquainted with them, favourite summers, first crushes, it was like they were trying to cram a lifetime of knowledge into a few, precious hours. The one thing that was never discussed was her leaving.
They both knew it was going to happen but neither one of them was going to validate this by saying so. They simply took whatever they could by spending every moment together, waking or otherwise. The night before she had to go, Michael took his time making sure she knew what she meant to him and that he was going to do everything in his power to make it back to her in one piece. Afterward, they both lay on their stomachs, their faces turned toward the other simply staring at each other as if one wrong move would make the other disappear. It was at this point that Sara knew for sure.
"I was lucky in my life, I got to have a best friend from the time I was in kindergarten all the way through college. She was there to help me with anything and everything my life threw at me, I often wonder if I did the same for her. I remember one time in college after a particularly horrific break-up she gave it to me straight whether I wanted to hear it or not. She looked me in the eye and said, "Sara. You need to understand something. One day you will find a guy who tells you that you are beautiful, he will call you back when you hang up on him, he will stay awake just to watch you sleep. Wait for this guy. He'll be the one who kisses your forehead or the nape of your neck, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in your sweatpants and who holds your hand in front of his friends and family. Trust me on this. He will constantly remind you how much he cares about you and how lucky he is to have you. He'll be the one who turns to his friends and says without hesitation, '...that's her. All of the blind dates and disastrous relationships in between only happen to keep you on the right track to him.'"
Running her fingers from the small birthmark on his temple down to his lips she smiled and said, "Even back then she knew that I was going to meet you."
"Well, I would consider it an honor to meet her." Michael said smiling back as he took her hand in his and kissed the tips of her fingers.
He was slightly alarmed to see a tear slip down her face, he turned onto his side and began to reach for her. He stopped, however, as she said, "She died in a car crash a week after that night."
Pulling her to his chest he kissed her forehead the rolled onto his back so that they were both more comfortable. She sighed wearily as she rested her head on his chest and let the sound of his heart calm her down.
Sara was just about to fall asleep when she heard Michael quietly say, "I can be your best friend for the rest of your life if you want."
Laughing through her tears she locked her lips with his and showed him how grateful she was that he'd said this.
The next morning came far too quickly and Sara was annoyed to see that it was a bright, sunny kind of day, she was miserable and felt that everything should reflect that. Laying on her side, she was indebted to whatever god had let her wake up first so that she could spend another morning watching Michael sleep. She couldn't help but let her fears get the best of her and within minutes was convinced that the whole damned situation they were in was going to end badly. She played over and over in her mind how she was going to say goodbye to him but couldn't come up with one plausible scenario. Slowly climbing out of bed she collected her things and got ready to leave. A half an hour later with a taxi waiting outside, she stood at the door looking back at him for what she believed was the last time.
"I'll always love you Michael Scofield." she whispered and then silently slipped out the door.
The entire ride to the airport she had to stop herself from getting the driver to turn around and go back. She kept telling herself this was for the best, that if he were with her she wouldn't be able to leave. She made it through the terminal and customs as if she were on auto-pilot and found a seat in the boarding area to wait for her flight to be called. Sara contemplated what she was going to do when she got back and had decided that working at Fox River wasn't going to be an option when she felt someone sit down beside her.
"I thought sneaking away was my specialty?" he joked, trying to get her to smile.
She turned to look at him and tears pooled in her eyes.
"Before I met you, I wasn't like this. Crying at the drop of a hat…" she trailed off as she looked down at her hands.
Putting one arm around her shoulders he took her hand in his and pulled her toward him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. They sat this way until her flight was called. Standing up with her, he put his hands on her upper arms and kissed her forehead.
"Don't forget me." he said.
Wrapping her arms around him she whispered in his ear sadly, "You are impossible to forget but very hard to remember."
Grazing his lips with hers she turned to pick up her bag and all but ran to the boarding desk.