Michael had been nervous about the contract the whole day and when the governor had finally announced which firm had been chosen he couldn't believe his hearing at first. Now hours later he was still nervous but now for a totally different reason. The news media had spread the word about the contract so fast he hadn't had a chance to call Lincoln or Veronica and then he figured he would wait for them to talk at dinner. Everything was set up and he even had a bottle of champagne in the freezer, just in case they wanted to celebrate with him.
When Veronica had arrived back at home after her coffee chat with Sara LJ sat in front of the TV. He seemed to jolt out of a trance when Veronica said "Hi."
"Oh hey have you heard already?"
"Yeah I heard. Did he tell you that he was contesting on that?"
"No he never mentioned it. Do you think it is a coincidence that they do this now?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean they said in the news that they would start work in three weeks…" LJ explained and watched while realization hit his stepmom.
"Really in three weeks? The exact day? That has to be a coincidence!"
"What is in three weeks?" Lincoln asked when he emerged from the bathroom.
"The start of the retrofit!" Veronica said and motioned in the direction of the calendar. Lincoln followed her with his eyes and he made the same connection!
"The break out date? Wow that is weird. Maybe Michael chose it out of nostalgia?" he offered.
"I don't know but we can ask him as soon as we get there. I only have to get changed and someone has to change Amy too." With that she had placed the little girl in her husband's arms and disappeared in her bedroom.
Half an hour later the three of them had arrived at Michael's loft and just had sat down at the table when Lincoln remembered who Veronica had been with this afternoon.
"So now can you tell us some more about Sara?"
"You don't want to grill Mike first?" she retorted smiling and turned to face her brother -in –law.
"So when were you planning to tell us about Fox River?" Michael shifted in his seat, yes he had been expecting questions but Veronica's even tone of voice unsettled him slightly.
"Ehm yeah about that. We turned in some ideas and somehow they thought we were the best equipped for the job and so they gave it to us!"
"Ah and you don't think it has something to do with the fact that you once managed to break out of there?" LJ asked.
"Could be but I wouldn't know! We, my co workers and I, planned it and we are going to do the job as a team!" Michael replied with force on the 'we'.
Lincoln sensed that his brother wasn't too comfortable with the history lesson and so he decided to go back to question his wife.
"Did you figure out where you know this Sara chick from?"
"Linc a little respect here, please!" Veronica exclaimed. "And no I am still not sure but she is really great."
"What did you talk about the whole day when you still don't know where you have seen her before?" LJ wondered aloud.
"LJ hate to break it to you but women can talk for hours about clothes, make-up or babies!" Michael said while patting his nephews back and rolling his eyes for added effect. Veronica just smiled and chuckled lightly when LJ shook his head.
"For your information we talked about where we are from and what we do and we talked about men!" the last part she added with a smirk and Linc spat his wine back out.
"Men?" he asked raising his eyebrows.
"Nothing horrible! I mean she told me she grew up in Chicago and after that she told me about some guy she had had a thing for years back but he just played her and then I thought why not tell her about my screwed up family!"
After that three guys stared at her incredulously. "What? No one died!" she said in response.
"Did you… Did you tell her everything?" Michael was the first to find is voice again and Veronica realized what she just had said and what the boys in front of her had understood.
"Oh god no! I don't want to scare her! I told her about how LJ isn't my son but that Linc and I were sort of an item since high school. I never once told her who you guys are! But I have the feeling she knows someone in Fox River she began to shiver when the news about the retrofit came on."
"Who in Chicago doesn't at least know one inmate or former inmate in Fox River?" Lincoln said.
"Don't know but can we please stop talking about prison?" LJ asked pleadingly.
"OK what do you want to talk about?" Mike challenged him. LJ's eyes twinkled mischievously and a smirk formed on his face.
"Well Uncle Mike do I get an aunt any time soon?" the young man asked with emphasis on Uncle.
"Why does everyone think I need to get a girl? Ever heard about being a happy single?"
"Come on Michael you just have to go out. I bet when you go out you could get any girl." Veronica backed her step son.
"You all sound like the guys at work! They want me to go out with them because apparently I am the 'chick magnet'. Can you believe it?" Michael threw up his hands in defeat and continued. "OK you won. I will go out with the guys tomorrow!"
"Good plan! But can you pick me up at the hospital and drive me home first?" LJ asked.
"Yeah no problem! When should I be there?"
"The class ends at 7 so just be there!" After that the Burrows family went back home so that little Amy could be in her comfy bed. The little girl had fallen asleep in the middle of dinner and her parents also wanted to get some sleep before she woke up again.
On the other side of town in a little apartment Sara was going through some of the boxes from her past which she still hadn't and never really intended to unpack. The mentioning of Fox River in combination with security had painfully reminded her of her past and there was one thing in these boxes she never could bear to throw out. At the bottom of the last box she found it, her origami rose. When she picked it up her head was flooded with memories of Michael.
What is he up to now?
But she immediately stopped herself from going there.
It would only hurt!
She reasoned with herself and started to repack the boxes the rose however found a place in the back of a glass cabinet in her living room. She then went in the kitchen to pour herself a glass of white wine. On her fridge her eyes fell on the business card Veronica had given her.
Am I being a stalker if I check her out online? What the heck I need to know.
She started her laptop and opened a search engine. The first entry was Veronica's old firm and when she pulled up the page she read that the other woman was or is a real-estate attorney.
Mhh I never dealt with one before, so where did I see her before?
The picture on the page definitely was her new friend and so she gave up and chalked the familiarity to a run in at the hospital. After that she went over her notes for the class the next morning. Sara had a ritual; every friday she wold go to the cemetery and visit with her mother. Today was no exception but she was later when usual. When she walked towards her mothers headstone she noticed a young man sitting in front of another headstone a few rows back and when he got up she recognized him as LJ Ricks. She decided to go over there and just read the headstone.
Maybe it'll jog my memory on why Veronica is so familiar.
As soon as she stepped in front of the headstone she noticed the two names on it . Lisa and Tom Morgan.
They died at the same day? Maybe a car accident.
That was before she noticed the year.
Must have been a horrible year for everyone...
After that she headed to the hospital for work and to keep her mind busy, like she always did in these three weeks. May 11th always was the worst.
A/N: I am on a roll for this! Good for you :) oh and Sara & Michael thanks so much for your review. Is this soon enough? Any ideas why May 11th is such a horrible day? Cookies for the first right answer :)