A/N : Back! with another chapter. Oh, I'm so glad you liked the previous one, it was sort of a keypart in the whole story, don't you think? Now, I have a question - should I continue this story under the same title, or post a sequel - because things will be going down - yes, the escape is eminent. ( Yes, I admit, maybe this question is another pseudonym for the 'Please review!' thing, I think I've gotten really good at stating that message between the lines...hehe). Thank you so much to all the reviewers so far - I do it all for you...

XO

There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me

The touch of your hand says you'll catch me, whenever I fall

"Sara," Katie said as they were arrived at the car an hour, twenty-three minutes and sixteen seconds later (she'd counted. When he'd kissed her, it felt like the world was being reborn. An hour, twenty-three minutes and thirty-five seconds ago...) "I think it's best if you sit in the back with Michael for the ride back. Just to show the CO's you've kept him on a short leash today, you know..."

Sara smiled brightly until Michael softly nudged her. She turned her smile down a few notches. "Oh, okay." She lightly answered. "So, how was Mark doing?"

On the ride back to the place hidden inside huge brick walls, Katie continued to gush about how pleased her husband had been to see her at work, not leaving one detail out. Michael softly smiled as he stared out the window, silently listening to the women's bantering. Every once in a while, he glanced at Sara, whose lips were curled upwards in a cute way. Slowly, he edged his hand towards hers and started carressing it. When she looked back at him, and smiled, interlacing their fingers, it took everything in him not to lean across the space dividing them and kiss her passionately.

Sara's head was spinning from the warm feeling of Michael being close to her. Remembering the feeling of the kiss, still tasting him on her lips, and then knowing they wouldn't get another chance at this for a long, long time made her heart ache. Tasting the freedom they could have, only to lose it again – it was wonderful and painful at the same time. It was bittersweet, all of this.

But his eyes reassured her, and his hand in hers made her heart beat faster. She knew that for all the nights to come, this feeling would be the last thing she knew before falling into a deep sleep. He'd always be with her.

And didn't she sound like a love-sick puppy?

The walls doomed up before them, and suddenly the car became very quiet, every breath taken revibrating in the air. It was like a filter closing over their eyes, darkening everything they saw. Michael took their linked hands to his lips and kissed them before untangling the fingers.

Let us go back, he thought, let us just go and never look back again.

The next day

Sara

As predicted, she'd had a wonderful night's sleep yesterday – how could she not have, with the ghost of Michael near her. Softly, she had fingered the unslept sheets on the other side of her bed, imagining him laying there, a crooked grin on his face as he turned to his side and pulled her into him. For a moment, she thought it was real, she thought he was there. Isn't imagination a wonderful thing?

But now she was scared. How would they act around each other? Should she pull the curtain up – just in case he wanted to kiss her? Or would that be too presumptuous of her, and would he take it the wrong way? In any case, her questions would soon be answered, as she watched him walk through the doors of the infirmary and headed to her office. She saw him marching with long, confident strides and watched spellbound. It was like watching a hero return home after his ultimate victory. Home.

"Michael..." She greeted him as he entered the office and shut the door behind him. They both shared similar grins as he sat down on the chaise, for the umpteenth time of his stay here. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better," he answered with a smile. "See, I had this great day yesterday with this amazing woman, and it really gave me a boost, you know?"

"Oh?" she asked curiously. "Anyone I know?"

He shrugged. "Yeah – I'd say you know her pretty well."

Sara looked pensive, as if making a list of possible women in her head. And then she gasped. "Katie?"

"Yes." Michael laughed. "Katie."

Sara chuckled and pushed a strand behing her ear. "Sara," she heard Michael softly say, and she looked up, "You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now."

Her heart fluttered, and in that moment, she made a decision. Standing up quickly, she pulled the curtain towards them and hid them out of sight. "Okay," she sighed. " If you have to...but make it a quick one."

-

Three minutes later, Michael leaves. And as much as she longs to keep him from leaving, to pull him back to her and make him stay with her forever, she doesn't. She lets him go, lets him walked out through her door.

Immediately after he leaves, she turns to look out of her window, gazing at the spot where she'd seen him almost walk out of her life forever. She sighs and clutches her necklace in her hand. It's the one her father gave her on her 7th birthday. Her father...She reaches around her neck and pulls it off.

She doesn't have a father.

"Sara?" Katie appears in the doorway behind her – at least, she thinks so, still staring out of the window.

"Hmm?"

"Mr. Wonderful left you something..." Instantly, she whips her head around, immediately regretting it when she something snap. But she doesn't feel it – only feels her heart pounding in her chest at the thought of Michael.

She sees Katie grin and walk over to her, with a little box in her hand. She pushes it to her boss, who greedily takes it and nods. The nurse giggles and leaves.

Sara feels her fingers tremble as she traces the edges of the box. Trembling fingers, speeding heart. The signs are all there, aren't they? And – oh yes, goofy smile in place. Opening the box, she looks at the insides and smiles.

On the bottom of the little box lies a perfectly rounded piece of eggshell, probably a part of the eggs Mr. Wonderful cracked yesterday, hanging from a little chord. He made her a necklace. Exactly three minutes after she decided she needed a change of necklace and pulled the one she had been wearing since she was seven off of her neck, he gave her a new one. A new chance, a new life. A new love.

She strokes it softly – eggshells aren't exactly the most stable material – and turns it over in her hand, looking at the inscription with love flooding her eyes.

"Always remember. M"

Shaking her head, she wonders aloud : "Oh Michael, how could I ever forget?"

Michael

Five days.

Five days left with her.

Her, with the beautiful eyes, and heart. With the soft voice and touch that made his every fiber shiver. Her, the one he wanted, needed to be with for the rest of his life.

He looked disgusted for a moment. So, the rest of your life consist of five more days, huh Michael? This isn't right. You can't do this to her.She deserves better.

Shaking his head, he contradicted himself. I'll make it right. I'll make her forgive me. I need to.

He gripped his chestpocket, where inside, a little box had made house. A box containing another piece of eggshell, the one that had been neighbouring the one he had given her. It was a box he would protect with his life, because he knew that if the eggshell cracked, it would be a sign of all chance of a future with her lost.

And that was something he wouldn't be able to take.

The next day

As he sat in her office again, the curtain pulled up again, he gently ran his thumb over her necklace and swallowed hard. "Sara..." he whispered hoarsely. She looked up with a question in her eyes and waited for him to continued. It was as if somehow, she knew what he was about to say would be difficult for him.

"Will you wait for me?"

Her eyes turned a deeper brown than he'd ever seen and he held his breath, awaiting her answer nervously. She pressed her lips to the place where there had once been a cut above his eye, and guided his hand from her necklace, over her breast, to her heart. She heard his breath catch at the movement, but needed him to listen to her.

"Michael, can you feel this?" He nodded, his throat as dry as the desert. "You can?" He nodded again. Stop teasing me, Sara. "Good." She concluded. "It has never beat this fastly. Not for anyone." She ran her hand over his head and his closed eyes. "I'll wait forever if I have to.." She softly kissed him.

"I'll wait for you forever."

Wasn't Michael soo beautiful when he hoarsely asked her to wait for him? Made my heart speed up. Yes, I had to put it up here, even if I changed the circumstances a bit.

I think everyone recognized the lyrics? But I have to say something about them. I took them from the song by Alison Krauss "When you say nothing at all". Yes, Ronan Keating covered it, but I recently listened to this version (Krauss) and found it much more beautiful than Ronan Keating's version. It's sort of like 'I will always love you', the original version by Dolly Parton and the modern version by what's her name - Whitney Houston.

Anyway, that was a short intermezzo.

I will write another chapter tomorrow (I am so caught up in this story) if you reward me with your opinions. (Once again : HINT). Love to you all. XO