"I'd spend a thousand lifetimes coming back to you."
Michael's thumb rubs over the back of Sara's hand, his other arm cradled around her body and holding her close to him. It had been nearly 8 years since he had gotten to hold her last, but it was almost like no time had passed at all once he finally got to have her in his arms again. Sara lets out a sigh in her sleep and Michael can't help but smile to himself as he runs his hand through her hair. He's used to not being able to sleep, but this time it's a little different. If he closed his eyes right now, he would probably fall asleep almost immediately, drifting off into quite literally the best sleep that he's had in years. He wants to sleep, his body is begging for the rest that awaits him once he finally allows himself to close his eyes. But he feels like if he falls asleep, it might all go away. It might turn out that the last few days were really a dream, that he didn't really have his family back. If he closes his eyes, he has to stop watching Sara, and if he stops watching Sara, she might disappear.
The overthinking and nervousness about his reality causes his heart rate to increase, and this doesn't go unnoticed by the half-asleep woman with her ear pressed against his chest. She stirs slightly before her eyes flutter open, and she has to allow her eyes to adjust in the dark when she looks at her husband. She almost can't believe it's him, it's Michael. Her head still couldn't quite wrap itself around the fact that he was alive. She had him back and they could finally get to be a family. They had been robbed of that before they even had the chance so many years ago. She hoped that they could make things work, that the time they had been apart from each other didn't cause them to lose the love that they had for each other. She knew that she still loved Michael. She had never stopped loving Michael. That man was the love of her life. They had such a short amount of time together, but that didn't make their love story any less significant.
"What's the matter?" Sara questions, lifting her head slightly. Her husband shakes his head, not wanting her to worry about him. She had spent way too much of her lifetime worrying about him, that was the last thing he wanted her to have to worry about right now.
The smaller woman rests her hand on his cheek, and Michael smiles when he feels her warm touch on his skin. He had spent the last 7 years yearning to feel the touch of her hand on him again. "Nothing, I'm okay. You can go back to sleep." He whispers, his fingers running through her dark hair.
The brunette removes her hand from his cheek, slipping it under the covers to search for Michael's other hand. When she finally finds it rested on her hip, she feels for his fingers, entangling her own with his. She holds his hand, squeezing it gently. "You can't sleep." She notes.
"Just the opposite, actually." Michael admits, squeezing her hand back in response. "I don't want to sleep." He doesn't want to tell her why, but he knows that she's going to ask. "I just, I feel like this is a dream. Like if I close my eyes and let myself fall asleep, I'll wake up back in Yemen. And I don't want to be back there, Sara. I really don't want to be back there."
She understands. If she hadn't been so exhausted, she might've had similar qualms before falling asleep herself. But after three-or was it four?- rounds of the best lovemaking she's had in 7 years, she had to say her body was pretty much done fighting to stay awake. She remembered Michael making a joke about how they finally got to celebrate their wedding night, and she couldn't help but laugh. "No sir, this is your homecoming celebration. We'll have a proper wedding night soon enough, Mr. Scofield."
"I'm right here, Michael." Sara whispers, her free hand making it's way to his cheek once more. "I'm not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere."
He runs his hand down her bare back, letting out a sigh as he buries his head in her neck. He takes a deep breath, breathing in her scent. It's a mix of sweat and coconut shampoo, and he's pretty sure that it's the best thing he's ever inhaled. "I missed you so much." Michael mumbles, barely loud enough for her to hear. "I missed you so damn much, Sara."
She closes her eyes, holding back tears as she wraps her arms around him. Dipping her head down, she kisses the top of his head, letting her lips rest against his salt-and-pepper colored hair. "I missed you too, Michael." She whispers as she rests her chin against the top of his head. "God, I can't imagine what it was like for you."
"You don't want to know." He manages to choke out, his face still pressed against her collarbone. And that's where they leave it. Lucky for Michael, their thoughts are interrupted by a tiny knock on the door.
"Mommy?"
Sara sits up, wiping tears from her face. "Hey baby, I'll be out in just a second." She swings her legs over the side of the bed, using her phone as a flashlight to search for her underwear on the floor. Michael hands her his boxers and t-shirt, and she can't help but smile as she takes the clothing from him.
"Don't think I forgot about how much you like to wear my clothes." He teases, turning his head away as she pulls the shirt on over her head. He turns the lamp on, searching for something to put on. Sara walks over to his side of the bed, placing her hands on the sides of his face. He tilts his head back, looking up at her. "I love you, Sara Scofield."
"I love you too." She smiles, pecking his lips before leaving the bedroom. Mike's standing outside in the hallway, his pillow tucked under his arm. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
The youngest Scofield frowns as he looks up at his mother. "I can't sleep."
She hadn't really expected him to be able to. Her poor boy had been through so much recently. Especially in the last couple of days. "That makes two Scofield boys in this house that can't sleep tonight." Sara notes, running her hand through her son's hair. "Well, how about this…what do you say we go out in the living room, make a comfy bed on the floor with all the cushions and blankets and pillows in the house, and we can all watch a movie together?"
The six year old thinks for a moment before nodding his head. He's aware that Michael's his dad and that everything that Jacob had said about him was a lie, but it was still difficult for the child to wrap his head around. And Sara's trying to ease into it so that the transition can go as smoothly as possible, but she can't say that she really knows what the best choices are when it comes to their particular situation. "Can I pick the movie?"
"Of course you can." Sara smiles as Michael comes out of the bedroom in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. "So, me and Mike decided that we're going to skip sleep tonight and go watch a movie in the living room."
Michael closes the bedroom door behind him, his lips forming a small smile when he hears his wife's idea. "I think that's an excellent idea. What are we watching?"
"Do you like Toy Story?"
"Believe it or not, I've never seen Toy Story." Michael tells his son, who's eyes widen at the thought that there was someone on this planet who had never seen Toy Story. "But I would love to watch it with you. Is that one of your favorites?"
Mike nods his head, making his way into the living room. "Mom, can we use some of your pillows? They're fluffier than mine."
Sara laughs, going back into the bedroom to gather some of her pillows off of her bed. "Be good to my pillows." She winks at her boys, tossing the pillows on the couch. Her and Mike gather blankets, laying them out on the floor to set up a huge makeshift bed for the three of them. "Popcorn or pancakes?"
The six year old doesn't have a second thought before yelling out "pancakes" and Michael can't help but laugh at the exchange. "Well I have to say pancakes, then too." He realizes then that he's never eaten anything that Sara's made. He's really been missing out on a lot over the last 7 years. "As long as your mom's a good cook. Is your mom a good cook, Mikey?"
"She's a great cook." He smiles, finding the television remote so that he can put the movie on. "Can we have chocolate chips in our pancakes?"
Sara's in the kitchen, gathering all of the ingredients to make pancakes. "I think we can manage that." She tells her son, smiling as Michael walks in and places his hands on her hips. "Do you want chocolate chips in your pancakes too, Mr. Scofield?"
"I'd love chocolate chips." He tells her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Do you need any help with anything?"
She shakes her head, getting a mixing bowl out of the cabinet above her head. "Nope. Go watch Toy Story with our son. I'll be out when the food's done."
"Mom! Dad! It's starting." Mike calls from the other room.
Michael spins Sara around, pressing his lips against hers for a moment. "I suppose I better get going." He smiles, and she steals another kiss before he can pull away from her.
"I'll be in as soon as the pancakes are done."
"You're going to miss the movie."
"I'll hurry." She tells him, smiling as she watches him go back out to the living room. Sara glances at the clock on the stove, which reads 3:42 AM, and she thinks to herself that there's absolutely nothing else that she'd rather be doing at 3:42 AM. This is the moment she's been longing for for the last 7 years.
