(Michael)
"But you're coming back, right?"
He could see the hurt look in her eyes along with the question.
He wanted to tell her yes; that he was coming back, but if Lincoln was in as much trouble as he feared, his brother would need him by his side.
He took her hands into his before answering. "I want to, but… I don't know, Sara. Linc's in trouble and I have to be there for him." He needed her to understand and he was so afraid that she wouldn't.
She nodded, but her eyes were filling with tears. "What about me, I need you too, you know?"
Two tears accompanied her words. And he reached a finger and smoothed them away before speaking. "I know, and I'm sorry, Sara, but I have to be there. Linc and I…We've been through a lot, and for the longest time it was just the two of us. We were all the other had. I have to stick around and make sure he's okay. Please understand?"
At his words she pulled her hands from his and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "I get it, Michael. You have to go. You have to stay with him. I get it, but I don't have to like it. And I can't pretend I'm okay with it either!"
She bolted quickly to the door and slipped out leaving it a jar. He wanted to go after her; he would have if not for Grace's voice calling him from the other room. He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face tiredly. And then he made himself head out into the hall, his eyes moving briefly over the stairs that would take him to Sara. He ached to go to her; to hold her, but he kept on walking, making his way into the living room where his father and stepmother were waiting for him.
(Sara)
Sara made her way quickly to her bedroom and threw herself onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow. What had once been the most exciting night of her life was turning into the worst night possible. Michael was leaving her.
She felt her heart ache as new tears replaced the ones her pillow had absorbed from her cheeks. But after a few minutes, she took a deep breath and wiped her flushed cheeks on the corner of her comforter, and then flipped over to stare dry eyed up at the ceiling.
As she lay there she felt her anger at Michael dissipate as her anger at Lincoln grew. She knew what she was doing; she was simply transferring her anger to Lincoln, placing the blame where it rightfully belonged.
Why did he have to do this to them? And from the things Michael had said this wasn't the first time his brother had been involved with illegal drugs either. She tried to imagine how Michael must be feeling and felt ashamed of what she had said to him. He must be so worried about his brother. She thought of everything that had happened and knew that she couldn't just let it end like this; let him leave thinking she was angry with him. She didn't know when he would be leaving, knowing her stepfather probably soon, but she had to let him know that she didn't really blame him.
With this new resolve she sat up. She pushed a hand through her now tangled hair and sat perched on the end of her bed in quiet thought. When she felt she had composed herself enough for anyone she might meet out in the hall, she pushed to her feet and made her way to the door, grabbing her robe on the way out. She figured maybe a hot shower would make her feel better and besides, she told herself, it wouldn't hurt to wash off the raccoon streaks of mascara she had spotted in her bedroom mirror on the way out..
The hall was empty and she let out the breath she had been unknowingly holding as she padded her way towards the bathroom and slipped inside. She locked the door behind her more out of habit than anything, and then hanging her robe on the back of the door she turned on the water, adjusting it as hot as she could stand it. The bathroom was filling with steam as her dress fell around her feet. And then she slipped out of her panties and stepped into the shower stall.
As she slipped under the welcoming spray of the shower head she told herself that this night was far from over. If Michael was leaving in the morning she intended to make the most of what little time they had left.
(Michael)
Michael slipped into bed and reached to turn out the light, clicking the room into instant darkness to his unadjusted eyes.
After his shower he had walked to Sara's door, but her light was off so he had moved along to his own room figuring she was already asleep. He knew she was upset with him, and he didn't want to leave with things like this between them, but he wasn't sure how to fix it. And it wasn't like he had a choice really, he had to go back to Chicago, Lincoln needed him.
He sighed deeply in fatigue, and lay his head down on his pillow. But he wondered if he would find sleep at all. He glanced at the clock. It was a little passed 2:00am, and the flight Aldo had booked for the two of them would be departing at 9:00am on the dot, meaning they would need to be at the airport no later than 7:30 due to heightened security. That gave him roughly only four hours to sleep, because he had to get up early to pack. He was starting to wonder if it was even worth trying to sleep.
He closed his eyes and tried to slow his thoughts. And it must have worked, or maybe he was just so exhausted he finally just shut down, because he didn't hear her slip quietly through the door. He wasn't even aware she was in his room until she was sliding beneath the sheets beside him. His eyes opened as her warm hand stroked his cheek.
"Hey sleepy head."
He saw her soft smile in the gloom. "Sara, what are you doing in here?" But he thought he knew, and his heart started beating a hole through his chest.
"You shouldn't be in here," he heard himself saying, but he was so glad that she was.
He reached and pushed a few strands of hair from her eyes; her eyes that were looking at him with such seriousness.
"I couldn't let you leave without…Michael I'm sorry I ran away. I was just so upset. And I know this isn't your fault…I know you have to go…I understand. I do."
A tear dripped down onto his bare chest before his fingers could brush it away.
"Shh, it's okay, Sara. I feel the same way about leaving you. I don't want to, but I..."
Her lips stopped his next words in their desperate need to taste him. And as the kiss grew heated she leaned her body into his, her flimsy nightgown inadequate in its attempt to cover her aroused nipples. He felt them push into his chest making his already hard member ache all the more.
"Sara", he heard his own gasp of her name, and then she was climbing astride his pajama clad hips.
She looked down at him, her eyes speaking words he knew she could never voice. He felt his hands began to move of their own accord, running along her thighs, and to his delight confirming his suspicions when he let them move up under the hem of her nightgown, she wasn't wearing any panties. Oh, God, and he could feel her wetness through his pajamas. She was reaching to pull her short nightgown up when he stopped her.
"Wait. Sara...I've never...I mean...I've never done this before," no sooner had he spoken, than he wished he could pull the words out of the air and back into his mouth.
He wasn't even sure why he had felt the need to tell her this, maybe so she would understand just how special this was to him?
She smiled and leaned in and kissed him softy. "Me either," her lips said against his, and her tongue was sweet with her revelation.
He felt her breasts against his bare skin. his heart pounding a symphony, and then she eased up the thin material and she was bare against him, her hot skin so soft, but heavy in its firmness. He gasped softly as she leaned forward and he took in her scent. She smelled of the body wash he knew her to use, and it always reminded him of peaches, but now he knew peaches would forever remind him of Sara.
And her skin, it tasted like heaven as his mouth moved along the sides of her breast to the tender nipple he brought between his lips in exploration. At her gasp he took it into his mouth, his tongue flicking lightly, against it's hardness making her squeeze him tighter between her thighs.
He ran his hands down her smooth, thighs pressing her harder against his erection as he arched up, trying to get ever closer. He needed to be inside her so badly; to feel her wrapped around him, as close as two people could ever be. And then he felt her ease up and begin pushing at the thin material of his pajama bottoms. That was when it suddenly hit him.
"Sara, I don't have anything...I mean any protection, " he made his mouth voice the words while the rest of his body was screaming, You idiot, what are you doing?!
Her lips left his neck and she sat up. He felt his heart sink, thinking this is it, she'll go back to her room now. But as she opened her closed fist he heard the soft crinkle of the packaged condom she slid into his hand.
Their eyes met briefly before she looked away. "Um, Grace, my mom...safe sex advocate."
Michael was fighting his laughter at the irony of the situation when he heard Sara's soft giggle. And then he too was laughing. She collapsed on him, and his arms came up to wrap around her.
"This really isn't funny, is it?" She voiced softly.
His answer was to pull her lips back to his. He flipped her around and made himself comfortable between her thighs and intently met her eyes with his own.
"We're really going to do this, this is what you want?"
She nodded. "Your all I want."
She pulled his mouth to hers and his tongue delved between her parted lips. And then he was pulling away, but his question had been answered and no more words were needed.
His mouth moved lower as she arched her back, and then he trailed his kisses along her neck and down to her breasts with extra attention to the areas eliciting the most gasps. As his lips moved over her, his hand moved down along her curves, his fingers sending jolts of sensation to his aching member as he eased his body up to slip his hand between them.
He found her wet, his fingers moving along her softness to dip inside, only to move along in their exploration. He wanted to touch every part of her, to taste every part of her, but he knew what she was expecting. He eased his finger into her and she gasped, her breath coming faster the more he moved.
After a few gasping moments, her mouth found his and she breathlessly kissed him, before pulling back and cupping his face in her hands.
"Now, Michael," she said a moan trailing her words.
He pushed his pajama bottoms down and tore open the condom wrapper and slid it over his hardness, hoping he had put it on correctly. And then he leaned into her arching body.
"Sara." He met her eyes. "I love you, so much."
At his words she pulled his mouth to hers. And then he was pushing inside of her.
He heard her gasp in pain or pleasure maybe both as he entered her, he wasn't sure which, but then she was thrusting against him, pulling him closer as she moved.She was so tight wrapped around him, and he knew he wouldn't last long, he just hoped it would be long enough.Her moans were growing louder and a part of him had to have known they were making too much noise, but his body was filled with so many distracting sensations. He could feel Sara's thighs shaking around him and then they were sailing together on a tumultuous sea as their orgasms ripped through them.
"I love you... I love you too, Michael... I love you so much!" She was saying and then the room was flooded with light.