Michael looked at me incredulously and his mouth dropped open. I'm not sure he even saw me, with the way his eyes glazed over.

"Would you please say something?" I asked. "Anything?" I was not positive I would like anything that came out of his mouth, but even anger had to be better than the vacant stare he was giving me.

Finally, he blinked heavily and looked away from me. From his profile, I could see that his eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply. The sound of him swallowing and trying to cough made me lower my face to Grayson's hair. I had promised myself that I would not be emotional when this day came, but seeing him trying to force himself to talk to me brought me down. I knew that I deserved his anger, but I only kept this from him to protect him. To protect Lincoln.

No matter what happened, someone was going to be hurt.

"What's going on, Abbie?" Michael finally sputtered out. "When did you have a child?"

My eyes met his and I was not surprised to see the betrayal filling them.

"A year and a half ago." I whispered.

"18 months? That's-" He did the math in his head. "Less than eight months after you moved away…" He trailed off, realizing the truth.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed and coldness seeped into them.

"That's why you stopped taking my calls, why you left so quickly. What, did you think a clean break would be better for you?"

Confused, I asked, "What are you talking about Mike? What does a clean break have to do with anything?"

"You made me think that I had done something wrong for two years. I hated myself knowing that I had pushed you away." He threw the covers off and jumped up to put his pants on. "And this whole time you were here raising my brothers bastard kid? Does he even know? Or are you keeping him in the dark on that dirty little secret, too?"

I squeezed Grayson closer to my chest, hoping he would stay asleep long enough to miss Michaels temper tantrum.

"Ok, first of all you self-riotous ass, do not EVER call my child a bastard again if you even remotely value your life. Secondly, said child is currently sleeping, so I would appreciate if you would use your indoor voice in my house. And last of all, I never said this was Lincoln's kid!"

That caught his attention and he stopped mid-zip.

"You-you mean? He's my child?" The glare was instantly replaced by another feeling. I didn't want to notice it, but I think it was hope.

Biting my lip, I turned away. I could not look him in the eyes when I admitted it.

"I didn't say that, either."

There was silence behind me for a moment.

"Was there someone else?" I could hear the hurt in his voice when he asked that.

I shook my head, not daring to look at him. Grayson whimpered and rolled his face into my neck. I kissed his forehead, my back still facing Michael.

We both were quiet for a few minutes. Me trying my hardest not to throw my arms around Michael and tell him I was sorry. Him trying to sort through the last few minutes.

Somehow, I found the courage to turn around and look at him. He was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. The tattoos on his back were shining from the sunlight coming through the window. Our "adventures" last night never allowed me to see them.

I walked closer to the bed and laid a hand on his shoulder. "How was I supposed to tell you that I was pregnant and I didn't even know who the father was?"

Michael's shoulders shook as I realized he was trying not to cry.

"Did you really think I would not accept you? Was our relationship so trivial that you couldn't even tell me the truth?"

"No!" I cried, sitting down beside him on the bed. "What we had meant everything to me. You are the reason I wanted out of all that. You made me believe I was better. How could I have done that if I stayed and raised a child by myself?"

"I would have been there!" His hands rubbed on his eyes and he looked up to see me. "No matter who's baby it was- Mine, Linc's, hell the goddamned mailman's! I would have loved you. Tell me you knew that."

Laying my head on his shoulder, I kissed his neck as softly as I could. "I know that, Mike. And that is why I left. You deserved more than some loser who might have been pregnant with you brother's child. I would not do that to you. That is how much I loved you." I entwined my hand with his. "How much I love you."

Looking down at our hands clasped together, he sighed and pulled me closer. Grayson chose that moment to yawn and lift his head up.

"Mama?" He asked, drowsily.

"Hey there my little guy." I replied, kissing his cheek.

Grayson looked over at Michael with a curious expression.

Michael's expression instantly softened from the guarded face I was getting. "Good morning, Grayson." He hesitantly reached his hand up to rub Grayson's curls. "I hated my curls when I little."

"I know. Lincoln told me that when you were seven you cut your hair so short that they had to give you a buzz cut."

"He has Lincoln's eyes, though." Did I catch a flicker of disappointment in his voice?

"But he's got your personality. At his daycare, he takes charge of all the other children and makes little groups. One group will start building with blocks, then he will move to another and get them to start coloring with him. He's very organized."

So far, Michael was being very understanding about his. I expected a little lash out, which he did, but I never thought I would see him smile so sweetly at Grayson. Of course, everything that happened was neither of their faults. It was all mine. If I had just told Lincoln that I was in love with his brother, none of this would have happened. But then I might not have my child, so maybe it is true when they say that everything happens for a reason.

"Abbie?" Mike's quiet voice brought me out of my daydream. "Whose baby do you want him to be?"

"Yours, Mike. Oh god, I've always wanted him to be your baby. How can you even ask that?"

He brushed his lips over my knuckles, "Just wanting to know where we stand." His head shot back up. "Have you ever told Lincoln about him? Does he know?"

I shook my head. Lincoln would automatically assume that he was the father and I didn't want to get his hopes up until I knew for sure. For some reason, I wanted him to know about Michael and I's past before he heard about Grayson.

"I need to go fix breakfast, if that's okay. Are you going to stay?"

"Where else would I rather be?" He smiled.

Flashback- Lincoln's POV

"Abbie, have you talked to Michael lately?" I asked walking into our bedroom.

She looked up with wide eyes. I must have startled her.

"N-no baby, why?" She looked back down at the book she was reading.

I shook my head and turned to walk out. "Just wondering."

Abe from the factory told me that he thought he saw Abbie heading into an apartment building on the west side last night. The street was the same street Michael lived on, but I knew he had to be mistaken because Abbie was home when I left. She said she was going to take a shower and head to bed.

Must have been a mistake.

"So when are you planning on talking to Lincoln?" Michael asked as we were washing the breakfast dishes. Grayson had retired to his bedroom to play with his hot wheels so me and Mike finally had a moment to talk privately. Of course, Grayson was to small to understand anything we were saying, but it was the point of the matter.

I handed him a plate to dry, "I talked to him last night on the phone, but I can't tell him like that. He should hear it in person from me. Plus, there's a good chance that you're Grayson's father, so then there would be no reason to tell him at all."

"Don't you think he would find it odd to hear that me and you are together raising our eighteen month old child? Linc's not a genius, but he's no idiot."

"Why does he even have to find out at all? It's not like he can just up and come home and see me anytime he wants to. Grayson could well be in college by the time he finds out."

Michael threw his dishtowel to the floor and spun me around to face him.

"Are you listening to the words coming out of your mouth, Abigail? How could anyone say that and believe it? Lincoln needs to know that there is a possibility that he may have another son. And he deserves to know about us. If you don't tell him, so help me god, I will." His eyes flashed with anger as he threatened me.

Picking his discarded towel up off the floor, I flashed him a cynical look. "You wouldn't dare, Mike. You know he would kill you with his bare hands and not think twice about it. Back then you only wanted to hurt him. Nothing he did was good enough for you, nothing he did was right. You probably only fucked me just to get to him."

He dropped my shoulders and backed away from me. I knew that what I said was not true, but he had to know that he was not going to threaten me. If I had to hurt him to get my point across, so be it.

"I always knew you could be a bitch, Abbie. But even this is too much. I know what you are trying to do and it's not going to work. Pushing me away is not going to be that easy. Losing you the first time almost broke me, losing you again would kill me. So stop trying to piss me off."
Turning around, he walked out of the kitchen. I heard him stop at Grayson's room and talk softly to him. Grayson let out a loud giggle at whatever Michael said to him. Curious, I peered around the hallway up to his room. Michael was sitting against the crib with Grayson on his lap. They both had toy trucks and were pretending to fly them through the air. Grayson was laughing, trying to hit Michael's truck with his own.

Not wanting to intrude on their private moment, I stepped back into the kitchen to finish the dishes.

Michael would make a wonderful father one day.

Every part of me was hoping desperately that this was that day.

I always put Grayson down for his morning nap at about ten. He usually slept for about an hour and a half and then I would start lunch.

But when I went in his room to get him ready for bed, I found Michael rocking him instead. Grayson was sound asleep on his chest. Michael was humming softly to him while rubbing his back.

Choking back a sob, I turned around and walked back to the kitchen. I pressed my hands on the counter and let the tears fall unabashedly. After a few minutes, I was too upset to even hold myself up and had to lean over the counter.

I felt a hand stroke my hair. "Don't cry baby." Michael whispered.

Another batch of sobs forced their way out so Michael grabbed me and turned me around, forcing me against his chest. I grabbed his shirt in my fists and clung to him as tightly as I could.

"I'm so sorry, Michael. I'm so sorry." I whimpered into him. "This was never supposed to happen. No one was supposed to be hurt."

His hand ran across my back, "No one but you?"

What could I say to that? He was right. I knew leaving would break me, but at the end of the day, I would rather only me be hurt by the truth than Michael and Lincoln knowing.

"How am I supposed to make this right?"

He sighed, "I don't know." He shrugged his hands over his chest. "I don't think they make a tattoo for this."

I smiled at his choice of words. Even if he was under immense pressure, he was still trying to make me feel better. I lifted my head from his chest and nuzzled into his neck. The grip on my waist tightened slightly.

My hand ran down his arm, pulling him closer into me. "I would do anything to make you love me again."

"I never stopped loving you, Abbie. You know that."

I bit down on his collarbone. "But do you love me like you used to?"

He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back against the counter. Grabbing my face, he slammed his lips down on mine.

"You're trying to change the subject." He murmured against my mouth.

"Working, isn't it?"

He let out a growl and tipped me over so I was laying on the counter now. One hand was tugging roughly through my hair and the other was inching it's way up my side.

"How did I ever manage to be away from you for so long?" His breath was hot against my neck.

Just as I had managed to unbutton his jeans and reached for the zipper, he jumped away from me and buttoned them back up.

Shaking my head, I attempted to clear my vision. "What, what's wrong?" I asked.

Running his hand over my cheek, he stepped away and laughed. "Your punishment for changing the subject." Pulling his shirt over his head, he tossed it in my face. "I think I'm going to go take a shower." With that he walked out of the kitchen, leaving me panting holding his shirt.

Arrogant bastard. He never would have done this to me back home in Chicago.

We passed the day by barely speaking to each other. We weren't angry, but I think the thought of a confrontation scared both of us. He wanted to have a long drawn-out chat about what had happened and what the future would hold, but I was not ready for that yet.

Michael asked if he could put Grayson to bed, so I told him that would be okay. They had bonded with each other in a way I never thought possible. Side by side, they really did look like father and son. Same eyes, same smile, Grayson's dark curls even matched what Mike's baby pictures looked like.

Ring ring ring

Who the hell would be calling me this late at night?

"Hello?" I answered, annoyed.

"Abbie? What's wrong?" I closed my eyes in relief.

"Oh, Linc. Nothing's wrong. I've been so worried about you. From now on you have to call me at least three times a day. Morning, noon and night."

He laughed. "You know, if you would just meet me down here you wouldn't have to worry so much."

"Not a chance pal."

"Abigail." Lincoln's tone turned serious. "I know there's things that you're not telling me, and I respect your privacy, but if you feel threatened by anything or anyone at all, you need to leave."

"Yes father. Whatever you say."

"Stop it. This is serious." He snapped at me. "Michael is still missing and I'm starting to get worried. Have you talked to him again?"

"You don't have to get snippy with me, Lincoln. I'm not a child and I sure as hell am not yours to boss around anymore."

Silence prevailed for a few moments while Lincoln let that sink in.

"I'm sorry." He finally said. "I just- Damnit, Abbie. You have no idea what you mean to me, do you? If something were to happen to you, I don't know what I would do. All I'm trying to do is keep you safe."

I sighed. Lincoln was good. He always knew what to say to me to get his way. "You know I love you too, Linc."

A cough behind me interrupted my train of thought. I turned and saw Michael leaning up against the kitchen door. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were pulled taut. Shaking his head at me, he turned and walked away.

"Shit!"

"What happened? Are you alright?" Lincoln shouted into the phone.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Linc. But look, I have to go. Call me tomorrow okay?" I quickly hung up and darted after Michael.

I found him sitting on my bed, staring at his hands. They were clenched tight and his shoulders were shaking.

"Michael, I-" I began, but he jumped up and cut me off.

"Is that what this is all about? You don't want to tell Lincoln about us because you're still in love with him, not because you're worried about how he'll react." He stated this as fact and not as a question.

"You know what? You're right, Mike. I slept with you all those times just for fun. I lied when I told you that being without you made it where I can't breathe. I made love to you last night just to lead you on. You're absolutely right."

He threw his hands in the air, "Can you be serious for once?"

"I've been trying to be! How many times do I have to tell you that I am in love you, only you and you do not have anything to worry about between Lincoln and me? Yes, I love Linc. I love him immensely. He took care of me when no one cared; he loved me even though he did not have to. I will never forget that." I threw myself over his lap and buried my head in his chest. "But I don't want to be with him. I stopped feeling that way towards him a long time ago. I want to be with you, damnit. Every second of every day with you and only you."

His hand came up and stroked through my hair, "What if you find out that Grayson isn't mine?"

"I don't care. Won't change how I feel about you." I lifted my head and covered his cheeks with my hands. "You're stuck with me, Scofield. Forever."

Pulling me forward against his lips, he smiled. "Forever. I like the sound of that."

I pulled back and he frowned, "What now?"

I bit my lip before answering, "What will you do if Grayson isn't yours?"

Sighing, he leaned back on his elbows, "I can't say it won't complicate things, because you know as well as I do that it will. But I'm not going anywhere. Even if I'm not his father, I'll still be his uncle. And one day his step-father." He paused. "Wow, poor kids going to need therapy by the time he's three."

He pulled me down onto his chest. "The whole time we were apart I hated myself for it. I hated you for leaving me and I hated Lincoln for being free to love you all those years. But that's over now. We're together, we're going to stay together and nothing can take you away from me again. Either of you."

"There's just one little problem that you're forgetting."

"What?" He asked.

"There is the little breakout incident." I gently reminded him.

"No matter. I told you, if I have to drag you kicking and screaming to Mexico, I will. The government officials chasing me will stop at nothing to arrest me. If they have to hurt you to do it, they will with no second thought. Once they find out that Grayson was born just a few months after you left home, they will put two and two together. They may not realize there is a chance he could be mine, but they will assume he's Lincoln's. They know I did what I had to do to get him out of jail, they would have to know I would do twice that to save his son. Do you really want that?"

Swallowing hard, I shook my head. "Of course I don't want them anywhere near my baby, but if I run off it will just make it worse. I think I need to just sit it out and wait for them to lose interest in me. Eventually they'll probably get some random tip that you're halfway across the country or something and they'll let up."

"But what about us?"

"What about us, Michael?"

"I don't think you're realizing what you staying here means, Abbie. If you continue to live in the United States, we can never really be together. I can't stay here with you and be a happy little family. I'm on the run from the police, I can't stay in one place to long."
I rolled over to look him in the eye, "But do you really think that's the kind of life I want for my child? To always be running, looking over his shoulder?"

He reached out to stroke my cheek, "We won't have to run forever. Once we find somewhere we want to stay, we can change our names, stay out of the spotlight and live our lives." He ran his lips over my hair. "Just the three of us."

"Why are you so damn persuasive? You could make me jump off a building."

He laughed and tightened his arms around me. "Does that mean you'll come with me willingly?"

"I don't know yet. Can I think about it some more?"

"You can think all you want, Abbie, but either way I'm going to have to leave here soon. I've already stayed longer than I should have. I'll probably leave sometime tomorrow. And you might as well just accept the fact that you're going with me."

I bit my lip. "That's to soon."

Michael smiled sadly and laid his hand over mine. "I meant what I said. Nothing is going to take you away from me again. I've lived without you for to long. I don't have the willpower to manage it for the rest of my life."

"I feel the same way, Michael." He let me have a few minutes of silence before speaking again. "What is your heart telling you to do?"

I looked up into his eyes. They were unwavering and screaming at me to trust him.

"It's telling me to do whatever I can to keep my family together.

"Good." He patted me on the bottom. "Now go take a shower. You smell like bologna and tears."

"Abbie…" A soft voice murmured. "Wake up baby."

"Umphhh." I grumbled into my pillow. "Just five more minutes Grayson."

A soft laugh was my reply. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Grayson."

Raising my head sleepily, I remembered Michael falling asleep beside me last night. I smiled and wrapped myself around him. "Too early." I told him.

"Today's the day, Abbie girl. We need to get an early start."

With those words, my eyes popped open. "Shit!" I yelled. Jumping out of the bed, I quickly started grabbing all of our clothes together.

"Hey now," Michael said, standing up and stretching, the muscles in his back expanding with the movement. "No need to be in that big of a rush. I just mean we needed to be waking up soon." I didn't hear the last sentence as I was to busy eye raping the scene in front of me.

Michael turned around and caught me staring. Smiling naughtily, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

"Do you not remember my rule against pre-brushing kisses?" I asked against his lips.

"Don't care." He mumbled back.

"Mmm Michael. As much as I would like to continue this, Grayson is probably already awake." He pulled away from me and gave me a pouty expression.

I smacked his wandering hands away and smiled. "Sorry mister. If he doesn't get his breakfast as quickly as possible then he is one cranky little man for the rest of the day."

Scowling, Michael looked away. "Add another tally to Link's daddy chart." He rubbed his knuckles over the back of his neck.

"Michael…" I stopped, not knowing what to say to him. "I've told you that Grayson reminds me of both you and Link. Sure he has your brothers temper, but he can also be the sweetest, most gentle child you've ever met and you know that reminds me of you. Maybe when everything's said and done and Lincoln's proved innocent, then we can worry about getting a test done. But until then, are you really going to nitpick every little thing that little boy does looking for genetic traits?"

He tilted his head towards me and gave me a slight smile. "Sorry. I just really want him to be mine." He cupped my face in his hand. "No matter what the DNA results say, I couldn't love him any more than I do now."

"You love him?" I asked, grinning widely.

Michael pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Of course I love him. I love anything that comes from you."

"Mama!" I heard Grayson yell from his room.

"That's my cue." I stood up to go get him, but Michael grabbed my wrist.

"I'll get him." He offered. Before walking out, he softly kissed my forehead. "I want to help take care of him. You both belong to me and nothing will change that."

I watched him walk out of the room towards Grayson's bedroom. I wanted so badly to believe his words, but I had a sickening feeling in my stomach.

Bad things were to come.