We walked out of the bedroom, hand in hand, to greet Mrs. Peters. She gave Michael a quick once-over and nodded her approval.

"So this must be the close, personal friend of yours." She said, winking at me.

Michael smiled and stuck out his hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Michael." They shook and she turned her attention to me.

"Whatever you two have planned, I don't want to hear a single detail. The less I know the better, but just remember that I'm always here for you if you need anything. Now One Life to Live is almost over and if I miss the ending Karen Thomas is never going to let me live it down."

We laughed and left her to her show. Michael went back into the bedroom to put his shoes on and I gathered my work stuff out of the kitchen. I knew the apron and name tag were useless since I was going to be leaving work almost immediately after I arrived, but I put them on anyway to avoid suspicion.

When I was done, I grabbed Grayson, who was in the floor by Mrs. Peters feet looking at a storybook.

"Mommy is going to head to work now, okay baby? You be a good boy until I see you again." He shook his head and tried to wiggle out of my arms.

"Hope that's not a sign of what the evening has in store." Michael commented, coming back into the room. He had our bags in his arms and a baseball cap pulled down low on his head.

I swallowed and looked down at my baby.

"Don't let anything happen to either of you, okay?"

He pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I swear it." He whispered into my ear.

Letting him go, I cleared my throat and backed up. "I better head into work. Have you thought of a way to get me out? It might be a little suspicious if a man calls looking for me."

"I will do it." Mrs. Peters spoke up. "I can say that Grayson is sick and that you need to head home right away." She eyed Michael sharply. "I'm trusting you with two of the people who are most important in my life."

He met her eyes with a steady stare. "These two ARE my life."

"Then I have no qualms about helping. You need to go Abigail, it's almost two." She gave me a brisk hug and patted my back. "Even though I don't know your reasons, I know you're doing what you need to do, so good luck." She turned and sat back down, but not before I saw that her eyes were glistening.

Michael stopped me before I reached the door. "When you get the call, head out of town. There's an abandoned gas station about ten minutes south of here, do you know where it's at?" I nodded. "That's where we'll be waiting. Keep going and we will be right behind you. We need to leave your car as far out of town as we can." He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. "This is a pay as you go phone so it should be untraceable. I will call you when you need to stop. Are you going to be able to do this?"

I let out a large breath and grabbed the phone. "You promised nothing will keep us apart anymore, are you planning on breaking your promise?"

The corner of his mouth lifted up in a smile. "That's my girl." He leaned down and brushed a light kiss over my lips. "See you soon."

"Keep my son safe." I whispered back and turned and walked away.

I tried not to start crying on the way to work, but almost failed. I knew that Mike would do whatever he could to keep Grayson safe, but that did not stop me from worrying about all the "what-ifs".

"Abigail!" Terry yelled at me as soon as I walked in. "Your shift started five minutes ago, where the hell have you been?"

"Grayson didn't feel very well." I replied, clenching my fists. Terry had had it in for me the second I started.

"Yeah well, I don't pay you to play nurse at home. Next time you're fired."

The only thing saving him from having a broken nose was knowing that there wouldn't be a next time.

I just rolled my eyes and grabbed a rag from behind the counter. Those tables weren't going to clean themselves, might as well pass the time until Mrs. Peters calls with something to do.

For the next hour every time the phone rang, I would jump and my heart would start pounding. Finally, a little after three, Terry hollered at me from the back. "Houston, phone!"

I hurriedly ran to the back and grabbed it from him. "Hello?"

"Hello dear, it's Mrs. Peters. I just thought you might want to know that Grayson was still feeling under the weather. I think he might need to be heading to the doctors." She sounded like she was reading from a script, which knowing Michael, he had made for her.

"I'll be right home. Thank you."

I hung up and took a deep breath. This is it, it all starts now. Terry was standing beside me with a pissed look in his eyes. "What do you mean, you'll be right home? You still have the rest of the day to work, girlie."

Taking off my apron, I shrugged, "My little boy is sick and I have to take him to the doctor."

He grabbed my arm as I was walking away. "I never told you that you could leave." His hand squeezed me harder when I tried to shake him off. "If you want to keep your job, I suggest you call back and say you can't make it."

Smiling, I unclasped my name tag and handed it and the apron to him. "Music to my ears, Terry. Now fuck off."

With that, I turned and walked out the door. Getting in my car, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Step one was over and on the off chance no one noticed I was missing tonight, tomorrow would go easy, too. Since me losing my job was so sudden, I was sure the ass hats in suits wouldn't know about it for at least a few days. Being gone all day tomorrow shouldn't look so suspicious.

"Now or never." I said, smiling to myself knowing that my boys were waiting on me.

I started the car and headed out towards the edge of town. Too scared to turn my radio on, I sat in silence, more "what-if" thoughts running through my head. A few minutes outside of the Buffalo city-limits, I saw the gas station Michael was talking about in the distance. There was a small brown car parked in the lot. My heart sped up with the knowledge that he was waiting for me.

"Mommy loves you Grayson." I whispered as I passed. I could see Michael's face in the window, my little boy safely tucked in a car seat in the back.

My rear view mirror showed the car pulling out onto the road behind me, staying a few cars back. I kept driving, not knowing where or when I was supposed to stop.

About five minutes later, the cell phone started ringing. I picked it up from the passenger seat where I had sat it and answered, "Mike?"

"There's a doctors office about five blocks down on the right. Pull in and jump in the car as fast as possible, okay? You're doing great, Abbie. We love you."

"Okay. I love you, too. Tell my baby I will see him in a minute." I replied, before he hung up.

The sign for the doctor's office was in my eyesight, so I quickly gathered the phone back into my purse and undid my seat belt while I drove. I knew Michael wanted us to drop the car and leave without anyone seeing us. I pulled in and parked as far back from the road as I could in the parking lot. I jumped out and ran over to the passenger side of Michael's rental car.

"Momma!" Grayson squealed when I got in.

I turned around and gave his foot a squeeze. "Hello my sweet boy, did you have fun with Michael?"

Michael grinned at me as we pulled back out onto the highway. "He told me he wants ice cream."

"Cream now!" He yelled.

"I told you we would stop and get some a little bit later, buddy." Michael answered.

"How did you know there was a doctors office here?" I asked.

He chuckled, "Well, whenever I wasn't stalking you at your house, I was out making a plan for us leaving. I planned the route and was gathering supplies for us."

"I wondered where you were all day."

"Did you really think I was only coming after you when it was convenient? The whole time I was in prison all I thought about was escaping and coming after you."

I smiled at him, "So sure of yourself, eh?"

"Not sure, but definitely determined."

The road was busy so we had to stay under the speed limit, but I could tell he was itching to get out of town and speed us away by the way his hands were clenching on the steering wheel.

I lifted my arm to lay my hand on his leg. "Relax, Mike. We did it."

"It's not over yet, trust me." His jaw was tight. "These people… There's one man who has made it his life's mission to get to me. I've managed to elude him pretty easily so far, but…" He trailed off.

Squeezing his leg, I smiled at him, "You'll keep us safe. I trust you."

He reached down and laced his fingers with mine. "I hope that you don't regret that."

Eight hours, three gas stops and countless bathroom breaks later, we were entering the city of Louisville, Kentucky. I had fallen asleep somewhere in Ohio, but the couple hours of rest didn't matter much in this tiny car. I glanced over at Michael and saw that his eyes were starting to get heavy. Grayson had passed out over two hours ago and my legs were starting to get cramped.

"Why don't we stop here and get a motel?" I suggested.

He shook his head, "We need to keep going for a few more hours. They'll be checking every rest stop in an eight hour radius from Buffalo looking for you since that's how long most people drive without stopping."

"Let me drive for a little bit then." He opened his mouth to protest, but I jumped in to stop him. "Look at you, baby, you can barely keep your eyes open." I cupped his cheek, "Let me help."

Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply, "Just for a couple hours. I don't want you driving while sleepy."

He pulled off into the nearest gas station and we jumped out. Meeting me halfway, he enveloped me in his arms.

"I haven't got to kiss you in hours, I'm going through withdraws." He sighed.

"However did you manage the last couple years?" I laughed.

"Well, getting thrown in prison was one way of dealing with it."

He leaned down and gave me a light kiss before letting go to get in the car.

I pulled back out onto the highway and drove for a few miles in silence. When I glanced over at him to ask if he was hungry, I saw that he was already asleep. I shook my head, knowing he was near exhaustion from everything he had been through the last couple weeks. I didn't know where he had been sleeping before he stayed at my house, but I knew it wasn't a five-star hotel and that he only slept when he had to.

Driving while being the only person awake was lonely. Michael had a map out, so I knew which way to head, but I still drove like a grandmother the whole time, worried I would miss an exit and lose us precious minutes.

In a little under three hours, I had traveled the rest of the way across Kentucky and was a few miles away from the border of Tennessee. Knowing I could not keep driving safely, I stayed on the lookout for a motel. Michael had amassed a little bit of money, but the cheaper we could get away with, the better.

When I spotted a Motel 6, I thanked the stars and pulled in.

"Mike." I whispered, nudging his shoulder. "Hey Scofield, wake up."

He jerked upright and looked around in alarm.

"What's wrong? Where are we?"

"We're at a motel, I'm getting a little tired."

Visibly relaxing, he sank back against the seat. "Just give me a minute to wake up and I'll drive some more."

"NO." I all but yelled at him, "You only got a few hours of sleep and I know you haven't been sleeping much lately. We are going to go in there and sleep on a bed, dammit."

"Yes ma'am." He replied sarcastically, saluting me.

I unbuckled my seat belt and opened the door, "Your sarcasm has been noted, Mr. Scofield. I'll be right back."

I went in and rented the cheapest room they had, which I hoped was not too seedy for Grayson's sake. When I got back out to the car, Mike was standing beside it with the baby securely against his chest and was gently rocking him to keep him asleep. He didn't know I was there, so I took a moment to admire the beautiful scene in front of me.

"He loves you already, you know."

His head jerked up in surprise before realizing it was me, "He's a great kid. I wish I could have been there when you had him."

Smiling sadly, I grabbed our bags from the trunk, "Yeah well, every love story has rough parts, right?"

"I would have been there, you know that right?"

"If you had been with me, you wouldn't have gave up your life to save your brother. Everything happens for a reason, I guess."

"Abbie?" He asked, as I was walking off.

"Hmm?" I replied, not turning around. I could hear his footsteps trying to catch up to me.

"When we get to Panama, I want to get married."

That made me drop our bags in front of our room.

"You want to what?" I asked, incredulously.

He grabbed the door key with his free hand and swung it open. After laying Grayson down in the middle of the bed, he turned back to me and grabbed my hands.

"I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife."

"I just… I don't know what to say, Michael." He had genuinely shocked me with his question.

"Say yes." His voice was even, but his hands clenched mine a little harder than normal. "This time."

Flashback

"You look so beautiful wearing my shirt." He said, grinning at me.

I rolled my eyes, "You just like marking your territory, Scofield."

He rolled over and laid his body on top of mine, "Is that what you are? My territory?"

Deciding not to answer, I leaned up and kissed along his chest, but he pushed me back down and forced me to look at him.

"I asked you a question Abigail."

"You know how I feel about you, Michael. I shouldn't have to keep reassuring you of it."

Intense green eyes blazed back at me as his hands squeezed my arms, "Tell me that you belong to me."

Sighing, I told him what he wanted to hear, "I'm yours, Mike. Only yours."

His mouth met mine in a forceful kiss. Hands forced my shirt upwards and over my head. Deserting my lips, he started to move south down my neck. "Mine." He growled against my skin.

"Say it again." He demanded.

"Yours." I breathed.

"Say that you love me." His mouth was now giving attention to my collarbone.

"I love you." Biting down, he made me gasp and I lifted my hips up to meet his, "God, I love you."

Using his leg to spread my knees apart, he moved his hands to my hips.

"Tell me you love me more than him." It wasn't a question.

I shook my head and tried to push him off me, "I can't do that and you know it."

"Why?" His eyes looked hurt and I hated myself for saying that.

"Lincoln is my boyfriend."

He shook his head, "I don't care. That doesn't mean anything to me. It has nothing to do with how much you love someone." He pressed his forehead against mine. "Do you love me more than him?"

I swallowed, not trusting myself to answer. The answer to that was easy, but saying it out loud would only hurt innocent people in the end.

"Please." He pleaded.

"Yes." I whispered.

Closing his eyes, he let out a cocky smile. "Tell me you love me more than him." He repeated.

"I love you more than I love Lincoln." I mumbled.

He forced his lips back on mine and pressed his hips into me.

A few hours later, I heard my phone alarm go off, letting me know it was time to go back home to Lincoln. When I tried to move out of Michael's arms, he tightened them around my waist.

"Don't leave." He grumbled.

"I have to go. Linc will be home soon and I have to be there before him." I stood up and removed his shirt to put mine back on. His eyes followed my moves, a deep line in his forehead. I knew what he was upset about.

"I can't wear it home, Mike. He's already acting suspicious of me. This would put him over the edge."

"Let him see it. What are you afraid of? If he kicks you out, you would come live with me."

Throwing the shirt at his head, I pulled my pants and shirt back on. "Yeah, that would end well. 'Hey Linc, so not only have I been sleeping with your brother for the past two years, but I am in love with him and we're moving in together!'"

He grabbed my arms and pulled me back onto his lap. "Well, if you're going to go all out, might as well tell him we're getting married, too."

I snorted, "Now you're just trying to be confrontational."

He pulled back and stared at me, "Do I look like I was joking?"

My mouth opened to reply, but his expression stopped me. The brow was furrowed, the jaw was set, yep, that was Mike's serious face. Frowning, I shook my head at him.

"What are you getting at, Scofield?"

"Will. You. Marry. Me."

I jumped up and backed towards the door, escaping his reaching arms.

"Abbie-" He started.

"Tell me this is just a joke."

His eyes softened at my scared tone. Damn right I was scared. Shitless.

"I'm not joking, Abbie. I want to marry you. Say yes."

Grabbing my purse from the dresser, I shook my head at him and forced the tears back.

"NO." I replied, walking out.

"Michael… I…"

"Just say yes." He pleaded again.

I swallowed hard before looking him back in the eyes.

"Yes."