Michael had been quite all the way home. They'd just arrived at the apartment and he'd immediately went into the bedroom without saying a word. Putting her purse down, she followed. When she reached the bedroom door, she found him meticulously removing his clothes taking extra care to make sure each item was arranged correctly. To anyone else nothing would look awry, but she knew different.

Sara held her tongue and walked over to her dresser. Opening her top drawer her hand hovered over the new lingerie she'd bought Wednesday. She'd been strolling through the mall and wondered into Victoria's Secret thinking she might pick up a new bra, when her eyes had fallen on some baby dolls on a nearby display. After making a big deal out of Michael not wearing his t-shirts to bed, she felt a little silly wearing her own baggy t-shirts. So on a whim, she found three she liked and brought them home. Wanting it to be a surprise, she'd spent the morning washing them by hand and laying them out to dry.

Now she was wracked with indecision. Glancing over her shoulder at Michael he appeared to be lost in thought and she wasn't sure he even knew she was in the room. With an inward sigh she began to close the drawer and then stopped. No. She was not letting him do this. Wrapping her hand around her new emerald green nightie, she quickly removed her clothes and slipped the garment over her head. Heading into the bathroom she knew she'd caught his eye but kept right on walking.

~

Placing her toothbrush back in its holder she gave herself one final look in the mirror and headed back to the bedroom and Michael. He'd stripped down to his boxers and was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at some invisible spot on the carpet. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Raising his head he met her eyes briefly and simply said, "No." Leveraging himself up off the bed, he brushed past her to take his turn in the bathroom.

Sara stood for a few minutes staring at the empty space where Michael had been. With a resigned sigh, she got into bed and waited for him to return.

A few minutes later, he appeared in the doorway. The look on his face told her he was deep in thought. She didn't know what was wrong. Tonight hadn't been perfect, granted, but it wasn't horrible either. Both Becky and John had been very nice to them and although the subject of their meeting had caused some tension, the rest of the evening had gone well in her opinion. Michael however, seemed to think otherwise it appeared.

When he entered the bedroom and made his way over to the bed, he knew Sara was watching him. Knew she wanted to know what was going on with him. He wanted to share this with her but for some reason he just couldn't, not yet. His mind was still trying to process it.

Getting into bed he felt her shift beside him. What she was wearing hadn't escaped his notice. How could it?

Instead of facing her, he pressed his head back into the pillow and stared at the ceiling. After a moment, he felt her move again. At first he thought she was moving away, but then he felt her hands on his chest and closed his eyes taking in the feel of her hands gently caressing him. It would be so easy to give into the distraction that she would so clearly provide, but he wouldn't use her like that so instead he placed his hand over hers to still her movement.

When Michael climbed into bed and all but ignored her, she'd fought with emotions of both anger and hurt welling up inside her. But instead of letting her emotions take over, she'd closed the gap between them and tried to offered comfort. Now his hand lay over hers in an obvious attempt to stop her ministrations. She tried to search his face, but he'd closed his eyes and in his face there was no hint of emotion. With a sigh, she laid her head down on his chest and wrapped her arm around his waist.

Feeling Sara stir, he'd released her hand only to feel her snuggling up to him. He couldn't bring himself to push her away. So instead, he brought his arm up to wrap around her silk covered body and just held her. Feeling her settle in, he lay there listening to her breathing until he heard it become deep and even with sleep.

It was only then he allowed his mind to get back to the thoughts plaguing him. Tonight after dinner, John had ushered him into his study and shown him the first project his firm had done. The pride in his voice had been almost overwhelming and Michael had gotten lost in the moment for a minute. That was until John turned to him and had asked him to take the lead on the next project.

The offer was huge, really. Not that he hadn't done anything like that before, because he had. He'd headed projects many times at his old firm, but this was different. He was different. Wasn't he? He'd only been there for a little over a month. Why would this man, who didn't know him at all trust him with this? His mind continued to process and reprocess the evening over and over looking for some sort of hidden meaning but he couldn't find one.

~

Michael turned his head to look at the clock. Two AM. Lost in his thoughts, four hours had already pasted and Michael knew from experience that sleep wouldn't be coming tonight for him. Glancing down at Sara, he sighed and pulled her a little closer. Maybe he should have talk to her tonight. Maybe then he wouldn't be laying here alone with this thoughts staring at the ceiling.
As the first rays of sunlight began to peak over the horizon, he felt Sara stir. Releasing his hold on her, she rolled over to her side of the bed. Feeling the emptiness immediately, he waited until he heard her breath again take on the restful deepness of sleep before he slid silently from bed.

~

The persistent beeping of the alarm woke her from the deep pulls of sleep. Reluctantly she sat up and turned off the annoying noise. Once the quite returned, she realized Michael was no longer beside her nor was he in the room. Commanding her body into movement, her feet met the floor and made their way into the bathroom. He wasn't there either.

Sara leaned over the sink and splashed some water on her face before heading out into the apartment to find Michael. She had an hour and a half before she had to be into work and knew he needed to talk to someone. Last night she let things be but this morning she was going to find out what exactly was going on with him. She found him sitting at the computer.

As soon as he saw her enter the room he stood placing his hands in his pockets, the look on his face full of apprehension. Closing the distance between them, she wrapped her arms around his waist letting her head come to rest on his chest. She heard a woosh of air escape him as his hands came up to surround her.

They both stood unmoving, holding each other. It was Michael who spoke first, "Would you like me to make some breakfast while you get ready?"

"No," she said, pulling back to look into his face. "Did you get any sleep last night?" Seeing his jaw tighten, she'd gotten her answer, "I didn't think so." She continued to search his face, looking for the answers she knew he would never reveal unless he wanted to. "Michael…"

Before she could finish, he stepped back, "I'm sorry. I should have talked to you last night. You were right." He sighed, walked over to lean on the back of the couch, and slid his hands back into his pockets before he continued, "John asked me to head up the Davis project."

Waiting to hear the bad news she'd been waiting for, it took her a moment to register that he'd finished. "And?"

"And. Why?"

"Why what?"

Clearly frustrated, he began pacing. "Why would he do that Sara? I mean he hardly knows me? Why would he trust me with a sixty one million dollar project?"

Sixty one MILLION? Ok. Breath Sara, she told herself. When she looked back up, Michael was again leaning against the back of the couch waiting for her response. Walking over, she stood facing him and brought her hand up to cup his face, "Maybe because he knows you'll do a good job." She said softly. There was clearly doubt in his eyes. "I talked to Becky last night when you and John disappeared into the study. I asked her why John hired you." Bringing her hand down to his chest they locked eyes, "She told me it hadn't been an easy decision. They'd both talked it over and John even called your old firm. In the end, he hired you because he said your work spoke for itself. Everyone he'd talk to said you were the best structural engineer they'd ever worked with. As she put it, it was something he just couldn't ignore. He has faith in you." She ended softly.

His expression had softened but she could tell he was still having trouble believing he was really being given a second chance. "Maybe you should take a leap of faith yourself." With that she leaned in and gave him a breathy kiss on the lips. Trailing her hand down his torso as she stepped back, she gave him a smile and walked back into the bedroom to get ready for work.

A few minutes later, she heard him enter the bedroom. His footsteps were almost silent but she felt him as he came closer.

Sliding his arms around her silk covered body from behind, he took her in. He didn't know what his life would be like if not for Sara. Feeling the thin fabric move beneath his fingers as she turned in his arms, he loosened his hold. Facing him, her lips found his again and he pulled her closer. All he wanted was to let go and become lost in the warmth that was Sara, but she needed to get to work. Pulling back slightly he brought his fingers up to caress her face, "Interested in that breakfast now?"

Sara stepped back from his embrace, letting her hands slide down his torso until they met his hands. Looking up at him through veiled lashes, she shook her head no. "I might be open to share my shower though."

Michael swallowed. It was taking all of his control not to lay her down on the bed and now she was suggesting…
Seeing the heat flare in his eyes, she didn't wait for a response. Her fingers remained entwined with his as she stepped back. A brief flicker of indecision crossed his face and then it was gone and he was following her lead as they disappeared into the bathroom closing the door behind them.