Author's Chapter Notes:

It is the day before the wedding. :)

Michael slept better than he had in weeks so when his alarm started blaring his wake up call at six he quickly turned it off and rolled back over to view the beautiful woman beside him, the woman who would become his wife tomorrow. He glanced down to where the sheet, now tangled around her legs, was skirting her waist. Reaching out he placed his hand lightly on her stomach.

The joy he felt was almost overwhelming. He couldn't believe this was his life. After everything, how could he be granted this much happiness? Feeling her body shift he looked up to find her awake and watching him. Keeping his hand where it was resting, he leaned in and kissed her. He began to pull back but her hands came up to cup his face and pulled his lips back to hers.

Sara deepened their kiss and Michael's hand moved up to pull her body closer. There was a part of his mind that registered he needed to get up and get ready for work but the bigger part wanted to stay right where he was. This was the last morning they would wake up together until after they were married. The rooms were divided up at the bed and breakfast and they had their own room of course, but Mary and Katie had gotten their heads together after Sara had mentioned the sleeping arrangements and well…they'd been rather insistent that the bride and groom not see each other on their wedding day until the ceremony. That meant they wouldn't be sleeping in the same bed tonight.

The prospect of not waking up next to Sara didn't appeal to Michael at all. Although he understood tradition, he and Sara hadn't slept apart since that very first night. Since then he'd slept better than he had in his entire life, at least without the help of sleep aids, so he knew tonight the chances of him getting a good nights sleep were near impossible, especially since they'd just managed to close the mysterious divide that had been separating them recently. So Michael pushed aside everything inside his head except for the woman who was now running her hands across his head and down his back. He shifted his body so he was hovering above her.

When Michael moved over her, Sara opened her legs and he settled between them. His body pressed against hers and she could feel him already pressing hard against her, ready. Their tongues danced with each other as their breathing became heavier. Michael's palm came up to cup her face and he pulled back, eyes still closed, trying to catch his breath.

When his eyes opened and fell upon her again, they were darker than they'd been only minutes before. Their depths drew her in and she found her lips aching for his once more. Sliding her hands down his chest and then back up his torso, she reached up to pull his lips back to her own. His own hands began caressing every inch of her exposed flesh, one moving to cup her breast, her hard nipple pressing into his palm as she strained against his touch.

The speed of their breathing was increasing again with each sensual touch. She could feel him pressing against her more urgently as the heat between her own legs seemed to be calling to him. Suddenly he pulled back, breaking their heated kiss. But before she could question him he rolled off her and lay on his side turning her to face him.

They lay side by side, their breathing close to normal again, however the ache between her legs remained. His hands slowly roamed her body, from hip to shoulder and back. His hand moved to ghost over her stomach. He stilled again with his lips a breath from hers and looked into her eyes. The love she had for this man was overwhelming and she saw it reflected back in his beautiful blue eyes.

He placed another soft kiss on her lips before sliding down until his face moved to linger only an inch away from where his hand had been. Looking up at her, he placed a reverent kiss on her belly before moving lower.

She could feel his breath against her hip and then the junction between her legs. Her body moved to close the distance between his mouth and her flesh. Feeling his lips make contact, her legs parted slightly to give him access. The invitation didn't go unnoticed, nor was it ignored.

Softly he shifted them once again so she was on her back and he took a position between her legs placing soft kisses on the sensitive flesh now in front of him. The light pressure, while it felt good, was not enough. She wanted more and raised her hips in encouragement to let him know her desires.

Michael was enjoying the feel, the smell, the taste of Sara against his lips. Pleasuring her this way always aroused him in an unbelievable way. Part of it was her reactions. Listening to the hitch in her breathing when he got close to the center of her pleasure, the way she would move her hips ever so slightly when he wouldn't quite touch where she most wanted him to; all of it left him wanting her more than he ever thought it was possible to want a woman before her.

When she raised her hips, he understood what she wanted. He'd been waiting for her reaction since he'd been teasing her with the light brushes of his lips. Moving so his mouth was directly over her clit, he leaned in and again kissed her with only the lightest touch but instead of pulling away as before he let his tongue dart out and circle the sensitive flesh.

Sara's reaction was immediate. Her hands grabbed at his head to hold him in place and her breath was coming quickly now. It didn't take long before her hips were moving too and he knew she was close. She was panting and he could hear her saying his name, almost begging. Normally her would join them at this point so they could come together, but right now…he wanted this to be just for her.

He felt her entire body go ridged a moment before her release came. Her hips rose off the bed to grind into his face and her hands held him securely to her. The lips that had repeated his name over and over let out a silent scream.

As she came down from her high, Michael crawled back up her body to hover over her. But as soon as his lips were within close proximity to her own, she pulled them down to cover hers delving her tongue into his mouth. Pulling her knees up, she reached down between their bodies until she found what she wanted. With one hand on his hip and the other wrapping around him she urged him closer, her hips rising off the mattress.

Michael didn't resist this time. Following her guidance, he joined them together. Their mouths remained locked as their bodies moved swallowing each other's moans as they rose deep from their throats. As their bodies moved together, the tension built until they were both clinging to each other as the sensations finally overcame them.

Trying to catch his breath, Michael pressed his lips to ear. "Morning." He said with a smile.

Sara's arms felt like jelly, but she managed to put some pressure behind them and give him a squeeze. "Morning."

They lay intertwined for a few minutes more before Michael sighed and pulled himself out of the bed to head towards the shower. Sara watched him disappear into the bathroom. Debating for half a second, she got up to follow him and realized the nauseous feeling in her stomach was almost non-existent. Maybe she'd found the cure to her morning sickness. With that thought, she ducked into the bathroom clicking the door shut behind her.

~

Work for Michael that morning was anything but productive. Between his co-workers well wishes, some of which surprised him, and his mind focusing on their doctors appointment this afternoon and the wedding tomorrow; Michael didn't feel as if he'd gotten much accomplished. When he walked into the apartment at twelve twenty, he quickly changed out of his work clothes and into a pair of kakis and one of his long sleeve t-shirts. Sara gave him a brief look at his choice of attire but didn't comment.

They made their way into the doctor's office with only minutes to spare. Once inside there was so much paperwork to fill out it was insane. At just after one, and after Sara had to duck into the bathroom to pee in a cup, they were shown into a small room with a table and one chair. The nurse handed Sara a gown and instructed her to remove everything but her bra and socks. Quickly stripping down, she slipped the gown on and made her way onto the table to wait for the doctor.

Glancing over at Michael, she could tell he was nervous and reached out her hand. He took it and stepped towards her. Michael's thumb caressed the back of her hand and she felt her own anxiety melt away. Neither said anything as they waited but kept their eyes focused on each other.

They were so focused, in fact, that when the door opened they both jumped. Michael began to step back, but Sara held tight sending him a message she wanted him to stay right where he was. "Good afternoon." Dr. Carver said with a smile, a chart open in his hands.

"Hello." Sara replied.

Dr. Carver pushed a small stool on wheels in front of the table where Sara was sitting and sat down. "Well it looks like congratulations are in order." He said eyeing the couple. "The information I have here says this will be your first?" he asked.

"Yes."

The doctor nodded. "Do you have any questions for me before we do the examination?"

"No." Sara said and Michael just shook his head.

"Well ok then." He said reaching for his gloves and pulling out the stirrups. "Let's have a look shall we?"

Sara lie back against the table and put her legs up in the stirrups. The examination wasn't much different than what she endured every year during her normal exams but when she glanced over at Michael, he seemed less than comfortable. She gave his hand a comforting squeeze and got a small smile in return. After that, Michael's eyes remained fixed on her face until the doctor was finished.

As they approached the car, she heard Michael release a large breath and pull her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair, "I love you." And then his mouth found hers for a brief yet passionate kiss. When he broke away, his hand came up to brush the hair away from her face. "Are you ready to marry me Miss Tandredi?" he said with a half smile.

Sara noticed the tension in his shoulders had begun to relax after the doctor had confirmed everything looked perfectly normal. She hadn't realized until now how concerned he must have been for her and the baby. A part of her wondered what had been going on in that brain of his to cause his anxiety but she knew better than to ask. He wouldn't tell her. So instead she cupped his face with her hands and looked directly into those blue eyes that always left her captivated, "More than ready Mr. Scofield."

They stood there for another minute before he reached down and opened the door for her. Sliding into her seat he shut the door behind her and made his way around to the other side. It was now almost two o'clock and they were meeting with the minister at four. Putting the car in gear Michael headed towards the highway to start the hour-long drive out to the bed and breakfast.

~

LJ was pacing by this point. Why did her fights always have to be late? Didn't anything run on time anymore? It was almost three o'clock and he'd been at the airport since two. He'd sat for a while, then gotten up and bought a cup of coffee. The coffee was long gone and he was beginning to regret getting it since the caffeine probably wasn't helping his nerves.

He looked up at the screen again for what had to be the thousandth time and saw her flight number's arrival time change to three fifty. Looking down at his watch yet again, he realized that was almost an hour away. He needed to find something to do before he drove himself crazy. Turning toward the small line of stores at the other side of the terminal he headed out to find anything to occupy his mind and his body for the next sixty minutes.

By three forty-five LJ was back where he started, pacing in front of the arrival screens. He'd managed to page though every magazine every store in the airport had as well as look at each and every stupid souvenir they were selling. He was glad the board still showed her arrival time as three fifty. At least that was something, only five more minutes. Well…five more minutes and however long it took her to get off the plane and twist her way through the people in order to find him.

They'd talked last night of course, as they did every night, but it had been different. The knowledge that they would see each other the next day was the only thing either of them could think about. In fear her parents may have been listening to their conversation, he hadn't told her about the sleeping arrangements this weekend.

They would have their own room. Just thinking about it sent another jolt of excitement though him. Last Saturday, Sara had pulled him aside and gave him the news. He'd been on top of the world ever since.

The board changed to her flight to "arrived" and he moved so he could easily see her when she came through the gate. He didn't have to wait long. She was moving swiftly though the throng of people and the excitement was evident on her face. As soon as she cleared the area marked only for passengers, she broke out in a run.

He caught her and wrapped his arms around her. There was no sadness this time in their meeting they pulled back just enough until their mouths found one another. Every one around them disappeared as they said their hello.

Reluctantly they ended their kiss and Jess slid her free hand down his arm and tangle her fingers with his. After picking up her luggage, they loaded everything into the car and headed for the bed and breakfast. It was already four thirty and the rehearsal started at six. With an over an hour drive ahead of them, they had no time to spare.

~

Sara and Michael arrived at their destination just before three. Carol greeted them, showed them their room, and gave them a few minutes to get settled. As they made their way down stairs around four to meet the minister they saw Lincoln and Sam walk through the door. The pleasantries were short however, as the minister arrived and Michael and Sara went with him into the study.

Things with the minister went smoothly. He'd wanted to go over the specifics of the vowels they wanted and asked if they had any additional questions for him. They didn't. With everything in order, they had almost an hour to kill before the run through at six.

Sara left Michael with the minister and headed up the stairs to their room. Gathering the things she'd put together for her stay in Mary's room tonight, she heard a knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Sam whose arms were currently overflowing with Sara's dress. "Hey." She smiled in greeting. "Lincoln wasn't sure where you wanted this."

Sara smiled back. Sam seemed to be fitting into the family dynamics nicely, which made Sara very happy. Lincoln had been so sad after losing Veronica once everything had settled down and he'd actually had to deal with his loss. He deserved someone that made him as happy as Michael made her and she sincerely hoped Sam was that woman. "Just let me grab my bag…" Sara said grabbing the duffle bag she'd packed for tonight. "Ok. Let's go."

Sam followed Sara down the hall and around the corner to a room that looked very similar to the one she and Lincoln were in except there were two double beds in this one instead of one queen. Looking around, Sam found a hook on the door just inside the closet and hung up the dress. "Is this ok?"

"That'll work." Sara agreed.

Just then they heard voices coming down the hall. "And here you go."

Carol paused as she saw Sara and Sam. Mary didn't have any such hesitation however. She walked into the room and gave her friend a hug. "I was wondering if I'd have to come find you and drag you away from that hot man of yours." She smiled. In a lower tone she asked, "How are you?"

Sara just smiled back. "I'm good."

"Well if you'd excuse me. I need to finish getting things prepped for tonight." Carol said and disappeared out the door.

"And I think I'm going to see if I can find Lincoln." Sam said as she ducked out behind Carol shutting the door behind her.

As soon as they were alone, Mary took Sara's hands and sat her down on the bed. "Ok, let's hear it." She paused and looked at Sara with serious eyes. "You did tell him, right?"

Sara smiled. "Yes."

Mary waited but Sara didn't continue. "Your killing me you know. And?"

Sara's smile just got wider. "He already knew."

"What?!"

"He said he'd figured it out weeks ago and was trying to figure out why I hadn't told him yet."

"So he's…happy…about it?"

"Yes." Sara said, not able to contain herself.

Mary gave Sara's hands a squeeze. "You are going to make a wonderful mother, Sara."

"Thanks."

A knock on the door made them jump. "Is Sara in there?" Michael's voice came from behind the door.

"Who wants to know?" Mary asked with teasing in her voice, but Sara was already halfway to the door before it had left her mouth. Sara opened the door and Michael's figure filled the frame. As soon as he saw her, he was smiling. "Hello Michael." Mary called from the bed.

Reluctantly Michael moved his eyes away from his fiancée for the time it took to greet Mary, "Hello Mary," and then his eyes were focused once again on Sara. "LJ and Jessica just arrived and I thought…"

But Sara didn't give him time to finish. "Mary I'll see you downstairs at six?"

Mary released a giggle as her friend disappeared through the door. "You can count on it."

~

Sara and Michael just reached the bottom of the stairs when Jessica spotted them. With a small squeal, Jessica released her hand from LJ's and ran over to give Sara a hug. Wrapping her arms around the young girl she hugged her back. It was amazing how much she'd missed Jessica over the last month. She'd really become part of the family. Sara had no idea what it would be like if Jessica's parents decided not to let her return in the fall.

By the time their embrace was finished, LJ was back beside her. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his side. LJ wasn't letting her get to far away from him, which was just fine with Jessica. She'd missed him like crazy.

Just then the door opened as Katie walked in. After brief hello's, Carol offered to take Katie as well as LJ and Jessica up and show them their rooms. They ascended the stairs and Jessica's heart began to sink as the first room they entered had two double beds. Although she'd known in her mind she'd probably be rooming with one of Sara's bride's maids, the reality of it after the warmth of being with LJ again was like a hard slap in the face.

Then she heard the sweetest words she'd ever heard, "Alright. And if you two will follow me…your room is just down the hall."

Jessica looked into LJ's face to see if what she thought was really true. He just smiled and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Surprise."

Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. They were getting their own room. Together. Alone. Taking LJ's hand firmly in hers, she quickly followed Carol down the hall pulling LJ with her.

Their room was small, the bed being the dominant feature. A small closet was tucked into the corner and there was what looked to be an antique dresser along the far wall. It was perfect. Jessica barely heard their host explaining about the bathroom down the hall before she politely excused herself from the room leaving them alone.

She was still taking everything in when LJ said, "I'll just run down to the car and get the bags. I'll be right…" He didn't get to finish. Jessica pulled him to her and covered his mouth with hers.

After a brief second, he responded bringing his arms around her and pulling her flush against him. He'd missed her. Oh how he'd missed her. Their kiss at the airport had been amazing but this was…mind-blowing. It felt like they were both trying to crawl into each other's skin. They were both gasping for breath by the time they broke the kiss. Neither pulled away though, as they stayed locked together looking into the other's eyes.

Noise in the hall broke into the spell they were under and LJ looked over her shoulder to the clock beside the bed. Five-fifty. With a sigh he brought his hands up to cup her face. Placing a quick but hard kiss on her lips he reluctantly stepped back and intertwined their fingers once again and they headed downstairs for the rehearsal.

~

The run through went without a hitch and the dinner Carol prepared was nothing short of amazing. It was so nice to have everyone together again, both her family and her friends. After dinner every one went out onto the front porch to enjoy the beautiful summer night. It was clear and stars filled the sky. Everyone was huddled together talking except for LJ and Jessica. They were at the far end of the porch completely absorbed in each other. Just after ten the young couple stood up and quietly walked into the house. The rest of the group noticed but no one said anything as they disappeared.

They ascended the stairs hand in hand making their way to their room. When they arrived, LJ silently closed the door behind them and locked it before pulling Jess into his arms. His lips slowly descended to hers begging for admission into her mouth. She parted her lips welcoming him and sighed as their tongues expressed the depth of their feelings.

Jess's fingers tangled in his hair as she began to walk back toward the bed never breaking their kiss. When the back of her knees hit the bed she let her hands slip down his neck, over his shoulders and chest until they reached the hem of his shirt. Tugging it from his waistband she let her fingers slide below the fabric briefly before moving it up.

LJ didn't want to remove his lips from hers for even a second but he had to in order to get his shirt over his head. To speed the process and reduce the amount of separation, he'd taken over his shirts removal once she'd push it up as far as she could without his help. Quickly throwing it to the floor, not caring where it landed, he pulled her back to him.

She was wearing a simple sundress. He couldn't imagine it had been comfortable for a plane ride but at this moment he was very grateful. It meant easy removal and quick assess to Jess. He slid the zipper down her back and brought his hands up to glide it off her shoulders. His hands followed it down until it reached her hips and fell gracefully to the floor.

LJ's hands remianed at her hips kneading the flesh there, pulling her closer to him with every thrust of his tongue. Her hands made their way down his bare chest and found his waistband. Unbuttoning his pants and then pushing down on the zipper, she pushed the material toward the floor and felt him step out of them leaving them both in only their underwear.

Jess leaned back putting a small space between them. He tried to close the distance again but she placed a hand on his chest and he raised an eyebrow in question. She gave him a sly smile as she climbed onto the bed. "I'm coming back."

LJ paused not understanding what she was saying and then finally it clicked. "They're letting you come back this fall?"

She nodded. A huge smile broke across his face and he tumbled on the bed covering her in quick kisses as Jess lost herself in a fit of giggles. He brought his face level to hers and placing a kiss on her nose, brushed her hair away from her face.

Moving her arms to wrap around his neck, their expressions turned serious again. Letting his eyes linger on her lips, he leaned in and captured them once again before continuing where they'd left off.

~

The rest of the group made their way up the stairs just after eleven with each filing off to their assigned rooms. Mary gave Sara a knowing look as she left her standing with Michael outside their room. The two stood facing each other with their hands laced together, Michael thumbs rubbing circles over her skin.

The silence filled the hallway with neither one wanting to break apart. Michael raised his right hand to brush his fingers along her cheek. His eyes moved to her lips knowing he needed to say goodnight and not wanting to. "I'm going to miss you tonight."

Sara sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and began worrying it. A soft moan escaped Michael and he leaned down to take her lip into his mouth. Sara stepped forward and pressed into him as his arms came around her. The kiss was slow and sensual and could very easily have turned into what he most wanted, but he knew he needed to end this.

Frustrated he pulled away. "Goodnight." He said as he stepped back.

"Goodnight." She whispered back as she watched him walk down the hall into their bedroom and close the door.

Chapter End Notes:

Ok, there's only one more chapter left and the epiloge. Next up is the wedding. :)