A/N: I know I say this every update, but I swear I had the hardest time writing this chapter. For a second there I thought I lost my groove and almost couldn't remember how I wanted my character – Lily- to play out. I struggled with her being too outgoing in this chapter and without giving any spoilers away, I'm planning on doing that in future chapters. So just understand that this chapter may not be as "great" as the others. Now that we got that author rant out of the way, on to the story! As usual, I really love to hear what you have to say! Everytime I get a notification that someone has commented on this story it's like an angel has come down and kissed me on the cheek! Maybe that's a little too dramatic... anywho, I hope you enjoy!

...

Yesterday was consumed with asking Michael question after question about the escape plan. I had lost count of how many times I had made sure that he was positive about me joining in with the "team", but it was far too many when Michael became irritated and even threatened to tape my mouth shut if I asked him once more. Even though I couldn't ignore the happiness that seemed to bubble underneath my skin, a dark shadow of doubt soon overtook me. Every scenario of what could go wrong – and what probably would go wrong- made those minutes of pure joy turn into hours of second thoughts. Michael could tell the sudden change in my mood because he then suggested that I slept on it.

He must have thought I was a complete fool for even taking a second to give him an answer, but I just couldn't shake off the guilt and fear that had gripped my heart. The pro's and con's of even attempting to escape this prison was all that I could think about as I laid awake that night. Soon morning came around and I was no way near a definite answer then I had been that previous night.

Even now as I roamed around the yard, I still couldn't come to a resolution. The daily routine of cat-calls and shouting from the other inmates was drowned out by the hurricane that my thoughts had become. I was constantly going back and forth with jumping on board with the suicide mission; that was how I saw this whole "escape plan". Even if Michael was able to save Lincoln and break free from these confining fences and walls, they were still going to be chased down until they were caught. No one was just going to let the killer of the future President's brother go without a chase.

And yet, a part of me still longed to run up to Michael now and scream yes. That irrational part of me didn't care if I would be chased for days, maybe even months. The only thing that part of me could think about was the fact that I would be able to save my baby from the nightmare that her life had become. It didn't matter if I was a fugitive, if being a fugitive was what it took to save my daughter then a fugitive was what I would become.

Was I selfish for willing to risk everything just to be with my daughter?

Or was I a complete imbecile for even entertaining the idea of escaping?

It didn't matter. It all came down to the same question.

Should I go or should I stay?My skull practically pulsed in pain from the headache that had erupted from the constant overthinking and stress. Groaning in frustration and pain, I collapsed onto the wooden picnic bench that was closest to me and buried my face into my bandaged hands. The rough gauze that covered the scabs from the night in the SHU was starting to become damp from the sweat that coated my forehead.

It was only April and the temperature was skyrocketing to the triple digits. I use to enjoy yard time since it gave me a chance to walk more than a foot without bumping into a wall, but the heat was starting to make me long for the cool cell. At least in there I wouldn't be sweating half my body weight in water.

Thankfully the picnic table I had chosen was tucked underneath some shade. The constant heat of the sun was making my head even more painful and had caused my simple, gray t-shirt to become drenched with sweat. Dark patches of sweat marks were becoming more noticeable underneath my armpits and even under my chest. The joys of being a woman.

I was still in the same position, trying to calm the storm my thoughts had become when a familiar, husky voice interrupted me.

"There you are! When I couldn't find you, I was starting worry that you melted away." Michael chuckled at his own joke while he got comfortable in the seat across from me. I peeked at him through my fingers and was slightly irritated to find that he looked just amazing as he did when he wasn't covered in sweat. Unlike me, who not only smelled like an old gym sock but who also looked like a complete mess. There was no need for a mirror for me to know that my face was completely red and my mop of red curls that was messily pulled into a bun was slowly losing strand after strand. The strands that had escaped were now plastered on my neck and forehead.

I smiled softly at Michaels joke but didn't say anything. I knew that after hours of unrelenting thinking that I was finally supposed to give an answer; though I still had no answer to give. Michael's gaze was as heavy as a pound of bricks, but instead of looking at him I focused on my hands instead. The urge to rub the old scar on my palm -just like I had done thousand of times before- grew strong from the sudden pressure. I had to keep my hands busy so I made do with the loose strands of gauze. Michael and I sat in silence for a few seconds, watching my fingers twist and pull the strands. Finally, not being able to stand it any longer I broke the silence.

"I know I'm supposed to say yes or no right now ….. but I can't." A heavy sigh slipped through my lips as I tried to express the swarm of emotions and thoughts that were running through my mind. "Which is crazy! I mean, you are giving me a chance to get out of here; to be able to be with my sweet baby. I should be jumping at the chance and there's a part of me that wants to, but there's also a part of me that is telling me to stay."

I groaned with frustration and buried my face into my hands again. Still covering my face, I continued. "I want to go with you so badly, but I can't help but think about it all going bad. If – if we get caught, that's another 20 years of being stuck in this pure hell. Twenty years..tops. I can't lose another twenty years of my daughters life. That's twenty more years of her stuck with that..."

My voice cracked with the unshed tears as I thought of Olivia being stuck with Trevor for that long. I knew I could never be able to forgive myself if that happened. It was already getting too dangerous for that sweet, innocent child to be with Trevor now. Another year? Who knew what would happen, let alone in another twenty years. I bite my lip to keep from crying and tried to get a hold of myself. Closing my eyes, I took deep, slow breaths to help me stay calm.

I felt Michael's hand wrap softly around my own. Surprisingly I could feel the heat coming from his palm through my bandages. The type of warmth that was seeping through me was different from the heat that was radiating from the sun. His hand on top of mine and the warmth coming from him was a calming combination. My breathing was still erratic, but it was more because of the physical touch now. I could feel my heart flutter like a bird against my rib cage and every time I took a breath it would catch in my throat. Who knew that holding his hand would cause this kind of reaction?

Michael's thumb softly skimmed over my knuckles, the back and forth movement caused chills to run up my spine. "That man – in the visitation room- he's the reason you are in here, isn't he? And the reason you have these?"

I watched in silence as Michael raised my bandage hand, indicating that was what he was referring to. It was almost like time had frozen and - as sappy as it sounds - it felt as if Michael and I were the only ones around. The loud cheering and laughter of the inmates seemed to fade into nothingness as I stare into Michaels' eyes. I no longer felt like I was stuck behind fences, instead, I was nowhere. All I could focus and see was Michael.

Sitting this close to him, staring into his eyes as deeply as I was, I noticed that his eyes... they weren't as blue as I had thought. When he was sitting in the sun I could see just random flecks of green scattered within the breathtaking blue.

I watched in anticipation as Michael slowly pulled my hand towards his mouth, closer and closer until I could feel the heat of his breath. Just a little closer and...

"May the earth open up and swallow me whole! I'll be damned, the two love birds have finally gotten together!" The unforgettable southern drawl of T-Bag broke through the cloudy haze that had settled over my thoughts. It was almost like I was waking up from a dream, only to be greeted by a disturbing monster leering over me. T-Bag's hands came down with a loud thud onto the picnic table causing me to pull my hand out of Michaels out of shock.

As much as I hated to admit it, T-Bag terrified me. It was unnerving that a man of his size and stature was able to make me feel so small and weak, in that way he reminded me of Trevor. They both shared that bone-chilling evilness that lurked beneath the surface. Everytime T-Bag's eyes caught mine, it was as if a pair of icy hands had my heart in their grip. The exact feeling I got whenever I was around Trevor.

"What do you want, T-Bag?" It was a shock to hear just how cold and threatening Michael sounded. I was use to hearing the husky, low voice that always got me weak in the knees, but hearing this unusual tone even made me scared. I watched silently as Michael leaned forward, his hands bracing his weight as he loomed over T-Bag. I couldn't help but move farther down the bench, away from the men who were having a staring contest.

"Oh, Pretty boy, is that how you treat a friend? We are friends after all, aren't we Michael?" It was hard to explain it, but I couldn't help but sense that there was a hidden meaning behind what T-Bag had said. Something must have happened between the two before I had gotten here. Now that I thought about, it would explain why T-Bag was always staring holes into Michael's head.

But what exactly had happened? And did it have something to do with T-Bags disappearance and the those purple bruises that were scattered around on his face?

Michael didn't say a word. I could see that his body was shaking with the pent up rage towards T-Bag, which was unlike Michael. The Michael I knew was always calm and collected, I had never seen him so furious.

"I told you T-Bag, stay away from us."

T-Bag barked out a rough laugh, "That's the thing, Michael. I made a promise to you and I always keep my promises." And with that he turned and made his way back to his group. Michael and I watched in complete silence, neither of us even bothering to say a word.

The only thing I could think about was what T-Bag had said and what he meant by it.

What promise was he talking about?

...

"Do you have any idea just how lucky you are? You could have done some real damage to your hands." Sarah's lecture was similar to that of a mother who was upset at her child for making a dumb mistake. Her constant fretting over my healing wounds was actually kind of sweet and I couldn't help but smile as she scolded me.

"Are you smiling? Lily, I'm being serious. You need to deal with all those emotions that you keep locked inside. Next time you might not be so lucky." Tancredi's bloodshot eyes bore into me. She was quiet, probably waiting for me to finally open up about my dark past. As much as I wanted to tell her everything, I just couldn't. As ridiculous as it sounded I was ashamed of myself. It had taken prison to make me realize just how screwed up and unhealthy my relationship with Trevor was.

Tancredi shook her head in disappointment and sighed. "Fine, just try not to punch anymore doors?" I couldn't help but laugh a little along with Tancredi.

"I will try my hardest." I focused on Tancredi's work on wrapping new bandages around my knuckles. Even though the cuts had scabbed over, Tancredi was still cautious about me catching some type of infection. It was almost therapeutic watching her wrap the clean, white bandage around and around my hands.

"You seem a bit different today." I looked up from Sarah's hands and looked at her. Her head was bent over slightly so that I was unable to see her face. I raised an eyebrow in confusion and waited for Tancredi to explain. "I mean, you seem happier?"

"Oh, do I?' I cleared my throat loudly when the memory of what had happened earlier that morning popped into my head. Maybe I was still feeling the effect of that strange connection between Michael and I. I had to purse my lips to keep from grinning.

"For goodness sakes, Lily, I'm not blind! I've seen how much time you've been spending with Michael." Tancredi grumbled in frustration as she roughly returned the left over bandages and tape back to their places. After everything was back where they were suppose to she turned around. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she leaned against the cream colored counter; waiting for me to say something.

"We're just friends." I hadn't realized that Tancredi even kept an eye on the two of us, not that I thought there was a need to.

"Friends don't look at each other the way you two do." As much as I wanted to know how Michael looked at me, I knew that I couldn't let Tancredi know just how I felt when I was around Michael. Heck, I couldn't even understand what this feeling was.

"Look, Tancredi, Michael he's – he's different. I can't deny that he is very, very attractive, but I'm not stupid. I'm in prison; a male penitentiary. I might not be the smartest person in the world, but I the brains to know what a dumb idea it would be to get involved with these men." I tried to figure out some way to get her off my back, or at least try to make her believe that nothing was going on between Michael and I... cause there wasn't.

"I really hope you are Lily. I know that I am coming off as intrusive, but I honestly am trying to help you. Michael may be different, but that doesn't mean that he can be trusted. There's something going on with him, something that I can't explain. Look, can you just be careful around him?" I could tell that Tancredi was honesty worried about me, which was nice of her. Yet, I couldn't help but feel the need to defend Michael. He wasn't like the others, far from it actually! He wasn't a murder, a rapist, or a monster. He was a man who was trying to do the right thing, trying to save the person that he cared for so much.

In my eyes that made him someone I could definitely trust. I wish I could tell Tancredi that but I knew that I couldn't - not without messing up Michael's plan.

"Okay." That was all that I could say. As much as I appreciated Tancredis concern, I still felt the burning irritation in my stomach. Tancredi remained in the same position, not saying a word. Satisfied with my answer, she finally turned back around to look at the manila folder that was opened on the counter.

We both say quietly in the infirmary room when a ear-splitting siren erupted throughout the room. There wasn't any time to react to the sudden noise when a overweight CO came bursting into the room. His chest was heaving and the chubby man's face was bright red.

"What's going on?" Tancredi asked as she bolted from her spot by the counter.

"There's been a minor disturbance over in A Wing." The heavy set man wheezed out with trouble. He took deep breaths but he still sounded like he was having trouble breathing.

It felt like my heart had stopped beating. A Wing? Was Michael alright? What had happened? These thought were racing around my head and I felt like I was going to puke. I could only pray that he was safe.

"A minor disturbance? Lenny, what kind of minor disturbance?" Tancredi folded her arms over her chest, trying hard to intimidate the short, squat man to tell her what she wanted to know.

Lenny ran his hand across his forehead, keeping the sweat from running into his eyes. "Some goons are causing a ruckus and are giving a few guards a hard time. Trust me, we have it all under control. My supervisor just told me to come over here and escort Sullivan back. It might also be a good idea if you took the rest of the day off too, Doctor."

"This sounds way more serious then a minor disturbance, Lenny." Tancredi tucked a stray strand behind her ear and moved to grab her bag. Lenny took a deep breath before he started to speak, "Like I said, we have it under contr-" Without warning the door leading into the small room burst open. Lenny, who was closest to the door, flew to the floor when a burly inmate attacked him from behind.

I couldn't help the scream that escaped my lips as I watched helplessly. The inmate only had to smash the CO'S head against the floor once for the weak man to slip into unconsciousness. The man sat on top of Lenny, his body heaving with each breath he took.

"Now that we got him out of the way," The gut-clenching voice that came from the attacker cut through my screaming. I crawled desperately away from him until I was up against the wall, only a few feet away from the monster.

My heart dropped in fear as the man stood from his squat. Unable to breath or move, I watched as he took a step closer to me. Then another step. Then another step, until his black shoes were touching my own.

"It's time for the real fun."