Three months had seemed to vanish quickly, without having to keep looking over their shoulder, watch their backs constantly... Lincoln, Olivia and the kids had formed themselves a simple but enjoyable life in Panama.
"The one thing, I hate about this country – I'm sweaty all the time." Lincoln muttered pulling at his half buttoned down long sleeve shirt that seemed to be sticking to him under the afternoon Sun.
"Maybe because you wear jeans and long sleeves all the time, dad." LJ looked at his father, trying not to laugh while they all sat around outside a small cafe, eating lunch.
"Shut up." Lincoln lent over and swatted him lightly upside the head, "I don't do shorts." He grumbled.
"I think you look hot in shorts." Olivia admitted, running her hand over her growing stomach, the airy dress she wore of a bright colour made her already glowing skin seem to glow even more.
" - I might wear shorts." Lincoln interjected her, after she finished speaking and it made Olivia laugh while LJ and Elle-May exchanged glanced and rolled their eyes.
Lincoln pulled his phone from his pocket, feeling it vibrating before it started to ring, he stood up from the chair. "Be back." He flipped the phone putting it to his ear, "Yeah?" He asked, always leery of unknown numbers.
"Hey." Came from the other end and Lincoln glanced back toward the table of his family.
"How are you man– Where are you?" Lincoln asked, feeling a relief hearing Michael's voice on the other end.
"I'm okay." Michael said in a tone Lincoln knew as the one Michael used to hide his emotions, "I'm in LA." He admitted. "Linc, I need to know exactly what you saw in that box." He pressed his brother.
"Mike, I already told you. Sara's head ... In a box." Lincoln felt his own tone dropping.
"It was dark right, are you sure it was Sara?" Michael questioned him, looking around the at the people of California, in their own worlds.
"Yeah it was dark." Lincoln said, "do you mean did I pick up her head and examine it? No." He already told Michael this so many times.
"And LJ said he only heard them killing Sara, right?" Michael was pressing his long fingers against the bridge of his nose, processing everything over and over again.
"Michael. We've been over this, come back to Panama and we'll figure this out." He was almost pleading with him now.
"You know I can't do that Linc, I'm not stopping until I get justice for them killing Sara!" He said harshly. "Also, I'm a wanted man, I'll get sent straight back to Sona." He added darkly.
"No go. Sona burnt to the ground." Lincoln said quickly. "What do you mean?" Michael asked, unaware.
"Yeah, they rioted about a week back, burnt the place to the ground – Which means Bellick, T-Bag and Sucre are all in the unknown." He rubbed his forehead, he caught Olivia staring at him and he gave her a small smile, making her smile back at him.
"Sucre?" Michael cut him off before he could speak anything else. "Yeah, I don't know – the papers released the names of the inmates and he was listed... Please come back to Panama." Lincoln said again.
"Good bye Linc." Michael said, feeling a guilt in his chest but it was nothing to take over the feeling of revenge in his stomach for Sara's murder. He hung up the phone.
"Mic-" Lincoln tried but hearing the phone line going dead, he sighed. Snapping the flip phone closed, he walked back over to the table, "everything okay, dad?" Elle-May asked, they were kids but they weren't stupid, always fully aware of what was going on.
"Michael's in LA. He wont come back here." Lincoln was looking at Olivia however who put her glass of lemonade down. "I think, you know more than anyone, Michael isn't going to stop until he gets what he wants." She brushed some of her hair behind her ear.
"I know. I would just rather him here." Lincoln exhaled a deep breath. "Soon." Olivia tried assuring him, putting her hand on his arm and squeezing it softly, which made Lincoln smile.
"I love you." Lincoln said, she'd heard it many times, but Olivia couldn't help but always blush a little when she heard it, "I love you, too." She lent in a little as did Lincoln about to exchange a kiss, Lincoln pulled back quickly, "What now?!" He snapped frustrated, his phone ringing again.
"What!" He said down the other end of the phone, after flipping it open. There was only limited people with his phone number and his phone never rang this much in one day, let alone in the space of five minutes.
"Nice to hear your voice too, Lincoln." The voice on the other end said in a sarcastically-cheerful voice.
"Oh, sorry." He calmed down, his fingers playing with the dull butterknife on the table, his eyes scanning over Olivia's as she watched him. "What's up Nikole?" He asked her.
"Where's Nikole?" Olivia asked watching Lincoln, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"I'm in Chicago." Nikole said hearing Olivia's voice through the phone, she was sitting behind the wheel of a black Dodge Charger.
"Chicago, why? Michael's in LA." Lincoln asked her.
Taking off her sunglasses, Nikole was looking up at a large sky-scraper, the clouds were blocking the Sun casting a grey feeling over the city.
"I've made contact with Bruce Bennette." Nikole explained, "Linc," she let out a sigh, "Sara's alive..."
"What do you mean, Sara's alive?" Lincoln asked, standing up. "Nikole unless you have proof." He wanted to believe it was true for his brothers sake.
"Sara's alive?" Olivia said quickly, standing up herself from the chair, almost knocking over the glass near the tables edge.
"I need to get ahold of Michael before he does something he regrets, but the number I had last for him isn't working." Nikole said, "yeah, he probably tossed it and got a different line, he just called me – an unknown number though. I don't know what to tell you..." A helpless feeling washing over him.
It was strange, Nikole had been a friend, then an enemy and, after the escape from Sona, a friend again, a best friend. A few days after the escape, Nikole met up with Lincoln in Panama and while he wanted to kill her, he listened to her... And he listened to his kids telling him Nikole was always nice to them, she never hurt them. And, after talking to her he came to realise she was only trying to help the entire time.
It became known that Nikole was the one who left the door unlocked in Fox River for them, that the Company knew that. They came after her for aiding an escape, threatening to slap the highest of charges on her and revoke her medical licence if she didn't agree to become at the time ultimately a babysitter to Alex Mahone.
"I'll see what I can do, I'll call you if I figure something out." She said, "be safe." She added, closing her phone and hitting the steering wheel, she'd been trying to track down Michael for months, her fingers stressfully pulling at her hair, she glanced up, seeing the picture of Alex pinned to it with a bobby pin, it was an old picture from a press release after the Fox River escape.
She missed him dearly, but when he had plans to join Whistler and Gretchen in Panama she couldn't, she didn't want to be involved with that anymore.
And it wasn't just that, Alex had become incredibly distant with her, and obsessed with getting back to the United States, finding Cameron … And Pam, that was all he seemed to be focused on, so they went separate ways.
"Alright." She said to herself, nodding, grabbing her purse off the passenger seat, she got out of the car and headed toward the building, the beeping of the car locking behind her as she slide the keys into her pocket...
Walking into the building she walked to the reception desk, "Hi, I have a meeting with Mister Bennette." Nikole smiled politely at the reception desk.
"Your name?" A woman looked up from her computer, her fingers lingering over the keyboard.
"Nikki Swan." She said, going to pull out her ID card, hoping for the best that she woman wouldn't really want to see it, "oh, yes – Sorry Miss Swan, go right ahead." She smiled gesturing toward the elevator.
"Thank you." Nikole smiled, heading toward it, she wasn't wanted no, but with everything going on, with Company everywhere she didn't want to be tracking her real name around, incase it lead then to Michael, or Lincoln and Olivia, or anyone else for that matter.
"What does she mean Sara's alive, did she find her?" Olivia asked as Lincoln put his phone away, wondering if the doctor she was least fond of was actually alive, or it was another cold trail.
"She contacted Bruce Bennette, I don't know I haven't heard her this confident in months." Lincoln admitted, "She's in Chicago... Michael's in LA and she can't get ahold of him."
Olivia was playing nervously with the ring on her finger, nodding, "anything we can do?" She couldn't help feeling somewhat useless as they sat in Panama waiting for answers.
"Stay here and wait." Lincoln shrugged, he could go back to the states, but Olivia couldn't and he wouldn't leave her behind, that's why they sent Nikole, someone with no ties, who could go freely where they wanted to track down Michael.
"Maybe I'm tired of waiting." Olivia said shortly, "sorry," she whispered, rubbing her stomach again, standing up after Lincoln paid the cheque for their lunch and they all stood up.
"If I thought us being back home would be useful, I would get us there, but you know you could be arrested and taken away, I will not let that happen." Lincoln whispered seriously, his warm hands cupped her face, staring into her eyes, "we're safe here." He whispered.
"This is what we're up agains't Michael." Alex said harshly looking over the man he's spent what seemed like forever to track down, the man who didn't screw him over in Panama like he excepted and now the man he was trying to relay information to about the love of his life.
"I don't care what you're up against, this has nothing to do with me." Michael said darkly at him.
"It has everything to do with you, you're the one with the brains to stop all this!" Alex wanted to laugh.
"The only thing I have intentions of doing is finding Sara if she's still alive." Alex had never heard Michael's voice to dark and dangerous, he swallowed roughly, "and just how do you plan on doing that? Whistler is dead if you couldn't remember." He pointed out, his fingers twitched nervously.
"You know, you had much better people skills when your girlfriend was around." Michael snapped at him, Alex, who was holding Michael's stare looked down, biting his bottom lip for a moment... "She's not my girlfriend." He said lightly.
"I have to go." Michael said, ignoring the emotions that seemed to surround them. "Where, are you going?" Alex asked, "Chicago." Michael said simply.
Lincoln brought his face down and kissed her lightly, "Uh, dad..." LJ said, looking through the space between his father and Olivia, feeling uneasy seeing a white, well dressed man watching them from across the street.
"What?" Lincoln looked at him, "that guy, doesn't look like a tourist." Elle-May chimed in, trying not to point at the person obviously walking towards them, staring intently at Lincoln.
"LJ..." Lincoln said sharply. "Got it." LJ said, grabbing Elle-May's hand and pulling her back quickly. "Olivia..." LJ said, reaching for her hand.
"Lincoln," Olivia felt her stomach drop, feeling LJ grabbing at her hand, "go with LJ." Lincoln looked down at her seriously, "go." He said again.
"I'm not leaving you." Olivia said darkly, "Olivia, GO!" Lincoln pushed her carefully away from him, "I love you, but you need to go. If something happens the kids can't be alone." He said.
Olivia started walking away with LJ and Elle-May, trying not to look back as Lincoln walked an opposite direction. "He'll be okay, mom." Elle-May smiled up at her mom, assuring her, being strong for her.
"I can't." Olivia said, never being able to just walk away, especially when it came down to Lincoln. "Mom!" Elle-May said feeling as her mother let her hand go watching as Olivia even in a pregnant state rushed around the corner of the street where Lincoln had gone.
"Elle!" LJ said helplessly, watching the young girl, starting to follow after her mother, he sighed, giving up he started running after the both of them.
"Stay away from my family!" Lincoln snapped, punching the unknown man in the face, who just tried attacking him. "It's not your family, I want – it's you, Lincoln." He said darkly, ducking a punch from Lincoln, he caught the man in the gut, before he was grabbed and shoved into a fruit stand, grabbing Lincoln and taking him with him, his gun sliding across the hard ground.
Lincoln drug himself up, grabbing the gun he pointed it at the man, his heart pounding in his ears.
"Lincoln!" Olivia said catching up, running up the short steps, Lincoln with a gun pointed to the man, she was out of breath from the short run and of course, she had to pee. "Oh I would have to pee so bad right now." She muttered in the moment.
"Olivia!" Lincoln turned his head, hearing her voice. "Watch out!" Olivia yelled at him as the man lunched for Lincoln, grabbing at the gun, "Mom!" Elle-May said running into her mothers back almost knocking her over.
Olivia wrapped her arms around her protectively, keeping her close, watching the struggle for the gun, although it was happening quickly, it felt all in slow-motion Olivia in panic for her husband-to-be, she couldn't hear the words they were exchanging, but the shot from the gun made her, Elle-May and LJ would stood behind them jump.
Lincoln's eyes wide, feeling the weight of the man he'd been fighting, go dead and he was all that was holding him up, Lincoln let him go and he fell to the ground. He looked at the gun in his hand and looked back toward Olivia with wide eyes.
Sirens starting to fill the air, people in uniform running toward them, "Run!" Lincoln snapped at them knowing it was over for him, "Now!" He snapped seeing them all standing still.
"Lincoln!" Olivia rushed up to him, swatting the gun from his hand to meet with the pavement beside the body.
Yelling in Spanish filled the air, before English; Lincoln looked at Olivia, "I'm sorry." He whispered, getting onto his knees, putting his hands behind his head.
"Both of you hands on your heads." An officer, looked at Olivia now, "she didn't do anything!" Lincoln snapped quickly, "that will be for us to decide!" The office spat at Lincoln.
Olivia squeaked, as her hands were grabbed and twisted behind her back, the handcuffs tightening around her wrists. "MOM!" Elle-May yelled, running at her, "baby, stay – it's okay... We'll be okay." Olivia tried to read a calm expression, but she was panicking.
"Dad, what do I do?" LJ was trying to hold Elle-May back from following her mom as her and Lincoln were being pulled toward a police car.
"I... I..." Lincoln felt lost, he had no idea, no plan – this wasn't suppose to happen.
"Call Nikole, tell her what happened," he said, feeling himself being forced into the car, protesting it, fighting to finish his words; "Then go to the embassy, tell them we're American citizens.. Tell them LJ are you listening?!" Lincoln was finally pushed into the car.
"I'M LISTENING DAD!" LJ yelled before the door closed, watching it drive his parents away. "Come... Elle, come on!" LJ, held her hand tightly, and pulled her into the crowd of people who had gathered.
As the hours seemed to wear on, the Sun starting its set in the West, the daylight of the summer still held on, Nikole was sitting in her car, playing over her meeting with Bruce this morning, no useful information about Michael had become known in the recent days, she was starting to worry.
She looked down, watching the screen of her phone illuminate, vibrating in the cup holder, she picked it up, seeing the caller ID, she flipped it over quickly. "Hello?" She said, sitting up.
"Nikole, it's LJ!" He said breathlessly, "a man was following us and we tried to run, but dad got into a fight with him, there was a gun and a struggle and the guy got shot and died, and dad and Olivia got been arrested." LJ spilled out in one long run together sentence, still out of breath.
"Whoa, whoa... LJ, calm down – what do you mean, their arrested?" Nikole's heart sank. "They arrested dad and then, Olivia because she was standing right beside him... They're in jail."
"Where are you and Elle-May?" She started thinking of a plan. "Dad -" LJ stopped to take a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Dad told us to go to the embassy and tell them we're Americans."
"And are you there?" Nikole knew like their parents, they had a habit of something going off on their own accord with a half-thought through plan. "We're going there now, Nikole I have no idea what to do." LJ sounded worn out.
"Just calm down, you do exactly like your dad told you. You'll be safe in the embassy and I'll call you in a little bit, I promise. I'll make arrangements." She listened to the uneven breathing on the other end of her phone. "LJ, do you understand?" She asked.
"I... I understand, yeah." He said, nervously. "What's going to happen?" LJ asked her, crossing the street, he hadn't let go to Elle-May's hand since they left the small house they were living in as a family this morning.
The young girl, staring intensely at him, as they walked, her free hand playing nervously on the backpack she wore of papers and items she grabbed from the house.
Looking up, Nikole did a double take to the phone booth across the street, "LJ, I have to call you back, go to the embassy." She said, closing the phone quickly and getting out of the car, running across the street quickly.
"Why didn't you run?" Lincoln asked Olivia, as they sat in a small holding room together, his head was back against the wall, feeling helpless.
"I couldn't just leave you." Olivia muttered, "sorry." she felt like he was mad at her.
"Don't apologise." Lincoln finally sat up straight. "I'm just worried about the kids." He admitted.
"They'll be okay." Olivia kept trying to keep herself calm, knowing she was had, arrested in Panama, they'd run her name and she'd come up wanted in America. "both smart, good kids … They'll call Nikole, she'll get them home." Olivia had to keep making herself believe that.
"and I'll be sent back to jail in the states, and give birth to our baby hand cuffed to a stretcher." She said dully. "Olivia that wont happen." Lincoln said seriously. "Nikole wont let that happen," He wouldn't let it happen either, "Nikole isn't a lawyer, Linc." Olivia was accepting her fate, there was no happy ending in sight.
"She knows people, she's a Doctor..."
"Lincoln, just face it... We're both done." Olivia was going numb, giving up. Not by choice, but because she could see only once end in sight.
"I wont let it happen." Lincoln lent as closer to her as he could, "I promise." He nodded.
"You're like where's Waldo, honestly." Nikole said coming up behind a man standing at a phone booth, making him jump, handing the pay phone up. "Nikole!" Michael said giving her a deer in headlights expression, as he turned to look at her.
"Hi Michael." She gave him a small smile.
"How did you find me?" He had only spoken to Nikole a few times since the escape. "By chance, we need to go." Nikole gestured toward her car across the street. "I... It's really you." Michael whispered, the back of his finger brushed her cheek.
"Very me, very real... Come..." Nikole reached out taking his hand, Michael glanced down seeing his hand in hers, before looking up, nodding "excuse me." A voice caught them both off guard.
They turned looking seeing a Chicago police officer staring at the both of them. "Are you Michael Scofield?" He asked, like he already didn't know.
"Well, are you?" Another Officer joined them standing on the outside of Michael and Nikole.
Michael was staring at Nikole, he swallowed, "yes, I am." He couldn't lie, he knew he was caught. "Say nothing, I'll call Bruce." Nikole said quickly, unbelieving everything was falling around her like dominos.
Her hand was forced away from Michael's by the officer, pulling his hands behind his back.
"Well, I sure didn't sleep." Olivia said crankily, sitting in an even smaller room rubbing her neck. "Sorry, I couldn't provide you first class, being a felon and all." Don Self, a homeland agent said darkly in her direction, he'd gotten in touch with the Embassy in Panama after their arrest and had them flown back to Chicago over night, it was now mid-afternoon.
"Watch it." Lincoln hissed darkly at the man he didn't like already, "I'm just saying, I did the best I could with the time I was given. I'm here to tell you both LJ and Elle-May arrived in Chicago this morning, and were picked up by a Nikole Wilson." He said off the paper he was holding.
"Oh, thank god." Olivia whispered, Lincoln nodding rubbing his hands together. "Oh and one more thing." Don walked to the closed door, turning the knob he opened it slowly,
"Oh god." Olivia said in shock, standing up quickly, she rushed across the small space and wrapped her arounds tightly around Michael. "You're okay!" She exclaimed happily.
Michael looked over his brother, before he finally wrapped his arms around Olivia and squeezed her tightly. "Did you find her?" Lincoln asked standing up, even with all the trouble they were all in, he felt a peace having four of the six people he cared about in the same room, including the baby Olivia was carrying.
"No, how are you two?" Michael asked, letting the hug with Olivia end, his hand touched her baby bump. "Wow." He admitted, "look at you." He wanted to laugh, enjoying whatever little time they might have all together.
"About as good as people with federal charges can be." Lincoln shrugged, and Michael nodded. "It's good to see you, Michael." Lincoln pulled his brother into a hug quickly. "You, too." He hugged Lincoln back, patting his back.
"Sorry to break up the family reunion and all, but I have something I want you all to look at, it look a lot of strings being pulled to get you back together." Don now held an accordion folder.
"Why do I feel like, those aren't free tickets out of here?" Lincoln's stomach dropped. "Genius over here, this guy." Don pointed at Lincoln.
"You'll be safe here, I have one more thing I have to do, okay?" Nikole stood in the doorway of an average sized house, "so, we just sit here?" LJ asked, confused. "Until, I get back yes; eat, shower... Sleep. I shouldn't be very long, okay?" Nikole smiled at them.
"Thank you for being a good person." Elle-May wanted to hug Nikole but she was exhausted.
"This is crazy, no chance, absolutely not." Olivia said, letting a piece of paper go to float down and settle on the table, all three of them sat around for the last few hours going over files and pictures.
"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked, looking from her to Michael, Michael playing his fingers against the table. "I don't want to be involved in this Linc." Michael couldn't agree more with Olivia, "well, you have for answer, don't you?" Lincoln said looking to Don who stood at the head of the table, watching them all.
"Fair enough, fine, okay." He gave up, "forget it, I never mentioned it." He kept rambling and it made Olivia raise her eyebrow at him, "we aren't changing our mind... Beside, what a trio we are... Pregnant, hot headed, seeking revenge." She pointed between herself, Lincoln and finally Michael.
"Beside, it isn't like we have a huge amount of information to go on about this, Scylla thing." Lincoln added, "breaking in or out of a building isn't the problem, we can't grasp at straws." He pointed out.
"I got it." Don said, picking up all the files and leaving the room.
"So what, family picnic after we get out of prison?" Olivia asked, trying not to think about the fact she had been on death row and would go back to death row.
"Liv." Lincoln said sombrely, feeling like a failure, for landing them back here in the first place.
"Just trying to lighten the mood." Olivia gave up, looking between the brothers, biting the inside of her cheek.
"We still aren't doing it." Michael said hearing the door opening beside them again. "You must have some incredibly powerful friends." Don said, looking slightly defeated.
"How so?" Lincoln asked, confused.
"Someone just posted your bails." Don cleared his throat, "Who?" Michael asked quickly, standing up. Don held a small piece of paper on top of the folder he'd taken away with him when they refused to help him, "Nikole Wilson." He read off it.
Lincoln looked at Michael, who looked from Lincoln to Olivia and back to Lincoln. "You're free to go." Don gestured toward the door.
Lincoln stood up, taking Olivia's hand, "here, take this." Don held the files to Michael, "we aren't changing our mind." He said avoiding it.
"That's fine, you might as well have it... The whole project is finish." Don almost pushed it on him.
"Look at the gang back together." Olivia said almost gleefully.
"Thank Bruce, he posted the bail money, under my name, incase Company is watching." Nikole said as they walked up the stone path to the safe house.
"That puts you in the sight-line for the company then." Lincoln figured out, shrugging Nikole smiled. "I feel like, I still owe you guys one." She unlocked the front door.
"Mom!" Elle-May ran from the living room, almost jumping into her mothers arms. "Oh my Elle." Olivia held her tightly, stroking her hair. Kissing the top of her head.
"Dad." LJ said joining them. "LJ." Lincoln said, they both looked over each other, before Lincoln pulled his son into a tight hug. "Thank god you're all okay." Lincoln said.
Michael looked around, the tender family moment was sweet, but he felt still at a loss, he looked over to Nikole who was watching him, she tilted her head slightly to the left, Michael looked from her slowly to the direction her head went.
"Sara..." He whispered, seeing the woman he loved standing in the door frame on the living room, walking over to her, he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Holy fuck, she's alive." Olivia's voice even in a whisper, filled the small space they occupied.
