Prison Break - General - 003 - Ends
Title: Heart Protected
Fandom: Prison Break
Characters: Michael/Sara
Prompt: 003 - Ends
Word Count: 1580
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: This is post-escape fic.
“You ever been to Baja? Mexico? There’s this great place down there. Twenty bucks a night, hammock on the back deck. Beers are fifty cents, twenty-five cents at happy hour. Ever been to Thailand? Thailand’s great.”
“Michael, if you’re trying to calm me down, you’re doing a terrible job.”
“But I am trying.”
It was another gorgeous day in Baja, and Michael was adding another shade to his already tanned skin. He sat in a wooden beach chair at the little restaurant attached to his hotel, sipping a beer and watching the people go by. He tapped his long fingers against the bottle in a steady rhythm. Doing this kept his heart rate from rocketing up whenever he caught a glimpse of reddish-brown hair in the crowd.
It had been one entire year since his escape from Fox River State Penitentiary. He thought about that night every day, reliving the tense moments before they were up and over the walls. For a minute, he hadn’t thought they were going to make it. The searchlights had suddenly flickered over them, casting them in bright white. But just as suddenly, the lights slid away, and they were once again covered by darkness.
Once they were on the street, it had been easy to get to the airfield where Abruzzi had a plane waiting. Sucre separated from them then, anxious to get to Maricruz. Lincoln, Michael and Abruzzi flew low in the little plane, kept under radar observation, and eventually landed in Mexico. Abruzzi had taken off for parts unknown, leaving Michael and Lincoln alone.
They stayed hidden in a two-room apartment, provided for them by a guy that Michael had helped a couple of years earlier through a mentoring program in Chicago. Armando made sure they were taken care of, and also helped them stay in touch with Veronica.
It had taken a couple of months, but Veronica and Nick had finally uncovered the truth about the Vice President, and Lincoln and Michael were able to come out of hiding. After that, they were engulfed in a blitz of media attention. Everyone wanted to know the story of Lincoln Burrows and hear how his brother had broken him out of prison, just hours before he was to be executed.
Lincoln, with LJ standing close by, made the talk show circuit. Veronica and Nick followed suit, and while the biggest names in news wanted to hear it all from Michael, he politely refused to be interviewed, preferring to stay quietly in the background.
For Lincoln and LJ, things were looking up. They were closer than ever, and Lincoln and Veronica were slowly getting back together. Nick remained a close friend to them all. There were rumors about a book and movie deal, and Lincoln had said that there wasn’t any actor in Hollywood who could play Michael because there was no one that smart.
Abruzzi had turned to the FBI and testified against Falzone, bringing down the whole dirty organization. The last Michael had heard, Abruzzi and his family were living the good life somewhere in Europe.
A few days earlier, Michael received a wedding invitation from Sucre. He called and told Sucre he would definitely be there. They hadn’t married right after the breakout, but Maricruz had joined him in Canada where they stayed out of sight until the conspiracy was revealed. Sucre had enjoyed his own time in the spotlight, having his record expunged and hailed as a hero for daring to rescue a wrongly convicted man from death row. Michael was sure Maricruz would be pregnant within days after the wedding.
Westmoreland had made it to his daughter in time to see her before she died. Then he simply disappeared. No one had heard from him since.
C-Note and T-Bag were back in prison. Michael felt slightly bad for doing it, but he’d made an anonymous call to the FBI and given them the locations of each felon. He wondered if someday that would bite him in the ass.
Michael ordered another beer and checked his watch. As the minutes ticked by, he began to think she wasn’t coming. Why should she? He had lied to her from the start, used her, and then abandoned her. And after all that, he’d sent her a plane ticket last week. How could he possibly expect her to show up?
Really, he couldn’t, but that didn’t stop him from hoping. He hadn’t been back to Chicago since the escape, choosing to stay in Baja for the time being. He had enough money to keep him going for awhile yet, until he decided what to do next. But first, he had to know if he would be alone or not.
So, he’d bought a plane ticket and stuck it in an envelope addressed to Sara’s home, along with a postcard that showed the sand and surf of Baja. No letter, no note, no directions. Just a ticket and postcard. He was sure she’d remember their conversation.
Today was the day she was due to arrive. He’d been sitting outside since sunrise, waiting, watching. In just under an hour, it would be time for the sun to set. If she hadn’t shown up by then, he would know it was pointless and move on.
He made sweeping glances from left to right, searching for her. And then, out of nowhere, she was there, making her way towards him. She was dressed in a flowing white skirt and a black sleeveless top. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail with stray wisps flying around her face. She carried a large khaki colored beach bag slung over her shoulder.
Michael took a deep breath and stood up, slowly, so as not to startle her. Finally, she was in front of him, staring up at him with round eyes. They didn’t speak for a few minutes, just took in each other’s appearance. Sara gripped the strap of her bag with both hands, and Michael kept his hands in his pockets.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” Michael said, his voice sounding deeper than usual.
“I almost didn’t.”
“I’m glad you did.”
Sara swallowed and looked down. “You’re not wearing sandals.”
Michael smiled and said, “Couldn’t find a pair that looked right with three toes.”
Sara let out a small laugh, and the tension eased between them somewhat.
“Would you like to sit down?” Michael asked.
She nodded, and he held a chair out for her. He ordered her a beer and sat down across from her.
“It’s good to see you,” she said. “You haven’t been on the news.”
“I’m camera-shy. How have you been?”
“Still working at Fox River, although I’m sure you know that.” She tilted her head a little and looked at him. “You seem different.”
“I’m a free man, enjoying the sun,” he said.
“There’s something else.”
Michael folded his hands and placed them on the table. “Not sure what you mean.”
Sara’s beer arrived, but she didn’t drink it. She pursed her lips and exhaled.
“I know why you wanted me to come here,” she said, “and I can even understand why you waited a year to contact me.”
“I wanted to give you some time.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. The thing is, Michael, I did a lot of thinking after you left. And a lot of worrying. When everything came out about the Vice President, I was relieved, and also a little sad.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because the Michael Scofield I knew in prison wasn’t going to be the same Michael Scofield I’d see on the outside.”
“I’m the same man, Sara. Really, I am.”
“You may believe that, but I don’t. No one can be the same person they were once they’ve experienced prison life. And you experienced a great deal more than your average inmate.”
Michael narrowed his eyes a little and focused on her face. “Sara, I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry. I hope you understand why I had to. My brother’s life was at stake. I couldn’t let him die. Yes, at first, you were no more than a part of the plan. But that changed by the time we escaped. You became important to me, someone I could care about, and who could care about me. You may not think so, but you got to know the real me.”
Sara remained still in her seat, and Michael felt his jaw clench while he waited for her response. When she reached out and touched his hand, he almost jumped in surprise.
“The thinking that I did after you left, it took me down paths that frightened me,” she said. “I care about you, but I can’t be with you. Any kind of relationship we’d try to have would be tinged with guilt. As much as you say you care about me, there’s ultimately a part of you that only feels that way because you feel guilty about using me. I could ignore that and just go with the present, but I can’t. I need to protect myself, protect my heart.”
She stood up, pulling her hand away, and Michael let her.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
Michael nodded and watched her walk away. The setting sun framed her as she left, and he took a mental picture. She had given him a fair explanation, and she’d told him in person. It was more than he deserved, but a great deal less than what he’d hoped for.
~end
Fandom: Prison Break
Characters: Michael/Sara
Prompt: 003 - Ends
Word Count: 1580
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: This is post-escape fic.
“You ever been to Baja? Mexico? There’s this great place down there. Twenty bucks a night, hammock on the back deck. Beers are fifty cents, twenty-five cents at happy hour. Ever been to Thailand? Thailand’s great.”
“Michael, if you’re trying to calm me down, you’re doing a terrible job.”
“But I am trying.”
It was another gorgeous day in Baja, and Michael was adding another shade to his already tanned skin. He sat in a wooden beach chair at the little restaurant attached to his hotel, sipping a beer and watching the people go by. He tapped his long fingers against the bottle in a steady rhythm. Doing this kept his heart rate from rocketing up whenever he caught a glimpse of reddish-brown hair in the crowd.
It had been one entire year since his escape from Fox River State Penitentiary. He thought about that night every day, reliving the tense moments before they were up and over the walls. For a minute, he hadn’t thought they were going to make it. The searchlights had suddenly flickered over them, casting them in bright white. But just as suddenly, the lights slid away, and they were once again covered by darkness.
Once they were on the street, it had been easy to get to the airfield where Abruzzi had a plane waiting. Sucre separated from them then, anxious to get to Maricruz. Lincoln, Michael and Abruzzi flew low in the little plane, kept under radar observation, and eventually landed in Mexico. Abruzzi had taken off for parts unknown, leaving Michael and Lincoln alone.
They stayed hidden in a two-room apartment, provided for them by a guy that Michael had helped a couple of years earlier through a mentoring program in Chicago. Armando made sure they were taken care of, and also helped them stay in touch with Veronica.
It had taken a couple of months, but Veronica and Nick had finally uncovered the truth about the Vice President, and Lincoln and Michael were able to come out of hiding. After that, they were engulfed in a blitz of media attention. Everyone wanted to know the story of Lincoln Burrows and hear how his brother had broken him out of prison, just hours before he was to be executed.
Lincoln, with LJ standing close by, made the talk show circuit. Veronica and Nick followed suit, and while the biggest names in news wanted to hear it all from Michael, he politely refused to be interviewed, preferring to stay quietly in the background.
For Lincoln and LJ, things were looking up. They were closer than ever, and Lincoln and Veronica were slowly getting back together. Nick remained a close friend to them all. There were rumors about a book and movie deal, and Lincoln had said that there wasn’t any actor in Hollywood who could play Michael because there was no one that smart.
Abruzzi had turned to the FBI and testified against Falzone, bringing down the whole dirty organization. The last Michael had heard, Abruzzi and his family were living the good life somewhere in Europe.
A few days earlier, Michael received a wedding invitation from Sucre. He called and told Sucre he would definitely be there. They hadn’t married right after the breakout, but Maricruz had joined him in Canada where they stayed out of sight until the conspiracy was revealed. Sucre had enjoyed his own time in the spotlight, having his record expunged and hailed as a hero for daring to rescue a wrongly convicted man from death row. Michael was sure Maricruz would be pregnant within days after the wedding.
Westmoreland had made it to his daughter in time to see her before she died. Then he simply disappeared. No one had heard from him since.
C-Note and T-Bag were back in prison. Michael felt slightly bad for doing it, but he’d made an anonymous call to the FBI and given them the locations of each felon. He wondered if someday that would bite him in the ass.
Michael ordered another beer and checked his watch. As the minutes ticked by, he began to think she wasn’t coming. Why should she? He had lied to her from the start, used her, and then abandoned her. And after all that, he’d sent her a plane ticket last week. How could he possibly expect her to show up?
Really, he couldn’t, but that didn’t stop him from hoping. He hadn’t been back to Chicago since the escape, choosing to stay in Baja for the time being. He had enough money to keep him going for awhile yet, until he decided what to do next. But first, he had to know if he would be alone or not.
So, he’d bought a plane ticket and stuck it in an envelope addressed to Sara’s home, along with a postcard that showed the sand and surf of Baja. No letter, no note, no directions. Just a ticket and postcard. He was sure she’d remember their conversation.
Today was the day she was due to arrive. He’d been sitting outside since sunrise, waiting, watching. In just under an hour, it would be time for the sun to set. If she hadn’t shown up by then, he would know it was pointless and move on.
He made sweeping glances from left to right, searching for her. And then, out of nowhere, she was there, making her way towards him. She was dressed in a flowing white skirt and a black sleeveless top. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail with stray wisps flying around her face. She carried a large khaki colored beach bag slung over her shoulder.
Michael took a deep breath and stood up, slowly, so as not to startle her. Finally, she was in front of him, staring up at him with round eyes. They didn’t speak for a few minutes, just took in each other’s appearance. Sara gripped the strap of her bag with both hands, and Michael kept his hands in his pockets.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” Michael said, his voice sounding deeper than usual.
“I almost didn’t.”
“I’m glad you did.”
Sara swallowed and looked down. “You’re not wearing sandals.”
Michael smiled and said, “Couldn’t find a pair that looked right with three toes.”
Sara let out a small laugh, and the tension eased between them somewhat.
“Would you like to sit down?” Michael asked.
She nodded, and he held a chair out for her. He ordered her a beer and sat down across from her.
“It’s good to see you,” she said. “You haven’t been on the news.”
“I’m camera-shy. How have you been?”
“Still working at Fox River, although I’m sure you know that.” She tilted her head a little and looked at him. “You seem different.”
“I’m a free man, enjoying the sun,” he said.
“There’s something else.”
Michael folded his hands and placed them on the table. “Not sure what you mean.”
Sara’s beer arrived, but she didn’t drink it. She pursed her lips and exhaled.
“I know why you wanted me to come here,” she said, “and I can even understand why you waited a year to contact me.”
“I wanted to give you some time.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. The thing is, Michael, I did a lot of thinking after you left. And a lot of worrying. When everything came out about the Vice President, I was relieved, and also a little sad.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because the Michael Scofield I knew in prison wasn’t going to be the same Michael Scofield I’d see on the outside.”
“I’m the same man, Sara. Really, I am.”
“You may believe that, but I don’t. No one can be the same person they were once they’ve experienced prison life. And you experienced a great deal more than your average inmate.”
Michael narrowed his eyes a little and focused on her face. “Sara, I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry. I hope you understand why I had to. My brother’s life was at stake. I couldn’t let him die. Yes, at first, you were no more than a part of the plan. But that changed by the time we escaped. You became important to me, someone I could care about, and who could care about me. You may not think so, but you got to know the real me.”
Sara remained still in her seat, and Michael felt his jaw clench while he waited for her response. When she reached out and touched his hand, he almost jumped in surprise.
“The thinking that I did after you left, it took me down paths that frightened me,” she said. “I care about you, but I can’t be with you. Any kind of relationship we’d try to have would be tinged with guilt. As much as you say you care about me, there’s ultimately a part of you that only feels that way because you feel guilty about using me. I could ignore that and just go with the present, but I can’t. I need to protect myself, protect my heart.”
She stood up, pulling her hand away, and Michael let her.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
Michael nodded and watched her walk away. The setting sun framed her as she left, and he took a mental picture. She had given him a fair explanation, and she’d told him in person. It was more than he deserved, but a great deal less than what he’d hoped for.
~end