Trust
Title:Trust
Author: pemphredouk
Pairing/Characters:Michael, Linc, LJ, Sara, Mahone,Jane
Rating:G
Summary:Lincoln and Michael are still on the run and having to make decisions as to who they do and don't trust. Post S213, but will veer off pretty quickly.
Spoilers:None after S213
The final chapter, more of an epilogue really.
Life’s blueprint
Four months later.
Michael wished it wasn’t the winter, cemeteries always seemed so much sadder in the snow. The sharp winds cut across the open spaces whipping in between the gravestones and banking up the snow that had fallen the previous day into small drifts across the paths. He shivered and pulled the collar of his wool coat up, shifting his scarf again to try and protect his neck and throat from the icy gusts.
His hand reached into his pocket and sought the comfort of the small card nestled there. He pulled it out in his gloved hand and read the words yet again, although he knew he was already word perfect. Suddenly a rough pat on his back made him look up and he smiled as Lincoln closed the gap between them. His brother’s hand remained on his shoulder and he was pulled into a hug. He smiled back, and then turned to embrace LJ who had moved up beside him in the wake of his father. All three of them became silent for a moment, aware as so many times in the past of the unique bonds that tied a family together. Unspoken, intangible but so strong.
Others had now gathered as well, some he vaguely recognised, a distant aunt perhaps, a half-remembered cousin, acknowledged by a small wave, a nod of the head. He turned to survey the scene, the open grave, the priest shivering slightly in a too thin coat, the sombre group of coffin bearers in their uniform of blackness. There were chairs set out by the graveside, behind them a neat mound of earth was covered in a green carpet. Michael briefly wondered at the incongruity of it, the ground was pure white with snow, and the brightness of the green jarred with the bleached tones of the winter dressed cemetery.
He noticed more faces, ones he didn’t know, some were in uniform; others wore the inscrutable faces of government. This last year had meant Michael could now spot these with one glance. He wondered how they knew about today, but then smiled inwardly, of course they knew, these guys tapped into the information network with ease. They didn’t need their ears close to the ground, they were part of it subsumed into the buzz and electronic twitter of life. They had come to pay their respects, and once again Michael could only wonder at how little he actually knew about the person they were burying today.
Lincoln caught his eyes and raised his eyebrows in the direction of their shadowy guests and Michael just nodded and approached them slowly, his hand held out in mute welcome to the first group. He moved amongst them, nodding and shaking hands and listening. Hearing from them regrets and condolences and reminisces and wishing he’d been able to hear these stories from the lips of the man who had lived this life.
A cough from the minister and it was time and Michael made his way back to the graveside, taking one of the chairs by the side of the grave. He adjusted his scarf once more as he sat. He spotted David and Charlotte for the first time standing off to the side and nodded in greeting. His partner smiled back and hooked his arm around that of his PA and now girlfriend, pulling her closer.
Michael glanced over to Lincoln who smiled in reassurance and the service began. Twenty minutes later the minister had finished and now it was Michael’s turn and he stood and addressed the crowd.
He spoke of their childhood, of their immense love for their mother and how her early death had left them devastated but also determined to survive despite the cruel loss of both their parents. He talked about the few memories his brother had of their father and how he had learned about this ghostly figure from Lincoln’s stories.
He lowered his head and admitted how for years they had always accepted the stories that their father had abandoned them without reason. Then raising his voice he explained how the momentous events that had overtaken them in the last three years had also led them to finding out the truth about their father. How they now knew he had had no option but to leave them and lead his enemies away from his beloved family as the only way he could protect them.
He talked about how he realised now that people do incredible and sometimes undeniably selfless acts to safeguard their family and how they were finally able to acknowledge their father’s sacrifice. Michael couldn’t know but if he had turned at this point he would have seen his brother nodding in mute acceptance of this particular statement, although it wasn’t his father’s sacrifice he was thinking about.
He reminded the crowd that they were reunited briefly, far too briefly with their father and how he then made the ultimate sacrifice to save his two sons. Michael described how Aldo had died in his arms and how he regretted he didn’t have the time he so desperately wanted with this man that was his father.
Then taking a deep breath he raised his shoulders and standing tall he announced with pride how his father’s final resting place was now next to his wife, their mother, in a place of peace.
Michael sat back and Lincoln patted him again on his shoulder, an acknowledgement that he had spoken for them both. He smiled fingering the card in his pocket, the card he hadn’t needed to refer to once.
After the speeches there was silence as Aldo’s coffin was lowered into the earth. Michael thought back to his first resting place, the escarpment above the lake in the desert. The small wooden cross and cairn of stones, the best they could do for him before they returned to life on the run. The same lonely place he met his brother the fateful second time, the place of perceived betrayal. Now there were no traces of their father left there, just as any traces of estrangement had now been swept away by the brother’s reconciliation. The brothers stepped forward together and sprinkled a handful of soil over their father’s casket and retreated from the graveside to let others do the same.
Michael made his way around the guests, thanking them for attending. He approached David and shared a few whispered words with him. He really wanted to tell him how incredibly fulfilled and happy he had become working with him for the last two months but now was not the time or place. He also silently thanked Socurto for easing the bureaucratic wheels at the DOC to allow him to swap jobs, and move to Burr Ridge so early in the programme. He knew Socurto was also responsible for allowing him to visit the cemetery for this re-interment ceremony and he realised again how lucky he was.
He walked back towards his brother, everything had gone so well and Michael breathed a sigh of relief. Not just for the day but also for the start of a new life. He had found his brother again after coming so close to losing him for ever, twice. He had found his work again through the understanding of a colleague and now he had managed to bring his father home.
As he neared Lincoln his brother looked up and reached out and pointed into the distance. Michael not quite understanding followed the gesture and his breath caught in his throat as his mouth fell open and he stared in shock. Standing across the open ground, next to a large tree burdened with snow was Sara, her hair blowing across her face with the wind. She stood with her feet together, her hands deep in the pockets of a long winter coat. Her shoulders hunched up against the cold. Michael turned back to Lincoln who had now moved to his side. He leaned forward and in a soft voice.
“She flew back last night, called me when she got no reply at your old place” Lincoln shrugged and continued “She asked if I thought you would mind her contacting you and I told her about today”
Michael hesitated, still not quite able to believe the one missing piece in his jigsaw of life was now just yards away.
He turned and slowly walked across the snow clad ground towards her. She looked up, hope embedded in her eyes and started walking towards him. They came together wordlessly, she reached up to slip her arms around his neck and pulled herself in towards him. He threaded his arms around her waist and inhaled the long forgotten scent of her hair as he closed his eyes and held her tightly.
Michael had not quite finished rebuilding his life, but now he finally had the full set of blueprints…..
The End
Comments, reviews, final thoughts welcomed!
Author: pemphredouk
Pairing/Characters:Michael, Linc, LJ, Sara, Mahone,Jane
Rating:G
Summary:Lincoln and Michael are still on the run and having to make decisions as to who they do and don't trust. Post S213, but will veer off pretty quickly.
Spoilers:None after S213
The final chapter, more of an epilogue really.
Life’s blueprint
Four months later.
Michael wished it wasn’t the winter, cemeteries always seemed so much sadder in the snow. The sharp winds cut across the open spaces whipping in between the gravestones and banking up the snow that had fallen the previous day into small drifts across the paths. He shivered and pulled the collar of his wool coat up, shifting his scarf again to try and protect his neck and throat from the icy gusts.
His hand reached into his pocket and sought the comfort of the small card nestled there. He pulled it out in his gloved hand and read the words yet again, although he knew he was already word perfect. Suddenly a rough pat on his back made him look up and he smiled as Lincoln closed the gap between them. His brother’s hand remained on his shoulder and he was pulled into a hug. He smiled back, and then turned to embrace LJ who had moved up beside him in the wake of his father. All three of them became silent for a moment, aware as so many times in the past of the unique bonds that tied a family together. Unspoken, intangible but so strong.
Others had now gathered as well, some he vaguely recognised, a distant aunt perhaps, a half-remembered cousin, acknowledged by a small wave, a nod of the head. He turned to survey the scene, the open grave, the priest shivering slightly in a too thin coat, the sombre group of coffin bearers in their uniform of blackness. There were chairs set out by the graveside, behind them a neat mound of earth was covered in a green carpet. Michael briefly wondered at the incongruity of it, the ground was pure white with snow, and the brightness of the green jarred with the bleached tones of the winter dressed cemetery.
He noticed more faces, ones he didn’t know, some were in uniform; others wore the inscrutable faces of government. This last year had meant Michael could now spot these with one glance. He wondered how they knew about today, but then smiled inwardly, of course they knew, these guys tapped into the information network with ease. They didn’t need their ears close to the ground, they were part of it subsumed into the buzz and electronic twitter of life. They had come to pay their respects, and once again Michael could only wonder at how little he actually knew about the person they were burying today.
Lincoln caught his eyes and raised his eyebrows in the direction of their shadowy guests and Michael just nodded and approached them slowly, his hand held out in mute welcome to the first group. He moved amongst them, nodding and shaking hands and listening. Hearing from them regrets and condolences and reminisces and wishing he’d been able to hear these stories from the lips of the man who had lived this life.
A cough from the minister and it was time and Michael made his way back to the graveside, taking one of the chairs by the side of the grave. He adjusted his scarf once more as he sat. He spotted David and Charlotte for the first time standing off to the side and nodded in greeting. His partner smiled back and hooked his arm around that of his PA and now girlfriend, pulling her closer.
Michael glanced over to Lincoln who smiled in reassurance and the service began. Twenty minutes later the minister had finished and now it was Michael’s turn and he stood and addressed the crowd.
He spoke of their childhood, of their immense love for their mother and how her early death had left them devastated but also determined to survive despite the cruel loss of both their parents. He talked about the few memories his brother had of their father and how he had learned about this ghostly figure from Lincoln’s stories.
He lowered his head and admitted how for years they had always accepted the stories that their father had abandoned them without reason. Then raising his voice he explained how the momentous events that had overtaken them in the last three years had also led them to finding out the truth about their father. How they now knew he had had no option but to leave them and lead his enemies away from his beloved family as the only way he could protect them.
He talked about how he realised now that people do incredible and sometimes undeniably selfless acts to safeguard their family and how they were finally able to acknowledge their father’s sacrifice. Michael couldn’t know but if he had turned at this point he would have seen his brother nodding in mute acceptance of this particular statement, although it wasn’t his father’s sacrifice he was thinking about.
He reminded the crowd that they were reunited briefly, far too briefly with their father and how he then made the ultimate sacrifice to save his two sons. Michael described how Aldo had died in his arms and how he regretted he didn’t have the time he so desperately wanted with this man that was his father.
Then taking a deep breath he raised his shoulders and standing tall he announced with pride how his father’s final resting place was now next to his wife, their mother, in a place of peace.
Michael sat back and Lincoln patted him again on his shoulder, an acknowledgement that he had spoken for them both. He smiled fingering the card in his pocket, the card he hadn’t needed to refer to once.
After the speeches there was silence as Aldo’s coffin was lowered into the earth. Michael thought back to his first resting place, the escarpment above the lake in the desert. The small wooden cross and cairn of stones, the best they could do for him before they returned to life on the run. The same lonely place he met his brother the fateful second time, the place of perceived betrayal. Now there were no traces of their father left there, just as any traces of estrangement had now been swept away by the brother’s reconciliation. The brothers stepped forward together and sprinkled a handful of soil over their father’s casket and retreated from the graveside to let others do the same.
Michael made his way around the guests, thanking them for attending. He approached David and shared a few whispered words with him. He really wanted to tell him how incredibly fulfilled and happy he had become working with him for the last two months but now was not the time or place. He also silently thanked Socurto for easing the bureaucratic wheels at the DOC to allow him to swap jobs, and move to Burr Ridge so early in the programme. He knew Socurto was also responsible for allowing him to visit the cemetery for this re-interment ceremony and he realised again how lucky he was.
He walked back towards his brother, everything had gone so well and Michael breathed a sigh of relief. Not just for the day but also for the start of a new life. He had found his brother again after coming so close to losing him for ever, twice. He had found his work again through the understanding of a colleague and now he had managed to bring his father home.
As he neared Lincoln his brother looked up and reached out and pointed into the distance. Michael not quite understanding followed the gesture and his breath caught in his throat as his mouth fell open and he stared in shock. Standing across the open ground, next to a large tree burdened with snow was Sara, her hair blowing across her face with the wind. She stood with her feet together, her hands deep in the pockets of a long winter coat. Her shoulders hunched up against the cold. Michael turned back to Lincoln who had now moved to his side. He leaned forward and in a soft voice.
“She flew back last night, called me when she got no reply at your old place” Lincoln shrugged and continued “She asked if I thought you would mind her contacting you and I told her about today”
Michael hesitated, still not quite able to believe the one missing piece in his jigsaw of life was now just yards away.
He turned and slowly walked across the snow clad ground towards her. She looked up, hope embedded in her eyes and started walking towards him. They came together wordlessly, she reached up to slip her arms around his neck and pulled herself in towards him. He threaded his arms around her waist and inhaled the long forgotten scent of her hair as he closed his eyes and held her tightly.
Michael had not quite finished rebuilding his life, but now he finally had the full set of blueprints…..
The End
Comments, reviews, final thoughts welcomed!