"Christmas Surprises", for linzi20

[pbfe_mod]

Title: Christmas Surprises
Author: To be revealed
Character(s) and/or pairing(s): Michael/Sara, Lincoln Burrows, LJ Burrows
Rating: PG-13
Category: Het, general, romance, fluff, angst, future fic
Requested by: linzi20
Prompts: M/S of course, but also Lincoln and Sara (general)...maybe holiday fic and/or post S4. Bells, peppermint, home. Dude, I want my happy M/S ending. And here it is...
Author's Notes: Written for a special person and supermom that goes by the name of Linzi. She gave a lot of wonderful prompts and I hope I used them well and to her liking.
Enjoy your fic Linzi, I hope it will live up to your expectations.
Your 'secret Santa'. ;)



Christmas Surprises

Lincoln was comfortably sitting on the porch swing, surfing the internet, checking if the last Christmas parcels were already in the city so he could pick them up.

“Hey, you got a minute?” came a soft voice from behind.

Momentarily startled, Lincoln jumped and quickly turned around, slamming the laptop shut. He exhaled loudly when he realized it was only Sara standing in the back door, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, and a ghost of a smile dancing over her lips.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Nah, that’s ok. Just checking the current status of LJ’s Christmas gifts. There’s less than a week until Christmas, and I really want this one to be special for him,” answered Lincoln, opening the laptop anew.

“Ah, I see,” she said with a knowing smile. There was something restrained in her demeanor, an uneasiness that wasn’t there yesterday, and she obviously wanted to talk about it.

“But I’m finished now, so if you need anything, just name it.” He shot her a charming smile, which she returned a bit hesitantly.

“Will you take a walk on the beach with me?” asked Sara, her voice tentative, and eyes guarded.

Lincoln eyed her with an amused twinkle in his eye. “You sure you’ve got the right brother there, Sara?” Wiggling his eyebrows at her goofily, she couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.

Ever since moving to the beach house where they were all able to slowly let loose and relax - revealing a side of themselves that was never shown when they were on the run - Lincoln had turned into this chatty, joking person Sara had never imagined him to be. He was almost childish in some ways, sometimes even beating LJ in behaving like a typical teenager. Sara thought he was simply trying to catch up for all those years spent behind bars where he was restrained to do anything freely.

“Speaking of which, where’s my brother?” asked Lincoln conversationally, breaking Sara’s line of thoughts.

“Michael is currently occupied with wrapping presents, and we both know very well how painfully detailed he loves to be, so I guess it’ll take some time for him to reappear from the bedroom.” A small smile accompanied her words, yet it was the nervous twinkle in her eye that gave her away. She was unnerved, very much so, about something. Lincoln could tell not only from her somewhat odd behavior, but also because she kept tugging at the hem of her camisole absentmindedly, which he had learned, was never a good sign.

“Ok, just let me shut off my laptop. I’m pretty sure that if LJ gets his hands on this while I’m away, he’ll check my EBay account in the blink of an eye.” He winked at her conspiratorially, eliciting another small smile.

Ten minutes later, the two of them were walking along the sandy beach, Lincoln occasionally picking up a pebble and throwing it far into the ocean. They walked in silence side by side, simply enjoying the fact they could, without the fear of unknown dangers looming nearby, or having to check over their shoulder as a constant worry for their safety.

Lincoln shot a sideways look at Sara who seemed deep in thought. He waited, not wanting to pressure her. He would wait for her to start the talking, whenever she was ready.

A couple of minutes later, she suddenly came to a halt, throwing a quick look over her shoulder at the beach house they called home for some time less than a year now. It grew smaller with distance, yet it was still in sight. It was a quality each of them loved and enjoyed immensely - the freedom of being able to see one another, while being seen in return at all times.

Slowly dropping onto the warm sand near the water, Sara patted the space next to her in invitation. Lincoln dropped beside her, albeit a bit heavily, eyeing her in silent question. His curiosity was almost palpable, and Sara looked up into the distance, letting out a heavy sigh, then dropped her head onto her arms, comfortably resting them on her knees. Lincoln now noticed she looked rather confused and at a loss, yet he didn’t have a clue as to what could be bothering her this much.

Surely, there was no problem between her and Michael. Having watched the two of them for the past couple of months, he was happily sick by the amount of love and affection the two of them expressed towards one another each and every day. Yet she was out here, with him, not his brother, and in obvious need to talk about a private, pressing matter that she wasn’t willing to share with Michael. Otherwise, she wouldn’t ask him to take a walk, right? Lincoln waited for a couple more moments, but when nothing came, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He lowered and flicked his head to catch her eye, finally managing to wake her from her reverie.

“Hey,” he said softly, “whatever the problem is, we can solve it, alright?”

She gave a small, beaten smile. “I’m that obvious, huh?” Changing her position and crossing her legs, Sara let her hands fall into her lap, her fingers nervously playing with the sand underneath. She was obviously very hesitant to share whatever was on her mind, fighting a battle with herself, clearly losing at last. Taking a deep breath to brace herself and without looking at Lincoln, she simply declared in one quick rush, “I’m pregnant.”

Lincoln took a moment to recover from the unexpected news. Finally, his lips curled into a tremendous smile. “I, uh - w - wow. I guess…well…Congratulations!”

Catching the look of disbelief and desperation on her face, Lincoln realized that might not have been the best way to approach the subject.

“Not such great news?” he tried carefully, noticing the genuine fear in Sara’s eyes for the first time. She only shrugged, her eyes filling with tears that didn’t fall.

“Honestly, I have no idea…” she choked out in a frantic whisper, shaking her head, panic now taking over her whole body. Lincoln’s face softened. He put his hand on her shoulder a bit clumsily, trying to console her.

“Hey, I know you are probably scared right now-”

“Scared?” she cut him off, sheer disbelief coating her voice. “Lincoln, I’m terrified!” She turned her head back to look ahead once again. Bringing her hands to cradle her head, her face contorted into various expressions that mirrored every single emotion known to Lincoln.

She turned to him again. “It’s only been less than a year since we came here, starting to rebuild who we once used to be, me and Michael all the same only getting to know each other properly. And now, just ten…eleven…months later, I’m pregnant!”

Seeing Sara in such distress, Lincoln chose to take a more subtle and reasonable approach. “Ok, let’s start at the beginning, alright?” Sara gave a small nod.

“Are you sure?” asked Lincoln calmly, reaching out to touch her wrist in a soothing matter.

She closed her eyes shut. Taking a few calming breaths, she nodded. “Yes. As a doctor, I recognize all the symptoms…” she started, but when she noticed Lincoln’s attempt to intervene, she hastened her explanation. “Plus, three pregnancy tests this morning confirmed my suspicions.” Lincoln looked at her, nodding his head in understanding. This morning must have been a real bitch to her.

“So trust me, I’m sure,” she added in a quiet voice, leaving no room for argument.

“Ok,” Lincoln said slowly, running his hand over his cropped scalp, taking in the facts. “I just…well, I guess why I’m surprised is because I thought you guys were…careful, you know...” he added with an awkward look that actually made Sara smile a little.

“We were Lincoln,” said Sara breathlessly, her eyes shying away in embarrassment over Lincoln’s comment. Realizing he had just crossed a line, Lincoln chose to ask questions that were more…measured.

"Can you think of anything in the past month that might have…clued you in to how it…happened then?"

Damn, this question wasn’t anywhere near measured, thought Lincoln closing his eyes in frustration. Sara contemplated his question for a moment.

“Looking back at the past few weeks…do you remember the time I was down sick with some kind of strange flu, some six weeks ago, and I took antibiotics to help? How could I’ve been so stupid? It didn’t occur to me that antibiotics messed with birth-control pills and…” without finishing the sentence as the realization dawned on her, Sara dropped her head into her hands, a groan leaving her lips.

They were quiet for a moment, then Lincoln finally spoke up, his tone careful. “Don’t you want to have this baby? I mean, any baby, in general.”

He saw her sigh deeply. “Yes…no! I don’t know.” She waved her hands in the air in a gesture of despair. “It’s all so confusing at the moment.”

“Ok,” nodded Lincoln contemplatively. “Now, let’s look at the reasons why, ok?” he suggested gently, as she gave another small nod.

He was not an expert, God help him for he didn’t even know if he was the right person to have such a conversation with, yet Sara obviously needed someone other than Michael to confide in with such a delicate matter. Given that there was only the four of them, she obviously didn’t have that much of a choice. Thank heavens he had been in such a situation before, so many years ago with Lisa.

“Is it you - your thoughts on having a child in general - or is it the thought of responsibility and commitment and insecurity? Is it the timing, or is it…,” Lincoln paused for a moment, “...your past? Or is it our past…Michael’s and mine…I mean?”

She didn’t reply at once. Her hands played with the sand, letting it slowly flow through her fingers. Then her soft answer carried to him in the salty breeze.

“I guess it’s everything you mentioned combined into one huge mess,” Sara said quietly, falling silent once again.

“Tell me what you’re really afraid of Sara,” pressed Lincoln gently.

“It’s too soon,” she simply said. “It’s too incredibly soon and unplanned and - I mean, me and Michael - we haven’t even talked about a life-long commitment towards each other and I’m already pregnant for God’s sake...” she explained in a feeble voice.

“Do you honestly think the two of you even need to talk about life-long commitments?” The question had been serious, still yet it contained a trace of amused disbelief. Sara gave him a questioning look.

“I don’t know about you Sara, but my brother doesn’t think in any other realms other than a life-long commitment with you. Even further - which honestly scares me a bit at times - is that for Michael, it’s either you, or no one.”

The conversation drifted to different waters of unpleasant remembrance for Lincoln, yet he continued, crucially needing Sara to understand what she truly meant to his brother.

“Some of my absolutely worst memories go back at the time when you were…’missing’ …and Michael was in Sona. When I had to tell him you were…dead…in a way, it killed him too. Everything changed, afterwards. Michael changed, Sara. And I’m not telling you this to open up old wounds, God knows you don’t need that right now, but I want you to understand one thing about Michael. He often doesn’t see any shades of grey, especially when it comes to people who matter to him. It’s black or white. And for Michael, he only has one brother, one nephew and one woman he loves.”

Lincoln averted his gaze, squinting into the sun momentarily, his eyes glassing over. He continued. “If you’re worried about how Michael will react, then you might as well drop the subject, ‘cause I already know the answer to that.”

“I know he loves me,” Sara said in a quiet voice. “And God knows I love him just as much. But having a child, together, I’m not sure we’re ready for that just yet...”

“Are you now talking about Michael, or yourself?” asked Lincoln, eyeing Sara carefully.

“I want this to work,” she whispered in a tiny voice. “I want us - Michael and I - to work. I need us to work. And this is just a new, huge step to take and I’m afraid of what will happen if we can’t.”

She licked her lips nervously before she continued, “My mom and dad…they had everything they needed to raise a child properly, and yet they didn’t. I mean, I don’t want to blame them for screwing up my life, I know that I’m completely responsible for that, but they…they didn’t make it any easier, you know? Fighting ever since I was little, mom drinking herself into oblivion, dad always missing out on my life to ‘chase justice’…” She gave a little sad snort, her last words laced with a fair amount of sarcasm. “If it didn’t work out for them, why would it work out for us?” She shot Lincoln a look full of despair before she continued, “Just look at us, Lincoln. Michael is still being eaten alive by guilt for everything that happened. I know it’s lessening with time, but it’s a slow, healing process.”

Her voice was shaking now, “and me? I’m a recovering addict who relapsed after hitting the first bump on the road. Don’t you see a pattern there?” She was truly scared now, lips pursed in an attempt to stop the tears from falling.

Lincoln sighed heavily, looking into the distance. “No I don’t,” he said earnestly. Turning his head towards Sara and catching her doubtful look, he continued, “and I am not saying this only to comfort you, I really mean it. I don’t know about your parents - or ours - for that matter, but what you have with Michael, that’s special. And if you two can’t pull it off, I don’t know who else can,” he sighed. This conversation was getting out of hand, but he tried anyway, quickly deciding to open up the very last can on worms.

“A child can only make him happier Sara. I know there are still many unresolved issues, but if you think that this might in some way shake or…disrupt…your relationship with my brother , then I think you don’t get the whole picture. Sure, you’re right that it may be way too soon for you to start a family together, but whether it’s in a scope of a few months or a couple of years, to Michael, it doesn’t matter. Because creating a family, that’s his ultimate goal in what he could have with you. And knowing how crappy both your childhoods were, he’ll work twice as hard to not repeat the same mistakes our parents did.”

Lincoln fell silent, eyeing Sara carefully. He had no idea what impact his words might have had on her. He was never a talker, let alone an eloquent guy. He was known for being short and rough with his fists as well as his words, yet this was something else. This was about family, and obviously, the mother of his soon-to-be nephew or niece, and he couldn’t afford to mess this up merely due to being short on words.

“If this is a question of fear of rejection from Michael, then there’s nothing to worry about. The important question here is what you want, Sara.” finished Lincoln, trying to make his voice as gentle and caring as possible, because God help him, he knew he was navigating through a mine field almost blindfolded. The ball was now in her court.

“I only know that if I ever had a child, I would wish it to be with your brother. It’s not him that I question,” uttered Sara quietly, finally looking at Lincoln. He could see she was starting to give in to the idea, albeit very slowly. However, although the immediate fear was gone, Sara was still showing a great deal of uneasiness and obvious self-doubt. She exhaled deeply, running her fingers through her hair.

“I guess there never is a ‘just the right’ moment, is there?” she asked, and Lincoln smirked, shaking his head, “Nope.”

“Well, one thing’s for sure. The more I think about this,” her eyes came to rest upon her flat stomach, “the more right it feels.” She stopped talking and looked into Lincoln’s eyes, her face finally lightening up into a tentative smile.

“Well, it’s not like there can be done much about it now, is there?” shrugged Sara with quiet resignation, though her growing smile gave her away.

“What the hell, we’re doing it,” she said at last in a voice that showed a fair portion of bravado she wasn’t truly feeling just yet. But for the first time that morning, her face lit up with a genuine smile. “Besides,” she whispered to Lincoln conspiratorially, “I am way too curious to see Michael Scofield deal with a toddler.” She gave Lincoln a wink and watched him grin in return.

After a couple of moments, her face grew nervous once again. “I guess all I’m scared of now is his reaction.” She stopped Lincoln with a silencing gesture when he wanted to intervene. “Lincoln, I know you think there isn’t going to be a problem with Michael about this, but still. It’s a completely new situation for both of us. We never even talked about if either of us ever wanted children, and now, the matter has been…decided. I guess that’s the part that scares me most.”

Lincoln smiled kindly, shaking his head, “Always planning, you and my brother. Why can’t you ever leave anything up to faith?” he asked, his eyes challenging her answer good-naturedly.

“Because faith is tricky and can bite you right in the ass,” replied Sara, this time more playfully.

Lincoln laughed. “Yeah well, that sure as hell can happen.”

They shared a quiet moment together, reveling in their new secret, before Lincoln finally broke the spell.

“Well, I guess - hope - that ‘congratulations’ is in order now, because I’m finally going to become an uncle, right?” grinned Lincoln widely, a mischievous twinkle lighting his eyes as Sara returned his smile tenfold.

“Yeah, I guess that’s a ‘yes’ and yes, you are indeed.”

Lincoln couldn’t withhold himself any longer and crushed Sara in a bear hug. She was momentarily surprised, then relaxed into his frame and brought her arms to rest around his back. His touch was strangely familiar, as well as completely different from his brother’s at the same time.

“Thank you so much, Lincoln,” Sara mumbled in his ear, her voice bathed in emotion. “You are going to make a wonderful uncle.”

“Anytime Sara,” uttered Lincoln kindly. “Oh, and can I ask a favor?” he added, mischief crossing his features.

“Sure, why not,” Sara chuckled.

“Don’t tell him until Christmas, alright? Let it be a Christmas surprise,” he said enthusiastically. Sara eyed him questioningly searching his eyes for a reason. His features softened. “I want you to...just...give yourself some time to get accustomed to the thought of becoming a mother soon. Then give my brother the best Christmas present he’s ever gotten.”

With an undeniable look of mock smugness, he couldn’t help but add a last remark. “Except a trip to the local ER to get three stitches on his chin after I shoved him into the Christmas tree when he was seven, for eating the last Peppermint candy.”

Sara looked at him for a moment, giving Lincoln an incredulous look before she burst into laughter, shaking her head in disbelief. “You are so mean, Lincoln Burrows! So - so - mean! But it’s a deal.”

xxx

A week later on Christmas Eve, they all shared a pleasant home-cooked dinner. Even before the evening stretched to ten o’clock, Sara already excused herself rather early for bed. With the promise of joining her soon, Michael watched her retreating form a bit worriedly.

“She seems so tired recently,” he later said to Lincoln, his eyes still glued to the bedroom door Sara disappeared behind, his brow furrowed with concern.

“Nah, she just had a lot to do, arranging a wonderful Christmas for us all,” reassured Lincoln, waving his hand in dismissal while walking over to the fridge and taking a bottle of beer.

“You want one?” he asked Michael, who shook his head.

“Jeez dad, it’s Christmas Eve!” exclaimed LJ with outrage, his broad smile however, betraying him.

“Exactly! I am having a toast to…err…Jesus and his folks…err…and then the cattle in the barn and those three guys who I never really got who they were supposed to be…” said Lincoln, watching in amusement when Michael turned his head with a disbelieving sigh, swallowing Lincoln’s bait of playing dumb-ass in order to get his younger brother’s attention.

“Those were three prophets, sometimes referred to as three kings from the East, Lincoln. They brought gifts to baby Jesus, recognizing him as the new messiah.”

Lincoln merely smiled. “Funny you know. Talking about baby Jesus and all…anyway, goodnight guys, I’m going straight to bed. Don’t want to see that poor fat guy in the red costume stuffing his huge ass down our chimney.” Without any further ado, Lincoln made his way towards his bedroom, turning around in the process to call to his son.

“Oh and LJ, you should come too. Give yourself at least a few hours of sleep before you wake up at midnight behaving like a kid on a sugar high and start to open all your presents.”

LJ merely grinned and got up. “You know me too well, dad.”

“I do. But just so you know LJ, this year, you’re going to have some serious competition,” Lincoln chuckled, ruffling his son’s hair as he passed by.

“We’ll see about that!” called LJ cheerily before shutting the door of his bedroom.

“What did you mean by that, Linc?” asked Michael thoughtfully when the teenager was gone.

“By what?”

“By saying it was funny to talk about ‘baby Jesus and all’...” Michael gave his brother a questioning look.

Lincoln grinned like a sly cat at the look of confusion on Michael’s face. “You’ll find out soon enough. Now go get some sleep. It’s Christmas day soon, the time for love and family and gifts and surprises…” he recited in a sing-song voice, enjoying himself immensely. Michael eyed him suspiciously and Lincoln couldn’t help but burst out with laughter upon imagining the tiny bolts and wheels in Michael’s head going into overdrive, with little success in deciphering the encrypted message hidden in Lincoln’s words.

Lincoln smiled and cheerfully chimed the tiny Christmas bells hanging together with some mistletoe over the kitchen door. It was Michael’s idea, claiming it to be part of the Christmas tradition, although Lincoln strongly suspected Michael hung it only to get the opportunity to kiss Sara freely whenever she passed beneath it. God only knew she walked in and out of the room more frequently than ever before.

“Merry Christmas Michael,” Lincoln called softly in a kind voice before finally retreating to his room, leaving a bewildered Michael to make his way to the bedroom he shared with Sara.

xxx

Something was nudging Michael awake, bringing his deep-sleeping consciousness to a light slumber, and then into a groggy waking state. Now sufficiently awake to recognize the source of the disturbance of his well-deserved sleep, he smiled lazily before opening his eyes to two hazel orbs shining to the dim light of one small lamp sitting on the side table.

“Hey,” Sara whispered, giving Michael a soft kiss on the lips. His smile grew.

“Hey yourself,” answered Michael in a husky voice. “What’s the occasion?” He asked with slightly raised eyebrows, eyes laughing with joy.

“It’s Christmas,” Said Sara mischievously and Michael glanced at the clock on the night table.

Precisely midnight.

His smile grew wider and he refocused his vision on Sara again. She looked more excited and - what was that? Expectation? - than he had ever seen her before.

“I didn’t know you were this enthusiastic about Christmas, Doctor Tancredi,” Michael said playfully.

“Well, it depends on who you get to spend your Christmas with, Mr. Scofield,” she shot back in a matching tone, her eyes shining happily. Michael felt his breath catch in his throat. God, he loved her so much.

Lifting his hands to the sides of her face, he brought their heads closer, resting his forehead against hers, nuzzling her nose with his lovingly.

“Merry Christmas Sara,” he uttered in a low, husky voice full of undeniable affection.

Sara smiled. “Merry Christmas Michael,” she replied with as much emotion, closing her eyes and relishing the moment in every possible way before she dropped the bombshell.

“I have something for you,” she whispered when she opened her eyes at last. “A present. I want you to have it now.”

Michael noted a trace of nervousness and anxiety clouding her beautiful eyes. He smiled at her encouragingly. “Whatever it is, I know I’m gonna love it,” he said earnestly, watching Sara withdrawing a bit in order to present a small box to him.

Michael gave a small whistle. “Doctor Tancredi, I hope you are not about to propose to me!” he said in a playful tone when his eyes fell on a rather small, wrapped box the size of a Rubik’s Cube, with a bow resting on top.

“Actually, I think it might be a little more than that,” she said in all seriousness. Her anticipation and anxiety were almost palpable now. Michael gave her a puzzled look, his own pulse quickening.

Although a patient man, Michael couldn’t help but quickly unwrap the paper and open the lid to see what was inside that could make his whole insides twitch with strange anticipation.

There, on a tiny cushion, lay a baby pacifier. Michael stared at the object for a moment as he made the connection. His eyes raced quickly to meet Sara’s, widening at the silent affirmation he saw in the dark amber pools.

“Say it,” he whispered. “Say it out aloud, please,” he pleaded again in a whisper, his eyes never leaving hers.

“I’m pregnant Michael. We’re having a baby.”

Michael stared. At the moment, that was all he could do. His completely still features gave nothing away of the turmoil that was currently raging in his mind and heart. It was a simple fact, yet there was so much to process.

He - Sara - a baby - a child - a human being - soon - perfect - love - fright - no Company - fresh beginning - his own father - himself becoming a father soon - of a baby with Sara - God with Sara - after everything they’ve been through - wait…they didn’t have any spare room left in the house - the house needed rearrangements - how much time did they have? - how far along was she? - when did she find out? - she would make a wonderful mother, that’s for sure - what kind of father will he make? - he loves her - and they are going to be parents - together - figure this out together…

“Michael, please talk to me.” Her quiet, pleading voice brought him back down to earth with crushing speed. Only now did he truly see behind the curtain of his flashing thoughts. Sara was still looking at him, yet her face was now stricken with worry, her eyes glazed and starting to fill with tears.

Without thinking, his hands worked of their own volition. He gently took her face and brought it close to his.

“I love you Sara.” That was the last thing Michael said before his lips crushed hers in a fierce kiss.

He felt her tears falling at last with relief, could taste them within his mouth. How could she have thought he would be upset?

“I love you so much,” his voice breaking, he saw her release a shuddering breath. Then her eyes were open again, this time filled with tears of happiness. She gave a small smile through her wet eyes, and he beamed at her in return. Both of them were breathing hard, both too excited to stop their hearts from beating twice as fast as normal. For a moment, they simply held each other.

“Wow,” said Michael at last, still dumbstruck with shock. “We’re having a baby.” He repeated her previous statement in an almost reverent tone.

“I know,” she whispered back, her awed tone matching his.

“I mean…how? ” He said, giving an amazed chuckle.

“I think we both know how Michael,” said Sara, giving him a small smile. “But a more eloquent answer to your question is that the use of antibiotics lessens the effectiveness of the pill. Something I should have realized…”

“We should have realized,” corrected Michael gently, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. Sara’s eyes shied away in slight embarrassment. “So that makes…” said Michael, quickly doing the math, “…about seven weeks, right?”

The accuracy of his memory never ceased to amaze her, “Exactly.”

Michael gave a proud grin, yet his features quickly turned curious once again. “How long have you known?”

“A week,” she admitted, with a hint of worry.

“A week?” he repeated incredulously, eyes widening.

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” she quickly explained, but Michael merely smiled and shook his head in disbelief.

“And some surprise it is!” He let out a chuckle, catching her lips once again. Suddenly, a more serious veil covered his features and he withdrew slightly, looking Sara in the eyes.

“Wait, I never even asked…are you ok with…this?” His eyes searched hers.

“Well, I admit I was pretty shocked once I found out.” She let out a deep breath that ended in a small chuckle. “But I am more than ok with it by now. Actually, I am kinda thrilled.” The sincerity of the words burned in her eyes, her whole face beaming.

Michael smiled and quickly closed his arms around her, holding her close despite her playful attempts to get away from his grasp. His mouth stilled at the side of her head, allowing him to kiss her temple.

“Can I see?” He whispered excitedly right into her ear, his voice filled with an almost childish zeal.

Sara couldn’t help but smile broadly. “Michael, there is nothing to see yet,” she answered gently, yet she untangled herself from his warm body and pushed the covers down, revealing her camisole-clad stomach. She lifted the hem, watching Michael as he moved his hand carefully, almost hesitantly, along her flat stomach.

“Hey buddy. This is your daddy,” he said softly and Sara burst out in laughter at his silliness, although her heart was swelling at the amount of emotion in Michael’s voice. He continued nevertheless, this time in an even more playful tone. “You and me, we’ve got much to talk about.”

Sara burst out with laughter. “Michael, you are being silly.”

“I know. And I don’t care.”

“And I don’t mind,” said Sara quietly, a huge smile still dancing upon her lips. “Just promise me you won’t talk to that baby more often than you do to me from now on.”

“Sara, you cannot possibly make me choose between you and our child.” He gave her a boyish grin that was almost too much for Sara, and she seized Michael by his arms and drew him upwards towards her once again.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Sara.”

They snuggled closely together, laying still for a couple of moments. After a while, Sara’s voice, mischievous once again, rang through the bedroom.

“Now show me your present, Scofield.”

One year later...

“I cannot believe it’s Christmas time already. Seems like only yesterday we became pregnant…” said Michael, peering out of the hammock at the infant sleeping in a tiny secure hammock of his own - Lincoln’s last Christmas gift to them.

Sara raised her eyebrows at him skeptically. “’We’ Michael? I don’t recall you having to endure thirty hours of painful labor.”

“Ouch Sara, that hurt. I was there too, remember?”

“Vividly,” answered Sara dryly, though her spreading grin was starting to give her away. “You spent the first ten hours fussing over me like a mother hen, making sure I was comfortable and hydrated and ‘warm yet not too warm’, comfortable and ‘resting’, as if I could rest while having contractions. The next ten hours, you cracked bad jokes in an attempt to cheer me up. And the last ten hours you annoyed as well as freaked the hell out of me with your constant nagging that ‘Wilfred Scofield’ was a beautiful name. And I even believed that you meant it then, my bad!”

“Yeah, but you were so freaked I would insist on that name that you forgot all about your fears of labor, right?” Sara merely wriggled her nose in response.

“And it was worth it, right?” asked Michael, looking at the sleeping infant lovingly, while his lips caressed the top of Sara’s head affectionately.

“Every second of it,” she replied in a whisper, her voice instantly softening. “Still, I can’t believe I now have four guys on my hands to deal with.”

Michael smirked. “It’s the great Scofield-Burrows genes.”

Sara only snorted. “The next one is going to be a girl, Scofield, mark my words!”

-The End-