eight8toes

I want to start over.

He had constantly been replaying those five words to himself for the last few hours.  He knew the odds were stacked against them, if anything the discovery of six key codes instead of one only reinforced this fact, however them, their future, was something so tangible he could almost reach out and touch it.  He wanted so badly to reach for it he was finding it difficult to concentrate.  Not that concentrating this late was easy anyway.  Stretching, he took in his surroundings.  Lincoln had fallen asleep beside him, his head resting on the table, Sucre was pacing the open space behind the work area, and Mahone and Bellick were nowhere to be seen.  Maybe he should call it a night as well.  It wasn’t as if anything was getting accomplished anyway.

Michael sighed, pushing back his chair he got to his feet.  There was only one place he wanted to be, and it was not at this table.  He glanced towards the boat.  Sara had excused herself about an hour ago, claiming to be tired.  Whether that was true or not, he wasn’t sure.  Either way there was no light surrounding the white vessel and that meant that late night visitors might not be completely welcome.  Hesitating, he wondered if he would be considered unwelcome as well.  They had spent some time reconnecting, but sleeping arrangements had yet to be thoroughly discussed, and up until now, sleeping was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind so it hadn’t been an issue.  However standing in place was getting him nowhere so deciding to take his chances, Michael moved towards Sara’s current sleeping quarters.  He knew she would most likely know someone was coming; the metal stairs leading to the hull were anything but quiet.  Hopefully she would not be on guard when he arrived.

Inside the hull, the air was still, the only sound, the steady rhythm of Sara’s breathing.  She’s asleep, he mused as he entered the room, trying to make as little noise as possible.  Crouching beside the small bunk, he reached his hand forward, grazing the gentle swell of her bicep.

“Hey”

Her voice was quiet, drowsy even, but with the speed and clarity in which she replied, he now doubted she had been sleeping.  “Hey yourself”.  Michael smiled, skimming his fingers down her arm then along the roughened bed sheet beside her.  He felt her move, then her fingers brushed against his.

“Are you joining me?”  The lilting laughter in her voice did nothing to disguise the nervous tension that passed through her body.  She was on edge.

“Well that was the general idea.” Smiling, he suddenly felt the need to clarify, to ease some of the nervous energy that was buzzing around her.  “Unless of course you’re not ready then...”  He leaned backwards, leaving what he thought might be a more comfortable space between them. 

 “Michael...”  She said his name with a hint of irritation, all trace of her previous nerves gone.  Shaking her head she intertwined her fingers with his, grasping them tightly.

He took the reproach for what it was and shifted his weight forward once again.  Leaning down, Michael grazed his lips against hers before smiling.  “I’m joining you.”  Quickly he kicked off his shoes and removed his pants, revelling in the feel of the sheets as he slid into bed, beside her.

Silence filled the small cabin once more and after a moment Michael sighed, stretching his arm towards Sara.  “C’mere”.  He could feel the bed shift as she moved towards him, then there was the gentlest of caresses as she slid her hand under the fabric of his shirt. 

“Does it hurt?”

“Yeah.”   He didn’t want to talk about his tattoo, or lack thereof, not now anyway.  Shifting closer he whispered softly, “I love you.”  It had been four nights since he’s last said those words to her, and now more than ever it was true, their earlier conversation on the dock only cementing that.  Kissing her earlobe, he turned causing her hand to slide across his raw abdomen.  Reacting instantly Michael jerked away, hissing painfully through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry.”  Her voice was soft, but steady, and her calming hand, resting on his upper thigh, felt warm.  Although he knew her motives were pure, increasingly the only sensation Michael noticed was the warmth of that hand and its proximity to one particular area.  Closing his eyes, he took a deep, shaky breath.  He was in agony.  His stomach felt like it was on fire and every inch of his torso was objecting to being forced to endure such fast movement, but all his mind could process was the gentle pressure of her fingers and the scent of her hair, mere inches from his nose.  Opening his eyes, he watched as Sara skimmed her fingers down the length of his thigh then back up, oblivious to her effect on him.

Sara might be oblivious, but he wasn’t and the all too familiar desire to touch her returned full force.  He reached towards her, skimming his fingers through the soft strands of her hair, murmuring, “You’re so beautiful.”  He caught her off guard and grinned when Sara’s head jerked towards him and a small, shy smile slid across her face.

“Thank you.”

Sara’s smile did nothing to quell the heat currently coursing through Michael’s veins.  Needing to taste her lips once more, he grasped the nape of her neck, curving his fingers over smooth skin, and lowered her mouth to his.  “You’re welcome.”  Kissing her softly, Michael felt the slight give of her lips beneath his, then the gentle touch of her tongue.  Scraping his teeth along her bottom lip, he let himself go, loosing himself along with the pain and aggravation of the last couple of days. 

Just as before it was tender and frantic and oh so good, and as they clung to each other, desperate hands grasping at heated flesh, Michael knew that he would do anything to make this work.  They had been granted a fresh start and he would make the most of it.  He may not know what the future held, but one thing he was sure of was it held them.