Chapter Text
Despite it being the evening, the CIA Headquarters still had a lively buzz. Michael walked down into the main foyer, hands tightly in his pockets. He had his head down and walked as swiftly as he could to the front door of the building.
He passed through the security gate and then through the main door. The cold air hit him, and he inhaled deeply through his nose. As he exhaled, he smiled softly at the night sky.
His quiet reverie was cut short when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned, startled, but then he saw his brother standing before him.
‘‘Mike?’’
Michael felt his eyes tear up. Without further thought, he hugged his brother tightly, ‘‘It’s over Lincoln. It’s over, I’m free.''
Lincoln could feel Michael’s tears on his skin. He pulled his little brother into a tighter hold, ‘‘Are you serious?’’
Michael pulled back and clasped his hands onto Lincoln’s arms, ‘‘I am. I did it, we did it.''
Lincoln beamed a smile, ‘‘They let you go?’’
‘‘They had all the evidence they needed to put Jacob behind bars. They believed me, and they signed my exoneration papers in front of me. They’ve also given back my identity.''
‘‘Woah, slow down, Michael. One thing at a time, yeah?’’ Laughed Lincoln, still in disbelief.
‘‘Where’s Sara and Mikey?’’
‘‘They are at her house.''
‘‘OK, that’s good. Were you waiting for me out here all this time?’’
Lincoln shrugged, ‘‘It’s the least that I could do. I was ready to break in if they didn’t release you.''
Michael laughed, ‘‘I think those days are over. How’s your wound?’’
‘‘It'll heal.''
Michael looked around, searching for Lincoln’s car, ‘‘So, what happens now?’’
‘‘How about I take us back to Sara’s house, that sound like a good idea?’’
Lincoln could see that the suggestion made Michael nervous. He gently touched Michael’s shoulder, reassuring him, ‘‘Don’t overthink it, Michael. They are going to be happy to see you."
Michael nodded, taking in his brother’s words.
‘‘Come on then, let’s get you back to your family."
………………………………….
Lincoln and Michael stepped through the front door of Sara’s house. They noted several rubbish bags in the hallway.
‘‘Sara, it is just us,’’ called Lincoln.
Sara appeared from the living room doorway. Her hair was tied back into a loose bun, and she was wearing a baggy black T-shirt and grey bottoms.
‘‘Sorry, we didn’t mean to get back so late,’’ Lincoln apologised. He noted how she was dressed, ready for bed.
However, she took no heed to Lincoln’s words. Her gaze was fixated on Michael, and her eyes immediately teared up.
‘Mi-Michael?’’ she said in disbelief.
Michael smiled, ‘‘Hey, Sara."
Lincoln took a step aside, allowing Sara to rush over and pull Michael into a hug.
‘‘What are you doing here?’’ she asked.
Michael laughed, ‘‘I can go if you want me to?’’
Sara laughed back in response, ‘‘No, absolutely not."
She placed her hands on either side of his face and studied his eyes, ‘‘It’s you?’’
‘‘It’s me,’’ he replied softly.
Sara breathed deeply and wiped the tears from her face, composing herself. ‘‘Well, you boys must be hungry, come on, I will get us some food, and we can chat."
Lincoln and Michael followed Sara through the living room and into the kitchen. Michael took in his surroundings, as he always did. The kitchen was neat, tidy, and contemporary, yet he noticed that on his way through the living room and hallway, many photographs were missing from the walls and on top of the fireplace. The kitchen had a middle island, and Sara motioned for the brothers to take a seat. She opened a cabinet and pulled out three glasses. Michael stared at his tattooed palms; he became lost in thought.
Lincoln gently touched Michael’s forearm, ‘‘You ok, man?’’
Michael smiled at his brother, ‘‘Yes, all good."
Sara placed three glasses on the table and poured what appeared to be liquor.
Lincoln frowned amusingly, ‘‘Is this Whiskey?’’
Sara nervously laughed, ‘‘It is. It’s been sitting on that top shelf for years. Let’s say I was never allowed to open it. I was told that it was only allowed to be opened for special occasions."
Lincoln nodded understandingly, ‘‘Well, I think this qualifies as a special occasion."
Michael sighed in relief, ‘‘It certainly does."
Sara raised her glass, ‘‘To Michael. We are happy that you are home."
Michael and Lincon raised their glasses and downed their drinks.
‘‘Damn, that’s good stuff,’’ remarked Lincoln.
‘‘Please, help yourself to some more, but that will be enough for me. Mike and I already ate, but I have some of the leftover lasagna I made. It’s reheating in the oven."
Michael shifted in his seat. Sara and Lincoln noticed his sudden shift.
Sara sat down and gave Michael a small smile. ‘‘So, I guess we need to talk about what happened?’’
Michael nodded, ‘‘Yes, we do. Jacob is going to be convicted for his crimes. Jacob’s accomplice backed up everything that I explained to the CIA, it didn’t take him long to break. Not only have I been acquitted, but I actually got a thank you,’’ Michael laughed at the thought.
Sara’s mouth opened in shock, ‘‘So, it’s over?’’
Michael nodded, ‘‘Jacob is gone. I am free. We are all free."
‘‘I honestly can’t believe this,’’ added Sara.
‘‘I know it seems too good to be true, but I promise you both, it is done."
‘‘Michael, it is really good to have you back." Michael turned to his brother, noting the slight hitch in his voice. He smiled gratefully at Lincoln, ‘‘Thank you, Linc, for coming to find me.’’ He turned to Sara, who was staring at him, still shocked, ‘‘And Sara, thank you for saving me."
She beamed him a warm smile, looking for the words to explain her utter joy at this moment.
The timer on the oven began to beep, knocking Sara out of her thoughts. She stood up, pulled the food out of the oven, and plated up two servings. She placed the two plates in front of Michael and Lincoln, ‘‘Please, you two go ahead."
‘‘Thanks, Sara, this looks great; you made this?’’
Sara sat back down and laughed, ‘‘I did. Who would have thought I would have become such a domesticated mother."
Linc smiled and took a bite of the lasagna. Michael picked up his fork and cut away a piece of the food. He studied it on his fork, noting the hot steam rising and the smell of the cheese sauce. His stomach suddenly turned, and he was hit with a wave of nausea. He put the fork back down and took a deep breath.
‘‘Michael? Are you ok?’’
Michael looked at Sara apologetically, ‘‘Sara, I am sorry, I can’t, I don’t think I can eat this."
‘‘What do you mean? There’s nothing wrong with it,’’ added Lincoln in a confused manner.
Sara reached out her hand and gently held Michael’s forearm. “Michael, you don’t have to eat it if you can’t,” she said.
‘‘It’s not something I’ve considered until now, but I have lived off rice, beans, and mouldy bread for the last seven years. My relationship with food, it’s changed."
Lincoln eyed his brother with a concerned expression. Michael was always slim, but at this moment, Lincoln noted that his brother was undoubtedly more slight than he had ever been.
‘‘Would you like something else to eat? I can make you some toast,’’ asked Sara.
‘‘No. I think I am okay at the moment. I need a few days to adjust back to everything."
Sara nodded understandingly.
Michael pushed his plate towards Lincoln, motioning for him to eat his portion, which he gladly did. "I would like to see a doctor," he said.
‘‘A doctor?’’ asked Lincoln in between mouthfuls.
Michael nodded, ‘‘Yeah. I was in some pretty terrible places these last few years. You know, squalor, filth, violence, just your standard prison life. Plus, I’ve taken a few beatings. I guess what I am trying to say is that I would like a checkover. Maybe some blood tests."
‘‘Of course, I can have that arranged at my hospital. We can go tomorrow."
Michael smiled at Sara, who was giving him a concerned look. ‘‘Thank you. If I'm going to be spending time with Mike, I want to make sure I am all right first.’’
“Michael, everything is going to be okay. You are home, and you are safe. We will get you checked over tomorrow, and then we will need to start working on your diet.”
Lincoln nodded, ‘‘You are skinnier than LJ, would you believe."
Michael laughed, ‘‘No, I can’t quite believe that.''
Lincoln chuckled, ‘‘Don’t worry, he isn’t quite as tall as you, but he has managed to grow some stubble.''
‘‘He must be what, 23 now?’’
Lincoln nodded.
Michael sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose, ‘‘I’ve lost so much time, so many memories. I don’t even know what my nephew is doing.''
Sara and Lincoln noted the frustration in Michael’s voice: “Hey man, it’s okay. None of this is your fault. If it is any consolation, LJ is excited to see you. We will need to organise a date for him to visit.”
‘‘Lincoln is right, Michael, none of this is your fault. None of us deserved any of this, but we all have the chance now to make up for lost time.''
‘‘It’s going to be hard.''
“Yes, it will be hard, Mike, but remember what I told you in Yemen. This isn’t just your fight anymore. You need to lean on me and Sara. We want to help.”
Michael turned to Sara, and he could see her eyes fill with tears. She cleared her throat, ‘‘We will all overcome this. We will take this one day at a time, starting tonight. Tonight, we will all try and get some sleep. Then, in the morning, we will take you to the hospital. One step at a time, ok?’’
Michael nodded in agreement, ‘‘I promised you all that I would try my best to talk and work through this. I promise to try for all of you.‘‘
‘‘We know, man. Who knows, maybe one day you can go back to engineering.''
Michael laughed, ‘‘That seemed like a lifetime ago. I don’t miss having to deal with Jacky from HR.''
Sara smiled, ‘‘Why, what did she do?’’
‘‘She was just grating,’’ he replied with a laugh.
Lincoln took a sip of his drink, ‘‘Well, you might need to go back into something. You can’t be living off of Sara,’’ he added jokingly.
‘‘Well, I guess I should tell you both something,’’ Michael smirked, prompting Sara and Lincoln to raise their eyebrows curiously. ‘‘Despite Jacob’s actions, he paid bonuses for every target I got out of prison.''
Lincoln leant forward, ‘‘What do you mean?’’
‘‘He paid me money.''
‘'How much?’’
Michael turned to Sara and then back to Lincoln, ‘‘I have $6 million in an offshore account in the Cayman Islands.''
Sara and Lincoln almost fell off their seats.