Michael Scofield:
You ever wonder in another life...

Dr. Sara Tancredi:
I won't be that woman, Michael.

Michael Scofield:
I wasn't asking you to be. But it is something I wonder about. Anyway, just wanted to be sure it was heard.

Dr. Sara Tancredi:
Why do I get the feeling you're saying goodbye to me?

Michael Scofield:
In a place like this, you never know which day's going to be your last.

Here we go...


August

Sara gazed at the scrapbook in front of her, smiling as her fingertips lightly traced the happy faces in the photograph. He had his arm draped casually across her shoulder and a cocky smirk adorned his face as he posed for the camera. He couldn't normally pull off a smirk, but he'd done it in a moment of teasing her. They had been eleven years old when this picture was taken, at Veronica Donovan's birthday party, one of Sara's best friend since kindergarten. Sara and Veronica were quite frankly the polar opposite but were pretty much like sisters. Veronica wore fancy dresses and had pretty curls. Sara was a nominal tomboy who didn't care about having messy pigtails and dressing up in shorts and t-shirts. Sara preferred climbing trees instead of playing with Barbie dolls and plastic tea sets. In fact, it was while Sara was climbing one particular tree that she'd met him. They'd been 8 years old.

Strands of hair had escaped her loose ponytails as she lifted her leg onto the lower branches. She grunted as she pulled the rest of her small body up, gripping the tree as tightly as she could, glancing down at the ground. She rested her hand against the rough bark of the trunk while the other brushed back the hair that tickled her face. Her feet now balanced dangerously on the long, thick branch as she stopped to catch her breath.

"You're a girl, you can't climb higher."

Sara's nosed wrinkled with disgust and scowled in the direction of the boy swinging to and from among the leaves above her.

"Shut up, dork!" she called out. She gritted her teeth with determination as she grabbed the branch in front of her and positioning her foot correctly as she hoisted herself on to the next branch. Suddenly, an apple went hurtling by her and heard a chuckle. Her small face just about missed the apple. "Stop it!"

"Are you gonna cry?" The boy taunted.

She glared angrily at the pair of legs now in front of her. She clenched her fist tightly and took aim at one of the swinging legs.

"Ow!"

Sarah smiled."Who's crying now, dork?"

She shifted her feet on the branch as she shuffled round. She saw the same pair of white sneakers appear on the branch opposite her, followed by a pair of grey track pants, white t-shirt and a pair of blue eyes that glared at her. The boy's nose was scrunched as they stared each other down.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" He called out.

"I'd like to see you try." She replied smugly.

"Oh I will, I'll be waiting for you at the bottom." The boy replied.

She snorted. "Not if I get there first."

"Yeah, okay as if. I can beat you easily." he snickered.

She smirked. "Okay then, I will race you."

"Okay!"

"Ready. We'll go one the count of three. One, two…."

The boy scowled as he looked back up and saw Sara's head as she disappeared onto the branch below. "You're cheating!" he called out as he scrambled to the wood underneath him, hearing her laughter. His heart pounded in his chest as he began to descend the tree. As his feet touched the grass, he saw her hazel eyes laughing at him, hands on her hips and a smug smirk graced her face.

Without saying a word, he grabbed her messy ponytail and yanked it hard. His laughter carried in the wind as Sara began to chase after him.

Sara smiled affectionately, from that moment onwards they had been inseparable. Through all the taunting and the teasing, they had somehow become best friends spending every waking moment together until now, ten years later she was having to face saying goodbye to him.

She closed over the scrapbook as a wave of sadness washed over her. She softly placed the scrapbook down on the double bed and walked across to open her bedroom window, feeling the august heat as the rays from the sun beat down on her face. He was leaving today for Boston where he had been accepted at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology for their structural engineering programme. She could not have been prouder of him when he told her the news but deep inside, at the pit of her stomach she had been devastated. She was going to be studying at the Northwestern University. For the first time in their decade long friendship, they were going to be thousands of miles apart. Despite their promises to keep in touch and see each other during vacations, Sara knew she was going to miss him badly as he'd become such an important part of her life. He'd been there through everything; he'd been her rock through the most challenging phases of her life. She couldn't remember a time where he hadn't been by her side. And now, somehow, she was going to have to find a way to hope without him. How could she? When she loved him.

She blinked back the tears that burned the back of her throat before it fell out. It was time to go she mentally noted as she glanced at her watch. She was meeting him in the park by the river, where they first met. They were going to say their goodbyes before his parents drove him to the airport this evening.

She picked up the scrapbook and held it tight against her chest as she left her house.

She spotted him sitting on the swing, his hands holding onto the chair as his long denim clad legs stretched out in front of him. The sun shone down on her face, yet she felt cold and hollow inside. She sighed with a heavy heart as she dragged her feet across the grass, gripping the scrapbook tighter to her as she forced back the tears that threatened to fall. She promised him that she wouldn't cry today even though she knew she was lying. As she approached him, he looked up. Sara pushed back the lump in her throat as she admired him. He was no longer the scruffy little boy with the boisterous curly long hair. Instead he had grown into a tall and handsome man.

"Hey Sara."

She somehow managed to smile, how could she not when the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes gazed at her.

"Hello Michael."