It was dark when Michael woke up. He looked over at Fiona who greeted him by saying "Nice of you to join me."

Michael put his hand to her face, ghosting his fingers over her features, making sure Fiona was really there. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours. Sam and your mother came by. You slept right through them. You didn't even move. The nurse was going to make you move, but Sam started yelling at her and she ran out crying."

Michael stood up and rubbed his face. Looking at Fiona he asked "How are you?"

"Tired and achy. How are you?" Fiona closed her eyes waiting for his answer.

"I'm better." Michael answered, giving Fiona a gentle kiss on her lips. "Do you feel up to talking?"

"Michael, if its about Anson, I am too tired."

Michael shook his head. "Its not about Anson. Its everything. I need to talk to you about everything, because the one thing this whole debacle has shown me is that I never told you from start to end how I feel. I just...hate...that it took nearly losing you to prison and death to make me realize you never heard certain things from me."

"It's OK. We're no good at this Michael. I love you too and I know how you feel by your actions."

"No Fi, there are things you need to know." Michael saw a worried look fall across her face. He sat down on her bed and kissed her. "These are all good things, don't worry."

"I don't know if Sam or Mom told you, but you are free. Sam and Jesse brought Anson down. I spent three hours interrogating him and he gave the CIA enough information to clear your name. Part of the the deal was that I refused to even talk to Anson until I got them to promise me your freedom."

Fiona was afraid to find out the other half of Michael's deal. In a soft quiet voice, she asked "What was the other part of the deal?"

"I retired. Right now its unofficial but I have to meet with Pearce eventually and she'll make me sign papers to make it formal." Michael noticed Fiona's stunned look.

She was going to talk but instead he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the lips again. He took her tiny face in his hands, being careful not to pull on her wires and looked into her eyes. "I always took your presence for granted, even when you moved in with me. I never made you my number one priority until you went to prison. It took prison and nearly having you die several times in here to make me realize that. You are the most important person, my best friend and the one person that I love the most. I never want to treat you so badly again. I don't know how you put up with me for this long."

Fiona smiled at Michael. He loved her smile. "I wasn't always second. There were moments where we were alone and it was just the two of us. No trying to find out who burned you, no jobs, no Anson, it was just us. They could have been the tiniest moments, like when we would just sit quietly on the patio at the loft, you holding me while I would read a magazine. I cherish those memories."

"You deserve more than just a moment here or there between jobs. Even if I have to take a regular job, I'll do it because I love you." Michael explained.

Fiona asked the question that had been on her mind since Michael said he was retiring. "Are you sure you want to retire? All that work we did to get you unburned and are you just going to forget about that and move on?"

"I got what I thought I wanted but turns out that it wasn't I wanted at all. All I want is you. I should have seen it from the start. I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

Fiona smiled. "I'm happy you are retiring. We'll be ok. We can take jobs like we used to, or you could get a cushy security job like Jesse."

"I called him to tell him you were awake. We got talking and he said he'd get me an interview when I'm ready."

Their talk was cut short by a nurse who came in to check Fiona's vitals and reactions to light and pain. The check took a few minutes so Michael stood and looked out the window of her room, watching the nurse in the reflection of the glass.

After she left, they were both quiet for a few minutes, Michael looking out the window and Fiona briefly closing her eyes. She opened them a few minutes later, asking "Did I hear Michael McBride when I was in my coma? You told me a story."

Michael smiled and said in his best Michael McBride voice he could muster being at the time, "That I did."

Fiona took a moment and then her eyes lit up. In a surprised tone she continued "You were afraid to ask me out on a date. You tricked me into going to a meeting so we could be alone for a bit and you got me drunk just so you could have your way with me!"

"In my defense, you were the one who kept making me do shots with the beers we were drinking and that's why we got drunk. I wasn't responsible for anything after we were drinking." Michael smiled at Fiona and they both laughed.

Michael's voice softened. "I never thought that staying with you one night would have led to me wanting to spend the rest of my life with you."

Fiona's breathing quickened. "The rest of your life?"

Michael didn't give her a chance to continue. "Do you know how hard it was to leave you in Ireland in the middle of the night? That broke my heart. I came to America and I tortured poor Sam with stories left and right about you, telling him how beautiful, funny and sweet you were. I want you to know that I never got over you. I think that's why I worked so hard, taking any assignment that was offered-I just wanted to stop thinking of you. I wanted the pain to just go away. It never worked though. I thought about you from the moment I woke up until I went to bed."

Michael was now pacing around the room. "You were the first person I saw in Miami. I was so happy to see you but terrified because we hadn't talked since I left. No matter how hard I pushed you away, you stayed by my side and you deserve more than me just going off on missions and leaving you for months alone at a time. You deserve me home every night, the house, the white picket fence...kids. You deserve a lot better than what I've given you up until now."

Fiona knew she had to center Michael, bring him back to earth. "Michael, look at me. Everything we've had up until An...a few months ago...has been fine. I've been happy. Even if we live in the loft for the rest of our lives, I would be happy because you are with me. I don't need all those things you said."

Michael sat down on Fiona's bed. "I know you don't need them, but I want to give them to you." He pulled out a ring box. Fiona looked at it and looked at him.

"Open it." was all Michael said.

Inside the box was a ring, a perfect solitaire Asscher stone. "I want you to be with me always and I want to give you better than what you've had with me. You have no idea how terrible I feel that its taken me this long and almost losing you more times than I care to remember to figure out that you are the one thing I should have been focused on. You have no idea how much I love you. I do, I love you more than life itself."

Michael's tone became soft and Fiona detected a hint of fear in his voice. "Marry me."

Fiona had to laugh. She felt as giddy as a little girl. She took the ring from the box and held it up to Michael. "Will you put it on me? My right hand. I want to be able to flaunt it and look at it sparkle."

Michael took the ring from her and went to put it on her right hand, but instead dropped it on the floor. He found the ring and got down on his knee. This time asking "Fiona Glenanne, will you give me the honor of being my wife?"

"I will. Get up off the floor. Your fiance needs a kiss." Fiona said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Michael obliged. Fiona stopped kissing Michael. "You're shaking. Michael Westen, were you nervous?"

"A little. Put me up against any kind of criminal you can think of, but give me a proposal..."

She looked into his eyes and said "It was perfect."

"I love you Fi." he said.

Her answer came quick, accompanied with a smile he had longed to see all those months apart. "I love you too Michael."

Their perfect moment alone was interrupted by Sam walking into the room. "Geez Mikey, I know you missed her, but give her some room. There will be plenty of time for all the love stuff later."

"Like the rest of our lives?" Fiona said, holding out her hand.

Sam laughed out loud. "Took you kids long enough to make it official! Just promise me one thing."

"Anything Sam." Michael said, know that he did owe plenty to Sam.

"Promise me in the wedding you won't make me wear any girly colors. There is no way I'm wearing pink."

Sam's request made Mike and Fiona laugh. Sam felt relieved. After so many months of torture things were starting to look better for everyone.