Happy Thursday everyone… one more day until the weekend I've been thinking about the last episode for a while, so here's my take on what happens next! All replies and constructive criticism loved as usual. Kendal-Rose xx

"So where to now?" She uttered almost to herself, wrapping her dark coat more tightly around her waist. She stood outside the hospital, in the middle of Bucharest, wondering what on earth she was going to do now. She was all too aware of the young girl standing next to her, her respiratory rate much faster than it should have been.

Sophia shivered as she stood close to Connie, her heart felt like it was beating so fast within her chest. Her shoulder hurt, her face hurt, but most of all her heart hurt. Her heart hurt far more than anything else.

"Let's get you inside, I want to clean up that wound on your head," Connie nodded decisively at Sophia, "Don't give me any of this harder than English business, I won't take no for an answer."

Sophia nodded, trying desperately hard not to cry. Connie placed her hand gently between the younger women's shoulder blades, leading her gently into the hospital.

He watched as she cleaned the young girls face gently. For somebody who could come across so icy, she was incredibly gentle when she needed to be he thought to himself. He shook his head as he remembered how she had stood in front of Christian, despite the gun that he'd held boldly in his hand.

"Much better," she spoke quietly, aware the girl was almost asleep on the hospital bed, "Sleep tight," she smiled, sitting down onto the chair beside the bed and closing her eyes momentarily.

"What you did back there was incredibly stupid," a now all too familiar voice uttered into the dusky room, "Brave yes… but incredibly stupid,"

She looked up to see Alex standing in the door way, his stubble slightly longer than it had been this morning, his eyes tired,

"That's rich coming from you," she found herself replying without much thought, "I don't think you're the right person to comment on my behaviour," she uttered quietly,

"May I?" He gestured to the seat next to her and she shook her head, before standing up and walking over to him,

"She's sleeping, we can talk outside,"

He watched her closely as she leaned back against the hospital wall, purposefully avoiding his gaze. He stepped closer to her, his eyes running across her slender form, his hands clapping softly against his thighs as he shrugged, "Will you look at me Connie?" He asked her eventually, watching as she did as she asked. She found him attractive, that she would admit, but she couldn't help but feel like he'd betrayed her. He stepped closer to her, so close he was almost touching her, taking her back to last night. She shivered as she remembered just how he'd made her feel last night.

"I meant what I said earlier… about you staying here… helping us," he spoke quietly,

"That's not what we need to talk about," she uttered, "You know that,"

"Connie…"

She shook her head, "I came to you last night and you deliberately hid from me what I wanted to know…" She sighed, her voice quiet, her heart aching for a reason she herself wasn't too sure of, "I told you I thought he was getting his kidney removed, and you asked me if I was sure… well you knew I was correct Alex, you were the one due to remove it… I can't believe you were the one who was going to remove it,"

"How could I tell you Connie?" He replied quickly, placing his hand on her arm, his dark eyes and angry now, "How should I have told you? If I told you, you would have stopped me… Christian would have hurt them… and come for me… I can see you are stubborn, you wouldn't have listened to that, you would have barraged in and taken him home,"

"I just…" she uttered, somewhat lost for words, she shrugged tears springing to her eyes for the second time that day,

"I don't truly understand myself," he admitted, "But sometimes doing the wrong thing for somebody, is the right thing for someone else. Louis knew what he was doing, he knew what the risks were… he chose to go on that table, he was bought to me."

She shook her head, "I need to get Sophia and take her somewhere safe,"

"Do you know where you're going to go?" He asked, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently, surprised as she didn't pull away,

She looked up and shrugged, "Apart from Christian…I don't even know who I'm trying to keep her safe from…" She looked at the way he held her hand, so unapologetically, so firmly within his, "Of course I don't know where I'm going to go," she admitted, before shrugging, "I don't even know where I am here,"

He ran his thumb across the back of her hand, "I have an apartment just outside of the city; you and Sophia can go there when she's ready. I'll take you after my shift has ended,"

She shook her head, "I…"

"It's not like you have any other choice Connie," he told her gently, "Come on, come inside, I'll make you coffee."