Clara sat down in her seat on the plane, peering out the window as the jet remained on the tarmac. Mahone sat down next to her after storing his holdall in the compartment above their head. He looked over to her, his face still one of thunder as he watched her avoid his gaze. He should have dragged her out of the airport.

He should have pushed her from the airport and told her not to be so foolish, but he didn't do that. Instead he could do nothing but glare at her. She turned her head over her shoulder to look to him, rolling her eyes at the sight of the stern FBI agent who was regarding her with contempt.

"You cannot stop me from catching a flight," she informed him.

"You'll find I can if I suspect you are hindering my investigation," he said in a hiss as people continued to board the plane. Clara shrugged her shoulders before reaching for the seatbelt dangling either side of her.

"I'm not doing that," she said. "I'm trying to get to the bottom of this."

"Why?" Alex demanded from her. She could see he was struggling with all of this, but she said nothing on the matter. Instead she leant closer to him, her hands wrapping around the armrest between them.

"Because this is wrong," she whispered to him. "Whatever is happening is deep and I am tired of being scared of people."

"These aren't just people, Clara," he hissed. "They're killers who would shoot you dead without a second thought. You know that as well as I do."

Rolling her eyes, Clara folded her legs over each other before pushing her hair behind her ears. "Then let them. I am not letting them win, Alex. I am not letting them think that they can get away with threatening people…how is that fair? Didn't you join the bureau to stop this happening? To stop bad people from getting away from things?"

"I joined the bureau because the pay was good," Alex said.

Clara scoffed. "You can't say that now, what with all the cuts."

"Clara," he hissed her name, trying to get her to come back and be serious.

"Sorry," she held her hands up in defence. "Look, how did you even know he was going to be heading to New Mexico?"

"You remember Kellerman?" he asked and she fought of the urge to either be sarcastic or snap at him not to be ridiculous. Of course she remembered Kellerman. The look on her face was enough to tell Alex that and he nodded, peering down the aisle for a minute. "Right…threatened your ex…got it."

"So what does he know?" Clara enquired.

"He knows that Dr Sara Tancredi bought a ticket out the New Mexico, in particular Gila," Mahone informed Clara. "He thinks that she is meeting with Scofield there. I…I think he intends to flee to Panama once he has finished putting his plan into action."

"And how do you know that?"

"The tattoos," he didn't offer an explanation, just stated that was how he knew.

"Clever," Clara said.

"You used to do investigative journalism, right?" Mahone asked, changing the topic and Clara nodded.

"Years ago," she said. "I mean, it was never this dangerous. I used to go undercover in local campaign offices and find out if there were any scandals or I used to go into business and try to find out if the working conditions were below par."

"But do you still have contacts?" he asked and she chuckled, looking out of the window as Mahone watched her, making out the end of a small smile playing on her lips.

"None that I talk to regularly," she said. "Why?"

"Because there might come a time when these sons of bitches need to be brought down," Mahone informed her. "I figured a journalist would be the perfect person to do that, but not one of these that you see on TV who like the limelight. You need one to go undercover and find out what this entire conspiracy theory is."

She frowned. "I thought that you weren't interested in that?" she asked of him and he shook his head.

"I'll be long gone before that happens," he said, almost as if he had some kind of plan that he didn't intend to divulge with her. She remained mute as Alex met her gaze and the cabin crew walked up the plane, checking that everyone was buckled in and safe. "I'm going to make things work with Pam again once this is done and them I'm off."

"I applaud your effort," Clara said to him and he shrugged his shoulders.

"We were married for twelve years," he spoke. "You don't just get rid of those feelings. Isn't it the same for you and Tom?"

A bitter laugh did leave her then and she peered down to her lap as the safety talk began, but no one truly paid any attention. Clara suspected that if anything were to happen to them on a plane then they wouldn't need the safety talk. She remained silent as Alex looked to her and she closed her eyes for a moment, squeezing them tightly shut.

"I think it would never have worked out," Clara said in a low voice. "Tom wasn't…he wasn't who I thought he was. Theresa had never liked him and she had been right. He stood by me, yeah, but I never realised how controlling he could be until he had gone. I never believed Theresa when she said that whenever he clicked his fingers I went running, but I did. That's not healthy."

Clara looked up once more, sniffing and then looking out the window. Alex struggled to watch her as she kept her gaze fixed on the outside world. The plane was now taxiing towards the runway, travelling at a slow and steady speed. She offered no more conversation to Alex, instead she kept mute as he did the same, his eyes fixed on the seat ahead of him as he considered what she had said.

…

"I should have bought a change of clothes," Clara complained once they stepped out of the airport and looked around. Alex was searching for the car that was supposed to be waiting for him in the car park just outside of the airport. He had the keys in his fingertips and scanned for the correct plate number.

"Did you know it was going to be this hot?" Clara continued to complain as they walked along the footpath towards the parked cars. "I doubt it. You always wear those stupid suits and probably roast."

He kept ignoring her, finally finding the car and unlocking it. She climbed in as he tossed his holdall into the trunk. Moving to the driver's seat, Mahone backed the car out of the space and then around the car park, coming to the barrier and flashing his confirmation of the car. The barrier lifted and he pulled out as Clara looked on.

"What do you think?" Clara asked. "If I had come out here and was meeting with someone then I'd check into a hotel."

"That's what we're going to check," Alex said, tugging his sunglasses from his pocket and placing them over his eyes while Clara reached into her satchel to search for a brush, tugging it through her hair. "Well, I'm checking them. You're going to remain in this car."

"You ruin all the fun," Clara complained. "But if you think I am going to stay in here then you're sorely mistaken. I'm coming with you."

"Like hell you are," Alex scoffed and she glowered over to him.

"I deserve to know what is going on here," she said. "I might not love Tom, but I don't want to see him six feet under."

"Well that is what is going to happen if you keep on searching," Alex said and Clara shook her head.

"No," she said, "because I know something that you don't."

And then she tugged her cell from her bag and read the text that she had received earlier. The text had come through while they were mid-flight and she had only seen it once they had landed, relief coursing through her.

"Clara, I just wanted to let you know that I'm waiting for a flight to the UK. My grandma is ill." She read out the text before snapping her cell shut and tossing it back in her bag, her hand pushing her hair from her face as she looked to Alex with a satisfied nod. "So there we have it."

"Doesn't mean they can't get to him."

"I doubt they're going to trail him out to London," Clara said. "So he's fine, which means I am not going to stop digging or reply to that message. I know why he text me…his grandma always liked me whenever we visited her. Bless her."

Alex had no response to that. Instead he clocked the first hotel and climbed out, picking out the picture of Sara he had in his holdall. He tucked it under his arm as Clara also stepped out and Alex looked at her from over the car, pointing back to the vehicle.

"Get back in," he demanded from her.

"No can do," Clara said. "I told you that I was coming with you and that hasn't changed."

"Clara." Alex warned her. "I can force you back into the car."

She was already rushing ahead to the reception of the hotel, satchel swaying on her hip as Alex complained in a low tone, knowing full well that he should bundle her back into the car and lock her in. But he didn't. Instead he let her rush ahead, wondering why she was being so stubborn about this. He suspected it was down to her inquisitive nature. She was a journalist at heart and she loved this. She loved the searching.

"Excuse me, sir," Clara was already speaking to the man behind the desk. "We are looking for a woman and we wondered if you had seen her."

"She's wanted in connection to aiding and abetting a fugitive," Alex spoke as he approached the desk, flashing his badge in the direction of the man before showing him the photo. "Her name is Sara Tancredi, but she could be travelling under a different alias…Kelli Foster, perhaps?"

Clara frowned. Why would she pick that name? The man shook his head at Alex.

"Never seen her." He said.

"Well can you call this number," he placed a card on the reception counter, "if you see her?"

"Sure thing."

They left the cheap looking hotel and Alex climbed back into the car as Clara did the same. Turning her accusing gaze to him, Alex sighed, knowing exactly what she was going to ask him. So he didn't bother to give her time to form a question.

"They're after her too," Alex said, adjusting his sunglasses on his eyes. "They shot a woman when they were going after her. They thought it was Sara and it was someone called Kelli Foster."

"Why?" Clara asked, the horror coming through in her voice as Alex shrugged. "It's not like she did anything but help them escape, is it? She was clearly in love with Scofield, from what the papers are reporting."

Again, Alex tried to act nonchalant. It was none of his business and he didn't want to get involved. It was best for it to be that way. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Clara bite down on her lip, clearly thinking about what he had just said to her.

"Anyone associated to them is a threat, right?" Clara whispered. "I mean, that's why you're hunting down the convicts, right?"

"I'd imagine so," Alex said, not particularly wanting to discuss it any further. But Clara was a talker and she was always persistent and determined to know the truth.

"But that means that the brothers are right," Clara said. "Why else would they be killing these people? Because they're scared that they'll be found out for whatever they did. I don't know what it is they did, but they framed the Burrows man…it's the only thing that would make sense."

"You're treading on dangerous ground, Clara," Alex warned her, indicating to pull into another hotel, parking up as she climbed out and looked at him from over the roof of the car.

"But this is wrong," Clara said in a hiss to Alex. "All of this is wrong…"

"It is life," Alex said, pulling the sunglasses from his eyes as he glowered across to her. "Clara, you shouldn't even be here. God only knows why I'm dragging you around with me. I shouldn't be doing this, but I am. Whatever their motive is has no interest to me. Feel free to investigate when I am out of this and back with Pam somewhere they cannot find me."

Clara said nothing as Alex turned and stormed off and into the hotel, pushing the door open and letting out his aggression. Clara groaned to herself before sinking back into the car, closing the door behind her. She knew that she shouldn't be doing this. It would be easier for her to back off. It would be easier for her not to question what was happening.

But she was intrigued. She was intrigued and tired of people telling her what to do.

Alex came back after a few minutes, silence engulfing the pair of them as Clara looked down to the entwined fingers on her lap. She bit down on her bottom lip while Alex took a deep breath and drove off again. They went on like this until they came to the fifth hotel. This time Alex ran from the hotel, carrying a piece of paper in his hands along with the photo of Sara.

"Got her," he said, slipping the car into drive before motioning to the glove box. "There should be a map in there."

Clara pulled the compartment down and found the map, unfolding it and splaying it over her lap. She peered down it as Alex drove, quite clearly breaking the speed limits. She did her best to hang on tightly and look to the map, a feeling of nausea taking hold of her as Alex refused to slow down, overtaking everything in his path.

"What am I looking for?" she demanded from him.

"Someone called for her and asked her to go to Butterfield Road…16781. Apparently it is five minutes away but I need you to check it on the map."

"Yeah," Clara said, peering down to the map. "It is. We are literally on top of it. There's nothing really there except for a train track and some kind of industrial warehouse of some kind."

"Brilliant," Alex said with a low whistle and took another corner as Clara told him to make a left.

The drive was quite clearly going to take under five minutes and before she knew it they came to a dirt track and Alex slowed down, checking a sign to make sure they were in the right place.

"What are you going to do if they are there?" Clara demanded from Alex.

"Kill them."

"And the doctor?" Clara wondered. "Alex, she isn't part of the plan. She's innocent!"

"She's not part of my plan." Alex informed her.

She said nothing else as she spotted two figures in the distance. Peering with intensity, she saw them move into a white car, but they didn't drive in the opposite direction. They couldn't. There was no other way for them to go but towards them.

"Are they insane?" Clara roared as she saw the car growing closer, but Alex didn't stop and she turned her glare to him. "Are you insane?"

"He's not going to do anything," Alex said with a shake of his head. "He'll stop."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Just grab onto something," Alex said to her and she wanted to close her eyes as the car came closer. She should have screamed but she kept her lips firmly shut until the car was on top of them.

"Move the bloody car!" she roared at Alex, but he didn't.

Instead the other car scraped down the side of theirs, jolting them off of the road and causing them to spin. Alex didn't stop driving. Instead he just began to move off again, foot to the gas as he chased after Michael in the white vehicle. He remained in pursuit until Clara saw the white car approach the industrial site, the mesh gates moving under it as it drove straight through.

"Jesus Christ," Clara said, bouncing around in her seat as Alex focused on driving, pulling up alongside Michael.

The white car hit the black car they were in, knocking it off to the side slightly before Alex regained control and Clara peered out the window, clearly seeing Scofield in the driver's seat with a woman next to him.

"Alex," Clara complained to him as he forced the car off to the side, letting it crash into some kind out of outhouse. He kept on driving before slamming on the brakes and jumping from the vehicle.

Clara did the same, feeling slightly uneasy as she wobbled on her feet. Alex ran ahead and she chased after him, wondering what the hell he was doing as he came to the doorway to the warehouse. He pulled his gun from its holster while Clara stood in the doorway, wondering whether or not she should go in. She shook her head before stepping inside, wondering exactly what this building was.

She took a left down a corridor, knowing that shouting for Alex was not an option. He would not answer and he would complain to her about giving away his location. She kept her body tightly against the wall, turning the corner of the stone corridors until she came to a set of pipes, the noise from them enough to make her wince slightly.

Moving through them, she saw something in the distance, but it wasn't the familiar sight of Alex's black suit. Instead she saw a man in a white suit and the woman in the black jumper with long dark hair flowing behind her. Clara followed them through the pipes, keeping quiet as she saw them turn a corner.

She moved around the corner too, but she didn't anticipate the feeling of an arm capturing her waist and a hand going over her mouth. She remained calm as the woman stood before her, holding her hands up in defence to try and show her that they meant no harm.

Michael slowly released her mouth, looking to her as they heard footsteps. Clara turned to look to Michael, nodding her head.

"I believe you," she whispered, her voice barely audible as Michael looked questioningly to her, not entirely sure how she could believe him yet come here with Alex Mahone.

"I'll distract him," Clara said to them, looking between them as Sara furrowed her brow and studied the woman with intrigue. "Go."

Moving from where they stood, she rushed with haste through the corridors, not caring about the noise of her panting. She vaguely saw Sara heading for the exit and she suspected that she was going to make a run for it. Clara didn't know where Michael was. All she knew was that she suddenly heard the creaking of some kind of gate in the distance before raised voices entered her ears.

She walked closer to the sound, careful not to hit any pipes as she went. She stood around the corner, not wanting to be seen as Michael spoke.

"I wouldn't do that, Alex," Michael said, panting for breath. "It's propane…you pull that trigger and you kill everyone in here…even your little lecturer friend."

There was silence before a loud grunt of anger escaped Alex as he clearly tried to find some kind of escape. Clara remained hidden in the shadows, not wanting to come out just yet.

"I'll do it!" Alex yelled.

"Maybe," Michael said. "But, tell me, Alex, do you think that you're doing the right thing here? You're chasing the wrong guys. My brother is innocent."

"Well thanks for confiding in me," Alex said, sarcasm laced in his tone.

"Then shoot," Michael told him. "We all know what will happen."

"If there's gas then it will kill me anyway," Alex said.

"Not if your little friend comes for you," Michael said. "What are you doing bringing her out here, anyway? She's not like you, is she? She's not some cold blooded killer. So I'll give you a little bit of advice…both you and her need to back off, because you will not beat me. Whenever you think you have me in your grasp, you'll be two…three steps behind."

"Do you think?" Alex wondered.

"I'm not the one in the cage," Michael answered.

"Perhaps not," Alex said. "But there's a big difference between us, Michael. It is that you cannot kill anyone. You cannot do it and I can. I can do it…so whether I do it today in Gila…or next month in Panama…I will kill you."

There was silence then before Clara heard footsteps and she ran. She ran to the exit in time to see Michael come out of another door. She stumbled on the grass as a car drove up and Michael pulled the door open.

"Wait!" Clara shouted, her voice pleading as she moved towards them and Sara spoke.

"I cut the wires in his car," she informed Michael. "She can't follow us."

"I get the feeling she doesn't want to follow us," Michael said as Clara stood before them, her cheeks red and puffy as she placed her hands to her hips and Michael reached for the sunglasses in his pocket to place them over his eyes.

"I want to know what is going on," Clara said.

"We want that too," Michael said, "but how do I know that I can trust you?"

"Because…" Clara trailed off as Sara stood up from the car, her arm resting over the top of the door as Clara looked between them. "You can't trust me, but I am telling you the truth. You know what I did, Michael. You know what I did and so do the same people who want you dead."

"What do they want with you?" Sara was the one to ask.

"They think that I might go to the police and turn myself in for what Alex and I did. I trust you told her that?"

"I did," Michael confirmed.

"And if I did that then Alex wouldn't be able to do his job…his job which is to kill all of the escaped convicts," Clara declared. "They're keeping my ex…and his ex and son…they've threatened them if we don't do this. They've threatened them if we turn ourselves in. Alex is doing this to keep his family safe."

Silence surrounded them then as Sara looked to the sky and Clara wondered if she was appealing to their better nature. She only hoped that she was.

"And I think I know why they want you dead so badly," Clara spoke.

"Do you?"

"Because your brother is innocent," Clara said. "Your brother is innocent and anyone who escaped with you is a threat. You might have told them what you know…"

"So why are you on his side?" Michael wondered, holding the door to the car. "Why are you with him?"

"I don't know," Clara shrugged at Michael. "I don't know, but I do know that he doesn't want to do this. He's doing it for his family. You need to believe that. Alex isn't a bad man…not really…"

"Is he not?" Michael wondered, a tone of disbelief in his voice. "Because when I look at Alexander Mahone all I see is a ruthless killer."

"You don't know him," Clara said. "But why are these people doing this? Why do they want to frame your brother for the murder of the vice President?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Michael said.

Clara remained silent as she peered over to the warehouse and shrugged her shoulders. Moving backwards and away from the both of them, she spoke clearly. "Get out of here before I release him," she urged them. "And…please…just try to get to the bottom of this."

Turning away from them, Clara moved with haste then, running back into the warehouse as she heard the car move off. She took the corridors with haste, coming to an empty space before seeing the large metal cage in the middle where Alex was currently residing. He had his hands wrapped around the metal door, trying to push it open.

"Where is he?" Alex yelled at Clara who stood still before the cage.

"He got away," she muttered.

"Damn it," Alex complained.

"And he tampered with our car," Clara concluded. "So we have a good four mile walk back to Gila."

"And he did nothing to you?" Alex wondered, brows furrowed as Clara shrugged, ignoring his stare. "He did nothing to stop you from coming in here to get me?"

"He knew he had the head start," Clara said. "By the time you make it back to Gila he will be gone. Besides, I wasn't the one who put a gun to his head and threatened to kill him. Unlike you, I believe him."

"And who says I don't believe him?" Alex wondered, placing his gun back into his holster.

"I don't know what you believe in, Alex," Clara said, finally pulling the gate open to let Alex out.

He stepped out and Clara turned on her heel, walking away from the cage as Alex followed her, his footsteps heavy as he walked behind her and his cell began to ring. Clara listened in as he spoke, his voice thick with anger.

"Yeah, it's one of the hundreds of tattoos on Scofield's body…what about it? Yeah…well…I'll find it out…they won't get across the border...yeah…Bolshoi Booze."

He hung up and they came to the outside. She stepped out first and Alex followed, but he moved with haste. Now that they were in the fresh air he could move. He went to grab hold of her by the elbow, pulling her back to him before he pushed her against the wall, his hands going to her shoulders to keep her in place as she watched him with worry.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded from him.

"I know a liar when I see one," Alex told her. "Do you think that I didn't know you were hiding earlier? You're a heavy breather, Clara."

"Get the hell off of me!" she demanded from him.

"You were hiding and you didn't try to stop them. You let them go."

"Because they're innocent!" Clara yelled at him, moving to push him from her, her hands making contact with his chest.

"So is my wife and kid," Alex said. "So you're getting on the first flight out of here and staying away from me to let me finish my job."

"You know what?" she snapped. "That's fine with me."

He finally backed away from her and Clara shook her head, moving towards the car that had been tampered with. She grabbed her bag from it and Alex watched her place it onto her shoulder before moving towards the exit of the warehouse and the facility. She walked with haste, storming ahead as Alex saw her moving off. Shaking his head, he knew she wasn't to blame. But blaming her was better than blaming himself.

…

A/N: So I have no idea if anyone is reading/interested, but if you have made it this far then a review would be amazing! Thanks so much!