Alex pulled his cell out, moving into the bathroom while Clara remained on the bed. She was laid on her front, unable to lay on her back due to the scars there. Alex had turned around as she had pulled her sweatshirt from her body, only to let intrigue take hold of him as he turned back to see the scars on her skin. He felt himself gulp at the sight of her as she reached for another loose nightshirt.

He had left her then, pressing his cell to his ear as he shut the bathroom door. It took a couple of moments before Agent Kim picked up, the man's cocky tone entering Alex's ear.

"She's in a state, isn't she?" he said.

"I get it," Alex seethed, his anger becoming too much for him to handle. His hand gripped the cell tightly while his other hand held onto the sink, his head bowed over it as he struggled to look up and face the reflection in the mirror. "I get it, okay? Get the job done with no help from anyone…but she knows you exist. You kill people who know you exist. Isn't that why you sent someone for Tancredi?"

"Perhaps there is a higher authority than me who is keeping her alive, Alex?" Agent Kim asked and Alex felt his brows furrow together as the man spoke. "You're right, we do eliminate threats, but I have been informed to make a special case for Miss Reynolds."

"Why?" Alex asked.

"That's above your pay packet, Alex," Kim responded down the line, a chuckle escaping him. "But make sure you don't drag her into any of this. It is safer that way…understand?"

"I never intended to do that in the first place," Alex responded, standing tall and pinching the bridge of his nose as he let a sigh of exhaustion escape him before his mind went back to Clara. "But what you did to her…"

"Not me personally," Kim responded. "No, the man we sent was a professional. Don't worry. He made sure he didn't cut her too deep. She'll be sore for a while, however…and those scars will be nasty."

"You know, I've done some pretty bad things in my time," Alex said, reminiscing for a moment before shaking his head and pacing the length of the bathroom. "But I have never hurt anyone like you hurt her."

"So sweet," Kim mocked him. "While I have no doubt you would like to take your time comforting her, time is not on our side. I need you back in New Mexico and I want the brothers dead before they reach Chicago."

"Impossible," Alex's hand went to pull his hair. "They're under a tight guard. How do you expect me to be able to do that?"

"I expect it because it would be a shame for something to happen to Pam or Cameron."

Alex let his fist bang on the tiled wall then, his forehead sharply leaning against the tiles as his eyes closed and he went silent, knowing that there was no use in threatening this man. He did not work on threats.

"Leave them alone," Alex snarled.

"Will do," Agent Kim confirmed, "so long as you do your job."

The line went dead and Mahone did his best to reign in his temper, pocketing his cell once again before reaching for his trusted pen. He swallowed the two pills without a second thought and then moved into the room again, closing the bathroom door behind him. He half expected Clara to still be on the bed, but she was stood up, arms folded over herself as she peered out the window.

She was dressed in a checked nightshirt that sat half way down her thighs. Her hair had been tied behind her back and Alex was doing his best not to look at the cuts on the back of her legs. He remained silent for a few seconds, simply staring at Clara and letting his mind run wild with what he was seeing of the woman. He found it difficult not to feel ill as he watched her. He didn't know why this had to happen to her.

She deserved so much more and Alex knew that.

Instead of lurking, the agent sniffed, alerting her of his presence, but still she didn't turn around.

"I need to go back to New Mexico," he informed Clara. "We caught the brothers…I need to return them to Chicago."

"You mean kill them?" Clara contradicted, still looking out the window.

"Don't," Mahone pleaded from her, his voice weak instead of tight.

"I'm not interested," Clara whispered. "Do what you have to do…I don't care anymore."

Alex watched her back with intrigue, knowing full well that they had broken her. He moved closer towards her, standing on the other side of the window as he looked outside too, his eyes focused on the ground three floors down.

"I…I packed you some painkillers and antiseptic cream. You should put it on those cuts so that they don't become infected," Alex said and Clara nodded.

"Will do," her voice was hoarse.

"And I'll come back here when I return," Alex told her. "I've had the room billed in my name so order whatever you want."

She did look to him then. "Why did you do that?" she wondered.

"Because it is the least I could do," Alex said. "Christ, Clara, I should be doing more for you. I was the one who told you about all of this…the one who didn't march you away from the airport when you demanded to come to New Mexico. They wanted to hurt you to get to me and they succeeded."

"I made the choice," Clara said in a low voice. "I involved myself in your business."

"But you didn't ask for this," Alex said in a small voice.

"Neither did you," Clara shrugged and Alex shook his head as he listened to her.

"Don't show me any understanding," he urged of her and Clara shrugged, the look in her face fierce as Alex saw the rage slowly building inside of her.

"Why?" she demanded from him. "Did you ask for this to happen? Did you ask for that bastard to come into my house and torture me? Is that what you wanted? For him to…to do this…?" she motioned down her body and Alex shook his head as the tears began to fall down her cheek and she closed her eyes, her hands going to cover her mouth.

Alex reacted brashly then, unsure of what possessed him to act in such a manner. His hands went to her wrists and he pulled her hands from her face, letting her sob openly as he looked down to the bruises that sat there, his eyes glimmering with rage.

"I'll make them pay," he informed her. "For this…what they did…they won't get away with it forever."

"What can you do?" Clara demanded from him, trying to pull her wrists from his grip but failing miserably as he kept hold her. "If you do anything then they will hurt your family."

"But the man who did this," Alex motioned back to her bruises. "I will find the man who did this…"

"Why?" Clara asked of him. "I don't want you to kill him, Alex. We've done enough of that for a lifetime…I want him to pay, fucking hell, I want to kill him myself…but I won't and neither will you."

"No," Alex shook his head back and forth. "He can't get away with this."

"He has!" Clara snapped then. "They'll always get away with it because they can! Whoever they are…whatever they want…they are the kinds of people who will always win. I know that now and I want nothing to do with it. I want nothing to do with this madness."

Alex seemed to understand what he was hearing from her. She wanted to stay out of it and he was going to make sure it happened. He was going to keep her locked away until all of this mess had been cleared up. Although a part of him was curious. He was curious as to why The Company had decided to keep her alive. They said it came from someone high up. What did Clara have that they wanted?

He had no idea. All he knew was that, whatever it was, it was best buried deep down.

"I need to go back to New Mexico," Alex informed her, knowing that he didn't want to bring up what had happened. "But just call me if anything…whatever you need."

"And what happens when you return?" Clara enquired.

"I'll come and check in on you," Alex said. "Just stay here until it is all over. Call your college and tell them that you're sick."

"Yeah," Clara said, folding her arms as she took her wrists from Alex, unable to look at the bruising that sat there any longer. Instead she went back to staring out of the window, her eyes focused on the ground as Alex observed her.

Nodding his head, he dared to step forwards, moving a hand to her shoulder. But that didn't distract her from her staring. "I meant it, Clara…call me if anything happens."

"Thank you," she whispered and Alex removed his hand before walking towards the door.

He looked back to her as he held the wood open, wondering if she would ever be able to recover from the torture she had just endured.

…

Clara didn't leave the hotel room for two days. She had told the maids not to disturb her, placing the sign on the door. Room service came once, but Clara found that she couldn't stomach the food she had ordered. She had turned the TV on, listening to the noise in the background. She was doing her best to relax, but every time she closed her eyes she saw his face.

Fear rose in her body as she saw something on TV, turning the volume up and sitting on the edge of the bed. She listened as the news anchor spoke, informing everyone that Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield had escaped police custody and were now on the run. But then she heard something else. Alexander Mahone had been shot and was in a critical condition in hospital.

Placing her hands to her mouth, Clara stood up, stepping closer to the TV, almost as if that would give her some more information. Her hand moved to the TV and she bowed her head, wondering what the hell could have happened. Had it been The Company? Had he gone against them? Or had he been shot in the crossfire?

Clara didn't know. All she knew was that Alex had rushed out to Chicago when he heard she had been beaten. He had dropped everything and rushed to make sure she was alive. She felt as though she should extend the courtesy, but she wondered what would happen if she did that. She had been told to stay out of the business. She had been warned to keep her distance.

But that didn't explain why she grabbed her coat and satchel before leaving the hotel room.

…

There were times when Alexander Mahone had thought that he would die. There had been times when he suspected he might meet his end. He chased men who committed heinous crimes. He chased men who would kill him without a second thought. Of course he had thought of death.

But then Kellerman had shot him. He had shot him just beneath the shoulder and he wondered if this would be it. He had woken up attached to bleeping machines, feeling groggy and slightly out of it. It was then when he decided that life in prison would be better than this. At least he might be safe behind bars. He had told Agent Kim that. He had told him and Agent Kim that Kellerman had been the one to shoot him and help the brothers escape.

He was under guard from an agent, but the man soon left once Alex had said that he couldn't do it anymore. He said that they could throw him in jail for everything. Of course, they had told him that it wouldn't just be him who they would throw in jail. They had dragged Clara into the equation. Alex had snapped then, saying that they had no evidence of her being involved. He had hung up the phone and demanded the agent leave and give him time to think about everything then.

He sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in a white top and loose black trousers, his hands holding his head. He only turned when he heard footsteps approach the door to his hospital room. Turning his head over his shoulder, he was shocked to see her stood there. His eyes widened and he watched her move into the room, her hand going to her hair and pushing it back over her shoulders.

"I heard what happened on the news," she whispered to him, moving around to sit in the chair by his bed, perching on the edge of it. "They said the brothers escaped."

"They did," Alex said, his voice hoarse as Clara saw him fiddle with the clip on his finger. "Paul turned against me…The Company…he shot me and helped to escape with them. I don't know why, but he's gone rogue."

"I don't care about that," Clara said, begging for him to say nothing further. "I care about what happened to you."

He noticed how she wore a free flowing white shirt over her frame along with linen grey trousers. She was still looking quite pale and her eyes held bags underneath them. Alex furrowed his brow as he watched her and she shrugged, not daring to sit back in the chair.

"You flew to Chicago to see me," she said. "I thought that I would extend the courtesy."

"You could have called."

"I did," Clara said. "They said you were completely out of it and they were monitoring you. I mean…this is just getting ridiculous."

"I know," Alex said, "and that is why I told the agent in my room and Mr Kim that I want no more to do with this. I'm going to hand myself in for what I did to Shales and then they have nothing."

"They have your family," Clara hissed at him, leaning forwards as Alex shook his head.

"Why would they hurt my family if I end up being useless to them?" Alex wondered.

"Because they can," Clara shrugged. "I thought that we had learned that these people don't need a reason to do what they do."

Alex shrugged. "I told them I would think on it anyway."

Clara felt herself tapping her foot nervously before she heard a cell begin to ring. Alex looked over to it, picking it up and placing it to his ear while Clara looked away, trying to give him some privacy. But she heard something in his tone change all of a sudden. There was fear in his voice as he pulled the clip from his fingertip and began to stand up. Clara wondered if he was about to collapse as she dared to stand up and watch him move.

He hung up and slammed his cell back down on the bedside cabinet.

"My son's been in an accident," Alex said with haste, searching for his holdall of items. "I need to go…go to Colorado."

"What has happened?" Clara asked as she saw sweat begin to form on his brow.

"Pam said it had been some kind of car accident…so I need to go…he's broken his leg."

"You've just been shot!" Clara yelled at him. "Alex, you cannot leave a hospital and get a flight. You're going to end up passing out…vomiting…you'll make yourself ill. Just listen to me and sit back down."

"He is my son, Clara," Alex seethed. "If you had any children then you'd understand."

He saw her begin to blink profusely before folding her arms over her stomach, her mac dangling over her arm as she looked around and Alex wondered if he saw her eyes begin to grow wet. Had he said something he wasn't supposed to? Had he insulted her somehow? He didn't know. He remained quietly packing before Clara sighed.

"I have a car in the car park," she said. "I rented one from the airport. I can drive you."

"Thank you," Alex said, his voice full of sincerity as Clara heard the nurse enter and begin to scold Alex as he finished readying himself. The nurse stood no chance of dissuading Alex as he pulled his suit jacket on over his white top.

"Agent Mahone, you cannot discharge yourself," the nurse continued to speak.

"My son has been injured," he responded. "I have no option but to go. Do you understand me?"

"You're going to pass out or make yourself worse…the stitches are fresh," she continued to protest, but Alex was already out of the door.

Clara followed him out, but she stood to look at the nurse before looking over to Alex. She looked over to him as he noticed she wasn't following him. He turned back around to watch her as she glanced back to the nurse.

"Is there any medication he needs?" Clara enquired from the nurse."Yeah, mainly pain relief."

"I'll be-"

Clara held a hand up to silence him as she went back to look to the nurse. "Can you just give us a prescription and then he can take them? I know this isn't ideal, but his son is in hospital."

The nurse regarded them with intrigue before sighing and nodding, motioning to the reception desk with her hand as Clara followed her and Alex remained stood where he was, watching as Clara spoke politely with the nurse and waited for the prescription. She took it and thanked the nurse before searching for the car keys in her bag, swapping the prescription for the keys.

"Let's go," Clara said and Alex nodded.

He was impatient as they took the lift down to the reception. Clara stood by the machine used to pay for car parking while Alex watched her.

"Just wait for me outside if you want," Clara said, noticing how he kept on sweating. He needed the fresh air.

He moved outside and onto the sidewalk, looking around before he saw him. The agent who had been in his room was now stood by a light blue sedan. He was looking quite smug, a small smirk on his face as he moved over to Alex. He folded his arms over his sharp suit as Alex watched him.

"A broken tibia…" he drawled and Alex felt red hot rage surge through his body as the man spoke. "It can cause a lot of problems for people in later life, especially for young kids."

"You bastard," Alex hissed.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "I just did what had to be done."

"You stay the hell away from my son."

"We would have done if you did not have that little wobble in there. How many times do we need to tell you that there is no way out of this, Alex? Surely you have to see that now…or do I need to tell you again? Or show you?"

"Do you think I'm going to let you get away with this?" Alex demanded from him. "You hurt my family and I will come after you."

"Alex, I've paid so let's…" the new voice trailed off as Clara appeared before them.

Alex didn't turn around, but he did feel a hand go to his arm. He felt her squeeze tightly onto his forearm before he turned around and looked down to her, but her eyes were set on the blond man before her. She looked terrified. All she could see was his face as he stood in front of her, the knife in his hands as he demanded her to tell the truth.

Alex moved quickly then, knowing exactly what was happening. He moved his arm further across Clara's body, trying to shield her from the man as he smiled in amusement.

"Clara," he spoke her name. "How good to see you again. Are you here to check on Alex? That's very sweet."

"Get away from me," Clara demanded and he held his hands up in defence.

"Don't worry, Clara, so long as you behave yourself then I'm under strict orders to stay away from you…from orders quite high up…seems you have some kind of guardian angel on your side."

"What are you on about?" Alex was the one to ask as Clara felt Alex's muscle flex under her grip and the blond haired agent shrugged.

"No idea," he said. "But consider this your warning, Alex…your son…your little Clara there…none of them are safe if you try and pull another stunt like you did."

"I get it," Alex told him. "Clara, go to the car."

"Why?" Clara whispered, but Mahone snatched his arm from her grip and turned to look down at her, his face now tinting red as she saw the anger continue to grow there and she knew she should do as he asked.

"Just go," he demanded from her once more and she scurried off, not daring to wait around as she moved into the car park across the road.

Unlocking the car, she climbed into the driver's side and sat and waited for Alex to make his appearance. She had no idea what he was doing. All she knew was that she received a text from him ten minutes later, telling her to go to the airport and wait for him there. She had no idea how he was going to make his way there, but she did as she had been told.

The sun was slowly setting over New Mexico and Clara waited outside of the airport, looking around for Alex as anxiousness took over her. What had he done to that man? Clara didn't know if she wanted to know. All she knew was that she felt relief when she saw him walk up the steps of the airport, now dressed in a shirt with no tie.

"What did you do?" Clara worried and Alex looked to her anxious face.

Holding his arm out towards her, he didn't touch her as he simply guided her back into the airport terminal.

"Sorted the problem. He won't be bothering you again."

Clara gulped. "Do I want to know?"

"I doubt it," Alex whispered. "Now I need to get a ticket and get back to Chicago."

Clara remained mute as Alex left her and headed to a travel agent who informed him that the final direct flight was the red eye back to Chicago, meaning they had a six hour wait in the airport. They went through the check in process and then sat in the departure lounge. Alex basically collapsed into his seat and Clara handed him a painkiller, telling him that he should get his prescription filled when they returned home.

They sat in the leather seats, peering out on the runway as they watched planes come and go down the runway. Their eyes remained set on it before Clara spoke, her voice small and a whisper.

"Your son," she said, "it wasn't an accident, was it?"

"No."

"Why else would you kill him?" Clara mumbled.

"He hurt my son," Alex said in a low voice, "and he also hurt you."

"Don't," Clara pleaded with him. "I don't want to talk about it, Alex."

"I know," Alex assured her.

"So what now?" Clara wondered. "You go back to your job and I go back to the hotel?"

"About right," Alex mumbled. "Although…I have to be honest with you, Clara…I might need to borrow the hotel room and get some rest. I'm not feeling too great and I don't want to go home. I hardly sleep there."

"You should go back to the hospital," Clara said.

"Just like you should have done?" he questioned her and Clara looked away as Alex chuckled. "We're both as stubborn as each other. How are your…well…" he trailed off as Clara shrugged.

"Fine," she said. "I keep taking pain medication…but…they'll never go away…and on my legs…dresses are nearly impossible unless I have tights."

Alex didn't know what to say. All he knew was that he could see the sorrow in her face, but she soon shook it off when she went back to looking at the planes on the runway and Alex did the same, folding his arms as he considered the state of the both of them.

"Thank you," he said out of nowhere, "for coming here. You didn't need to."

"I know," she said, "but I wanted to…we are friends…right?"

Alex didn't know how to respond to that. All he could do was offer her a nod as his hand dared to rest over hers, holding onto it tightly as she let him. The feeling of his warm, large hand engulfing hers was pleasant. No one ever touched her. Tom hardly touched her towards the end. She had never craved human contact, but she couldn't deny that it felt nice now that it was happening.

...

A/N: If anyone is reading then do leave me a review, it would mean a lot!