Clara had kept her distance from Alex ever since the night she had been hauled in for questioning by Agent Wheeler. Three days had passed and she had heard nothing further. She had checked out of the hotel and gone home and Alex had done the same. He had told Clara over the phone that there was no reason to worry, but he knew that wouldn't appease her. He had suggested she should go and see someone, but she had scoffed and shook her head.
Back at home; Clara did everything in her power to stay out of the house. She went back to work, dosed up on painkillers as the cuts slowly began to knit together, the skin paling as they did so. Clara had heard over the news that another convict had been captured after turning himself in for his daughter's sake. She had been ill and needed life saving medicine.
Burying her head into her hands at the news, she closed her eyes. The man had turned himself in for his daughter. How did a man like that end up in jail? A man who cared for his family? She didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't imagine how Alex was coping with the idea of having to kill him. She almost picked up her cell and told him not to do it. She wanted to beg with him not to do it, but then she put the phone back on the coffee table.
She didn't need to get involved in his business. They had told her to stay out of the way and that was what she intended to do. She intended to keep away from him.
She had heard on the news that another convict had committed suicide; the footage was shown of him stood on top of some tower, Alex next to him. Clara wondered if he had anything to do with that or if he had tried to talk the man down. Biting down on her bottom lip, she had turned the TV off and gone back to marking papers, her legs crossed as she sat on the floor and the coffee table acted as her desk.
It was a Wednesday evening when she heard her cell begin to ring. Looking down at the caller, she rejected the call. She didn't want to deal with small talk down the phone. She had received the invitation to her uncle's birthday over in LA the other week, but she had yet to RSVP. No doubt her cousin was trying to get her answer for numbers. A part of her wanted to go, if not only to escape Chicago for a little while. But she had never been close to her uncle. Her dad's brother worked in a company to do with business. She never asked for the specifics after the one time she did, she didn't understand what he said.
Standing up after rejecting the call, Clara wandered into the kitchen, pulling out a chilled bottle of white wine and unscrewing the lid. She took hold of the wine glass from the glass cabinet, checking it for smears before pouring the liquid. She knew she wasn't supposed to drink while on strong pain medication and sleeping tablets.
Sipping on the liquid, Clara took a few moments to think before she rolled her eyes and reached for her cell. She picked it up, holding it in her hands before she redialled the number that had just called her. Perhaps a weekend in LA wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to her.
…
The idea of killing Franklin didn't sit well with Alex. The thought of sending the rope to his cell and threatening his family made him feel ill. He had vomited that evening, knowing that we had had done had been wrong But then Franklin had told Mahone about the secret website that they used to contact each other.
The information had come in handy, but Alex had yet to use it. And then the news had come in that Fernando Sucre was almost in their grip. Alex was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He had been almost happy at the thought of this all ending. Brad Bellick had tried to claim reward money for helping find Haywire, but Alex had dismissed him, telling him that he was lucky he wasn't sending his arse back to Fox River. But then he had sent Bellick to Mexico to find Sucre. It was enough to get him out of his sight.
He had even come close to finding out more about Burrows and Scofield. Apparently The Company had sent some men to try and lure them out in the city, but it hadn't worked and they had escaped. But the men had tried to meet with someone from the Attorney General's office. It was then when Alex knew. He knew without a shadow of doubt that they were innocent. Kim had confirmed it, but Alex had slowly felt himself change.
The President's visit to Chicago meant that the brothers might try something. He didn't know for certain if they would try something, but he suspected they might. The more digging he did, he realised that they had to be close. They had to be watching. They had told the man from The Company to meet them at a specific point. It was then when Alex realised that they were definitely watching.
…
Clara had her tickets booked for a flight to LA. She left Friday night straight after college and returned Sunday evening. It was Thursday evening and she was packing, preparing to take her suitcase with her to work the following day. But before she could finish packing, she needed to find an outfit to wear. She needed something long and that covered her back completely.
She had clothes strewn all over her room, her TV turned on and showing the news. The President was making some kind of speech in Chicago, but Clara barely had any interest in that. To her, the woman was a fraud and a fake. She didn't know if she was involved in her brother's business, but Clara had a feeling that she might be. And if she was then she knew that Burrows was innocent.
Rolling her eyes, Clara shook her head and slipped into the next dress, pulling it over her body and checking her reflection in the mirror. Her hands going to the material and tugging at it, flattening it as she tried to see how it looked. All she could see was how ridiculous she looked. The black material was too clingy and Clara swore it dipped slightly too low to reveal too much of her back. Turning around, she looked at her reflection in the mirror for a moment before seeing that the dress hid everything.
Settling on wearing that gown, she began to reach for the zip at the back, but she failed miserably as she heard a knock on the door. She froze for a moment, worry coursing through her veins as she let the banging noise echo through the house. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the door, her eyes widening once she opened the wood and saw a familiar looking face stood there, his hands holding his badge in his fingertips.
"Miss Reynolds," he said.
"What is it this time?" Clara complained as she saw Agent Wheeler flash her a cocky smirk.
"I need to take you in for questioning."
…
Holding Tancredi prisoner in the hotel room hadn't been difficult. Alex had found her hiding underneath the bed, but she didn't know the first rule of trying to escape. You never leave the room until you are certain that someone is gone. She was sat on the edge of the sofa while Alex stood by the window, peering down onto the street. It was the perfect vantage point.
"When did they leave?" he demanded from Sara. "Five or ten minutes ago?"
"They were not here," Sara said, clutching her bag in her lap.
Alex pointed at her. "I know they were here, but where did they go?"
Sara remained mute for a few moments, thinking of the best answer to give to him. "I don't know."
"You do know."
"Michael decided it was for the best for me not to know," Sara responded. "And…I couldn't take this anymore…"
Alex turned around, sitting on the ledge of the windowsill as he waved a dismissive hand, his eyes scrutinising Sara. She was doing her best not to crumble under his hard stare, knowing that she had to stay strong for Michael's sake. Michael was the one who needed her now.
"So it is over?" Alex asked of her. "Just like that?"
"Yeah," Sara said.
Alex shook his head, his hands still failing around his body. "It was over when you went to New Mexico to meet him, wasn't it? And wasn't it over when you met him at the train station, too? Oh, and then there is today…when you checked in here and he was with you."
His voice was verging on shouting towards the end as Sara remained calm and controlled, refusing to show him any sign of fear.
"I don't care if you believe me," she spoke as Alex continued speaking at the same time.
"So what? No phone call…nothing…no secret meeting?"
"Here," Sara said, slamming her cell on the table in front of her, but Alex shook his head again, pointing to her.
"Do not lie to me," he warned her, turning to go back and look out the window, quickly texting Lang and telling her to get to the hotel.
"I am not lying," Sara whispered. "Michael knows it is over…I couldn't do this…I couldn't go through with it. I really do not care if you don't believe me, but you should know that not everyone wants a life like this."
Alex furrowed his brow, still looking outside. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I don't see that woman with you," Sara looked around, emphasizing her point as Alex closed his eyes, knowing exactly who she was talking about. "Clara, wasn't it?"
"She's…" Alex trailed off, shaking his head. "Don't mention her name."
"Why?" Sara wondered from him. "I saw her that day. Michael told me why she was with you. He told me what she had done to that man on the run."
Alex turned around then, moving with haste closer to Sara as she sat up straight, unable to believe what she was seeing from him. She swore he was on the verge of some kind of break down as he once again pointed to her.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Alex told her. "She did nothing."
"Perhaps not," Sara said, "but I know, okay? I also know that she isn't like you. She believes Michael. She let us escape that day."
Grinding his teeth together at hearing that, Alex knew she had let them escape. He knew full well that she probably couldn't have stopped them, but she had done nothing to keep them where they were. Alex reached into his pocket for his pen as Sara's brow furrowed.
"What are they?" she asked as he swallowed them whole.
"Want one?" Alex muttered, throwing a pill in her direction.
Sara took hold of it, looking at it for a moment before whispering; "Benzodiazepine," she spoke in a low voice as Alex shrugged and she glanced back across to him. "They're some pretty strong tranquilizers."
"Yeah," Alex agreed with her.
"It explains why you look terrible," Sara said. "How often do you take them?"
"Every day."
"Someone only takes them because they've got a lot of problems," Sara said.
Turning away from the window again, she saw how his face had reddened and his hair was a mess around his face. He nodded his head, his eyes holding some form of a far away look to them as he spoke in a low voice.
"I do," he admitted. "But I take them and it gives me some peace."
"And that's why you started, right?" she asked of him. "It's nice to have the peace and quiet, isn't it? But that's when you started…now…I'd guess it's because of the headaches and struggling to sleep. But you know that one day you're going to destroy yourself."
"One day I might," Alex said and it almost sounded as if that was what he wanted.
Shaking his head back and forth, he did his best not to sound too worried about that possibility.
"Does anyone else know?" Sara asked of him.
"Only one person," he admitted. "She spotted it like you did, but I told her I wasn't addicted to them…but…I think she knows the truth…she's not stupid."
"Clara?" Sara guessed, nodding her head. "She seems like a smart girl."
"She is." Alex admitted. "PhD and everything."
"Wow," Sara said, unsure of what they were doing, but it was better than having Alex wave his gun at her. She didn't want that. She wanted him to admit that he was wrong in what he was doing, but she knew what Clara had told them. He was being threatened.
"Didn't stop her from getting hurt," Alex mumbled and Sara leant further forward then, hands clasping together as Alex sunk down to the floor, resting against the floor as Sara watched him with intrigue.
"She's…what is she to you?" Sara dared to wonder. "Michael told me about your ex wife."
"She's…" Alex paused, picking his words carefully. "She's the only one who understands."
"Because you did it together?" Sara asked. "Was it after then when you started taking those things? I'd imagine if you're on those then she's on something pretty similar."
Alex shook his head. "She doesn't use," he said. "She takes sleeping pills sometimes."
"They can be just as dangerous," Sara declared. "She seemed like a good person and I don't blame her for wanting revenge. I don't blame her for wanting to kill the person who…who did that to her sister…"
"So if you know the truth," Alex said in a drawl, "why didn't Michael say anything about her in that tape he sent to every news station in the country?"
Sara shrugged then. "I don't know."
"You should know," Alex said, "because, I got to tell you, Dr Tancredi…I sure was glad."
Sara's eyes widened then. "You…you're relieved about that?"
He chuckled, brow arching as he raked a hand through his hair. "Shocked?" he asked from her. "Yeah, everyone seems to be shocked when I do something nice."
Saying nothing more, Sara could only look on in wonder at what he was hearing. Perhaps the man in front of her wasn't the monster he was made out to be. She knew full well that Michael would never forgive him for killing his father. She couldn't blame him for that. But there was something deeper to the man in front of her.
She had no option to ask him any further questions as she heard the phone on the table begin to ring. They both looked at it for a second before they moved with haste, scrambling towards it. Sara reached for it, but she missed as Alex pulled it from the table. Sara let him get the phone, but she rushed to the table where he had placed his gun. She took hold of it, aiming it at him.
Alex kept hold of the phone as it continued to ring, but then he saw the gun being pointed at him.
"Give me the phone," she demanded from him.
Sighing, he shook his head. "You don't want to do this."
"I think I do," Sara said, snatching the phone from his fingertips before backing out the room and rushing off.
Alex remained calm and collected, moving to his feet as he reached for his own cell, calling Lang.
"You got her?" he asked, hoping she was in the hotel by now.
"Got her," she said, "but listen, Alex, there's something that I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Alex enquired.
"Wheeler dragged…Clara…back to the field office," Lang said. "I don't know why, but he says there's something going on."
He resisted the urge to swear at that, instead demanding for Lang to follow Sara before he headed back to the office.
…
Pulling into the office, Alex heard from Lang how Sara had been captured, but she hadn't told them where Burrows and Scofield were. Alex hit the steering wheel at that news before climbing out of his car and locking it, anger still coursing through him. He suspected that feeling was only going to deepen once he saw Wheeler.
Storming into the office, Alex looked around and people got out of his way pretty fast. He let his feet hit the ground with haste before he saw her. Wheeler had his hand around her forearm, her hands behind her back and cuffed. Frowning, Alex came to stand before him before looking him in the eye, gaze harsh.
"What is this?" Alex demanded. "Did Sullins demand for you to arrest her?"
"Maybe," Wheeler said as Clara remained silent.
"He just came to my house and told me I needed to come in for questioning," Clara said to Alex.
"But then she got violent so I had no other option but to cuff her," Wheeler shrugged and Clara rolled her eyes as Alex took her other arm, pulling her from Wheeler's grip and hauling her towards him, her side pressed against his front.
"I thought that we dealt with all of this earlier?" Alex said. "So what? You're going over my head and…doing what? Arresting everyone I've been associated with? I'll tell you what, Wheeler, I'll give Pam a call, shall I? Ask her to come down? Or what about the woman who served me coffee this morning?"
Wheeler resisted the urge to roll his eyes at what he was hearing. He said nothing for a moment as the office emptied out at the sound of Mahone's angry tone. No one liked being around the agent when he was in a volatile mood.
"Sullins has been looking into your whereabouts," Wheeler admitted. "He found out you went to New Mexico, but then he found out that your little girlfriend here went with you."
"Excuse me," Clara said, agitation in her voice. "I have a name."
"So what?" Alex asked as both agents ignored Clara. "She came with me to New Mexico."
"We assume it was on federal business?" Wheeler said. "What the hell were you doing down there, Alex? And why the hell did you bring her with you?"
Shaking her head slowly, Clara wondered how he was going to wiggle out of this mess. But he didn't need to do anything. He was the one in charge. He was the one who called the shots around the office. He moved his hand out to Wheeler expectantly.
"Give me the key and I'll uncuff her," Alex said. "I went to New Mexico because I thought I had a lead on Scofield. I didn't. Clara came with me and stayed in a hotel."
"Why?"
"Do I need to explain myself to you?" Alex demanded, stepping closer towards Wheeler as Clara remained stood still and agitated. "No, I don't. I don't need to explain anything about my private life to you. If you are questioning my role in this office then I suggest you back off."
Wheeler remained silent for a second. "I need to question her."
"Why?" Clara snapped. "What is it? You want details of what we got up to? Or maybe I can give you the hotel room number?"
"I know there is something going on and so does Sullins," Wheeler said, his eyes set on Alex as he seemed to look at him with some form of knowing. It was as if he knew everything Alex had done. He didn't know if that was true. He only hoped it wasn't.
"You know nothing," Alex said in a low voice. "Now, give me the key to uncuff her."
"This isn't over, Alex."
"I think it is." Alex said as Wheeler handed him the key and went to remove the handcuffs from Clara's wrists.
Wheeler avoided looking at Alex then, praying to God that the agent didn't know anything more. He had been to see Franklin who had told him everything. It was then when he had told Sullins how Mahone had demanded that Franklin took his own life. Sullins was convinced that Wheeler needed to look deeper into everything. There was Shales, to begin with, and then there was this strange link with Clara Reynolds.
Wheeler was convinced that if he could break Clara down then he could have it all. He knew that Alex confided in her. He had to have confided in her to go to New Mexico. It was all too much of a coincidence for it not to be a plan.
"Come on," Alex said, grabbing hold of Clara by the hand and leading her out of the head office.
She felt ridiculous, dressed in her evening gown and flat shoes. Her hair flowed behind her shoulders as she let Alex lead her outside to the car park where the rental cars were parked. She said nothing further, choosing to keep silent as Alex kept her hand tightly inside of his.
"What did he ask you?" Alex asked of Clara once they were sat in his car and away from prying ears.
She moved her hands to her wrists, massaging them slowly. "He wanted to know why I was in New Mexico," Clara spoke. "He thinks that I know something about the escaped convicts and what has been happening to them. I don't know…I mean…I said nothing. I said that I just went to New Mexico with you because we saw it as a getaway. I don't think he believed it."
"I don't think he did either," Alex responded and Clara shrugged.
"I didn't know what else to say," she informed him. "He's digging, Alex. He's digging and if he keeps on digging then he's going to find out. He's going to find out what…what is going on…"
"No," Alex shook his head at her. "He's not going to find anything out…"
"He is," Clara said, shaking her head back and forth. "Because he is not going to let this drop. He brought up Shales again. He keeps talking about him."
"You need to calm down," Alex demanded of her, moving his hand back to take hold of her by the hand, his fingers once again holding tightly onto hers. "Clara, they're not going to find anything out about you."
"I don't care about me," Clara said with a shake of her head. "Alex, I'm scared for you, don't you get it?"
Shaking his head, he gulped as he felt Clara move in her seat, angling her body towards him as her hand went to take hold of his other arm. She looked him in the eye as Alex wondered what the hell was happening as she bowed her head.
"Let me take the fall for Shales," she whispered.
"No," Alex said firmly.
"I'm serious," she said to him. "If Wheeler continues with this then The Company can't stop him, can they? He has Internal Affairs on his side. Just listen to me, Alex…if they end up prosecuting you for the convicts then they have no proof and we both know that. But if they find the body in your back yard then they will know. That will be all the proof they need."
"And do you think they would believe you?" Alex wondered of her. "He is in my back yard, Clara."
"I'll say that you were out on business," Clara shrugged, "that I panicked and didn't know where to go."
"Don't be ridiculous," he told her and felt the grip on his arm tighten. "They'd never fall for it."
"They'd have no choice," she responded in a low voice. "I can't let you take the fall for something that I should have done and that is the end of it. If they keep on digging then I'll do it, Alex. I'll just hand myself in…fuck The Company."
"I won't let you," he said, his voice determined, "and that is the end of it. Now put your seatbelt on. I'm taking you home and you're going to forget this foolish plan of yours. Do you understand me?"
"No," Clara mumbled, releasing him from her grip as she put her seatbelt on. "But you can drive me home."
Alex felt his teeth grind together at the woman's stubbornness. He remained silent as he started the car and begun to drive her back home. It was only as he glanced over to her did he let his brow furrow at the sight of her. He let his eyes move down her body, taking in the black evening gown she wore as she stared out the window.
"Did Wheeler interrupt a date or something?" he mumbled, waving with one hand to the dress.
She looked down to her lap, pulling at the gown from her stomach. "No chance of that happening," she informed him. "I'm supposed to be flying out to LA on Friday night. It's my uncle's sixtieth birthday party and I said I would go. I don't know why…I hate parties."
"Hmm," was all Alex could grunt out in response.
"I might not bother going," Clara continued to speak. "I don't want the FBI Internal Affairs to think I'm fleeing from something."
"They're not going to bother you again."
"You promised that last time," Clara reminded him. "And he hauled me in…plus he cuffed me, the jumped up bastard."
Alex chuckled at hearing that. "Why did he cuff you?"
"Because I told him that I wouldn't go with him," she shrugged at Alex. "I went back into the house and he grabbed my arm. I sort of freaked out and started to hit at him. I didn't…well…I remembered the last time someone had grabbed me in my own house."
Nodding, Alex seemed to understand what she was saying as he took a left turn.
"So what do we do?" Clara asked and Alex wondered why she always felt the need to talk. "Do we just go on as if nothing has happened?"
"For the time being," Alex nodded. "Sullins won't find anything concrete on me for a while…if at all."
"And if he does?" Clara wondered of him.
"Then I'm…I don't know," Alex admitted to her. "For the time being I'm going home and I'm going to try and find out where Scofield could have gotten to."
"Did he escape?" Clara wondered and Alex nodded.
"Once again," he spoke in a defeated tone.
They lapsed into silence then before Alex pulled up outside of her house. Taking the key out the ignition, he rested it in his fingertips in his lap before speaking.
"Go to LA," he urged Clara before she left the vehicle. "Get away from all of this for a weekend. It won't hurt."
"I guess not," Clara said. "Just promise me that you'll stay in touch, okay? If anything happens…or…or if Wheeler comes and decides to drag me in."
"Will do," Alex assured her, watching as she moved tentatively then, her hand going to give his arm one final squeeze before she left the car and made her way up to her house.
Alex watched her go, unable to take his eyes from her form in the black dress. He knew it was only a matter of time now. Sullins would be onto him in less than two weeks, he suspected. He had two weeks to find a way out of this mess.
...
A/N: If anyone is reading then please do let me know what you think!