Groaning in pain, Clara moved her hand to her head the following morning as the curtains struggled to contain the breaking sun. Her hand rubbed the skin there as she kept her gaze on the ceiling, wondering if the room truly was spinning. She struggled to remember much from the night before; only that she had gotten so drunk with Lincoln that she could hardly remember where she was or what was happening.

Sitting up slowly, she saw that she was still in the long dress she had been wearing the day before. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around, half expecting to see her things strewn around the room, but there was nothing. Letting her brow furrow, she looked on before letting out a shriek in surprise, her hand going to her mouth as she saw Lincoln sat on the sofa, pieces of paper in his fingertips.

"Morning," he grunted to her. "There's coffee on the bedside table."

Clara looked over, seeing where the coffee was, steam rising over its top. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stretched her neck before grabbing the cup and draining the contents, not bothering to complain about the lack of sugar inside of the drink.

"Thanks," Clara said once she had drained half of the cup. "How…what happened last night?"

Lincoln chuckled, standing up and looking to her as his hands remained on his hips. "You remember nothing?"

"I remember drinking too much," Clara said. "I suspect that is why my head hurts so much. Please tell me I didn't do anything too embarrassing."

Keeping his tongue between his teeth, Lincoln shook his head at her, glancing down to the floor. "Nothing," he lied to her. "I just didn't think you should be alone for the night in case you ended up being ill so I brought you back here. Your bag is on the chair."

She nodded at that before standing up, finishing the coffee and glancing over to Lincoln as he moved to look out the window, still holding the pieces of paper. He said nothing as Clara moved by him, her hand going to touch his arm for a moment before she grabbed her bag.

"Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it," Lincoln urged her, watching her move towards the door and slip out of the suite.

He shook his head, keeping the informing to himself and wondering if she would remember. He had to drag her from the bar, his arm pulling at her waist as tears streamed down her face and she mumbled incoherent sentences, her voice shrill before turning to a whisper as she struggled to put sentences together. He had gotten the gist of what she had tried to say. Most of it revolved around Alexander Mahone.

…

Sitting in the bar later that afternoon, Clara had changed into something a bit smarter. She had a fitted grey dress on, but she had no option but to add tights with thanks to the scars on her back. She didn't complain about the heat, instead she suspected that she was sweating because of who she was about to meet. She had a cup of coffee in front of her as she emptied her fifth sachet of sugar into it.

Taking deep breaths, she waited for the woman to appear, hoping that she would come alone to begin with. It had been Agent Lang who had asked to meet her in the bar, but she had mentioned nothing about Agent Sullins. Clara folded one leg over the other, her hair tied back in a high ponytail.

"Miss Reynolds," her voice came from behind Clara.

Turning her head over her shoulder, Clara looked up to the woman who walked around her to take a seat across from her. Clara motioned to the coffee table.

"I ordered a pot of coffee," Clara said. "Alex told me that every FBI agent likes coffee."

"He would be correct," Agent Lang nodded, moving to pour herself a cup.

She was dressed in a smart grey pantsuit, her short cropped hair neatly brushed on top of her head. Her plump lips were pursed and her eyes were set on the woman sat across from her as she looked nervous, her brow beginning to sweat.

"I needed to talk to you before Agent Sullins got to you," Lang declared. "I know Alex isn't his biggest fan and the deal he is offering him is one of the best that he can hope for."

"So what is it?"

"Eight years in a St Louis jail," Lang said. "He needs to testify against The Company…whatever they are…and the government. If he does that then we wipe clean the homicide charges against him. If he doesn't accept the deal then he is looking at staying in Sona until his trial and beyond, considering the evidence is stacked against him."

Clara took in the information she was hearing from the man, her head nodding as it processed through her mind. She shrugged her shoulders as Lang watched her with intrigue, wondering if she was going to bring up Shales. Lang almost wanted her to, but a part of her wanted her to keep quiet. If she kept quiet then Lang would not have to do anything about it. Of course, she could always mention it.

"And that is it?" Clara wondered, choosing her words carefully.

"That is it," Lang confirmed.

"I thought that he was being investigated for something else too?" Clara said and Lang took a deep breath, standing up and taking her coffee cup with her.

Clara moved to follow her as Lang led her onto the balcony and away from prying eyes, the furthest point from the bar. She leant against the railing, sipping on her coffee as she spoke in a low voice.

"The evidence on Oscar Shales has proven to be inconclusive," Lang declared and Clara tried to remain calm, wondering if she should anything.

Should she tell the truth? Should she take the fall for it? She didn't know what to do. She had no idea what she needed to do. Instead she remained silent, her hand moving to take hold of the railing as she looked into the distance and Lang spoke in a hushed tone to her.

"I get it," she whispered. "I mean…I don't get it…but I have my suspicions."

"I don't know what to say," Clara mumbled and Lang shook her head, looking to the woman.

"I suggest you don't say anything," she told her. "Alex is in enough trouble as it is. Let's just focus on getting him to accept the deal when we visit him tomorrow? Okay?"

Nodding, Clara sipped on her coffee. "Why are you doing this?" Clara wondered from her. "I suspect you're not supposed to tell me about federal investigations."

Lang shrugged her shoulders at the question from the woman before turning on her heel and beginning to move towards the bar once again. "It's difficult not to have a soft spot for Alex."

Clara nodded, scoffing as she remained stood where she was. The woman wasn't wrong on that front at all.

…

The plan was slowly coming together, or so Alex thought. He had managed to calm himself, taking the drugs that Bagwell offered him. He knew it was the wrong thing to do, but he couldn't resist. He had been the first one out in the yard that morning, unable to sleep when he had seen the coffee cup fly in the breeze once the gates had been opened.

He picked it up in his hands before wandering over to Michael who was getting some water from the tap. He said how he was looking forward to finding out what Michael's plan was, but he had not been told what it was. Alex was being kept in the dark and he hated that. He hated not knowing, but he also knew that if Michael tried to betray him then he would make sure he had his revenge.

A new guy had been brought in while they had been talking and Alex had looked at him as he was beaten on the ground. Alex had shaken his head, holding the empty coffee cup in his grip as he walked past Michael and told him that he was ready to leave whenever he was.

Alex had gone to stand off at the side in the shade, keeping his head down as he observed things from afar. What he saw was the new guy looking at Michael and Whistler with intrigue and he wondered exactly what was going on. He said nothing for a few moments before wandering off to his cell and pacing, his mind once again going back to Clara.

"She'll never forgive," Alex complained when he was alone, his hands going to his hair and tugging on it as he thought of her and what he had said to her. Would she still be fighting for his release? Or had she caught the first plane back to the States?

He suspected that depended on what Sullins and Wheeler had uncovered. If they had found Shales then they might be able to piece things together. He didn't know exactly what to think anymore. He was quiet and contemplative, his mind then wandering off to Pam and he wondered what she was doing. She was probably picking Cameron up from school or something. Either way, she was better off without him sniffing around.

Alex didn't know what time Whistler came to his cell, whistling lowly and motioning to the corridor with his head.

"We need you," he said and Alex was all too eager to oblige, rushing into the corridor and wandering down the cells alongside Whistler. "We need you to act as a lookout."

"Why?" Alex wondered from him and Whistler kept his lips closed, unsure of whether or not Michael wanted the plan divulging. Alex seemed to accept the silence. "Got it."

Whistler let out a deep breath, feeling sorry for the guy. "Michael thinks there might be a blind spot between the two guards," he explained. "One is blinded by the sun and the other watches TV. We need to find out how long the gap is open for so we need to watch them, but we need you to keep an eye out and make sure no one sees us."

"And how do we get out?" Alex wondered as they came to the cell and Whistler walked in while Alex stayed in the doorway, his hand going to hold the metal next to the entrance.

"No idea," Whistler muttered.

Alex kept his gaze on the corridor while Whistler picked up the eye of a monoscope, peering out and looking at the guard. Alex stayed in his position for a while, making sure no one suspected anything as he watched with intrigue, occasionally letting out a sigh.

"So what's up with you, Mahone?" Whistler asked him, his voice low as he remained focused on the outside. "I mean, what are you going to do once you get out of here? I'd guess that you were a workaholic, right? Working for the FBI has to be intense?"

Alex gulped then and spoke, looking back to Whistler for a moment as he eyed the man with caution. "I'd imagine fishing has to be pretty intense. You smell of fish all the time…can't be easy."

"Prior to being locked up in here I had a lot of respect for the law," Whistler responded.

"You and me both," Alex mumbled.

"This guard has hardly moved in an hour," Whistler declared.

"You're probably not going to be able to get around him, anyway," Alex said, pacing in the entrance for a few seconds.

Another few minutes went by before Whistler spoke. "We probably might," he declared in a low voice, noticing how the sun began to shine in his face and he moved away.

He took that moment to throw the blue ball out of the cell and the guard didn't so much as make a move.

"I'm going to check on Michael," Alex declared, moving from the cell and wandering off down the corridor towards where Michael was in another cell.

He came to the outside area, bending slightly as the heat got to him. It was then when he spotted the new man. Walking by him, he hid in another direction before seeing that the man had followed him. Whoever he was, he was going to prove a problem for them and Alex didn't know why.

He waited until the man came back outside before making his move. He was scrawny with messy hair, his shirt having been taken from him along with his shoes. Alex moved to stand in front of him and he bumped into him. Alex heard him try to apologise for bumping into him, but he didn't. He told him to mind his own business, his voice harsh and demanding and Alex swore that if he didn't then they would have a problem further down the line.

He hoped that he had been threatening enough, but he didn't know if he had been. Alex wasn't entirely sure what he was like. He didn't know how long passed until the alarm sounded and he looked around, worry coursing through him that Michael had left without him. Alex had no option but to fall to the ground along with the other convicts, their hands behind their head as the guards entered, their guns aimed at anyone who dared to make a movement.

Alex saw Michael appear to the other side of him and relief course through him for a second before he saw the Colonel enter. His voice was loud and booming as it was declared that there was a rifle scope in the prison that had been aimed at the guard outside. Alex's brows furrowed as the guards rushed towards where they had seen the sight.

Alex knew exactly what had happened, but he kept silent. Letting the Colonel find the monoscope and then demand from Michael why he had it. Whistler stepped forwards then, claiming that he was the one with the device and that he had been watching birds. Alex saw him pull out a bird book and the Colonel seemed to be appeased before moving out.

Everyone began to stand again, going about their own business. Alex saw Michael begin to run off into the cells, but he followed him at a leisurely pace, knowing what had happened as soon as they came to the cell Michael had taken. It was locked. Moving to slam a fist against the bars, Michael shook his head.

"So what do we do now?" Alex wondered from him, pondering where Whistler had disappeared to since the guards had cleared out.

"We need to replace everything we lost," Michael declared, moving back to walk alongside Alex.

"Like what?" Alex asked of Michael, picking up another coffee cup that he found on their walk outside, unsure of why he did it and then thinking of the man he always saw drinking coffee when he entered the compound.

"We need a new exit point," Michael declared. "It's on the south side of the building."

Alex saw the new guy approaching them once more as they walked outside and he rolled his eyes, wondering if his warning hadn't gone down the way he had wanted it to. Keeping silent for a moment, Alex watched as the man came closer to him, clearly showing he wasn't being intimidated.

"Didn't I just warn you?" Alex wondered from him as he brushed by them.

It was only as Alex turned around did he see Whistler along with the new guy. He stood still for a moment, pointing to the fisherman and nodding his head profusely as he did so.

"I know you, don't I?" he said, but Whistler shrugged and shook his head.

"Don't think so."

"No, I do," the man continued and Alex arched an intrigued brow. "McFadden? Nice…in 1997?"

"No," Whistler said with a shake of his head.

"But you were with the ambassador," the man continued and Alex saw Whistler's demeanour change, his face turning sterner.

"You are mistaken," Whistler said, his voice signalling that was the end of the conversation before he moved to look at Alex and Michael, his shoulders shrugging as he pointed behind him to the retreating figure. "He must be losing it."

Alex said nothing, nor did Michael. Instead he was more focused on telling them what he had seen yesterday as he clutched onto the coffee cup in his fingertips.

"Come with me," Alex said, leading them inside once more and speaking to them in a hushed tone. "I know I don't observe things as well as you two, but I did see something."

Coming to the end of the corridor, they all looked outside as two guards made their way across no man's land. Michael commented how they were staring the day shift, but Alex urged them to keep on watching. It was then when the man dropped his cup from his grip and left it on the floor.

"If we get to the cup then we get to the man," Michael nodded.

"Everyone needs their fix," Alex said, "just probably with not as much sugar as…" he trailed off as he felt Michael and Whistler looking at him. Shaking his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose before wandering off, letting the two men watch him go.

…

"He refused the deal."

Clara had been holed up in a different hotel ever since she had agreed to confirm Alex's testimony. She had given her story to Agent Lang and Agent Sullins, informing them what Alex had told her. She told them everything. She told them what he had told her and what he had been forced to do. But then she told them what The Company had done to her.

She had stood up and tugged the zip down her dress, letting them look at the scars on her back. She heard Sullins swear under his breath while Lang looked away. They had asked why she didn't come forwards with this information, but she had said that they were threatening her ex if she told anyone.

But then Lang had gone off to speak to Alex, returning to the hotel room that Clara had been locked up in until she could testify. She was currently not facing jail time, but her testimony would back up Alex's and that was what they needed. He was the one who had committed the crime and he would be the one who had to serve the time. She remained silent as Lang shut the door and began to pace, her hands holding her head.

"Why would he refuse the deal?"

"I do not know," Clara said.

Lang had told her that it might be helpful if she were to join her and try to persuade him, but Clara had shaken her head, knowing that she had nothing to say to Alex right now. As he had been so keen to point out, he was a grown man who was able to make up his own mind.

"I am going back with Sullins this afternoon," Lang said. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us and try to talk to him?"

"Does he know that I have agreed to back up his story?"

"Yeah."

"Then I don't think I will be the one to persuade him," Clara said. "But…but just tell him…tell him…I'm not going to hold a grudge and that I want him to do the right thing."

Lang arched a brow at hearing that, folding her arms as Clara remained perched on the edge of the sofa. "When you said that you were seeing Alex to Wheeler…" she trailed off and Clara chuckled, standing up and folding her arms over her stomach as she paced the room.

"Not exactly the truth," she responded and Lang nodded before leaving the room.

Clara went back to sitting around, wondering if she had done the right thing. She also wondered if Alex would be reasoned with. If he thought that there was a chance of escaping with Michael then she doubted he would take the deal. She continued to alternate between pacing and sitting, her hands drumming against her thighs as she looked to the clock on the wall.

It was almost five p.m. They must have been to see him by now. They had to have been to see him. It was another half an hour before the door opened and Lang entered the room, a slim smile on her face as she nodded her head at Clara.

"He's in the room next door," Lang declared. "He's…he's asking to see you."

Letting out a long sigh, Clara moved with Lang out into the corridor and the room next door. Opening the door, Lang held it wide-open and allowed Clara to enter first. Looking over to him, Clara startled for a moment. He looked different to how he did in Sona. He had shaved and long gone were the dirty clothes.

He was dressed in a shirt and tie, tucked into his trousers and his hair was still damp on the top of his head. Clara saw Sullins stood on the other side of the room, his arms folded as he looked to Alex and then to Clara.

"What a lovely reunion," he said and Clara almost wanted to snap at him for the sarcastic comment, but she held her tongue as she looked away from Alex and he continued to stare at her. "Unfortunately the two of you cannot be left alone without either one of our supervision…just in case you admit anything or conspire together."

"I'll stay here," Lang said and Sullins nodded.

"I'm going to be honest, Alex," Sullins said. "I'm quite enjoying the role reversal here."

Lang looked off to the side then as Sullins continued to speak.

"I've managed to finalise a deal with the Panamanians," Sullins declared. "You're both going to stand there and state what happened in front of a special prosecutor. If he clears you then you're both coming with me back to the States. Alex, you're lucky I managed to get your sentence down to four years while Miss Reynolds over there…well…managed to get lucky."

"What does that mean?" Alex was the one to ask.

"Our investigation into Miss Reynolds has come to a closure," Sullins said. "Inconclusive evidence of her going anywhere near Oscar Shales…despite finding the gun she purchased and the footage of you two driving somewhere together."

"Sounds like useless evidence," Alex said and Sullins shook his head, moving to look at Clara as he went to the door, his face coming closer to hers as she did her best not to seem too anxious with his inquisitive nature.

"Lucky she has your back, huh, Alex?" Sullins spoke while Clara remained glancing away from him. "Someone has to."

Leaving the room, Clara let out a deep breath, wondering what was going to happen now. Instead she found herself beginning to shake as Alex moved towards her, but she held a hand up, stopping him from coming closer as she continued to look away from him.

His brow furrowed as he watched her. "I thought you said you didn't hold a grudge?" Alex said and Clara shook her head.

"That doesn't mean I'm not mad still," Clara informed him. "What you said to me…I mean…I know I was harsh back to you, but…"

"But what?" Alex asked and Clara was suddenly aware that Lang was still in the room with them. Looking over to her, he sent her a pleading look that asked her politely to leave, but she shook her head and offered him an apologetic glance.

"Clara, I know what I said was wrong," Alex said and Clara shrugged.

"But what if it was true?" she wondered, turning to look back to him as she stood by the window near the bed, looking outside of it. "What if you were right? Maybe that's why it hurt so much."

"What you told me was the truth and we both know that," Alex said in a low voice as Lang remained on the other side of the room, giving them both the privacy they needed. "I am addicted to drugs…and I can't stop…not now…but you…you're not lonely. You're just someone who has suffered."

"Yeah, well," Clara said in a whisper, "it doesn't matter now."

"It does matter," Alex told her, grabbing hold of her by the elbow as she tried to brush by him. Keeping her stood on the spot, his other hand went to wisps of her hair that had fallen from the ponytail as he pushed them behind her ear and he felt his voice begin to shake. "Because I'm not going to be able to make it through this…not like this…"

"What are you talking about?" Clara enquired from him.

"Look at me, Clara," he said in a low voice. "I'm a mess. I can hardly function or think straight…if this hearing doesn't happen tonight then I have no chance."

"What do you want me to do?" Clara wondered from him as his hand went to move to her cheek and he saw her close her eyes at the contact, his touch warm as he let his other move down her elbow to take her hand inside of his.

"I know how you feel, Clara," he said in a whisper as she inhaled a sharp breath at hearing him, her eyes remaining closed as she focused on the warmth of his fingertips. "I get it…you care for me…you care about me and I care about you…you know that."

"Alex-"

"-No, just listen to me," Alex interrupted her, sweat trickling down his forehead as he kept his hand tightly around hers and saw her mouth part slightly as his thumb roamed over her cheekbone. "You've been…you've been everything to me, Clara…all I can think about in that forsaken jail. All I can think of is you in there and I know that I am here because of you…"

"Because I want to help you," Clara said, managing to peer up to him as Alex nodded, his eyes flittering over her face.

"And I know that," he informed her. "And I am thankful for it…you know that, right?"

"I know," Clara said as she felt him move closer to her until his chest was brushing against hers and she felt him move to kiss her on the forehead, his lips light as Clara closed her eyes again, knowing just how wrong this was, especially with Lang just around the corner.

Alex couldn't begin to understand how she felt, mainly because she had no idea how she felt. All she knew was that, with his hand in hers, she felt better than she had done in a long time. She felt as though there was some kind of hope. She said nothing, instead relishing the feeling of his hand moving down her hair, running the length of her ponytail and stopping halfway down her back.

He kept on completing the motion as Clara remained still. She almost felt herself begin to feel content for a moment, but then he spoke. He spoke and she knew exactly what had happened. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. She couldn't believe that she had fallen for it.

"I just need you to get me a final fix…to get me to the end of this…"

Clara moved then, pushing him from her as she shook her head and turned away from him. Lang watched on as Alex moved after her, grabbing hold of her by the arm and hauling her back. She stepped forwards as Alex continued to grapple with Clara.

"Let her go, Alex," Lang demanded. "I'm not stupid. My brother was a user and I can see the signs even if I didn't hear what you said to her."

Alex almost looked ashamed as he released Clara and she tugged her arm from him, shaking her head as she looked to him, the tears in her eyes as Lang took a step back and Clara felt her hands begin to shake.

"I know what I am, Alex," Clara declared in a hiss. "I know I am lonely and washed up…and I know that what I feel for you will never ever develop because I can't let it and I don't know if I want it to…and the fact that you will never want someone like me is fine. You have Pam…but doing that…playing with my feelings to get a fix? Making me think…" she trailed off choking as she held her hands in the air and shook her head before backing away to the door as Lang watched her unlock it.

"Clara," Alex tried to get to stay, but she was too busy moving to unlock the door.

She glanced to Lang and spoke. "I will testify when you need me but then I want to go home," she said.

"No problem," Lang nodded as Alex spoke, his voice low.

"I just need help, Clara," he said, still trying to convince her. "Or I won't be able to do it."

"Don't," Lang was the one to speak, holding a hand up to silence Alex before glancing to Clara. "I'll come and get you when it's time."

Clara nodded before leaving the room and moving back to the suite next door, opening the door and locking it behind her. She went to sit on the sofa, pulling her legs up to her chin as she bent her head and let the tears finally flow once again.

…

Alex had been given the news that the testimony had been delayed until the following morning. He was shaking all of the time when Sullins came in to tell him, almost looking at him with a sense of pity. Alex had paced up and down the room after Lang had left him locked inside. She had told him that she was going to check on Clara while Alex waited.

When she returned, his hair was in a worse state than before and his tie was undone along with his top button. He was red and sweaty as he begged Sullins to make sure the hearing happened today. He had been snappish and Sullins had told Alex that he should be a bit more grateful before demanding for Lang to cuff Alex for his behaviour.

She had done it and Alex had looked her in the eye, nerves getting the better of him.

"I can't wait," he said in a low voice. "I can't wait."

"I'm sorry," was all that Lang offered him. "I can't do anything for you, Alex."

"Clara," Alex said with a deep breath. "I need to see her."

Shaking her head, Lang backed away as Alex sat at the end of the bed. "Not an option, Alex. She…I think she made it perfectly clear how she felt about you."

"I know," Alex said, "and I need to apologise to her."

"You can apologise to her tomorrow-"

"-No," Alex said with a shake of his head. "I can't wait…I need her to know…I need to tell her."

"No," Lang said with a firm shake of her head. "I am not bringing her back in here for you to apologise and beg for her to get you drugs. Did you not see what you did to her, Alex?"

"I saw," Alex said with a small wince. "I saw…"

"Then leave her alone," Lang said before moving to the door. "I'll be back in the morning, Alex. I suggest you try to get some sleep."

...

A/N: Thanks to Guest for the latest review! If anyone is reading then do let me know what you think! Update again soon!