A part of him was wondering if he had been too hasty in what he had said to Clara. As he sat in the tiny interview room, his mind went back to her. He didn't know if she was alive. He didn't know if she was dead. He knew nothing. All he knew what that as soon as he had entered the hospital, he had let himself get caught. The two FBI agents had noticed him as soon as he had begun pacing around the waiting room. He had drawn attention to himself and he knew that was the wrong move.

He knew that he was going to be caught. The FBI had eyes on the lookout for them everywhere. All it had taken was one cop to notice Alex, recognise his face from some poster and then call the FBI. Alex could have run away. He could have left the hospital as soon as he had noticed that the cop had noticed him, but he couldn't go. He wanted to stay there in case he heard anything about Clara. He had let her down too many times before and he wasn't going to do it again.

But now, as he sat in the small interview room, he wished that there had been some news. He had begged the FBI agents to tell him if she was alive, but they said they didn't know and wouldn't find out until he told them the truth. The only problem was that Alex was telling them the truth. He was telling them everything, but they didn't believe him. He had remained seated in the room, his hands cuffed and his fingers drumming on the surface of the table.

Why did he tell Clara that he loved her? Did he do it out of pity? Did he do it because he truly meant it? Alex didn't entirely know and he didn't want to think into it too deeply. He suspected he was being truthful. People often spoke the truth when they were in situations of life and death…didn't they? Of course, he also knew that you told people who were in life and death situations words that they wanted to hear.

His feelings for Clara were genuine. He knew that after everything they had been through. But then he thought about Pam. He loved Pam and he knew that he loved Pam. He would do anything for her. He would do anything to keep her safe and protect her. The only issue was, he would do that for Clara too. He knew it and he knew that he was being honest with himself. Was it possible to love two people at the same time? Was he being truthful? Alex didn't know and he suspected none of it would matter if she didn't pull through.

He only wondered what Michael and Lincoln were doing. Had they found Scylla? Was there a way for this madness to end? Alex could only wish that to be the case.

…

She knew that she had let her down. She knew that she had disappointed her. She knew that she had done everything wrong. She wanted to make it right, but she didn't know how to. She had been shocked when she had received the phone call from the hospital, wondering why they had contacted her. It turned out it was quite simple why they had done it. She was her only relative. She was the only one, except for her uncle, who was still alive.

Bowing her head as she sat by the bed, she clasped her hands together, her fingers lacing together. The soft beeping of the machine was the only noise in the room. There was nothing else and the silence was surprisingly calming. Moving a hand towards her, she let her hand engulf her arm as she leant closer to her.

"Don't give up on me," she whispered in a soft voice. "Please…I know that I messed up, Clara. I know that I messed up, but I didn't know what he was like. I didn't know what he had done to you…your parents…I never knew…"

She felt tears form in her eyes and she moved her free hand to the corner of them, wiping the moisture away before it could ruin her mascara. She took a moment before squeezing on Clara's arm, holding it tightly. It was another minute before she moved to her feet and looked to the TV through the glass of the room that she could see in the corridor.

Noticing the familiar face of her father on the TV, she squinted and managed to read the headline before nodding her head. He was being led into the back of a cop car, his head being forced down and a small smile formed on her lips. He had been found out. Everything was out in the open now and it was almost a feeling of relief. She wondered if they would come for her, but she didn't dwell on it. Instead she thought about Scylla being gone. Was it gone? She assumed the FBI must have gotten hold of it for her father to be arrested.

Shaking her head slowly, she turned around and moved back to the chair she had been sat on. She leaned over to take hold of Clara's hand again.

"I think that it is all over," she whispered to her. "Come on, Clara, I think it is over."

…

Alex didn't know how Michael had done it, but he had done it. He had been freed from the FBI room and given another chance at a life. He had been given immunity for everything that had happened. He had been given a second chance and he didn't know how to process that as he caught a lift to the hospital. Michael, Lincoln and Sara had joined him, wandering into the hospital and towards the ward where Clara was.

Looking into the room through the glass in the corridor, Alex saw her laid in the bed, tubes sticking out of her mouth and wires connected to her wrist. By her bedside sat a woman in the chair, holding onto her hand tightly. She had her head bowed as Alex walked into the room and she turned around. Michael, Lincoln and Sara remained in the corridor.

"Lisa," Alex said, recognising her.

Her cheeks were red and puffy while tears ran down her eyes. She moved to her feet and turned to look at him, but he held his hand up to her.

"Don't," she urged from him. "Sit down…it's fine…"

"Why would you let me be here?" she wondered from him. "After everything…you…shouldn't want me here."

"She doesn't hate you," Alex said with a shake of his head, moving closer to the bed and looking down to Clara as Lisa resumed holding her hand. "She was angry with you for what you did, but she doesn't hate you. She knows that you didn't know what he was like, not really."

"She has every right to be angry with me," Lisa said, sniffing loudly as Alex perched on the end of the bed on the other side, his hand going to Clara's free one. "I am her cousin. I should have done more for her after everything that happened. I should have done so much more and now…now she's here…"

"She is here because of your father, not because of you," Alex said, unsure why he was being so calm. How was he being so calm? That was the main question. "She…I do not condone you being a part of all of this, but not for one moment do I think that you were the main instigator."

"Thank you," she managed to whimper out. "I…well…I had images of you telling me to leave."

"No," Alex said with a shake of his head. "Anyway, have the doctors said anything?"

"Just…she…she lost a lot of blood…" Lisa said, clearly struggling to talk. "They don't know if they can wake her up…there was internal damage…she…I don't know…I just don't know."

"But in time, she will heal, right?" Alex demanded to know.

"I don't know," was all that Lisa could say and Alex shook his head.

He moved to his feet, squeezing Clara's hand before resting it on the bed. He moved off from the room and into the corridor in time to see a doctor walking down the corridor. Waving his hand in the woman's direction, he gained her attention.

"I…I need to know what is happening," Alex said with haste to her, pointing to Clara's room. "I just got here and I don't know what is happening with her."

"Ms Reynolds," the woman nodded her head and looked into the room. "She is currently on life support. She's lost a lot of blood and was in surgery for a long time. She…I…are you her husband?"

"No, her partner," Alex said, feeling the presence of Michael, Lincoln and Sara behind him. "I just need to know if she is going to be alright. She is going to wake up, isn't she? She needs to wake up because I need her to come home…I need to take her home…"

The doctor looked at him and Alex almost knew what she was going to tell him. Moving his hands to his hair, he tugged on lumps of it, spinning on his heel before he looked through the glass and to Clara. Sara looked to the doctor and spoke to her in a hushed tone.

"She was shot," Sara said to the woman. "I'm a doctor and I understand…but…she…I need her to be fine. I just need you to tell me."

The doctor gave Sara a knowing look. Sara knew how it felt to do her job. She hated it. She detested it. After a moment she nodded her head.

"She is in a critical condition," the woman said. "She is not breathing on her own. At the moment, that machine is the only thing keeping her alive. We do not know if that will change. We cannot predict what might happen, but…but the damage internally was extensive. Ms Reynolds…I think…I think the best thing that you can do for her right now, is just to be with her."

It was after she had said that when Alex banged his fist against the wall next to the glass, his forehead coming to rest on the surface as he closed his eyes. Lincoln moved a hand to his shoulder, holding onto it tightly as Alex spun around and looked to the doctor, shaking his head.

"There has to be something you can do," he snapped at her, his voice harsh. "You have to be able to do something!"

"Alex, they have done everything they can," Michael was the one to speak. "She is in the best place now."

"No," Alex said with a shake of his head. "She shouldn't even be here!"

Pointing into her room, Alex continued to yell, his voice shaking and sweat forming on his forehead.

"She should not be here. She is innocent…she never did anything wrong…yet…she has had nothing but bad things happen to her…and she didn't deserve it. She never deserved any of this. She is the only good thing in all of this mess. She needs to get better. She needs to pull through."

"Alex," Lincoln said, grabbing his shoulder and stopping him from losing control any further.

Alex shook his head as the doctor nodded.

"I'm sorry," was all that she could offer him. "I'm truly sorry."

Alex said nothing further as the doctor nodded her head at them and walked off. The four of them remained in the corridor, peering into the room where Lisa was still sat.

"I'm going to kill Bagwell," Alex seethed.

"He's in custody," Lincoln said. "He is going to rot in jail for the rest of his days. Clara is the one who needs you right now, Alex. She is the one who needs you to be with her. Go back in there…just go and be with her and leave Bagwell to rot."

Alex wasn't appeased, but he knew that it made sense. He walked into the room and sat back on the end of the bed. Michael, Sara and Lincoln filed in after him and took the seats in the corner of the room. Lincoln remained stood up, as there were only two seats, their eyes on Clara as the room remained silent. They all vowed to stay there for as long as they had to, knowing full well that they couldn't leave her.

As Alex kept his lips on the back of Clara's hand, he closed his eyes while he bowed his head.

"Come on, Clara," he whispered against her skin. "I need you."

She didn't respond. Instead she remained stoic on the bed and Alex wondered about the last time she had spoken to him. He didn't know if he could handle that being the last time. He closed his eyes again and felt a tear run down his cheek, knowing that he needed her more than he cared to admit.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!