Lots of unanswered questions from the last two chapters, but I promise answers will come soon :)

Hope you guys are still enjoying this! Thanks for all the reviews :D

X X X X

Sara's POV

"I cannot believe you didn't tell me."

"How could I?" She throws her hands up. "Sara, I don't want to leave you in here any more than you want me to go, but…"

"It's not that." I interrupt before I even realise I'm doing it. A look of hurt flashes through her eyes and I swallow hard, dropping onto my bed. "Catherine, why did you let me get so close to you if you knew your parole was coming up?"

I am aware of how selfish I must sound, but right now I don't really care. I would rather have lived with a distance between us for several months than to let my guard down only to have her ripped away from me after a matter of weeks.

"I don't know." She shrugs, throwing her hands up again. "I like you. I wanted to get to know you." She joins me on the bed and interlocks our hands together loosely. "I wanted to help you."

"You … you did." I manage to say, turning my head away. "It's just …"

When I trail off, she places one finger under my chin and lifts it gently.

"I've never trusted anyone before. And I trust you." I admit shyly. "And now I'm never going to see you again and that hurts."

"Who says you'll never see me again?" She challenges, somewhat affronted.

I scoff, sending a sceptical glance in her direction.

"What? Are you really going to come and visit me?"

"Sure." She shrugs nonchalantly.

"No you won't." I counter firmly. "You're going to go out, move back home with your family and start to rebuild your life." I sigh miserably. "And I really hope you do."

She smiles sadly, tears building in her blue eyes.

"Sara …"

"No." I state, leaning forwards to peck her lips. The action causes me to wince and she smiles apologetically, reaching up to cup my bruised face.

"I love you." She whispers.

For a moment I think I've misheard her, when she leans closer and kisses my cheek, letting her lips linger for a moment longer than necessary.

"I'm going to miss you." I murmur, dropping my gaze.

X x x

Cath's POV

Her quiet confession isn't exactly the response I was hoping for, but it's a start and it still makes me smile.

"I know." I reply, pulling her against me into a tight hug. Her body is still tender from the injuries inflicted on her yesterday, but she allows me to cling to her a little longer.

A heavy weight settles on my heart. I have never felt as close to her as I do right now, but it is a bittersweet feeling because we both know that this is probably the last time we will share a moment like this.

Making the most of it while we can, we just lay together for a while on her bed. She's tucked herself beneath my chin and I'm dragging a hand through her hair, just enjoying the quiet together before everything we've built up falls apart around us.

Neither of us dares to speak lest it ruin the moment, but after a while she stars to hum to herself as she doodles careless patterns above my heart.

A creak from behind catches my attention and I tilt my head back to see the corridor. It's fairly dim but I spot a shadow moving outside.

"Stay here." I mumble to Sara, placing a hand on her chest. Propping herself up on her elbows, she follows my movements with her eyes as I get up to check. I can't see anyone in the shadowy hall so after a moment of waiting I slope back to the bed and manoeuvre us into our previous position.

"Probably nothing." I assure her, settling back against the cushions. She wriggles into my arms again, releasing a contented breath.

"This sucks." She says at last. I laugh, unable to disagree with her sentiment.

Out of everything that has happened in my life to date, this probably sucks the most.

X x x

After breakfast, with the events of the last two days playing heavily on my mind, I find myself pacing in small circles in the yard.

It is here where the object of my concern corners me.

"So, how's the girlfriend this morning?" Harper asks with a manic grin. "You have told her your good news, I assume?"

I narrow my eyes, this morning and the suspicious noise from the hallway flashing back to memory.

Taking a daring step closer, I press a finger into her chest.

"If you lay one hand on her when I'm gone…"

"What?" She challenges, darting out a vice-like hand to grip my wrist. "What will you do?"

I hold her gaze steady for a long moment despite the pain shooting up and down my arm, before accepting that she's right. From the outside, there is nothing I can do to keep Sara safe.

She smirks, accepting the look on my face as defeat.

"Don't worry Goldilocks," she spits, releasing me with such force that I stumble backwards. "I'll be sure to keep her satisfied."

I watch her walk away, the knot in my chest tightening painfully.

I cannot protect Sara from the outside. And I cannot take her out with me.

So, I guess there's only one thing I can do.

X x x

Sara's POV

I didn't think anything could happen in here that would surprise me anymore, but apparently I was wrong.

It is mid afternoon when all hell broke loose. For no reason, and without any warning, we are spontaneously locked down.

Inmates fly to the bars of their cells, peering into the hallway in a startling mix of bemusement and rage.

I join them, searching the limited section of hallway in my line of vision. From the hollers bouncing up and down off the walls, it is clear that no one knows what has happened; but whatever it is must be big to lock the cells when many inmates aren't even in them.

Including my cellmate.

It is a harsh bite of the reality to come.

I remain locked in my cage while Catherine is trapped on the outside, probably scared and alone.

X x x

I have been pacing for longer than I care to recall. I'm so close to pulling my hair out when the door to our cell opens and Catherine is forcibly walked back inside. Her head is ducked, her gaze glued to the floor.

"Thank God." I mumble, about to approach her when I realise that she is in handcuffs.

"Congratulations." The escort guard grunts, releasing her. "You get to bunk up for a few months longer."

His job done, he nudges her forward roughly and strops back out. The prison remains on lockdown so we're sealed back in again and he disappears down the hall to a chorus of abuse from the rest of the restrained inhabitants.

I turn my attention to Cath, who is still staring sheepishly at the ground between us.

"Cat," I call softly. "What did he mean by that?"

X x x

"You did what?"

I'm not sure I heard correctly. No, I can't have heard correctly.

"You got your parole revoked!"

"I didn't have a choice." She pleads, reaching out to me. "It was the only way I could stay in here."

"Why the hell would you want to do that?"

She looks away and suddenly it all falls into place. My heart seems to have lodged itself in my throat and I feel it constrict painfully.

"Oh no." I shake my head. "You did not do this for me?"

She flicks her eyes up, looking at me from beneath her long lashes.

"I had to." She mumbles bashfully.

"Catherine, it could be weeks, months even, before you build up enough good behaviour time to get paroled again." I point out. "Why they hell would you…"

"I need to stay with you." She blurts out. "I can't just leave you in here alone."

"But you've got 5 months of your sentence left! Catherine, I'll be out of here before you are!" I continue heatedly.

She purses her lips, a look which tells me she is already well aware of this.

"Good." She nods. "At least I'll know you're safer out there."

I can't decide whether she's missing my point entirely or she's just trying to wind me up.

"Catherine, what makes you think I can leave you in here?"

"Because you don't have a choice." She steps up to me, her voice suddenly firm and unyielding. "Sara, you're seventeen. I will not let you screw up your life for me, just because you made one stupid mistake." She reaches out to grip my wrist, driving her point home. She knows how much I hate being manhandled like this, so she will only do it when she is deathly serious. "You've still got a chance."

"So do you." I wrench my hand back and flick my hair angrily over my shoulder. "Catherine…"

"I survived in here before you came and I can survive a few weeks longer." She interrupts insistently. "You can't."

"I can protect myself." I dispute, straightening up.

"Really?" She cocks her head to the side, reaching up to lightly touch my wounds. "You call this protecting yourself?"

I flinch at the pain it causes, turning away. Weakness has never been a strong area of mine, something else that she knows.

"You're an idiot." I state bitterly. I can't see her, but I hear the frustrated scoff that escapes her lips.

"You know what, I did this for you!" She growls. "I could have left you to rot in here on your own!"

"Well maybe you should have, because I didn't ask you to save me Catherine!" I snarl back, and it's clear from her expression that she knows I'm not just talking about this particular event.

"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?" She states, effectively ending the conversation as she hauls herself onto her bed.

We each lay on our own mattresses for several long minutes in sullen silence before I speak again.

"This would be a lot more effective if one of us could storm out right about now."