Police gathered around outside the jewlery shop, about a dozen guns pointed at it. Alex remained in the back of the shop, her hands now tied behind her back. Little did the men know, Alex had gotten out of rope before, so doing it again would be easy.

She watched as they ran around the shop tying other people up, their constant bickering distracting them from Alex. She wiggled around, trying to loosen the rope around the wrists. It was almost off, when one of the men turned to face her.

"Hank! She's trying to escape!" He yelled. The man in charge turned around.

"Are you stupid! You're not supposed to say my name!" Hank cried back. He walked to Alex and forced her to sit away from the wall so he could fix the rope. "Useless partner. Can't do anything right." He muttered as he yanked the rope tight around Alex's hands. She winced at the pain, causing Hank to laugh. He stood up and left Alex alone again in the corner. Hank glanced around the shop, as if thinking of what to do next.

"Never held hostages before?" Alex asked with a smirk. Hank spun around. He walked back to her and knelt down so his face was inches from hers.

"Such a brave girl you are." Alex could feel his hot breath on her face, but kept her eyes glued to his. He leaned in closer and whispered into her ear,

"The next time you speak, someone dies." Hank backed away from her. Alex stared at him showing no fear on her face, but inside she was scared for everyone. This time when Hank walked away, Alex stayed silent. She looked down at her stomach, closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall.

"I don't understand why she would go out without telling us." Nikita said to Michael. She sat in the passanger seat next to Michael as he drove. Birkhoff and Sonya took another car to search on the other side of town, while Ryan stayed home in case she came back. Michael quickly turned to Nikita.

"Maybe she didn't want you to go into protective mode." He told her.

"Me?" Nikita replied. "What about everyone else? Don't tell me you're not worried." Michael turned down a street, keeping an eye on the road.

"I never said that. I just mean you get very cautious when it comes to Alex. To all of us. And I'm sure you're extra protective now."

Nikita stared out the window. Michael was right, she thought. There had been so many close calls in the past, and knowing she had an extra live to worry about made her go crazy.

"Alex is smart." Michael said. "If something has happened..." Nikita shot him a look, but he quickly continued. "Then she'll be fine until we find her."

"I hope you're right." Nikita sighed.

The clock seemed to move slower and slower with every second. Alex sighed as she stared at the clock. It had only been 25 minutes since she entered the shop. Come on Nikita. Where are you?

Within the next couple of minutes, one of Hank's partners began to panic.

"How long are we gonna do this? There are more and more cops every minute!"

"Shh! I'm trying to think!" Hank said loudly. He paced the floor, scratching his head through his ski mask. As desperate as Alex was to speak, she knew what would happen if she did. She knew a lie when she heard one, and Hank was not lying about someone getting killed.

A woman sat a few feet away from Alex. She could see her arms squirming behind her, trying to get out of the rope.

"Moving makes it worse." Alex whispered as quietly as she could. The woman turned to her.

"It's so tight." She whispered back. Her voice was shakey, so Alex tried to keep her as calm as she could so she wouldn't draw attention.

"I know. But this won't last long. I promise." Alex said. The woman tilted her head in confusion.

"Why? What are you talking about?" She asked. Alex looked at the men, then back at the woman.

"People are probably looking for me. And when they get here, it won't be pretty."

Michael and Nikita drove down plenty of streets, none of which had any signs of Alex being there.

"I doubt she would come this far. It's not like she took a car," Nikita said.

"Where would she go?" Michael asked, pulling over. Nikita thought for a moment.

"Somewhere where there is people. It would be too risky to be somewhere completely alone." She paused. "Let's go downtown."

"Downtown?" Michael repeated. Nikita nodded. Michael started the car and pulled back onto the road.

They drove and drove until they reached downtown. Michael found a parking spot in front of a cafe, and they both jumped out of the car.

"She could be in any of these stores." Michael said as he looked up and down the streets.

"Then we better start looking." Nikita said. The two of them quickly started walking down the street, glancing into every store they passed. After a few minutes, Nikita noticed flashing lights in the distance.

"Michael?" She asked, getting worried. Michael stopped.

"I see them." He said, then jogged towards them. Nikita followed. They walked up to an officer, but he told them to stay back.

"What's going on?" Nikita asked.

"A robbery went on in there." He answered, pointing to the jewelry shop. "Three guys were seen going in. They're keeping everyone hostage."

Nikita suddenly got a sick feeling in her stomach. She turned to Michael. He bit his lip and looked sadly at Nikita.

"Did anyone see a young girl so in there? Long curly brown hair, blue eyes, had a black jacket on?" The officer thought for a moment, then said,

"A witness did say she saw a girl so in just moments before."

Nikita sighed and dropped her head. She knew it was Alex. Turning to Michael one more time, they shared a worried glance. Michael thanked the officer, and led Nikita a few feet away.

"Now what? She's in there Michael, and if she hasn't gotten out by now then she's in trouble."

"I know. We'll get Birkhoff and Sonya to hack the cameras, and you, me and Ryan will get in the back."

Nikita nodded, then pulled out her phone to call everyone else.