AN: Thank-you to all the readers of this story. It means a lot to me to know that you are enjoying my crazy ideas :D

Yuul x

"Come on come on" Michael leant against the payphone defeated.

"The number you are trying to reach is unavailable, please try again later"

"Damn it!" He slammed down the phone with such force, splitting the receiver in two. "Damn it" He whispered, dropping down to sit on his heels, completely overwhelmed with everything that was happening.

They should be over the boarder by now, not hiding behind an abandoned warehouse a few blocks away from the court house they had just barely escaped from. Lincoln had been shot, lead hopeless just a few feet from him while he tried to get a hold of the only person he could trust to help them.

"Where are you?" He whispered to himself in desperation, throwing his hat down on the floor in frustration. "This isn't how we planned it"

Nicole and he had spoken just a couple of weeks before the breakout. She'd come to see him, with that disapproving look on her face. He remembered the conversation like it was yesterday

"You suddenly decide to follow in his footsteps then?" She'd spat, sitting down on the chair beside him, crossing her legs and lacing her fingers on top of her knee. She reminded him of a school teacher, ready to give a child detention, but she was too late in his case. He was in a much worse situation than detention.

"Nice to see you too" He'd retorted, rather curtly. He didn't need her to berate him like a mother - he needed her to listen, to help, to be there for them when the time comes.

"And, I heard you got married too?" She asked, disbelief and hurt slipping into her voice. "To a stripper?!" He watched as she became tense, her fingernails digging into her skin. He hated having lied to her - but this entire situation had literally taken over his life for the past three years that he had pushed everyone away, including the woman that sat before him.

"You look good" He smiled at her. "Hows the job?" He tried to engage in light conversation, unable to approach the real reason he'd begged her to come and see him.

"Stop it Michael" She dismissed him, placing her perfectly manicured hands on the table, leaning towards him "Cut the crap or I'm walking away"

He was taken aback by her outburst, surprised that she was reacting in such a harsh manner. He had underestimated the impact his decisions had had on her. He had not foreseen this and he was unsure whether she would agree to come to his aid. Michael had seen this conversation go differently, but he didn't have much time to renegotiate it - he just had to ask.

"I need your help" His eyes implored

"You need more than my help - you need a goddam psychiatrist after what you've done" She replied curtly, returning to her 'school teacher position'. "I can't believe it - I really can't" She looked away from him and over his shoulder to look at the other convicts in the visitation room "What drove you to this Michael? Throw everything away…" He watched as she took a deep breath and look back at him "Throw me away"

It hurt to hear that she felt that way, but he had not abandoned her because he wanted to, but because he needed to. And it was about time that he came clean with the reason why. "Lincoln" was the only word he said, and it was enough.

"What?" Her tone instantly changed, just like he knew it would.

"I needed to save him"

It hadn't taken much to get her to agree to aid in his mission, of course. She had a heart of gold, and he almost felt bad for having manipulated that fact. But the love she felt for both himself and Lincoln was the only thing that he could use to get her to join what she described as a crazy escapade.

He'd directed her to a USB stick, found within the gift he'd sent her for her birthday. She admitted that she hadn't even opened it, which was the least that he had expected. But, at least she hadn't thrown it away. On that was all of the information she needed to understand what was going on, what the plan was and what he needed her to do. She'd come back a week later and agreed to it all, and he couldn't have been more relieved. They needed her. He needed her.

And he still did.

"Where are you!?" He muttered once more burying his face in his hands, frustration taking over his body.

"Michael?" He heard his brother say his name, albeit weakly, and he had to snap out of it. His priorities shifted once again and it was Lincoln that was the current focus. He knew he had more than enough plans intertwining around his mind to mitigate any unforeseen circumstances, but he wasn't bothered about just the plan - he was worried about her safety.

"You speak to her?" Lincoln asked his hands clasping around his wounded leg

"Yeah" Michael lied.

"She ok?" He asked, shifting his weight to sit up

"Yeah - you know Nicole, living the dream" He lied again, pushing himself up, donning his cap and making his way over to his brother.

"Glad one of us is" Lincoln shot his brother a small smile, but Michael couldn't bring himself to return it. He heard police cars in the distance and he knew their time was going to be up soon. There was only one other place he could think of the go. Nika's house wasn't that far.

"Come on" He set himself under his brothers arms and pulled him to a standing position "We gotta go" He sighed, his mind working at one hundred miles an hour, calculating all the possible avenues they could walk in the next 72 hours, hoping beyond all hope that all three of them would be alive at the end of it.

Alex was stood in his office, glancing aimlessly out of the window. It was a position that he could often be found in. He took these moments to hide within his mind, pulling all of the pieces of this enormous puzzle together in a way that best made sense. Sometimes it was hard, especially when his thoughts fell off the track onto other, less pertinent subjects.

He had woken up that morning, slumped in the hospital chair, a crick in the neck and aching bones from the godawful position he had slept in. But he had slept. It was something that he hadn't managed to do for months, yet last night he had slept the night through, waking only because the nurse in the morning nudged him gently out of his dreams.

The nurse, K Hernandez R.N. as her name badge read, was kind and had promised to call him if her status changed at all, a gesture he was truly grateful for. He was prepared to show her his ID as some sort of explanation for why he'd been there all night, outside of visiting hours - but she didn't ask. She'd looked at him with such affection and spoke with such a gentle tone, that he almost felt bad for breaking the rules - almost.

As he sorted his suit out, he had looked over towards the patient, noticing that her head was turned towards where he had sat, and not facing the ceiling as he had last remembered it. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, as his cell began to ring, distracting him from his thoughts. He'd apologised to the nurse, taking his leave, but before he could go, she promised him that she'd put the flowers he'd bought in water stating that they weren't going to survive long if they didn't get their needs met.

Back in his office, just a couple of hours later, he continued to stare out of the window, and he knew that he couldn't agree more with that statement. Take a being out of its natural habitat and force it to live without its natural needs, it would soon enough die. That was what his 8 convicts were facing now - and soon enough, they would slip up and reach out for those needs, and he'd be waiting to pick them off one by one.

"Sir, we've found something" His thoughts were interrupted by the revelation of mistake number one. The brothers had left a car abandoned with a back pack on the back seat that had sparked the interest of one particular homeless guy. He admitted that after breaking the window, he ran away because the car was being toed away.

Alex felt a sudden feeling of accomplishment. All he had to do was ring the car lot and they'd catch him. He picked up the phone and ended up speaking to some guy named Chuck, who confirmed that Scofield was already there, waiting to take the vehicle. Mahone immediately ordered his team to intercept, but he knew that it was going to be too late. Chuck had let him go and it didn't matter that Mahone screamed at his team, they were too far out to even stand a chance to catch him. Scofield was in the wind again. It In his frustration, he swiped a pile of papers onto the floor. It was the only thing that was stopping him grabbing the first human he could and pounding them to death. It was Shales all over again.

He didn't have much time to dwell. Mistake number two came straight away. Franklin had been stupid enough to call home. Lang didn't need to tell him twice. This would be the chance he needed to catch Benjamin Miles Franklin, who had managed to stay under the raider for the first 72 hours.

20 minutes later, he'd heard the conversation between Franklin and his wife, sent Lang to deal with Miles, ordered Wheeler to get the number plate from Scofield Grey Accord and trail it, and was stood in his office, closing the door behind him as he waited for his nerves to set themselves straight. He flipped the blinds and leant his hands against the door, resting his head on one of his hands, breathing in through his nose and out through the mouth, like his therapist had told him.

Even though he'd not been to see the shrink in months, there were still a few tricks Alex used on a daily basis. But he didn't need the shrink as a crutch anymore - that role had been picked up by the meds he dosed himself up on when he couldn't control his mind anymore. Like now. He twisted, his back now to the door, popping a pill and praying that this would all be over soon. He needed leads and results and if his team weren't able to provide them, they needn't return to work that day.

Paul waited until he was sure that he wouldn't be seen before slipping in to see her. His assignment had brought him there to check on Sara Tancredi, who had just been taken away but the local police officers to be official booked for her crimes. Once informing the president of his findings, he knew that he had enough time to slip into Lances' shoes - the alias he'd chosen to get close to Sara. In the meantime, he would take this chance to check up on his other, self-assigned charge. Nicole Jones.

"Well Nikki" He began, clicking the door behind him. "It seems you have already had a visitor" His words were laced with slight bitterness as he saw the vase filled with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, not unlike the ones that he had in his hand, from the hospital gift shop on the first floor.

He bit the inside of his lip, stepping strong towards the edge of the bed where the vase was, grabbing the flowers within and throwing them in the bin that was just beside the door, before proceeding to replace them with those he had brought. He took his time, unwrapping the plastic and paper from around the stems, placing each flower in the water with a delicate touch until all of them were placed perfectly, arranged in a way that best reflected their colour and size.

"There, much better" He encouraged "See how far a little bit of effort goes, hey Nikki" He smiled down at the young woman, who was still unconscious. He was glad for this fact - having to explain to her why he was there would have been difficult. He probably wouldn't have another opportunity to see her before she finally regained consciousness and became a real problem. So, he relished in her unresponsive state and took a seat next to her, dragging the chair right up to her bedside and grabbed her hand within his own.

"So, Miss Jones" He began, taking a deep breath "This is an interesting turn of events" He smiled at her, as if she were hanging on to his every word. He knew that, had she been responsive, she wouldn't have let him speak even one word. "The last time you had a razor in your hand, it wasn't your skin you were slicing was it?" He laughed, subconsciously lifting his hand to the left side of his neck, where a thin, but visible scar still remained, years after the original wound.

Paul remembered the very moment she'd cut him as if it had just happened. She jumped him from behind and if he hadn't seen her reflection in the window he had been looking out of, she would have slit his neck entirely and he probably wouldn't be there right now.

"We've been through so much you and I" He squeezed her hands, burrowing his eyebrows as the memories of their various encounters flickered through his mind "And its such a shame that its taken us in this direction, but you really didn't give me much choice Nikki" He got up, dropping her limp hand on the bed "None of you have given me a choice"

Paul reached into his pocked and pulled out his cell. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon" And with this, he bid his farewell, and made to leave the room, but not before grabbing the bin with the flowers and placing it outside the door. He'd have to deal with the unwanted visitor sooner rather than later. It would be a shame for the valuable assets to fall victim to a rogue bullet or two if they didn't comply with simple orders.

The moment he stepped outside to hospital building, he checked his watch then began to dial his cell "You had better start listening Mahone" He muttered to himself, as he began to dial the agents number "This will be your last warning" He held it up to his ear and waited for the agent to pick up. He didn't and he simply listened to the phone ring out to voicemail. He hang up in frustration and pocketed his phone, pulling out his sun glasses. He'd just have to remind him who is really running the show later. For now, he had other issues to deal with. Sara Tancredi and, by proxy, Scofield.

"I'm coming to get you" He spoke, smile dancing on his lips as he made his way down the steps of the hospital and to his vehicle. "i'm coming to get you"

"Mistake number three"

Alex's heart skipped a beat. His prediction had been correct. They were all beginning to make mistakes, and he was beginning to pin point them on the board.

Sucre had been spotted in Defiance Ohio stealing a car. It was only a matter of time before someone fell into their grasp. He could almost taste it. He'd be crossing the mug shots off one by one sooner rather than later.

He sent the orders flying around the field office to all the members of his team. They all had things to do and he needed them to pull their fingers out and get him results ASAP. He, on the other hand, had his own leads to follow, which was the very reason that he was currently in the hospital elevator, hitting the third floor button.

The nurse he'd met that morning had kept her word and called him the moment her status had changed. About an hour ago, Nicole Jones had woken up, slightly disorientated, which was not surprising. Alex had suggested, with a forceful tone, that she be placed on watch. She had attempted to commit suicide less than 48 hours before, so his request was accepted without resistance. Of course, the real reason behind his request was more to do with the fact that he wanted first stab at the information that was in her pretty little head.

When the elevator hit the third floor, he was more than ready. He had all of the questions he wanted to ask perfectly placed in his mind for easy, quick access. He didn't expect that she'd give him that many problems. The page he'd been provided had given him enough information on the woman to ensure a by the book checklist of what he'd ask to check she wasn't going to lie about everything.

He stepped out of the elevator and made his way directly to the room at the end of the corridor, a guard sat looking at his phone on a seat outside the room.

"Agent Mahone, FBI" He flashed his badge to the man who jumped up as if he'd been electrocuted. "Any issues?" He asked, unamused at the guards previous lack of commitment

"No sir, she's be awfully quite" He spoke, back straight.

"Have you checked up on her?" Mahone asked, and the young mans blank expression was answer enough. "ok - I'll take it from here" He gestured the lad to make his way along the corridor, and preferably out of his sight. He complied, immediately, saluting him as he left.

"Sir, yes sir!"

Mahone cocked an eyebrow and shook his head is disbelief. It was hard to find hard working people these days. As he turned to enter the room, he caught the sight of something unexpected in his peripheral vision. A bunch of flowers, in a trash can just a few feet down the corridor. They looked strangely similar to those he had brought her this morning. Why would they be outside? Still looking at the flowers, he knocked on the door. "Miss Jones?" He twisted the door handle slowly and pushed the door, glancing over his shoulder as he did so, still wondering about those flowers.

He stepped into the room, but before he could shut the door, he felt a heavy object collide with the back of his head. He looked up, to see the bed was empty, which made him assume that the one responsible for his imminent splitting headache was the very woman he'd come to see. Before he had a chance to speak, he felt a pair of hands grab his neck, pulling his head back.

"Who are you?" He heard her whispered, pushing hard on his wind pipe. "Who are you!?"

He didn't answer, reaching up his hands to grab hers, pulling her over his shoulder and onto the ground. Her body hit the floor with a thud, and he was sure that he'd soon be disturbed by the hospital personelle. He turned quickly, kicking the door shut before he turned to pick her off the floor. He was too late. She was up and armed with the vase that had been on the table, filled with another bouquet of flowers. He was quick enough to push it out of her hand before it hit the side of his face, grabbing her hands and pushing her back with all his force into the wall behind her.

"I'm not here to hurt you" he breathed, pushing her arms above her head, looking her dead in the eyes. "So calm down!"

"Is everything alright, Agent Mahone?" He heard a voice say from outside the room. The crashing vase wasn't going to go unnoticed - obviously. Both individuals looked towards the door as it began to open. Mahone ran through the easiest ways to explain why it could be seen as if he was manhandling the patient. He didn't want to have it reported, or have to explain to anyone why he was there. He'd make a pretty good job of not having to explain himself so far. As the door made it half way, his eyes turned back to the woman, who was now looking at him with wide, curious eyes. - but it mattered not what plan he might have come up with, because the woman's brain before him worked quicker than his. She had a plan. And it certainly wasn't one he'd had come up with.

She kissed him.

His eyes widened as her lips met his. He was shocked. It had been so long since he had felt any physical contact that was associated with intimacy, Alex felt his cheeks burn with a blush. She felt her take his bottom between her teeth and the hairs on the back of his head stand right on edge. His grip on her hands loosened and her hands dropped slowly taking his head in her hands, deepening the kiss. His hands remained flat on the wall, either side of her. He shivered at her touch and he felt her lips twist into a smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry" The nurse turned quickly, in embarrassment "I heard the vase a-and - "

"Yes, that was my fault" Nicole spoke, breaking the kiss and placing her hands on his chest "I was just excited to see him - I knocked it off the table" She shrugged and looked utterly embarrassed, biting her lip and smiling. He, on the other hand was gobsmacked, dumbfounded and lost for words. All he could do was muster a smile which he flashed towards the nurse when he pushed himself back and took a step away from her. Nicole Jones was a good actor.

"Alright love." The nurse smiled at the pair. "I'll just go and get something to clean that up" And with a wink, she left.

Mahone, took yet another step back, feeling that he really should be walking away. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. "I- umm" He stuttered.

"Who the hell are you?" Her smile had disappeared and she was looking at him with those large blue eyes. He felt captivated. There was something about those eyes that were strangely familiar, but that was impossible. He would have certainly remembered having encountered someone like her in the past. Now that he was sure of.

"My name is Alexander Mahone." He responded, finally straightening himself out "I'm an FBI agent "

She didn't look convinced, but just as he was going to show her the badge, the nurse returned with a dustpan and brush and began making small talk with them. But neither of them took their eyes off each other, nor did they speak a word, they just psyched each other out, evaluating everything they could about one another.

Nicole Jones was a woman of average height. Alex determined that she was probably a little underweight for a woman of her height, but she wasn't weak. The pressure she'd put on her throat had not been enough to take him down, but it sure wasn't something turn ones nose up to. Her eyes were large and daring, and her features were subtly beautiful behind her hard, tense gaze. Her face was outlined perfectly by long, wavy auburn hair that reached far down her back. It looked like she really took care of her appearance, that was apart from the two cuts hidden below bandages that he was now fixated on. He would never in a million year have pictured this woman, who seemed so strong, to have been the one he pulled out of the bath after having caused those cuts to appear. What on earth had driven her to that?

"And you said you weren't family" The nurse nudged him slightly in the side, which caused him to break his intense gaze and laugh nervously. "Well, I'll leave you two alone" The nurse left quickly, a giddy look on her face, pulling the door closed behind her, leaving them alone once more.

Alex wasn't even sure what to say, still staring at the woman before him. But much like before, she took charge of the situation and stepped forward.

"And to what do I own the honour, Agent Mahone?" She asked, stepping towards the window that lined her room, and turning the blinds so that they were visible to those outside the room. Smart girl, taking precautions.

"I need to ask you some questions" He spoke in the most formal and professional tone he could muster, his lips still tingling after the unexpected contact.

"I'm sure you do" She laughed, tugging down at the sleeves of her hospital gown "Do you often stay the night with all the girls you want to question, Agent Mahone?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow.

He burrowed his brow, wondering how she know, but then it hit him. She must have seen him while he slept, he mused, suddenly realising that her tilted head had been something of note after all.

"Do you usually attack everyone that visits you?" He replied, in much the same tone. He watched as she turned to look at him, leaning against the window sill. She was keeping herself in sight of the nurses outside. She didn't trust him. Why?

"Only the ones I think are here to try and kill me" And there was his answer.

"I am not here to try and kill you" He assured her, his tone less than friendly "You did a pretty good job of that yourself" He pointed towards her arms with his glasses, unamused at her accusation.

"Not good enough, apparently" She crossed her arms across her body. Her tense eyes dulled to defeated. He watched her fingers crawl around her arms and saw the creases appear on her clothing as she embraced herself. He watched her with curious eyes. She was mercurial to say the least. "And I assume you are the one I have to thank for that?" The sarcasm dripped off her tongue and her eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down. Mercurial indeed.

"I'm not in the business of letting people die on my watch" He spoke, his eyes baring straight into hers. He hoped that she believed him, because he needed someone to and maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to believe it himself.

"Sure you're not" The sarcasm twisted into scepticism, which didn't bode well. "Can I see your badge?" She asked, holding her hand out towards him. He resisted the urge to bit back with a sarcastic comment about how this is how their conversation should have started, and simply complied. The quicker they could be done with this dance, they quicker he could get what he wanted.

"Here" He huffed, pulling his credentials out from his jacket pocket and stepping towards her placing it in her outstretched hand.

She pulled it tight to her, and stepped aside and around him, walking towards the window "You really FBI?" She enquired, turning towards him, looking at his Photo ID with analytical eyes.

"Yes" He answered, placing his hands on his hips, creasing the material beneath. Maybe they were getting somewhere with this dance after all.

"Good" Her eyes lit up, and she threw the badge back to him. He caught it with ease and pocketed it "So please can I ask you some - " He didn't have a chance to finish his question, before he felt her finger touch his lips. His body grew tense and she leant upon him, reaching around him to close the blinds. She pushed her body against his to return to her standing position, her face just inches from his.

"What are you doing?" He whispered, curious as to her plan. He checked her hand position and deduced she wasn't going to make an attempt to grab his gun.

"You're going to take me with you" She spoke, determination in her eyes.

"I don't think so Miss Jones." He could not have this extra burden on him. He had an investigation to run and he was already wasting precious time.

"Oh I do Agent Mahone" She was smiling now, with a knowing look tracing her entire body. "Because if you want answers to those questions, you're going to take me somewhere safe"

"Really?" He narrowed his eyes, his question drawing in curiosity "And why's that?"

"Because you're not the only one who wants to know what Michael's plan is" She revealed, and he could not contain his surprise. "And if you leave me here - " She continued "they'll kill me"