"What are you doing here?" Although she was relieved to see her old partner, Alex was frantic. Her mother was alive. Somehow, she had survived the attack on her family just as she had. The young woman didn't want to think too much about that, however. It was too complicated and hurtful. She'd focus on getting her mother out of that damn house, instead. She saw how she interacted with Semak. She was pumped full of pills, making her confused and distant. That wasn't her mother; she was forced to be someone else. Alex had to save her.

Nikita breaking into the estate, however, made things far more complex. The rogue had a mission she was attempting to accomplish. It was possible she was going to ruin the young woman's new plans. Alex couldn't have that. She wouldn't let Nikita put her mother in even more danger than she already faced; she'd fight her if she had to. Even if the operation was important, "Ari has a black box. Don't worry. I won't interfere with your kill mission."

"I can't kill Semak. Not tonight. I have to get my mom out," Alex knew she sounded whiny. She knew she was upset and desperate. But her world just turned upside down for what felt like the millionth time. More and more lies were being uncovered, and she was struggling to keep up with them all. It felt as though she couldn't breathe. Saving her mother from Semak's bastardly clutches just might make her feel better. She could be whole again- she could be home. All she had wanted was to not be sad anymore. Maybe that was her way to finally make that a reality.

"What?"

Needing a moment to adjust, Nikita simply stared at Alex. A part of her was so glad the rogue was perplexed. It meant she didn't know; she hadn't kept that a secret from her. It had also become the rogue's turn to be confused about the other's family drama. God, they really were a mess. The women could discuss it all later. They couldn't get sidetracked right then, especially with Gogol agents patrolling the area. Alex had to get Nikita to understand quickly, "She's alive. She's upstairs right now, being pumped full of drugs by Semak."

"Fuck the black box then. Let's save your mom," Instantly, Nikita decided. There was an innocent woman trapped in that house, of course she would rescue her. And of course she would help Alex save her mother from Semak. The young woman deserved to have her mother after everything she had been through and everything she fought for. She deserved to be with her family. Although how Katya was alive was absolutely bewildering, Nikita would put aside her mission for her. She'd do anything to ensure Alex's happiness and safety.

Alex was shocked. She hadn't expected Nikita to give up her mission so readily and so completely. She only wanted her to let her get her mother out of the house before she tried anything. But since she was offering assistance, Alex was more than willing to accept it. Having a partner would make things go a lot smoother. She'd have someone watching her back and ensuring their schemes ran as perfectly as possible. Letting Nikita in was already proving to be beneficial when it came to taking out a guard. Things had the potential to be great, despite what the young woman's anxiety said, "Are you sure?"

"Gogol can't crack it anyway. Besides, your mom is far more important," Nikita was putting a lot of faith in Birkhoff's encryption on the black box. But out of all the hackers in the world, she'd have her money on the nerd. Alex beamed at her, blue eyes sparkling. She was finally going to get what she wanted. They were going to save her mom. The two planned effortlessly. They built off of one another, and created something solid. Although it was spur of the moment and a bit rushed, the women had a battle plan worthy to be put into action. Once Gogol's vehicles were sabotaged and Katya was safely removed from her room, they'd be in the clear. Alex could be with her mother.

If only the world worked according to their plans. Neither Nikita nor Alex expected Katya to turn her daughter in to Semak and Ari. She handed her over to her enemies in some kind of vain attempt to help her. Because obviously if she was going after Semak, there had to have been something wrong with her. Fortunately, Nikita was able to get to Alex in time. She saved her before she could be taken to parts unknown. The young woman was injured, however. She couldn't go back for her mom. Despite what had happened, she was still going to rescue her. She had to. She had to believe there was a chance the mother she had known was still there. Hope couldn't have been lost.

Understanding, Nikita went back to the Udinov estate. One of them was going to have their mother in their lives. The rogue couldn't have her mom, but she'd make absolutely certain Alex would never feel abandoned by hers. That wasn't a fate she'd wish on anybody. Crashing into the bedroom holding a cellphone with Alex on the line, Nikita tried to reach Katya. Everything would be alright. She would be safe, "Katya, it's okay. I'm with your daughter. I'm with Alex. We're gonna get you out of here."

"I can't leave," Shaking her head, Katya negated. She went on a rant about how Alex was sick and they had to help her instead. When Nikita attempted to argue against that, the cellphone was knocked out of her hand. Alex wasn't able to reason with her mother once the phone was across the room. Yet Nikita saw that as a good thing. If Katya really believed Semak's lies about her daughter being brainwashed, then she needed to listen to someone not involved in that mess. Maybe it would help her finally see the truth.

"Semak's the one who ordered the hit on your family. He wanted to kill your husband and daughter," Alex could still hear Nikita talking to her mother. She wanted to shout something, make herself heard. But she was terrified. She had to keep reminding herself that her mother was being drugged. Katya didn't know what she was doing; she didn't know what turning her daughter over to Semak had done. Fighting back tears, Alex put her faith in a positive outcome.

Her mother wouldn't accept what Nikita was informing her, though. She argued against the rogue, not willing to escape. To Alex, it was becoming terrifyingly clear that her mother wasn't a prisoner. She was allowing Semak to keep her hidden away and keep her numb with drugs. She had let the lies and manipulation consume her, giving up on ever fighting back. Alex really had lost her mother, "You're lying."

"I was there. We had access codes, we had security plans. Semak held the backdoor open as we killed Nikolai. Just so he could have Zetrov and you," Nikita just kept arguing. Although Alex was losing all hope, her partner was as determined as ever to get Katya to realize the truth. The rogue was beginning to see who the young woman inherited her stubbornness from. It was as though she was yelling at a brick wall. Why wouldn't she accept the fact that her daughter was in danger. Why was she sticking by Semak's side. Shouldn't she have chosen Alex.

"He already had me," Oh. That was why. Alex couldn't bear to listen to the conversation anymore. She clutched the cellphone tightly, fierce tears streaming down her reddened cheeks. She knew her family wasn't perfect. The Udinovs weren't the picture perfect family. Yet there was love in her home. Or at least Alex had thought. The one thing she had held onto all those years, the one truth she thought she knew, shattered at her feet. Her mother didn't love her father. And she didn't love her. Whereas Alex's heart broke, Nikita's voice pitched in pure rage.

"And you're gonna stay with him! He killed Nikolai! He wants to kill Alex! You're going to remain blindly devoted to the man willing to hurt your daughter? You're going to sacrifice the person you're supposed to love more than anything in the world to a corrupt egotistical bastard?" She was definitely projecting. She was aware that her words had shifted in direction. Nikita wasn't yelling at Katya. Nikita was trying to scream at Madeline. But she wasn't around to listen to her. Katya wasn't listening either, causing acidity to boil through the rogue. Without another word, she grabbed the woman and dragged her towards the door.

Katya screeched for help the second she was shoved into the hallway. Guards rushed the floor, shooting immediately at Nikita. She was able to fire back, yet she couldn't grab onto Katya; she ran back to the room and locked the door. Her mission was bust. She couldn't save Alex's mother that night. It would be easy to blame Gogol and Semak for that. But it was all Katya- she didn't want to be saved.

Fortunately, Alex came to help Nikita escape. When she had heard the gunshots, she hurried to the rogue's aid. The young woman had to force down her distraught feelings to be able to help with the escape. Her mother chose to stay with Semak. She'd rather be with that bastard, than ensure her daughter's safety. At least she had Nikita watching her back. The two women managed to hop into a car and shoot their way out of there. It was a while before either of them could settle. And it was even longer before they could talk. There was no way they could process all of the shit that went down, especially since it happened in just a few short hours. But Nikita thought she and Alex could try, together, "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing," Glancing at the makeshift bandage on her wrist, Alex was only willing to think about her injury. It had stung when she first sustained it, but she felt nothing then. She was certain the cut would heal fine. As for everything else, she bit back the fresh tears. She thought she was home. When her mom had hugged her, it felt as though she was home for the first time in years. She had fought tooth and nail to get there. She accepted help from Percy and Amanda, took advice from Sean, and revisited her days as a human trafficking victim to get to that moment, yet she was nowhere near home. It was all an illusion. Alex was still running.

Nikita spared a glance at the young woman. Her attention was trained on her bandage, not attempting to break away. The rogue couldn't fault her. As her brown eyes refocused on the road ahead, she wrestled with her own thoughts and feelings. That mission hadn't resolved anything; her previous crushing emotions had only been added to. She should probably talk. Alex should too. Where was there to even start, though, she had no idea, "I meant…"

"No," Whether she meant 'no, I'm not alright' or 'no, I don't want to talk', was a mystery to both women. However, her 'no' was stern enough to stop the conversation. Alex let out a shaky breath. She had to get control. Nikita didn't deserve the outburst. It wasn't her fault; she had tried everything to get Katya to come with them. Her mind betrayed her by replaying that conversation. Her mother was adamant about staying with Semak- a decision that Alex didn't think she would ever get over. Despite that, Nikita kept fighting. She argued until her voice grew hoarse. The young woman had an idea about what made the rogue fight so hard. It wasn't just for her. She was battling her own demons as well, "Did your mom…"

"I wonder what kind of music Russian mobsters listen to," Flicking on the radio, Nikita immediately cut off that topic. She should've talked. But just like Alex, she couldn't. Driving a stolen Gogol car wasn't the time to air everything out. Being exhausted from the past couple of days wasn't going to help either. It was easier to simply ignore it all. The thoughts and feelings were going to crash into her in another violent wave. Yet, honestly, she didn't care.

"Probably shit," Alex didn't either. It wasn't healthy to bottle all of that inside. However, in their defense, what they were dealing with wasn't normal. There were no coping mechanisms they could've possibly employed other than ignoring it. Their mothers abandoned them to dangerous men. And those men wanted them dead, despite their mothers' protests that their actions were to protect them. At least they weren't alone in that inane war. When Nikita found a non-shitty radio station to settle on, Alex took hold of her hand. The women didn't glance at one another, knowing tears would fall and emotions would rage. Yet they held tightly to their friend, determined not to let go again.