That half an hour felt like an eternity as I sat down in the basement with Stephen, holding my watch in my hand and manifesting that Nick would emerge from the water and say something stupid to me.

The whole time Stephen and I remained completely silent. I was grateful for it; the last thing I wanted to hear was I told you so as and when the clock ticked over the two-hour mark and there was still no sign of Cutter.

I felt my heart dropping.

Perhaps Stephen was right. Helen was, after all, the woman Nick had loved for decades now, even if they had divorced those types of feeling don't just go away.

'His time–' My voice cracked, I quickly cleared my throat I started again. 'His times up, that's 2 hours, he'll be running out of air.'

I couldn't look at him as he started to pull in the rope. I didn't even want to be in basement anymore and I even stood up and turned away to leave when suddenly– rather than walking out up the stairs– I dropped back down my knees at the edge of platform and stared out into the water.

'Anna?' Stephen questioned. I couldn't see his face but I could hear his confusion in his tone.

'I... I don't know why I did that. I've got the strangest feeling. Pull him back, now!'

A moment later Nicks body came back through the anomaly. Unconscious, I noted immediately as Stephen let go of the line and jumped down into the water to help lift him out. 'Oh my god! He's lost his tank.'

I splashed down into the water beside him.

'Get his legs,' Stephen instructed, 'On three.'

Nick thunked down onto the platform and I jumped back up beside him, ripping the goggles from his head and quickly slipping my fingers around his neck to find his pulse. 'Shit, he's not breathing...'

I rolled him onto his side to allow his body to drain any water in his lungs and there was a gush of fluids before I quickly lay him flat again and instinctively I lowered my mouth to his, tipping his chin back and pinching his nose to allow the airflow to quickly reach his lungs. When my own lungs started to burn I threw a leg over his hip to sit astride him to allow my body weight to leverage the pumps I forced into his chest with my fist. I counted to twenty, then covered my mouth with his again, blew hard and just as I pulled away his eyes shot open and he coughed up a mouthful of water.

I caught his head as he collapsed before it thudded against the wood and put my fingers to his pulse point again. This time there was a pulse.

'Oh, oh, fuck... Nick? Nick! Look at me– you're okay. Stephen,' I shot a glare at him, 'get a gurney. I need Ryan, let's get him up the stairs.' I watched Nicks eyes roll back into his head. 'No, Nick, Nick, stay with me. Come on.' I slapped his cheeks and a groan rumbled up from his chest– the only sign of consciousness. Stephen still hadn't moved. 'Stephen, now! Go!'

It was the noise again that caught my attention and alerted me to the fact he had stirred back to consciousness. I scrambled up off of Connors lap in the seat in the back of the ambulance and lunged for the gurney.

'Nick,' I said softly as I stared down at his flitting blue eyes, 'hey, it's me. You're okay.'

'Anna?'

His hand reached up, caught a hold of my cheek and pushed my hair back behind my ears to clear a view to my face.

He exhaled. 'Anna... oh, mmmm.'

I wasn't sure if he was trying to tell me something, so I reached around to hold the back of his neck. 'Can you try to sit up for me, yeah?' he groaned again. 'Come on,' I encouraged him further, 'let's get you down.'

The effort alone seemed almost too much for him. Once he was finally upright he scrunched his eyes closed and held a hand to his head. I helped him down of the gurney, Connor shifted to offer the seat but Nick collapsed halfway, his knees buckled and I toppled with him. 'Whoa.'

My back hit the wall. Nick barely caught himself– his hand slammed up against the wall beside my head and he stopped, face merely an inch from mine as I looked up to him.

'Sorry...' he mumbled. 'I... how long was I out for?'

I glanced at Connor. 'Well... not long.'

'There's um... something you should know...' Connor started

In that moment, there was trampling of heavy footsteps, soldiers surrounded the end of the ambulance and aimed all sorts of different firearms at us.

Nick's other arm was instantly around me. 'Hey! Stop that, don't point those at her.'

But then he went green. His skin instantly became clammy, his brow furrowed and he contracted against what I assumed was a pain in his stomach with a groan.

A second later Helen appeared.

She was handcuffed and there were soldiers either side of her as she was marched down the path over to the nearest vehicle. Her head was turned towards us, eyes locked and at first I thought she was looking at Nick but then I took half a step to the side further behind Nick and her gaze went with me. It was so immoveable from my face that she didn't even blink as Ryan's men shoved her into the back of the car.

Nick scrambled out the ambulance, stumbled into the garden wall and vomited onto the pavement.

I saw Lester creeping towards us from the house, hands behind his back, chest puffed out as with a sidewards smile he looked at me. 'Congratulations, Miss Havisham,' he said, 'you're no longer the most important person in the room.'