A/N John fanart from Usnavi_de_la_Vega ❤️ Love seeing your work guys ur too cute xx

"Escape?" Alex wheezed. "We just got here!"
"And apparently Conway's almost here too," John sighed, running a hand through his hair. He fell backwards in the grass of the yard and Alex shuffled closer to him, lowering his voice.
"We don't know how this place works, the layout, where guards are stationed," Alex began to list.
"But we know someone who might," John muttered, his gaze angled into the women's yard.

Alex sat up with a stern glare.
"We are not working with her." Alex deadpanned.
"Not this again," John groaned.
"You didn't let me explain! You just stormed off all 'you know her name not her story' instagram 12vie on me!" Alex protested, John scoffing at the analogy. "I was just getting, over protective, I guess after all the sexual drama with Levi, to be perfectly honest I'm surprised you weren't more wary around her." Alex sighed. John shifted his gaze to the floor and twiddled his thumbs anxiously.

"Well, sorry I blew up at you, I just got defensive because she had scars inside her wrists, I saw them when she put her hand up on the fence and I instantly felt so guilty, and my focus fell to that and not the fact you were trying to protect me," John muttered sheepishly, looking up at Alex with sad eyes. "I just feel like we were too quick to assume her intentions," John shrugged.
"I didn't see those, sorry," Alex stammered, looking out into the women's yard.
"Don't be," John spoke quietly with a weak smile. "Let's just talk to her, yeah? She might know something," John suggested.
"Alright," Alex gave in, standing and pulling John with him.

The two of them approached the fence once more, peering into the women's yard with caution, spotting Maria in the middle of a group of girls braiding another's hair delicately.
"MISS REYNOLDS?" John called out into the yard, standing on his tip toes as if that would make any difference. Alex stood slightly behind him with his arms crossed defensively.

Maria turned around, her cotton-candy ponytail swishing with her head and another lollipop clamped between her teeth. She smirked and turned back to the braid, passing it off onto another girl to finish before standing and making her way over to the boys, shifting the lollipop into her cheek before pulling it out of her mouth and reaching the fence.
"You called?" She hummed, flicking her hair away from her face.

John shifted uncomfortably and Alex stepped forward to stand beside him.
"We know we just met you, but we need your help," Alex spoke sheepishly, hating every second.
"And they come crawling back, what is it?" She sighed, popping her lollipop back in her mouth, her gaze shifting between the two boys.
"How well do you know these prison grounds?" John asked hopefully, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Like I know my own mind," she smirked, tapping her temple with a well manicured finger before leaning forward and lowering her voice to a menacing whisper. "Well enough to escape from,"

John and Alex's eyes widened, sharing a look of shock before turning back to Maria.
"How did you-" Alex began before she cut him off, removing her lollipop from between her lips and pointing it at them accusingly.
"Honey I've been in here for 5 years with unfinished business waiting on the outside, I can recognise fellow escape-plotters when I see them," she squinted with a sly smirk. "I was going to wait another month of so, prime escape time, but how soon do you need out-sies?" She questioned with a slight pout, giving her lollipop a gentle lick.
"Within the next two nights?" John cringed slightly, his shoulders rising in an uncomfortable tense.

Maria did a double take, scoffing and throwing her hand on her hip with sass.
"Way to give a girl a warning!" She scolded, rolling her eyes.
"Sorry, we're sorry!" John quickly apologised. "But you'll help us?"
"One condition," She informed, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, sure," John muttered, sharing a quick glance with Alex.
"You help me get revenge on the asshole that put me here." She growled, eyes dark with a malicious grin. John hesitated for a moment, unsure of what that meant, but Alex was quick to surge his hand forward, reaching through the fence.
"Deal," he spoke sharply.
Maria grinned and stuffed her hand in her pocket, instead of shaking Alex's hand she passed him two lollipops, one blue and one green.
"Deal," she smiled, flashing the red lollipop clamped between her pearly whites.

---

Sam lay in bed, tear stains still streaked down his cheeks. Four sleepless nights now he had spent crying, with or without Charles to lean on, helplessly mourning the most amazing woman he had ever met. Charles walked into the cell and found Sam lying silently, staring up a the bunk above him.
Without another word he slipped onto the mattress beside Sam, lying beside him on his side.

Sam barely moved, pressing his lips together in a thin line to refrain from crying again.
"Babe," Charles hummed sadly, caressing his cheek lovingly. "I told you to get some sleep," He frowned, running a thumb under Sam's eye where unflattering purple bags were set into his skin.
"I can't," Sam croaked, clenching his teeth. He tilted his head to gaze at Charles, his eyes squinted and tired, still brimming with tears.

"Every time I c-close my eyes," he hiccuped, pausing to take a shaky breath. "I see her again,"
Charles pulled him into his chest and held him tightly. "I-I s-s-see her dead, a-and her blood, and-" he sobbed into Charles' chest.
"Sshhh-she's in a better place now Sammy, she's always watching over you, please don't cry," Charles frowned, closing his eyes and running a hand through Sam's hair. The cell fell silent with the exception of Sam's uneven, shaky breaths.

"It should've been me," Sam whispered. Charles gasped and pulled back.
"What? Sam n-"
"I'd trade my life for her's," he croaked.
"Oh my god, Sam no," Charles exclaimed, cupping his face in his hands firmly. "Don't fucking say that, okay? Yes, it's horrible she died, and I can't imagine the pain you're going through, but please, don't say that shit," he pleaded helplessly, gazing into Sam's eyes helplessly, whom was avoiding making eye contact at all costs. "Sam promise me you'll never say that again," Charles scolded.

Sam sat silently, his face scrunching up when he tried not to cry again. Charles lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Samuel Seabury promise me,"

"I promise," he squeaked, a tear slipping down his cheek. Charles wiped it away with his thumb and pressed their foreheads together, heaving a deep breath.
"Good."

---

Alex lay beside John in bed, John's head resting on his chest and his arms snaked around him.
"If we were free, I'd buy us a house in the country side, away from all the drama and everyone else so it would be just us, and maybe a few close friends." John hummed, closing his eyes with a light smile.
"And we'll have pets, I want a dog, no buts," Alex piped up, eagerly imagining the fantasy land.
"Can we get a turtle too?" John asked excitedly.
"2 turtles, hell, as many as you want." Alex agreed with a slight laugh, earning a squeak of joy from John which only made him laugh even harder.

The cell fell quiet for a moment before John spoke up in a quiet whisper, barely audible.
"Do you want kids one day?"
Alex looked down at John in thought. "Sorry, too far into the future," John laughed nervously, quickly regretting even speaking up.
"No no, I think I do," Alex smiled, looking up at the bunk above. "I like the name Philip for a boy," He added.
"Me too, that's cute," John agreed with a slight nod. "You know, Burr has a daughter," he muttered.

"Really? That must be hard, on both of them," Alex frowned, stroking his hand through John's hair.
"Yeah, I saw them in the visit rooms once, wife too, she's a correctional officer, not sure which prison she works at though," John shrugged. Alex hummed in thought, raking his hand through John's hair relaxingly when Lafayette popped his head through the doorway.

"Sorry to disturb your, er, moment," he chuckled. "But you have another call, from 'Henry'."