"Victoria!"

Alex raced through the open door into his girlfriend's living room and stared, horrified at what he saw. Mr. Campbell was now crouching on the floor, Victoria sitting in front of him with his ram around her neck.

"Alex" Victoria whispered in a terrified voice and pleaded silently with Alex to help her.

"Shut up!" He tightened the grip around Victoria's throat and made her choke. He looked worryingly at Alex and for the first time in the series of events, he looked scared. "Stop! Don't come any closer!" Alex had slowly started to inch forward towards the pair but stopped dead in his tracks. "I'll hurt her!"

"Ok, ok, I'm backing off." He shot Victoria a meaningful look that gave her hope that everything might be OK. How the hell, she had no idea but Alex's mere presence was enough to reassure her. "Can't we just sit down and talk about this?"

"Talk! Talk!!" He waved the knife around angrily and made both Victoria and Alex gasp. "Talking won't bring Allison back will it?"

Alex tried once more to get closer and this time it worked, he was now too worked up to notice his advance.

"No, you're right. But we can just..."

"No! Someone has to pay for what happened!"

He brought the knife down closer, and Alex's blurred vision and sudden rush of adrenaline made it seem in slow motion.

"No! Don't!" He yelled, and made a dive for the man.

***

What if I'm too late?

That was the main question rolling around in Kath's head as she stood in the corner of the empty lift, waiting for it to reach the right floor.

Up until now it had only been 'what ifs', but now it was really going to happen. She might loose Mike before she had the chance to tell him how she felt. She hadn't seriously thought, until now that he would leave Holby. Even when Tash had warned her, it didn't seem real.

The lift stopped and she rushed out of it, hearing the doors close as she rushed down the corridor and up the last small flight of stairs.

***

"I told you to stay back!" The man yelled, and there was a definite hint of fear in his voice. Alex managed to grab his arm and he released his grip on Victoria's throat.

He didn't stop though and swung violently around and started moving towards Alex.

Victoria stayed crouching in the corner, too shocked to move. "Alex!" she called to him across the room but still found herself rooted to the spot, unable to get up and do something to help.

James stepped closer and closer to Alex, who was now flat against the wall by the still open doorway. He glanced quickly to his left, planning possible escape routes but he was caught.

"Oh no you don't!" he told him in an eerily perky voice and slammed the door shut with his foot.

Victoria let out an involuntary shriek, which startled the man and made him raise the knife.

"James! Can't we just talk about this?"

He snapped his head around and looked at Victoria. "No! You took something close to me so I'm going to do the same to you."

He faced Alex once more and looked him straight in the eye. For one terrifying moment, Alex knew what was about to happen and could not move. The angry man pulled the knife out and rammed it deep into his abdomen. Alex let out an agonised groan and collapsed on the floor.

"Alex!"

***

"Mike!"

Kath appeared through the double glass doors at the end of the corridor and stopped. Mike spun round at the sound of his name and stared silently back down the corridor. He closed the door to the room he was about to enter and slowly walked down the hallway towards Kath.

Kath started towards him too. "Mike, I just"

"Kath, is something wrong?" He looked at the sister with a concerned look on his face and slowly brought his hand up to cup her face.

Kath looked shyly down at the floor and struggled to find the right words. Her thoughts were a jumbled and she found it hard to say how she felt but she finally managed to get out what she had wanted to say for a long time. "Mike, I want to be with you."

Mike pulled away slightly and looked up at her with shock and surprise. Then smiled. "Me too."

***

"Oh God no! Alex!"

Victoria rushed over to Alex lying in pain on the floor and crouched down beside him and rested his head in her lap. This was all her fault. If she hadn't have been stupid enough to enter her flat in the first place, Alex would be fine.

"Victoria, I" He struggled to speak, still in disbelief about what had just happened.

Victoria hugged him closer. "Shh... don't try to speak. I'll call an ambulance, everything will be fine." She looked up at the phone, and for the first time, realised that the man had gone.

She looked down at his wound though and suddenly her words lost all meaning. The knife had plunged deep into his stomach there was blood everywhere. She frantically grabbed blanket off the back of the sofa to try and stem the bleeding but it rapidly soaked through.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to stay strong. "I'll just go and grab the phone..."

She started to stand up but Alex reached out and grabbed her. "Please, don't go."

***

"Please, don't go Kath." Kath had started to walk back down the corridor, suddenly deciding this was a bad idea but Mike grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

He pulled her in close to him and held her around her waist. She resisted at first but then relaxed under his strong grip. They both looked at each other and their eyes met, highlighting the feelings that they both had for each other and telling them, in one instant, that they could no longer hide.

"I love you" Mike said, softly stroking her face and hugged her tight.

***

"I love you" Alex stammered and managed a weak smile up at Victoria.

Victoria shook her head and more tears flowed down her cheek. "Don't say that, don't say goodbye, you'll be fine." She refused to say it back to him but hugged him tighter, hoping he would understand. He seemed to, even in his weak and fragile state.

Victoria bent down and kissed him gently on the lips.

***

"I love you" Kath told him back, her voice full of joy and certainty. He smiled down at her and they came closer, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss.

"Please, don't leave me."

***

"Please don't leave me." Victoria's voice was shaky and her voice was full of sadness and emotion.

Alex closed his eyes and slumped in her arms. She franticly put her fingers to his neck and felt for a pulse. It was becoming weaker and weaker.

"Oh, God!"

***

"I promise I'll never leave you, Kath." He pulled away from her slightly and looked her seriously, but lovingly in the eye. "I promise."

***

"I promise I'll stay, I promise." Victoria tried to reassure him but the feelings evident in her voice betrayed her words. She knew he was going to die. And the utterly helpless feeling enveloped her at the realisation that she could do nothing to help him.

***

"You really mean that?" Kath looked up hopefully with a beaming grin.

Mike laughed slightly and kissed her again, deeper and more passionate this time.

"Yeah!"

At the sound of his words, Kath had never felt happier in her life.

They stood together, in the middle of the corridor in each other's arms, for what seemed like hours. Sharing their love and happiness for each other in one, simple embrace.

***

Victoria felt again for a pulse, and felt it gradually fade away and then decease. The blood flow had also stopped and she bent over his lifeless form, crying more and more and desperately hugging him, trying not to let go.

"No!"

She slumped back against the living room wall and sobbed uncontrollably into her hands.

She had never felt more guilty or alone in her life.

***

"Look, your Daddy's up there." Victoria pointed outside at the stars.

"Up there?" Her daughter swivelled herself round on the window ledge and looked at her mum with a puzzled expression on her face. Victoria couldn't help laughing and scooped the little girl up into her arms.

"Yeah! In heaven, stupid!" she said with a grin but couldn't help a small tear trickling down her cheek. "Looking down on you and me."

"Cos he loves us!" she replied enthusiastically and jumped into bed, snuggling under the covers.

"Yup!" Victoria kissed her daughter on the forehead and walked out the door, switching off the light.

"Night night, Lexi. Love you."