Alex presses her face into the crook of Nikita's neck and lays there, still and unmoving, with no intention of doing anything other than holding onto her and finding comfort in the moments between pain. The latest round of withdrawal has left her desperate; as much as she knows she isn't dying, it certainly fucking feels like she is.

"Shh," Nikita murmurs, wrapping one arm around Alex's waist while she rubs her back reassuringly with her other hand. "It'll pass."

When she says things like that, it's hard to accept it as truth. Alex has become so used to questioning everything and everyone that she hasn't been able to trust someone as she does Nikita in a long time. There's also the way Nikita says it, as if she were once in the same position as Alex is now.

"Why did you —" Alex falls silent as pain wracks her body once more. She clutches at Nikita's tank and screams in her head, refusing to speak until the wave of agony has passed. As it does, she's pulled into a sitting position, cradled against Nikita's warm body, encompassed by slender yet muscular arms. Before she knows it, the pain is back.

Whimpering against Nikita's chest causes her to pull Alex closer, stroke her hair, and hum. "Why did I what?"

"Why'd you choose me?" Alex says, looking up at Nikita. Those dark eyes say so little, but the fire in them reassures her that she's protected.

"I wanted to save you."