#flaurel

That's when Annalise couldn't keep her concerns to herself anymore and asked the girl to her office for a private and personal chat - something she rarely or rather never did with her students

It was surprisingly easy to get Michaela to confide in her, almost as though she'd been waiting for someone willing to hear her out

And when she finally let it all out of her system, dropping a few tears along the way, Annalise gave her a piece of her mind, some advice she'll never forget

A promising 'men ain't shit'

Which perfectly transitions to the similar talk she gave Laurel about Frank

She'd caught all their fleeting glances, smiles from across the room, 'subtle' or 'accidental' physical contact and all the times they'd sneak off on their own when they though the other students were least likely to notice

Of course, Annalise had nothing has nothing against a little mixture of feelings in the work place as long as it doesn't hinder the work flow

But the guy in question was none other than Frank and if anybody knew this man, it was her

And the first thing she knew about him apart from his knowledge of law, was that he's a notorious heartbreaker among college girls

And she'd be damned if she let him hurt Laurel

She didn't know exactly why she wanted to intervene this time specifically but she did

First by lightly telling Laurel to watch herself around Frank - which she took quite easily and gracefully

"I love the guy like my own son, but I'd be damned if I looked you in the eyes and lied to your face that he's a good man for these types of things. Romance is not his strong suit and you....you seem fragile, Miss Castillo. Watch out for yourself, ok? He's haphazard and insensitive at times, but he can't break you if you don't let him."

And then by telling Frank off to hell, making him promise up and down that he wasn't playing games with her

"I swear you're gonna be regretting the day you stepped foot in my office, you understand? I've heard you pull the 'nothing personal' card far too many times to hear it again this year. Got it? Miss Castillo is too good to be a conquest or toy you enjoy for a month then drop and forget about within a day!"

Much like Rebecca was playing with Wes

The Puppy of the group had his own love troubles too

Pursuing an emotionally unavailable person has become Annalise's specialty too over the past few years of her marriage to Sam so she knew exactly what he felt when she sat down in hopes of having a proper talk with him

She figured that his love troubles were only the tip of the iceberg

This boy had layers and layers of problems suffocating him and, although initially reluctant to open up about them, he eventually did, allowing for Annalise to be let in on his life story, the death of his mother, how hard his life has been since, how he's so unsure of himself and how his trust issues have never been so bad

She took the opportunity to fill him in on a little secret - the faux confidence of lawyers, she called it

The confidence they exhibit in court isn't always 100% genuine or stable

Hell, some of them walk in there 99% sure they're gonna lose the case and yet they still stand strong and tall before the judge and build a case that can only stand for any length of time if it's shown with confidence

But, one has to know when the confidence has gone overboard

Faking it doesn't always lead to making it, sometimes it can lead to a bad crash and burn

Which is what Connor has been dealing with behind sly smirks and sarcastic remarks

Annalise noticed each change of his expression whenever he wouldn't get something right in class or when he'd see the trophy getting handed off to someone else of the Keating 5

She sees his brick wall of self-assuredness falter in those moments, something no one else catches a glimpse of which is probably his intention

Which is mainly why he refused her help when she offered it to him

He did, however, accept a drink, and after two, he was singing his heart out, spilling his worries to her

From love troubles with Oliver, to how the recent events have affected him and how he's starting to lose his sense of self, no longer able to tell right from wrong, how his walls were built so high, he couldn't let in even the people he wanted to

All struggles that hit very close to home for her

She understood him and advised him the best she could - to the extent he'd listen to - but comforted him with words that have stuck with him ever since

"The pressure sucks, I know. But imagine how much suckier it would be to be left in a state of ignorance. You want to be in the know? You better prepare for what that brings Mr. Walsh."

Speaking of ignorance...there's Asher

He's like the baby of the group by this point, protected from the truth that his friends have done something terrible, that his professor is in on it and that the only reason he's here is probably because of his father

Although he proved himself smarter and more capable than anticipated he clearly didn't see it that way for when Annalise congratulated him on his recent progress, he had simply asked:

"How much did my dad pay you to bump up my grade?"

Turns out he knew of that last part

Which was perfect to prompt Annalise into giving him a brief lecture on clinging onto details

"Our job may or may not revolve around details, but look at it this way: he's the reason I took you in, you're the reason you've stayed this long. After all, he never said I couldn't kick you from the program whenever I'd please. Keep up the good work, Mr. Millstone, and maybe your daddy won't have to pay your way any further than this spot on my team."

Each and every time she did it, she reasoned with herself that she just wanted her team to be top-tier and remain so at all times

If she had to coax them out of a dark place then that's what she was prepared to do

But now, as she's found herself looking at all five of them gathered in the living room of her house as per usual, she can't help the smile that comes across her face

Michaela's back to being herself, lively and intense like the hurricane she's been since day one, eyes on the prize with no distractions on the way

Laurel seems happier too, but that might have something to do with the fact that those looks, smiles and touches between her and Frank aren't so much fleeting and exchanged in secrecy anymore

Yup, even Annalise was taken aback to find out that the two were an official item but God if that didn't make her day

Wes has been working more on his confidence as of recent, being more open with his ideas and thoughts, not only with the other four students but in front of the whole class too

Baby steps, but meaningful ones, letting the woman know her efforts weren't in vain

Connor has kept up a poker face facade - the one all too regular for him, but she has been noticing the subtle changes

The leisure in his posture when he sits, the easy smile on his face when the five are taking a break from their hard work etc.

And Asher seems to have found anew surge of motivation, now knowing that what he did actually mattered and that at least this element of his life wasn't in the hands of his father

All in all, missions Keating 5 seems to have been a success

And it's helped Annalise find out a little thing about herself too

The answer to the question why she's grown so attached to these students out of all 4's she's coached throughout her career

Simple: Because these five have become her responsibility, like her very own children