Reunited Ch. 05

"Ellie, what the hell is going on? It matters because you are my friend and I care about you. It matters because I'm a police officer and want to protect you. Of course it matters!"

She took a deep breath, anchoring herself. Do I tell him? Can I trust him? They told me not to tell anybody, but everything is going wrong now.

"I'm in hiding. I don't need to tell you why or from whom, but someone showed up at the bar where I work that could ruin it if he recognized me, so I had to get out. I left my car there because I thought the other girls could identify it as mine if he did realize who I was, so I needed a ride."

"Is that why you did this to yourself?" he gestured at her hair and body.

"Yes, I thought it would be easier to hide if I made certain changes. The Ellie that went into hiding was blonde, average build, with glasses. Ellie Brown is brunette, doesn't wear glasses, and is skinny."

"Well that explains some things, but still leaves a lot of questions. At least I know where you went now, and why. Do you have any idea how many people Jake and I called trying to figure out why you'd be here?"

"Wait. Just stop. You told people I was here, in this city? Now they'll know! Oh no, no wonder he was here," she groaned. "Shit."

"I only talked to friends from school and your family. Nobody knew where you could be or if you were even here. Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes, but it's not like you knew. I have to call Kristin and move again," this last part she muttered to herself, but Alec still heard.

"Who's Kristin? Calm down, Els." He parked the car in front of her building. "I'm going to walk you up, to make sure nobody is there, ok?"

She nodded, her thoughts spinning. It would only be a matter of time before they tracked her now. She couldn't go back to work, not after seeing Mendon there. She really should leave, but maybe it was just a coincidence. After all, they'd never expect her to be working in a bar. She'd been in the middle of medical school when she finally got the courage to drop everything and run. Rob would have expected her to continue down that path, to be finishing up now.

She followed Alec upstairs, surprised when she felt a sense of relief that she had cleaned

thoroughly earlier. She hated having guests over when her place was a mess.

She unlocked the door and led him in. "Just make yourself at home," she said, berating herself for being so cliché. "Are you satisfied now? Because I need to change and go to bed."

"No, I'm not satisfied," he snapped. "You've given me more questions than answers and I need to know you're safe."

Heat flooded through her at the thought of him being protective of her still after all this time. She tamped it down, though, telling herself he just felt it was part of his job as a cop. Don't you dare fall for him, Ellie Burns! She knew she couldn't lose her heart to him again just to have him trample it. She walked away regretfully. If only things had gone differently.

*****

If only things had gone down differently, maybe she'd trust me. Or maybe none of this would have ever happened. Alec was sitting on the couch in her living room, looking around to get a feel of the woman Ellie had become. The place looked nice. Plain, not very decorated, but nice.

During his years as a police officer, he had met a few other folks in hiding, and generally it was hard to decorate a place where you might have to leave at any given moment. On the coffee table were scrapbooks. Since he could hear the sounds of Ellie moving around her bedroom, he picked up one that looked like it was from college.

Opening up the scrapbook, he saw a picture of their group of friends first. There was Jake, his roommate Rueben, two girls whose names he could no longer remember, Ellie with her best friend Luisa, Alec himself, and a girl named Grace who Alec had briefly dated the year after he left. They were all looking up from playing a board game at one of their numerous game nights. Apparently this one hadn't descended into a drinking game, because everyone looked sober and the game they were playing was fun even without alcohol.

As he flipped through the pages, the main commonality between pictures was the ever smiling face of Ellie. There she was with Luisa the night the two of them had decided to climb a tree to the roof of their dorm to stargaze. Here was one where she was with Jake, neither looking at the camera because they were eagerly discussing the merits of a movie they both loved. There were no pictures of her with Alec, despite the fact that they had taken several during their time together. He put the book down.

And why would you expect her to have photos of you? They hadn't been together all that long, and as far as he'd been concerned, she eventually stopped talking to him. Though he had only quickly flipped through the first book, a similarly speedy glance at the second showed him no pictures more recent than her college graduation. Why would a woman keep pictures from her college years and then stop for years afterward? It made no sense.

"Women make no sense," he muttered.

"What was that?" Ellie asked as she walked out. She was now changed into sweats, which were too large and somewhat camouflaged her weight loss.

"Nothing, I was just remembering how much I love being a man."

Ellie looked at him quizzically but he didn't bother to elaborate. Rather, he changed the subject.

"Look, I know you probably don't want me here, but I would feel better knowing that you're safe and no one followed us."

"You believe me? Despite not receiving many details?"

"The Ellie I knew didn't lie. Why would that change?"

"Maybe because I lied at the bar the first time you recognized me?"

"Now I know the reason for that, so I still think you're being honest. So could you please spare me a blanket and pillow for your couch? Or would you prefer a man to warm your bed?" He winked at her, hoping to make her laugh and even secretly hoping she'd say yes. Damnit Alec, think with your head, not your dick.

"Nice try, wise guy," she said saucily as she exited the room. She brought back a sheet, blanket, and pillow. "I don't have any clothing that would fit you, so you're stuck wearing what you have. And although I was very careful and therefore doubt anyone would have seen me leave with you, thank you for staying."

Her words were nice but polite and disengaged. She didn't really want him here; that much was obvious.

As she left the room, he settled himself down on her couch. It wasn't long enough for his tall frame, but he was accustomed to that after years of being too tall for beds and couches. Finally comfortable, he drifted off to sleep.

*****

A scream shattered the silence of the apartment, waking Alec with a jerk. He tried to jump up, but got tangled with his blanket and fell. Picking himself up, he ran into Ellie's room, where she was tossing and turning. A nightmare. Jesus, all that for a dream? He was frustrated and his adrenaline was pumping through his body. He had actually been hoping for a fight, a way to get his frustrations at this whole situation out of his system, and here the girl was just having a bad dream. He started to turn away.

"No. Please no. Let me help them! Please." Ellie moaned the words, still lost in her dream world. He remembered that she used to talk in her sleep, but only when she had particularly vivid dreams. This must be bad to cause her to scream yet not wake her up.

He walked over to her bed and sat on the edge gently. Reaching out to feel her cheek, he could tell she was sweating and hot. He had just decided to wake her when she started crying. Tears were coming out of her eyes and she started to sob. She was still sleeping but whatever she was seeing was bad.

"Ellie. Wake up." He shook her gently. "Come on, El, it's just a dream. Wake up."

She bolted upright, clearly freaked out for a moment before she realized she was in her own bedroom. Still sobbing, she shoved herself forward into his arms, seeking comfort.

"Hey, it's alright, hon. It was just a dream. Nothing real. Shh." He rubbed her back as her sobs slowed.

"Wanna tell me about it?"

She didn't say anything for a moment, then she spoke quietly. "He murdered them. A whole family, because the father had decided to get out. First he killed their baby, grabbed her away from the mother and...he just threw her against a concrete pillar as hard as he could. She wasn't even a year old; she was innocent and just so, so beautifully perfect. When her brother ran over to see if his baby sister was alright, he shot him. Right in the head; no warning whatsoever. By that point the mother was screaming, just screaming. So he shot her too. Right before he shot the father, he told him that he had caused his own family's deaths, by trying to escape."

"It was just a dream, Els. Calm down, darlin'."

"That's the thing, though. It wasn't a dream. It really happened." She finally gathered herself and looked up at him. "That's when I knew something was wrong, even more than I had ever suspected. The next day, while he out with his friends 'on business', I snuck into his office and searched everything until I could find some evidence, just a shred even, that would link him to that family. It took over an hour, and I was shaking the whole time, but I found it. A ledger of the deals that had gone down, the girls that had been kidnapped and sold, the drugs, all of it, and the accounts the money was flowing into. He refused to keep electronic records because they're harder to destroy, so apparently he had this book. I'm surprised I even was able to find it. When he realized it was missing, I heard him discussing it with Mendon, his 'business partner.' Apparently he changed the hiding spot every other week, he was so paranoid about losing it. I happened to find it right after he updated it, when it wasn't locked up anywhere. I knew I had to escape before he figured out that I was the one who had found it, so I asked him if I could go shopping for a dress for an upcoming gala he expected me to attend as his arm candy. He gave me permission and once I left I bought a disposable phone, called a cab, and left my purse, car, and everything at the mall. The cabbie dropped me off at a hotel, where I paid in cash and called the authorities."

She took a breath. "They couldn't believe it, but I had the ledger with his name, his account numbers, everything. Only a few people were brought in to that investigation because he has agents on his bankroll, but they kept the ledger, gave me new papers, and helped me move out here. The investigators are searching for more evidence, but few people can link him to the group. So they decided to send an undercover man in to infiltrate them. He disappeared, so they sent another one. This one has been more cautious, but they think there is a big deal or something happening in the next few months. So until they have proof of that and can definitively end it all, here I am, hiding, because otherwise, he'll kill me."

Alec couldn't believe it. Ellie was involved with a mob man? A gangster? How could that have happened? He was shocked.

"I'm right here, darlin'. I won't let anyone hurt you, ok? I think you should go back to sleep, and I'll stay here if you want."

She nodded, clearly exhausted from telling him the story on top of all the excitement of the day. Within only a few minutes she was back asleep, leaving him to wonder how in the world the woman had ended up down that path.

*****

Alec's pleasant sleep came to an end before Ellie awakened, but he had no desire whatsoever to move. He was on his back with her curled up against his side and her head pillowed on his shoulder. Having her back with him again after so many years felt wonderful, even better than what he had remembered. As he tightened his arms around her slightly, a possessiveness he hadn't even known he harbored came to the forefront of his mind. She'd been through too much over the years; the poor girl deserved a chance to sleep in the arms of someone who cared.

She stirred slightly, causing him to loosen his hold on her in order to give her enough space to stay comfortable. After a moment though, she quieted, easily slipping back into her peaceful slumber. He sighed, fairly certain he could happily remain in bed holding her for a very long time. He rubbed her back gently, hoping she'd stay asleep for awhile.

Unfortunately, all good moments must pass and this one ended far too quickly for his taste. About half an hour after he woke up, Ellie stirred again, but this time she didn't return to sleep. Instead she opened her eyes and looked around blearily. She looked confused as she grasped the fact that she was cuddled against someone. He continued to watch her and met her gaze as she looked up at him. Realization dawned in her eyes, quickly followed by revulsion.

"What the hell is this?" she asked as she forcefully pushed him away.

"It's nothing. You had a nightmare. You screamed, so I ran in to check on you. You were crying and you told me what happened and why you're in hiding. I couldn't just leave you alone after that so I climbed in bed and held you as you went back to sleep. I guess I fell asleep myself. Do you remember that?"

She nodded slowly as she recalled. "Just...don't let it happen again. I don't need your help." With that, she rolled off of the bed and practically ran to the bathroom.

After a moment, Alec heard the water running. He stayed in the bed, contemplating fate, the future, and how the hell he could keep a girl safe when she obviously couldn't stand to be near him and when he obviously still had deep running feelings for her.

*****

Ellie stood in the stream of water without moving; she was content to just let it flow over her for a few minutes while her mind took over. She did remember crying out from her nightmare, but she had thought that Alec comforting her was merely a dream. The real Alec wouldn't do that.

The real Alec didn't care. He never did.

She remembered how smitten she had been with him; she'd even fancied herself in love with the idiot. Then she'd found out the truth from a mutual friend. Alec hadn't cared one tiny bit for her, had lied to her. The next guy to give her any attention was Rob Davidson. Obviously men didn't have even a modicum of kindness when it came to her. But she knew now that she could survive without them. She'd managed to evade Rob for over a year until Alec had stirred everything up. She would easily be able to run off and go into hiding again.

Really, it would be even easier this time than the first time.