Authors Note: I'm soooo sorry! I've tried fixing chapter 6 quite a few times and I have NO CLUE why it keeps coming up as html on this site. Here is a totally new upload for you. I'm trying to find my writing mo-jo again, even my novels have been sitting untouched for months. Here's to hoping it comes back soon!

Alec had thrown the bathroom door open and ran towards her room only to be barrelled into by a blur of curly brown hair. Instinctively his arms came up around her as he stumbled backward into the wall with a grunt.

"What is it? What's happened?"

"He was here. God Alec, he was here!" She pushed past him and made a dash for the bathroom where she slammed the door shut and proceeded to be sick.

It was in that moment that Alec realized how terrified of Joe coming back Ellie actually was. He knew she quite obviously hated him for very valid reasons. Yet she had hardly reacted at his news that Joe was in town before. Knocking lightly on the bathroom door he cracked it open, "Just need my shirt. I'll take care of things."

He picked his shirt up off the floor and exited, shutting the door behind him gently, before she could throw him out. Right. SOCO would need to be called, officers chewed out, and he needed to get her out of here. Dressed once again he shoved his feet into his trainers and stormed out to the car parked out front.

Ellie could hear his shouting from her place on the bathroom floor. She knew the officers were going to get a good bollocking. Once upon a time, she would have rushed to tell him to calm down. At present, however, she simply felt violated. Somewhat terrified and quite lost. She'd lost track of how long she had locked herself away in the bathroom. She heard Alec giving orders and the sound of SOCO traipsing about her house.

The light tap on the door made her jump, "Ellie?"

"Go away."

Resting his forehead against the door he sighed, giving Dirty Brian a glare as he stopped to stare with a smirk. "Shove off." Without further warning, he opened the door and stepped inside shutting it behind him. "Not arguing with you through the door while that lot is all here."

She had at least moved to sitting on the closed toilet, rather than crouched in front of it. He could tell she had been trying to calm herself down and he knew she wasn't much for hugging it out either. Leaning against the sink he crossed his arms over his chest, "We're going to pack you a bag and get anything the boys will need, pick them up, and go for a while. Alarm system and an officer out front are quite obviously not enough…"

"I left the window open."

"What?"

"The bedroom window. I almost always have it open. Didn't even think of it."

"This is not your fault. If it's anyone's fault it's the jury for letting him free. Come on then. SOCO is going to clear out long enough for you to pack a bag."

Standing she nudged him out of the way so she could splash a bit of cold water on her face, she twitched slightly but didn't shrug him off when his hand came to rest on her back.

"We're goin' to catch him. They've got his prints already showing he's been in the house recently. We'll put him away this time."

She nodded mutely and motioned for him to open the door, once he'd done so she crossed her arms over her chest and made her way into her room. Embarrassed at the thought of SOCO going through her house yet again. Violated at the thought of Joe poking around too, as she passed the boys bedrooms she noticed the paper on Tom's bed and growled. "He was in there too. The bloody bastard was in Tom's room."

She was on the verge of storming in and tearing the offending item up when a strong arm came around her waist and hauled her back before she could even touch the door frame.

"Don't touch it, Miller. Go on. Pack a bag."

She struggled against him for a few moments before the fight left her and she nodded. She knew he was right even if she wanted to rage. She wanted to tear the offending paper to shreds but that wouldn't help. Everything in her mind was a jumble, a constant battle and she felt herself spiraling out of control. She attempted a faint smile for her former coworkers before packing her bag and heading for the front door. The boys had everything they would need at Lucy's house already.

She handed her house keys and alarm code off to Dirty Brian. She could joke about him all she wanted, but she was relatively sure she could trust him. She'd still change the code...and possibly the locks anyways. Joe had done that to her. Joe had made her paranoid. She remembered when she rarely locked the doors period, and now this is what she'd come to. Alec joined her with his own bag in hand and took her bag from her. "Lucy has wee Fred's seat yea?"

"Mhmm." She automatically headed for her car, it wasn't until Alec was calling to her from his that she realized he was standing next to his waiting for her. The drive to Lucy's house was silent, Alec took charge of getting Fred's seat in and Tom was happy to help load their bags and the travel cot. When Ellie emerged from the house with a sleeping Fred in her arms she didn't expect to see the pair of them actually having a conversation. Seeing Alec's hand on Tom's shoulder shook her more than she anticipated. Maybe….maybe they would be alright with the man she vowed to hate first for stealing her job and then again for walking out of her life was on their side.