Disclaimer:- Nope still not owning anything…except my shiny new laptop Santa brought me….

A/N:- Okay please accept my apologies, I have struggled no end with this chapter, it is a bit different to the others but it does have a big part to play later on.

Just a quick thanks to all the wonderful peeps who read my story and much love and invisible cookies to greyhaven11, sc1986, pop tarts, mj, vicki, goodnightmoon7, scillamarie101, and xXBabygirlXx for reviewing. If you want cookies next time, review…pretty please.

This little expedition was proving to be more exhilarating than she could have thought. It hadn't started out well, considering the fact she had come damn close to slaughtering a bunch of her fellow students at the school gate. In fact if she hadn't ground the breaks to dust, they would have been pureed. Smoothie a la Spenser. Not a popular flavour. Things after that minor glitch had begun looking up though. How? Well she had succeeded in pissing Caleb off. Ever since she found out about his gloating getting under his skin was just something she had to do. Couldn't help herself really. They hadn't even been in each other presence for more than ten, fifteen minutes tops and she had him yelling like a little bitch. A new personal best...damn she was proud of herself. Now you may be asking why Caleb was whining ? Well from what she could decipher; angry Caleb yelling - difficult to interpret; he had one or two objections to her driving abilities, well her breaking ones to be precise. Twat should have been wearing his seat belt, he wouldn't have catapulted between the seats then would he, besides what did he really expect her to do, blend student with asphalt! Now if it had been the stalker bitch…or Reid's fan club who had double there daily hate mail, then maybe she would have considered not stopping but that was just plain mean. Right? Choosing the moment he started to demand his keys back to allow her hearing to regress back to it's earlier state, and ignore his continuing rant she slid the car back into gear and took off. She had a job to get to after all.

As the miles had gone by she had found herself re-developing a crush. On the car. God, she had to get one of these. Or at least lift Caleb's spare keys. She couldn't remember the drive to work ever being this invigorating. Granted ordinarily she wouldn't be going 130mph with the top down, hair whipping about her ice cold face, screaming her bloody lungs raw. At least she wasn't the only one enjoying themselves. Risking a glance to her right she could see the laughing face of Reid, gripping his door handle; his knuckles turning white as the car leant with the curve of the road. She couldn't help but smile looking at him. She had actually become rather fond of the annoying pain in the ass, she knew where she stood with that Reid, the quiet and subdued one was just plain disturbing. This past week she had found herself loathing them all less, not necessarily liking them more, but loathing them less, even Caleb when he pulled the stick out of his ass. They new how to have a good time, she actually caught Pogue getting his freak on with one of the few remaining girl swimmers. The naughty boy. She wondered if he knew it was the provost's niece. Probably…

Anyway enough of the four year old wondering off; how the fuck she hadn't crashed and killed them all she didn't know; she refocused on Reid to find him wink at her, well not to be outdone by him she did the only thing any self respecting girl would have done. She stuck her tongue out at him. He wasn't expecting that, the stupid grin on the little fuckers face said so. And that was the way the ride continued to progress. Shameless flirtation, obscure yelling and laughter dying in the wind and Ali gunning Caleb's car for all it was worth. She hadn't dared use the break pedal since leaving Spenser, she had this mental image of them packing up their bags and fucking off if she even dared too after her earlier misuse, the large neon sign in the distance had her secretly praying they wouldn't though, she had this sneaking suspicion Caleb would attempt to drown her at the next swim meet if she damaged his car. In a bout of cowardice she was actually tempted to just keep driving until the gas ran out, but the small detail of her job being her only source of parental annoyance found her easing off the gas sliding the car into the last remaining space. And it was with the utmost reluctance she handed the keys back to Caleb.

About three steps from the car she began to think she was releasing some unknown pheromone , that was the only logical explanation she could come up with as to why the Sons of Ipswich felt the need to drape themselves over her like a second skin or something. How the hell did they manage to get from the other side of the car so fast anyway? She hadn't even managed to get four feet from the car, before both Reid and Pogue were on her. Reid at her waist and Pogue's arm over her shoulders, Caleb had taken point and was a few feet in front of them leading the way. Maybe she should change her perfume… though you had to admit, walking into Nicky's with three of Spenser's finest was one hell of a way to make an entrance. Every pair of eyes in Nicky's were on them. She hoped her hair didn't look like a birds nest…

They hadn't even had the chance to get to their usual table; yes she had been coerced into joining them during her breaks... and before her shift started... and after...you get the idea ; before they were bombarded by Reid's sodding fan club, babbling on about his birthday. Truthfully it hadn't surprised her that they knew, knowing that bunch of freaks they had probably stolen his personal file from the admissions office. was Reid's reaction to them that surprised her. He completely and utterly ignored them. he opted instead for tightened his grasp on her midriff, glaring at the floor and walking on by. Ali was starting to get the impression that he really didn't like his birthday.

Having finally arrived at their table, ousting a feuding couple in the process she was finally freed from Pogue's arm and only with the assurance that she would indeed dance with him later Reid's too, satisfied with her answer Reid had propped his feet on the egde of the table and began tapping some unfathomable tune on his knees with a set of chop sticks she was sure she had tossed in out…or Caleb's glove box… probably the latter. Saying her see you's to the others she made quick work of notifying Nicky that Callie would be late - her boyfriend was having car trouble -before grabbing an order pad and starting her rounds.

Seventeen orders and three ass grabs later a very red faced Tyler and Callie arrived. The poor boy, he looked tired. Shame for Callie she had a six hour shift ahead of her. Shoving her way through the crowd Ali got to their table just in time to catch the tale end of whatever they were talking about.

"Jealousy….It's an ugly thing" Tyler was laughing.

Okay too much detail right there.

"Oi…bitch…get your ass on the floor, I'm, going behind the bar" Ali half yelled over the din of the jukebox.

"Yeah in a sec…"

"No now…. If I have one more person grab my ass, I'm gonna stab them with my pen, put the cupcake down and move it…."

"Someone's in a good mood…" Callie sulked, tearing herself away from Tyler.

"Eat me" Ali snaps back.

"Nah, I'm full thanks" Callie grins as she takes Ali's order pad before walking away leaving a nauseated Ali shuddering.

Definitely too much information.

The following three hours passed smoothly enough, the fact Reid hadn't gravitated towards the pool tables probably helped with that. Seventy percent of the fights that broke out in Nicky's were because of him, She counted. After one of the more bloody fights she had asked Nicky why he let him come back if he was the source of the problem, do you know what he told her? He, They were good for business, the girls come to watch them and the guy's came to get one over on them, though it had never happened yet. Looking at them, well Tyler, Pogue and Caleb playing pool, she realised he was right, half the people in the place were observing them.

"You looking for me" a voice asked.

Trust the only time all night she had looked at them intentionally be the only time he had come looking for.

"No…" she shrugs.

"Liar… do you wanna come have that dance, I could do with cheering up" he asks, offering her the best smile he could muster.

Looking at her watch, deciding that she was due a break she agrees, telling him she had to take a few crates of empties out first.

"Alright…" he nod's.

"You can get me a drink while you wait.." she smiles.

"What do you want?"

"A double of Jack, straight up…no ice" she informed him, as she gathered up the first of them.

The unsettling shatter of glass wasn't enough to deter Ali as she dropped the last crate of bottles. It was finally complete. After seven weeks of rebuilding - yep rebuilding - a bunch of nameless Spenser fuckwits had gotten into it back along and smashed the shit out of the last one she and Callie had started constructing, one of them had tossed his mate into it like a rag doll - prick - why these things only ever happened on her night off she could never figure out. But hey, her half pyramid, towering up the chain link fence was complete. The ancient Egyptians would be proud. Cue the theatrical wipe of tears. Nicky could get them collected now…her tribute to Ipswich's piss heads was complete. Time for that drink with Reid, she felt like celebrating. Or not. Walking back towards the bar her path was blocked. Oh yay, some jerk wanted to play scare the waitress. Oh well tonight must be her lucky night, guess who her jerk was. Go on. Guess….

Aaron.

Oh goody. Such fun.

Maybe she should write a book. Your everyday guide to sarcasm… hell it could be a best seller.

"What do you want Aaron?"

Glare.

""I repeat, What do you want Aaron?"

Nasty little sneer plus glare. Definitely preferring the glare right now.

"Going in now Aaron" Ali mutters , trying to side step him, but no luck, he steps in front of her. Rolling her eyes at him she tries to go the other way, but again he halts her progress.

"Aaron…tell me what you want or fuck off already"

Again with the nothing. Maybe he overdosed on creepy tonight.

"Whatever, bye Aaron"

Her motion to bypass him swiftly halted as his hands clamp down on her arms, lifting her from the floor and throwing her back against the wall.

"Aaron…what the …." she gasps, the air escaping her lungs. The mother fucker actually grabbed her.

"Hello Alicia", he speaks, that had to be progress, probably not of the good kind, but still at least he was... kissing her neck. Oh fuck and hell no. Slamming her fists against his shoulders Alicia shoves against him, opening a small gap between them.

"Get the hell away from me Aaron, what the fuck do you think you are doing?"

"Come on Ali…don't be shy…"he grins, repeating his comment from the Dells. Funny how you remember the stupidest things isn't it really?

"Shy!!" Okay this wasn't going anyplace fun, "Get the hell away from me now Aaron, or I swear to god…"

Her threat sticking in her throat as he slams his forearm across her collarbone, the shift in position sandwiches her body between his and the wall.

"Ummm, No. I thought you and I could finish what we started the other night at the Dell's. You don't seem to have any problems putting out for the sons of Ispbitch"

"WHAT!!!, I haven't 'put out' to anyone, them or otherwise. And I sure as fuck ain't starting with you " she hisses back, her fist connecting with the side of his face with a somewhat pleasant slapping sound. Funny how a punch can sound like that but hey, now wasn't the time to be contemplating the merits of a punch.

Okay, in hindsight punching a psychotic drunk man wasn't a smart thing to do, as his gaze turned back to her she could have sworn she had seen fire in his eyes. Oh yeah punching Aaron, definitely not a good idea. She hadn't even begun to process the sting in her cheek or the crimson escaping her mouth, before she found herself struggling for air. In a heartbeat the bastard had moved his arm from her collar, smacked her across the face and wrapped his long bony fingers around her throat, literally taking her breath away.

"Oh, really, well I think it's about time to change that, don't you… so your going to put out, right here, right now." Aaron sneered, rolling his hips against hers, his rigid flesh making his point.

The screaming pain in her chest forgotten the moment his word reached her ears, Ali snapped. Who the fuck did he think he was! Did he honestly think she was just going to sit back and let this happen! Oh that so wasn't going happening in this life time. Mustering up every reserve of strength left in her slowly suffocating body she had left she lashed out at him, gagging as his intoxicated breath washes over her face as his mouth crashed down on hers, she bit down on his tongue which he had forced into her mouth, her fists pummelling every inch of him she could reach. A primal growl escaping her lips as his hand snakes down over her skirt, sliding up under the hem. Hell No. Thrusting her knee upwards she manages to make contact with his... hell she wasn't sure what she hit but it seemed to hurt enough for him to remove his mouth from hers and his grasp on her throat to lessen.

"You bitch…I'm going to make you pay for that" he hisses, his face inches away from hers as he digs his fingers into her neck, nails cutting halfmoon trenches in her bruised skin, her miniscule source of oxygen extinguished again. The immediate return of suffocating pain in her chest and the encompassing darkness weren't enough to dull the feel of his fingers digging into her tighs as he wrenched her legs apart to accommodate himself. Squeezing her eyes shut she tries to banish the darkness, incensed by the solitary tear that escapes her. She wouldn't let this bastard do this to her, she was not going to become a statistic. snapping her eys open she lets out a strangled yell as she feels is fingers hook into the waistband of her underwear. Okay, working at Nicky's had just become the least un-fun thing ever. A body wrenching yank later he had torn her underwear from her. In the lenght of time it took for Alicia to process what he had done Aaron had managed to toss her underwear to the ground, reconnect his mouth with hers and begin to retrace the bruised trail up her thigh. Now on any other plain of exsitance Alicia would have realised by now what he was planning to do, but on this one she had only just come to that conclusion, Aaron was going to have sex with her, he wasn't out to just scare her, he was going to rape her. With that conclusion clicking into place she Alicia saw red. Forcing the tendrils of fear creeping up her spine back to where ever they came from Alicia fixed her eyes on his. She wasn't done fighting him yet. If this was going to happen she would have to be either dead or unconscious on the floor first. Everyone apparently has a fight or flight reflex right, well Alicia's fight one just kicked in. Better late than never, but still. In less than a heartbeat she had formulated a plan. If she was getting out of this, hymen in tact, her first logical step would be to regain the ability to breathe. Moving her hands from their fisted position at his shoulders she refocused her efforts on her neck, clawing the skin of his hands and fingers, ripping open her own flesh in her struggle.

Having watched Ali disappear out the door for the third time, a crate of clinking bottles propped on her jutted hip he resigns himself to the task of summoning the last remaining bar staff. Teetering on the edge of his barstool he stretches over the bar, offering the girl walking towards him a smile as she asks him his order. Once the order is filled he slumps back down onto his stool, dividing his attention between observing the half frozen, red nosed Ali appearing and disappearing every few minutes or so, another of the crates vanishing with her; he had briefly considered offering to help but she probably would have thrown a crate at him; and nursing his glass, swirling the ice, watching it dissolve into the amber liquid. Oh yeah, he was sulking. It was his birthday, he should be getting laid, wasted or both, not sitting at a packed bar freaking out about events which he had no control over. Events in which he would disintegrate into pure magic. I mean really what was there to be so worried about. Something like that couldn't hurt much? Right? Swallowing the diluted liquid he savoured the burn ebbing down his throat, pooling in his chest, god he needed to get really really drunk. Waving his hand at the girl he reordered both drinks again, apparently he drank Ali's too whilst lost in despair. It wasn't until he was about to swallow his second…third drink he noticed Ali's absence. She hadn't been back in for a while., and all the crates were gone. Swallowing back his drink and taking hers with him he decided to go seek her out, she was probably out back having a smoke. Walking to the end of the bar, losing Ali's drink in a head on collision with a half cut Caleb who was on route to the bathrooms he found the all too familiar back door. If he thought about it long and hard he could probably deduce that it was his most frequented door, well the one he was most frequently thrown out of anyway. More often than not followed closely by some prick demanding his money back. Why they came back week after week was beyond him, he always came out on top. Always. This glimmer of realisation was enough for a ghost of a smile to appear on his face, however short lived it was to be.

The scene before him saw it wiped off in a flash.

It was incredible when you thought about it. The brains ability to absorb thousands of little details in less than a second. Putting them together again in a detailed image. With just a few firing synapses you had an ever lasting memory. Tough shit if it was one you wanted or not. It was there. And what Reid saw he wasn't about to forget, not in this lifetime anyway.

It was the seemingly abandoned lot he noticed first, which unsettled him enough for an overwhelming sense of foreboding to have his power surging through him, his senses evolving to those akin to a dog, it was then he noticed the unmistakeable metallic twang of blood. Almost unnoticeable under the stale wreak of week old beer. But it was there. It was in that moment everything came into focus, like a Polaroid developing in his head. He could see everything. The pyramid of crates that Caleb has tossed him into, the broken lights that usually illuminated the back doors, the torn underwear on the floor. Alicia. Fighting like hell in the shadows, struggling for breath, crimson seeping from her bruised swollen lip, blood coating her finger nails as she desperately tried to tear away her attackers fingers from her scratched and bloody throat. Aaron. His left hand stealing the very life from her, his torso crushing her into the stone wall, his legs holding hers apart, his right hand somewhere Reid didn't even want to think about, his mouth crushing hers in an unwanted kiss.

Time had barley passed into the next instant before Reid reacted. Violently. In the blink of an eye he had cleared the steps and was standing behind Aaron, his hands gripping his shoulders throwing him to the floor, it was in the next that Reid had dropped to his knees pinning the stunned Aaron to the floor, his newly formed fists making contact with every inch of Aarons torso and face he could find. Aaron deftly trying to deflect them and return a few of his own.

With the unexpected release of her throat Alicia fell to the floor, the rough gravel scrapping at her knees as she hunched over. Pulling in a deep breath she couldn't help the guttorial wail that escaped her, her whole body was on fire, her lungs screaming in pain at the sudden use, the sudden rush of oxygen had her her head swimming and a violent wave of nausea taking over. Risking to glance up during a fleeting moment of visual clarity Alicia caught a brief glimpse of her rescuer. A flash of blonde hair and a gloved fists was enough to have a renewed wave of tears threatening to fall. She had never been so fucking happy to see Reid or anyone else for that matter in her whole life, taking pause for a moment as her vision clouded over again, Alicia allowed her body to recoup some of the lost oxygen it desperatley needed. Once satisfied that she wasn't about to pass out she attempted to gain some composure and stand, the jelly legged affect of almost suffocating however quickly had her wilting to the floor. Resigning herself to the fact she wasn't about to get up anytime soon she settled for kneeling her hands on the floor keeping her from pitching over to the side as her head began to swim again. Forcing down the bile in her throat, which was still trying to escape, she forced her mind to concentrate on what was happening before her. Reid, her rescuer, was poised over the barley conscious form of Aaron, his blood smeared fist raised, ready to deliver another punch. As much dark and twisted satisfaction it gave her to see Aaron taking a beating she knew she had to stop Reid. In a voice barley breaking a whisper she begins to plead with him to stop, for him not to hit him anymore, knowing that words alone weren't enough to make Reid stop of his own volition, she begins to scream, forcing her voice louder and louder everytime he raises his fist, desperate for him to stop. It was when her voice seemed to return at full volume Caleb appeared on scene, apparently he had finished in the bathrooms and was attempting to make his way back to the others, but managing to get lost along his way. Much like Reid he was united with his sense upon seeing his brother delivering blows to an unconcious Aaron and his friend screaming bloody murder for him to stop. Running down the stairs he quickly wraps his arms around Reids middle, pulling him off of the unmoving form before discarding him on the ground in front of Alicia.

Frowning at the bleeding boy at his feet he demands to know what the hell was going on.

Lifting himself off the ground, his chest heaving with exertion he kneels in front of Ali, pulling the trembling girl against his body, his hands coming to rest on her scratch littered back, both soothing and warming her. Ignoring Caleb he instead asks "Are you alright Alicia?"

Welcoming his embrace she clings to him, burying her face in his chest she feels the tears she had been holding back escape her, though in his arms she found herself unable to stop them.

"Reid what the fuck is going on? What's wrong with Ali?" Caleb asked again.

"Not now Caleb, just…" Reid started, but stopped when Ali pulled herself away from him, scrambling to her feet. "Ali are you alright?" he asks again.

Looking around her frantically, she tries to rid her head of the memories of what took place. Being trapped against the wall, being hit, her underwear being torn off, his tongue snaking it's way across her face, flinching she lifts a bloodied hand to her face, trying to wipe away the undetectable saliva she knows is there. Groaning as her stomach lurches forcefully she scans the ground looking for somewhere to relieve the sensation, settling on a drain in the corner she kneels over it, barley hearing Reid ask from behind her if she was alright, hunching foward she mumbles "No…" and finally allows herself to throw up.

"Reid what the hell is going on?" Caleb demands again, still missing the big picture.

Satisfied that her stomach was fully divested of it contents she turns, still on her knees and laughs in Caleb's general direction.

"And I thought you were the smart one"

"Huh?" he asks, frowning at her remark.

"Fucking hell do you really need it spelling out?" Reid shouts as he again pulls Ali to him cradling her this time against his chest, gently tucking her hair behind her ears.

Frowning at them Caleb pauses to take in the scene around him, rapidly putting the pieces together.

"Oh…OH holy fucking shit…Ali are you alright?" he asks as he too kneels at Ali's side, "What the hell happened Reid?"

Opening his mouth to answer he is halted as Callie appears at the door.

"Is this a private party or can anyb-" she starts, her sentence trailing off as she sees a unconscious Aaron, a beaten Ali and a bloody Reid "What the fuck happened out here?"

Groaning to herself Ali buries her head in Reid's chest, grateful that he had his arms around her.

"Aaron happened… I came out looking for her when she didn't come in, the mother fucker had her jammed against the wall, strangling her on one hand, doing fuck knows what with the other one".

"Holy fuck…I'm going to go get Nicky" Callie stutters, stumbling back up the stairs, returning minutes later with Nicky, Pogue and Tyler in tow.

To her own relief Alicia had finally managed to stop crying, her rage having taken over the relief. She was now standing in front of Reid who was examining her lip.

"The police are on the way" Tyler announces as he puts a reassuring hand on Ali's shoulder.

"You alright Al?" Pogue asks.

"This prick just tried to rape her and you want to know if she's alright?" Callie say's, shoving him aside, pulling Alicia into a smothering hug.

"I'm fine…I'm fine honestly" Ali replies pulling herself away from Callie, she had after all managed to avoid having bones broken so far this evening, she didn't need any now. Giving her friend a doubtful look Callie asks "Are you sure?".

"Yes I'm sure…trust me, nothing a good strong drink won't fix…"

Smiling at her Nicky grin's "Now that I can help with", to which he disappears back into the bar.

The next few minutes later sees Ali still wrapped protectively in the arms of Reid who clearly had no intention of letting her go, and her reassuring the others she was alright, just a bit roughed up. It was at this point Nicky returned with a pair of Ipswich's finest. After a short introduction it was suggested that they put Aaron into their car before returning to take a brief statement from Alicia. Apparently Nicky had given them the basic inside. Pogue and Caleb lent a hand in hauling a now awake and volatile Aaron off the floor just to have him knocked back down and back into unconsciousness as Alicia delivered a perfectly placed blow to his jaw.

"Now Miss there will be none of that, I understand how you feel but-"the older of the two officers tells her,

"You understand…bollocks…you have him try and fuck you against the wall and see how much you want to hit him" she spits back at him, flexing her now tender hand, she really hoped the crunch she heard had come from him and not her.

"Hmmm, consider yourself lucky no-one saw you do that alright" he say's with a wink, as Aaron is dragged away.

"That was some punch" Nicky smiles as he hand's over a bottle of Ali's poison, neglecting to give her the glass he had been carrying. He figured she wouldn't be needing it.

Smiling in thanks she unscrews the top and swallows down several mouthfuls of the bitter liquid. Cursing excessivley as the alcohol mixes with the cut on her lip.

Upon the return of the officers she relays everything that had happened, interrupted only by the cursing of the sons and the reassuring hand squeezing offered by both Callie and Reid. Once done the officers request that she go to hospital, just to get the once over, apparently the bruising, cuts and blood red eyes were betraying her declarations that she was fine. Crap. Point blank refusing to go she agrees to go see the school nurse in the morning. The police finally leave with the assurances from Reid that he wouldn't be leaving her alone and that he would make sure she stopped by the station tomorrow to give a formal statement tomorrow.

It was Nicky's turn to be authoritive next as he instructed her to go back to the dorms immediately and not show up at Nicky's for atleast a fortnight, giving him a hug she aggress not to come to work, but omitting the fact that she wouldn't come as a patron, life in Ipswich would become very depressing if she did that. Once Nicky had left she found herself being hugged half to death by Callie, again. Having to express for the millionth time that she really was okay. With her best friend finally convinced Ali made her exit, the sons flanking her around the outside of the building back to the parking lot.

Once standing at the car Tyler set about retrieving his keys, only to have them swiped by Alicia.

"Oi give those back…" Tyler complained.

Raising her eyebrow at him she simply glares. Time to try out a new set of wheels.

"Okay….so your driving…" Tyler smiles raising his hands up in surrender as he climbs into the back with Caleb and Pogue.

Not giving anyone the chance to say anything about the nights events Ali cranks up the stereo and peels the car out of Nicky's. The only thing yelled above the throb of the music 'how long until a quarter to midnight'.

The reply 'thirty minutes'.

A/N:- Okay so there it was…what do you think, I'm not sure about bits of it… how about you? Remember love and cookies to those who review…