AN: The title is from a song by Cigarettes After Sex, it's a really good and definitely a Jolex song.

"God, I wish he was dead," Jo said her voice was full of pain and she looked like she was about to cry as her expression contorted into a grimace.

The last time Alex had seen her like this was when she showed up on his porch after her fight with Jason. The way she looked at him, tears in her eyes and half of her face black and blue was burned into his mind. Jo had been absolutely distraught, hollow and distant from the moment Paul got there. The light that usually illuminated her face and her eyes were gone, and in its place was a painful expression.

"Come on. Let's go home," Alex said, moving to her side and wrapping one arm around her waist as Jo relaxed against him.

He could see how exhausted she was and he wanted to pick her up and carry her home, but they're still at work. So instead he let her lean into him as much as she needed to and held her up as they walked.

The three of them walked over to the attending's lounge and Alex grabbed his jacket, not even bothering to change out of his scrubs. He just packed everything in his bag so they could get going. Jo was silent the entire time, just watching and Alex made sure that his hand didn't leave her waist and Meredith helped him grab his things.

They walked down to the parking garage with Meredith walking ahead, turning every corner before they did. Just to be sure that he wasn't still lingering somewhere in the hospital. Alex opened the side door for Jo and put his hand on her back as she climbed in. Jo fastened her seat belt and then stared out the windshield at nothing, her eyes empty.

He knew the tears were coming, he could see them in the corner of her eyes, but Jo held back. Alex figured that she was waiting until she was somewhere safe to break down. He doesn't know if that would be the car, or the loft, or their bed, but he was determined to get her to her safe place as quickly as possible.

Alex looked back at Meredith, she seemed anxious like Jo, but in a different way, more wound up and angry, determined and ready to fight.

"Okay, so I'm going to talk to Bailey and will get him banned from the hospital. He won't be able to set foot in here ever again. So why don't you and Jo take tomorrow off? I'll get everything settled and then we can all go to a lawyer and get a restraining order, okay?"

Jo just nodded as she stared straight ahead. Alex squeezed her hand before he double checked Jo's seatbelt and squeezed her hand as she just stared ahead. The hardest part about this whole thing had been watching Jo shut down like this. Alex swallowed the lump in his throat as he closed the door.

"Alex it's going to be okay," Meredith said, gripping his arms and forcing him to look at her. "He is not going to win, he is not going to hurt her again, we're going to fight and we're going to keep her safe. Just don't do anything stupid, alright."

Alex looked back at Jo, she still stared out the window with her blank expression. Everything inside him told him to track down Paul at whatever hotel he was staying at and smash his face into the ground until he was no longer breathing. Yet, Alex knew that he would end up in jail. Then Jo would be alone and he couldn't leave her right now.

"I'm won't, I promise," Alex said with a nod and Meredith let him go.

It was a silent ride home, Jo didn't even turn on the radio, she just sat there and stared out the window. After he parked the car they just sat there for a moment. Alex looked over at her as Jo let out a breath and then got out of the car. He raced around to meet her when she got out and grabbed her bags before he put his arm around her. Together, they walked up to the apartment building.

Alex made sure that the main door to the entryway of the apartment building was locked before they went up the elevator. He closed the gate behind them, double checking that it was locked too. He checked that every door was locked behind them before he pulled the metal door closed and bolted it shut. Jo jumped and let out a yelp when he slammed the door shut and he looked back at her standing there in the entryway, her shoulders tense and her body frozen.

Jo just stood there in the entryway and Alex dropped both of their bags to the floor and watched her for a moment. He thought he should do something like get dinner ready or put away their things or something, but then Jo turned around and looked at him, she frowned and squeezed her eyes shut. He knew she was about five seconds from losing it and he dropped everything to rushed over to her as quickly as possible before her knees gave out and he caught her as they both fell to the floor.

As Jo's sob's filled the loft, Alex didn't say anything, he didn't know what to say. There were no words in the world that will make this better, that will make Paul go away, so instead, he just held her. He sat on the floor and wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest as she wailed.

Jo's cries were loud and sorrowful and they filled the room and it broke his heart. There was a stream of tears falling down her face and she cried so hard she could barely take in a breath before she was crying out again. Jo cried for so long and so hard her voice started to give out, but the tears didn't stop.

Alex had a muscle cramping his leg as he sat awkwardly and held her, but he didn't dare move before she did. It broke his heart to see her like this, to see her this distraught and in pain. He cried silent tears that he didn't let her see as he just held her and pressed his cheek against the top of her head.

Jo slowly started to grow quiet, the sobbing became less frequent and she took deeper and fuller breaths. She rested her head against his shoulder and Alex rubbed his hand up and down her back. He did it in slow steady motions up and back down. Jo wiggled uncomfortably against his hands and Alex stopped as Jo pulled back. She moved her shoulder to scratch against her neck and Alex pulled at the collar of her shirt and saw the hives that ran up her neck. If they peeked out the collar of her shirt, then they probably covered her whole back.

"Come on," Alex said, pulling her up as she stood on wobbly legs, so he picked her up, her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked over to the bathroom.

He flipped on the lights and set her down on the edge of the tub before he helped her pull off her jacket. Jo held her arms up as he pulled her top over her head and tried not to gasp as he saw the hives that had broken out across her skin. They went across her stomach and out her arms. Jo reached for the button of her pants and Alex helped her down pull them down her legs and the sight of the hives extending down her thighs scares him. He had never seen them this bad, even when she was freaking out about one of the residents being fired back when she was a second-year. Back then they only covered her back and arms, now they cover almost her whole body.

"Okay," Alex said, taking a deep breath as he knelt in front of her and put his hands on her knees. This was medical, he could treat this and help her. "Why don't we get an oatmeal bath going and I'll grab you some Benadryl. Then afterward we can cover you with calamine lotion, and then I'll get the soft blue cotton pajamas that are loose and won't irritate your skin, sound good?"

"Yeah," Jo nodded and she looked at him rather than staring at the tile floor.

Alex quickly got the oat and put it in the coffee grinder to make a powder before he returned to the bathroom. The water was just a few inches deep but he poured the powder oats in as Jo mixed it up with her hand. He got out the Benadryl and handed it to her with a glass of water.

Jo took off the remainder of her undergarments and got into the tub where she curled up, hugging her knees to her chest. Alex kneeled on the floor next to the tub and mixed the water with his hands and picked up the empty cup and filled it with the oat water and poured it over her back. For a moment things were calm after the tub filled up. Jo sat there as Alex poured the water over her back, but then she spoke.

"This was a mistake." Jo's voice was just a whisper as her eyes glanced over at him. "I'm happy that I'm divorced, but this was a mistake."

Jo looked over at him with fresh tears in her eyes and Alex just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I promise that I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you, but if you want to go, just say the word and we'll leave. We'll pack up everything and take off and we'll change our names and disappear. We can start over somewhere he'll never find us."

Jo just nodded against his shoulder and Alex held her for as long as she needed him to. Eventually, Jo let go and laid back in the tub as her eyes fluttered closed. She seemed to be fighting sleep and he was relieved to see her finally relax. He didn't mind if she fell asleep in the tub as he would just pick her up and carry her to bed. For now, he just poured the water over her and was happy to see her hives disappear.

After a few more minutes Jo stood up and Alex reached for the towel. She stepped out of the tub and he wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked so tired as she leaned against him and he picked her up, putting one arm under her legs and the other around her back as he carried her over to the bed. He thought she had fallen asleep in his arms, but Jo blinked awake when he set her down. Alex grabbed the calamine lotion and applied it over her back and arms while Jo got her chest and stomach.

"Lift up for a second you've got hives on your butt," Alex said, nudging her hip and trying to make her smile.

It worked and Jo turned her head to smile at him as she laid down and let him slather it over her butt and thighs. Her smile, however small, gave him hope that this wouldn't break her.

After the lotion dried he grabbed her the soft pajamas like he promised and changed into a pair of his own. He warmed up some leftovers from the fridge and they ate a little bit before they both crawled into bed. Alex laid down first and Jo crawled over to lay down on top of him. She tucked her head under his chin as his arms immediately wrapped around her. Alex relaxed as he closed his eyes, he knew that despite everything, Jo was going to be okay.

Suddenly the phone rings and Jo tensed up with a cry. She wrapped her arms around him and dug her fingernails into his shirt as she clung to him. Alex quickly looked around and reached for the phone. He picked it up and sighed in relief as it was only Meredith and Jo relaxed in his arms.

"Hey, Meredith what's up?"

"Okay so I did some research and I was able to find a lawyer that I think can help Jo get a restraining order. It looks like we can get it right away as an emergency order of protection, but we'll have to go to court later and we'll need evidence of the abuse. I don't know if Jo has medical records and I don't want to search for anything under her old name until she says I can."

"Yeah that sounds great Mer, but can we continue this in the morning, I think we just need some sleep."

"Yeah okay, how is she?"

Alex looked down at Jo curled up in his arms as she glanced up at him, having heard everything, but her eyes were heavy as she fought sleep. He knew that Jo didn't mind if he shared with Meredith.

"Her stress hives are pretty bad. She's not itching anymore, but they still cover most of her body. I've given her some Benadryl and an oatmeal bath and that seems to have helped."

"Is she running a fever?"

"No, but I'm keeping an eye on her," Alex said as Jo turned her head and pressed a kiss to his chest. He put his hand on her back but was careful not to rub up and down in case he irritated her hives.

"Well, keep an eye on it and if she develops a fever, bring her into the hospital," Meredith said, but then her voice softened. "I'll call and check in with you guys tomorrow morning, Okay."

"Yeah, thanks Mer," Alex said before hanging up and putting his phone on silent as he put it on the nightstand.

Jo finally closed her eyes and he took a moment to look down at her. She still clung to him and Alex could feel the way that her fingers dug into his shirt.

"I've got you Jo, I promise," Alex said as he let his arms rest over her.

"I know," Jo whispered as she snuggled further into his arms. "With you, I feel safe."

Alex smiled a little bit and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He knew there weren't very many people that Jo truly trusted and he felt honored to have her trust. Jo quickly fell asleep as the stress from the day had drained her. However her fingers still curled tightly to his shirt, even in her sleep, and Alex stayed up and watched over her.

A part of him regretted the way he spoke to her when she came into Frankie's room having finally tracked down boy Taylor. Jo had run all over the hospital to track down the correct nurse, yet when she showed up too late he was frustrated. Not at her but at the situation and the wrong calls he had made. Looking back he recognized the look on her face, the pain and tension she held. He wished he would have asked her what happened so she could tell him that Paul was there, then he could have kept her safe the entire time. But he was here now and he wasn't leaving her side again, not until this whole thing was over.

Even if he had to punch Paul to keep him away from her. Alex thought he should be able to get at least one punch in before he had to stop. It would be just enough to wipe that smug look off his damn face. Paul deserved to know what it was like to have someone hit back. Alex took a deep breath as he let go of the anger and tension and looked down at Jo again. He knew he couldn't let his anger get the best of him and risk leaving her alone. For now, he tried to relax and get some sleep, before they faced what he knew would be an exhausting day tomorrow.

The next morning when Alex woke up he was relieved to see that Jo was still asleep and had slept through the night. Neither of them were strangers to nightmares and after she filed for divorce she had had a few. Jo would wake up gasping for air and covered in sweat and was reluctant to go back to sleep. He figured there'd be a nightmare tonight, but I was relieved to see that she had slept peacefully.

Alex pulled up Jo's shirt to see that her hives had mostly disappeared except for a few on her back and shoulders. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he got up to make some coffee. He pulled open the fridge to check what they had and grabbed a couple of eggs and the bread. He remembered the arguments they used to have about whether the bread should be in the fridge or on the counter. He wished to go back and have that be the worst thing they fought about. Those days living in the frat house were wild and carefree, but he loved having the loft. It was a home of their own and he was so happy to build his life with her. It was their safe haven, but with Paul around, he wasn't sure if it would be for much longer.

Alex looked back at Jo sleeping peacefully in the bed and let out a sigh. He went back over to the kitchen and got the coffee started with the toast and eggs. Soon the smell of warm coffee filled the loft and Alex sipped his cup of coffee while he made one for Jo, trying to get lost in the routine of making breakfast. He heard her gasp and turned around to see her sitting up in bed. Her eyes were wild as she looked around and he instantly set down his coffee and got up to run over to her.

"Hey, hey, Jo it's okay, you're in the Loft, he's not here, you're safe," Alex reassured her as he sat down on the bed and put his hands on her shoulders.

Jo was still breathing heavily, but her eyes got less wild as they focused on him. She looked around the Loft before glancing at the kitchen. "You made coffee?"

"Yeah, and eggs and toast, you hungry?" Alex asked as he watched Jo wrinkle her nose.

There was still the lingering distress on her face from the nightmare and she put her hand over her mouth before she got up and bolted over to the bathroom. Alex followed hot on her heels as she fell in front of the toilet and threw open the lid, the contents of last night's dinner coming back up. He held her hair and combed it back with his fingers twisting it into a bun, before he grabbed one of the many hair ties that were lying around and tied her hair up. Then he rubbed her back as she heaved. Jo had always had a nervous stomach and he cursed himself for not seeing this coming. Once her stomach was empty, she pulled back and leaned against him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"How about we start with just toast and water, yeah?" Alex asked as she nodded from where her head was on his shoulder.

He let her move to get up first before he wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into him as they walked over to the couch. He came back and got her some toast and water and they sat on the couch together. She put on the morning news and leaned back against his chest as they tried to relax.

"Hey, so I was thinking," Alex said, pausing as he scratched at the back of his neck. "Maybe it would be best if we switched phones."

Jo bit her lip. "I don't know."

"Just hear me out," Alex said waited for Jo to nod before he continued. "I know that you don't want to change your number in case Jenny reaches out to you, but Paul has your number now too. So I thought that if we switched phones and he called, I could be the one to answer and you wouldn't have to deal with him, but if Jenny called, I could quickly hand the phone over to you so you could help her."

Jo thought about it for a moment as she rubbed her fingers before she looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Okay," Alex said as they switched phones and he put Jo's phone into the pocket of his pajama pants.

Jo relaxed back against him as they watched the news and Jo cracked a smile at something one of the hosts said. It gave him hope that she would be okay. Jo was strong and she could handle anything that life threw at her. She had already escaped Paul once and this time she had him to help her. He thought she would be okay, but then her phone rang.

Jo jumped the same way she did last night, and he quickly put his arm around her before he looked at the phone. They both let out a sigh when they saw that it was just April.

"Kepner, it's our day off!" Alex gruffed, but then trailed off as April told him what happened.

"Alex, what is it," Jo asked, seeing the serious look in his eyes as his lips parted.

"It's Paul. He's been hit by a car," Alex said as he watched Jo's eyes grow wide in shock.