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Enjoy this next chapter...

Chapter 7:

Jenna's haunted look had turned to one of disappointment as she saw Alec return with a deep frown on his face. Miller had sent a glare right back; undoubtedly because she also remembered what had happened the last time Alec took off running like that.

She was on the phone with the police station, requesting two teams to search the area around Main Street and the harbour. Mason couldn't be far. With her free hand Miller stroked Jenna's back.

Jenna was leaning against the wall of the book shop, still shaking visibly with fear, and Alec felt like an idiot as he apologized to her for not catching Mason. But she had the heart to smile at him. It's fine, she had said. Apparently, he came closer to catching her stalking ex than anyone ever did because no one really cared this much. Alec wasn't quite sure if he should be angry at his incompetent colleagues or take her words as a compliment.

As usual anger won.

They made arrangements for Jenna to pay a visit to the station again as soon as possible so their IT guys could equip her phone with a tracking as well as a recording device. If Mason somehow got hold of Jenna's phone number, they could monitor the call without him noticing and if he followed her again, they'd immediately know where Jenna was and could be there right away.

Jenna didn't really believe this was necessary. Mason never tried to call her before; he legally wasn't allowed to. But Alec had insisted. There was an uneasy feeling in his stomach telling him that Mason wouldn't shy back this time from forcing his way into Jenna's life by any means necessary.

She had said so herself: He never came this close before.

Something was different this time. Maybe Mason felt safer because he was so far away from London? Maybe he was tired of just watching her? Or maybe there were legal changes that Jenna hadn't been aware of? Alec had requested a copy of the official injunction notice days ago, but Mason's nasty legal team obviously took their sweet time with a reply.

"Dad!"

Alec blinked, coming back from his thoughts and looked at Daisy. "What?"

She sat to his right at their small dining table, scoop spoon in hand. "I asked if you want more pasta. You've been staring at the pot for ages. It's really starting to creep me out."

"Sorry." Alec said with a sheepish smile. "And no, thanks. I'm not that hungry." Daisy eyed him with an inquisitive sideway glance. "It's good, though, your pasta sauce. Really. I could eat it for the rest of my life." Alec added quickly.

Daisy snorted and rolled her eyes. "Don't get soppy, Dad."

"I'm not." he mumbled and slowly rolled the last of his now cold spaghetti around the fork.

"Jenna's case is distracting you, right?"

He looked up again; he hadn't noticed that Daisy was still giving him that prying gaze. Of course, she had been curious about the case. Normally Alec didn't tell her anything about work; it was for her own safety. But since Daisy was old enough to get her own information with just a swipe on her smartphone, he relented into giving her at least some rough details to satisfy her curiosity. He trusted his daughter to know how delicate her information was and therefore not to be given away. She never even told Chloe Latimer anything and that was saying something.

So Daisy knew that Jenna's ex-boyfriend has been violent and that he's still after her. But she didn't know just how deep Jenna's real and emotional scars went and how close Alec had already been to catching him.

"I just hate that I have to wait for something to happen." Alec murmured with a sigh and Daisy nodded in comprehension.

The incident at Jenna's workplace had been two days ago, but to Alec it seemed much longer. What if he wasn't close by the next time Mason decided to make a move on Jenna? What if he'd arrive at the scene too late? Mason could kidnap her, hide her and do whatever he wants with her. Alec had promised to keep her safe and he couldn't help but think that this would be so much easier if Jenna was in closer proximity to him.

Absently, Alec stared at the empty chair to his left, imagining Jenna there. Smiling and eating Daisy's delicious pasta. Wouldn't that be nice? He shook himself abruptly, startled by his own thoughts. Way too far, much too quickly, he berated himself sternly.

Daisy was still watching him.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Daise," he said a little flustered. "I know I said I wouldn't bring work home with me anymore."

"We both know that you're not capable of not doing that."

"I just don't want you to feel pushed aside. I'm here for you if you need something, Sweetheart. Just... talk to me." Alec professed earnestly and took his daughter's hand over the table. Daisy had felt like she had to hide her problems from him once before because he was obsessed with a case and it only resulted in her getting so much closer to danger than he ever wanted her to be.

"I'm fine, Dad."

"Daise—"

"No, I really am." she assured him. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."

He took both his hands to squeeze her smaller one tightly, looking into her soft blue eyes. "You don't have to be, Sweetheart. I'm not the one in danger here."

"But you're not eating much. You hardly ever sleep through the night." Daisy argued immediately. "I'm always worried when you're stressed this much over a case. I can't help it." He wanted to interrupt her, tell her that he didn't want her to be scared, but Daisy already talked on. "I know you can't help it, either, and you care about her so I'm not gonna say anything-"

"Ah, wait, wait…" Alec now chimed in. "Care about who?"

Daisy threw him an incredulous look. "Well, Jenna obviously."

"Oh," Alec leaned back in his chair and snorted, aiming for sounding nonchalant but apparently failing miserably. "I don't care particularly more about her than any other victim."

Daisy scoffed. "Please, Dad, that's total bollocks."

"Language!" he reminded her sternly.

"I'm sorry, but that's what it is. I know you like her, I'm not jealous or anything. I'm the one who kinda forced this to happen, remember?" Daisy told him fiercely. "Please, don't try and sabotage it already because you're scared of what could go wrong. You've already decided that she's worth it or you wouldn't be so worried."

Alec stared at his daughter utterly dumbfounded. He always knew that she was an insightful, clever girl, but he thought that there were at least some parts of his daily inner struggle that he could hide successfully from her. Daisy shouldn't know this, she shouldn't worry about him this much. She had her own life to focus on. Alec opened his mouth to protest.

"It's okay, Dad. She is worth it. I really like her." Daisy said just then, beating him to a response and thus smiling triumphantly. Alec continued to look at her in amazement.

How can she be so sure when I'm still not entirely clear about this myself?

He had no time to wonder much. His phone rang. A quick glance at the display confirmed what he already suspected. "It's Jenna."

Daisy waved a hand and smiled. "Go on, answer. Must be important."

No argument here, Alec thought. He stood up quickly and walked into the living-room, away from his daughter's prying ears, to take the call. "Hey, are you alright?" he immediately asked.

"Ah, m-more or less." Jenna's shaky voice replied; an indication that something directly Jack-related had clearly happened. "He… h-he called me."

"What?!" Alec growled and clenched his fists. "When?"

"Just now. Y-You said I should immediately call when he'd try something like that. And I didn't believe he really would." It was as if Alec could hear Jenna's rapid, anxious heartbeat through the phone, but still she desperately tried to appear casual about this horrible situation she found herself in. "But that's good, right?" she said. "Now you have something on record against him."

"Jenna," he spoke calmly. "I know you're scared, it's okay to be." He heard her sob, her resolve slowly crumbling down. "Did he threaten you?"

"N-No. Not directly, but… he said some things a-about…" Her voice broke and Alec's heart broke with it as he heard her cry. "It's-it's on the phone." she said then. "Can you come over and listen to it with me? I… I'm too scared to bring it to the police station right now. I don't want to leave the house."

"Sure, that's alright. I'll be there soon. Just hold on a few minutes, yah?"

She breathed out an evident sigh of relief. "Okay. Thank you."

"No problem. I see you in a bit." Alec hung up and rubbed his hand over his eyes and into his uncombed hair.

So Mason did decide for a more aggressive approach. Alec tried not to imagine what the recording device on Jenna's phone will soon reveal to him. Whatever he'd come up with in his mind was often times worse than reality. He needed to remain clear-headed for what would await him next.

Alec turned around to grab his coat and stopped startled when he saw Daisy standing in the doorway, frowning in concern. "I… I need to go, it's, ah-"

"I know. It's okay." she said bravely.

Alec ground his teeth and breathed out deeply. He should lecture her for listening in, but he was too worried to be mad. Quickly, he strode over to her and pulled her close with one hand cradling her dark-blonde head of hair. He pressed a firm kiss to the top of it. "Stay inside, darling, and be careful, okay?"

"Hello?"

"Hi, baby."

"...Jack?"

"Yes, of course, baby. Who else would it be?"

"H-How did you get my number? I've changed it a dozen times!"

"Oh, that wasn't so hard… I missed hearing your voice, baby. I missed you."

"Stop calling me that! You're, you're not even allowed to phone me. Or follow me around. I've seen you!"

"Yes, I've seen you, too, baby. Listen, it's been such a long time. Why can't we just talk face-to-face again? Are you still mad at me? ...Oh, no, don't get upset, baby, it's alright. I'm sorry. I promise I've changed. I just want to see you again."

"You can't call me, Jack! You're violating the judicial order. I can have you arrested this time!"

"And that's where you're wrong. The judge limited your no-contact rule for two years. I haven't been charged with any additional crime since then so the injunction expired a month ago… just took me some time to find you. Why did you move out so far, baby?"

"N-No… no! This can't be true. You've been following me everywhere!"

"No, baby, you must be mistaken. That wasn't me."

"YES, IT WAS! Why can't you leave me alone?!"

"Because I miss you. We were so good together, remember? Why can't you see that?"

"No... no, no, no…"

"Why are you crying, baby?"

"BECAUSE YOU WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE! I-I don't want you to call me anymore! I don't want you to be near me, do you understand!? I don't want to see you ever again! GO AWAY!"

"But why, Jenna?! I don't understand, why don't you want me, huh? Is there someone else? Are you cheating on me again, you little bitch?!"

"We're not together anym-"

"It's that lanky guy, isn't it? The fucking copper. I've seen you with him."

"Don't you dare make this about him! This is between you and me."

"Damn right, it's just you and me! We belong together, Jenna, can't you see?! Do you think this is going to stop me, just because you're dating a fucking copper now?"

"Jack—"

"No, this isn't over. I won't give up on us, baby. I'll prove it to you. You're mine!"

"Jack, wai-"

That's when the call ended.

Alec stared at the small display turning black; his thoughts were equally dark. Jenna sat at her wooden dining table upon which the phone laid. She hugged herself tensely as if she was cold and stared towards the ground, unmoving, while the recording played.

Alec hadn't been able to sit down. He was standing at the short end of the table, gripping the edges tightly until his knuckles turned white.

Mason did threaten Jenna. He verbally harassed her and he scared her so much that her voice repeatedly broke out in desperate, sobbing screams. Alec felt the ball of rage and frustration clump together in his throat and he wanted to yell at someone. Preferably that sodding bastard who did this to her and who believed it was wise to insult him.

Mason was talking about him, wasn't he? The fucking copper... that was most definitely him. And Jenna had defended him. Alec wasn't sure how to feel about that. She shouldn't bother about him. This was about her. She should focus on her own safety. Why did she speak up for him?

"Can you show me your laptop?" Alec asked her briskly to downplay his anger.

Mechanically, Jenna nodded and stood up from her chair. She went into the next room and returned with her laptop in her trembling arms. Wordlessly, she put it down on the table.

"I'm going to put that file from your phone onto a flash drive and take it to the station first thing in the morning." he explained and began plugging her mobile to her laptop. "We're going to build a new case against him and we already have a lot. That bloody sod thinks he's safe now, but he has no idea."

Jenna didn't reply.

Next, Alec whipped out his own phone to request more frequent patrols and one miserable observation team that would guard Jenna's house the whole night. "He won't dare to get close again and if he does, we get him." said Alec.

He looked at Jenna when he ended his phone call and, all of a sudden, he stopped, his chest tightening painfully.

She was standing there, lost and alone in her own living-room, shaking like a dead leaf on a barren tree. Her hands took turns cradling her lower arms close to her body and her eyes were widened in fear. "W-Why… why can't he l-leave me alone?" She choked on her trembling sobs and then finally… finally she broke down all built up walls of bravery and she cried openly.

Alec was rather shocked by this sight even though he waited so long for it to happen; he knew it was inevitable. But why now with only him there?

Well, maybe because you told her she doesn't have to pretend with you, Alec remembered and immediately questioned himself for this stupid notion. Could he really make her feel better?

Jenna's sobs worsened and her quick, sharp breaths suggested that she was edging closer to a full-blown panic attack.

Because he knew exactly what this felt like, Alec shut his overthinking, overcritical mind off and swiftly moved closer to her, his arms hesitatingly outstretched. Jenna took the last step towards him and her hands immediately clawed tightly into the skin of his arms. Like a drowning victim to a lifesaver she clung to him, sobs rocking her entire body. Tears were streaming down her face, but Alec pulled her closer, shushing her and holding her, much like Daisy always did with him after a nightmare.

"Shh, it's alright. It's gonna be okay. He won't hurt you anymore, I won't let him." he murmured into her hair. And, suddenly, what his daughter said to him before… that he had already decided that she's worth it… Alec knew now that it was true.

She actually did it. Jenna had found her way into his heart.

"You're safe." Alec said to her. "You're safe now. I got you."

Overwhelmed by his own feelings, but trying to keep them in check so she could let loose, Alec and Jenna maintained their embrace until her sobs were quieting down. Then she pulled back. Slowly, sheepishly, not meeting his eyes. She wiped her hands over her red cheeks to dry them. Something seemed to sit on the tip of her tongue but Jenna didn't dare to speak yet.

"You shouldn't be alone right now." Alec eventually told her, his voice mumbling soft and shy.

"Well, I am." Jenna said, eyes still downcast. "I don't have anyone even remotely in the area with whom I could stay."

A pause. A persistent, logical voice in Alec's head fiercely chastising him to keep his bloody mouth shut, but he was already talking. "If you want to… you could... stay with me."

Jenna raised her head to him in surprise, a timid smile slowly teasing her lips. "Alec, I know you're not even allowed to offer that. It's against police protocol, right?"

"I know." Alec muttered, stroking his neck in embarrassment and looking away.

"And what about your daughter?" Jenna continued mindfully. "I don't want her to be in any kind of danger just because I'm near her."

"I know," he repeated. "I just, ah… I-I wanted to…"

"I appreciate the offer." Jenna smiled. "But… I'll be fine. I've made it through so much already, I can cope." They exchanged a long glance. "Also, I feel much safer now, knowing that you're just one call away." she looked down for a moment and then quickly up again. "I trust you."

There it was again. This word that triggered so many emotions within him. Uneasy excitement and fear, but at the same time it made him feel... good.

"You can call me anytime." Alec promised.

The next day at work had been long and frustrating.

Finally the paperwork Alec had requested from Mason's lawyers in London came through and there he had it black on white… just a little late.

The judge did limit the restraining order for two years if there were no breaches on Jack Mason's part. Since that fuckwit had obviously been very careful in the past Jenna never had enough to prove that he has been following her. And now that there were no more restrictions Mason was trying to get into Jenna's life again.

Well, not if Alec had anything to say about it! And especially not after the recording on Jenna's phone. IT had checked the number, but apparently Mason had used a public payphone. No chance of locating him. Alec had ruffled his hair in frustration. If he could only find Mason's hideout, he would haul his arse to court so fast his lawyers wouldn't even have time to object.

The whole day had been spent yelling at those bloody, slimy sharks who called themselves people of the law and then he let out his remaining anger on the poor DC's who dared to come into his office without having found Mason to get yelled at some more. Miller was giving him the evil eye, telling him harshly that if he went on behaving like this, she would be forced to tell the Superintendent and Alec would be off the case.

That was absolutely no option at all. So he continued to stew in his office, mostly silent, typing reports and listening to the recording again to hear for any kind of background noises that could give them hints to Mason's whereabouts.

Now it was already late and Alec still felt like he had accomplished absolutely nothing. He dreaded calling Jenna this evening and having to tell her about his impasse; there had to be some kind of progress before he left the station for today.

Eventually, Daisy texted him, asking if she should bother waiting for him with dinner. The message tugged at the guilt gnawing away inside of him and on top of that he actually felt his stomach grumble. Had he eaten anything since breakfast this morning?

In the end Alec packed up and headed home. It was enough to disappoint one woman today.

He parked the car and made his way up the sloping driveway to his house which was sitting on a hill overlooking the town. It was already pretty dark and he could make out all the illuminated homes of Broadchurch's citizens just by looking over his shoulder. Up front the lights of his house were on, too.

Daisy was waiting.

Alec took a few larger strides, but then slowed again. He thought he heard some pebble stones crunch… and not beneath his own feet.

He really listened for it now, but Alec didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary. Shaking his paranoid thoughts off, he buried his hands in his long, black coat, cowering from the strong wind on the hill.

But still, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

And there was something inside of him, vehemently telling him that it was not because of the cold.

Alec ground his teeth, stopping on the driveway and wanting to give in to the urge of turning around. That was when he heard the crunch of pebble stones again. Distinctly this time, close and fast.

He whipped around and immediately came into contact with something hard that made everything turn black.