When Eliot woke up he was surprised to see Ale laying on the floor at the foot of his bed. She had a blanket pulled over her, completely dead to the world. Eliot sighed, climbing out of bed.

The team had been up late the night before, trying to figure out how to keep Ale safe. Ale was pretty quiet during the whole ordeal, not really saying much. They had eventually called it a night, Ale looking exhausted and Sophie reminded them that she still had to move back into Eliot's.

Ale was hesitant to go to bed that night, unpacking every last bit of her luggage before she finally went to bed. After she had gone to her usual room Eliot had called Quinn, making sure he was really okay with the arrangement and okay with the break-up.

"She doesn't love me any more like that," Quinn had said simply. "I will always care for her, but it's time for me to move on, too," he had simply.

When Eliot had finally gone to sleep he was exhausted.

He wanted to know if Ale had moved into his room simply because she felt unsafe or if she had had a nightmare. Either way, he felt badly that she had spent the night on the floor. He thought about moving her back into her room, but thought better of it. Instead, he climbed back into his bed and pretended to be asleep until Ale woke up and snuck out of the room.

If she needed him, she would wake him or talk to him. He couldn't treat her like he did last time or he would lose her all over again.

When Ale crept into Eliot's room for the fifth night in a row she was surprised to see an air mattress set up where she usually set up her blankets. Ale smiled to herself, wondering how long Eliot had known she was sleeping there.

"What do you want to do today?" Eliot asked, watching Ale as she came down the stairs. It was the first day in a week that they weren't expected to be at Nate's, and Eliot wanted to utilize it to the best of his ability.

"Let's just stay here," Ale shrugged.

She was different than she was before she moved out to be with Quinn, and since she had done the job. She didn't have the same fire she usually did, and she wasn't bouncing off of the walls.

All of the team had noticed it.

She was afraid.

"Ale, you are telling me that after a week of being holed up in this apartment and Nate's, that you don't want to do something with your time? You used to bounce off of the walls," Eliot said, Ale sighing as she sat down in the arm chair in the living room.

"I just don't feel like going anywhere," she shrugged, Eliot rolling his eyes.

"Really?" he grumbled, Ale nodding.

"Really."

"That's bullshit," Eliot said, Ale looking at him with wide eyes.

"I am afraid, okay? I don't want him watching me, and I don't even know who he is, and it's just safer to stay inside away from cameras and people and stalkers and real life. You were right the first time we did this. Staying secluded is the safest thing," Ale rambled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Eliot walked over to Ale, sitting down on the coffee table in front of her.

"Ale, I shouldn't have brain washed you the first time. You have to understand that the people I used to protect had an army of men looking for them. Anyone on the street was a hitman, and you had to hope that none of them had the target you were protecting. I shouldn't have treated you like those people. We do have to be careful, but I should have been a little more reasonable the first time around. And it's okay to be afraid, but you know that I will not let anything happen to you, and neither will the team. That man who called you, and who made you afraid to sleep in your own room and go outside, he's not getting near you. Do you understand?" Eliot said, softly but firmly, Ale nodding softly.

"Good. Now, where do you want to go?" Eliot asked, Ale smiling a bit.

"I would like to go ice skating. And then it would be nice if we could possibly visit some of my friends in the hospital," she sighed, Eliot nodding.

"Sounds good to me," he smiled, Ale smiling back.

She went upstairs, probably to get ready. While she got dressed Eliot pulled out his phone, Hardison picking up the other end quickly.

"Everything alright?" Hardison asked, his mind immediately going to the worst possible scenario.

"Yeah. Ale finally wants to go do something. We are going ice skating and then to the hospital. Keep an eye on the cameras that are on the path of my tracker. I'll have my comm and I'm going to call Quinn and see if he will be a back-up security, unless you think that's too much," Eliot said. He didn't want to be as overpowering as he was the last time he was in charge of Ale's safety. His team hated him and so did Ale. He had to remember that it was a group effort, and that Ale was all of theirs to protect.

"I think that if she is that afraid of going out she wouldn't mind at all. Thanks for keeping me in the loop, man," Hardison smiled, glad that Eliot was already being better about the whole situation.

Eliot hung up, calling Quinn.

"What are you up to today?" Eliot asked, Quinn telling him he was completely free, but not before he made sure Ale was okay. "That's what I am calling about. Would you mind being our tail today? Or you can take her out and I'll follow behind. She is just…she's really freaked out, and I think after today she will be okay, but I don't want to promise her it will be fine and the first time we set foot outside the house something to go wrong."

"I'll trail behind. Let's just make one thing clear, though," Quinn said seriously, Eliot holding his breath. "I will not be taking any money for this or anything else that you need concerning Ale. She is my friend, and so are you. I would do anything to protect her, and I don't need a salary to do so."

"I get that now," Eliot said quietly, watching the stairs for any sign of Ale. "Thanks, man," Eliot smiled, Quinn hanging up.

Ale came down the stairs not two minutes later, looking adorable in her layers upon layers of clothes. Although she was wearing at least five layers, she still looked adorable and so small.

"Ready?" Eliot asked, Ale nodding. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, Eliot putting on his coat.

"I'm not going to lie," Ale said, looking at Eliot as he locked the door to the apartment. "I am really, really nervous, even though I know I shouldn't be."

"The first time is hard," Eliot shrugged. "It's okay to be a little nervous. But…"

"But you aren't going to let anything happen to me."

"Right. And I have back up," Eliot smiled, Ale looking at him with squinted eyes. "Just trust me."

"Always did," Ale nodded, wrapping her arm in Eliot's.

Eliot smiled, glad to have Ale back. This time, though, he wasn't going to mess it up—

He hoped.

*****
"How are you such a good ice skater?" Eliot asked, looking at Ale.

"I used to want to be a figure skater, so when Lio went to hockey practice my papa used to let me skate around in the second rink and practice turning and jumping. I was horrible for a long time, but I was a good skater, so I would just do laps. Eventually I gave up the dream of being a figure skater and skated for speed. It was good cardio exercise, considering I hate running."

"You hate running?" Eliot asked, taking off his skates.

"Yes. But I do it because it is necessary for my health," Ale sighed, rolling her eyes. "Lio would drag me along with him and now I feel out of whack if I don't do it but I hate it when I do it. I'm fickle," Ale shrugged. "Did you learn to skate from hockey?" Ale asked, Eliot nodding.

"How'd you know?"

"The way you move," Ale shrugged again. "I bet you were pretty good on the ice," Ale said, putting her skates in her bag putting on a couple of her jackets.

"I wasn't too bad," Eliot laughed. "Ready for the hospital?"

"The real question is…are you?" Ale said looking at Eliot with raised eyebrows.

"I think I can handle it."

Eliot could handle the hospital, but it was exhausting, and he couldn't handle it like Ale could.

She was…amazing. She helped all of the nurses help the kids, even when they had to be lifted out of wheelchairs and when they were throwing up and crying and yes, Eliot was good with kids, but there were so many. And Ale was good with all of them.

"What time is it?" Ale asked, holding one of the children on her hip.

"Song time!" the kids all squealed, making a circle on the floor. Ale sat at the head of it, the kids asking her where her guitar was today.

"I don't have it today," Ale laughed. "So we are going to make the music with our voices and our hands."

Ale led the kids in song, all of them smiling and laughing as they sang with her. When it was time for the kids to go back to their rooms Ale made sure to give a hug and kiss to each and every one of them.

"Did you have fun?" Ale asked once the room was clear of children. Eliot and Ale were picking up the room a little, putting the crayons back in their boxes and stacking the coloring books together.

"I did, actually," Eliot nodded, watching as Ale drew a picture on the whiteboard in the room.

"I'm glad. They are amazing kids," Ale sighed, putting away all of the markers she was using.

"And did you have fun today?" Eliot asked, handing Ale her coats.

"Yes. I did. Thank you. I was worried for nothing," Ale shrugged.

"It'll be good. Now we can have more field trips without you being so stubborn."

"Since when did you want to start going all over town?" Ale asked, laughing as she waved to the nurses and doctors as she walked past.

"Since I realized how much you could be missing if you don't explore," Eliot shrugged. "Nate invited us for dinner. Do you want to go?"

"Well, we are already out. We might as well," Ale smiled.

While they walked Eliot sent a text to Quinn, letting him know that they were all set for the rest of the day.

"Are you ever going to tell me who your back up was today?" Ale asked, looking at Eliot.

"No. We aren't going to have any more. It was just for the first day out. I didn't want to jinx myself."

"Well thanks for that," Ale nodded. "And thank you for today."

"You are more than welcome," Eliot drawled, opening Ale's door for her to the truck.

"You slept in your own room last night," Eliot stated, Ale sitting down at the counter.

"I did," Ale nodded.

"And?"

"And I was good. I think getting out of the house yesterday helped me. And I'm 90% sure that the allergy medicine I took last night was actually cold medicine and it knocked me out," Ale shrugged.

Eliot laughed, handing Ale a cup of coffee.

"And why didn't you read the bottle?"

"Because I had already taken out my contacts. Don't question me," Ale sighed, taking a sip of her coffee.

"You remembered how I like it," Ale smiled, looking at Eliot.

"Yes. I did. I didn't know, however, that you wore contacts."

"Funny story about that. I can see general shapes so when I take off my contacts I can generally get by. No reason for the glasses."

"There is obviously a need for the glasses, Ale, if you mixed up cold medicine with allergy medicine," Eliot chuckled, Ale shrugging.

"Whatever. I guess I will make a better effort to actually see what is going on around me," Ale shrugged.

"That's all we can ask, darlin'," Eliot said, laughing again.

After breakfast Ale and Eliot got ready for the day, having to meet at Nate's apartment after lunch.

Ale decided on wearing her glasses today, her eyes still watery from her allergies.

When Ale found her way back downstairs, Eliot couldn't help but notice how cute Ale looked in her glasses. The thick, tortoise shell frames looked like something out of the nineties, but Ale still looked wonderful in them.

"Why are you smiling?" Ale sighed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You look cute," Eliot shrugged.

"Don't tease," Ale laughed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious," Eliot huffed, handing Ale her coat.

Ale smiled to herself, glad that their relationship was kind of back to normal. She had missed it—she had missed him.