Reunited Ch. 07

She was crying now. "I was so afraid, all the time! And then, today, those men, they were going to take me right back to him, I know it. He won't let them kill me; he wants to do it himself."

"I'm not going to let anyone get you, Ellie. But you can't go running off alone. I can't keep you safe when you're not here with me."

"I know." She sounded so contrite. "I shouldn't have tried to run. It was my own fault I got caught and hurt. I deserv—"

"What did I just tell you, Els? You don't deserve any of this! You deserve a man who will love you and treat you right. A man who would never, ever hurt you."

He knew she didn't believe him, but hoped with time she'd heal more fully. What she really needed was a therapist, but he couldn't jeopardize her by letting someone else hear her story. Davidson had spies all over from the sounds of it.

For now, all he could give her was tactile comfort and the space she needed to heal both physically and emotionally. He sat holding her for an hour, both lost in their thoughts, until Ellie stopped sniffling. She pulled away first, feeling stronger than she had in months. It was cathartic to release her tale and hear some reassurance, even if she didn't fully believe it.

She hugged him quickly. "Thanks. For listening and for everything. I won't run again. I trust you."

Alec's heart warmed to hear that. Now to just catch the asshole and kill him. No, he couldn't kill him despite his wishes. But they could contact this Gibson and start working together on the case now that Ellie was safe again and they'd linked her to the other cases. He would let his boss know the name of the guy and maybe they could get a case going. The sooner they caught the bastard, the better.

*****

The two soon settled into a routine in the apartment. They would each wake up whenever and whoever made it to the kitchen first dished up breakfast for both of them. Alec went to work when he had to and stayed with Ellie when he could. He kept his boss updated on the situation, and the Chief was accommodating, particularly since he now had to deal with Gibson's team and needed Ellie to stay alive for that case to be successful. At night, the two would watch movies or read books, and Alec tried to make Ellie eat enough to gain weight, which was finally starting to work.

The transformation after only a month was remarkable. Ellie's hair was starting to fade back to its normal color, he had to purchase new clothing for her as she filled out again, and he could no longer count her ribs when he looked over her injuries. She no longer cried out from nightmares, and had gained some of her inner strength and confidence back as the two bantered back and forth.

The bantering had begun while watching reruns of a show both had loved while it was on. As soon as Ellie had seen the opening scene a week after the attack, she'd grinned. "This is my favorite episode of the later seasons."

"You're serious? This was such a dumb premise."

Ellie had looked at Alec, shocked that he'd argued with her. They'd both been careful the past few days, hardly speaking except for the first two nights when Ellie had awoken screaming yet again. Both nights Alec had rushed in and held her until she'd calmed down and fallen asleep.

"Yeah. I thought it was dumb at first too, but the last scene, the one where he realizes his idiocy and just wishes he could meet the woman of his dreams, it's so emotional, you know?"

He'd laughed at her, mocking her for being emotional. "You're such a girl," he'd teased.

And that was when she'd thrown a pillow at him, smacking him right in the face. "You didn't just do that!"

She'd raised her eyebrows. "A lady would never," she stated haughtily.

"Oh ho! A lady, eh? Well, 'my lady', you've just started a war!"

At that, Ellie had leapt up from the couch, seeking to run for the cover of her room. But Alec was right behind her.

"You think I can't get revenge just because you're hurt? Ha!"

She'd squealed and giggled, but he caught up to her before she even reached the door. She turned toward him, still laughing.

Backing her into the door, he stared down at her. "Wrong move, Burns."

"What are ya gonna do about it?" she'd challenged, breathing deeply.

"This." Bringing his face to hers, he looked deeply in her eyes. Her breath hitched, and he knew he'd just won. He gently caressed her cheek...and then licked her face.

"Eww! Alec that's disgusting!"

Even after washing her face and returning to her favorite spot on the couch, Ellie had shot him dirty looks the rest of the night. But her glares meant nothing to him. He'd won two battles that night. Firstly, revenge at being bitch-slapped by a fluffy throw pillow, and secondly, she had very clearly wanted him to kiss her. Even if she didn't realize it yet, she was still attracted to him, and that was the best win for him yet.

That night was her first without nightmares, and Alec slept deeply. Feeling refreshed, he went to shower because he needed to go in for a few hours today. He turned the water to hot and hopped in. Just as he was shampooing, he heard a noise.

"Ellie? Are you in here?"

The ensuing giggle warned him that something was amok, but he couldn't open his eyes until he rinsed out the shampoo. Turning into the water to rid his face of soap, he felt cold air hit him as the curtain whipped open.

"Revenge is a dish best served COLD, Alexander!"

And with that, she doused him with a bucket of ice water and then ran off giggling.

With a yell, Alec jumped and nearly lost his footing. He closed the curtain hurriedly, but now the floor of the shower was covered in ice. He turned the heat up further to melt the ice, but it still took a few minutes of dancing back and forth from foot to foot before the shower was hot and ice free again.

He shouted out, "You know this war will only end with you losing, madam!"

She giggled in response, clearly waiting outside the door and listening to his grunts and complaints that had finally ceased with the last of the ice.

From there, they had fallen into their old prank wars. Though days went by without either getting surprised with a trick, both had their fair share of shocks and good-natured frustration. Laughter and shrieks were how Ellie responded each time, and Alec lived for the giggles when the prank was perfect. She was almost her old self with him now, only quiet during times when she was uncomfortable, such as when he checked her injuries from the night she had run.

Tonight was one such night. Ellie was on her stomach without her shirt so he could check the healing progress of the deepest cuts.

"These look pretty well healed. They're pretty much just scars now."

She'd nodded, still so quiet around him any time they were serious.

"How are your ribs feeling?"

"Fine. They haven't been hurting as much recently, only when I breathe deeply."

"Mind rolling onto your back so I can see?"

She obliged. Seeing her topless before him, clad only in her bra and sleep shorts, made him draw in a shaky breath. Her body was beautiful and now she looked like she had almost gained back the weight she'd lost. Now she looked like he remembered from college.

He ran a hand over her ribs, "Does this hurt at all?"

"No, but if you put pressure on, it will."

He nodded, then cupped her lace-covered breast. "How about this?" he asked, his voice growing husky.

"Doesn't hurt."

He pulled the bra cups down, swirling his thumbs over her nipples. "And this?"

She sighed and closed her eyes.

He leaned forward, taking a nipple in his mouth and swirling his tongue around it. For a moment, she didn't respond, but then her nipple hardened and she arched her back, shoving more of her breast into his mouth and making him lose control.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. The feel of her breasts pressing up against his chest was divine, but his shirt was in the way. He took it off faster than he knew he was capable of doing and brought her back.

"God you feel amazing." He captured her mouth with his own. After a moment, she opened her mouth, allowing him access to her tongue. He was practically panting at this point, and so incredibly hard. Her chest was heaving against his, her eyes closed.

He returned his mouth to her breast, latching on and sucking a moment before teasing the nipple with his tongue. Ellie moaned and it was his complete undoing.

He pulled her shorts and underwear off of her so he could see her completely naked. Even with all she'd been through, her body was still awe inspiring to him. He could tell she was aroused by the moisture pooling between her legs. And now that there was no barrier between him and her heavenly scent, he couldn't wait to taste her again.

Alec leaned forward and buried his mouth in her waiting heat. Using his tongue, he probed as far as he could go. Ellie writhed as he licked up and down her slit. Her moan spurred him on as he teased her clit with his tongue. She was so incredibly wet, just as he'd remembered her. He tore himself away, kicked off his pants, and covered her body with his own, lining up to fill her with his manhood.

Though she had opened her eyes and frozen at the move, he kissed her brow, her nose, her cheeks, and her mouth as he surged forward into her. Alec was so caught up in how amazing it felt to finally be in her again that it took him a few strokes to realize that she hadn't moved and was still frozen. He stopped.

"Ellie? You okay?"

She remained still, but tears were filling her eyes now.

Cursing himself, Alec pulled out and grabbed his boxers, putting them on so quickly he didn't even notice they were inside out.

"El, it's okay. I wasn't trying to hurt you, I swear."

"I know, but I—I can't. I'm so sorry." She turned away and curled into a ball as tears started to flow.

His heart ached to see her reduced to this. He scooped her up into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Don't be sorry, darlin'. I'm the sorry one. I didn't mean to go so far, truly I didn't."

He could feel that she was still tensed, so he continued talking. "Ellie, I may be a man, and you may be the most beautiful woman I know, inside and out, but I will never ask you for that again. I just want you to know that I will never treat you the way that monster did. I want to help you, to fix you, to cherish you. Please don't be afraid of me. Please."I love you, he thought. But he didn't say it, couldn't say it if she didn't feel the same way. He'd loved her all along, he knew, but she'd never seemed to feel as such for him, and he couldn't unload his feelings on her after all she'd been through.

He couldn't believe he'd lost control. He knew what she'd experienced, how she felt. But her body was as beautiful as he'd remembered now that she was gaining weight. And when she'd responded to his touch, it had made his heart pound. That was no excuse though. He was still holding her, but she'd relaxed and now looked to be about half asleep.

He remembered now that she'd always been extra responsive when she was very tired. She'd probably been drifting off when he'd started his seduction.God damn I'm such an idiot.

Gently, he laid her back out on his bed, placing her on her side and covering her with blankets. Knowing that he could easily lose control again, he went to take a cold shower to cool off his blood.

When he returned, she looked so peaceful and beautiful lying in his bed. He had calmed enough to not push anything—he meant that promise wholeheartedly—but he couldn't resist the opportunity to hold her. He crawled into bed, turned out the light, and held her close. It may not have been the perfect situation, but it still felt pretty darn close to him.

*****

When Ellie woke up cocooned in Alec's arms, she did not freak out as she had last time. She could no longer deny her attraction to him, as confusing as it was. She had never gotten over this man, and it felt so wonderful to wake up in someone's arms. Then she realized she was naked.Shit. Had they? She hadn't thought she could...she had to leave. Carefully extricating herself from him so that he wouldn't rouse, Ellie saw her clothes on the floor. She threw them on as quickly as possible and tiptoed to her room, where she locked the door before sitting on the floor and leaning against it.How could this have happened? I promised myself to never again let Alec get under my skin.She had to leave, for once and for all. This arrangement had kept her physically safe, but she had to protect her heart this time, and that meant leaving Alec behind. Pain rippled through her at the thought, but she knew it was nothing compared to the pain of allowing herself to fall for him and then be left again.

Looking around, she knew she could take nothing this time. Quickly, she threw on nondescript clothing, anything that would allow her to blend in. She rifled through her wallet and grabbed all the cash, then went to the living room and found the cash stash that Alec had shown her. She glanced once more around the apartment that had become her refuge, then quietly closed the door.

*****

Alec woke up alone. He knew she had been here through the night because he had slept fantastically, a feat that generally only occurred when a woman was in his bed.I hope she isn't pissed at me for last night.He knew he'd been wrong, but his intentions were pure. He truly wanted to be with Ellie, hopefully for the long-term this time. Now that she was back in his life, everything felt on track again. It was as if he'd been missing out on something but hadn't realized it for the past several years, and now that he had found it, he didn't plan on ever missing out again.

Groaning, he stretched. Time for a shower, then maybe he could make pancakes and scrambled eggs. Ellie had always loved breakfast food, and maybe that would help her realize he wasn't just in lust with her.

As he showered, Alec remembered how amazing Ellie had felt the previous night. Though he tried to shame himself into feeling nothing, he'd been dreaming about rekindling their romance and finally being able to pleasure her for weeks now. Finally feeling her, however so briefly, was phenomenal. He felt awful that it had happened the way it had, but he knew that with time and discussion, he could prove to her that he meant her no harm. And until she trusted him again, he would refrain from sexual advances. She had enough on her mind; she needed to heal mentally and emotionally from her years of abuse.

Toweling off, he walked back to his room, taking in the silence. Maybe Ellie had slept in? She was such a morning person though. Back when they had dated, she'd always woken up early and then read a book or studied while he continued sleeping. It seemed odd that she would be so quiet once she knew he was awake.

After throwing on some clothes, he walked over and knocked on her door. "Ellie? You up?"

No response. He knocked again and called her name a little more loudly. Still nothing. She had rarely locked him out, so he tried the handle, which was unlocked. He opened the door, and the room was empty. Even though nothing seemed amiss, he immediately knew.She ran.Hurrying from the room, he checked the spot where he'd hidden a few hundred dollars. Gone.Damn. Damn it all!He should have realized that this could happen. He thought she'd discuss it with him. How could she not see that he wanted her to keep her safe and make her smile, not just to fuck?

Alec threw on shoes, grabbed his phone, and ran out the door. He'd need to call this in to the Chief, then it was off to find her. She may have been a pro at running, but he was a pro at catching people. He just prayed he could find her before Davidson's men did, because if they caught her again, he might never get her back.