(Please proceed with caution when reading this chapter)

The tension was so thick in the Boveri household, from the time Evan stepped into the foyer, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Jax had decided to move warehouses as L'iiblis had their location and for safety reasons, he and Alianna had been at home with security increased tenfold. Naveen and Emilio never let Alianna out of their sights, fearing that she would escape and take on the enemy herself. According to Naveen and Scott, Alianna and Jax were giving each other the silent treatment, only speaking when necessary, things had gone as far as Alianna sleeping in her own room; basically leaving Jax in the doghouse. Evan chuckled lowly before heading to Jax's home office. He nodded at Scott as he opened the door.

"Trouble in paradise?" he teased his friend lightly. Jax glared dangerously at Evan, giving him his first warning. "Well for what it's worth, we're almost moved into the new warehouse, just some remaining goods that will be moved tonight."

"Good, I'll oversee the move tonight," Jax said as he closed some documents on his computer and leaned back in his chair.

Evan sighed, "You two are going to have to talk about it." Jax cocked his eyebrow, a second warning, "being apart makes you both more vulnerable."

Jax gave that some thought before noticing the folder Evan had in his arms. "Did you see Alianna before you came here?"

Evan frowned in confusion, "No?"

"Good," Jax picked up the jar that held all his pencils and smashed the bug underneath it. "Where is he?" Jax asked as he brushed the shattered device into the bin.

"Warehouse district in the town over, by the docks," Evan passed a picture that the Boveri spies had taken. "They estimate at least two men in this one. They're scouting out others to see if there's more."

Jax did not let his surprise show, "Start bring back anyone who can come back to headquarters. I also want someone digging into any suppliers L'iiblis deals with and we start taking them out one by one."

Evan nodded, "Are you going off the grid Boss?"

Jax sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair, he was definitely due for a trim, "I'm contemplating it but we have a rat in our ranks and there's no sense hiding only to be found again."

"And what about Alianna?" Evan raised an eyebrow at Jax's snort, his last warning, the next time Evan pushed the subject; Jax would not take it lightly. "Jax, you've got to talk this through with her."

"All Alianna wants is for this to end, and the only way she wants to end this is by ending herself," Jax growled, "and hell will freeze over before I let her do that."

Evan nodded in agreement, he himself did not approve of Alianna's plan but at the moment, there was no alternative. He and Jax talked over a couple smaller issues before saying goodbye. As the door closed behind him, Evan decided to check in on Alianna. He smiled and greeted Naveen and Emilio who were stationed outside the door.

"Now what if she tries to escape through the window?" Evan tested them.

"Keith and David are stationed right underneath it," Naveen answered. "It's a game of cat and mouse with her, she knows where we are and we know she knows and we move accordingly. It's actually quite fun."

"You, my friend, have a twisted definition of fun," Evan chuckled as Emilio nodded in agreement. Evan opened the door and raised an eyebrow as he saw the empty bedroom. He heard water running in the ensuite bathroom.

"Alianna?" Evan pushed the ajar door wide open. Alianna was standing in front of the sink, gripping it so tight that her knuckles were white.

Evan cursed as he shut off the water, "Jesus that's hot." He frowned as he looked at Alianna, "Alianna?" She did not appear to hear him, making him tilt her head up. She complied willingly, scaring Evan even more.

Alianna's eyes were glassy and dazed, Evan could see that she was here physically but her mind was totally far away. "Hey tora," Evan kept his voice even, using the nickname he had settled on during a dinner, trying to handle the situation as calmly as possible, "I know you're not okay and I need you to co-operate with me okay? Don't fight me." Evan grit his teeth as Alianna did not respond, he slipped her knife off its holder on her leg as he led her to the bed.

Once Alianna was seated on the bed, Evan opened his mouth, "JAX!"

~

Anger flowed through Jax's veins as he sat on the bed next to Alianna as the doctor checked her out. She was responding occasionally to their questions but for the most part she was listless and drowsy. Evan, Rex, Naveen and Emilio stood around the room, worried for her.

"It's a side effect of a suppressant," the doctor said firmly, "an antidepressant, anti-anxiety medication or in some cases, sleeping pills." This stunned Jax into silence because he did not know that Alianna had any sort of medication, far less any access to them. "She probably has developed a tolerance for them is taking more that what any doctor would recommend; we're lucky that we picked up on this before she overdosed. The best thing we can do is wean her off whatever she is taking and determine if she needs the medication she is taking and suggest alternatives or quit it altogether."

Jax shifted his gaze to the woman dozing lightly on his shoulder, "Thank you," he gestured for Naveen and Emilio to escort him out. Alianna exhaled softly as the door shut. "Search the bathroom," Jax ordered quietly.

"No need," Evan pointed with his chin to Rex who was holding a box of sleeping pills. Rex tossed it to Jax. It was fairly new, the price tag dating back to their time in New York, and to Jax's horror most of the remaining card was empty. The card crumpled in his fist as he pelt it away.

"You knew," he glared accusingly at the blond haired man.

"I found it in her apartment before she moved in with you," Rex answered quietly. "It was unopened then."

"She had to stop taking them at some point," Evan deduced, "or else she would have gone to the pharmacy or asked someone to buy more."

Jax sighed and ran a hand through his hair, while the reason why Alianna was taking the medication worried him, he was scared if an ulterior motive resulted to her current state. His grip tightened around her, causing her to whimper in pain.

"Any medication you find in there, throw it out," Jax ordered as he chucked off his shoes. "Remove any sharp objects.....electricals........just anything."

Evan and Rex exchanged looks as they understood Jax's unspoken reason behind his orders. "How to stop an assassin who knows how to kill with anything from killing with anything?" Evan muttered as he and Rex stripped the en suite and the bedroom.

Jax watched this in silence, holding Alianna who was deep in slumber. He knew her nightmares probably kept her up at night but he was not there to comfort her or pull her out of them; so she resorted to her old means of dealing with them. Evan was right; they were vulnerable when they were apart.

~

"I'm sorry."

Jax opened his eyes, he must have fallen asleep at some point. Alianna tilted her head to look at him, she still felt dazed but her brain felt like mush. Jax's body was tense beneath her, meaning his anger had not dissipated in his sleep.

"Why?" His quiet question scared her.

"I haven't been able to sleep these nights," Alianna murmured. "Not since I stopped coming to your room."

"Our," Jax interjected sternly, "our room."

"No more," Alianna begged, "no more fighting."

Jax grunted in response and the two fell into a comfortable silence. Alianna listened to Jax's heartbeat, a lullaby she had sorely missed.

"The last time I felt like this," Jax's hand stopped on the small of her back, "I was fourteen. It was a rule at Marino's school, the girls, it was deemed that we should be able to do anything and everything to get a job done and pregnancy could compromise everything."

Alianna paused and wet her lips as she felt Jax tense again. "It was just me and another girl. They had us in the hospital room, tied down, we did not know what was going on. We were left there for days, until all of sudden we were being wheeled to the operating theatre. I fought, they fought back, injecting me with sedatives. They had the mask for the anaesthesia over me when someone came in and killed them, every one of them."

"L'iiblis," Jax concluded as Alianna nodded.

"He saved me but with the amount of drugs in my system I was out for nearly two days," Alianna said quietly.

"And the other girl?"

"Didn't make it, her tubal ligation was botched somehow," she replied sleepily. "I could never shake the feeling that it was some sort of test. Why did he save me and not her or both? I have so many unanswered questions."

Jax's fingers thrummed against her back thoughtfully, "I'll make you a deal. When we catch L'iiblis, you get to interrogate him but you have to work with me to catch him, not against me."

Alianna looked at him as he kissed her forehead, "Deal."