A/N: your kind reviews are overwhelming, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

caligo: (n.) darkness

A year. Elizabeth had been in here for a year. The first few days, weeks even, she had maintained the hope someone would find her. That seals would storm in and save her but with each day that passed, hope faded away. She now knew the entire world thought she was dead, including her family. The only way for her to get out, was by doing so herself.

A month passed, and another one.

Then there was the day everything changed. The day she had been hoping for, for over a year.

One morning a guard came in. Elizabeth didn't recognize him, so she wondered what was going on. She knew her captor only trusted three men, the three that always came in because no one else in the local government knew she was here.

"Are you alright?" The guard asked, and he looked at the chain around her ankle.

"Yes." Elizabeth said, wondering what was going on.

"I'm not allowed to be here, but I got lost and saw you last week. You're the American Secretary of State everyone thinks is dead, right?" Elizabeth flinched at his harsh words but nodded.

"Okay, listen. I'll get you out of here, okay? Just not now. I don't have the equipment." He told her and for a moment, a small flicker of hope settled in the pit of her stomach, again.

"Thank you." She said, hoping he was telling her the truth, and this wasn't some kind of mind game. "Before you leave, may I use your phone?" He hesitantly handed it to her and she dialed the familiar number. She could see him frantically looking around to see if someone was coming.

"Hello?" She heard on the other side and tears appeared in her eyes. She'd dreamed of hearing his voice so many times. Wished she could just talk to him one last time.

She also realized her mistake and hung up. She wasn't safe yet, she wasn't out of here and telling him she was alive would be a mistake. What if she died, what if she didn't make it home. She didn't want her family to grieve again and she didn't want Henry to think he'd given up on her so soon. She handed the phone back and the guard walked towards the door.

"Wait! What's your name?" Elizabeth asked.

"Agapito." He told her before slipping out. She rested her head and found the strength to hold on a little longer. She wanted to be with her family so badly.

Two days passed, and she wondered if he would return. If he would keep his promise but then she thought of a different scenario, what if he had been caught? Her captor would have him killed although he hadn't said anything to her about it.

She heard movement outside of the door and sat up straight. The door opened and Agapito entered, followed by two men, one of which Elizabeth knew as the country's Secretary of Defense.

"You came back." She said surprised, not realized she said it out loud.

"We had to wait because we don't want this to hit the news until you're on a plane to the US. He can't know we're doing this since we don't know yet who exactly is on his side." The secretary of Defense told her, and the two men cut the lock off the ankle chain and helped her up.

Agapito handed her a jacket and supported her outside. She knew he was only holding her, so they could move quickly, but she would rather walk on her own. She let herself be guided through the maze of corridors and rooms before they opened the door and she was outside. She took a deep breath, welcoming the fresh air in her lungs. The light was harsh and bright, but she kept her eyes open to see the outside world. The moment was cut short when she was pushed into a car and the secretary of Defense sat behind the wheel.

"Keep her safe and I'll manage from here." Agapito told him and they drove off.

"Where are we going?" Elizabeth asked, still slightly scared it was all a trap and this was all a false sense of security.

"To the airport. We have a plane waiting to take you to the US although they don't know you're coming so you might want to call ahead once you're on board." He explained, and she nodded, too tired to ask more questions.

They reached the airport in no time and he stopped the car in front of the plane and turned around in his seat.

"No one can see you so put this over your head and I'll guide you inside the plane." He handed her his jacket and she doubted for a moment if she could trust him. Figuring she had no better option, she did as she was told, and he guided her up the stairs and into the plane. Once inside she was met by a woman and the pilot.

"This is my son, Anthony. You can trust him, and this is his wife Odette." Elizabeth smiled politely.

"Good to see you alive, ma'am and don't worry. We'll get you back home safely." Anthony told her before heading back into the cockpit.

"Take care." The secretary said and walked off.

"Thank you for helping me." Elizabeth told him, and he nodded before walked out. Odette guided her to a chair and strapped her in as she made her way over to the cockpit and took place next to Anthony.

Elizabeth felt anxious when they took off but as soon as she saw the city lights far below her, she started to relax. Odette returned from the cockpit and walked over to her.

"You lay down or sit?" She asked in broken English while pointing at the couch.

"I think sitting here is fine for the moment." Elizabeth replied, and she was handed a satellite phone.

"You call home so-" She started before yelling something to Anthony in a language she didn't understand.

"You need to call someone in the US, so they can inform people we're coming. I'd rather not get shot out of the sky." Anthony yelled back, and Elizabeth nodded.

"Thank you." She told Odette and she dialed the number. She decided against calling her house number in case the kids would answer and instead dialed Henry's mobile.

"Henry McCord?" He answered, and Elizabeth felt a tear roll down. How she had missed his voice.

"Hello?" Henry asked after a silence and Elizabeth knew she had to say something, or he would hang up.

"Henry." She sighed, followed by a sob and now there was a silence on the other end of the phone.

"No this isn't real." Henry said, and Elizabeth closed her eyes. She was met by the familiar dial tone and saw Henry had hung up. For a moment she felt hurt, but quickly called back.

"Elizabeth?" She heard him say hesitantly. The way he pronounced her name; like a plea but also a sigh.

"I'm here." She managed to get out.

"No, no you're dead, you're gone." Henry spoke and hearing the words come from her husband's mouth made her heart break.

"Henry, please." She begged. She needed him to know she was here, she was alive and that she was coming home.

She needed him.

"Where are you?" Henry asked desperate, so many questions going through his head right now.

"I'm coming home." Elizabeth told him, calming herself.

"When?"

"We land in about 12 hours. Henry, I need you to do something for me." Elizabeth told him. She figured she should get this out of the way first because if they talked for too long, she would be too emotional to ask for anything.

"Anything." He said, just wanting his wife back home.

"I need you to call the President and let him know we'll be landing in 12 hours. The plane is not registered but make sure we're allowed to land." She tried to keep her mind on the goal when all she wanted was to just talk to her husband about everything she missed.

"I- I can do that." Henry replied, and she heard rustling of papers and other noises.

"I missed you so much, Henry." She needed him to know.

"I missed you too. Just come home." Henry said, his voice cracking. He thought about what was happening and he pinched himself to see if it was all real. His mind wandered to the kids and he thought about how to tell them. "What do I tell the kids?"

She hadn't thought about that yet. She didn't want them to know before she was on American soil and actually safe, but she also didn't want to just show up on their doorstep.

"I don't know. When I land, tell them, I guess. I'll come to the house and it will give them a minute to process." Elizabeth told him, figuring it was the best option.

"Okay." Henry said, not wanting to hang up. He was on his way to the White House, but he knew he needed to call Russell Jackson.

"It's okay. I'll be home before you know it." Elizabeth said, knowing what Henry was thinking.

"Call me in about an hour, okay?" Henry asked.

"I promise." She said, and she waited for him to hang up. She couldn't do it.

He disconnected. She listened to the tone for a few more seconds before lowering the phone and staring out the window. She felt Anthony walk past her, but she didn't have the energy to see where he was going.

A water bottle, pre-packed sandwich and a bag of crisps were place on the table in front of her.

"I case you're hungry." Anthony told her, taking the seat opposite of her. "Do they know we're coming?"

"My husband is on his way to brief the president now. I'm going to call him in an hour or so to explain what exactly we need so we have a safe landing.

"That's great." Anthony smiled and got up.

"Wait." Elizabeth said with a desperate tone. She didn't want to be alone, but she also felt silly for asking him to stay. He sensed this and assured her.

"I was only grabbing something to eat for myself." He lied, he planned to go back to the cockpit. He grabbed a bag of crisps for himself and sat back down.

"Thank you for helping me." Elizabeth told him.

"We were planning in leaving the country anyways. It's not a place to raise a baby." Anthony said, and Elizabeth's eyes narrowed.

"She's pregnant?" She asked, and he nodded proudly. "Congratulations!" She told him.

"Thank you. We only found out a few weeks ago so it's still early."

"How far along is she?" Elizabeth asked, thankful for the happy distraction.

"Eighteen weeks." He told her, and it made sense that she hadn't noticed. Odette had been wearing a wide blouse.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Elizabeth asked, and he nodded.

"We're having a boy." He told her, and she smiled. She couldn't help but think about Jason.

How much she missed his whining protests about everything involving politics.

"That's wonderful. He's going to have amazing parents." She told him.

"Thank you. Is there anything I can do for you? Anything you need?" He asked her, and she nodded.

"The bathroom?" She asked, and he pointed at a door. She got up and realized how stiff she was. She opened the door and as she turned around, her eyes landed on the mirror. She was shocked to see herself, bags under her eyes. She'd gotten thinner, her hair had grown and was messy. Her eyes were red from both crying and exhaustion. She cleaned her face and fixed her hair. When she returned to her seat a few minutes later, she didn't find Anthony and she figured he'd gone back to the cockpit.

She sat back down and realized almost an hour had passed and she could call Henry again. Staring at the food in front of her and remembering the thin woman in the mirror, she realized how hungry she actually was. She opened the sandwich and finished it in no time before downing half the bottle of water. She forced herself to slow down because she didn't want to throw everything up again.

Not yet an hour had passed but she couldn't wait any longer. She needed to hear Henry's voice again, so she called him.

"Babe?" He answered, and her anxiety partly faded away upon hearing his voice.

"That would have been awkward if I hadn't called." She tried to lighten the mood and she was glad to hear a chuckle on the other side of the line.

"I'm in the White House, almost at a meeting room since no phones are allowed in the West Wing." Henry explained.

"I know I called early." She simply said.

"I'm glad to hear your voice." Henry told her, and she nodded, even though he couldn't see it. She heard doors open and voices in the background. She heard Russell asking what was so important and then the voice of the President what it was about.

"You're on speaker." He told her, and she was at a loss of words suddenly.

"Sir?" She just said, figuring they wouldn't be able to recognize her voice yet, so she continued. "It's Elizabeth McCord." She finished.

"Bess?" She heard Conrad ask and, in the background, she heard Russell sighing her name as well.

"Yes, I'm on my way back to the US." She told him.

"Where are you? Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'm less than 11 hours from DC and I'm okay. I'm safe. Our plane just needs to be cleared for landing when we get there." Elizabeth explained.

"I can do that. Can you give me the pilot for a minute, I need to know the details of the plane?" He said, and Elizabeth got up and walked to the cockpit. She handed Anthony the phone, telling him it was the president.

"Sir?" Anthony said, and he talked for a little bit. Elizabeth didn't listen as she stared out the front window, looking over the clouds.

"Beautiful, right?" Odette asked, and she nodded.

"Peaceful." She replied as she continued to watch the sky. This was a welcome difference of scenery after being locked in for over twelve months.

"It's for you." Anthony said, and he handed the phone back.

"Yes?" She answered, and she sat back in her seat.

"You'll be cleared for landing when you get here." Conrad told her.

"Thank you." She answered.

"I'm glad to hear your voice, Bess."

"Likewise." She sighed, just wanting to be home already. A beeping noise caught her attention and she looked at the phone.

"I'm almost out of battery." She told them, wishing she could spend the next 11 hours on the phone with Henry.

"Alright, call us if you need anything." Conrad said.

"Okay." She replied, hoping Henry would say something before she hung up.

"Come home safe, okay?" Henry said, not caring the other two men were listening as well.

"I will." She smiled, glad to hear him before she hung up.

"We're cleared for landing." Elizabeth told Anthony and she was met with a thumbs-up.

She spotted a blanket and grabbed it before laying down on the couch. She was tired and allowed herself to close her eyes for a few minutes. Soon, she drifted off into a deep sleep, knowing she was safe.

She was awoken by the turbulence and slowly sat up. She felt rested, more energized and wondered how far they were out. She noticed Odette standing in the small kitchen area and saw her walking towards her.

"Here." She said, handing Elizabeth another pre-packed sandwich.

"Thank you. How far are we out?" She asked, hoping the woman would understand her. She held up three fingers and Elizabeth nodded. Three hours till she was home. Odette went back to the cockpit and Elizabeth saw her handing Anthony a sandwich too before they shared a kiss.

She ate as she stared out the window and tried to think of her family's reaction. She hoped they wouldn't be upset with her. It hadn't been her fault she had been taken but she did go to Iran without telling them, without telling her kids.

Lost in her thoughts, another hour passed. She tried to wait as long as she could, but she wanted to talk to Henry. There was still some battery left and she picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Hey." He answered.

"Hey." She replied.

"I was about to go home to talk to the kids. I was thinking maybe I could record you, so they would have something." Henry suggested, and Elizabeth knew he meant proof. Henry had stayed at the White House to coordinate things for his wife's safe return.

"Okay." She agreed, wanting to make it as comfortable as possible for their kids.

"It's recording." Henry said, holding his iPod next to his phone.

"Ehm hey guys. it's mom." She said awkwardly, not sure what to say. "I missed you guys so much but I'm coming home. I love you." She finished, trying to sound as little as possible like she was crying.

"Thank you." Henry said, and Elizabeth dried her tears.

"I just want to be home." She sighed.

"You will be soon."

"I-" She started but was cut off. The battery died, and she closed her eyes, wishing she could talk to Henry again.

"Babe?" He asked, and he sighed, knowing she had limited battery. He drove back home, wondering what he should tell the kids.

"Kids can you all come down for a minute?" Henry yelled as soon as he was home.

"I was in the middle of my game." Jason sighed as he walked down the stairs, followed by Stevie and Alison. They all sat down on the couch and Henry took out his iPod.

"I have to tell you something, it's about mom." He said, tears welling up in his eyes. The kids looked confused as their dad was both smiling and crying.

"What's going on?" Stevie asked.

"She's alive." Henry blurted out, but Stevie shook her head no, not wanting her to give her younger siblings hope.

"No, dad. She's gone." She told him, but he shook his head. He unlocked his iPod and played the recording.

Ehm hey guys. it's mom. I missed you guys so much but I'm coming home. I love you.

Her voice sounded through the speaker and both Alison and Stevie started crying upon hearing their mother's voice.

"I don't know what and how, but she is landing in less than 3 hours and then she'll come home." Henry explained.

"She's alive?" Jason asked, still not caught up on what exactly was going on.

"Yeah, she's coming home." Henry said, hugging all three kids tightly. They replayed the recording over and over, finding comfort in it until their mom was actually home.

"Ma'am, it's time for landing." Anthony said, and Elizabeth strapped in, excited to be on American soil again and excited to be with her family again.

It was a bit of a rocky landing, but they made it and Elizabeth unbuckled her belt.

"Welcome back to the United States, ma'am." Anthony told her while Odette opened the door. Elizabeth noticed it was slightly dark outside and walked down the stairs. Her legs were a bit shaky, but she made it. She looked around and her eyes landed on a pair waiting in from afar. She walked over to them and hugged Conrad.

"Welcome back Bess." He whispered, holding her tight. Even Russell gave her a hug which she gladly accepted.

"We've arranged for a car to take you home." Russell told her, guiding her to one of the cars. "I'm glad to see you're safe." Elizabeth smiled at the man who she used to have a love hate relationship with. They couldn't work together but they did great work together.

"Thank you." She said before the door closed and they drove off. She watched the city she called home pass by as she slowly started to recognize more and more. She knew she was close to home and suddenly felt anxious. She wanted nothing more than to be with her family, but things had changed.

"We're here ma'am." The driver told her, and another agent opened the door.

"Thank you." She told him before hurrying out and walking to her door. He held the door open for her and she heard footsteps coming closer.

TBC