A/N: I've changed this part up a bit. I never really liked the way it turned out. As always, comments are love.

Part 4:

Helen stepped into the elevator, travel weary. Nepal was a very far away. Just the trek out the mountains to the airstrip, it couldn't be called an airport, had taken three days. Nothing had gone smoothly since then. Then the eight-hour flight from outside of Bhaktapur to Zürich had been extremely uncomfortable. She had been squeezed in the back of the tiny plane surrounded by boxes of artifacts. And the layover in Zürich had been delayed for hours and hours due to weather conditions.

It was ten o'clock on Monday night. She was supposed to arrive early Sunday morning. She had hardly eaten and barely slept since leaving the village in the mountains. She had been away from home for far too long. All she wanted was a shower and to see her daughter, but not necessarily in that order.

The elevator stopped moving, the doors opened and Helen stepped out, dragging her duffle behind her. She turned towards her office where she knew Ashley would be waiting. There was a squeal. Helen only had a chance to catch a glimpse of the blond-haired child in pajamas before she was nearly knocked over by the girl's embrace. Ashley had grabbed her mother around the waist, and held on with all her strength. She buried her face in Helen's stomach, and would not let go.

Helen released her bag. She reached down and lifted her daughter into her arms. Ashley was nine years old now and almost too big. Ashley let go of her mother's waist just long enough to transfer her grasp to Helen's neck. The exhaustion was gone. Helen felt the weight of the little body in her arms. She took in the scent of Ashley's clean hair.

"I missed you so much," she said into Ashley's ear.

Ashley squeezed tighter, "Don't ever go away again."

The little girl was on the verge of tears. Helen felt the same way. This trip had been extended from three weeks to just over a month. The location of the expedition had proved unfruitful, and the decision had been made to move camp after the first few days, and stay the extra week. The pilot was one of those wishing to stay, so Helen had little choice. The three weeks would have been the longest by far Helen had been away from home since Ashley was born. The Nepal expedition had been a special opportunity; so Mrs. Dora Lawny, an old friend of the family, had come to stay.

Mrs. Lawny could create a current through her hand that could ease pain. She had known Ashley since she was born, and was the closest thing Ashley had to a grandmother. Mrs. Lawny had always been the person Helen looked to care for Ashley while she was away. The Big Guy and Barney were still at the Sanctuary, of course, but they had other things to worry about than whether Ashley brushed her teeth or not. Mrs. Lawny lived in England, but she was always willing to make the journey.

Ashley had dismissed the idea of Helen's lengthy absence. Three weeks would be no problem. She didn't care. She was independent. Clearly, it had not been as easy as Ashley thought. Mother and daughter had only been able to speak few times via a satellite phone with poor reception. These conversations had done nothing to ease Helen's homesickness; in fact it may have made it worse. She was home now. She was where she wanted to be.

She shifted Ashley's weight, and put her down. Ashley let go again just long enough to grab hold of something else. She slipped an arm around her mother's waist. Helen kept her arm around Ashley's shoulders. She offered one-armed hugs to Mrs. Lawny, Barney, the Big Guy. They welcomed her back, and asked her about her trip. She answered without giving much detail. Mrs. Lawny apologized for keeping Ashley up so late. Barney asked about the new artifacts. There would be lots of cataloging, but not tomorrow.

"I've been away for a long time," she said, giving Ashley a squeeze. "Tomorrow, I am taking the day off and spending time with my daughter. No school, no work, not tomorrow."

Ashley squealed again, "Really?"

"Yes, daring."

Ashley was not the only who was surprised.

"Doc is takin' the day off, all right then," Barney shrugged his shoulders and turned down the hall without another word.

Mrs. Lawny bid them good night, recognizing mother and child needed to be alone. She always knew things like that. The Big Guy grunted, "Would you like a late supper?"

For the first time, Helen's attention was not on Ashley, "That would be wonderful."

He grunted again and followed Mrs. Lawny, who had already disappeared down the passage.

"Would you get my pack?" Helen asked.

Ashley was now edger to help, and finally released her hold. She raced down the hall to where the duffle still lying on the floor. Ashley lifted the bag to her shoulder though she could barely raise it off the ground. She pulled it into the office behind Helen.

Helen saw the loveseat in front of the cozy fire and gratefully collapsed. It was so very good to be home. The smell of wood polish, antique books, the dancing fire light, Ashley's hand on her arm as the girl climbed onto the seat, it all meant Helen was home. It was amazing how it made her feel. The ache was gone; it had disappeared the second she had stepped onto that elevator.

Helen had long since realized her life was split into two major parts: before and after the birth of her daughter. Before Ashley, Helen would often spend weeks even months away from her Sanctuary on missions or at other Sanctuary. Returning home had always felt good. It was a return to familiar faces, surrounds, routine, but being away had never been such a hardship. She had never felt such a yearning to be back. She had always been able to live in the moment. She usually stayed focused on where she was, not what she left behind. Ashley had changed that.

It was not just being away from her daughter. That was hard under any circumstance. Ashley had helped Helen to understand how to love a place, something that Helen hadn't understood since she herself was a child. She had returned to people she cared about in a place she cared about.

"I brought you something," Helen said.

Ashley eagerly sat up. She had been waiting for this. Helen always made a point of finding a small something to bring back for Ashley. Helen yanked her pack upright and braced it with her knees. She rummaged for a few seconds before finding the item. She withdrew a small-carved box wrapped in a protective scarf. It was about the size of a cigar box, and made of a heavy wood delicately carved with vines and flowers. She handed it to Ashley.

"One of our guides from the village spoke a little English, I told him about you. He made this for you," said Helen.

"Just for me?" asked Ashley.

"Just for you," echoed Helen. "He said it was a place to keep your secrets."

"It's so pretty," said Ashley. She traced one of vines with her fingers.

"So, you like it?" Helen said, already knowing the answer.

"I love it!" said Ashley as she leaned over a planted a kiss on Helen's cheek, "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. How has school been since we last talked?"

Helen leaned back and listened peacefully as Ashley chatted about friends, homework, and new Sanctuary arrivals. Ashley paused only when the Big Guy entered with a tray of food and a cup of tea for Helen. Then, it was Helen's turn. Ashley insisted her mother detail every part of her trip from the moment she stepped off the plane. Helen dearly missed being aware of everything in Ashley's life and she guessed Ashley felt the same way. When Helen was home that were only apart those hours that Ashley was at school. Both were very wrapped up in the other's life. Helen again thought how good it was to be home.

Ashley's eyes were beginning to close. Helen had finished her meal. Ashley was half asleep beneath Helen's arm. Helen watched the fire, remembering the days she used to sit on this very sofa and give Ashley her bottle. The grandfather clock in the hall chimed midnight. Helen finally stirred.

"My darling, it's time for bed," said Helen.

"No, I'm not tried," answered Ashley, but allowing Helen to lift her up.

Helen smiled. She didn't really want to move either. The fire was still burning. Helen brushed Ashley's hair off her forehead.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" asked Helen.

"I want to go back to Morocco," said Ashley, sleepily.

Helen had to laugh. She had taken Ashley to a conference that had been held in Morocco last summer. They had taken sometime afterwards to travel. It was most exotic place Ashley had been to, and she had talked about going back for months.

"Unfortunately, there will not be enough time for that," Helen said.

"Yes, there will," said Ashley suddenly wide awake, "I have something to show you."

They both needed sleep. Helen sighed, "Will this be quick? It is very late."

"Yes, yes," answered Ashley.

She jumped off the sofa and was pulling at Helen's hand. Helen allowed herself to be dragged from the office. Her body was exhausted, but her brain told her it was mid-afternoon. This was not going to help her jet lag.

Ashley pulled her mother into the library. Helen instantly saw what Ashley had been meant. Helen's old Bedouin tent was hung from one of the great beams that stretched across the ceiling. Helen laughed again. She couldn't even remember where it had come from or who had given it to her. Ashley must have found it somewhere in the dank level below the lab used only for storage.

Ashley disappeared inside. Helen pulled back the flap of the colored fabric. It still had the somewhat musty smell of being in the basement for too long. The hard wood floor inside the tent had been covered with blankets and what looked like every pillows in the entire Sanctuary. There was even a teapot. Ashley stood in center, absolutely beaming.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"Of course! It's wonderful!" said Helen. "I can't believe you found this old thing."

"And I set it up mostly by myself. The Big Guy help get it over beam," Ashley said.

"It really is wonder, Ashley. But right now, it is time for us to go to bed. I promise we will spend the entire day in here, if you like, but we are not sleeping in it," said Helen, correctly guessing what Ashley was going to ask next.

For once, Ashley didn't protest. Helen reached out her hand to Ashley, and her daughter took it. This time Helen led the way upstairs and into Ashley room. Helen settled her daughter under the covers. Ashley yawned widely as Helen perched on the edge of the bed. Ashley reached for her stuffed dog. Helen brushed Ashley's hair off her forehead.

"I missed you," said Ashley, looking up at her mother who had perched on edge of the bed.

"Darling, I missed you too," said Helen.

"Can I come with you next time?" Ashley said through a yawn.

"Once you finish school, you can come with me every single time."

"I like that."

"I would, too."

Ashley yawned again. Helen leaned over and kissed Ashley's cheek, "Sleep well."

She rose and clicked the light off. She paused, taking another look at her child before easing the door closed behind her.

She retrieved her pack and returned upstairs. Once in her room, she dumped her clothes in the laundry pile, and took a proper shower for the first time in weeks. When Helen exited her bathroom, she found Ashley now sound asleep in her bed. It had been years since Helen had allowed her daughter to sleep in her bed, but Helen decided to made an exception.

"Al-Mizaan," she whispered aloud, although there was no one near to hear it, "Never forfeit your principles."

She gingerly crawled into bed and turned out her own light. She lied next to her daughter in the dark and listened to her breathing. She wanted to make the moment last just a little longer. It was childish; she knew it. Tomorrow would be back to the real world. Ashley would go back to school the next day. Helen would return to the lab. She would catalog the new artifacts with Barney. She would deal with crises. She would work long hours and sleep little. Her life would fall back into its usual rhythm, but for right now all that mattered was the sleeping child beside her.