Hey guys. This is the next chapter.

We're almost at the end of this story. I only have the Epilogue left to write and put up, and then we're at the end.

Thanks to everybody who has been reading, reviewing, following, favouriting and everything else you can do on this site and stories you like.

So until the next chapter, on with the story. Hope you enjoy.

T.C

~oOo~

Chapter 21

See You Again

POV - Virgil

A week had passed since the incident with the CPS worker and Jodie, and things were slowly getting back to normal; even if our ginger friend was still jumpy when new people came into her 'sanctuary.'

We'd learned something none of us knew about John that day, and it was the fact that he hacked during his down time. All the hours he'd been hauled up in his room on his old-school laptop, typing away furiously; and he'd been coding, and hacking secure data networks.

But all that work had gone to good use. It had helped in bringing down a group that the police, FBI, and CIA had been trying to capture. This type of crime wasn't something the GDF handled.

From what I'd been able to get out of my two older brothers and Jodie, the plan to re-kidnap and kill Jodie had been foiled by en episode of Elementary. In said episode, the police couldn't charge the escapees until they left the floor. It was the same in this instance, but they couldn't charge them with anything until they left the hospital grounds.

When Jodie had returned holding her stomach, sporting a split lip and the beginnings of a black eye, with an orange blanket wrapped round her shoulders, we didn't know what to think. The doctors had also checked her stomach, and found a large bruise starting to form on her ribs.

"I'm okay." She'd told us, sitting up, "I've had worse things happen to me."

Only now, she didn't have to worry about going through something like that ever again. The entire group had been brought down only a couple of days after Catrina had been arrested.

Jodie had sighed in relief when the FBI came in to tell her what had happened, and that while they weren't happy at the hacking of their system, they were going to overlook who did it as long as it didn't happen again. She'd joked with them, saying, "there goes my promising career in espionage," and taking a drink from her glass of water.

"Hey, Virg. You with us?" A hand was being waved in front of my face, and I jumped back in surprise, "That was an obvious no."

"Well I am now." I said, feeling a little bit sheepish as the others laughed.

"You didn't miss much." Gordon told me, "Unless you wanted to see Johnny being beaten at chess three times in a row."

"Nobody beats John."

"Well Jodie did." Scott threw a card on the growing pile I hadn't noticed, "And John was not happy about it. He's now refusing to play with her."

"Is that why we're now playing Uno again?" Jodie asked, placing her blue one on the pile, "Don't feel bad, John. I just have a lot of free time on my hands."

I looked at her, and while she was healing, she still looked like hell. The whole of the left side of her face was black and blue, her lip was still a bit swollen and scabbed, and her stomach looked more like an artists pallet then her face did. And even though she wouldn't admit it, her stomach was still giving her problems.

"Yes, because you cheat at chess." John grumbled, picking up two cards and putting them in his hand.

"How do I cheat at chess? If I'm honest, I can normally Mate people in six moves, if not less. You're the first real competition I've had."

"I don't know, but you do."

Jodie started laughing, and then grabbed her side; rubbing it lightly and holding her breath.

"Don't make me laugh. It hurts when I laugh."

"Sorry." John muttered, pulling her into a one-armed hug, "I didn't mean to make you laugh or hurt you."

"It's fine." She told him, returning the hug, "Once all my injuries heal, it won't hurt as much. You'd think being through something like this before would help with my pain threshold, but no."

The way she said 'but no' made me want to laugh, but I knew it would be wrong to do so. How could she be sarcastic and make fun of what had happened to her? There was nothing funny about it.

"I mean, I don't mind looking like I've done ten rounds with Mike Tyson, but I don't like it hurting every time I breath. It's annoying."

"I've got to say that, yes she's evil, but she packs one hell of a punch to do that." Scott said, placing down another one of his cards, "I'm not saying what she did was right, but she I didn't think she could pack that kind of punch."

"Well, she's very deceptive."

"That's one way of putting it."

So I had to wait until they finished their game before the dealt me in. John won the first game, and jumped up and down to celebrate, while Jodie just looked at him with mock fury on her face.

After a couple minutes of celebration, Jodie got up, lightly hit him on the back of the head, and told him to sit down so we could begin the next game.

And that is how we continued. Playing Uno to varying levels of difficulty, including putting three packs together and tripling the amount of cards we got given at the beginning of the game.

It took us a while to realize that our father was standing by the double doors, just watching us laughing and having fun. He wasn't angry at being ignored. He actually had a smile on his face, and a coffee in his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Tracy." Jodie greeted, putting down a pick up four card and sticking her tongue out at John, "I change to green."

"I hate you." John told her, reluctantly picking up four cards.

"You love me really." She said, and winked at him before saying, "And a little birdie told me that you don't go round and kiss just anybody."

Our father, who had just taken a drink of his coffee, almost choked himself when these words were uttered.

Gordon tried to stifle his laugh by coughing, but no matter how much he tried to cover his mirth, it still came out a giggle.

"Well as I already told this 'little birdie'…" He gave Scott a knowing look, "It's an effective method of stopping panic attacks, and he knows it cause he saw it work on you."

"Touché."

"I'm sorry, but I'm incredibly lost over here." Our father walked forward, drink still in his hand, "Can somebody please explain to me what has been going on over the past couple of weeks?"

And so the tale began, starting at John's suicide attempt and finishing with Jodie's plan of escape for good. They glossed over what happened to cause the major panic attack four of us walked in on, but that didn't matter. All of us were caught up and on the same page about what happened.

We must have been telling the story for a while, because soon lunch was being bought to the eight of us. It wasn't much, just a drink, sandwich and some crisps for each of us, but at least we didn't have to leave.

Once we'd finished eating, we continued out game of Uno, but soon we were interrupted again. This time, it was by a doctor who was carrying a clipboard and a pen.

"Hey guys." He greeted, a smile on his face.

"Hey, Kieran." John and Jodie said together, identical grins plastered on both their faces.

"I have some good news for one of you."

"Are you guys finally allowing me to go to Cape Kennedy? You wouldn't let me go when Greg won tickets earlier on this year."

Kieran shook his head and mouthed 'no' to her. She slouched her shoulders and started pouting.

"My news is actually for John."

John looked very surprised at this revelation. He even pointed at himself and mouthed 'me?'

"Yes you, John." Kieran told him, looking like he was trying hard not to laugh at their reactions, "I am clearing you to go home. You're emotional state has improved greatly since our first session, and it looks like you have finally started confiding in your family about your feelings. One more night in here, and you're free to go by lunch tomorrow."

~oOo~

After just over two weeks in the Suicide Watch Ward, John was finally coming home, but I don't think he was as excited as the rest of us were.

"You should be celebrating." Scott said when we came in the next morning, "You'll be able to sleep in your own bed again, have the sounds of home, stargaze on the roof whenever you want…"

"But what about Jodie? She's going to be the only patient in this ward because everyone else got cleared to go home. I feel bad about leaving her in here."

"Don't feel bad, John."

Scott literally jumped the metaphorical ten feet into the air, and I have to admit that I would have too if I hadn't caught her in my peripheral vision.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You just seem to pop up out of thin air. It's a little unnerving. I really should get a bell to put round your neck."

She just shrugged.

"People have mentioned doing that before, but nobody has ever had the nerve to actually do it."

"Well I might be the first to do it then."

Just then, Gordon and Alan ran past me and straight to Jodie. It was almost like they were having a race to see who could get to her first.

"Woah! Slow down, fish and sprout." She said as she got down on her knees, "No need to rush me. I'm not going anywhere."

"But Johnny is, and if he has to leave, doesn't that mean we're not allowed to visit you?" Alan asked, tears welling up in his blue eyes.

"Who told you that?"

"A dream. It told me that I wouldn't be allowed to see you if we left."

Jodie pulled both of them into a hug, even if that action caused her pain. And I could tell by the look on her face that it did.

"Well that dream was wrong. You can visit me whenever you want. I'm not going to stop you from doing it." She told them, rubbing their backs lightly, "As long as you go to school, keep your grades up, and don't cause too much trouble for your brothers, father and Grandma; you can come by every day if it's alright with your family."

"Promise?"

"I promise." She smiled, "Now, I have to get up. At my old age, things start to seize up after a while."

I walked over to her, as did Scott. We each took an arm and helped her up into a standing position.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." I said, pulling her into a hug, "I'm gonna miss skiving school to see you."

"Is it my charming personality?" She joked, returning my hug.

"No. It's your way of looking on the bright side, even when you feel like your mind is at war with you."

It was Scott who hugged her next, then Grandma's turn. Even dad got in on the goodbye hugs.

Eventually, it was John's turn to hug her, but he wouldn't do it. He was in tears and shaking his head.

"This is wrong. We shouldn't be leaving you here. You deserve to be happy, not cooped up in here."

"I'm in here for my own protection." She said, as she initiated the hug, "They can't release me onto the streets, and I refuse to be put back into the foster care system. Until they find somebody who will take me in, I have to stay here."

John started sobbing into her shoulder, and she rubbed his back.

"This isn't goodbye, John. This is a see you soon. I'll be very upset if you don't come to visit me."

"I will come visit you. I promise. Everyday if I'm allowed, and if that's what you want."

Tears were streaming down Jodie's face as she pulled back.

"Now, it's time for you to go. Don't leave your family waiting forever."

And this is how we left her; standing in the middle of the room, crying, with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Let's go home." Dad said, clicking the down button on the elevator keypad.