(I am sooo sorry it has taken me so long to update. I simply got swamped with work and other things and had no time for anything, let alone writing. I promise I'll be better about updating promptly in the future. Thank you for your patience!)

Keely's head lolled back and forth as a groan of pain escaped her parted lips. Her world fazing in and out of reality. Ugh her head. It felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. She reflexively reached to clutch her head…. but she couldn't.

Her arms.

She couldn't move them.

Her eyes flew open, instantly making her so dizzy and nauseous, she thought she was going to throw up. But her panic was stronger.

She was tied up. Her arms were pinned above her, duck taped around some kind a metal bar on the wall.

Oh my God, they had her again! They had found her. She had to get away!

She whimpered and struggled violently against her restraints to no avail, until slowly her memories crept back.

The club. Diaz. Finding the kidnapped girls.

She stopped fighting her restraints and tried the calming breaths Eliot had taught her, for when she was having nightmares. She tried to focus on facts rather than her overpowering fear.

The men in suits hadn't found her again.

She wasn't back at the facility.

She had chosen to drink the girl's drugged cocktail so that they would take her instead.

Her tracker would lead the team to her and the other girls and they would save them.

She glanced down the front of her dress. She had been worried that the men would somehow see the earbud in her ear when they took her, so in last moments before the dizziness overtook her and she lost consciousness, Keely had tucked her earbud into the safest place she could… her bra.

Keely frowned at her cleavage. This was an unfortunate turn of events. She could still feel the earbud in her bra, but with her hands tied she had no way to reach it. Oh fiddlesticks.

She pulled again at her restraints. The duck tape was biting into the fragile skin of her wrists and her shoulder was wrenched from her easier desperate struggles for freedom. It was useless. She wouldn't be able to break free.

Sighing with frustration and helplessness, she finally took a moment to study her surroundings. She was in a room, too dark to see anything in detail. She squinted trying to adjust her eyes to the dark, but what she could see looked bare and metallic. Finally she could see the vague outline other girls, all in party clothes, all similarly tied up. It was too many bodies to be just from the VIP room. They must have been taken from several of Diaz's clubs.

They were still slumped in an unconscious state. Their drugs must not have worn off yet. Keely hadn't drunk nearly as much as the other girls at the club, most of it was an act, so she must have recovered faster.

She sighed and swallowed. She still felt God-awful. Her mouth felt like she was gargling cotton and poison. Ugh. Another bout of dizziness swamped her and she clenched her teeth until it passed. She couldn't afford passing out again.

Despite the fact her earbud wasn't in her ear, she could only hope that the Leverage team was already tracking her and rushing to her rescue because it looked like she wasn't going to get very far on her own. She did regret not being able to talk to them and at least let them know she was okay. They must be worried. She didn't even want to think about how Eliot was doing. The echo of his outraged roar was the last thing she heard before she ripped her earbud out.

Wait! She may not be able to hear them, but they might be able to hear her! Hardison was always bragging about how powerful they were and picked up sound from surrounding conversations.

"Hey guys," she whispered hoarsely, as loud as she dared. "It's Keely. I can't get to my earbud now cause I'm tied up, but I'm ok. They didn't hurt me. I'm in a small dark bare room with about 10 other girls. I haven't seen any guards yet. It looks like we're alone in here. They didn't cover our mouth so they must not worry about cries for help being heard, but I have no idea where I am…"

Then she was struck by inspiration. Perhaps, she could use her ability to gain further clues about her location. She closed her eyes and pushed her mind, thinking outside herself, past the door, out into the open... Surprisingly, it worked! She felt the sensation of water sliding through a collider and she was suddenly flooded with images of their surroundings.

She saw big freighter ships. They were on a shipping dock. She should have become more nervous, but was too proud of her success. It worked! She actually controlled it and made it work!

"Hey! I actually saw something, I'm at a…"

Suddenly a ship horn blared loudly.

"…A shipping dock," she finished with a frown. Well, that had been a waste of effort. The horn had left no doubts as to where she was, rendering her vision completely useless.

There was nothing she could do now, but sit… wait… and pray. Sitting, stuck in the dark and creepy solitude, Keely tried once again to wriggle free or at least get a hold of the earbud. Anyone watching would have found her twisting and turning to reach her bra with her teeth very amusing.

That's when Keely realized someone might still be watching. The miniature camera! It was still attached to her dress! She rotated as much as her ties would let her, but knew it could be of little help to the team or her. It was only a group of girls locked in a single room and was too dark to anything more than dark blobs and shadows. Hardly good Intel. The tracker was really her last hope.

Across the room she heard a groan. An exact replica of the painful grogginess she uttered earlier. One of the girls must be regaining consciousness! She strained her eyes to see who it was but once again could only see slight movements of the dark outlines. The cry was followed by the echoing groan of another. Soon the groans of pain and confusions became wails of terror.

"I'm tied up! I can't move!"

"What? Where am I? What's going on?"

Keely hushed them as best as she could, "Shhh. Stop. Stop. The guards might hear you and come in. Believe me, you don't want that." Her voice of confident coolness surprisingly cut through their hysteria and their weeping quieted into whimpers.

"What's going on?" one girl yelled across the room at her through choking sobs.

Keely sighed. Debating whether the truth would make things better or worse. She didn't want to scare them further, but they needed to know now what was going on so that they cooperated when the Leverage team came to get them. She let out a breath, "We were drugged at the clubs. They took us and are now shipping us off… to sell us."

She immediately regretted her honesty when the howls grew ear splitting. "Hey, hey. I know you're scared." She twisted awkwardly to try to face them better, "I'm scared too, but we can't lose focus. We have to stay calm to get out of this. Everyone take deep breathes, okay? It's going to be okay. We're going to get out of here."

One dark figure scooted herself up to sit up straighter, still sniffling she cried out, "How do you know?!"

"My…" Keely hesitated. As much as she wanted to reassure the girls that they weren't alone and help was on the way, she couldn't risk them somehow alerting the guards or Diaz. "Because I refuse to let it happen, that's why. They're going to expect us to be helpless and panicking, but we're not going to be. We're going to very careful and very smart and find a way out. You all can cry and get upset as much as you want when you're safe at home. Okay?"

Just then they heard voices outside, the clanging of footsteps, and the creaking of locks being turned. Thankfully the girls froze in terrified silence. "Don't let them know you're awake. Pretend to still be unconscious!"

As the men grew closer, Keely sensed very strong dangerous, ugly, hostile vibes. This wasn't just business for them. They enjoyed taking the girls… owning them… hurting them. It made them feel powerful. The girls were safer from their attentions if they remained unconscious.

Keely slumped down herself as the metal door clattered as it retracted upward. The men chuckled sinisterly at the sight of all the provocatively dressed girls tied inside. With big menacing steps they walked inside. Keely could hear the ominous clicking sounds of one of them checking their gun. They started talking. Two distinct voices.

"So who's this girl that Diaz wants to see?"

"You think I know, I just follow orders. Same as you."

To Keely's ultimate dread, the footsteps drew closer towards her. It took all of her willpower to not cringe or flinch at their steadily growing approach. They stopped in front of her.

"That's the one. Diaz said it was the red-head in the black dress."

Oh God, oh God! Did Diaz discover the truth? Did he find out she wasn't who she said she was? That this was all a trap?

"That one…" the other voice scoffed. "That's the one Diaz wants? She's not even close to the hottest girl in here? Other than having a big rack, what would Diaz want her?"

Keely stifled a growl of outrage. It was one thing to be kidnapped, but to be insulted on top of it was insufferable.

A shoe nudged her leg, "Hey, wake up."

Keely remained motionless. Praying they would think to come back later when the drugs wore off.

A hand reached out tapping her cheek, jostling her face. Keely groaned slightly trying to appear too drugged to wake up or function.

Suddenly, the hand slapped her across her cheek with enough force that the other side of her face slammed against the wall. "Bitch! Get up!"

There was no faking after that. Keely gasped and cried out in pain, her eyes flying open reflexively. She blinked at the two huge bulking creatures hovering over her, opening and closing her burning and throbbing jaw. At first she just stared at them in horrified and furious shock. Then she had to remind herself to act like someone who had no idea what was going on.

She imitated the girls earlier. Pulling on her restraints while weeping and wailing incoherently. The slightly smaller of the two guards with a swarthy appearance and putrid odor, reached out with red-hot angry eyes and took hold of her cheeks, squeezing… hard and shaking her face. He was definitely the nastier of the two and obviously the one who had insulted and slapped her. "Shut up. You're getting up. Don't say a word or we'll gag you. Got it?" Keely didn't have to fake the tears of fear dripping down onto his hands as she nodded silently. "Good. Cut her ties."

The second of the guards stepped forward, unearthing a very sharp, very large knife. Keely shut her eyes as he made two swift strokes, thinking she must have lost a finger or two. She was more surprised than anyone when she finally opened her eyes to find both her hands in front of her, completely intact.

The awful guard took hold of her arm, yanking her up and out of the room. Keely stole a peek at the other girls. Thank God they took her advice and pretended to still be passed out. The man roughly pushed her ahead of him, down the metal plank. "Move it sweetheart!"

Keely didn't dare look over her shoulder at him because she he knew he'd see the heated hatred in her expression. Once she was far enough ahead of him to not risk being heard, she ducked her head down and mumbled under her breath, "Eliot, normally I don't condone violence, but I would really appreciate if you could punch this guy for me… maybe more than once."

He came up behind her to shove her again so that she stumbled. "Definitely more than once," she grumbled.

The guard took hold of her arm and yanked her down the dock towards some neighboring buildings. Keely tugged at her arm for release, "What's happening? Where are you taking me?"

The guard tightened his grip and sneered. "The boss wants to see you. It's in your best interest to do as your told and stop asking questions."

Easy for him to say. Her mind was whirling. Why on earth would Diaz want to see her? It didn't seem likely from the guards' conversation and demeanor that they knew the truth about her. They seemed more annoyed and put out to have to be escorting her, rather than cautious. Yet why else would why single her out? As much as she racked her brain, she couldn't possibly imagine why.

Not to mention this put a very large wrinkle in their plan. Keely hadn't been expecting to see Diaz again. She assumed she'd stay locked up with the girls until the team busted them out. Diaz was smart and he already knew about her cover as the sophisticated sensual industrialist. It was going to be exceedingly difficult to act as not only someone who hadn't been expecting to be kidnapped, but to do so in character!

Where was Sophie Devereauz when you needed her? Keely would do anything to be able to slip that earbud back into her ear to get some much needed coaching from Sophie.

But maybe she didn't need Sophie. She had done a pretty good job getting into character last time, barely needing Sophie's help at all. She could just imitate Sophie again and the natural instincts would take over!

So as she approached the threatening illuminated door, Keely tried it again. She took the same deep breath as last time. She thought of Sophie and what she would do in this situation. She thought of Diaz and what she knew about him. She thought about the woman's character she had just stepped into a few hours earlier.

Nothing.

The strong inclination of how to act and what to say… The thrill of the con… The complete self-assurance of success… gone.

Nothing. Zip. Nada.

Everything she had been able to do in that VIP room had disappeared. All that was left was her… completely unqualified for the task before her and terrified.

Oh crud…

It made no sense. How had she lost it so fast? A person didn't just gain skills and lose them in a moment… unless…

Keely gulped. Unless it had been something else entirely. It presented a new, rather daunting possibility. A possibility that she couldn't be bothered worrying about right now until she survived the next few hours.

Stepping in front of that door. The guard reached over her shoulder to knock. Keely shook with fear, but didn't suppress it. It would be odd for someone in her situation to not be scared.

A voice called out. "Enter."

The door swung in and Keely was pushed inside. The room was not was you would expect as an office to perform such a dark and dirty business as human trafficking. A startling contrast from the dank dilapidated outer appearance and the neighboring dock. This room had an element of refinement and class. Keely's didn't have Sophie's or Parker's eye for art and antiques, but she knew expensive and old things when she saw it. Dark wooden furniture adorned with beautiful carvings. Spanish tiled floors. A giant aquarium with exotic fish swimming ignorantly back and forth. Complete with a gorgeous chandelier above.

Keely nearly scoffed at it. How utterly ridiculous to place so much extravagant elegance inside such a place. It was only then that she noticed Diaz, from behind his desk. He slowly stood as she entered, straightening his jacket and gestured for her to come inside with a smile. As if he had just invited her over for tea, instead of kidnapping her.

Keely's mouth dropped. He thinks he's a gentleman, she realized. In fact he was desperate for it. It was why had designed such a room for himself, despite its absurdity. He wanted to separate himself from the poor immigrant boy he once was, as much as possible.

Diaz approached her with slightly intrigued curved lips, Keely stepped back unconsciously.

He wasn't like the guards. He didn't get pleasure from taking the girls or hurting them. He felt… nothing. Taking them, selling them, ruining them… even setting that fire that killed all those people… for him it was just business. The same as writing a check or making a phone call. Keely couldn't help but feel his cold callousness was even more terrifying.

As he stood in front of her, his pleasant expression fell into a frown. He took hold of her chin. Keely flinched as he gently turning her face, tsking at the large welt that was rapidly bruising on her cheek and eye. He looked over her head at the guards. "I said she wasn't to be harmed."

The guard shrugged, "We were trying to wake her up. It was a bit rougher than we intended."

Lies! Keely wanted to point and shout at them. He had known exactly how hard he had hit her. She pressed her lips together to hide her outrage.

Diaz's eyes narrowed, "I will tell you for the last time Rueben. Don't hit the girls." He stepped back and tugged on his shirt cuffs. "The customers don't like marks on the face and it will lessen their value. The next time it happens, you will have to pay for the difference in my profit yourself."

Business, thought Keely, always business.

He waved the guards away. Keely stood hovering in the doorway, absolutely frozen. She hadn't spoken a word yet. She still had no idea what she should say. Diaz didn't seem to feel her behavior was odd. He smiled again at her. "I apologize for their behavior. Unfortunately, my business requires me to work with such low-class people. I'm sure you understand." He walked towards the ice bucket and picked up a bottle of whiskey. "Can I interest you in a drink? 20 year old whiskey?"

With the drugs still in her system making her continuously nauseous, just the sight of the bottle made Keely turn green and sway. Diaz must have seen her reaction and clucked his tongue again, "Ahh, that's right. You're still recovering. Water then."

He pulled out a bottle of sparkling water and poured it into the goblet. He held it out to her. "Please, have a seat Vanessa. It will make you feel better."

Vanessa? Who the heck was Vanessa? Oh no, she realized. "Vanessa" was her. That was the cover Hardison had given her. Vanessa Prestine was supposed to be her name. Good Lord, how could she possibly convince Diaz she was real if she couldn't even remember her gosh darned name!

Keely took the glass with a shaking hand and sat on the couch, mostly because she was worried she was going to faint standing otherwise. She wouldn't drink the water, only staring at it warily. Diaz chuckled slightly, "I assure you it's safe." He took the glass from her and took a sip before handing it back to her, "See?"

Keely's eyes narrowed, finally identifying with an emotion she was sure Vanessa Prestine would have as well… anger.

"What did you do to me?"

Diaz sighed straightening his jacket once again, "To be fair Nena, you did this to yourself. You should know better than to take another person's drink. I had no intention of continuing our relationship this way, but after you drank… well there was no choice after that. Someone like you would know you were drugged and we couldn't have you stirring up trouble with the police."

He shook his head, seeming genuinely disappointed by the whole situation. Keely took a sip of her water. "So your solution was to kidnap me. Those other girls in that room… I assume they were taken as well."

Diaz smiled. "Those girls are not like you, Nena. They are of no importance and will be barely missed. Basically trash." He sipped his drink. "And the profits, I assure you, relieves one of any emotional discomfort."

He leaned closer rubbing his index finger along her hand. Keely grit her teeth to keep from yanking it away. "I would think you of all people would understand that? Vanessa Prestine, the real estate queen. The dirty tricks you've pulled to take over business and kick people out of their homes to make a deal, why it nearly puts my work to shame." He grinned, "I'm impressed."

To Keely's credit her mouth only dropped briefly before she snapped it closed. Huh?! Real Estate?! Kicked people out of their homes?!

Then she realized. Hardison! God bless Hardison.

He must have heard her back-story over the coms and created a new identity for Vanessa Prestine. A successful and ruthless real estate tycoon that would be sure to endear her to Diaz.

Hardison was right. He was a genius and didn't get nearly enough credit.

To hide her initial shock she took a long sip of her drink to plan what Vanessa's reaction would be. She crossed one leg over the other, seeming to regain some confidence and savvy demeanor. "I must not be as good as I thought, if it was discovered so easily. I like to keep a low profile."

Diaz chuckled. "I'm not just anybody. I have my ways. Be glad I did, otherwise you would be on that ship heading abroad as well Nena, as much as it would break my heart. After discovering your skills, holdings and… moral ambiguity, I thought you would be much more valuable to work with rather than a product."

Keely smiled slightly. "And what is it exactly you think we can do together?"

"I need an alternative source of revenue to find more… product to sell. The hotels and restaurants you own have countless of female employees desperately needing money. Girls no one would miss if they suddenly disappeared."

Keely got up, seeming as if she were just moving to think. In reality, she was livid. It was taking all of her control to not claw this monster's eyes out. She went to the bar and added ice to her glass. When she spoke, she kept her voice mildly interested.

"You already have numerous clubs with plenty of girls to choose from. Why do you need my businesses too?"

Diaz stood up to follow her. "Apparently not all of the girls we took were as isolated as they implied. Their families were searching more aggressively, asking too many questions. Too many girls missing after being seen at my clubs was becoming suspicious."

He sighed with frustration, "It caused big loses for me."

Big loses?! You're a heartless kidnapper and murderer!

"Also…" Keely froze as she felt Diaz's breath along her back. Her hand gripping the glass tightly and shaking. He wrapped an arm around her waist, whispering into her ear. "…an added benefit to our business relationship would be a continuation of our personal one as well. Yes Nena?"

Before Keely could do anything to stop it, his lips were nuzzling the back of her neck. So overcome with disgust, Keely pulled back.

But she was struck frozen…

An overpowering vision overwhelming her senses and making her surroundings melt away as she lost herself in it.

It was of Diaz. His irritation with the recent search of his club. His cold calculating decision that it was better to cut his loses and burn it down. The final moments when he let more people in. Knowing if less people escaped there would be more bodies and make it more difficult to identify the kidnapped girls locked in the adjoining room. He lit the fire himself to make sure it was done right. And he left dispassionately, grabbing his jacket and smoothing it out before he walked out the door and left all those people to burn to death. Then Keely was in the room with the kidnapped girls. Their screams of terror. The suffocating smoke. The scorching heat and blistering pain as flames scorched their skin.

Keely emerged from her vision like coming up for air in a dark deep pool. It was the most intense vision she ever had. She still was feeling the burning pain on her skin, the sensation of smoke filling her lungs. It took her a minute to refocus and realize where she was and what she was doing. She was screaming, just how the girls have been screaming in her vision.

Diaz was standing a few feet in front of her. His once immaculate clothes were disheveled and torn. His hair falling over his face. He looked as if he had just gotten attacked by a rabid cat. Keely looked down to find her own dress torn as well and fresh bruises on her arms.

He was bent over and panting, gripping his wrist and staring with grisly horror at his own shaking palm. "What the hell happened?!"

Keely clutched the ripped edges of her dress together. What had she done while under that vision?

He roared at her, "Did you… did you burn me? How did you burn me from touching you?!"

In shock, Keely looked at his hand. It was perfectly fine. The same flawlessly tanned hand he always had. But he was acting as if it was covered with blisters.

He stomped forward and took hold of her shoulders, shaking her. "How did you make me see the fire as if I were there?! What did you do to me?!"

Not wanting to explain to him she had no idea what she had done or why he thought he was burned, Keely fought him earnestly, trying to wrench herself out of his iron grip. "Let go of me you monster!"

She kicked and pushed him with all of her might. With a growl he shoved her. Keely flew across the room, straight into the aquarium. She hit it with such force, she fell to the ground and the cracked glass spilled water all over her.

Keely felt a jolt and there was a small spark coming from the front of her dress. Yelping in surprised pain. Keely reached yank out whatever was shocking her. She unconsciously took hold of her earbud and the mini camera, which were now shooting sparks from her palm. She chucked them across the room, but it was too late. Diaz stood over her like a vengeful demon, panting with rage, his eyes searing. "You're a cop." Before Keely could even stand, he reached back and pulled out a gun strapped to his back, aiming it straight at her with complete remorseless resolve.

Keely held her breath.

I'm dead, she realized. There's no getting out of this.

Just then, the door crashed open with such a forceful bang, it brought the attention of both Diaz and Keely. Reuben the guard came barreling through…

In a bloody heap.

"Special delivery as requested," came a familiar growly voice that brought tears to her eyes.

Following through the door and stepping over the mangled mess of a guard, Eliot Spencer came striding in, pointing a gun at Diaz's head and looking every bit the dashing hero little girls dream about in story books.

Keely whimpered his name.

In one swift move Diaz, took hold of her arm and yanked her up. Wrapping his arm around her neck and aiming the gun at Eliot. He was staring down at his once huge malicious guard in terror. "You stay back! Don't come closer!"

Elliot remained where he was but his unwavering expression and steady confident grip on the gun made her feel, even in Diaz's grasp, that he was still in control of the situation.

Elliot spoke to Keely without taking his eyes off Diaz

"You okay?

Keely nodded slightly in Diaz's grip. "I'm okay." She frowned at him. "What took you so long?"

"Well, Nate, as usual, had a pretty impressive plan to trap him and save the girls that involved the coast guard, some foreign dignitaries and a monkey, but after Diaz put his hands on you…" His grip on his gun tightened slightly. His neck straining so that you could see every muscle. "Well, we decided to go with my plan instead. Quick and dirty." He grinned and kicked the guard at his feet, who let out another moan of pain. "Just the way I like it."

Diaz pulled Keely backwards to the corner of the room behind his desk, so they were as far away from Eliot as possible. He was terrified and frazzled now, which would make him more prone to mistakes, but also more dangerous. He wagged his gun at Eliot. "Drop the gun."

Eliot chuckled, "You must be joking."

Then Diaz turned the gun and pushed it against her temple. Keely squeezed her eyes shut and her breath caught. "Drop it or she's dead."

Eliot studied Diaz for a moment, then titled his head slightly as if listening for something. Then slowly he raised his arms up and reached down to place his gun on the floor. Keely lurched forward, halted by Diaz's choking embrace.

"Eliot don't! He'll shoot you!"

Eliot looked at her. His ice blue eyes smoldering with meaning. "Do you trust me?"

Keely nodded without hesitation.

"It's okay Baby Girl. Everything is going to be fine. Just listen to me."

The moment he stood up Diaz laughed. "I assure you everything will not be fine for either of you."

He aimed the gun back at Eliot. Keely heart dropped to her stomach, but then something tickled her subconscious, bringing her attention to the side window.

Eliot yelled, "Duck!"

Immediately, Keely dropped to floor and covered her head as the world exploded around them. She only caught a glimpse of the giant metal ball crashing through the neighboring wall and window before she wiggled her way under the desk as it began to rain shards of glass and wood down on them.

Eliot didn't even waste time reaching for the gun again. He leapt over the furniture separating him from his prey, diving into the cascading debris and launched himself at Diaz. With one swift twist, Diaz's screamed in pain, his arm broken and the gun dropped from his limp fingers. Eliot punched his kidney and then two more to his face for pure personal pleasure. With one final kick, Eliot lifted Diaz up and flipped him over onto his back as if he were a rag doll. Diaz was out cold.

Eliot ran over to Keely, kneeling on the floor beside her. Keely blinked up at him with wide wet eyes. He pushed back her wild red curls so he could see her face better. Checking her for injuries. He ran his fingers along the bruise of her cheek and growled. "The bastard. I should have killed him."

Keely smiled and took hold of his hand, pressing it against her cheek. She looked up him with such an expression of warmth and gratitude, Eliot felt his heart squeeze.

"Eliot," she whispered. Then she pulled herself into his arms, grabbing handfuls of his shirt and squeezing herself as close as possible to him. Breathing him in with deep sputtering breath. Eliot pulled her in tighter.

When Keely finally pulled back, Eliot took hold of her chin. "You ok?"

Keely nodded. "Nothing worse than a few bruises."

Keely glanced up at the huge gaping hole that was once a wall. Just outside was a wrecking ball, still swinging slightly. You could hear the hoots and hollers of cheering below.

Keely chuckled, "Hardison?

Eliot rolled his eyes, "You have no idea how excited he was to use that thing. I think he wants to take it home."

"All part of the 'quick and dirty' plan huh?"

Eliot scratched his head, "Actually, once I heard you screaming I just came in after you. I had no idea Hardison even had the crane until he told me on the com."

Keely smiled and patted his cheek, "My hero."

Eliot's brows furrowed in a furious scowl. "Don't think you're off the hook. I only came to save you so I can kill you myself! I mean… what the hell were you thinking Keely, getting taken like that? You could have been killed! You almost were!"

His harsh words were softened by the fact Keely was still wrapped up in his God-like arms. It was hard to be anything but deliriously happy when she was in that position and she couldn't work up enough effort to be otherwise.

Keely stifled a yawn. She was exhausted. Every body part felt like it was pure lead. She patted Eliot on the shoulder. "I know. I know. Can we please save the "yelling at me" portion of the job, until I'll actually be able to remember it? I just want to get out of here."

She started to stand, but her legs wobbled beneath her. The combination of fading adrenaline and the drugs must be taking their toll on her. She started to crumble until Eliot caught her. She looked up at him with glazed eyes and groggily pleaded. "Please take me home Eliot. I just want to be home."

Swallowing, Eliot skillfully swept her up into his arms. Clinging to his neck, Keely sighed.

No matter what hell was going on around her.

No matter how much she had spent her life running, hiding, and being afraid.

Being in these arms made her feel truly safe for the first time in what felt like forever.

Eliot was her real home.

Eliot carried her past the chaos scattered around them and out of the door.