The meeting was still in recess when Bo, Hope, and Kayla returned to the safe house, and as they entered the kitchen, Kayla's eyes immediately sought out her husband, but his conspicuous absence sent a ripple of concern into her stomach.

"Where's Steve?"

Roman turned to glance at her, observing the worry that was etched into her features. "He needed a break, so he and Stephanie went into the back yard to relax for a while." Looking past her at Bo and Hope, who entered the kitchen behind her, he added, "You made good time. Did you find out any answers?"

"A few," Bo replied. "Unfortunately, we have more questions to add to those we already have."

Roman glanced around the room, first at Shane, who was standing apart from the other two agents, still sipping his tea, then at the agents, who were comparing notes while they indulged in the fudge. "We need to call the meeting back to order so we can discuss these new developments. Kayla, I think he'll be more inclined to listen to you than he would be to listen to me, so would you mind bringing him back inside?"

Kayla had moved past him to look out the door, her gaze settling fondly on her husband as he pushed their daughter on the tire-swing. Stephanie, who had been trying so hard over the last few years to make herself seem more grown-up, had regressed back to childhood in a delightful way, trying to get the tire to swing as high as possible. Unlike a regular swing, which had two ropes or chains to keep its swing-path aligned, the single rope kept the tire twisting so that the girl was facing a different direction each time she swung back.

"Higher, Dad!" she demanded happily as she leaned back and extended her legs in an effort to gain more momentum. "Push me harder!"

Steve was clearly using restraint, presumably concerned about the stability of the rope and its knots, but he complied with her request by pushing her a little harder, sending her a bit higher than before.

"He's having so much fun that I've been reluctant to remind him that we have agents in here waiting to complete our meeting," Roman admitted. "I know this is the first time he's seen his daughter since she was in diapers, but I'd sure appreciate it if you would let him know that we need to talk about your trip to the funeral home."

She nodded. "Okay." Pushing open the screen door, she stepped outside and walked toward her family. Despite the danger they were all in, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace settle over her. Her family was complete once again, and she would do whatever it took to make sure they were never separated again.

With his bad eye toward her and with his attention focused on the swing, Steve did not notice Kayla's approach until she was near enough that he could see the movement out of the left corner of his good right eye. He turned instantly toward her, reacting to her presence with a welcoming smile, momentarily forgetting about the swing he had just pushed.

An instant later, before Kayla could shout a warning, Stephanie and the tire swung back, colliding with him and sending him sprawling ungracefully onto the ground. Kayla rushed toward him, but Stephanie leaped out of the swing and reached him first, kneeling anxiously beside him.

"Dad, are you okay?"

With a broad sweep of his arm, he grabbed her and pulled her down with him, tickling her as he might a five-year-old. She shrieked with laughter and twisted, trying to protect the most ticklish areas from his relentless assault.

Kayla stood back, laughing with them and enjoying their obvious glee. Remembering Stephanie's reluctance to embrace him during their initial meeting, it was obvious that things had changed during the time she had been away from the house. They were both relaxed in their behavior, and it appeared their father-daughter relationship was off to a good start.

When Steve finally released her, Stephanie sat up, grinning happily, her face flushed from the laughter, and brushed the grass and twigs from her hair. "Wow, that was fun."

Kayla moved closer. "Looks like you two had a good time while I was gone. Unfortunately, Roman sent me out with a message. He'd like to call the meeting back to order, so we can reveal the things we found out at the funeral home."

Steve sighed. "You know, just for a little while, I had forgotten all about them." He got up and brushed the grass from his clothes. "Guess we might as well get this over with, so they can leave." He extended his hand to Stephanie, and gently pulled her to her feet.

As a family, they filed back inside through the kitchen door, which Roman closed and locked behind them, then reset the alarm.

Roman caught Steve's eye as he passed. "You ready to get back to it?"

Steve glanced at Shane, who gave a slight nod. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

The others began to return to the large table to take their original seats to resume the meeting. Someone had stacked the empty pizza boxes on the cabinet, but there was still soda left in the bottles, so several of them refilled their glasses and helped themselves to the fudge that Kayla and Stephanie had made.

Stephanie flung her arms around Steve's waist. "Thanks for getting me outside for a while. I had a good time."

He kissed the top of her head, moved by the open display of affection from his daughter. "So did I, Baby Girl. And there will be more good times, I promise; you, me, and your mom."

"Sounds great, Dad."

It was getting easier now to call him that, and as she left the kitchen, she glanced back at him over her shoulder. He gave her a wink with his one eye, something she would not have thought possible, but it was clear to anyone who saw it that it was more than just a blink. She smiled, then disappeared through the doorway.

Knowing that her mother would not approve of her listening in on the meeting, she marched noisily back up the stairs, then quietly crept back down about halfway, resuming her place on one of the steps as she had done before.

"Okay," Roman said. "We'll call the meeting back to order."

Steve sighed, bored with what he perceived as unnecessary formality with the meeting ritual. "What's with all these formalities? Can't we talk about it without it sounding like a board meeting or something?"

"Sorry, Steve. This is about as casual as we can get with an interview of this nature," Roman replied. "There are still procedures to follow."

"I know. It just seems kind of silly."

On the staircase, Stephanie smiled. She had to agree.

"Still the same old Steve," Bo said, acknowledging his habit of bucking the system, but everyone heard the fondness in his voice.

"What did you find out at the funeral home?" Roman asked.

"We did get a few answers," Bo replied, then he, Kayla, and Hope explained the details of their trip to the funeral home, including Wilkins' rapid exit from Salem.

"We're going to have to exhume that casket," Roman said when they were finished. "It's probably empty, but it may still hold some pertinent clues that will help resolve this mess. It's a perfect place to hide evidence never intended to see the light of day. There may even be prints preserved inside."

"We figured you would," Bo agreed.

"We also need to obtain any information on this Wilkins guy to see if we can track him down. I'd like to talk to him, find out what he knows about this conspiracy. His testimony could break the case wide open."

"I'll get a court order for his personnel records first thing Monday morning," Bo offered.

"We'll also need to contact that personnel director," Shane added. "His relatives may be able to help us track him down."

"What about the house you were held prisoner in?" Mitchell asked. "Do you have any idea at all where it's located?"

"Yeah, it's near a town called Loughborough."

"Never heard of it," Mitchell said.

"Its north of Leicester," Shane said. "Southeast of Manchester," he added, realizing that no one in the room knew where Leicester was, either.

Terrell nodded. "Mr. Johnson, once we find the area, we'll need you to go with us to verify -"

"No," Steve interrupted, his voice firm, indicating he would accept no argument on that point.

Terrell saw the intense fire in Steve's eye, but chose to ignore that unspoken warning. "Mr. Johnson, we must have your cooperation -"

"Are you deaf? I said no!" Steve raised his voice, angry now. "I am never going back there. I'll help you all I can. I'll give you directions and the description, you can fax pictures of the houses that match, whatever you want, but I will not go back there!"

Steve and Terrell glared at one another for several tense moments before Terrell finally yielded.

Shane cleared his throat, a bit taken aback by the vehemence in Steve's refusal. Clearly, he had been thinking along the same lines as the other two agents; that Steve would be willing to go back to help locate the house. "I think we can probably work with that," he said, cautiously, recognizing the fact that Steve was on the verge of shutting down the interview, again. "We'll need a complete description of the house and grounds, and any landmarks that you might have noticed. Why don't you write down everything you remember, and I'll pick it up tomorrow. That'll give you some time to think about it and get your thoughts straight."

Steve was still glaring at Terrell, who was looking at Shane, at the ceiling, out the window, anyplace except at the angry one-eyed man across the table from him. Turning to Shane, he calmed himself and nodded. "All right. I can do that."

"Good. Gentlemen, I think we should conclude today's meeting and get to work on the information that we have."

"I think that's a good idea," Bo agreed. "We've been at this for a long time, and we're all getting tired."

Terrell sighed, reluctant to adjourn, but conceded the fact that they already had gleaned a lot of information that needed to be processed, and it was clear that Steve Johnson was growing belligerent. "Very well. We may need to call another meeting if additional questions arise."

"That can be arranged," Roman replied.

Everyone stood up at once, their chair legs sliding noisily on the floor. Stephanie took that as her cue to head back to her room, and had barely disappeared form the staircase when they filed into the living room.

Shane paused to shake Steve's hand and offer a few words of encouragement, then went to the front door. "We'll keep everyone updated on our findings," he promised.

The other two agents also stopped to shake his hand, but without comment. Steve remained wary as he shook their hands in a civil manner, but there was no mistaking the defiance as he looked each one directly in the eye. They immediately joined Shane at the front door.

"Talk to you later," Roman said as Shane and the agents filed out the door, then he turned to Steve and Kayla. "I'm going to bug on out of here too and see about getting a court order to exhume that grave. I want to carry that out as soon as possible."

"Okay," Bo replied. "I'll check in with you at the station."

With a wave, Roman stepped out the door and pulled it closed behind him. Bo and Hope lingered, reluctant to go. In a moment of strong emotion, Hope wrapped her arms around Steve for a sisterly embrace.

"I'm so happy you're back," she said. "We've all missed you so much!"

He hugged her back. "It's great to be back," he replied. "I was starting to think this day would never get here."

When he and Hope separated, Bo drew him into his arms for an embrace as well. "It's great to have you back, Steve. I just wish we'd known . . ."

"There's no way you could have known," Steve replied. "These people went to a lot of trouble to make sure I never surfaced again."

"Well, let's get those boxes in here. I'm sure you'd like to get acquainted with your possessions again."

"Yeah, I would," Steve said, eagerly. "I don't suppose I could step outside and help you carry them in."

"If it was up to me, I'd say sure thing, but Roman is adamant that you stay inside, and he outranks me. Hope and I will bring them inside."

"It's only for a little while," Hope said, giving him an affectionate pat on the ribs as she passed. "We're going to catch those guys, and then you and Kayla and Stephanie can pick up your lives and feel safe doing it."

While Steve and Kayla waited in the living room and Stephanie spied through the banister rails from the second story, Bo and Hope walked out to the car. When they returned, they each carried a box, which were both placed on the coffee table.

"Well, I guess we'd better get going," Bo said. "There is a lot of information we need to follow up on, enough to keep us busy for the rest of the day, so you three will have some private time together without interruption. If we need any more information, we'll either phone or - damn!" he said, abruptly.

"What?" Hope asked, surprised by the unexpected outburst.

"With everything that's been going on with Steve, I forgot to tell Shane that Kim and Jeannie are in town. That's twice!"

"I never thought of it either. Roman probably told him. They got together at the station for a while."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Okay, like I was saying, we should be going so we'll see you tomorrow. Kay, don't forget to lock the door after us."

"Okay."

"I hate to leave you with all those dishes," Hope lamented as they walked to the door. "I don't mind staying, if you need some help with the kitchen."

"No, don't worry about it," Kayla said lightly, eager to be alone with her husband. "Stephanie and I will take care of them. You two go on. We'll be fine."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

Hope pointed an authoritative finger at Steve. "You stay inside."

He gave her an amused smile. "Yes, ma'am."

"Okay. We'll leave you alone for the rest of the day, but we'll probably be back tomorrow."

"Sounds good. See you then."

Kayla closed the door behind them, then reset the alarm. Turning, she saw that Steve had pulled the tape that held the lid in place on the first box, and had folded the flaps back to reveal his clothes, arranged neatly inside.

"Mom packed everything for me," Kayla remembered. "She was so great. I don't think I could have gotten through it without her."

"I've always liked your mama," Steve said, lifting out the first stack of shirts, then added with a grin, "Hey, look at this! This was always my favorite!" He unfolded the black sleeveless shirt and held it up against him, then laid it down again while he quickly removed the shirt he had worn for days during his escape and run across England, then pulled the black one on in its place and smoothed it down. "How do I look?"

Kayla brushed a tear from her cheek, and her lip trembled. "You look like my Steve."

"Oh, baby," he breathed, pulling her into his arms, allowing her to weep softly against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to keep turning on the waterworks," she apologized. "I never thought I would ever feel this happy again."

"Come on," he said, gently, pulling her toward the sofa, and they sat down together. He heaved a deep sigh and closed his eye, resting his head on the sofa back.

Kayla studied his face; there were a few more lines than there had been before, and his face and body were leaner, perhaps because of the treatment he had received at the hands of his kidnappers. It was a testament of how determined he was to get back home to her and Stephanie, and her love for him swelled. Beyond the physical differences, there was an air of intense weariness in his countenance.

"You look so tired," she said, softly.

"It's been a long day, Sweetness," he replied. He wrapped his arm around her and drew her closer. "Hell, it's been a long decade! I managed to grab a few hours of sleep on the plane last night, but not nearly enough to do much good."

"I think you need a nap while I clean up the kitchen," she suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good, baby, but right now, I just want to sit here with you."

She laid her head down on his shoulder and closed her eyes, content to be near him. "I wouldn't object to that at all."

They sat quietly for several moments, listening to the clock ticking on the wall, while on the landing, Stephanie yawned and stood up to return to her room out of boredom, but then she heard her father speak:

"So, do you like living in California?"

Stephanie stopped and turned back, kneeling down again to look through the banister rails. She had not given much thought to the fact that they would probably return to Los Angeles, this time with her father, but something in his voice inserted a sudden feeling of doubt, as if he was feeling out their living arrangements.

"Stephanie and I have had some good times there," Kayla replied. "When she was little, I'd take her to the beach, and we'd wade in the waves as they came up on shore, and make sandcastles. She loved that. And as she grew older, I started taking her to other places like the La Brea Tar Pits, Universal Studios, Disneyland, and Magic Mountain." She paused with a quiet laugh. "Although I think I enjoyed some of them more than she did."

He chuckled, softly. "You can take me to those places," he said, then joked, "I promise I'll be a good boy."

"You'd better," she warned. "I don't tolerate any acting out. That'll get you put into time-out!"

"Ooo, a time out. The lady means business."

"You got that right."

There was a definitely affectionate quality to the teasing, and Stephanie tensed, preparing to make her exit if they started smooching. Somehow, that was something she was not ready to witness yet. But they didn't, and she began to relax again.

"Why did you pick California?" he asked. "That seems about as far from fair Salem as you can get."

"That's one of the reasons," Kayla admitted. "Although it wasn't a conscious thought. I just needed to make a clean break, and there is a really good medical school there."

"That's right. Shane told me that you're a doctor now."

"Yes. It was the natural progression from being a Nurse Practitioner. I decided I wanted to devote my life to really helping people." She paused, then added, "I don't think my boss is particularly happy with me right now, though. I took a leave of absence to come here last week, and I called a short time ago to explain what's happening and why I'll be staying a while longer."

"I'm sorry, Sweetness. I'd hate for you to lose your position because of me."

"You're more important to me than any job. Besides, I have an open job offer right here in Salem if I want it. All I have to do is say the word."

Stephanie felt a stab of startled apprehension cut through her at the unexpected announcement.

"I haven't told anyone yet," Kayla continued. "Not even Stephanie, but the Chief of Staff over at University made the offer a couple of days ago. At the time, I couldn't imagine anything that would entice me to move back here. But now . . . " She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. "Now, I feel like anything is possible."

"How soon do you have to give him an answer?"

She shrugged. "As long as it takes. He knows I have a job and a life in Los Angeles, so he said to take my time to think about it and talk it over with my family. But I have to admit, even before you came back into my life, I think I've been considering the idea. Stephanie barely knows her grandparents, and they're not getting any younger. Maybe that's the real reason why I went out to our house yesterday, to look at it. I didn't expect to find it abandoned."

"You're wanting to move back there?"

"I have to admit, the idea is very appealing. My main concern is Stephanie. She's never lived anywhere except the L.A. area, and I think she's considering UCLA after she graduates from high school."

"College is still a long way off," Steve pointed out. "She may change her mind a dozen times before then. Think she'd be upset if you pulled up roots to move back here?"

"I don't know. She has friends there that I'm sure she won't want to leave. But life is so much faster there, sometimes too fast. Sometimes dangerous. I just wish she could get to know Salem, what a wonderful place this is to live."

"Well, like you said, we don't need to make a decision right away. We need to take it a day at a time for now. I want us all to be on the same page before we make any decisions."

"I agree."

Rising to her feet, Stephanie leaned back against the wall and thought about what she had just heard. When they had come to Salem for a visit, she had never even considered the idea that they might leave home to move there.