A/N: back with a new chapter! Love the reviews I am getting, thank you so much!

Torpe: (n.) a man who is deserately in love with a woman, but cannot admit his feelings or approach her.

While the three girls were watching a movie, Henry was in his office getting some work done. He didn't get far because only a few minutes later, Jason walked in.

"Hey." He lingered in the doorway and Henry took off his glasses, turning his chair to face his son.

"Mom and the girls are watching a movie if you want to join them."

"No, that's okay."

Henry sighed and got up. No matter how much his son had grown up last year, his mother's return had triggered the little kid in him again. He was aware all his kids just wanted her close, but Jason had kept his distance.

"What's going on?"

Jason shifted his weight from one leg to the other, uncomfortably. "What if mom leaves again?"

"She didn't leave, she was taken." He corrected. His son made it seem like Elizabeth had chosen to leave.

"I know that, but what if she gets taken again?"

"Jase." Henry sighed. "Mom's home. I know I failed to protect her, but I'm never letting something like this happen again."

"How can you be sure?"

That's when Henry heard the slightly accusing tone and spoke his next words controlled and natural. "Do you think it's my fault mom got taken?"

"Yes- no." Jason started down at his feet and fumbled with the hem of his jumper. "We're a family. We're supposed to protect each other. We should've done something."

"Have you met your mother?" Henry grinned. "She's fierce, stubborn and a force to be reckoned with. We wouldn't have been able to stop her."

"Still-"

"No. You do not get to blame yourself. It's not your responsibility to take care of us. It's our job as your parents to protect you."

Jason knew his father's words were true, but he needed to process them in order to believe them. He stepped forward and hugged his dad. It was something they rarely did so when it happened, Henry cherished it best he could.

"Thanks dad."

"Go be with mom." Jason made his way over to the rest of the family and watched the end of the movie with them, leaving his dad in the study.

By the time the movie had finished, Stevie figured she should start making dinner. During the movie she saw her mother was tired and to make sure she ate before going to bed, she decided dinner would be early tonight.

"How was the movie?" Henry asked as he walked in. He found Alison and Jason on the couch, close to their mom.

"It was good." Alison told him.

"Kids, can you give your dad and I a minute?" Elizabeth asked, and both kids joined Stevie in the kitchen for dinner. She felt bad for sending her kids away, but she needed to talk to Henry and she was too exhausted to get up and walk to the other side of the house.

Henry sat down on the other side of the couch and Elizabeth sighed as she moved her body closer to his.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you earlier. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you and I know you're only trying to help." She grabbed his hand and he turned his body to face her.

"I just don't know what you need." His voice started cracking but pushed back the welled-up tears that now threatened to spill from his eyes. It seemed like everything he did, somehow hurt her. He had no idea what she had been through exactly and what was alright for him to do.

"I need you to be patient with me." Elizabeth pleaded, and he nodded. He could do that.

"I've got all the time in the world for you and you know that. I'm just not sure if I can kiss you, hug you or even touch you. I feel like everything I do just reminds you of him."

"Stop." Her tears had now spilled from her eyes and gracefully rolled down her cheek. "Yes, it does, but if I don't try we will never go back to normal."

"You don't have to push yourself. I can wait another year if you need me to. Even longer. I just need you to be okay."

"I am okay. More than okay." She wrapped her arm around his neck. "I can bare your touch, just be patient with me and the rest will come too."

He pulled her in a hug and nodded. "Okay, I love you."

"I love you too." She pulled back and sat next to him, holding on to his hand. "I will tell you everything that happened, I just need some time."

They sat in silence and waited until the three kids had finished making dinner. Once they were all seated, Alison tried her luck one more time with her mom present.

"So, I can totally stay home for another week."

"You're going back to college." Henry told her, and Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. She hasn't been present for the first part of this argument.

"But-"

"Your mom will still be here next weekend. I promised we would call every day. Stevie is going back to work, and Jason is going to school tomorrow as well."

"Besides, I'm going to be home so much these two wish they could escape to college." Elizabeth teased as she pointed at Stevie and Jason.

"Alright." Alison sighed, and Jason started telling his mom about his upcoming football game.

When they finished dinner and cleared the table, Henry sighed when he saw his wife's plate not even half empty. He was glad their kids were going back to their normal lives so maybe they could talk about things.

"Is it okay if I pack my bag?" Alison asked and when Henry nodded, she walked upstairs.

"I guess I should do my homework then. Since I'm going back to school and all." Jason sighed.

"I could write you a note." Henry offered. Usually he wouldn't, but under these circumstances he figured his son deserved a pass.

"No, I have to do it someday." He dragged himself upstairs.

"That's a first." Stevie noted. She had never seen her brother voluntarily do homework.

"Yeah." Henry frowned, "Does Russell know you're coming back tomorrow?"

"No, but I'll text him later."

"Why don't you do it now. I can finish up." Henry told her, and she walked out.

Elizabeth was still sitting at the table and wondered if this is what it was like when she had been gone. There was no doubt in her mind that Henry hadn't done a great job, but he had been a working single father, who was also in the process of grieving together with his three kids.

"Don't do that." Henry's voice brought her attention back and she found him staring at her with a worried expression.

"Do what?"

"Go all silent."

She knew she should tell him. She should talk about it, but she had no idea where to start. How to begin.

"Ask me one thing." She simply stated, and he sat down. There were so many questions, but he also didn't want to start with one that would cause her to put her walls up.

"How did you know how much time had passed while you were in there?"

"I didn't" Elizabeth admitted. "I had no concept of time whatsoever. I didn't gain an understanding of how long they'd had me until a few months later. The woman, Darna; I talked to her every time she came in. She never talked to me, though, but after a few months she told me what date it was. I tried to measure time by the meals they gave me, but it was never the same. I felt like sometimes I would skip a day and the next day they served me lunch three times. Eventually, I just gave up trying to figure it out."

"Is that why you're barely eating?" Henry now took place on the chair next to hers.

"I'm not used to the amount of food anymore."

"We can figure out a plan to slowly ease you back into things." He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Thank you for getting the kids to go back to school. They shouldn't have to put their lives on hold for me." She knew if they had asked her, she would have allowed them to stay home. It was selfish, but she needed their comfort as much as they needed hers. However, she wanted them to get back in their regular routine and this was the best way how.

"They can come home any time you need them." Henry told her, and she knew the underlining meaning. Any time Henry couldn't help her. The fact that he still believed he was hurting her, broke her heart.

"Henry. Yes, I get flashbacks but that doesn't change when I'm with the kids. Everything reminds me of-" She didn't finish her sentence, but he knew what she meant to say. "I'm not scared to be alone with you."

"We're in this together." He promised her, and she nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

"You deserve to know."

Henry helped her upstairs and before she crawled into bed, she said goodbye to her kids. She wasn't sure she would be up by the time the left in the morning. After many hugs and kisses, she brushed her teeth and lay down on the bed in her sweat pants. She wasn't in the mood to change and just wanted to sleep.

Somehow Henry's side of the bed had become her side now. He quickly changed and lay next to her. There was no way he was leaving her and that meant going to bed as well.

"Good night." He whispered, and she allowed him to press a kiss against her forehead.

"Night." Her mumble indicated she was already half asleep and he smiled as he watched her rest peacefully.

He read a book for a little while, but soon felt his eyes get heavy too and he fell asleep.

Elizabeth was tired. She was hungry, exhausted and just wanted to go home. She guessed she had been here for about 48 hours, but she couldn't be sure.

She sat on the bed, but both arms were cuffed behind her back to the headboard. She couldn't find a comfortable position to sit it. Her entire body was aching.

When the door opened, she noticed Andrada walk in. She refused to make eye contact or speak to him. He didn't seem to want a conversation either and from the corner of her eye, she noticed him pull out a sandwich.

She wanted to eat but wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She kept her mouth shut as he tried to feed her which only angered him further.

"Fine." Angrily, he got up and threw the sandwich against the wall. "Starve to death."

He walked out, leaving her behind. Part of her regretted her action because she was hungry, but she also didn't want to give him that much power over her. Control.

She didn't see him for a while. Not until one of his guards had gotten violent with her. One arm was still cuffed to the bed she lay on. The woman who brought her food was now cleaning up the blood.

As soon as Andrada returned, the woman hurried out the room. Elizabeth tried to regain some sort of composure and sat up the best she could.

"Does it hurt, Elizabeth? I bet everything hurts. You screamed loud enough." His laugh pierced through her skin and she growled.

"Elizabeth?" The voice of her captor slowly faded, and a new voice filled her head. It was familiar and comforting.

Her eyes snapped open and she rolled towards the voice that was calling out for her.

"Elizabeth?" He looked worried and she nodded to let him know she heard him. "It was just a nightmare."

She got her breathing under control and found his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Henry popped his head on his hand and waited for her to reply. He glanced past her to the alarm and saw the time. 4:27 AM. She had slept almost through the night which he took as a good sign.

"Everything hurt." She whispered as a tear leaked from the corner of her eye. She subconsciously rubbed her wrists where the metal of the cuffs had previously cut into her skin. "I couldn't fight back."

Henry waited and hoped she would continue open up. The statements made his skin crawl, but he had to listen. He had to be there; for her.

"I tried to stop him, I really did." Her hands were trying to grasp something in the air and she looked at him desperately. "You have to believe me. I never stopped trying to come back."

"Hey." Henry's voice was firm and reassuring. "You're a fighter, everyone knows that. You're brave and I never doubted your strength."

"I-" Elizabeth started but before she continued she threw open the covers, jumped up and ran towards the bathroom. All the flashbacks and nightmare had made her nauseous.

Henry ran after her just in time to keep her hair back as she threw up. He knew they would have to start from zero again with her eating but that was something they could worry about in the morning. He was just glad their kids would be out of the house, so they would not be burdened with this.

Elizabeth got up and walked over to the sink. She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth while Henry waited for her to finish up.

Feeling the onslaught of painful memories of the past year- memories that she had no desire to relive- she closed her eyes and placed a shaky hand against the wall, steadying herself so that she could try to pull herself together. It was all about getting everything under control again.

"Do you need my help?"

"No," she answered, flinching at the question. She walked back to the bed and lay down under the covers.

Henry followed her lead and lay next to her. It bothered him that his wife was hurting right next to him, but he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't be there for her and in a way, it made him feel as if he failed as her husband.

TBC