It doesn't sink in until they're back in England, taking in all the destruction that plagues their home. Foreign antiquities and special artifacts from their adventures throughout the years are strewn about, lying in pieces on the floor. Shelves and books are knocked over, pages slashed and torn. Glass from windows and mirrors sparkle against he scuffed hardwood. The banister is in splinters, bullet holes riddle the walls, and there's a deadly looking knife still sticking out of the paneling.

Their house is in ruins. It'll take weeks if not months to fix up the place and quite frankly, they should be staying somewhere else until it's done. It's not exactly the safest thing to stay in a wrecked house, but none of them were in the mood to even think of leaving.

Upon entry, Jonathan had taken one look around and then headed to the kitchen, finding an untouched bottle of whiskey to get lost in.

Evy wanted to cry. This was their home—a safe haven for their family—and it had been violated in the worst way possible. But she refused to let herself do so. She needed to be strong for her husband and son who hadn't let her go since their narrow escape from Ahm Shere. Alex was clinging to her hand in a way he hadn't since he was a toddler and Rick's arm never left her shoulders.

She heard Rick sigh and curse under his breath. "We'll start clean up tomorrow. I don't think any of us are ready to jump into that tonight," he said.

"Where'd Jonathan go?" she asked.

"Kitchen most likely. Probably drowning himself in alcohol."

"Well, it's late. We should all head to bed. I'm going to talk to him for a minute and then I'll be up." She made to move away and was suddenly stopped by the grip on her hand tightening. She glanced back and saw the anxiety written on Alex's face.

She smiled reassuringly and said, "It's okay, Alex. I'll just be a minute. I'm not going anywhere."

Though he still didn't look convinced, he released her hand and instead pressed against his father's side.

Rick gave her a look of surprise. Their son loved them and they knew it all too well, but he had never been one to cuddle up to his parents, getting his independent streak from both of them.

Evy stared at her son in concern before shooting Rick a look. "Go on upstairs, I'll be up soon."

Rick nodded and then rubbed Alex's shoulder affectionately before ushering him carefully up the beaten steps.

Hurrying to the kitchen so she could join her family as soon as possible, she frowned when she saw that Rick had been right: Jonathan was already halfway drunk, a nearly empty bottle of liquor on the table next to him.

"Do you really think this is what you should be doing right now?"

He shrugged. "It's been a hell of a week, Evy. I need this."

Evy shook her head in disdain. "Jonathan, you know I've had no problems with you drinking before, but please be careful. I don't need you getting alcohol poisoning and dyin—" She stopped herself when she saw him flinch. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Jonathan let out a weak chuckle. "Look at that. You're the one who actually died and yet I'm the one that gets all sensitive about it."

"You know you're allowed to, right? The three had to live through that."

Her brother shook his head. "Don't remind me. Seeing you lay there like that, all still and not…not breathing. It was awful." He looked up at her, unshed tears in his eyes. "Evy that was the worst thing I think I've ever experienced in my life."

"Oh, Jonathan," she breathed, walking forward to take him in her arms. The hug he gave her was bone crushing, but she didn't mind. "Everything's alright. I'm here, I'm alive."

"I know," he mumbled. "And I'll get over it eventually. It's just hard remembering..."

"I'm sorry I put you all through that."

Jonathan pulled back from the embrace and looked at her incredulously. "Well, it's not like it was your fault. That bloody wench stabbed you through the gut. At least unlike you, she won't be coming back anytime soon."

"That's true." Nodding to the whiskey she said, "Don't stay down here and drink that whole thing tonight. If I have to come back down and drag you to bed myself, then I will."

"Of course, old Mum. Anything for you."

She smiled and kissed his cheek, turning around to head upstairs. "I mean it, Jonathan. That bottle better not be empty in the morning."

"Sure, sure," he waved her off. "I'll have another glass or two then head up. I promise."

"Mhmm," she said skeptically, carefully avoiding small pieces of wood on each step.

The light was on in her son's room so she made her way there, a smile dawning on her face when she saw her boys. Alex was already in his pajamas, his lower half tucked beneath the sheets while he sat up and drummed his fingers on the bed. Rick had his back to her as he sat on the bed by Alex's side.

"Hey," she greeted them softly.

Alex's eyes filled with relief upon seeing her and she filed that away for a discussion later. She'd figured he'd have trouble with the traumatic events of the past several days, but this might be a bit worse than she'd anticipated.

"I told you I'd be just a minute."

"More like five," Alex replied.

"Well, your Uncle Jonathan needed hug and some reassuring words. And something's telling me you do too."

Alex glanced down at his lap sheepishly. "I'm not a baby," he mumbled.

"No, you're not," she agreed, walking over to the opposite side of the bed from her husband and perched on the edge of the bed. "But you are a ten-year-old boy who was kidnapped and caught up in a life-threatening situation and then watched his mother die right in front of him. So it's understandable why you'd be scared to be alone right now."

"But everything's fine, now," Alex said. "I know we're okay now—we're at home—so I shouldn't be feeling like this."

Evy internally shook her head at him. Her son, ever the logical and rational boy he was, just couldn't comprehend the magnitude of what he'd experienced the last week. Smoothing his hair, she said, "Sweetheart, the things you went through—the things you had to see and do—those aren't things that normally a child your age has to go through. You're both going to hate me for saying this, but you lost me. For an hour of your life, I was dead."

Rick shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Evy knew he didn't want to hear it, but Alex needed this.

"But I brought you back."

"That doesn't matter to your heart, Alex. Your brain knows I'm alive and all's well, but your heart is still trying to recover. And that's okay. It's going to take some time for all of us to heal from this."

Alex's eyebrows furrowed as he considered her words. Finally, he nodded and opened his arms, a gesture she readily accepted. He buried his face in her neck while she ran her hand soothingly up and down his back.

"I love you, Mum," came his muffled voice.

"I love you too, Alex," she replied, her eyes filling. "So very, very much."

When he released her, he did so wiping at his eyes and she reached a hand out to cup his cheek. "Will you be alright if your father and I go to bed now? Or do you want us to stay until you fall asleep?"

Alex shook his head. "No, I think I'll be fine."

"Okay then. If you need anything, we'll be right down the hall." She kissed his forehead, followed by Rick, and then the two went to their bedroom.

Thankfully, the second floor had taken less damage in the fight than the first, so their bedroom remained pretty much intact. Evy let out a huge sigh and shucked her boots off, kicking them into a random corner before shedding her desert clothing. She was pulling on her night clothes when she noticed that Rick had hardly moved. He was just standing in the middle of the room, staring at her as she changed.

"Rick?"

He flopped onto the edge of the bed in response, still refusing to speak.

"Rick?"

She padded over to him, placing a hand beneath his chin to force him to look up at her.

"Darling?"

His bottom lip shook and his eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, my love." She wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and pulled him close, his face pressed tightly against her chest. "Shh, shh, it's okay." Her chin dropped to rest on his hair while she gently stroked the back of his head.

Rick's arms wound around her waist and held her in a vice grip, like strong weights anchoring her to him.

Her heart broke to see her husband so emotionally devastated. Her whole family had nearly been destroyed by their latest adventure. It might be quite a while before she went back out in the field, if ever. She wasn't sure if they could handle another close call like this.

"It's okay, Rick, I'm here," she whispered, pressing his ear to her chest so he could hear her heart beating. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't you ever do that to me again," he said, his voice quavering with emotion. "I can't-I can't do it again."

"I'll try my hardest. I promise," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Rick let out a shuddering sigh as he pulled back to gaze at her. "I'm serious, Evy. I don't think I'd survive it if anything happened to you again."

"Rick," she stroked his cheek, "I'll be okay. We'll be okay. We're home now—we're safe. It's going to take a little while, but we'll get back to normal soon enough."

"I love you," he said. "I don't think I tell you that enough."

She chuckled. "You tell me every day."

"And that's still not enough."

"Oh, you're such a romantic," she breathed, leaning down to kiss him. She could lose herself in him every time they kissed. His mouth caressing hers sent shivers of fire straight to her core. Her hands pushed aside his suspenders and tugged open his shirt, her fingers deftly undoing each button.

"Mm, wait," he said reluctantly pulling back. "As much as I want you, sweetheart, I get the feeling that Alex will be in here at some point. He's a strong kid, but…I just don't know if he'll be able to sleep tonight."

"You're right," she sighed, shaking her head. "I just hope he's going to be alright. He went through so much."

Rubbing her arms, Rick said, "He'll be fine…eventually. We'll make sure of it. He knows he can always come to us and we're certainly not gonna let him bottle all this up inside. It's just gonna take time."

"It's going to take time for all of us. Jonathan was practically a wreck downstairs and then Alex is so scared and then you're terrified—I…I just don't know what to do."

Rick laughed humorlessly. "Aren't we just a mess. You're the one that died and here we all are, making it about ourselves and forcing you to take care of us."

"You know it's not—"

"No, I know. It's still not fair to you."

"Honestly, it was easier for me, Rick. I felt some pain and everything went dark, then I saw a light, and suddenly I was back. But you and Alex—and Jonathan—you had to live with me being gone, no matter how short it was. So it's okay. I don't mind comforting my family when they need me." She waved a hand in joking dismissal. "I'll have my own breakdown about it all when I'm ready."

A crooked grin spread on his face as he shook his head in disbelief. "You are one incredible woman, you know that?"

"Oh, I know. My husband tells me it all the time."

The mood significantly lifted, Rick finally found the strength to toss aside his dirty, battle-worn clothes and changed into a sleep shirt and pants. Normally he wouldn't bother with the shirt, but if his instincts were right, then their son would be paying them a visit anytime now. Alex would try to hold out for as long as possible, his pride not letting him cave to the childlike behavior of crawling in bed with his parents. But Rick could read him like a book. It would happen, it was just a matter of when.

Throwing back the sheets, Rick laid on the bed, taking his wife in his arms. Evy placed her head on his chest, her arm thrown across his torso. Who needed pillows when you had the well-defined chest of your husband to sleep on?

Sleep wouldn't come easy to him, no matter how much he thought of Evy's comforting words from earlier. He was almost afraid to close his eyes, terrified that if he left his guard down for too long, she would slip away from him again.

It wasn't long before a hesitant knock on the door sounded, followed by the creaking of the hinges as the door opened. Rick smiled to himself as Alex made his way over to their bed.

Evy, who he'd thought had been asleep, instantly rolled over, making room in between them for Alex to crawl into. He settled onto the bed and wrapped an arm around her to which she did the same. Her hand reached for Rick and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him towards them.

Not that he needed much help with that. He was already in motion to curl up against them, Alex securely ensconced between him and Evy. There was no greater feeling than having his family whole and safe at home again.

A distant crash and muffled "sorry, my fault!" met his ears and he scowled against his pillow. Okay maybe he would've been fine with it if one family member hadn't made it back with them.