"All right, Erin we're going to bring Dave and John back to Quantico now. Morgan is watching over them while I run a quick debrief with you. The local police department has agreed that we have jurisdiction, since they brought you across state lines, which makes it a federal case. One of the local crime scene investigators is taking pictures currently, to document everything down there. My god, I wish I had known about this sooner, I would have rescued you. You spent nearly fifteen months down there."

"I know, but I'm safe now. I rescued myself and then came back for Alex when I found she had been taken, too. I'm sorry," she murmured before bursting into a fresh round of tears. Aaron hesitantly stepped forward and rested his hand on her shoulder until she nodded, and then he was hugging her tightly, holding her like he had that night in New York City. That caused a fresh wave of tears to burst from her throat, and Erin buried her face in his chest as she wept. "I'm sorry that you've had to see me like this twice, Aaron."

"It isn't weak to cry for everything that happened to you. I sobbed after Foyet, and I wasn't ashamed to do so. What you've endured, what you've survived, is worthy of your tears, please, believe me."

"I'm trying to. I still feel stupid and bereft. I trusted him, and he hated me this entire time. I couldn't see it, and I let him love on me. Even if I get an explanation from him, I'll never understand." Aaron nodded as he pressed his lips against the top of her head.

"I have to go now, I want them both in jail before nightfall. When you're home, we'll get your statement, and Alex's as well. I assume that you'll be at her home for a while?"

Erin nodded as she pulled away from him, looking into his eyes as she tried to give him a small smile. It wobbled once it was on her lips, but it was still there, and he gave her a warm smile in return before he left the house with the last of the officers. To her surprise, Grant remained behind with them, and he gave her a small nod before coming over to her side. "It sounds like the photographer will be here for another thirty minutes, since there is so much to document down there. James and I are going to make supper for the five of us while we wait, since it feels like we haven't eaten in such a long time. We'll start for home tomorrow at nine, we've decided."

"Oh, we have?" she asked pointedly, watching the younger man blushed a little. "That actually suits me just fine, but there are only two bedrooms. I'm not making anyone sleep down there."

"I'll take the sofa," Grant replied before turning to look at James. "All right, time to make food."

Once he was gone, an awkward silence fell over the room, and Erin felt like she was trapped in a bad movie, waiting for someone to pull her from this nightmare. "I don't know if I can eat anything," she finally said quietly, looking down into her lap.

"You need to try and keep up a normal schedule, Erin. That will help get you back into life. Now, while we're waiting for the men to finish, why don't we go over what you want to bring back. We have two vehicles, after all, so we can probably get a lot of your belongings home."

"What home? I have no idea who bought my house, only that John and David still had access to it. I'm a living ghost, who doesn't exist…"

"I'm working on that, ma'am. I used the flight up here to work as much technological magic as I could in that regard, and with the Director's help, your Social Security number will be active by tomorrow morning. From there, it will take a few more days to get your bank accounts back up and running, though I don't know if you'll have any money in them. Director Shepperd wasn't clear as to when your retroactive pension was being deposited."

Erin ticked an eyebrow upwards at the mention of that, knowing that Aaron had been correct in saying that the Director was trying to fast make things right for her. Whether it was guilt or trying to cover his ass, she would take it for all that it was worth. "That is good to know, thank you, Penelope. And I think that I want to bring the clothes that are in the ground floor bedroom, since those aren't part of the evidence of my captivity, along with my notebooks and the photographs of my children. The rest can wait for the professional movers."

"Are you sure?"

She looked up at Alex and nodded. "What's in the basement will remind me too much of what I went through. I need fresh clothes that don't have the emotional weight behind them." Alex nodded before reaching up to take hold of her wrist and tug her back down onto the sofa. It was so easy to curl up into her body as she rested her head on her chest, listening to her heart beat.

"James and I will find your notebooks downstairs after we eat, along with the photographs, if you want to have Anderson and Penelope help with your clothing up here."

"I can totally do that, Alex! Please, put us to work."

Erin dared to glance up at Penelope, seeing that she was giving her an open, wounded, look. She hated to see that expression on her face, and so gave her a small nod. "I will appreciate all the help that I get tonight. I just want to sleep in a bed that's not attached to me in any way. That's my bed down there. My kitchen table. My dresser. The stair machine is new, and we can sell that for whatever we can get for it, because I know I will never step foot on it again. How can I rebuild my life when some of the things that make up the fabric of my life before this ordeal now have a taint to them?"

"We'll get you new things. Because those are easily replaceable. You are not, so your survival is the only thing that matters." Alex began to stroke her hair lightly. "Now, Penelope, you're a better story teller than I am. Why don't you tell Erin about how well Tabitha is doing with her riding?"

A wide grin split Penelope's lips as she nodded. "You would be so proud of your daughter, Erin. She has grown by leaps and bounds in this last year. I had no idea how elegant you could look while on a horse, since we went to rodeos when I was little. That was part of my stepdad's heritage, and it didn't interest me as much as it did my stepbrothers, so I never looked into what else horses could do until Dave brought me to the stable. It's almost like she's one with her horse as she jumping over hurdles far higher than I would ever feel comfortable with, but I suppose that that comes with practice."

"It does. I used to ride a little in my youth, but I didn't have the talent for it. I'm so glad that Tabitha will, and I hope that she keeps with it, because I would love to see her in the Olympics one day."

Penelope nodded as she let out a deep sigh. "I can see that, too. Now, let me tell you about her latest show," she said before launching into her next story, and Erin hung on her every word, eager to hear more about her daughter.