After another four days of the same monotonous routine (with the exception of visiting Kirby's room which had been the highlight of her days) Sidney was finally allowed to be discharged from the hospital.

All she had wanted to do since she had killed her cousin was leave. She'd been foolish, nowhere was safe. The nine years of uneventfulness had softened her, made her weak, vulnerable. She wasn't going to let her guard down again.

Dewey was waiting for her outside the room when she signed her papers and the two made their way towards the exit in silence, Dewey having taken her bag as soon as she'd let him. However, she paused as she heard her name called.

Kirby stood; hand propped against her IV stand.

"Aren't you gonna say bye?" she asked, almost sheepishly.

Sidney's eyes regained that warm and friendly flicker as she asked Dewey to give her five minutes. He obliged and headed out to the car, leaving the two women to say their piece.

Heading over to Kirby, Sidney stopped a few feet away. From the short amount of time she had known Kirby, it was very easy to forget that she was really just a kid. Eighteen, naïve and just had her whole life turned upside down. Yet with those large green eyes that remained unframed without mascara and eyeliner and the cropped blonde hair that was no longer slicked back, but fluffy and dishevelled from just being dried after a shower, she could have passed for sixteen. And despite all the bravado and false confidence façade that she had put forward when they first met… it had been just that. A façade, an act.

"Hey, I said goodbye yesterday. Besides, it's not really goodbye. I'm still going to come and see you every single day. And when you get out…" Sidney trailed off, not really sure how to answer that seeing as she didn't really know what was going on herself. Obviously, she had followed through with the notion that her book tour was completely cancelled.

"You'll go back to wherever you came from and I'll be a reference in your book sequel." Kirby responded, not meeting her eyes and shifting her gaze back down to the floor.

Before she could stop herself, Sidney reached out and tipped her chin upwards, encouraging Kirby to look at her.

"Hey, do I look like Gale to you?" Sidney teased fondly, before continuing. "I don't know where I'm going yet. Or what I'm doing. But I meant what I said, I'm staying at least until you're recovered, and the full investigation is finished." Sidney told her. "And there's funeral services to attend and…" She sighed herself. "There's a lot to do and a lot on unfinished stuff that needs getting in order."

"Are you going to Jill's funeral?" Kirby asked, clearly surprised at this revelation.

Sidney shook her head in response to that. She had said her goodbye in that hospital room and anything else would have been too much.

"No. Jill was already privately cremated. Her dad cleared the house and has left with her ashes." Sidney explained. She hadn't even realised herself until Kate's funeral had been mentioned.

"It's Kate's funeral on Tuesday- and I'll be attending." Sidney told her. "And I'm guessing that you'll want to be there too."

Kirby nodded immediately, she meant what she had told Sidney that day. To her, Kate had been a second mother when her own had passed away- and she at least owed her a goodbye.

"Do you think they'll let me go to it?" she asked.

"Between you and me, they're talking about discharging you on Monday. Just four more days." Sidney revealed

"Really? That's great…but how do you know that?"

"Dewey can't keep much confidential."

Kirby grinned at this and nodded, at least there was an end to this nightmare.

Impulsively, Sidney extended her arms and wrapped Kirby up in them. Although that sterile hospital smell was present, the fresh scent of jasmine lingered. Squeezing her gently, she rested her hands on the younger woman's shoulders.

"Four more days. I will come and visit every day until then. We have quite a bit to sort out too." She told her. "Keep your chin up, Kirby."

Kirby gave her an impish smile and nodded.

"I will. Thanks, Sid."

Throughout majority of the car journey, Sidney was silent. Kirby still relayed within her thoughts, but there was also the impending issue of Kate's funeral. She was grateful that Paul, Kate's ex-husband, had taken the initiative to clear their house and move Jill's remains. Dewey had mentioned he had told Paul that Sidney was still recovering in hospital- yet Paul had expressed in very few words that he didn't want to set eyes on her again.

Pulling up outside her childhood home, Dewey sighed and stared out at the vast landscape.

"I don't like you being here by yourself, Sid." He admitted. The once beautiful area was tainted with fear and sadness- much like the town itself.

Sidney also stared out at the large space. It was just as she remembered it. She hadn't been back since… since her father died.

"I'll be alright, Dewey." She told him, but even she couldn't deny the pit of growing anxiety that was manifesting within her. There was so much pain and suffering in there, but she didn't really have a choice- and besides- she would rather be somewhere she was familiar with.

"You're more than welcome to stay with me and Gale for as long as you like." He offered, and though Gale hadn't been so thoughtful as to invite Sidney herself, Dewey knew that she would want him to express that invite.

"I appreciate it Dewey… but I'm okay where I am." Sidney reassured him. As much as the trio had been through Hell and back together, there was a strange relationship between all three. They knew one another so well, but also knew very little about one another at the same time.

"Well… you know where I am. Call if you need anything at all. I'll be on shift anyway every so often. We've got four officers on shift patterns around the property for the next week." He explained. Sidney realised that her expression of suspicion and wariness had been clear because Dewey quickly continued. "It's nothing to worry about, but with the press still sniffing around and what not we thought it best to keep you as protected as possible."

That made sense to her then and her suspicion was quenched.

"Thanks, Dewey."

"No worries, Sid. Do you want some help with your bag?" he asked politely, already turning his key from the ignition.

"It's fine, thanks Dewey. Honestly though, there'll be nothing around in the house. I can't even offer you a coffee for your trouble." She chuckled.

Dewey shrugged dismissively.

"At least let me help you with your bag. Besides, you'll want the new keys. Burke picked them up yesterday." He stepped out the car and stretched, taking a deep breath and inhaling the fresh forest pine.

Not willing to argue anymore on the matter, Sidney took the keys from him and the two began the walk up the old battered steps towards the front door.

When Sidney unlocked the door, she was surprised to find that all the dust sheets she had placed over her dad's furniture had been removed. And although the place wasn't spotless, all the dust had been cleared and it looked like someone had stocked up place with the basic necessities.

"You did this?" Sidney asked.

"It wasn't actually me. Gale was the one who thought it would be best if we took all the sheets off and everything." Dewey replied, as to which Sidney raised her eyebrow, making him laugh.

"Alright, maybe she overheard Hicks commenting that she was going to do it on her day off. Then took the idea for herself."

Now that made Sidney laugh, it sounded so much more like Gale that way.

"Well…tell her thank you from me."

"You can thank her yourself tomorrow if you want? We were wondering if you wanted to come for dinner. I could pick you up?" Upon seeing Sidney hesitate, Dewey awkwardly lifted his arm and squeezed Sidney's shoulder. "Sid, I know how easy and how great it might seem to go back into that non-existent life. But being alone…trying to do this alone just won't work. You know that, deep down."

Sidney silently cursed how well he read her. In all honesty, all she wanted to do was crawl under the closest rock and bury herself there until she was forced to come out of hiding. However, flickers of Kirby still echoed in her mind. She felt some sort of responsibility for her and she couldn't let her down.

"Sure. Dinner sounds great." She agreed, much to the relief of Dewey.

"Great, I was dreading going home and telling Gale you'd said no. We all know who'd get it in the neck," he half-joked.

After making plans to be picked up at six the next night, Sidney showed Dewey out before closing the door, locking it and sighing. Now Dewey had gone, an eerie silence swept over the whole house. It was as if her presence had settled a heavy blanket of grief and fear over the place. Gulping, Sidney tried to keep a hold of herself, pushing herself to a straighter position from the door.

"Don't be stupid." She muttered to herself, but as she took a step forward and released the brass door handle, she was conscious of how slick her hand was with sweat. As she took another step, her eyes pulled focus to the door on the right.

"If you hang up on me you'll die, just like your mother! Do you wanna die, Sidney? Your mother sure didn't."

"Fuck you, you cretin."

Jumping back as if the memory itself had hit her full force in the chest, Sidney froze in place, her eyes not straying from that cupboard door. Those few seconds where she had turned her back to place the lock on the door had almost killed her. It had been the first time she had seen that costume, the dark eyes soulless and the mouth fixed into a silent scream. It had haunted her day and night, it still did.

Taking a moment to compose herself, Sidney slowly approached the door with trepidation. She knew that nothing was there, why would anything be there? All the things she was saying to try and keep herself together fell undone with that one memory of being chased up the stairs.

With her hand closed upon the latch of the door now, Sidney counted to two and, not sure she would be able to stomach three, she lurched forward and flung open the door. And she saw what she knew she wold see. Nothing but some old coats and shoes that she had simply closed the door to rather than sorted out when she cleared her father's belongings from the house.

Closing the door again, Sidney rested her forehead against the cool wooden panel, waiting for her heart rate to return to its usual state before she headed through to see the state of the rest of the house.

As promised, Gale hadn't seemingly looked into anything more than a light dust around, and Sidney couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she knew that it would have killed her not to go snooping. It was…harrowing to say the least heading back into her old bedroom. However, it didn't feel right being anywhere else. It didn't look much more different than when she had packed up her things to go to college. The room was still decorated how she'd left it, her bedsheets were folded on the top, another touch she assumed belonged to Gale. She busied herself by putting the sheets on the bed and unpacking her bag. She had almost settled, almost regained that control when it was shattered.

Then it came, the unmistakable crashing of glass that she had heard so many times previously. Sidney was paralysed with fear, that first hot flush of pure terror running through her before adrenalin took hold.

Sidney picked up the first thing she could find to use as a weapon. Being in her bedroom meant she had limited options, but retrieving a pair of nail scissors from her hospital bag, she slowly made her way outside and onto the landing.

She didn't want to alert anyone to her presence, so chose to remain silent instead of calling out. If there was someone in her house, it was an even playing field now.

Reaching to her behind pocket, Sidney felt for her phone, silently cursing when she realised she had left it on the kitchen side whilst talking to Dewey. She was quickly running out of options, so listened instead to try and gage what was going on.

It was deafeningly quiet in the house, and Sidney felt that was almost as terrifying as hearing someone walking around. After a few minutes, she braced herself and made her slow descent down the stairs, purposely avoiding the creaks that she knew were there at certain points of the steps.

Hiding behind the near panel wall, Sidney used the reflection from the mirror in the hallway to check out the kitchen. That was her best bet of finding a better weapon and her phone. After obtaining both, she sent a quick text to Dewey before pulling a large steel knife from the chopping block and going to check the remainder of the bottom floor, trying to decipher where the glass shattering had come from.

And she soon found out.

Once she had cautiously headed into the living room, Sidney had almost immediately noticed the photo-frame lying on the hardwood floor. Although it explained the noise, her eyes automatically glanced around for the reason that it fell. The slightly ajar window on the hatch told her what she needed to know. It was just the wind. There was no way that anyone would have been able to fit through that small space, especially so stealthily and silently.

Sidney nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the vibration in her back pocket and quickly reached out and pulled the phone to her ear.

"Sid, where are you? I'm five minutes away." Dewey's voice was urgent, and Sidney felt a pang of guilt as she walked forward towards the broken glass, avoiding the shards as she picked up the face-down frame by its stand.

"Sorry Dewey, it was just a photo frame that smashed. You don't need to-" She paused as she flipped the frame around. She had already been anticipating seeing the photo of herself and her mother with their arms wrapped around one another. It was the very same photo she had back home. The silence didn't come from the photo itself. It's what someone had done to it.

The photo itself had four deep crosses scratched roughly into it. Two crosses scratching out her mother's eyes…

and two scratches crossing out Sidney's.