Thanks for finally reviewing, everyone... It really does help to know there are actually people reading this. Don't forget to review just because this is the last chapter, it might encourage me to write something else someday soon.

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Chapter 16: Finally Going Home

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Abby lie in a haze, opening her eyes only to be blinded by light. After a moment the realization hit her. Light meant she was no longer in the cave, which meant that she was free. Not caring about the pain she sat up and opened her eyes, examining her surroundings.

Within a few seconds someone was next to her, hugging her tightly.

"We were so worried you wouldn't wake up," Nate whispered, holding onto his sister as tightly as he could without hurting her. Abby began to cry, so happy to see her brother again and so happy to finally be safe.

"I missed you so much, Nate," she whispered, hugging him back. He pulled away and looked at her.

"I'm just so glad you're alive," he said, staring into her eyes for reassurance. She smiled a real smile, something that felt really good to do.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" she asked. "And Connor? I want to see them." Nate smiled. We've been taking shifts watching over you. Connor just left but I can get him back here in a bit. I'll get Mom and Dad too." Nate disappeared for a few minutes and Abby happily settled back onto her pillow.

She thought about how wonderful it would be to get back to her normal life. She closed her eyes and thought about each person she loved in turn, her excitement growing by the second. Mostly she thought about Connor and how happy she would be to finally see him after all this time.

Nate returned and sat next to her.

"Mom and Dad are on their way now," he told her. "Connor will take longer because the palace is further from here and he was asleep when I called. I'm sure he'll be here soon, though." Abby smiled.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem. I'm just glad to have you back. You've got your own personal servant for at least a few weeks." Abby laughed.

"So that's all I had to do to get you to listen to me? Get kidnapped by a psychopath?"

"Apparently so," he joked, happy that his sister was feeling well enough to joke. They continued their playful twin banter until their parents showed up, Maria immediately rushing to her daughter's side and Michael standing back looking at her, trying to fight the tears that were already beginning to form.

"I was so worried about you, baby," Maria sobbed, clutching her daughter desperately. "I was so afraid I'd never see you again." Abby smiled.

"I'm fine, Mom, I'm fine now," she replied and Maria kissed her cheek.

"I know honey," she replied. "I'm just so happy this is all finally over and you can come home as soon as you're better."

"Believe me, you're not nearly as happy as I am, Mom," she replied. She glanced past her mother and saw Michael standing in the doorway watching her.

"Daddy," she said in a whisper that was barely audible. It was all Michael needed. Maria stood out of the way and he rushed over to his daughter, taking his chance to embrace her as if he would never let go. Neither spoke, as neither had to. Abby had always understood Michael in a way no one else could, and now he was doing the same for her. They sat that way for a while, no one in the room speaking. Then Connor arrived.

He walked into the room and beamed, deliriously happy to see her awake and happy. Her reaction was not, however, nearly as pleasant.

One look at Connor and the smile disappeared from her face. She did not see her husband, the man she loved. Rather she saw him, her captor and her tormentor. They were the same in physical appearance, and her tormented mind could not distinguish.

Within a matter of seconds she was screaming uncontrollably. This quickly changed, however, and she was soon curled into a ball, crying and rocking back and forth. It all surfaced when she saw him. The pain, the torture, the things she had had done to her, and, worst of all, the things she had done. She wasn't able to control her reaction and no one was able to console her.

Connor tried at first, running over and hugging her, but this only made her delirium worse. She yelled for him to stop touching her, shouting over and over again with limbs flailing. Michael pulled him away and wrapped his daughter in his arms. Abby continued to shake and sob and he looked at Connor.

"Don't you see what's happening?" he asked angrily. "You're upsetting her. You need to get out."

"I'm not upsetting her," Connor rebutted, but he knew it wasn't true. They had all seen Cirdan's body. They all knew exactly what was happening now. She thought he was Cirdan. Maria quickly ushered him out of the room before turning back to comfort her daughter. Safe in Michael's arms her sobs soon dissipated and she fell into a deep sleep.

Connor could only stand on the other side of the door and watch, feeling helpless and alone.

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Two weeks had passed since Abby had been rescued, but her condition had not improved. She would speak to her parents and her brother, but could not stand to be around Connor. Every time he attempted to see Abby, her condition would worsen and it would take several hours before she could even speak. Seeing him made something inside her snap.

After a few attempted visits, Michael asked Connor not to return. Everyone agreed that Abby would recover better if she didn't have continual setbacks every time he visited. Abby was moved to a facility where she could live comfortably and freely but always have someone to talk to.

Several months passed in this place and Abby, under the careful guidance of trained counselors, began to improve. The weight of her experience was being lifted off of her and she was beginning to be happy again.

She had several visitors and never had the chance to be lonely. Nate stayed with her most of the time and her parents visited regularly. The others came to see her at intervals, but Connor never did. As she improved she began to notice his absence and was both relieved and upset by it.

Abby carried extreme guilt with her, on top of the other emotions left from her experience. Ever since she had accepted that Cirdan was dead and she was indeed safe, she had felt regret. She was happy that Cirdan was dead. Ecstatic, even. What bothered her now were the memories of what she had done to stay safe while in his care. The things she had submitted to; the things she had allowed to be done to her; the things she had pretended to enjoy.

Once Abby had been healed, she worried only about her actions. She stayed in the facility only because she couldn't deal with lying to Connor and she couldn't bear to think what his reaction would be if he discovered the truth. She had betrayed him and she couldn't forgive herself. Despite his instructions to do whatever necessary to stay safe, she doubted he would forgive her either.

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It had now been nearly a year since the kidnapping. Abby was safe and healthy, but she still would not come home. Nate, who had remained Abby's closest confidante during her seclusion, finally asked her the question nobody had dared to before.

"What happened to you in that cave? What did he do to you to make you close yourself off so much?" Abby sighed but answered. She had realized long ago that her family must wonder about her captivity but was grateful they did not ask. Now was the time, though.

"This is really hard for me to talk about," she replied, tears already forming in her eyes. Nate looked upset but nodded.

"I understand," he said.

"No, you don't. It's hard for me to talk about, but it's time you guys understood. But don't expect it to be a nice story." He nodded and sat back, wondering what his sister was about to tell him.

Abby began and told him the whole story, beginning in the garden when she was captured, continuing to when she was in the dark cave. She told him about the evil things Cirdan did to her, how she was tortured. Then she stopped. Nate looked at her, waiting for more.

"Abby, that can't be the end," he insisted. "You were gone for several days; you've only covered about a day and a half." She looked up at him, tears very visibly running down her face. She wanted to tell him so badly. She had told no one, not even the counselors who had heard everything else and helped her through it.

"If I tell you the rest," she began, "It can never leave this room. Never. It's between you and I only." Nate nodded.

"Of course."

"And, please don't hate me after I tell you... I already hate myself enough." Nate looked frightened for her and wrapped an arm around her.

"I could never hate you," he said, kissing the top of her head and holding her close. Abby sat in silence for a minute and then began.

Now she told him about how Cirdan was a sick and twisted individual, who craved love and sought for it in Abby. And she told him about the danger she had been in, and how she had protected herself from it, giving herself to Cirdan willingly, claiming to love him.

When it was over Nate could say nothing. He held Abby for the longest time and she cried out all of the emotions she had kept pent up inside of her, finally allowing herself to be forgiven. Finally he spoke.

"If I'd had known I would have killed him myself, before Connor even had the chance. Don't blame yourself for that. It's not your fault and no one else would ever blame you." She nodded but was still upset.

"You're right," she said. "I need to go home now and move on with my life, but I'm still worried that Connor will blame me. I'm worried that he won't be able to forgive me." Nate understood exactly and knew he needed to help her.

He left not long after and went immediately to the High King's Palace. She needed Connor's forgiveness before she could come home, and Connor needed to know there was something for him to forgive. Nate would not break his promise to his sister, but, when he met with Connor, he did tell him something.

"You need to go to her," he said. "And you need to go to her now." Connor needed little more prompting.

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Later that day Abby sat in the garden at the facility, reflecting on all that had transpired that day. The tears from her encounter with Nate still flowed, but not as heavily and only when she thought of certain things. She knew more than ever that she wanted to go home, and she knew there was something she needed before she could.

Admiring a flower, she was lost in these thoughts for sometime. Connor saw her like this and fought back his own tears. She felt his presence before he spoke.

"I was wondering when you'd come," she said, not turning around. He stopped. Was she angry?

"They told me you would recover better without me. I didn't want to interfere. I still don't but I missed you too much to wait any longer." He started walking closer. She hadn't turned around yet but the sun shined in her long hair, drawing him to her.

"You're not interfering," she said, still not facing him. "I missed you too." He stopped walking a few inches away from her and stood.

"Abby..." he began, but she interrupted, standing and facing him. He could see the stains where tears had lingered.

"I'm ready to come home," she said. He stood there for a moment, not sure what to say. He wanted her to come back to him so much, but he didn't want to pressure her. She had been through too much already. She didn't take his silence well.

"Don't you want me to come home?" she asked, hurt. He quickly replied, tentatively wrapping his arms around her. He was still afraid to touch her.

"Of course I want you home. I want that more than anything, I just don't want to pressure you into coming home too soon. Are you sure you're ready?" She nodded and sat back down, bringing him with her.

"I am, but I don't know that you are." He looked confused and she continued, "Things happened to me Connor, you know that. Bad things. But you don't know what. I'm afraid you won't want me anymore when you know what happened... what I did." He touched her face softly, for a moment reminding her of Cirdan. She shuddered.

"I'm sorry," he said, withdrawing his hand. She grabbed it and placed it back where it was. It was time for the healing to begin.

"No," she insisted. "Don't be sorry. I have some bad memories, but stuff like this replaces them and makes me better." He nodded. He remembered that Nate had said she had a long story to tell and that he needed to hear it all to understand.

"Show me?" he asked. "I want to understand so I can help you. Nothing can change the way I feel about you." Abby sighed but nodded. She needed his forgiveness to feel whole again, and he needed to know in order to give it.

"You're right. It's time you knew." She took his hands in hers and leaned her forehead against his, staring into his eyes. She sent him the images of her imprisonment, from the first horrible day, to later when she was actually happy, to the time she spent with Cirdan on her own accord, attempting to deceive him. Connor pulled away at the end and looked at her. She waited apprehensively, afraid he wouldn't accept what had happened to her and what she had done. He stared at her for a minute before gathering her into his arms and kissing her cheek.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I wish it would have been me instead." He rubbed her back and she cried on his shoulder. After regaining her composure she pulled back a little and searched his eyes.

"You're not mad then?" she asked. "You don't hate me for what I did?" He shook his head.

"You did what you had to to keep yourself alive. That's all that matters. You did nothing wrong." He leaned in and kissed her, hoping she wouldn't pull away. She didn't. Finally he pulled away and stood, reaching a hand to her.

"Come on," he said, prompting her to take his hand. "Let's go home." She smiled and accepted his hand and they went back to the palace together.

The end

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Alright, so it's over. *sob* There's an epilogue to match the prologue (go read it if you haven't; it was just added recently) and it'll be up soon. And don't forget to review! ;)