Note: Sorry took so long to update this story, I wanted to finish my other DC fic "Friend or Foe" which is now done, thinking for of sequel for it actually, something set In the future where Dawson gets out of jail and Joey is pregnant. Dawson of course goes after her again. I'm also thinking of an AU fic but let's just take one step at the time and work on this one for a while. Anyways thanks all for the nice feedback here is the next chapter.

Chapter 5 – Going home

"Tom, calm down, we don't know what this means yet. You should be glad that your nephew is getting along with other people." Diana said to him.

"This is interesting, let's get him in here as well." Ryland said to the others.

"Great, let's get some music and alcohol and we can have a party" Pacey said sarcastically.

The three NTAC agents glared at him and Pacey shrugged. "Well it's true, seriously what do you think you're gonna learn with all 4 of us in here? We have told you everything we know. You're not going to learn anything more from us."

"That's not up to you to decide, we still don't know if you are a threat to us?" Diana said to them.

"This is ridicules, we're human beings, just like you. You have no right to keep us here" Joey said just as the door opened and Shawn walked in.

"You disappeared for three years and came back with 4399 other people Miss Potter in a ball of light none the less. We need to know where you were those three years." Ryland said.

"Well if you'd actually listened to any of us 4400 here then you'd know that nobody remembers where they were. All any of us can tell you that there was a white hot light above us just before we were taken. And then next thing we know time has passed and we're all standing my some lake in the mountains without having a clue in how we got there." Shawn said to them.

"Yes but the only thing we have to go on, on where you were in your missing time, is you." Diana replied.

"Well then you're out of luck, because we don't know anything." Jen said to the female NTAC agent.

"Why are you kids being so unreasonable?" Tom Baldwin asked.

"Well maybe because we're tired of just being shot down when we ask for simple things like making a phone call. We're supposed to give and give and give but we don't get squat in return. All we get is being locked in a big room with over 4000 other people and being called in for interrogations and tests. When are you going to do something for us! Because unless you show some sign of cooperation with any one of us 4400 more and more people are going to start acting like this. We have done nothing wrong, you can't just keep us in this prison forever!" Pacey said to them.

"Mr. Witter this is not prison but quaran-" Ryland started but Pacey cut him off.

"It sure feels like prison. Except one difference, in prison you get to make 1 phone call." He snapped.

"Pace" Joey said wrapping her arms around his waist from behind him. "Don't let them get to you." She whispered although she had to smile at the faces the NTAC agents were having.

"Well I think we're done here for today." Ryland said to them.

"About time" Jen mumbled before the gang left the room.

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"We're letting them go? They've only been back six weeks. It's too soon." Diana said.

"Well the ninth circuit court of appeal has upheld the lawsuit by the ACLU on behalf of the families. We don't have a legal right to hold them." Ryland replied.

"Ok, but some of these people have no place to go. No families left." Chen, another NTAC agent said to them.

"The word is, Egypt and China are refusing to repatriate it's citizens. India's on the fence." Sid, yet another NTAC agent replied.

"Well, wait a minute. We're not kicking anybody out. Whoever wants to stay, can stay. As far as American citizens, whoever leaves will get whatever assistance is required, to get their life back on track. Medicare, unemployment, rent vouchers, vocational training." Ryland told them.

"Vocational training? We need to isolate these people." Diana replied not quite believing they were going to let them go.

"They're not virus samples, they're human beings." Tom replied to her.

"The orders been given. We're letting them go. I wouldn't book your vacations, just yet." Ryland said giving the final word on the conversation.

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"I wonder who is here? Do you think Dawson, Andie and Jack came as well?" Joey asked her boyfriend and Jen, although Shawn and Maia were with them as well.

"I don't know, just asking to be safe Jo, if my family isn't here I can get a ride with you and Bessie back to Capeside, right?" Pacey asked.

"Of course Pace, but you don't know what happened in those 3 years, maybe they were really worried about what happened to you." Joey replied.

Pacey laughed humourlessly causing Joey to cringe a bit "you're kidding, right Jo? My dear brother Doug finally had his apartment back to himself, dad probably only looked until I supposedly turned 18 and I wouldn't be his problem legally anymore. Mom never really cared that much about me and my sisters pretty much hated me as well. Well maybe Gretchen showed but I don't think anyone else would bother."

"Pacey" she said but he shook his head "I don't want to get into this right now" he told her and she nodded.

"Ok, so are you sure you want to stay here Maia? I'm sure my grandmother won't mind taking you in." Jen said to the little girl.

"Thank you Jen but I'm not supposed to go with you. I need to stay here." Maia replied.

"You can come home with me, I don't think my mom will mind, and I live much closer to the NTAC building then Jen." Shawn suggested.

Maia smiled "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. We will see each other again though."

"You can count on that" Pacey said picking her up and hugging her.

"I know" she said hugging him back.

"I'll miss you Maia, take care of yourself ok?" Pacey said saying goodbye to the little girl they had all grown close to these past 6 weeks.

After each off then said goodbye they sadly walked out the door feeling bad for leaving the little girl there but knowing it was what she wanted.

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"Each of our returnee's, will check in once a week. Any difficulties faced by the returnee's in our district, will be handled by this office. Finally, we'll continue with our ongoing investigation. They'll all sleep better, once we know what the hell's going on. Thank you." Ryland announced as the door opened for the 4400 were released into the world.

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"Talk about crowded" Pacey said as he, Joey, Shawn and Jen walked together through the crowd to find their families.

"Mom! Danny, over here!" I'll see you later" Shawn said smiling at them before hurrying over to his mother and brother.

"Bye Shawn" they said as he went to hug his family.

"Ok, now to, look Jen there is your grandmother and your sister and Bessie and Bodie and Is that Alexander. Hey! Over here!" Joey yelled then added "I guess they came together" Joey added excited as the three of them hurried over, Jen and Joey in more of a rush then Pacey.

"Grams!" Jen said hugging her old grandmother tight to her.

"Oh Jennifer, thank the Lord you're safe." Mrs. Ryan said to her granddaughter Jen stiffened when another body hugged her from behind. She knew those hands and that perfume.

"Mom?" she asked turning around and breaking slightly away from her grandmother.

"I'm here Jen, you father is too." Mrs. Lindley said to her daughter than paused slightly before adding "Your sister is here as well."

Jen looked past her mother to see his father standing there in his suit, his face blank but his eyes showed something in them, was that fear? Was he afraid for her or of her? And what was that other thing in his eyes? She had seen it somewhere before…when he caught her with Billy in his bed. It's disgust, he's disgusted with me! Next to him standing there was Eve, her half sister. Apparently the secret had gotten out in her missing years.

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"Oh God Joey, I missed you so much" her sister said hugging her tight to her afraid that if she didn't she would lose her sister again.

"I missed you too Bess, these past 6 weeks have been hell. I wasn't even allowed to make a phone call to you. If it weren't for Pacey and Jen I don't know what I would have done. It must have been even more of a hell for you, Bodie, Mrs. Ryan, even Gretchen apparently" Joey said to her sister.

Bessie hugged her again before saying "You have no idea Jo, I still can't believe it's really you here."

"Little Alex has grown so much. And is that a wedding ring?" Joey asked seeing his sisters hand.

Bessie nodded smiling at Bodie, "We got married 4 months ago." She said to her sister who then squealed and hugged them both "I'm so happy for you. God I'm so sorry I missed it. I would have love to be there but I was God knows where." Joey said her eyes tearing and Bessie hugged her close to her again.

"You have no idea what's it like Bess…" Joey sobbed against her sisters hot tears making their way down "…to suddenly stand at a lake and three years have passed by. Having no idea what happened to you in that time or how everyone was."

"It's ok Jo, you're back now, and everything is going to ok." Bessie said feeling her heart break for her little sister.

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"Hey Gretch. Miss me?" Pacey said cracking a smile at his sister who smiled broadly and hugged him tight to her.

Pacey smiled as he hugged his sister back, happy that at least someone in his family cared about him enough to come and pick him up.

"It's ok Gretch, I'm ok." He said trying to calm his sister down.

Gretchen pulled back "You don't know how much I missed you Pace. What it did to the family when you just disappeared with Joey and Jen without a trace or sign of kidnapping. Dad, he blamed himself and drank a lot. Doug…Doug he tried to help him and mom through it but…" she broke down again hugging her little brother tight feeling like crap to have to tell him what happened like this.

"Shh, it's ok Gretchen I'm here now. Just tell me what happened." Pacey said not really knowing what is going on but having a bad feeling in his gut he wasn't going to like it.

"On your birthday, the day you would have turned 18 dad drank a lot and said all kinds of horrible things to mom about how he wasn't responsible for you anymore. Even though he shouldn't have been…God Pace it was awful, things they said to each other. It seems mom had an affair a long time ago, around the time you were conceived. They never tested if you were dads' but you might not be. After that Doug hated mom and dad for keeping this and said that you probably found out some way and run off to your real father. That they were responsible for your disappearance. Dad then blamed mom for making him lose his only real son and it didn't help anything when Doug announced to the rest of Capeside that he was gay. Dad he went crazy when he found out and started to beat mom. Mom was scared and one day she had taken his gun and shot him. Dad's been in a coma ever since and mom is in jail. Doug was a real mess, he blamed himself…thank God for Jack and Dawson. They really helped him deal with things." Gretchen finished.

"God…I'm sorry Gretchen. I'm sorry I couldn't be there and prevented all of this…" Pacey started but stopped. His mother was in jail, his father in a coma, "Where is Doug? And Jack and Dawson? And what about Andie, is she ok?" he asked.

"Doug is outside, we decided it wasn't such a good idea if he came in with me. He was real tense. As for your friends, I think Andie went to Italy but I thin Jack said something about her flying in tonight. Jack and Dawson are outside with Doug." Gretchen replied. Then added "It wasn't your fault Pace, don't ever think it was, they made their own decisions you aren't responsible for them. They're all grown up and responsible for themselves."

Pacey hugged his sister again "I'm still sorry" he said feeling bad about his families situation.

"Hey Pace" Joey's voice said breaking brother and sister apart.

"You two ok?" Joey asked concerned because she could see Pacey's troubled eyes.

"Yeah, Dawson and Jack are outside with Doug" Pacey informed her.

"Ok, let's go find Jen and see them" Joey said but she gave Pacey 'we'll talk later' kinda look.

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"You know what dad, I don't care what you say. You never cared before and just because you're disgusted with me now doesn't mean I suddenly care what you think now. Can we go home now grams?" Jen half asked half begged her grandmother.

"Yes, we can Jennifer. Your friends Jack and Dawson are outside with Pacey's brother." Mrs. Ryan informed Jen.

"Everything ok Jen?" Joey asked worried as she and Pacey and their families came up to her.

"It will be, when we get home" Jen said to them "let's go."

Review please, oh and next chapter Dawson :D