Emily stepped out of the shower to find that Derek had left her a fresh towel and one of his T-shirts and a pair of pyjama pants for her to dress in. She smiled softly at the gesture, simple as it was – it had been far too long since she'd been shown the slightest bit of kindness...
She wrapped the towel around herself and stood in front of the mirror trying to decide if the woman staring back at her was one she recognized. She was in the process of finger-combing out the knots in her damp hair when there was a knock on the door.
"Everything okay?" Derek's voice came, almost timid, through the door. "I left some clothes for you... They'll probably be too big, but they're clean and, well, I though that they'd be better than what you've got on..."
"Thank you," she said. "They're perfect." She was honestly just glad to be able to change out of the clothes she'd been wearing for the last several weeks, even if the garments hung comically off her frame.
When she emerged from the bathroom, he once again pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly as if not quite able to believe that she was truly there, truly safe. And, in spite of the little voice in the back of her mind, she collapsed into his embrace, holding him back because it was the only human contact she'd had in far too long and his arms felt strong and safe and familiar in a way she couldn't place.
When he released her, he cleared his throat, suddenly seeming embarrassed by his forwardness. "Are you... Are you hungry?" he asked, not quite meeting her eyes. "I don't have anything in my fridge, but I could call the diner and..."
She nodded her agreement. "Actually, I, umm... I have some questions first," she said quietly.
"Anything," he agreed readily. He took her hand and gently tugged her to sit on the edge of his bed. "What do you want to know?"
"How did you know I was in trouble?" she asked, almost demanding, eager for answers. "How did you find me?"
For a moment, he struggled to put it into words without giving away too much of himself. "You stopped coming by," he admitted softly with a little shrug. "Your visits were the highlight of my days and, I guess I'd kind of hoped that they meant something to you as well. When you stopped showing up, I thought maybe you had something better to do..."
"Oh, Derek, no..." she rushed to assure him.
He just shook his head, though, continuing on with the story. "I asked the girl from the diner why you'd stopped coming by and she said she hadn't seen you either. She said she was worried about you, that you might be in trouble. So, I went to see your father..."
"You saw Daddy?" she asked, surprised that he even knew who her father was, let alone that he'd spoken to him. She had a million questions, but now wasn't the time to ask them.
"He wasn't making a lot of sense, but he seemed utterly convinced that you were in grave danger and that I had to save you from someone."
"That's why you came?"
"That's why I came," he confirmed with a gentle smile, his hand still wrapped around hers.
Though she still had a thousand questions swirling around her mind, she didn't get the chance to ask them before her stomach let out a plaintive gurgle. Cheeks reddening, she started to apologize.
He refused to accept any apologies, though. "When was the last time you ate?" he asked.
She shrugged, confessed, "I'm not sure – I don't even know what day it is anymore..."
"Right, sorry. That was a dumb question." He cleared his throat again. "I'll call the diner. Why don't you take a nap? You look exhausted..." Then, realizing that might be taken badly, he rushed to add, "No offence."
She smiled faintly. "None taken. I just... I don't feel like sleeping." She didn't need to elaborate for him to understand what she meant by that, all too familiar with the plague of nightmares that surely followed an ordeal such as hers.
He lead her into the living room, apologizing for the state of his house as they went. "I don't really have guests," he explained, not sure why he cared so much what she thought of him. "Please consider yourself at home here. You'll be safe with me – I won't let any harm come to you."
She smiled her thanks, but said nothing. She looked like she'd like to believe his assurances, but wasn't entirely certain that she did.
Gesturing to the room, he said, "You can watch TV or read while you wait. I'll leave you alone, but if you need anything, you only have to shout and I'll be there." Then, softer, barely audible, "Always."
When he came to check on her barely ten minutes later, he found her fast asleep in spite of her insistence that she wouldn't be able to rest. For a few moments, he stood there, leaning against the door frame, taking in the sight of the sleeping woman, looking for all intents and purposes like she belonged there.
He would very much have liked to stand there all day, if only because the sight of her reassured him that she was indeed safe and protected so long as he was near, but was prevented from doing so by the doorbell ringing, distracting him from his vigilance.
When he answered the door, JJ pressed the take out bag into his hands and immediately started on a diatribe. "So, I've been thinking about Emily and I'm wondering if maybe we should call in the State Troopers or something because there's no way that we can charge her husband with kidnapping when he's literally the only police officer for miles and..."
"She's here," he cut her off.
For a few moments, she stood there, mouth hanging open slightly in surprise. "What?" she said dumbly.
"She's here," he repeated. "She's alive and safe and she's sleeping right now, but when she wakes up..."
It was his turn to be cut off by a timid sound just over his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Emily standing just out of view of the door, having been woken by the sound of voices; her eyes were filled with fear as if expecting Ian to come barging in and drag her back to her basement prison.
He offered her a comforting smile, nodding once to reassure her that she needn't be afraid.
With his encouragement, she slowly approached the door and, seeing her best friend standing there, suddenly abandoned her fear, running the last few steps to wrap her arms around JJ's neck.