Disclaimer: I don't own Drake and Josh, Criminal minds, or the lyrics to Emilies song.

A/N: I dont know the name of this song, only that I love it, and it will be on the new album. On another note, I went to see the Devil's carnival the other night, it was absolutly amazing, and, if it hasnt been to a location near you yet, I highly recomend going to see it. As usual, lyrics are in ittalics and between the ~

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The station was filling up, families pouring through the doors looking for their lost children, mothers screaming as they were told their sons were dead. Fathers gazing off in pain as they let the words sink in. Every family had been called. The dead children would be dug up, identified and sent with their families, to be burried where they wanted. None would be left in Brendon's yard.

They sat together within the sea of chaos, watching as people came and went, rushing, waiting. Audrey hadn't left Drake's side since she had gotten to the police station, even now she didnt let him out of her reach. They sat in the lobby chairs, side by side, her arm around him protectivly, holding him as he leaned against her.

All of the boys would be questioned one at a time about what had happened to them in that place. How all of the others had come to die. Out of the sixteen that had gone missing over the last eight years, only three had been brought back. Only three had made it out alive. She knew it was cruel, but she was glad that Drake was one of those three. The month of not knowing had been hard enough, if she'd have lost him forever...

She closed her eyes, silently praying for the families of the dead as she squeezed drake's shoulder. It didn't seem real, having him right beside her. The sound of him breathing, the warmth of his skin. She saw the bruises on his arms, the faded marks around his neck, around his wrists. She couldn't imagine the hell that he'd known, how those marks had come to him. She only knew that she hated whomever had left them, only hoped that they got what was comeing to them and more.

Drake turned his eyes toward Ash, staring silently into his dark brown eyes, at the bandage wrapped around the one with the cut. They didn't need words to comunicate now. They were both thinking about Zane, who was with the agents now. Drake hadnt been called in yet, but he was anxious. Ash offered him a tired smile, assuring him that it would be okay. He smiled back, falling back into his mother's arms.

Drake looked up as a woman burst through the station doors, her eyes wild as she looked over the crowd. She had the same Black hair and grey eyes that Zane did, looked so much like him. He watched as she ran to the desk, voice cracking as she asked about her son.

Her timing was nearly perfect. JJ was walking Zane back into the lobby just as she asked about him. She frooze, looking at her son before breaking into tears and pulling him into her arms. Zane stared at her blankly at first, unsure of who she was until her broken smile radiated, her voice called his name.

Zane held her tightly as she ran her hands over his back, hugging him so tightly that it cut off his breath. He whispered to her softly as the tears overtook him. He was okay, he'd lied.

JJ walked over toward Drake, smiling as she watched Audrey nod to her in thanks. Seeing her reunited with her son, the relief on both of their faces made the horrors of this job worth it.

"Are you ready, Drake?" She asked, offering him a smile. She couldn't imagine what all of this was like for him. The stress of being free, of finally seeing his parents again only to have to go into another room and talk about the things that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He nodded, slowly pulling away from his mom. He shuddered as he lost her warmth.

JJ looked at Audrey, seeing the immediant panic in her eyes as Drake moved away from her. "You can come to, if it's okay with Drake." JJ said.

He didnt want her to know. He knew that eventually she'd know everything, and he was afraid of what that knowledge would do to her, how she would look at him. He took a step away from her, feeling the world shift beneath him. Walter was on his feet, catching him before he could fall.

"Can't he rest?" Walter asked, helping Drake regain his footing.

"Soon." JJ said. "After we talk to him, they all need to go to the hospital. After that they should be able to go home."

Audrey placed a hand on Drake's shoulder, her eyes pleading. She didnt want him out of her sight. "Drake?"

"It's okay.' he said softly.

~...Start at the beginning, finish at the end
Everything you'll tell them is true, nothing is pretend But when you long to come running back
Remember, this is now, that was then...~

He hadnt realized it until he was walking through the halls, bumping shoulders with the officers walking around, seeing the faces of all the people he didnt know. He didn't trust any of them, was in fact, terrified by each one. Any one of them could be like the men Brendon had given them over too, could be waiting to hurt him.

He could feel his hands shaking as he tried not to look at their faces, as his heart began to beat faster. Until now, he'd only known that house, that the people who entered it were there to hurt them. Out here in the open, he didnt know what to expect. Who to trust.

He entered the nearly empty room, staring at his reflection in the two way glass. he knew that his mom was on the other side, ready to run to him should he need her. He barly recognized himself, couldnt imagine how he must look to her now, pale and thin, bruised and cut.

He sat in the chair, figiting with his fingers as he looked from the tape recorder to the agents across the table.

"Tell us everything you can remember." Gideon said, smiling gently. "Start from the beginning, take as mush time as you need. We know that this is hard for you, but it will help us put those men away."

Drake swallowed, his mouth had never felt so dry. He closed his eyes, remembering the day that it had all started, the day he'd been taken. He remembered leaving the school, apologizing to josh, though he couldn't remember why they'd been fighting.

He told them about getting into the car, loosing consciousness and waking up in the trunk. The first time he'd met brendon, the isolation room. He tried to push back the tears as he talked about the pills, the daily routine and the punishments for breaking it.

He hesitated when he got to the night in the entertainment room. The things he didnt want his mom to know, that he didnt want to remember. Zack's eyes as he had molested him, the cheering of the other men as Damien and Ash were beaten. He was shaking violently as he told them about the first time Zack had raped him. Deep within himself, he could still feel Zack, still smell him.

Every rape, every beating fell from his mouth in broken words. His voice cracked as he cried, not daring to look at either of the agents listening, at the glass his mother was standing behind. When he got to the day of damien's suicide he had to stop. He was shaking too hard, crying too much to try to speak.

Gideon reached his hand across the table, laying it over drake's. He knew about the suicide, both of the others had told them about it. these boys had lost a friend, and they were still hurting from it. "take your time." he said softly. "it's okay."

Drake nodded, letting the sobs work their way out of his system as he tried to breath. "Im okay." he said, though he didnt believe it.

As soon as he had himself under control, he told them about the doctor. The examination and rape that had come of his visit. And then he told them about the night he'd stabbed Zack, when he had been raped for the last time by the four others who were currently locked away. Everything until the moment The agents had come down those basement stairs, a monthes worth of torture and hardship all out in a little over an hour.

"You did good." gideon said, turning off the tape recorder. "Agent Reid and Morgan are going to take you, Zane and Ash to the hospital, after that, you can go home."

Drake nodded. He didnt want to go.

Audrey was leaning against the two way glass, her hand obsorbing its cold as she let her head fall. She'd known that bad things had happened, but hearing all of them, watching drake strungle as he told them about all of it. She didnt know what they'd done, what he'd been through. She didnt know how to handle it, so she cried.

Breathing in, breathing out, she tried to calm herself. She needed to be strong right now, for Drake. She whiped the tears away, swallowed the cries that still wanted out as she stepped out into the hallway. She watched as he left the room, stepping toward him and pulling him into her arms. She didnt have the words, not yet.

Ash looked at the man standing at the desk, at his strong featured face as he looked toward him. He knew that strength. He stood on weakened legs, determined not to let the pain slow him down. He straightned his back, cleared his throat and forced back the tears as his father walked over.

It took him by surprise when his father pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly as he exhaled. "Ashton..." He sighed as a tear fell down his cheek.

He could hold it back no longer. "Dad." his voice shook as he wrapped his arms around his father.

"We never stopped looking." His dad said, pulling away to look at the son he'd missed so much. He felt his knuckles whiten as he looked at the bruises, the bandage covering his left eye. he wanted to kill the people who'd done this to his boy.

"Where's everyone else?" Ash asked, looking for the rest of his family.

"Your mom and sisters are at home, your brothers outside." His father said, looking toward the door. "We werent sure what we'd find."

Ash nodded, knowing exactly what he ment. Alot of people had shown up, hopeing to find their children waiting for them. he looked toward the doors as they opened again, hoping to see his brother, but instead, he saw them.

He knew who they were the moment they entered the doors, their golden hair, those blue eyes... They looked so much like damien. then he saw the little girl, the spitting image of her older brother. he watched them move toward the desk, saw the woman fall into her husbands arms as they were told that damien was gone.

"Ash?" His father asked, seeing the way his son watched them.

"I think they're damien's parents." he said softly. "he died a few weeks ago."

"Im sorry." his dad said.

"I'll be back." he said, moving toward them slowly. he'd made a promise, and he intended to keep it.

"Where's Damien mommy?" The little girl asked, tugging on her mother's shirt.

The woman knelt beside her daughter, placing shaking hands on her shoulders. "He's in heaven." She said through tears as she pulled her daughter close. "With the angels and grandpa."

The little girl pulled away, shaking her head. "No, he's supposed to be here." She said through her distress. "You said we were coming to get him."

"i'm sorry," her mother said, turning her eyes away.

Ash stood next to them, looking down at the little girl with tears in her bright blue eyes. Damien's eyes. "Abigale?" he asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Who are you?" She asked, watching Ash carefully.

"My name is Ash," he said. "I was a friend of Damien's."

"Where is he?" She asked, hope shining in her eyes. "he's comeing home now, right?"

He shook his head as a tear fell from his unbandaged eye. "Your mom's right, he's in heaven now. But before he went, he asked me to tell you something." He pushed past his own pain, knowing that it was nothing comparred to theirs. "he wanted me to tell you that he loves you, that he's sorry he couldn't go home."

She looked at him, trembaling as her tears broke free. "Why didnt he come back?"

Ash didnt know what to say, how to tell this little girl that her brother had killed himself because the pain was too much for him. He couldn't tell her that. "I'm sorry..." he said, standing up.

He turned away from them, ready to go back to his father when Abigale grabbed his hand, turning him back toward her and pulling him down. She wrapped her arms around him, burrying her small face in his side. "Thank you." She whispered before letting him go.

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They werent at the hospital long, though none of them enjoyed it. They looked at the doctors who were there to help them like the one who'd visited brendon's house. They pulled away from them, not wanting to be touched. Argued and shielded themselves, because they didnt want to be hurt anymore.

There would be scars, the doctors told their parents. Physical, and phycological. Some of the lashing had cut deep, but the bruises would fade. They were dehydrated, malnurished and in dire nedd of rest. They had to keep taking their pills, in smaller doses to ween themselves from them. To pull them right off would make them very ill. They'd have to wait for the results of the blood tests, to know if any of the boys had contracted anything from the men who'd abused them.

Zane and Drake could hear Ash cursing at the doctors as they stiched up the cut over his eye, it would scar. His last defiance forever streached across his face. They stared at the doors, listening to his anger, feeling it.

After an hour they were given back to their parents, told that they could go home. they didnt thank the doctors as they pulled themselves tirdly toward their parents, as they walked back out from the glass doors. They stood outside the doors, watching as their parents looked back at them.

This was it, the moment when they went away from each other, to the lives they had thought they lost. They stood, froozen in time, staring at one another. They werent ready for this, to be seperated so fast.

"Drake?" Auddrey asked, taking a single step toward her son.

He looked at Ash and Zane, knowing they felt the same way he did. Despite how much they wanted t go home, they all hesitated.

"This is it." Zane said, swallowing hard. "Do you guys think we'll see each other again?"

"Sure we will." Ash said, turning toward his dad. "Do you have a piece of paper?"

His father searched his pockets, no paper, but he had a gas reciept from the drive down. Audrey handed him a pen from her purse, pulling out her own shred of paper. They each wrote out two copies of their phone numbers, handing them to the boys. Zane's mother followed the other parents lead, giving two copies of her number to Zane. The boys traded off numbers, and hugged each other tightly. They were scared as they walked with their parents, away from each other toward the cars that would take them home.

Drake climbed into the back seat of his parents car, feeling the anxiety rise as it began to move. He pulled the donated shoes off of his feet, not comfortable in them after all the time he'd spent without them. He pressed his head against the window glass, watchingthe world move around him and his stomach knotted.

"How long till were home?" He asked.

"Three hours." Walter said, seeing how uncomfortable Drake was. "Are you okay?"

"Just a little dizzy." he said, trying to relax. "I missed you giys." he whispered, wrapping his arms around himself.

"We missed you too, son." Walter said, pushing back tears so that he could drive.

"is Josh still mad at me?" he asked after a few moments of silence. he couldnt remember why they had faught, only that it had been his fault.

"No." Audrey said, turning around in her seat and reaching for Drake's hand, squeezing it tightly. "He's waiting up at home, with Meghan. They both miss you very much."

He nodded, before sitting back in his seat. "Can I lie down?" he asked. he was so tired.

"of course." Audrey said.

Drake undid the seat belt and layed down over the seats, closing his eyes so that he didnt have to see the world move. A lot had happened today, so much had changed. He was glad for it, but it left him feeling an odd emptiness that he didnt like. But he was going home, that was all that mattered.

He was in and out of dreamless sleep the entire ride. Fading in and out to the music playing softly from the radio, to the frequent glances back from his mom, assuring herself that he was really there. He starred at his wrists, at the bruises from the restraints, the small cuts from pulling at the handcuffs. He listened to his stomach grumble as hunger began to creep through him.

They stopped for burgers about halfway home, the taste exploding on his tastebuds. He'd forgotten what real food tasted like, it amazed him. He ate as much as his stomach would allow, savoring every bite.

Back in the car, they were forty minutes from home when Drake spoke again. "Are you going to tell Josh and meghan what happened?" he asked.

Audrey turned toward him, offering a gentle smile. "No." She couldn't imagine telling them what she had heard. "If you want to, you can though."

He nodded, looking down. "Are you guys ashamed of me?" He asked quietly.

"No." They said in unison.

"What happened wasnt your fault. What those mensters did..." She took a deep breath. "You're still our son, what happened hasnt changed how we feel about you Drake. We still love you."

"thanks..." he said before laying back down, feeling the wat=rm tears rise in his tired eyes.

~...Yesterday will find you where you've been before
Let the past remind you what's done, look for something more
There's a place I can almost see before us, never if, only when...~

He opened his eyes when the car finally stopped moving, the sounds of the engine died off and he felt Audrey's hand on his shoulder.

"We're home," She smiled. "Your home."

He sat up in his seat, looking out the window at the house he had all but forgotten. Hesitantly, he stepped out of the car, leaving the shoes behind as he elt the paved driveway under his feet. This wasnt a dream, it was real. He walked between his parents, toward the front door. He reached out toward the doorknob, holding it for a moment before turning it.

Josh and meghan were sitting on the couch when they heard the car pull into the driveway, listening as they heard three doors shut. he was home! They were on their feet before the door opened, waiting to see if he was really home.

Their hearts beat faster as the door opened, as Drake stepped through it and into the light. Meghan let her cell phone drop to the floor, its clatter ignored as she ran toward him, wrapping her shaking arms around him and hiding her tears in his side.

"I love you." She said quietly as she hugged him. She'd never really said it, but now, after coming so close to never having the chance, it was all she could say. "I love you Drake."

He looked down at her, holding her tightly. "I love you too." he whispered, falling to his knees and holding her tightly.

Josh watched them from across the room, waiting for the right moment to run over there. he couldnt take this moment from meghan, not now. So he stood, still as a painting watching. Drake had changed, it was obvious. He was pale, noticably thinner then he had been. he was shaking, unsure. All the things he hadn't been a month ago. Josh's smile faded as his tears blurred his eyes. It was his fault, he still blamed himself. Seeing what had happened to Drake only made him feel worse.

He watched his parents enter the house, the relief and pain in their faces. Audrey looked over at him, smiling past the tears in her eyes. He tried to smile back as he slowly approached his brother.

"Dont ever go away again." Meghan said, hesitantly pulling away from Drake.

"I'll try." he said, trying to joke.

"Drake...?" Josh said, looking at Drake as he slowly stood back up.

Drake didnt know what to say as he looked into the hurting eyes of his brother, he just fell into him, hugging him as tightly as his tired arms would allow. "I'm sorry." he whispered.

Josh pulled away from Drake, looking over him. He was hurt and tired, he could barly keep on his bare feet. "Do you wanna go upstairs?" josh asked.

"yeah." Drake said.

Audrey walked over, hugging Drake one more time before letting him go. "I love you." She said.

Drake followed Josh up the stairs, looking over the house carefully, re-adjusting to it. He knew that it hadn't changed much since he'd been gone, but it felt different to him. He entered his bedroom, it was so big to him now. There were no bars on the window, nothing to keep him in.

He turned toward Josh, who was still watching him, and stepped toward him. "I'm sorry." he said again, tears in his eyes.

"For what?" josh asked. All he wanted was to hug his brother, to let him know that everything was going to be okay.

"For whatever i did that made you hate me." Drake said, tears falling freely.

Josh shook his head, gently grabbing Drake and pulling him into a hug. "I'm not mad about that." he said as he hugged dake tighter, feeling his small body tremble against him. "I'm sorry Drake."

"It was my fault." Drake whispered, that much he knew.

"Not about that," Josh said through sobs. "For letting this happen, for not having your back. I should have gone after you when you apologized." he was shaking now.

Drake shook his head. "It wasnt your fault." he said as he hugged Josh tighter. he'd been waiting forever to apologize, to know that Josh had forgiven him. having that forgivness meant the everything to him, filled an empty hurt that he'd been harboring for so long. he'd faught to survive, to hold onto hope that he'd make it home, and now here he was. In the one place where he truly belonged, with his brother, his closest friend.

Josh held Drake as he cried, as they both cried. He'd spent so long hoping that they would get him back, that he would come home. Every minute he'd spent hanging posters, counting the days with cuts until this moment. There had been a hundred things he'd wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words. All he could do was hold him, assure himself that this was real, because if it wasnt, he'd die. When they had lost Drake his world had fallen, now he was home, shaking in his arms as they cried. They'd had better days, but right now, Josh wouldn't trade this moment for anything.

"I love you brother." Drake said quietly.

"I love you too." Josh replied.

~...Start another story, tell it as you go
Make a happy ending, or sad
Tell it as you know
Just remember a day gone by is never really gone
If your tale goes on...~

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A/N: The story is not finished, this is not the end. I wrote their reunion to the song come home, its beautiful.