All the way to the airport hotel, Nikki had snuggled into Jack. They had gone straight back to the compound after the beach. Jack had called a taxi while they packed up their things and they had left straight away. Nikki had insisted. She had been so restless and fidgety while they were waiting for the taxi that Jack had been quite concerned.

Thomas greeted them at the hotel. It was hugs all round. Thomas had got them all a room and booked their flights for the early hours. They took the cases up to the room and Jack tried to persuade Nikki to have a shower - she was still covered in mud from her ordeal.

"I've booked a table for 8 o'clock in the restaurant." Thomas said, encouragingly "Jack's right, you'll feel better after a shower."

Nikki hesitated. "It's ok, we're not going anywhere, I promise." Jack reassured her.

*Just before 8 o'clock*

Jack had been right. Nikki felt better after her shower. As they headed down to dinner, Jack and Thomas were relieved to see her looking refreshed and more like herself. Of course, the emotional scars ran far deeper - as they discovered over dinner. The emotional scars would take a lot of healing. A lot of time.

The conversation over dinner started off smoothly but at times a traumatised Nikki reacted badly to things that wouldn't normally have bothered her .It was totally out of character for the usually happy-go-lucky doctor. She repeatedly snapped sharply, mostly at Thomas, sometimes at Jack as well - although it made her even more upset each time she snapped at Jack. She remembered all too well how much she had needed to hear his voice when she was trapped and how she'd longed to be back with him. She felt the most guilty for snapping at him.

Jack was her comforter, calming her during these moments of distress. Stroking her hand soothingly, offering words of comfort and consolation and putting her troubled mind at ease.

*In the hotel room, after dinner*

"Get some sleep." Jack squeezed Nikki's shoulder.

"You know as well as I do that neither of us are going to sleep at all until we are on the plane. Not until we are leaving this damn country!" Nikki rebuffed him, subconsciously raising her voice at her last sentence.

"Alright, love." Jack calmed her, his mind flashing back to his first phone conversation with her as she had described her earthly prison.

"You two can have the bed, I'll just kip on the sofa."Thomas stated, helpfully.

Nikki spun around. "Did you not hear what I just said? I just want to get on the bloody plane!" Jack instinctively reached for her and pulled her tense body into a comforting embrace, hushing her softly.

Thomas sighed. Nikki wasn't usually like this - tense and verbally lashing out. It was certainly not her usual temperament. In fact before tonight, he'd only once seen her act this way - all passive-aggressive, during their first unfortunate meeting when he had unintentionally rubbed her up the wrong way.

"Shushhh you're safe now, ok?" Jack whispered.

Nikki sighed heavily. "Sorry." she muttered at Thomas.

He nodded and silently crossed the room. Patting Nikki's shoulder gently, as Jack continued holding her trembling form. Thomas said quietly, "I know you can't sleep, but you've been through something I can't even imagine." He stopped and looked at Jack. "You too, Jack. You're both exhausted and you need to rest - even if you just lie down for a bit." He paused as Nikki nodded. "In a few hours we'll be going through the airport and then we'll be on the plane home, ok? Just a few hours, Nikki, I promise."

*A few hours later...*

Thomas opened his laptop and Clarissa's face appeared.

"We've just got on the plane." He stated, before she could say anything.

"I'm glad to hear it!" She answered.

"We've literally just got on the plane!" Thomas repeated indignantly, glancing to his left.

"How are they?" Clarissa enquired in concern.

"What, you mean them?" Thomas retorted, turning the computer to reveal Jack, collapsed in the window seat. His arms were protectively wrapped around Nikki, who was in the seat next to him, leaning against his chest in an equally collapsed state. They were both fast asleep.

Thomas turned the laptop back to him. "Bless them." Clarissa said, fondly. "They've been through so much recently. I'm so glad you're all on the way home."

"Well" Thomas quipped, "Nikki said they wouldn't sleep until they got on the plane!"