TW: mentions of rape.

oOo

On January 4th, agent Gideon informed her that they would be escorting her back to the United States. Apparently they had spent their time split between questioning her and investigating the hotel room where she had been discovered. When they decided they had learned everything they could from the room, it was agreed between the agents that Charlie would require some kind of protection, and not just from the media. As long as Gruber was both alive and walking free, they believed she would be at risk. She was cleared for discharge by the hospital but the FBI had to pull some major strings for that. Her injuries still had the doctors concerned, but after Dr. Reid insisted that they would take the utmost care of her, they reluctantly released her into their custody. They left through the basement parking lot, loading her in a dark SUV with heavily tinted windows. She still required a wheelchair to get around and had to be lifted into the car by yet another one of the agents- this one was tall, broad shouldered, ridiculously handsome, and was called "Morgan" by the others. Once she was carefully loaded into the back seat and the wheelchair was stowed in the trunk, the team of agents piled into the SUV and another dark van, and they started making their way out to the parking lot.

Before they pulled out of the building and into the morning sun, the driver- Hotchner- told her to keep her head down and try to remain out of sight. She hid her head behind the headrest so people looking in through the front wouldn't see her, and the tinted windows protected her from the sides, but when they pulled out of the building she could now see what she couldn't before from her hospital room.

She wouldn't find out until later, but her photo had been on the front page of the local paper that morning. The man who had snuck into her room had managed to only get a few shots before he was caught, and none of them were really clear but it was more than anyone else had. Now everyone was racing to be the first to get a clear shot of her face. Luckily her name was never mentioned in the news while she was missing, or they'd have all they needed to go digging into her life.

An unsettling sense of déjà vu washed over her and a knot of anxiety formed in her stomach. It looked almost exactly like the parking lot at Nakatomi Plaza that night. Dozens of news vans and camera crews competing for the best spot with the best shot, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the action. When the cars exited the building they were practically swarmed by people carrying a variety of cameras and recording devices.

"Tell the officers to move these people back! They're blocking us in!" Hotchner said into his earpiece as he beeped the horn at the crowd. Hands slapped the window on the opposite side of the car and Charlie let out a short shriek of fear. She could see that the people were surrounding the other car as well, sticking their cameras up against the windshield- the only untinted glass on the cars- trying to get a shot of the people inside. These people were crazy! They knew that she was in one of the two cars and everyone was dying to catch a glimpse of her. So much so that they were completely ignoring the officers outside that were attempting to control the crowd. When it became clear that force would be required to open a path, nightsticks came out and the police officers began clubbing the crowd. She could hear the dull meaty "thud" each time one of the batons came into contact with someone. Someone opened a few cans of tear gas and the crowd quickly scattered after that and agent Hotchner took the first opportunity to floor the gas pedal and zoom out of the parking lot onto the main road in a squeal of burning rubber, the other car following close behind.

"You alright?" Morgan asked from the front seat, turning around to address her. She didn't say anything but nodded her head slowly. He gave her a sympathetic look before turning back around, sharing a glance with Hotchner. She continued to say nothing the entire ride to the air strip. They were taking their own jet back to the States and she was relieved that she wouldn't have to go through any public places. Having the FBI escort her was pretty cool though, she couldn't really be afraid knowing that there was an entire team of agents looking out for her. Once she was carried onto their plane and everyone else was settled in, she actually fell asleep, only waking up once when the engines revved up and the plane took off, not really sleeping but not really awake. While she was dozing at some point she overheard a conversation. It was barely audible at first, like the people talking were aware that she was listening, but maybe they just assumed she was actually asleep- maybe she kind of was- because pretty soon she could hear them clear enough over the hum of the engines.

"…refuses to speak about it. She shuts down every time it's even mentioned." She wasn't conscious enough to tell who said it.

"Which seems to imply that she was severely abused."

"But from what we know from McClane and the other hostages he most likely wouldn't have let her live. She was a high risk hostage." She recognized Dr. Reid's voice, a bit faster than the rest as if what he was saying was only a fraction of what was on his mind. "He should have left her behind the first chance he got but instead he took an interest in her, cleaned her wounds and even got her medical care somehow."

"That and the rape would indicate that he had become possessive of her." She recognized Gideon's voice. "Which could explain why he kept her separate from the other hostages and why he took her with him when he escaped." he continued but he didn't sound completely convinced.

She was completely awake now but she didn't move, she tried to keep her breathing slow and relaxed. Slow deep inhale, imitating a deep sleeper.

"Then why did he let her go at all?" A new voice now, one she didn't recognize at first. Deeper than the rest. Hotchner.

"Maybe he thought he wouldn't be able to get her through airport security." This time it was agent Prentiss. "She would have been bleeding all over the place, it would have drawn attention. She did say her injuries were slowing them down."

"Yeah, but he would have drawn enough attention on his own." Morgan this time. "Everyone was on the lookout for Hans Gruber by then, without a really good disguise and a fake passport he would have been spotted trying to board a plane."

There was a pause in the conversation before another voice that she didn't know said "I hate to say it, but is it possible that she was in on the operation and they cut her loose?" It was a softer voice. Another woman.

"I doubt it, the rape was very real for her. The doctors said that her wounds were consistent with it, and the nurses said she wasn't eating. She's experiencing an extreme amount of distress." Prentiss replied. "And while she is very angry at Gruber, it doesn't seem like the anger of a jilted partner or even a lover for that matter. Also, it's interesting that despite her dire situation her first priority was to alert us to Gruber being alive and on the run."

"She's a strong woman. The other hostages were understandably more concerned with their own safety… until the reporters got to them anyway." Hotchner's deeper voice agreed. "She was the first hostage they found, so it's likely that seeing her away from the crowd, essentially getting her one on one is what caused him to see her as separate from the rest of the hostages in the first place."

"You think that if she hadn't left the party early, she might not have been kidnapped?" Prentiss asked.

"It's possible."

"But she might have blown up on the roof with the hostages who were caught up there." Reid pointed out. "It's not ideal but I think that being the object of his obsession, being next to him at all times could have been the safest place. Most of the other hostages were rounded up and used as pawns, distractions and leverage, but she was mostly kept a secret from us. Gruber used her against John McClane but he never threatened her life with the police. We didn't even know about her until Mrs. McClane told us."

"You're saying she's lucky?" Prentiss, an affronted edge to her voice. "She was assaulted and raped. Maybe even tortured."

"Luckier than the others." Reid explained. "I just meant that while there were other hostages to choose from, she was lucky to be singled out in a way that didn't make her expendable like Joe Takagi or Harry Ellis, or those that were blown up on the roof. After they left the building she became a more valuable hostage being the only one they had. They would need her alive to bargain with police if they got caught."

A long silence followed this proclamation. Just when Charlie was beginning to fall asleep again someone broke the silence.

"What are you thinking, Hotch?" Gideon asked.

"If he let her go then he was confident that he could easily get away." Hotchner replied. "I doubt we'll be finding Hans Gruber or any of his crew any time soon."

"So we lost him already?" The softer female voice asked.

"Maybe not." Hotch said. "It's possible he'll come out of hiding on his own. He's shown that he has no problem killing people who get in his way, and yet…" Another shorter silence followed this statement. She was vaguely aware that knowing looks were being shared by the group, but she didn't dare look.

"I don't like that after all that he just let her go. It doesn't fit. If he was so possessive of her he wouldn't have done that." Hotchner sighed. "And Reid, whatever you do, don't tell her that she was lucky. Not after what she just went through."

"...Right."

Someone asked something so quietly that she couldn't hear. Hotchner responded just as quietly. She strained to hear anything, wondering if they knew she was awake now, but she only heard one other thing from the conversation the rest of the flight.

"She'll have to go through WITSEC. It's the only way to guarantee her safety." Gideon said.

oOo

She didn't remember falling asleep again but she jolted awake to someone's hands on her shoulder, shaking her. Despite their attempt to be gentle and as non-threatening as possible, she still flinched away from their touch, sitting upright very quickly and glancing around the cabin with wide, bleary eyes. When she realized where she was- and not in danger- she let out a shaky sigh and relaxed against the couch she had been sleeping on, using her uninjured hand to rub the sleep from her eyes. The curtains had been pulled closed to separate the front of the cabin from the back.

"You're okay, you're safe." It was the other female agent, Jareau. She had the soft, clear voice. "I just wanted to let you know that we've landed, and we'll be deboarding soon."

"Okay." Charlie replied in a quiet voice, catching her breath and trying to slow her heart rate. "Okay…" she repeated, her breath slowing.

"We'll be going directly from the plane to one of the cars, and from there we'll be going to the FBI headquarters here."

"Where are we?" Charlie asked, glancing out of the plane windows. Outside was the hustle and bustle of airport personnel and bag handlers as they went about their business, but it could have been any airport in the world for all she knew.

"We're in Virginia." Jareau answered. She quietly observed Charlie for a few moments while Charlie stared blankly out of the window. "He won't find you, we'll make sure of that."

Charlie tore her eyes from the outside and gave the agent a confused look. "…I'm sorry?"

"Hans Gruber." Agent Jareau elaborated. "You don't have to worry about him ever again. My team will make sure of it."

"How do you plan to do that?" Charlie asked skeptically, but before she got her answer they were interrupted.

"JJ?" It was Hotchner, peering through the curtain. "We're ready."

"Okay." JJ answered, then turning to Charlie, she asked "Do you need help standing?"

"O-Only all that I can get." Charlie responded with a half smile.

Jereau helped her hobble to the exit and down the stairs where a wheelchair was waiting for her, then she was rolled to another SUV and helped into the back seat of it. She was so focused on getting to the car that she didn't even see the fifteen or so reporters and their people with various cameras, all trying to get a shot of her from the airport windows. Fortunately JJ had seen and had strategically placed herself between Charlie and their line of sight as they got her to the car. Agent Hotchner took the wheel once again and JJ took the passenger seat. She turned around to tell Charlie "We've got a long drive ahead of us, so if you're still tired feel free to stretch out and take a nap." Hoping that Charlie would choose to keep her head down and out of sight, but not wanting to outright tell her that. Despite several days having passed since she was being held prisoner, Charlie was still in fight or flight mode and they could all see it. It was post traumatic stress and there was no telling how long it would last or how severe it would be.

Charlie nodded. She wanted nothing more than to go right back to sleep, and wake up to find that everything from Christmas Eve onward was just a bad dream. But she was too wired to relax. She spent the entire ride staring tiredly out of the window- she had never been to the east coast before- and shivering against the AC. The agents noticed two news choppers following them and started taking as many turns as they could, going under every overpass and through every tunnel they could while still heading toward their destination. It took Charlie a few minutes to catch on because they were communicating to each other in the front seat through body language and facial expressions as much as possible, doing their best not to alarm her.

"Call Morgan, tell him to switch to plan B." Hotch said, and JJ pulled out her cell phone and had a short conversation.

"What is it?" Charlie asked after JJ hung up her phone and the car took another turn, pulling into a parking garage and parking three stories underground. The other two SUV's pulled up and parked on either side of them, Morgan, Reid, Gideon and Prentiss all exited the vehicles and left to secure the area.

There was hesitation from the agents, not wanting to divulge too much information to their victim. "Are we in danger?" She pressed. Am I in danger?

Hotch nodded to JJ who admitted "We're being followed by the press."

"What? Why?" Charlie asked, genuinely confused. They had already gotten her picture hadn't they? What else did they want from her?

"Because they all want to be the first to get a clear photograph of you." Hotchner finally explained. "To film you, put you on display. The right to publish your story."

"My story?" Charlie felt a flash of anger. "Did they learn nothing from the last time?" She snapped. "That's the exact thing that put John McClane's family at risk!"

Hotchner gave a small reserved smile at her outburst. They had been worried that she might want the attention, but it appeared that she was smarter than that. Or at the very least she simply didn't want to relive the event. Unfortunately she would have to for their records but the FBI had no intention of sharing every last detail of her story with the public. Almost all of her coworkers had shared every bit of information with the press, telling everything to anyone who would listen. The only problem was, none of them actually knew anything. They had all believed that they were taken hostage by terrorists until it was revealed by LA news that the vault had been broken into. The FBI had the single most important hostage from that night sitting in their car, the only one who had actually been at the center of all the action. The press wanted her as bad as they wanted proof of aliens. But if the photographer at the Canadian hospital was anything to go by, she was in danger from more than just Hans Gruber. The press wasn't concerned with her safety. They were practically rabid for the inside scoop.

"With Gruber still at large we want to keep you out of the spotlight as much as possible." Hotchner agreed. "So we're going to take a few detours from here on out. Change cars and take evasive procedures." Charlie visibly relaxed at these words, so he added. "We won't let anything happen to you."

They sat in the car for almost an hour before more agents showed up. They arrived in the most unofficial looking cars possible, except that all three had tinted windows. Hotchner, JJ, and Charlie climbed into one of the cars while the rest of their team climbed into the other two. The agents who had arrived with the cars, now climbed into the SUV's they had just vacated and drove off. They waited almost another half hour- in which Charlie dozed off- to make sure that the news choppers and anyone else they might've missed were now long gone, and they finally exited the garage. Charlie remained in a deep but unrelaxed sleep until they arrived at their destination. The agents were hesitant to wake her when they arrived but it couldn't be helped. It was time to find out what she knew.