Woohoo! Another chapter!

It had been 3 weeks since the trial, and Claudia's had been having trouble getting back on her figurative feet after the intense emotions of her captivity had been forced into the forefront of her mind. For several days, she had just been numb and depressed, not wanting to do much of anything. Now she seemed to be in constant panic.

Claudia got home early one day from the Warehouse, and Joshua noticed Leena going into her room and coming out with a few pills which Claudia took and swallowed. When he approached her, he realized she was crying.

"Claude, what's wrong?"

"I don't feel good."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

She walked over to him for a hug.

"Do you want to take a nap?"

She shook her head into his shoulder, and he guided her down to sit on the couch with him.

"Sometimes, I wish I could just get away for a while."

"You know, you could."

"What?"

"I have to go back to CERN in two weeks. You could come with me. Get a break, get out of your rut."

"I could go to Switzerland with you?"

"Yeah, why not? They actually have a temporary job that would be right up your alley."

She didn't give him an answer, but she did start thinking.

Two days later, Claudia had another panic attack which ended in her taking the a heavy sedative and spending half of the day asleep. Joshua had tried to get her through it, but she couldn't shake it. He sat downstairs after she finally fell asleep, staring at his computer. He wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing until Myka approached him.

"Hey."

"Hi Myka."

"Whatcha working on?"

"Nothing. I was just… thinking about Claude."

"This will work out, Josh. It always does. She just needs to adjust again."

He sighed.

"Hey, I saw found some pictures that I you might like to see. They reminded me the other day how much progress she's made already in the last year and a half."

Myka pulled her phone out and showed Josh a picture. It had been taken shortly after Claudia's rescue, on the very first day she had been allowed outside. The pale, emaciated girl had a tube in her nose and an IV bag hooked to a pole extending from the wheelchair on which she was seated. She was wrapped in blankets and had a coat draped around her shoulders. Though she was sick and still frequently overwhelmed, she had a peaceful expression, staring up at the falling snow. That was the first time in 2 and a half years that she had been allowed outside, and she was marveling at the snow, the natural light, and the fresh air. After that day, they tried to keep the shades in Claudia's room open 24/7, and brought her outside as often as the doctor would allow.

Myka flipped to a picture of Steve and Claudia. This one was taken a few weeks later. The girl had bloodshot eyes; she had cried that day until she threw up. Something on her plate at dinner reminded her of the Damien's basement. Steve had quickly whisked it away, leaving for a bit, and coming back with Chinese takeout. Claudia had trouble managing a fork, muchless trying to eat with chopsticks, but Myka had twisted the girl's long hair into a knot, and stuck the chopsticks in. She still had the ng tube, but she was starting to look a bit healthier. Her expression was calm, something rare at that time, and Myka had decided to take a picture.

She flipped to another one. This one was a week after Claudia had arrived home. She had gained some desperately needed weight, and had a small, sleepy grin on her face. Her hair was the fiery red the whole team loved, and she was snuggling on the couch with Myka, Pete, and Joshua. That day had been a challenge. She had been in a panic from the moment she woke up. The team had considered bringing her to the emergency room to get more powerful sedatives, but with Leena guiding her through breathing exercises, lots of herbal tea, and a doctor who marathon, they had managed to avoid bringing her in. Of course, because she had taken the highest dose allowed of her medications that day, she was pretty loopy by the end of the night. She said several things throughout the Doctor Who marathon that left the team doubled over in laughter.

Another flip, and Josh saw a picture of his sister 6 months after her rescue. She had thick, red scars on her wrists and forearms, but she was smiling, sitting on the counter and cradling a bag of chocolate chips in her arms like it was a baby. Pete was next to her, holding up two wooden spoons like ears sprouting from Claudia's head.

The next picture was of Claudia and Diana. They were sitting on Claudia's bed, each with an arm around the other. They had both been anxious and stressed when the picture had been taken, shortly before the trial. Claudia stood 7 inches taller than Diana. Neither girl wore makeup that day, but their scarred faces still smiled. They had won; they had survived.

"She's made so much progress."

"Yeah. I forgot how rough looked at the beginning." Joshua said, looking back at the first picture.

"There was a reason we didn't let her near a mirror for a while."

Myka opened her laptop and worked on a case report. Josh ended up getting some work done on his project for CERN. The two sat in the living room, working in silence. Somehow, the world seemed a little lighter.

Claudia finally walked down the stairs after having slept for about 7 hours.

"Hey Claude, how are you?" Myka smiled at the redhead.

"Kinda groggy, but a little better."

"I'm glad."

"There's some taco ingredients for you in the fridge and some corn tortillas on the counter," Josh added.

"Thanks." Claudia walked to the kitchen, pulling her red hair out of her face.

A few afternoons later, Claudia came home from the Warehouse and began pacing around the B&B aimlessly. After about 10 minutes of that, Leena approached her in the kitchen. The agent was squeezing the fingers of one hand nervously.

"You okay?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to take something?"

She pushed a hand through her red locks.

"Um, I don't know…" She didn't seem panicky as much as just distracted and sad.

"You don't have to. It's whatever you need right now."

"I think I just need to sit down."

Leena was expecting the woman to go into the living room, but instead, Claudia sat down right where she was, leaning back against the cabinets. Leena sat down with her.

"Do you know… Can warehouse agents take leaves of absence?"

"It's happened before, but usually it's code for MIA or hospitalized."

"Well, who do I talk to if I want one?"

"Probably the regents. Where would you go?"

"Josh said they need a computer specialist for a project at CERN. It would just be for a few months."

"Wow, so you've thought about this a lot."

"Yeah. I think I need to get away for a while before I settle down here. I really want to spend some more time with my brother, and I know he's already spent too much time away from CERN. I really think I can get back on my feet if I just get a little change of scenery."

"Well, we'll miss you, but I'm sure the team will understand if you need a break."

Claudia nods.

Reviews for a writer are like fuel for a car. I really appreciate feedback, comments, suggestions, ect.