The sound of soft voices drew Annie from the first fitful sleep she had managed without the aid of drugs, consensual or otherwise, in days. She lay still for a long moment, allowing her aching body the luxury of a few last moments of rest. It was uncertain how long it would be until she would be able to sleep again. It was likely that she would be collected and shut up in a windowless room for debriefing as soon as she landed in Virginia. While she hadn't gone rogue, she had broken one of the cardinal rules of the Agency – always let someone know where you are. At least the general area – particularly if out of country. Under Lena's 'supervision' she'd become too accustom to relaxed rules and greater leeway…and in the long run her resulting carelessness had nearly gotten her killed.

Not to mention that it had blown Jai's cover.

Her mouth twitched into a small smile. Honestly, she wasn't too terribly sorry that it had. At least now she knew the truth. The plane banked beneath her as it began the decent into Dulles International, and she winced as the movement jarred her bruised shoulder. She opened her eyes reluctantly and slowly straightened against the plush cushions of her chair, carefully assessing each limb as she did. She'd been through worse but it didn't make it ache any less.

"We will be landing shortly, Ms. Walker. Is there anything I can get you?"

A good alias and a ticket to South America?

Annie looked up at the attendant standing at her elbow and gave the woman a weary smile.

"A bottle of water would be wonderful, thank you."

She relaxed back against the chair and shifted her gaze out into the darkness beyond tempered glass of the window. Lights gleamed in the distance, like small islands in a sea of ink. Somewhere among those pinpricks her future was being decided…and she found that she really didn't care much what the outcome was at the moment. Besides, they had bigger things to worry about than her jaunt to Switzerland. The agency was in the midst of a quiet uproar. Lena had vanished. Intel suspected that she was headed for Russia…

…or so Jai had told her in Germany.

Jai

Despite her hectic escape from the chateau and the unexpected onslaught of the storm, the remainder of the impromptu rescue had gone surprisingly smoothly. The storm had let up near dawn, allowing Jai's contacts to get through to them with the promised helicopter. There had been no sign of Simon or his men. The chopper had taken them as far as a U.S. Air Base in Germany, where at Jai's insistence she was admitted to the clinic to have her injuries properly examined while he secured a flight home. When she had returned two planes were waiting. One look at his face, and the bag in his hand, had confirmed what she already knew.

"You're not coming back with me, are you?"

He'd been ordered to pick up Lena's trail and attempt to capture her – alive, though his expression suggested that he hoped he'd find her otherwise. Before he'd left, Jai had presented her with a gift. A small bittersweet smile tugged at her lips as she glanced down at her feet – and her new fleece lined leather snow boots.

"Not quite as fancy as your useless pair, but these should keep your feet warm and dry should you ever get the urge to go hiking through the snow again."

If not for his gift, she might have easily managed to convince herself that Jai had been the product of a hallucination. The official cover story was that she had escaped Simon's chateau and had stumbled upon the cabin, where she had managed to find a radio and call for help. Officially Jai Wilcox was a star on a marble wall. Unofficially…the knowledge that Jai still lived was the one bright spot in a truly wretched year, a soothing balm that helped to lessen the impact of Lena's betrayal.

A bottle of water appeared on the small table beside her, and she smiled her thanks and fished a pack of pain pills from the pocket of the oversized ski coat Jai had insisted she keep. At least it didn't smell like moth balls…though it held the scent of wood smoke and snow and something uniquely Jai. She found it warm and comforting…and safe…like in the old days when he had always managed to appear in the nick of time with a way out.

She let her eyes drift close and, for a moment, she was back on the tarmac in Germany.

"Will I see you again?"

He had laughed and tugged her into his arms one last time, hugging her tight.

"With the way you attract trouble, it's only a matter of time. Be safe, Walker."

The plane jolted gently and she opened her eyes with a small start to find they had landed. A dark SUV was waiting as they taxied up to the private hanger. Annie braced herself as she stood and made her way to meet it. The tension left her body in a rush as the rear door opened and a familiar figure stepped out.

"Auggie."

She stepped into open his arms, biting back a wince as he hugged her with a ferocity that left her breathless.

"Miss me?" she asked.

"Yeah." He muttered against her hair. "Don't you ever do that again."

"No argument here."

She'd missed him…and she'd missed her team.

Jai's parting words lingered at the back of her mind.

"It's not going to be easy and things will never be the same as they once were, but don't give up. Don't make the same mistake I did, Annie. You need them as much as they need you."

The path before her was not going to be an easy one. There were bridges that she had burned that would need to be rebuilt…and trust that would have to be re-earned – on both sides. No, it wouldn't be easy.

But then again, was anything worth doing ever easy?

But down the road the sun is shining

and every cloud has a silver lining.

Just keep holding on.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this little tale. Will be interesting to see where the next season takes Annie. Thanks for reading. Until next time, fellow fans. - Red