Agnes sighed. She had a feeling that this was a bad decision, she really did. It had been a few days since she really had spent any significant time with Rebecca. Every since the morning after her birthday, when Agnes had nearly kissed the young redhead, she had been trying to avoid Rebecca. Not as in completely not talking to her, but she gave the Scot longer periods in-between seeing each other, trying her best to not make the situation awkward. Agnes was coming out of it, though. She was not finding herself thinking about Rebecca as much and focused her attention entirely on Jasmine.

But today…well…today she really, really needed Rebecca’s help. Of all of her friends, Agnes knew that Rebecca was the only one who could handle it. Even though Agnes knew she had a plethora of friends who would help her, she did not want to put any of them through it. Gina was her sweet and innocent little sister, too innocent to be exposed to what she needed to do; Sveta was busy with her new love Jude; and Jasmine, well, she was keeping any facts about her past from Jasmine as long as she could.

That meant that there was only one person who could really help her out…and that was Rebecca. She really hoped that Rebecca was in her room and did not have plans for the rest of the day.

Walking down the hall, she found her heart racing as she got closer and closer to Rebecca’s room. She could still feel that flush that came over her cheeks whenever she was around the young Scot but she pushed her way through it. She kept Jasmine, like a mental photograph, taped inside the back of brain. Her focus on doing this was purely so that she could move on and not think about that house or her parents again.

But to do it, she needed Rebecca.

Standing in the hallway, in the morning light, Agnes stopped the second that she reached Rebecca’s door. Her wings fluttered nervously but she managed to keep them secured against her back. Dressed in a denim jacket (that thankfully Gina had altered), blue jeans, and a purple top, the runaway sighed as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

Taking a second to compose herself, Agnes balled up her fist, stepped forward, and knocked on Rebecca’s door.

KnockKnockKnock![/b]

“Please be home,” she muttered to herself. “Please be home…”

Rebecca was acclimating to technology since her arrival in America. Scotland was not behind on technology, but her family was rather plain and lived a primarily minimalist lifestyle, so having a nice cell phone and a laptop of her own had been an interesting change. She was on her bed, typing away, putting some of her poems into word documents in a folder titled "Shades of Grey."

She had not gone outside, so she had no need to dress for the cold weather outside. She was comfortable in a long forest green skirt and a black tanktop. The other change for Rebecca in America was her wardrobe; she had recently taken to wearing a few sleeveless tops, even if she always kept to the mansion in them, with most of that time spent in her room.

She inputted one of her more recent poems warily. The subject matter still left her feeling... well, confused was a good word. It reminded her of the notable lack of Agnes in her life since the incident. She finished the last line and was forced upon saving to add a title. She mused for a moment before settling on Save the Princess.

KnockKnockKnock![/b]

Surprised by the rapping against her door, Rebecca hopped out of bed to answer. She considered tossing on a sweater to hide her shoulders, but there were none out and she did not want to leave her guest waiting. Besides, she was getting slightly more comfortable with the occasional showing of innocent skin.

She opened the door to find none other than the object of "Save the Princess," Agnes. Surprised by the coincidence, Rebecca stammered out, "A-Agnes! Hi! Nice tae see ye! Wha's up?" She did her best to act casual, taking the unexpected visit in stride.

Agnes nearly held her breath as she waited in front of the door, watching, waiting, straining for any signs that there was life within. Maybe she should have called Rebecca first just to see if she would even be home today. But no, she had to go around, knocking on doors as if she were the police doing a raid. That was highly rude of her. It really was unlike Agnes to be like this. But for some reason, today of all days, she was bitten by a bug that just forced her to complete this task.

She knew that she would have to do this today or she would not have the courage to do it later. It was now or never, do or die, pucker up an--

>> "A-Agnes! Hi! Nice tae see ye! Wha's up?”

Agnes jumped when Rebecca first opened the door. Seeing the bright smile of the redhead, Agnes immediately felt a piece of her had been replaced that she had been avoiding for far too long. It was not like this whole time she had been ignoring Rebecca but she had been making herself scarce, spending more time with Jasmine and focusing on her schooling, anything to keep herself occupied. But she did have to note that during all that, she did feel as if part of her were missing. She wanted things to be normal with her friend again.

She did not know exactly how today’s adventure would help with that (that is if Rebecca agrees), but that was besides the point. Agnes needed to do this and, honestly, she would rather she did not face it alone.

Quickly she quelled the awkwardness she felt in her chest and smiled a beaming smiling at Rebecca. So far, so good…

“Hi Becca! Oh,” she said as she nodded approvingly to her. “That’s a pretty outfit.”she grinned as she looked around the door and then just smirked and nodded to the room. “Um…c-can I come in?”

She glanced in and spied the laptop on the bed and the cleanliness of the room. So far it did not look as if Rebecca had any plans of going anywhere at the moment. That was at least a good sign. She turned her attention back to Rebecca and just sighed a little.

“Um, I…I just came by…because…well…” she sighed as she tried to calm her nerves. “I wanted to see if you had any plans today. I…kind of would like your help with something. If you’re not busy, that is.”

>> “Hi Becca! Oh, that’s a pretty outfit. Um…c-can I come in?”

"Wha?" She looked down at her outfit, pinkening. Apparently she did look nice with bare shoulders. "Thank ye. It's jist mah hangin' round clothes." Rebecca looked around her room, deeming it tidy enough to entertain a visitor, so she smiled back to the winged girl. "Sure! Come in, silly!"

She had already put her notebook down on the desk, so she just had to make sure to take care of the computer. She jumped back on her bed and moved the cursor to the X in the top right corner of the word document. With that out of the way, as long as Agnes did not decide to look around the desk top, "Save the Princess" would stay her little secret.

>> “Um, I…I just came by…because…well… I wanted to see if you had any plans today. I…kind of would like your help with something. If you’re not busy, that is.”

Rebecca was slightly concerned with how nervous Agnes was asking for this help. Was it Rebecca or was it the nature of the quest? "Ay coorse Ah'll help! Ah hae the-day free. Whit dae ye need?"

>> "Sure! Come in, silly!"[/i]

Agnes smiled a little sheepishly but nodded as she made her way into Rebecca’s room. She really did miss her friend’s perky attitude but everything she had done, she had done in order to preserve their friendship. But there was no use thinking about that right now, it would only distract her. She had a mission in mind that needed to be completed and she truly hoped that the young Scot would be okay with going with her.

Once she had stepped in, she stood aside as Rebecca flopped herself onto her bed and fiddled around with her computer. Agnes hoped that she was not keeping her from something important. Rebecca would have told her otherwise, right? She glanced around the room and remained in place, not wanting to travel too far without permission.

It was only when Rebecca had closed her computer and looked up with that usual sunny smile did Agnes turn her attention back to her.

>> "Ay coorse Ah'll help! Ah hae the-day free. Whit dae ye need?"

Agnes took a second to sigh. She really had no idea how she was going to go about asking Rebecca for this favor. Not that it was something major to the young redhead, but to Agnes it was. She was scared that if she did this, she was going to have an emotional relapse breakdown like she had the morning after her friend’s birthday. But the thought was prevalent in her mind that she really could not ignore it anymore.

Bluntness was always a good way of just getting the point across.

“Rebecca, I need you.” she blurted out.

Most people would have probably seen such a comment as meaning a bit more than it was meant to have, but thankful Agnes was too flushed with nerves to take notice of it. Quickly she followed up her announcement with the rest of her proposition.

“I mean, I need you to come with me,” she said as she placed her hands on her hips and began to pace. “I’ve been thinking about my parents, and their house. When I lived there, my brother Dante and I had a lot of stuff stored away, hidden from our parents eyes; stuff that they would have never approved of: comics, photos, gifts from friends, gifts from each other.” she paused and took a breath. She released she had never told Rebecca this part of the story.

Finding a chair in the room, Agnes took a seat as she turned her sad eyes onto her.

“A-After the exorcism, and before I came here, I lived for about a year on the streets. I had run away from home, slept in alleys, ate trash, stayed away from people because I was scared my parents would be looking for me. But because I had nowhere to go, I left SO much behind, hidden under the floorboards of my room.” she nervously wrung her hands as she sat back in the chair, crossing her legs and glanced at Rebecca. “I-I want to go back, to get what I left behind. I never want to think about that house again, or that I possibly left anything there. The house is empty, my parents are in jail, but…I…I really don’t want to go alone. Will…you come with me?”

>> “Rebecca, I need you.”

Rebecca felt her heart skip, not prepared for Agnes to open with something like that. If she had been drinking anything, she was sure it would have been sprayed over her laptop. She tried forming a response in vain. "Ah, um--"

>> “I mean, I need you to come with me. I’ve been thinking about my parents, and their house. When I lived there, my brother Dante and I had a lot of stuff stored away, hidden from our parents eyes; stuff that they would have never approved of: comics, photos, gifts from friends, gifts from each other.”

Rebecca heaved a heavy sigh of relief, if not a sad one. She needed her help with a recovery mission at her old home, which made much more sense in context. Returning to a calm mind, she continued listening to her friends plight.

>> “A-After the exorcism, and before I came here, I lived for about a year on the streets. I had run away from home, slept in alleys, ate trash, stayed away from people because I was scared my parents would be looking for me. But because I had nowhere to go, I left SO much behind, hidden under the floorboards of my room.”

Rebecca felt her heart breaking at the thought of Agnes on the streets. She had harbored a hatred for Agnes's nameless, faceless parents, but she had no idea that Agnes ran off and lived the life of a poor, homeless runaway.

>> “I-I want to go back, to get what I left behind. I never want to think about that house again, or that I possibly left anything there. The house is empty, my parents are in jail, but…I…I really don’t want to go alone. Will…you come with me?”

Rebecca warmed up with am empathetic smile. Whatever mixed-emotions she had toward Agnes paled into comparison for how much she cared for the girl and how much she missed having Agnes in her life. "Ay coorse. Ah woulds be happy tae be there fer ye. Ah promised ye Ah woulds, didne Ah?"

Rebecca sat up from her bed, looking out the window, muttering to herself. "It's could out, huh? Ah shoulds change." She glanced at Agnes. She should probably have the girl leave the room for her sake. Then again, it would probably just be easier if... "Woulds ye mind turning aroond? Ah'll be quick." She opened her closet and looked through, glancing over her shoulder to see if it was safe for her to begin changing.

Agnes tilted her head curiously. There was a confusing look that flashed across Rebecca’s face for the fraction of a second. For that moment Agnes had no idea what that was about. It was perplexing to say the least. But just as quickly as it appeared, it also vanished. Agnes was left with the same ole Rebecca who had nodded encouragingly for her to go on with her story. It was not until she was done that Agnes actually cautioned another look at the young Scot.

She was upset, obviously, about hearing of Agnes’ past. But she was also giving her that warm and inviting smile of a true friend. Agnes was thankful for that look.

>> "Ay coorse. Ah woulds be happy tae be there fer ye. Ah promised ye Ah woulds, didne Ah?"[/color]

She smirked and nodded. “Yes you did, Becca. I just, you know, I never thought I would have to ask you for something like this. But, you know, thank you.”

Agnes felt terrible for not asking for Jasmine’s help in this but she was resolved to keep this part of her past a secret. She was feeling terrible for hiding it. She was especially fearful if Jasmine ever wanted to take their intimacy to the next level. Agnes would have had to explain the scars and everything she went through.

Luckily…well…that was not a problem anymore. But being as such, Agnes wanted to get this last part of her past taken care of.

She stood, as if getting ready to go, when she saw Rebecca cast her a quick again. Again, there was that odd look on her face. Hmm…

>> "It's could out, huh? Ah shoulds change…Woulds ye mind turning aroond? Ah'll be quick." [/color]

“Oh! Um, y-yeah, sure. Sorry.” Agnes turned around facing the desk that she had pulled the chair out from.

She blushed a little but Agnes was quick to hide it. The idea that the young redhead was changing clothes a mere few feet from her began to cause that surge of adrenaline she felt back on that post-birthday morning. But Agnes did her best to ignore and squash. Now was SO not the time for this insanity. She could have to deal with it later.

Still, though, Agnes fidgeted a little, keeping her eyes locked squarely on the desk in front of her. She didn’t dare blink or shift her position since she was fearful that some act of God would cause her to either trip, fall, or startle Rebecca to the point that Agnes would accidentally see her while she was changing. So, erring on the side of caution, the runaway practically turned herself into a statue.

It was in doing so that she noticed the notebook sitting on the desk. With a small shrug, while she listened to Rebecca dressing, Agnes flipped the book open…just to distract herself…

Agnees seemed focused on keeping her eyes one-hundred and eighty degrees away from Rebecca, so cautiously, she slipped her top over her head. The entirety of her exposed upper body was turning a bright shade of red just knowing someone was a a few feet away.

She began to tremble when the skirt passed her hips and to the floor. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Agnes was not catching a look at her in her green skivies. With the affirmation that Agnes was keeping to her good girl behavior, Rebecca sighed and looked through the dresser.

She found a pair of jeans-- one of the two she owned, and leaned on her bed so she could get one leg through followed by the other. She shimmied the tight denim up until it fit her snugly and she could button it.

Rebecca looked back at Agnes, who seemed occupied by something that was keeping her attention from wandering. "What are ye up tae?" she asked curiously.

Agnes could hear the sounds of clothing being shed but she did not turn around. She had far more respect for Rebecca than that. Though her mind wanted to wander, wanted to contemplate and put little pictures in her head of what possible Rebecca was doing, Agnes denied them life for long. Not only would such thoughts be rude but she was sure that her skin would blush all the more at the thoughts. But Agnes was doing well in controlling herself. She did not feel as anxious an urge to kiss her. Maybe all that during that morning really was just a rush of emotions?

She sighed as she began to idly flip through the pages of the notebook. She had expected to find homework or something but instead she seemed to have stumbled upon writings of sorts. They looked like…poetry…

Curious, and not realizing that this was an invasion of privacy, Agnes began to go through the book, flipping page after page and glancing at a poem or two. The runaway really did have a hard time with poetry. A lot of flowery words that never really made sense to her. On top of that, too many times it reminded her of her mother’s bibles that she was forced to read over and over again.

But a glance at these poems and Agnes had to admit that they were pretty good, from what she could understand of them. She really had no idea that Rebecca had this level of talent in her tiny body. She was surprised by that young girl more and more every day.

>> "What are ye up tae?"[/i]

She was still too scared to turn around to see if Rebecca was dressed so she kept her back to her.

“Just reading,” she said with a smile. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew how to write?”

She asked with an awe-filled voice. She flipped the page and tilted her head at a curious poem without a title. Huh. Didn’t most poems come with titles? Lifted up the page, compelled to recite, for whatever reason.

“Do you mind?” she asked and began to recite. After all, why would Rebecca object? “There is a princess surrounded in flowers / And she has rule over my heart…” It was such a pretty verse…

>> “Just reading. Why didn’t you tell me you knew how to write? Do you mind?”

Rebecca was sorting through the sweaters in her closet to find something cute and warm, so at first, she barely registered what Agnes said. "Ah thought Ah told ye. Ah well." She flipped to a snug blue sweater that might serve her best for the trip.

Rebecca pulled the sweater off the hanger when the realization of what Agnes was probably reading dawned on her, with the sound of her friend quietly reading verses to herself. "No!" In three long strides she grabbed the notebook off of the desk. Not wanting to seem rude, she rationalized, "Sorra, Ah'm jist shy aboot it an' it's nae finished."

With the adrenaline wearing off, Rebecca looked down and remembered that her top half was less than clothed. "Ah! Sorry," she exclaimed, turning back and hastily throwing the sweater in her hands over her head and through her arms. It took a few moments to find the right holes, but eventually she succeeded, fixing her hair after the static made a mess of it.

Rebecca sighed heavily, wishing she could rewrite the last twenty seconds. "Sorry. Ye can turn aroond. Wanna get goin?"

>> "Ah thought Ah told ye. Ah well."

Agnes did not hear her at all. Instead her focus was entirely set on the open notepad in front of her. The poem really was beautiful. Reading it softly to herself, which happened to be just a habit that she had developed, Agnes soon found herself lost in the words. She was not even halfway through the poem but already she was enraptured by it. She really wished that she had knew about this gift in Rebecca earlier. Maybe she could have helped her with her Literature homework.

But as she continued on with reading the poem, suddenly there as the sound of rushing. It made Agnes pause just long enough to jump at the sight.

>> "No! Sorra, Ah'm jist shy aboot it an' it's nae finished."

Rebecca spoke so fast but Agnes got the jist. Suddenly she felt bad for snooping into the redhead’s stuff. She really had no right to open that notebook and definitely no right to read what was inside. She should have asked first, or better yet, should have just kept her nose out of that business.

She turned to apologize…then blinked…

>> "Ah! Sorry,"

“Sorry!” Agnes suddenly squeaked as she turned on her heel as quickly as she could, accidentally knocking her shin into the chair. She winced and leaned down to rub the soreness out of her leg.

She could feel that blush overtake her entire body. Rebecca apparently was in such a hurry keep her from reading the notebook that she had thrown herself at it as if it were a live grenade and she were protecting Agnes, but she had neglected to actually put on a shirt. Agnes blushed at the sight of the bra and tried to keep that image out of her head. Really? Fate really had a knack for being cruel.

It was an honest mistake that was all it was. But Agnes found herself thinking about it again…Rebecca, standing there, in her bra, looking just terrified that A) her poem was being read, and B) she was without a shirt. The look on Rebecca’s face was, to say the least, priceless. Suddenly, unable to help herself, Agnes found herself giggling…

>> "Sorry. Ye can turn aroond. Wanna get goin?"

She turned, her face contorted into a smirk as she tried to hold in her laughter. She nodded her head, her eyes stinging with tears from her holding it in and finally, unable to help herself, she just laughed. Not a mean spirited laugh, but a laugh at just the situation they had found themselves in. It really had been far too long since they had just hung out with one another.

Catching her breath from giggling she just smirked as she turned her gaze to Rebecca. “I-I’m s-sorry! Hahaha! You should have seen your face!”

It was good to laugh about this and not feel awkward…for once…

Rebecca was nervous that she might have just caused a setback in the renormalization of the relationship between herself and Agnes in the same way that a global political assassination would set back peace talks. Not to sound arrogant, but if Agnes was already attracted to Rebecca, this would logically bring her back to feeling mixed emotions and discomfort.

Thankfully, when she was once more dressed and Agnes turned around, she was laughing.

>> “I-I’m s-sorry! Hahaha! You should have seen your face!”

Rebecca blushed, but this time she was able to grin. She lightly pushed Agnes's shoulder teasingly. "Yeah, yeah, hush you." She debated taking a shot back at Agnes, and decided to take the chance and see what happened. "Ah'm sae sure it was mah face ye were lookin' at," she taunted with a wink. Hopefully Agnes knew she was just joking.

Every now and then, friends saw each other in unexpected positions. And it was awkward, but it was normal. Rebecca liked this. She would not be walking around in her undies any time soon, but she felt more sure that things could return to how they were.

Rebecca took her coat off of a hook on the door, grabbed her phone and a small bag of metal marbles and stuffed them in her pockets. "Alright then, why dornt ye lead th' way?"

>> "Yeah, yeah, hush you…Ah'm sae sure it was mah face ye were lookin' at,"

Agnes blushed but she quickly laughed it off, heartily.

“I’m offended,” she said with mock hurt on her face. “I’ll have you know that I was respectful and that my gaze was perfectly abreast with your gaze.”

She turned and decided to leave it at that, not pausing for that perfectly suitable word that she had just used. But she still could not help smirking when Rebecca playfully shoved her. Moving to her side she nudged her back with her own shoulder and just laughed. It felt like such a normal gesture and Agnes reveled it in. It was as if her friendship with Rebecca was being restored before her eyes. She could not be happier with that.

Once Rebecca was ready (by which she meant fully clothed), and grabbed her jacket, Agnes moved up to the door and opened it for her.

>> "Alright then, why dornt ye lead th' way?"

“I’ll be glad to,” she said as her wings fluttered happily. As Rebecca walked by, Agnes gently stopped her, looked into her eyes for a second, and then smiled as she gave her a warm hug. She whispered gently into her ear. “Thank you again for coming with me.”

With that said, she turned and headed out the door, hopefully, with Rebecca in tow.

****

Agnes had never told Rebecca that it would be a short trip. As a matter of fact she probably should have but this was already the second bus and they were nearly there. Rebecca seemed to be cheerful and supportive the entire time so that was good. But still, public transit was not really the best way to travel in the city; it smelled, there was motley crew of people who were always on board, and Agnes prayed that whatever it was she had stepped on when they switched buses was only an old chocolate bar and not…well…yeah…

Looking out the window though, Agnes could already feel the melancholy begin to settle in. She was nearly…home. Just seeing this old neighborhood made her think of that house, or her parents, of what they did to her. She lowered her gaze to stare at the floor of the bus. She was beginning to have second thoughts now but she knew that it was far too late for them to stop. Instead, all she could do was to try and strengthen her resolve. But her strength was quickly sapping away.

Then the driver called out a pair of familiar streets. This was it.

She lifted her head, but did not dare look out the window. Instead she turned her misty eyes onto Rebecca and gave her a quick smile. “This is it,” she said as she rang the bell for a stop and began to stand. Once Rebecca would stand, Agnes would lead her to the exit, ignoring the glances and catcalls from fellow bus riders. It was time for them to depart…

>> “I’m offended. I’ll have you know that I was respectful and that my gaze was perfectly abreast with your gaze.”

Rebecca was left open mouthed at the witty comment Agnes made, impressed by the clever wordplay. She held her hands up, chuckling in resignation. "Alright, alright, ye win. Jist as long as ye dornt mind what ye saw." Even if things were normal, the idea that Agnes thought Rebecca was attractive did do something for the girl's confidence.

>> “I’ll be glad to. Thank you again for coming with me.”

Rebecca happily accepted the hug and the appreciation as it was whispered softly into her ear. Feeling like a good friend again for the first time in a while, she simply said, "Anytime, Agnes. Anytime." With the warm fuzzies out of the way, the girls left on their mission.

****

The bus ride was not bad at all. Rather, the distance was not bad. The bus itself was a questionable place and a firm reminder that some people were odd and some had a habit of giving creepy glances toward pretty girls.

Thankfully, Rebecca was sitting next to a friend who was about to go through something tough, so she kept a bright smile in support until Agnes informed her that they reached their destination. "Alright then, let's go. Thes is gonna be fine," she reassured Agnes.

The two girls walked by the creeps and perverts, and Rebecca thought she felt her bottom being pinched, but she forced herself to assume it was her imagination and kept walking until they were off the bus.

Taking in the wondrous sensation of clean air, Rebecca looked at Agnes, who she had to imagine was getting nervous. She placed a comforting hand on Agnes's shoulder. "Ah'm here wi' ye. Ye'll be alright, Ah promise." She would make sure of it.

>> "Alright then, let's go. Thes is gonna be fine,"

The words rang in Agnes’ ears. She knew that something was not really going to happen to them while they were at the house. Her parent’s followers were scattered to the wind, her own parents were locked away in prison, there was absolutely nothing that could be happen to them like that. But Agnes was more worried about how she going to handle seeing that house again. Emotionally, she really did not know if she was ready. It had been, what, over two years now since she so much as looked at the outside of it?

This was going to be hard, she knew that, but the bad thing was that she was already beginning to feel the effects of it. She could already feel her heart sinking into her knees. Part of her really did not know how she was going to do this. Thankfully, though, she was already stepping off the bus when she thought about this.

The first step of a thousand mile journey…

She took one shuddering breath and Agnes felt her blood pumping through her veins at an impossible speed. The smell of the cool air, the sight of the neighborhood, all of it was cause her memories and emotions to bubble up to the surface. Without meaning to, she felt herself whisked back to thoughts of her old home, of her parents, of her brother Dante, all of it was just washing over her in a wave that she could scarcely control anymore.

At that moment, all Agnes wanted was the mansion, her bed, and her ladybug slippers. But most of all she wanted to be wrapped in the arms of someone she cared about very much—Reb—EERR—Jasmine…

Ahem.


>> "Ah'm here wi' ye. Ye'll be alright, Ah promise."[/color]

She turned and smiled at Rebecca, thankful for the young redhead’s presence. She nodded as she gnawed on her bottom lip nervously. She had to keep repeating to herself that she was fine, that everything was going to be okay. It was just an empty house now.

A sigh and she nodded to Rebecca that she was fine. Leading the way, Agnes had her hands stuffed in her pockets as she kept her head down, eyeing the ground, kicking over leaves and counting the cracks in the concrete. She knew all of it far too well. So well, in fact, that Agnes hardly needed to look up see where she was going. The path home was still memorized…

Before long, Agnes was struck by the sound of a squeaky, black iron gate. The door of it opened and closed thanks to the breeze’s help. But it was a sound she knew far too well. Feeling a chill creep over her, Agnes forced herself to stop and turned.

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the house.

She was home…