Night Falls

Twenty Two

I stand in front of my door, the stickers "3E" staring me in the face. I couldn't believe I was actually home.

I had been at the bureau all day while Alex finished up all my paperwork and Jess and Jake went back to the safehouse to pack my things. I had offered to go with them, but Avi insisted I hang back so they could get everything done the "official" way. I had huffed but understood.

Alex drove me home with Clark and Nevins, and Alex and I sat out in the car while they swept my apartment to make sure it was safe.

"How do you think Scott is handling this?" I had quietly asked Alex while we waited together in the backseat.

Alex had pursed his lips and looked down.

"I can't imagine great," Alex said with a deep breath. "But he'll pull through, one way or another."

It was only a few minutes later that Clark tapped on the window and gave the "all clear."

Alex had walked me to my door and I wrapped my arms tight around his shoulders.

"I can't thank you enough, Alex." I squeezed him tighter. Alex just patted my back and smiled as he pulled away.

"My pleasure, Mitch."

He gave me his card and said to call if I needed anything, or if I ever wanted to come to dinner and meet his family.

As he turned away, hand on the stair railing, I called out to him.

"In case I don't see Scott again," I had smiled softly at the likely possibility, trying not to show my distress at the thought. "Can you thank him for me? For everything he's done?" Alex just smiled back and nodded.

"Of course." And with that, he was gone, and I was no longer Mitchell Grassi, federal witness for the FBI. Once again, I was just Mitch.

I step into my apartment for the first time in weeks, the long hallway somehow not as welcoming as I remembering it being. I step inside and lock the door behind me before rolling my suitcase into the living room.

My eyes widen as they wander the room, surprised to find how messy it was; all my knickknacks had been moved around, pillows had been tossed and rugs had been bunched up and overturned. I carry my bag into my bedroom, finding a similar mess.

"As least they were thorough," I mutter as I release my suitcase and sit on the edge of my bed, not feeling the sense of comfort that usually greeted me after a long trip away. Something just didn't feel right.

Maybe it was the fact that who-knows-how-many federal agents had been through every inch of my apartment, or perhaps it was the realization at how pointless my old life had been compared to everything I had seen and learned over the last few weeks.

Whatever it was, as I laid back on my bed and stared up at my ceiling, something about this place didn't feel like home anymore. That instant relief of comfort I had been craving since the day I had been dragged into this mess was missing.

I sit up on my elbows and sigh. Maybe a hot bath would help. That always made me feel better, even on my worse days.

I step into my attached bathroom, happy to see it wasn't totally destroyed, as I reach into the tub and flip the drain closed before turning on the steaming water. I shut the door, trapping the steam as I drop in some bubbles and undress.

The hot water stings my skin, but I don't mind it as I lower myself into the tub. I open my phone and flip through it until I find the acoustic playlist I saved for when I needed to relax.

My body relaxes as I sink deeper into the warm porcelain, allowing my shoulders to unwind as I take deep and purposeful breaths, laying flat so that my ears are submerged and my music disappears through the barrier of water.