Joel was disinclined to trust more than a few people at any given time, but he didn't need to tell her that. They'd cross whatever bridges they came to, whenever they got there. The important thing was that he'd found her, and she was all right.

He took the offered pastry with a nod, eating methodically. He hadn't had a pastry in a long, long time. Not many people bothered to bake, anymore. "I'm sorry you were here so long without me," was his only answer to that. "We're a team, right? We'll figure this out."

He didn't plan to let her out of his sight, that was for sure. Not ever again.