She was there...and she did not look well, but this really did not surprise Vincent all that much.  It was clear, also, that she was doing all she could to keep some kind of a professional demeanor...anything to hide the sleepless nights she clearly had been having.  He couldn't blame her for wanting to hide her weakness, and for a moment he even caught himself respecting her.  Instead of awkward silence and words of hate or distrust - she was focusing on the meeting as if it were a piece of business she had to attend to.  To Vincent, this was a blessing, but he did not dare to let himself become wrapped up in awe of her.  The last thing he wanted was to make the situation even more uncomfortable, and so - like Sofia - he focused only on his duty:  protecting her.<br/><br/>"I understand," Vince noted to her as professionally as he could...despite the hidden layer of emotions he was sure was not so hidden in his eyes.  Even so, politeness never hurt, and if it helped him to stay professional...so be it.  "For the moment, essentials are likely the best.  We don't know how long you will be...staying, but if you need other things later...we can make sure you are taken care of."  Okay, so he knew his voice was not quite as steady as he would have liked, but then it had already been a long day.  Perhaps Sofia would chalk it up to that, but he doubted it.<br/><br/>Yet, his heart was still thudding hard in his chest.  All the old wounds and pain were still there...made fresh by him rescuing her again...just as he had the day he lost his wife to Rafe.  He pushed the emotions down...it would do no good for Sofia to see how much he hated this moment.  So, he held out his hand with a desire to help - just as he always would have.  To do otherwise would have been to slight Sofia, and that was not an option.<br/><br/>"We should get going," he told her as he waved her to the door...hoping she would let him help...if for no other reason than to make the moment feel some kind of normalcy.  "The spare room is ready for you when you arrive, and it has it's own bathroom," Vince added in a way to keep things flowing.  Any delay or pause might make the awkwardness of the situation worse.  That could be a distraction from protecting her, and staying alert for Rafe...neither of which he was going to allow.<br/><br/>Of course, Vincent had heard briefly on the phone what had taken place for this particular set of circumstances to occur, but no details as of yet had been given.  The investigator inside him said it was important to know these things.  So, once they were heading downstairs; Vince began to ask her for details just as he would have any other victim.<br/><br/>"So, what happened exactly?" his voice as neutral as one could be considering the man connected was the same whom had raped and killed his wife.