Kay pressed her back against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest, her eyes following Christine's progress as she paced the length of the cage.

It felt wrong to be the one cowering in a corner while Christine, out of all people, snarled and cursed and banged her fists against the bars.

But Kay was afraid. Because drawing attention to herself meant potential danger. And until she started bleeding to dismiss the potential pregnancy, that wasn't happening. There was no way she was endangering her baby.

They'd been in that cage for over a day, and no one had hurt them yet. Of course, no one had explained what they were doing there either. One ragged-looking man had come to deliver a meal what felt like years ago, then they each got two bathroom breaks and that was it.

No speaking, no information, no escape attempts. Not while they had no idea where they were. The entire building seemed to be stone and iron bars with the occasional wooden door.

Kay's first thought when waking up was that the Agency had grabbed them to punish them for their rebellion. But if that were the case, they would've made it clear by now. Instead, they had the tight-lipped man with a perpetual frown who refused to talk to them. So her second guess was Snitch Gravel. It would explain the exotic building which looked like a dungeon.

"Come on, come on..." Christine stopped in front of the bars and hit the heel of her hands against them again. "Let us out!"

"They're not going to free us if we scream," Kay pointed out.

Sarah didn't even flinch. She was curled up against the wall opposite to Kay's, her arms locked around her knees, her blue eyes glassy.

"We need to do something! We can't just sit here. And why aren't you doing anything, Miss Fussy Fighter?" Christine's voice was harsh and filled with frustration. "I thought I was supposed to be the incompetent one."

Kay winced at her words. A part of her bristled and considered going over to Christine and knocking her against the bars. Another part just wanted to tell her the truth and shut her up.

"Christine, I get you're frustrated, but screaming at us won't help." Sarah's calm voice distracted them both.

Christine narrowed her eyes at Sarah, and Kay realized it must be strange to look at her sister's replacement.

"You get?" Christine asked between her teeth. "You don't get. I was supposed to pick up Sammy. I left her with Maxi Grant, out of all people. You know, the idiot who doesn't recognize danger even after it hits her in the face."

Kay straightened and her feeling of annoyance towards Christine instantly vanished. This wasn't about her selfish needs and getting dirty, but about something she'd left undone.

"What if they take her?" Christine continued, resuming her pacing. "What if they try using her against Sam? Kill that poor innocent baby girl just to hurt him?"  She stopped and sank to the floor, her back against the bars, clutching her head in her hands. "That can't happen. Not to Sammy. Not to my little girl."

"I'm sure they wouldn't hurt Sammy," Kay said, her voice as soothing as possible. "They'd want to bring her here first." She decided not to point out that Sammy wasn't her little girl.

Christine raised her eyes, and to Kay's shock, they were glistening with tears. "We've been here for five days. Do you think Maxi actually had the brains to take her and go into hiding?"

"How do you know how long we've been here?" Sarah asked.

Christine raised her wrist to show them her watch. "I'm not wearing the fancy one, so they left my watch on because it's harmless. I have the date on it."

Sarah swore under her breath and stood, heading for the bars. She looked left and right, but the corridor beyond them was as empty as always.

"They would've brought Sammy in by now, then," Kay said, trying to convince herself as well as Christine. "So they're either not interested in her, or Maxi really did manage to hide her."

Christine scoffed and Kay had to agree. She wouldn't entrust Maxi Grant with a pack of frozen peas, let alone the safety of a child.

"Why do you think we're here?" Sarah asked, turning back to them and leaning against the bars.

"As leverage," Kay answered. Always leverage, but Sarah wouldn't know that. "How are you holding out?"

She shrugged, but other than that had no reaction. It was one thing to hear about past adventures and potential danger and a whole other to actually live them.

"We need to get out of here," Christine mumbled. "So maybe your approach isn't all that bad."

Kay raised her eyebrows. Since when was not doing anything not bad? If she didn't want to protect her baby, she'd be raging and screaming worse than Christine.

Christine waved her hand in a circular motion. "When I was kidnapped and taken to France, they didn't actually hurt me, you know. Because I was leverage. And Angie acted all useless and annoying. They underestimated her, so she found the opportunity to escape. Given the circumstances, I think we could try for something like that."

Against her will, Kay had to admit she was a little impressed. "Where has this assertive Christine been?"

"Always there. I just used the assertiveness for other purposes. Like being entitled, and nagging the crap out of Sam."

"And now?" Sarah asked.

Christine craned her neck up to look at Sarah. "I don't know you that well."

"If you have hard feelings about me replacing your sister, I understand. You done have to talk to me."

Christine scoffed. "My sister had her chance with Jerry. Now it's your turn and you're obviously doing a much better job at it."

Sarah raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest. "What about you?"

Christine stiffened. "What about me?"

"You and Sam. You're back in his life. What are you expecting to get out of it?"

Christine lowered her eyes and hugged her knees. She stayed silent for a while and Kay indicated to Sarah to drop it. She was very curious as well, but she didn't believe now was the right time to interrogate and potentially antagonize Christine. They needed to stick together.

"You know," Christine said all of a sudden. "I really didn't come back to prey on him. I mean, Skye just died and--" Her voice broke.

The reminder set a pang of pain through Kay's heart as it always did. Sarah winced, too.

"Why did you come back then?"

"I just wanted to make sure he was okay. I mean, hell, he needed a therapist after I... After..."

Kay narrowed her eyes. "Say it." Once Christine turned a fearful gaze towards Sarah, she added, "She knows."

And yet, Christine's cheeks caught fire, and a disgusted snarl overtook her features. She stayed silent for a few moments and Kay thought that was the end of that conversation.

"I slept with Harry behind Sam's back," Christine whispered.

"Admitting it is the first step to healing," Sarah said, her voice soothing.

"I know. And I have admitted it. This was my fault. The failure to communicate was both of us, but the way I handled it, what I did... That was all me. And I hate that entitled little bitch."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, you're not that entitled little bitch anymore," Kay said. Which explained why Christine could care so deeply for a baby that wasn't hers.

"I don't think I am either." Christine let out a deep sigh. "I wanted to prove it to myself by coming to Sam with no ulterior motive. Just wanted to make sure he didn't crash and burn again, because what happened to him doesn't even begin to compare with what I did. I just didn't expect it to lead to me falling in love with Sammy."

Kay narrowed her eyes at her, but she seemed honest. More honest than she'd ever felt. Maybe she really had grown that much.

"What about Sam, though? Do you still care about him?" Sarah asked.

"Of course. That's why I came back. He's a wonderful person."

"That's true," Kay said. "But what do you want from him?"

Christine frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What's the role you want to fill in his life?" Sarah said. "Because if your answer is none, taking care of Sammy is going to become problematic for you soon."

Christine pondered on this for a moment, drumming her fingers on her knees. The far-away look in her eyes proved she hadn't wanted to think about it.

"I see what you mean," she finally answered, her tone wary. "But I'm fine just helping him with Sammy at the moment. After all, he's still in mourning. Even if..."

Kay straightened. Her bones and muscles ached, but it wasn't like there was a more comfortable place to sit. So instead of focusing on the pain in her body, she turned her full attention to the conversation. "Even if what?"

"Skye," Christine breathed. "I just... I can't believe what an amazing person she was."

Kay shook her head, wondering if she'd heard wrong. "Um, excuse me? I mean, she was, but..." But she'd never expected Christine out of all people to acknowledge that.

"I tried to hate her, trust me, especially after-- Well, especially after I found out she and Sam were together. But I could see the change in Sam. He became more understanding, a lot calmer and... Peaceful. And then, she invited me to her wedding..." Christine stood and turned away from them, glancing beyond the bars. "She didn't have to. She could've easily forbidden Sam to ever speak to me again. I know he would've agreed in an instant.

"And it got me thinking. Why wasn't she shunning me out? Why was she being so nice? Then she just died and left me that letter..." Her voice cracked and she sniffed.

Kay blinked and felt the need to clean her ears. "Skye left you a letter?" Kay's mind instantly went to her own letter, the one in which Skye expressed her gratitude for meeting Kay and gave her one final peace of advice about never settling.

Very fitting since Skye had witnessed Kay almost driving her relationship off a cliff. She'd taken Skye's advice to heart and there hadn't been a day in which she didn't show Kyle how much she loved him.

She knew Kyle had also received a letter, as had the rest of Sam's brothers and Sarah. But Christine? What could Skye have to say to her?

"Yes," Christine said. "Asking me to take care of Sam and Sammy if I chose to return to his life. And even if I never actually planned on sticking around, Sammy and the letter... It just feels impossible to leave."

"But she also asked you to take care of Sam," Sarah pointed out.

"Only if he'll let me."

"Regardless, do you want to?"

Christine turned back to them, biting her lower lip. There were tears in her eyes again and Kay actually felt like hugging her. Even if she wasn't Christine's biggest fan, she could understand the struggle, how hard it must be for her to distance herself from the intimacy of the family life she now shared with Sam and Sammy just to make sure she wasn't predatory.

"I... I don't know," she finally answered. "It's hard to explain. I've spent so much time getting over Sam. I've tried dating again, but it never lasted more than a couple of months. I just can't seem to get my pacing. So I decided to focus on my career."

It was so strange that Christine actually had a career. "That's a good thing," Kay said.

"It was. But I want more than that."

Sarah raised her eyebrows. "Hopefully more than being an un-paid nanny."

Christine scoffed, though the corners of her lips lifted in an amused smile. "Don't get me wrong. I still like doing things for myself, the independence it brings. It's just that this past month with Sammy... I feel so much joy every time that little girl discovers something, so much fulfillment. It got me thinking that I don't feel as accomplished doing make up as I feel looking after her." She paused for a moment and Kay was convinced she'd finally admit she'd much rather form a real family with Sam than work. "If we get out of here, I want to try and be a pre-school teacher," she said instead.

Kay's jaw dropped. Christine. A pre-school teacher. "You do realize that would mean taking care of kids which you don't necessarily feel an emotional attachment to."

"Of course. I know I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm saying."

Kay was once again tempted to ask he who she was. "How did all this come about?"

Christine raised her eyebrows. "What? Me actually growing up?"

Kay wanted to say yes, but decided it would be a little mean. "You're not the Christine I'm used to." Even if she'd been helping Sam for over a month, Kay had only tolerated her in an acceptance of Sam's decisions, hadn't considered that they could actually be friends.

"Wouldn't you have changed if you broke up with Kyle?"

Christine's words made Kay wince and she fought the need to point out that she and Sam hadn't even come close to the level of commitment Kay had with Kyle. But, on the other hand, her relationship with Sam was all Christine knew, so on some level, it was life changing.

"I have a feeling you're the better Christine," Sarah said, thoughtfully.

Christine let out a bitter laugh. "Not much use if I end up being the dead Christine."

"Fair point," Sarah said with the same thoughtful air. Then she turned to Kay. "I think you should train us."

Kay blinked. "What?"

"I know we don't get much food or water and our energy level could be problematic, but we have a lot of free time on our hands. It's a good opportunity."

"That's actually a great idea," Christine said, standing again. "You could teach us some very useful things while we wait."

It was true. And it shocked Kay a little that she hadn't come up with that idea. But the truth was, she felt a little sluggish. Exhausted. Unsure. As if her own body was foreign to her.

"That's a decent idea." She stood, too. Her body protested and the skin on her waist suddenly felt too tight for her body.  She winced and pressed down on her sides, running her hands from her ribs to her hips.

"You okay?" Sarah walked over to her, reaching out as if to help.

Kay raised her hand to assure her that she was okay, but froze at the sound of a distant door opening and footsteps thundering down the hallway towards them.

It took a mere minute for two goons to make their way to their cage. One of them took out his gun and pointed it at them while the second fumbled with the keyring.

All three girls backed off against the wall opposite from the bars. Kay couldn't help but notice they weren't bringing food or water.

"You," the one with the keys said, pointing at her. "Come with us."

🏯

Kyle kept his eyes shut and tried to force his mind into the calmest depths of his being. He could handle this. Take it, just like he'd taken everything else.

A small pincer dug into his skin and flesh, biting just a tiny chunk out of him.

Yes, this was nothing. He wouldn't bleed out. The tiny, wounds would heal and he wouldn't even have scars from the thousands of bites.

Another pinch, another piece of him removed.

This was actually the lamest torture they had subjected him to so far. Yes, it hurt, it was annoying to keep being poked and prodded, and the guy actually doing it had to be a major sadist, but he could handle it.

Just like he could easily handle the almost-drowning. He could hold his breath for a ridiculous amounts of time, so it was so easy to start thrashing about a minute before he actually ran out of air and pretend that they were doing some damage.

Because he couldn't let them do any real damage. The darkness inside him clawed violently with every insignificant wound, but he couldn't let it out. The consequences had been made clear after the one time he'd let it manifest and had broken out to help Tom.

Pull something like that again and the consequences would be on Kay.

He hadn't seen her since they got there, didn't know if she was being tortured as well, if she was still alive. He believed she was. It would be too dangerous to dangle her safety over his head and then have him find out it had been a lie. There would be no holding back the darkness then. He'd gladly let it out to do as it saw fit.

So he believed she was fine. He also believed she, Sarah and Christine were not getting tortured since he'd never seen them. Unfortunately, since the torture chambers were all in one place, he periodically saw his brothers.

He'd seen Jerry come out of the room which felt like a narrow coffin, his entire body shaking, his eyes tightly shut. Kyle hated it too, but fortunately wasn't claustrophobic. He didn't believe Jerry was either, but it seemed to affect his brothers worse than him.

He'd seen Sam dragged out of the the fallen in room, unconscious and covered in vomit after he'd been forced to stay on the one square foot of floor left while the rest of the floor and walls had crashed down the mountain.

Tom was taken in to be beaten and shocked regularly, his torture the only one taking the form of real interrogation as they tried to beat Angie's whereabouts out of him.

Then there was the narrow room with the walls filled with spikes where they had no room to sit and had to stand for hours without even being able to lean against the walls, the room where they were hosed down with ice cold water until they nearly drowned and this... Being tied to heavy chains dangling from the ceiling while some asshole tore chunks out of them with fucking pliers.

He could handle them all, but that didn't mean he didn't hate them. The people doing it. The people responsible for it. He wished Snitch Gravel would turn up already just so that Kyle could spit in his face. But he hadn't shown up so far. Inspection was conducted by Von Crooken who seemed less than satisfied with how whole they still were. But even if he mumbled and thundered, his men still didn't do real damage. Not physically at least. Their bodies needed to be somewhat functional for some reason. Their minds? Fuck their minds.

"You're giving me no satisfaction," Pliers Goon mumbled, tearing another chunk out of him.

Kyle could feel the blood oozing down his side, but he ignored it. He'd gotten pretty good at ignoring these things.

"Would you rather I tore the chains from the ceiling and strangled you with them?" he asked, not opening his eyes. He felt the stiffness of the other man as he most likely wondered if the threat was real.

It was. Kyle had pulled at the chains and tested their resistance. They would give in if he pulled hard enough. But there were the repercussions.

A loud bang at the end of the hallway had Kyle finally opening his eyes. The door to the traditional torture chamber had opened and three men were dragging someone out. From that distance, Kyle couldn't tell which one of his brothers it was.

"No, come this way," one of the goons said, heading towards Kyle.

He shut his eyes again because he recognized the man's voice. It was Cannon and the need to tear someone to pieces was back stronger than ever. The sound of a body being dragged on he floor joined that of their footsteps.

"Hey, you." Cannon snapped his fingers in front of Kyle's face.

Kyle just ignored him, trying to keep his mind empty, focus on anything else except how much he wanted to lift himself off the floor, wrap his legs around the man's neck and snap it.

"Give me that!"

The pliers dug deep into Kyle's side, deeper than ever before, and pressed on his skin, breaking it. He sucked air through his teeth and his eyes shot open.

"Now that I got your attention." Cannon stepped back as if aware Kyle was a second away from headbutting him. "Look at this." He kicked at the body on the floor.

There was a sudden heaviness settling in Kyle's chest together with a sense of helplessness. Of course it was Tom. Cannon was too invested for it to be anyone else. He looked unconscious. There was a trickle of blood running down his temple and his arms were filled with minor burns and cuts. His eyes were closed and there were bruises on both his cheekbones and along his jaw.

"This little shit thinks we're idiots," Cannon said, the frustration in his voice obvious. "That we can't tell he's playing with us."

"You went to four wrong addresses," Tom mumbled. "I think that makes you being idiots a fact at this point."

Cannon kicked his side and Tom yelped loudly, then fell silent. "As I was saying. This little shit thinks he can outsmart us. Which is why I turn to you. Where's his girlfriend?"

Kyle did his best to extinguish the fire inside him, pull back the darkness and not jump to Tom's aid. They both knew they wouldn't get far, just like last time. Continuous torture did have its setbacks. And yet, it was so hard to control himself. If he couldn't use his body, his mouth would have to do.

"For informed people who stalk us all the time, you really are idiots. Tom's right."

The affirmation gained him a backhand across the face, but the frustration and rage in Cannon's eyes was worth it.

"I will ask you again."

"What the hell are you even asking me for? Tom and Angie broke up almost two years ago. She left. Why would anyone know where she is?"

A slight moan from Tom drew Kyle's attention to him. His eyes were open and the fear in them sent a chill down Kyle's spine. Tom shook his head very slowly and even if he hated it, Kyle understood what his brother wanted.

"Except Tom, who actually followed her," he added. "As far as I know, she's continuously on the move." Tom gave him a tiny nod of approval.

Kyle wasn't sure why Tom continued pretending he knew where Angie was or why he was subjecting himself to the savage beatings over her whereabouts, but if there was a plan, he didn't want to ruin it. He trusted that Tom knew what he was doing.

"Alright then." Cannon folded his arms over his chest. "I think I know how to get you to tell me what I want. Bring her."

Kyle's blood froze in his veins. There could be only one her Cannon was talking about. A surge of dread mixed with anticipation filled Kyle to the brim as one of the goons hurried to the end of the corridor and out of sight.

"Kyle's right," Tom said all of a sudden, a light tinge of panic in his voice. "I broke up with her forever ago and it wasn't pretty. Why do you want to bring her in anyway?"

The grin on Cannon's face was pure evil, his thin lips drawing away from his unnaturally sharp teeth. "Oh, but you still care, little animal. Which is why you're lying to us. You want to protect her."

"No, I just like fucking with you and wasting your resources."

The affirmation had Cannon stomping on his thigh. Tom yelled in pain again, his entire body tensing.

"You know what? No one said you need to walk." He stomped again and Tom curled up, his face screwed up in pain.

"Leave him alone, asshole," Kyle said, pulling on his chains. There was a loud clang as the hoop in the ceiling rattled against the chain and dust rained upon them.

"Or what?" Cannon asked, tilting his head and leering. "Is your little friend coming out to play? That would be perfect."

No, it wouldn't be if Kay was coming and Cannon of course knew that. Like a given, the goons reappeared at the end of the corridor, a blonde head visible between them. Kyle couldn't take his eyes off her, take in every detail as she approached. She walked a little slower than usual, but there was no trace of a limp. Her face was dirty and she looked tired, but there wasn't a scratch on her, at least not a visible one. Her clothes were intact. He'd been right. She was okay.

The moment she reached the middle of the hallway, she broke into a run towards him. The men made a half-assed attempt to grab her, but probably realized she had nowhere to run. Within seconds, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his.

"You look awful," she whispered.

"It's not as bad as it looks," he whispered back. "We're being held separately and basically tortured, but I've seen everyone and we're alive."

"I'm being held with Sarah and Christine. They're not hurting us."

It was all they managed to get before Cannon grabbed Kay's shoulder and pulled her away from him. The front of her shirt was covered in blood.

"You're not here to be cutesy," he growled. "You're here to tell me where your friend is."

Kay frowned, obviously understanding the asshole meant Angie. "Why do you want her anyway? She's not longer part of our group."

Cannon huffed as though he didn't believe their words. Which was fairly smart of him. "To make a nice pair of shoes out of her skin."

Kyle pulled at the chains keeping him trapped. At the same time, Tom rolled to his back and kicked Cannon's knee, forcing him to the floor. Kay took advantage and, with impressive momentum, kicked the man's side, rolling him over Tom. Cannon growled. Before he could get back to his feet, Kyle pulled at the chains again, a lot harder. One of the iron links came down from the ceiling, and one of his hands was free. He half-spun in place and whipped Pliers Goon with the chain, knocking him over.

Cursing to himself that there was no way to reach Tom and protect him a well, Kyle turned again and placed himself in front of Kay with his back to Tom and Cannon. He could hear Tom groaning in pain behind him. Kay's eyes were wide with both fear and regret.

"It's okay," he whispered. Hell, he would've kicked Cannon too, given the chance. He just hoped he wouldn't take it out on her.

In a flash, something dug hard into his back, tearing his skin open. He shut his eyes, keeping in any sound of pain. Another lash of what he was sure was a whip followed.

"Stop!" Kay called, but he shook his head.

Don't draw his attention. I can take it. He wished he could tell her to run, but there was no way to go. "Don't attack him," he managed to say through the pain. "Protect yourself."

A third hard lash had him falling to one knee in a precarious position since one of his arms was still tied to the ceiling. Kyle did his best to push back the pain, detach himself from it, even as his mind and body hummed with killer energy. Tom cried in pain again as Cannon probably decided he needed to bleed some more, too.

"You see, little girl? This is what happens when you refuse to answer me," Cannon growled. "Now where is she?"

"Stop, please stop," Kay said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Cannon neither cared nor stopped. He just laughed and Tom groaned this time. Kyle grit his teeth together, doing his best to fight the darkness threatening to emerge. He couldn't lose it, not with Kay there, not with her so close to him.

"That's enough!"

All movement stopped. Kyle opened his eyes and glanced over his shoulder, towards the end of the hallway together with everyone else. 

Snitch Gravel stood before them, murder in his eyes.

🏯🏯🏯

I am back and I am so excited about this chapter! Things get a lot more interesting with the proper people involved.

So, basically everyone is having a shitty tine inside the castle. If they're even in there. Some of them take it better than others.

But now that the big bad boss is here, what will happen? Will anything happen? We'll just have to wait and see.

Fun fact: I always planned on having Snitch Gravel not actually be there for the first part of this because of reasons you will soon see. Plus, the last time you saw him, he wasn't having the best of times. Let's see how he's doing now.

Song: I like the attached song for Christine. I think it shows her growth fairly well.

Don't forget to vote and leave me a thought or two (or 50).