From Stockholm to Lima

by fireflydown

Charles Xavier is a college student who has been kidnapped for ransom by a group of professional kidnappers; the one holding him captive is Erik Lehnsherr. They become affectionate towards each other but both of them are unsure if it was due to the syndrome or if they are really falling in love with each other. Fanart by unvb for this fic.

1. Chapter 1

The number of people inside of the University library began to slowly thin out. A half hour passed and the librarian began to dim the lights in certain sections of the library to conserve power. A student sitting by himself named Charles Xavier stretched his back and he heard the slight crackle of his joints. The back of his neck already felt stiff from staring down at his paperwork for hours. He was doing research on Tonic immobility on Sharks which he would use as a topic up for dissertation in class. Hank McCoy, his best friend, would be presenting the effects of Maternal Deprivation in mammals. They are both taking psychiatry as their major at Graymalkin University. Currently the focus of their class was the study of animal behavior. Charles thought he had done enough. It was time to pack up and go. He was still psyching himself up because their midterms would be coming up and he had to do exceptionally well like how he did on their preliminaries. He wanted to maintain a high GPA as much as possible so that he could be at the top of the class. Even though he was slightly of a more relaxed disposition than Hank, both of them are vying to try and be at the number one spot. It was a healthy competition between them that they had going since high school and now both of them are in the same college.

He looked out the window and saw that some of the lights outside of the building and the garden had been turned off or dimmed down. He gathered his belongings and cleared his table, returning the books he had borrowed back upon the shelves where he took them from. He said his goodbye to the librarian who smiled back at him favorably. Charles walked down the front steps of the Library and he could see other students still loitering about. He made it down to the paving, out into the dark pathway of the quadrangle. There were barely any stars out but the way was lit by lamplights that spanned the length of the path. The air was chilly, causing Charles to draw up the collar of his tan button-down jacket and shiver. Hank had left him early on at the library and headed back to their dorm room alone. He was in a hurry to get back because he suddenly needed to attend to his personal blog. Charles should have noticed something odd in Hank's behavior but he brushed it off.

He walked on and as he neared the streets that lead up to their dorm area, the path grew darker. There were no lights on in this part of the street he is taking for some reason. That was also odd enough in itself. He wasn't the nervous type when finding himself alone in the dark but he had a strange feeling come over him. He felt as if he was being watched. Charles turned to look behind him but no one was there. In fact, the streets appear to be devoid of people. He felt a cold agitation in his chest. He was not one to be paranoid, that was Hank's department, not his, but he suddenly hurried his steps and tightened his grip on his back pack, his heart beat quickening. He flung a startled glance towards one of the dark alleys when he heard either a glass or an empty can rolling upon the cement. He kept looking behind him, not looking ahead that he suddenly bumped into someone. It was a tall man wearing a dark gray hoodie jacket, the hood was drawn up over his head and he had on a green parka vest. The man looked like a night jogger. Charles was not able to see his face clearly yet but the man gripped his shoulders to steady him because he almost fell backwards.

"Sorry!" Was what automatically came out of his mouth.

"That's ok," The man said in a deep and throaty voice. His voice sounded soothing and he didn't sound like a dangerous person. Charles nervously smiled up at him and he tried to pull away but the man suddenly grabbed one of his wrists. Charles felt his blood run cold; he snapped his head up and looked at the man's face in fear. Before he could say anything, the man quickly pressed a handkerchief to his mouth and when it reached his nostrils, Charles smelled a chemical smell. Everything happened so fast. He tried to scream but the cloth of the handkerchief in the man's hand muffled his cry and he accidentally drew in a sharp breath. The moment he did that, he instantly lost consciousness and all went black.

The stranger carried the young man in his arms. The first thing he did when Charles staggered towards him, passed out, was to check if he had a cell phone on him. The stranger felt around his front and back pockets and then he guided him down onto the pavement, while Charles still leaned on him and he quickly searched the boy's backpack. He found the cell phone there and then he laid it out on the cement, stepping hard on it until it broke. He shoved the broken pieces into a gutter with his foot. He wore gloves so that his fingerprints will not be on the cell phone. He stood there in the darkness as if waiting for something as he held the boy. If anyone saw them, they would have thought he was just helping Charles, assuming he was drunk. A black sedan came rolling around the bend and stopped right in front of him. The black sedan was actually a stolen car he and his colleagues had jacked up earlier. The car door popped open and out peered Cain Marko. He was a big man with a close-shaved head and a leering grin. He held his hands out, as if offering assistance to carry the young man.

"Yeah, hand 'im over here, he's a pretty!" Cain crooned out in a rasping voice. He was looking over the boy's face hungrily.

"Erik! Keep him from Cain!" Sebastian Shaw said from the front and glared at Cain, who sat back in his seat and glowered quietly, not daring to make a retort. Erik shifted himself and drew Charles's body away from Cain when he got in, so that Charles was actually close by the car door. Erik put his arm around Charles; his slumped form was leaning next to Erik. He was still out of it that his head lolled about bonelessly. Erik placed Charles's backpack to his right to put more distance between him and Cain. When Erik locked the door, Sebastian told Janos Quested, their driver, to head off.

"Boss, what do we do with the car after?" Janos asked as he drove on down the streets.

"We ditch it. Vic got us a van at the point. We'll take the kid to the hills-"

"Too bad! It's a smooth ride, Boss-" Janos said as he spun the steering wheel effortlessly.

"You can buy another one like it once we get our money for this boy-"

"Right, Boss!"

They all sat there quietly as Janos maneuvered the car through the dark streets. Erik turned to look down at Charles's face to see if he was still unconscious. The boy appeared to be slumbering, his deep-set eyelids slightly moving as if he was dreaming. His body was pressed warmly right next to Erik. Cain was not wrong in his initial appraisal of him. He is a good-looking boy. His skin was pale and creamy even in the dim light that came in through the car window, his brown hair thick and slightly wavy. His nose was kind of cute, slightly hooked and his lips are red and generous over a rounded chin. Erik was somehow mesmerized by his face but he did not let on that he was admiring the boy's appearance. The boy's face had been so familiar to him over the last few weeks because they had been taking pictures of him from afar, had studied his movements at his university and had checked the Intel on him and his parents. He is the son of Brian Xavier, a wealthy business man and Sharon Xavier, a housewife; hence, the reason for the abduction. The boy was sure to bring in a hefty sum of dough once they get his parents to give over the ransom money.

They arrived at the rendezvous point near the docks after twenty minutes or so. The dark green van that Victor Creed had prepared for them was parked there. Sebastian was the first to get out of the car and he headed for the van. He felt around underneath the chassis of the car on the driver's side and found the car keys. He unlocked the car and then he threw the keys over to Janos who had also gotten out of the Sedan. Janos put the keys in his pocket first. He got back to the Sedan and gestured for Cain to follow him. They both took care to hide the black Sedan in another part of the parking lot at the docks. Erik in the meantime had carried Charles in his arms again and placed him into the back of the van. When the other two returned, Cain had meant to sit in the back of the van as well but Sebastian ordered him to sit in front of the van next to Janos instead. Cain's expression grew sour. Sebastian saw this, causing him to stare at Cain menacingly.

"What's with the face? Listen Cain, I won't have you fucking up this job again! Got it?"

Cain tried to appear innocent and indignant. "Boss, what gives? I ain't doin' nothin!"

Sebastian bristled at the response that he grabbed at Cain's collar and slammed him against the side of the van, while Erik and Janos both looked on nonchalantly. Both of them are thinking the same thing. They had done a kidnapping at another state several months back and Cain had been in charge of the boy they kidnapped using the same MO. It seems Cain has a penchant for raping boys and while the boy was in their hideout, Cain had raped, tortured and killed him, before the money could reach their hands. The mother had asked to hear and see her son before the exchange and that had been a disaster. It was a wonder to Erik why Cain was still in the group. He was too volatile and he could not be trusted.

"You piece of shit! Do I have to remind you how you fucked us over by killing the last boy we kidnapped? Huh?"

Cain hung his head and balled his hands into fists. He knew he blew that one but he was not able to control his urges back then. Because of his connections, he was not kicked off from the gang. He had admitted to Shaw that he liked it when he strangles and rapes his 'boys' at the same time. That was his thrill. Had Shaw not been short of able hands, he would have dropped Cain. But as it stands, Shaw owed Cain's father a favor; it was the only reason why he was still keeping the stupid, perverted thug under his wing. Cain mumbled an incomprehensible apology and stomped off to the front seat of the van. Both Shaw and Erik settled in at the back. It was going to be a long trip ahead of them. As Janos drove on, Sebastian had told Erik he would take a nap and that he would be in charge. Erik quietly accepted the order. Cain favored a glance over his shoulder at them and he was giving the boy that 'look' again. Erik glared at him and turned the boy's face away from his stare.

"Cain, don't get any ideas-" Erik said in a soft voice, shaking his head minutely. Cain let out an exasperated breath, muttered 'fuck' and then turned away. The boy suddenly stirred next to Erik, his blue eyes slowly opening but he still had that drugged look upon his expression. He looked up at Erik. He did not say anything but awareness dawned on his face, fear widening his eyes. He blinked a few times and then he passed out again. Erik's breath had caught in his throat because he thought the boy was going to scream and struggle but he did not. Erik relaxed again.

Although he played a major part in Charles's abduction, he felt sorry for the kid. Erik did not dare voice out that he felt sympathy for him in front of his colleagues. He felt the same about that first boy they kidnapped. Too bad that boy had died. When they had all talked about this job, killing young and innocent boys had been out of the plan. If Cain had not been in the picture, Erik thought things would have gone smoothly that first time. They wouldn't have had to do this 'job' again. His opinion would not matter to Sebastian anyway. He needed all four of them for a reason. He looked around in the back of the van for something to drink and found that Victor Creed had bought them some bottled water for the trip and some supplies in large plastic bags. He opened one of the bottles and drank. Sebastian woke up from the sound of the plastic cap being popped and then he sat up straight and took a bottle for himself.

"Hey, we got any beer back there?" Cain suddenly turned to look when he heard the rustling of plastic and saw both Erik and Sebastian drinking water.

"Shut your pie hole, Cain! You are not going to drink on this trip and make it an excuse to do something stupid!" Sebastian snarled from the back. Cain did as he was told, his eyes looking angry and wounded all at the same time.

"Besides, these supplies aren't for you. It's for Erik and the boy. We gotta work on the parents first and make sure they cooperate without involving the cops. Erik and the boy will stay up in the hills. No foul-ups this time; we'll move easy-"

"What do we do with the boy after?" Erik asked.

Sebastian was quiet for a moment. "He's seen your face, Erik. I told you I didn't want any murder tacked on us once we do this job, it will make things worse but if you think you can manage once we let the brat go-"

Erik looked down at the boy thoughtfully. He didn't want to get this boy killed over money, he already felt sullied from the worthless death of that first boy they kidnapped. He nodded and looked up to meet Sebastian's eyes. "I'll work something out. By the way, he already woke up a few minutes ago and I think he saw my face again-"

"Shit, the stuff is wearing off faster than I thought! We'll have to put on our masks once we get to the cabin. Put a bag over his head for now, Erik-"

Sebastian had brought a large black duffel bag with their equipment in it and Erik took out some duct tape, placed two stripes of it over the boy's closed mouth and then he got out a small laundry bag and put it over Charles's head and drew up the string. He then brought out a pair of handcuffs and he placed them on the boy's wrists, which he had positioned at his back. While sitting quietly in the backseat after an hour, Charles stirred again and this time he let out a soft, muffled cry. He was awake, which caused Janos to speed up. He also wanted to make sure the boy is secure in the cabin they have up in the hills so they could get the job done right this time.

Charles had indeed gotten a good look of Erik's face when he woke up earlier. He realized he was coherent enough to know he was kidnapped and this was just one of his abductors. There were a few of them in this vehicle and he sensed their presence. He felt a well of fear blossoming inside of him. He didn't know what they plan to do to him or if they intend to kill him somewhere. Now the fear was not just slowly building up, it was rampaging inside of his body, causing him to black out once more. When he woke up again, it was dark and he felt that tape was placed over his mouth when he attempted to cry out. He breathed through his nostrils and realized he had a bag over his head and that his wrists were handcuffed at his back. His legs were free to move but when he attempted to get up, a heavy hand landed on his leg.

"Don't try anything funny, kid if you don't want to get hurt-" It was him. The man he had bumped into on the streets and the one who had drugged him earlier. He recognized his voice.

"We're almost there-" Another man announced.

Charles could not tell how long it had been since he was out cold. He was breathing even more quickly and heavily through his nostrils. He felt cold sweat pouring out of him and seeping through his clothes. His heart was beating frantically inside of his chest.

What are they going to do to me? He thought desperately.

He felt helpless; there was nothing he can do to fight them off. The car finally came to a halt and Charles let out a small moan, a jolt of fear and adrenaline rushing through him. He heard the two doors up front open and then he felt the vehicle jiggle. It seems the other man he heard earlier was getting off the vehicle as well. The man he was pressed close to, the abductor he recognized, was helping him up.

"Get up! This is our stop-"

Charles was clumsy and got out of the vehicle in an awkward manner because he was bound and he was still dizzy from the drug the man had used on him; plus he couldn't see anything with a bag over his head. The man marched him forward, holding onto both of his shoulders and then Charles felt that his feet were trodding on soil. The man guided him into some sort of residence, which must be the place where they meant to do something to him. Charles struggled feebly, panic overcoming him but the man who was guiding him whispered to him through the sack that was on his head.

"Kid, don't make things difficult. We won't hurt you if you cooperate-"

He did not believe the man for one second but if they will not hurt him if he did not struggle, he had to do what he was told. For now. Charles allowed himself to be guided and then the man helped him to sit in a chair. The man restrained him with something, perhaps some rope and wrapped it around his chest so that he was tied to the chair. The man also bound his ankles. Finally, they took off the bag from his head and he had a good look at his surroundings as he drew in quick gulps of air. To his dismay, he saw that there were three more men in the room and they are all wearing ski masks, concealing their faces from him but the first man he encountered wore no mask. Perhaps he did not need to wear one since he had seen his face already. He is in some type of cabin, the flooring was cement and the walls are wooden. The lighting was yellowish and muted and the place was bare and almost devoid of furniture.

One of the men wearing a ski mask and a black gabardine came forward and addressed him.

"I don't have to spell it out, with you being a college kid, but just so we make things clear. We kidnapped you for your rich parents' money. If both you and your parents cooperate with us, no one has to get hurt-"

The man stepped towards him and his tone changed, becoming threatening."Assuming your parents are really good at following instructions, we won't do anything to you; we let you go after we get our loot. But if they fail us, they are going to risk your well-being. So I advise you, once I give you a chance to talk to them, to persuade them to do what we want. That is, if you don't want us to send you back home to mommy and daddy, piece by piece. You got that?"

The man took out a gun from his gabardine coat and pressed it Charles's temple, causing him to quake in fear in his seat, his eyes widening.

"Nod if you comply,"

Charles swallowed thickly, feeling the sticky sweat drip down the side of his face. He nodded slowly. The man drew the gun away and sounded amiable when he spoke next.

"Good! College kids are always obedient. I like that. Now if you are hungry or thirsty, just tell good ol' Uncle Erik over there and he will take good care of you-"

Eric. That was the name of the man who abducted him. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of himself. He watched Charles in silence, his face expressionless. The man in the gabardine coat is obviously the leader of this group. He gestured for Erik to come forward.

"We'll be staying in for the night. I already gave Vic his instructions. We'll leave you here in the morning. You and the kid will sleep in the room. We'll all stay out here-"

"Ok," Erik said and without another word, he grabbed the back of Charles's seat and then he gestured for one of his colleagues to help him carry the chair, along with Charles in it to a room. The bigger thug was stepping forward but for some reason, the man in the gabardine coat stopped him.

"No, not you!"

The other smaller thug came forward and helped Erik carry Charles into a room. This room was also sparsely furnished. There was only a bed, a nightstand and a closet. It appears as if this room was prepared before their arrival, because the window was boarded from outside and the bed was clean, made up of some rubber-like fabric same as the pillows. There are no bed sheets or covers.

Erik said thank you to his colleague and then he closed the door behind him. There was only him and Charles in the room now. Charles did not have any idea that this was a safety precaution because they are keeping him from being sexually assaulted by Cain due to Cain's tendencies. Erik was the best man to guard him. He unzipped his parka and put it aside and then he went to Charles and slowly removed the tape so that he would not hurt the other.

"Don't try to scream because we are in a secluded location. No one will hear you-" Erik said softly, balling up the tape in his hand and throwing it in a waste bin as he regarded Charles in silence. Charles felt like crying but it would do him no good to cry in front of this man, he realized that. He was wide awake and full of fear, somewhat in shock that this was happening to him. The man's next words startled him.

"Would you like to sleep on the bed next to me or do you want to stay in this chair?"

Was the man concerned for his comfort? Why would he ask something like that? Perhaps he was a sympathetic type of captor and Charles might use this to his advantage. This might allow him to find a way to escape them. Charles was trying to assess the man first and so he spoke as if he did not trust Erik's words.

"You...you won't do anything to me?"

Erik found the question amusing and even smiled at him. "I don't go for guys, if that's what you mean. Besides, you're not pretty enough for me-"

Charles just stared at him quietly for a moment. What if this guy was faking it? What if he did mean to do something sexual to him as he slept? The man noticed his hesitation and let out a sigh, leaning back on his haunches as he kneeled in front of Charles.

"Kid, if I had meant to rape you, I would have done so already. I wouldn't ask you politely to lie on the bed. Now the only reason I am asking is I don't want you moaning and groaning as you sit there in your restraints and disturbing my sleep. So do you want the bed or not?"

"B-bed please," Charles said in a small, trembling voice.

The man nodded once at this and then he stood up, turning to head to the door and then glanced around to face him again. "You want something to eat or drink first?"

"Yeah, I...I just need some water-"

"Ok, we are off to a good start, aren't we?"

Charles didn't know what to say to that so he did not say anything. The man left and returned with bottled water for him. He left again to get some food for himself, it seems one of his colleagues had heated up a can of beef stew. Charles did not feel hungry at all. He felt too strung up to even have an appetite. Erik ate in front of Charles in silence, stopping on occasion to give Charles some water and then he left Charles for a few minutes. When he returned, Charles could smell toothpaste emanating from the man. He had brushed his teeth. The man carried a wet washcloth with him and he used it to wipe at Charles's face. Charles shrank away from him for a moment but the man told him he was dirty and needed to clean up because he did not want to mess up the bed. The back of the van's seat had been dirty and Charles's unconscious form had been rolling about back there. Charles allowed himself to be cleaned and then the man undid the rope that binded him. He unlocked the handcuff on Charles's wrists.

"Chess?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you play chess? I'm bored-"

Charles stared at him incredulously, unable to comprehend the fact that this man was being so...so normal about everything. Charles gaped at him for a long time and in that moment, he came to admire his captor's eyes and his soothing voice.

"You in shock or something? Cat got your tongue?" the man joked.

Charles shook his head minutely as he tried to assess the man further.

"I was asking, do you know how to play? Are you any good?"

"I'm ok, I guess-" Charles said quietly. It was in fact, Charles's favorite game and he was somewhat of an expert on it.

"Good then. I have a set I brought with me…you know, to pass the time-" The man said and then he took out his chess set and laid it out on the bed. The man took the black pieces while he took the white pieces. They both worked to position it on the board. Charles began with the queen's gambit and the man mirrored him and did the same. The man was looking down at their pieces, completely engrossed, his thick eyebrows nearly touching his eyelids and Charles can't help but notice that his lashes are long and curly. He was pretty good. Although Charles could have thought up some moves to beat him, he was not concentrating on the game, allowing the man to win. They played several rounds until the man noticed his apparent lack of concentration and interest.

"Are you letting me win on purpose?" The man suddenly demanded, his expression darkening and growing stern.

"You could have defended against me using 2 Bg5! I'm giving you an opportunity to make the game interesting!"

Charles did not know how to respond. He looked up at the man nervously and slowly shook his head. The man grew disgusted with him and started to pick up the pieces to put them aside.

He gestured for Charles to get closer to the head of the bed so he could handcuff him to the metal bars of the headboard. Charles did as he was told. It would be a foolhardy thing to try and fight Erik now, who was easily taller and stronger than he was. The man helped him out of his coat first and proceeded to remove Charles's shoes. Erik had taken off his own gray sweater and hung it on a wooden coat hanger in the closet, along with Charles's coat. He now wore only his sweatpants and a white cotton tank top. He climbed on the bed next to Charles after he turned off the main lights and only left the small wall light on. He closed his eyes immediately, not bothering with any small talk. He still looked annoyed that he could not play a decent game of chess with anyone. Hell, he hadn't been able to play with any of his colleagues outside. He thought the kid would give him long hours of amusement and enjoyment over his favorite game...but not so. Charles turned to regard his face.

Would it be a crazy thing for him to think that this man was rather good-looking? Charles admired the man's square jaw, his high brow and his aquiline nose. His hair is light brown, cut neatly and straight. Earlier, Charles had noticed that his eyes are a blue hue like his, only of a different shade. The man suddenly spoke.

"What is it?" He said in that deep and calming voice of his. He had kept his eyes closed but he had sensed Charles staring at him.

"Mister, will you let me go after this?"

The man opened his eyes and turned to face him. "I believe an introduction is in order. I know your name is Charles. You can call me Erik, that's spelled with a k at the end not a c. I don't like being called mister-"

"Is that your real name?"

"It might or might not be. Listen, I'll be honest with you. I can't promise you anything. If everything goes well with our plan, you might come out of this unscathed and safe, but if our boss does not get his way...I don't know what will happen then-"

Charles grew quiet at his words but he kept on holding Erik's gaze. He wanted to appeal to his humanity, some small part of him seemed to think Erik was the most humane person of the group and he might convince him to let him go but then Erik's expression hardened when he saw that Charles was going to utter some appeal. He turned his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Just get some sleep. If you can't, just allow me to get mine. I get cranky when I don't get enough sleep-"

Charles lay back and closed his eyes, softly sighing. How could his day have ended like this? Earlier, he had been having fun with his friends, attending his classes, going about campus laughing and talking with them and now he was kidnapped. Hank would start to wonder why he had not gotten back to their dorm yet and would probably go out looking for him. He might have even alerted the authorities already. Charles tried to assess his situation again. These men could do anything they wanted with him. He would be naive to think that Erik was on his side. The man was simply trying to make the process run smoothly, trying to treat him with kindness so that he would cooperate and not act rashly.

He had to find a way to get Erik so relaxed with him being the obedient captive so that he could find a way to escape him. He knew from their discussion earlier in the main area that the other three will be leaving Erik and him behind in the morning. This would mean that they would be taking the vehicle with them. Charles may have a day or two to study his location and when the opportunity comes, he would find a means to get away from their clutches. He thought sleep would not find him but his head was spinning with thoughts and scenarios of his escape that he did eventually doze off.

He was jolted awake when he heard a struggle at the side of his bed. Erik was not lying next to him. Charles scuttled backwards to sit up, his arms felt crampy and leaden from being handcuffed to the headboard and to his horror, he saw that his pants have been rucked downwards but he still had his underwear on. On the floor he saw Erik throwing punches at someone else. This must be one of the thugs from earlier. Charles had a good look at his face too. His head was close-shaved and he has narrow eyes and a mean-looking face.

"You sick fuck! Can't fucking control yourself, can you?" Erik snarled as he punched the bigger goon into submission. The door was thrown open and the lights were suddenly turned on. The other two thugs entered but they wore their masks. Erik stopped punching the man beneath him and stood up, pointing angrily at the man on the floor.

"Damn it, Shaw! Why is he even working with us? He can't keep his damned pecker in control! He's at it again! I can't work with this fucker! He killed the first boy already-"

The man denied the accusation. "I was only looking at 'im! I wasn't touchin' 'im!"

Charles's eyes widened at what he had heard. So they kidnapped another boy before him and this man on the floor had killed him. He suddenly felt so vulnerable and cold, trembling slightly as he looked on at the exchange. He could not prevent his lower lip from trembling. Erik saw the expression on his face and placed his hands upon his hips, shaking his head in disgust. The masked man who wore the gabardine, whom Erik had addressed as 'Shaw' calmly looked down at his watch and then quick as a snake, he grabbed at the thug's shoulder pulling him up from the floor, his mouth and nose bleeding from being punched out by Erik and shook him about roughly.

"I should shoot you dead right now and bury you in the woods, asshole! It's almost morning and you've ruined my sleep! You are not getting your hands on that boy again! Get out of here! Out!"

The other smaller thug just stood quietly at the door but he threw the door wide open so that Shaw could push the bigger thug through. Shaw remained at the doorway and addressed Erik.

"It's my fault. I let him out of my sight. Thought he was just going to take a piss. Better you lock the door next time-"

"Why can't we just get rid of him, Shaw? He's a burden to us!"

"Listen, I owe his father a favor. I was told to teach him the ropes, make him a man for the business and work his way up-"

"At the rate he's going, he'll just be raping and killing any young man he could get his hands on! Face it, Shaw! His mind isn't on the job! If I hadn't been here, what could he have done to this one now?" Erik gestured with his thumb towards Charles, who was still sitting in quiet shock staring after them.

"I'll talk to him again. Let's just get this over with, right?"

Erik looked like he wanted to say more but he stopped and nodded tiredly. Shaw drew close and patted Erik's shoulder and then he closed the door behind him and left. Erik let out a breath and took a step towards Charles, who shrank away from him in fear, his eyes wide open and Erik could see he was already crying. Fuck Cain! Now he had to work on the boy to get him relaxed again. A jumpy or frightened hostage is going to cause difficulties for them. He had to get him calm.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, Charles. It's ok-"

"No it's not ok! Did he...did he do something to me? Did he touch me? Oh my God!" Charles cried out, his voice shaking and full of fear and disgust. He could not stop himself from trembling, the tears continued to fall from his eyes. He felt so helpless and desperate that he wanted to scream out loud. Erik slowly sat on the edge of the bed and drew closer to him.

"I stopped him before he did anything. He wasn't able to touch you, ok? Get yourself together now-"

Charles knew right from the beginning he can't trust any single one of them. Not even Erik, who was making an effort to try and placate him. He felt as if he was violated even though Erik claimed nothing happened yet. He still kept on crying as he sat there and glared at Erik. The feelings running through him are both born of fear and anger.

"Kid, I didn't do anything to you. And I swear I won't let that man hurt you. Look, you and I both know it won't do you any good to keep on sniveling like that. Shaw set me up with you so I can protect you. And just so you know, that's what I'm good at. So enough with the waterworks already, alright? I just want us to both to calm down and lie back in bed. Can we do that?"

Charles looked on at him thoughtfully for a moment then he finally acquiesced and shifted on his side of the bed and lay down. He suddenly lifted his head and shook at the handcuffs. "Can you lower these a bit? My arms are hurting-"

Erik thought the boy was going to throw in more hysterics but he was quick to oblige and follow Erik's advice. Erik undid the handcuffs and lowered it so that Charles could move about more freely. "There, try and see if you can get some sleep-"

"I don't know if I can sleep with him around-"

"Shaw locked the door. You're safe-"

Then Erik reached down, slowly and carefully pulling Charles's pants up and zipping the fly close. Charles forgot his pants were down that he jumped a bit when Erik did that but he showed Charles he meant no harm, lifting both hands up after he zipped the pants close. Charles muttered a quiet 'thank you'. Charles slept fitfully this time, waking up in a cold sweat as dream images of being raped by Cain shocked him into wakefulness after only a few snatches of sleep. Erik slept quietly next to him, stirring sometimes to blearily look at him but immediately getting to sleep. Charles envied him that he was capable of sleeping so quickly. A knock at the door woke them both up when morning came. Charles felt as if his eyes are stinging from lack of sleep and he felt light-headed. Erik yawned and padded barefoot towards the door. It was Shaw. Again, he had his ski mask on.

"Get the kid ready. It's time for show and tell with his parents-"

"Got it-" Then Erik closed the door and wiped his hands over his face, yawning again. He wore the same clothes he had on last night and then he uncuffed Charles and handed him back his shoes.

"We're going to do an online video call with your parents. Just to let them know we have you-"

"I share my dorm room with a friend. He might have told my parents and the authorities already-"

"Kid, we kind of planned this out. Your parents knew you were abducted the moment you stepped out of your university library so that no authorities will be involved. We have another man out there working that. He also spoke to your friend so that he won't squeal. But don't worry about your friend, he's safe-"

Charles found this information incredulous. They must have planned this for some time. If they had sent word to his parents and Hank before the police knew, what else could they have possibly planned to accomplish this kidnapping? Erik led Charles out of the room and then Charles saw they had rigged up a laptop with a webcam on a low wooden coffee table in front of a tattered sofa. The other two thugs wore their ski masks. Charles shied away from the big thug and stuck close to Erik. Erik had cuffed Charles's hands in front of himself this time. Erik did not lead Charles before the webcam just yet. Shaw was still talking to Charles's parents online.

"-and just so you know I am not giving you some line, I have Charles standing right before me. He looks well and good...for the moment. Why don't you come over and say hi to your parents, Charles?"

Erik pushed Charles to sit on the sofa next to Shaw and Charles immediately saw the horrified and pale faces of his parents when they saw him over the video call Shaw had set up between them. Charles felt as if his heart suddenly slammed painfully in his chest. He gripped his knees and he leaned close to look at them.

"Charles!" His mother screamed out brokenly from online, her face crumpling up and she was crying. She pressed her face to his father's shoulder, unable to bear looking on at him.

"Son, are you ok?" His father asked in a tight voice.

Charles felt that coldness run through him again and he shivered slightly. Seeing his parents looking like this, he knew Shaw had already announced his threat and his demand for the ransom before Charles sat down before them.

"I'm ok, Mom, Dad! I'm sorry I was so stupid-"

"No it wasn't your fault Charles! We would never have known something like this would happen-" Brian Xavier assured his son, looking at him desperately. Sharon finally lifted her head and reached out to touch the screen, as if reaching for Charles. Charles could not prevent the scalding tears that brimmed from his eyes as he looked on at his parents in a state of helplessness. He reached out and touched the screen too with shaking fingers, the handcuffs clinking against the laptop. He remembered his conversation last night with Shaw.

"Mom, Dad! Just do as they say. Just give them their money and they'll let me go. Help me, please-"Charles didn't think that putting on a brave front and being defiant would get him anywhere. He was not ashamed to admit that he was a coward and that he feared getting hurt so he followed what Shaw had told him to do.

"Yes, Charles and whoever you are, Sir, please don't hurt my boy. We'll do anything you want. Just please-" Sharon sobbed from online.

"Alright enough of this drama-" Shaw said impassively and he grabbed Charles's shoulders and shoved him back towards Erik who restrained him.

"I'm going to repeat this again, just so you know how serious we are. Don't involve the police. If you do that, we are sending pieces of Charles to you, starting with his little finger before we can conclude our deal and he will come back to you limbless and useless, understood?"

Both his parents agreed. Charles wiped at his face roughly with his shaking hands. A numb shock was running through him and the coldness will not go away. He stood there listless and appalled, knowing that these men are capable of doing what they had promised in front of his parents. Charles thought Shaw was going to end the video call but he froze up when Shaw spoke quietly.

"By the way, nice try at attempting to trace our Ip address, Mr Xavier. Just for that, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson...through your son-"

Brian went stock still before Shaw, his lower jaw suddenly trembling. "I don't-"

Shaw leaned forward and shouted in front of the webcam, slamming his fist down and making Charles start back in surprise. "Don't you fucking lie to me! My man hacked your computer and he is tracing whatever you are doing! He just sent me a message about your sneaky action-"

"I'm sorry!" Brian howled out.

"Too late!" Shaw said coldly. He stood up and grabbed Charles by the wrist and shoved him down in front of the coffee table, lifting his handcuffed right hand before the webcam.

"Give me the pliers!" Shaw said to Janos, who took the pliers from out of his pocket and handed it to their leader. Charles was struggling, sweat dripping down his face and spittle flying from his mouth when he let out a cry, trying to pull his hand away, almost hyperventilating because his throat felt like it was closing up with his fear.

"Charles if you fight me some more, I'm going to start cutting out your entire fucking hand, you want that?" Shaw shouted into Charles's ear.

Charles's entire frame was trembling as he kneeled before the webcam, tears flowing afresh from his eyes. He was in a panic. He still struggled even after the possible threat of losing his hand. He was so afraid, so afraid of what they would do to him, he wasn't thinking straight.

At the same time that Charles was struggling, Sharon was keening like an animal over and over at the other end of the video call. Her hands are pressed to her face like claws, while Brian pleaded for them not to hurt Charles, screaming it at the top of his lungs. Shaw was getting annoyed with all of this.

"This is turning into a fucking circus! One of you, hold his hand!" Shaw growled out. Janos stepped forward and restrained Charles and then Shaw began to grip the fingernail on Charles's little finger using the pliers. Charles could only look on in horror, his eyes wide and trembling with tears. He was not able to brace himself as Shaw pulled out the fingernail roughly, causing Charles to let out a high scream of pain. The pain was unbearable. He collapsed to the floor squirming, blood flowing copiously from his little finger. Even as he howled out at the intense hurt he was feeling, he could hear his mother screaming as if she was the one that had her nail pulled out too.

"Stop it! No more, please! No more!" Brian howled out again, his face a mask of rage and horror at what his son is enduring. The tension both in that room and in the video call was overwhelming. Everyone suddenly grew silent. In the cabin's main room, only the sound of Charles's soft, breathless cries could be heard. What would Shaw do next?

Shaw stood close to the coffee table and then he staggered away from Charles. Janos had also stepped away. Shaw was gasping, as if winded; he let the bloody pliers fall to the floor, along with Charles's pulled nail.

"Alright, I'll be the nice guy. I'll let this one slide. I won't cut his entire hand. But if you fuck me over one more time, your son is going to feel a world of hurt he has never felt before-"

"Ok, anything you want! Just don't hurt him anymore!" Brian begged over the video call.

"I'll contact you again. We'll work this out over a few weeks. Right, Mr Xavier?"

Brian Xavier nodded listlessly, tears streaking his face."Yes-"

"Good. We'll conclude this call for now. Remember our deal-"

"Please promise me, you won't kill our son. Give him back to us alive and well-" Brian implored. Sharon was nowhere in sight of the video call but she could be heard sobbing hysterically in the background. Charles could hear them clearly even through the haze of pain he was going through. Just having your fingernail pulled out like that was excruciating. He had never known pain like this before. He kept on lying on the floor, unable to move, his shoulders hitching as he tried to stop himself from sobbing.

"If you do everything right this time, Mr Xavier. I can hold up to that promise. We are not killers but if you make us desperate, we won't have any choice-"

"I will! No police! I promise!"

"You better. I'm out!" Shaw ended the video call abruptly. He wanted to pull his mask off violently because he felt angered that his simple rules could not be followed but he did not want the kid to see his face. He could not risk it. He gestured to Erik, who watched the entire thing impassively.

"Take care of the kid. There's a first aid kit in the bag. We'll be leaving. We won't leave you any lines of communication, Erik. Remember, we don't want any trace and we don't want the kid accidentally finding a way to make a call on the outside. You know we have to be careful. We'll come back to you in three days."

"I know. We stick with the plan, this will work-"

Shaw drew Erik's neck close, holding his gaze. "I'm counting on you."

Erik nodded and then Shaw released him. The other thugs began to get their bags and equipment; they took the laptop with them as well, leaving Erik by himself with their hostage. Charles heard them getting into the van and then driving off. Erik strangely enough, left Charles there for a moment, confident of the fact that he had nowhere to go to and then he returned with the first aid kit. He pushed the coffee table away and kneeled in front of Charles.

"Get up from there. Let me take care of your hand-"

Charles did not comply. He lay there breathing harshly, his face basted in sweat, causing his hair to stick to his skin. He stared blankly at nothing before him.

"I said get up already!" Erik said in an annoyed voice.

"Why don't you just kill me now? You're going to kill me anyway, right?" Charles said in a toneless voice. He was devoid of any hope that he will ever get out of this alive.

"What are talking about? No one has to get killed over this. We're just a bunch of gutter thugs who got smart and want some fast cash. We don't want to kill you-"

Erik sounded exasperated, struggling to control his annoyance. Why did Shaw have to do such theatrics? Now he left him in charge of this boy who will probably act more difficult to handle now that he had seen his parents and he had gotten hurt. Charles still did not move. Erik sighed loudly and waited a few more minutes. He suddenly did something strange. He gently reached for Charles's shoulders and helped him up to sit straight. Charles allowed himself to be guided into a sitting position. Erik handled Charles's hand with some delicacy and he cleaned the wounded little finger with a dab of Betadine, wiping the entire thing with some gauze and using some more gauze to wrap around the damaged tissue.

If the nail pulling had been done correctly, there would have been less blood but Shaw had done it in anger and had pulled at the nail roughly, ripping a long jagged wound upon the flesh. Charles watched on listlessly as Erik tended to him. The gentleness that he had treated Charles with was really out of character for him to do. He must really feel that sorry for the kid. He helped Charles up to sit in the sofa. Charles stared at the blood on the floor and at the bloody sleeve of his cardigan. Erik noticed what he was doing so he got up and cleaned the blood off. He prepared some breakfast for the both of them and then he brought them over to where Charles sat, who still did not move.

"Here, eat something. You haven't had anything since last night-"

Charles stared at the plate of toast and eggs, his face expressionless. He did not make a move to do as he was told. Erik made a face and pushed the plate closer to him.

"If you don't eat that by yourself, I will shove it all down your throat, Charles-"

Charles blinked at those words and then he let out a breath and glared at Erik. "How the fuck do you expect me to eat in my current situation, you asshole!" His voice rose as he spoke.

Erik felt the beginning of a headache blossoming inside of his head. He ran a hand through his hair and slammed his fork down onto his plate.

"I don't like this situation any more than you do, ok? So let's just get through the motions! Stop being a little prick and do as you're told!"

"Fuck you!" Charles screamed and hurled away the plate in front of him, causing the dish to break to pieces and spreading broken pieces of toast and scrambled eggs to scatter all over the floor. They stared at each other angrily for a few seconds, making this into a staring contest. Charles suddenly lifted his good hand and gave Erik the finger, his expression insolent.

That got Erik in a rage. He pushed his own plate away roughly and then he stood up and uncuffed Charles's wrists. Without warning, he carried Charles over his shoulder and hurriedly walked over to the bathroom. Charles was screaming and struggling from his grip. Last night, Erik had prepared the bathtub for his own bath but he decided it will have a different use right now. He released Charles and dropped him, clothes and all, into the tub of cold water. Charles let out a breathless scream of surprise.

"There! That'll cool you off!" Erik said in a derisive voice.

"Ah! You asshole! I'm soaking wet! My clothes!" Charles cried out petulantly.

It almost all looked so comical to Erik now. Erik grinned at him and he reached out to undo Charles's clothes from him. Charles could not fight him off properly because his other hand was still in pain and he kept slipping backwards into the filled tub; the bandage had actually fallen off into the tub, floating along with his shoes, exposing his wound to the stinging water. Erik got Charles completely naked, shoving him repeatedly back down into the water and pulling his clothes rashly, stopping to pick up the shoes and throw them over his shoulder. This got Erik wet with the water too. He was now getting into what he was doing. He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and started to wash Charles's hair while the other sat there, weakly fighting him off and still fuming. Then slowly, Charles had stopped struggling. Erik handed Charles a bar of soap, indicating he soap himself up and surprisingly, Charles did. When he had finished, Erik pulled the plug from the drain and he turned the shower on, letting Charles finish rinsing himself off, keeping his eyes on Charles's face. Erik grabbed a towel close by and gave it to Charles so he can dry up by himself. Charles was suddenly feeling ashamed over the entire thing, a slight flush coming up upon his cheeks and he had the towel wrapped around his waist to cover up his lower body. He noticed that Erik avoided staring at his body as he bathed. Erik gathered up his wet clothes and put them into the sink after he got out. He guided Charles back into the bedroom and handcuffed him to the headboard again. He suddenly started to take the towel off of Charles's waist. There wasn't any extra sheet to cover Charles up. Charles twisted around in bed, trying to cover his legs over his groin.

"W-what are you doing?" Charles asked in a frightened voice. Erik rolled his eyes at him.

"I need the towel. We only have one and you got me all wet too, you dumbass! Next time, don't you dare throw a tantrum at me if you don't want me doing this to you again!"

"B-but I'm naked!" Charles cried out, his blush deepened when Erik stopped to stare at his body from head to toe and snorted.

"Jesus, kid! You think every bloke is gonna want to rape you the moment they see your naked body? Cause you sure as hell ain't no beauty worth a fuck! So don't go thinking I'm attracted to you!"

Charles said something so strange all of the sudden. "You're not attracted to me? You... you don't like what you see?"

When Charles realized what he had asked, his entire face grew red and somehow, it also shocked Erik that he asked him that, causing him to blush as well. An awkward silence fell between them. Erik looked away for a while and then he slowly stood up, running his hand through his hair again.

"I can understand why you are behaving the way you do. Believe me, I do. But I've already told you, I just want things to go smoothly. I don't want any hassle. I really don't want to see you hurt or dead. So I hope your parents will follow through this time. Now, just for the sake of both our sanity, can you do this for me? Just let me get through this day with you, without me ending up strangling you-"

Charles could not look up to meet his eyes. His face was turned away and he still looked so embarrassed. Erik did not wait for his reply. He left with the towel but he came back later on with a dark brown comforter. He used it to cover Charles's nakedness.

"Here, it smells a little musty but at least you won't be so naked. We have a dryer handy. I'll get your clothes dried up and clean soon-"

"Thank you," Charles said in a barely audible voice. He was acting like a chastised little kid Erik almost thought it was cute. He shook the odd thoughts coming into his head and went to take a bath himself. He washed his clothes along with Charles's clothes, put them in the dryer and then he hung them out to dry. He got back and peered in at Charles to check on him.

"Hey, are you hungry now?"

By way of a response, Erik heard Charles's stomach make a gurgling noise, causing the other to blush again and look flustered. He does look cute when he blushes like that...

Wait, what the fuck am I thinking? I keep thinking everything about him is cute...oh jeez!

Erik giggled a little too nervously, hoping Charles did not notice his sudden discomfort. "Ok, I take that as a yes. I'm going to rustle up something for you-"

Erik made him another batch of toast and scrambled eggs but he added a couple of bacon this time and then he made Charles some tea. Erik was not much of a coffee drinker and he hoped Charles won't go asking for some. He carried it all on a tray and brought them over to Charles in the bedroom. He offered to uncuff one of Charles's hands so he could eat properly. Charles attacked his food ravenously, gulping down his tea in large swallows.

"Hey slow down! You might get an upset stomach if you keep eating like that-"

Charles, for the first time suddenly offered Erik a small, winsome smile. He found it strangely touching that Erik was concerned that he might get a stomach ache. Erik in turn, found the smile...endearing. Even though he kept telling Charles he was not into guys and he did not find him attractive, the truth of the matter is, he admired Charles's appearance. The first moment he saw a picture of him, he thought he was a pretty handsome young man. And up close, especially when he looked into his eyes, he felt like he could gaze into those eyes forever and get lost into them. He had the most amazing looking blue eyes he had ever seen. Erik looked away from his face, using the tea as an excuse to look away.

"Here, have some more tea, but drink it slowly this time, ok?"

"Alright, Erik. And thank you-" Charles said with genuine gratefulness. Erik was treating him better than how the others had treated him. Thinking logically on his own behavior, he thought he must be developing a mental state called the Stockholm syndrome. Somehow it did not matter whether it was indeed a survival instinct or perhaps an irrational identification with his captor. It helped ease the trauma he was feeling over the entire situation. After he had eaten, Erik had asked if he would like to sleep or watch some TV. Charles said he preferred to go to sleep. He felt drowsy from having his nail pulled out and being unable to sleep last night. Erik had re-bandaged his finger for him after he ate and gave him a pain reliever. Oddly enough, he fell into a comfortable slumber and when he woke up, it was late noon. He realized He was still naked underneath the comforter and that he felt a dull ache in his little finger. Erik was seated in a chair watching him and was actually reading one of his books from his backpack. He recognized it immediately.

"Erik, why didn't you wake me up? It feels as if it's so late-"

Erik closed the book and put it aside."You were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to disturb you. Your clothes are dry, by the way. Here-" He gestured to the foot of the bed where Charles's clothes are folded neatly.

"Thanks, I think I'm ready to sit out and watch some TV now-" Charles said meekly. Erik was glad that Charles was being cooperative and not acting like a pain in the ass. He liked him better this way. He undid the handcuff so that Charles can get dressed and then they both sat on the sofa. Erik was deciding on whether to handcuff him or tie him up but Charles informed him that he will behave and would prefer not to be bound for a while. Erik was wary on the inside but he tried to act relaxed around Charles. Charles wore only his cardigan and his pants, leaving off of wearing his socks or shoes to show Erik he was not intending to make a run for it. He left his button-down shirt and belt in the bedroom.

Erik wanted to watch the news first and with good reason. He wanted to see if news of Charles's abduction would come up. So far there was nothing on the news about it. Charles realized something as they watched TV. The channels and the local news are from his state, so that means they did not take him across the state into another. They must have also taken him to some private lodging that was close to the city, because the TV was able to pick up several channels. Earlier, he noticed that the bathroom had only a sliver of a window, not the best escape route, so it was no wonder Erik allowed him his privacy when he needed to use the toilet. Those were good enough pointers that might help with his escape. Charles pretended to stretch and walk about close the windows so he could get a good view of the outside. He saw a lot of trees as far as the eye could see and the distant rolling hills.

The place felt vaguely familiar to him for some reason. Erik was watching him closely as he moved around and after Charles finished, he sat next to him again. They watched a couple of mindless sitcoms, abundant with commercials and then they watched some animal shows on discovery channel. Erik had left it to Charles to watch what he wanted after they had watched the news and these had been his choices. Erik had dryly commented on his lack of good taste in shows. Charles just shrugged, laughing it off. They ate a dinner of canned beef stew and Charles had observed that each time anything instant from a can was cooked they all tasted the same to him.

"It's like...eating flavored glue, only sometimes it's either too salty or too bland. I think it's all these starch fillers they put in the stuff-" Charles said but he still put in a forkful of the canned meat into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

Erik made a small exasperated noise, gesturing to his plate. "Excuse me! I'm trying to eat here! Are you intentionally trying to make me lose my appetite?"

"A little," Charles teased and they both chuckled because they still kept on eating.

They made some more small talk over the man-made marvels of TV dinners and instant 'anything'. Erik got Charles talking about his university life, the course he was taking, his favorite shows and things, just simply talking and trying to get to know him. Charles found it odd that he was talking so openly with him, like it was natural when in fact, this was anything but. It was just that, Erik was so easy to talk to and he was encouraging some form of camaraderie between them. He supposed this was Erik's way of making things go easy for the both of them. Erik was a big fan of getting into bed early and getting lots of sleep, but because Charles had slept a while, he was wide awake. It seems Erik was in no mood for playing a game of chess that night.

"If you want, you can sleep on the side where the nightlight is and you can read one of your books or something, that might help you pass the time-"

"Yeah, I think that will work for me but I need one hand free to be able to flip the pages, you know?"

Erik looked mildly annoyed over the matter. He decided to handcuff their wrists together so that Charles won't be tempted to do something foolish. If he moved suspiciously, Erik would know. Charles was not comfortable with what Erik decided to do but that was the only way he could move about more freely. It was a good idea on Erik's part, advising him to read up. At least once he gets out of this situation, he might be able to pass his midterms. He could only hope that he would get out of this. He felt sleepy after several hours; he put his book aside and lay on his side comfortably this time, facing Erik. Erik was already fast asleep and breathing evenly and quietly. Charles admired his profile again, blushing when he realized what he was doing and forced himself to sleep. He woke up early in the morning with his head pressed close to Erik's shoulder. Erik was already awake and was waiting for him to wake up. He pulled away too quickly, forgetting that their wrists are handcuffed together and causing Erik to roll right up to his shoulder, almost making their faces collide. Erik's face was so close, close enough to kiss. Charles blushed at his nearness and turned his head away.

"Sorry, you startled me-" Charles mumbled.

"I should have said the same when I found you drooling all over my shoulder-" Erik said in a wry voice. Charles looked over at him indignantly, eyes wide.

"I beg your pardon? I was not drooling!" Charles reached over and slapped his hand all over Erik's chest and shoulders. He did admire Erik's broad shoulders and his muscled chest at the same time but wild horses would not have dragged that from him.

"See? See? No drool! Ugh! Get off of me!" Charles said, lifting his hand up to show Erik there was no drool, pushing him roughly away; he was looking so annoyed and flustered that Erik finally chuckled and moved away from him.

"Why do we always get ourselves into this situation, Charles?" Erik teased.

Charles fumed quietly and did not say anything more. Erik uncuffed his wrist from his own and helped him up out of the bed. They began the day's routine of breakfast, a bath and then Erik went all over the place making sure everything was tidied up. He also threw their refuse into one of the large metal bins outside. Charles offered to help, saying he was getting bored and wanted to move about so Erik allowed him to clean the bedroom and wash the sheets. At the same time, Erik still kept his eye on him to keep him from escaping. Erik allowed Charles to study his textbooks after the chores were done. Charles had told him over dinner last night that his midterm was coming up and he was worried about securing the top spot again. He said he lacked a couple of textbooks that he needed to study. Erik had casually inquired as to what books he needed and Charles had mentioned the titles.

They were having their lunch when Erik noticed something strange. It seemed he felt it before he even saw it. He saw something outside the window, a flash of light, as if it was reflected from a mirror and without warning, he pushed Charles down onto the floor. The area where Charles had been sitting was reduced to splinters and broken pieces of plates, obliterating the macaroni and chicken, which flew all over the place.

"What the fuck!" Charles cried out repeatedly.

"Stay down!" Erik hissed at him and then Erik left him there and went for the sofa. He drew out a black bag that Charles was not aware was under there the whole time and he pulled out a gun from the bag. Erik then crawled over to Charles and dragged him towards the bathroom; He handcuffed Charles onto one of the metal handle next to the toilet in there.

"What are you doing? What if I get shot?" Charles cried out hysterically, his eyes wide and afraid. Erik grabbed the back of his neck, looking at him intently.

"Calm down and shut up! You'll be safe in here. I'm going to get the fucker that's shooting at us so just stay put! Don't try and escape!" Erik immediately determined that it was just one shooter.

Charles nodded, looking up at Erik worriedly and then Erik left him. Charles really could not tell what was happening. He did not dare look out the narrow windows in the bathroom for fear of being shot at. He waited for Erik. He started in shock several times as he sat there on the cold tiles while shots were exchanged outside. It lasted for several minutes. Then he heard a cry, some sort of a struggle outside and then all went quiet. He heard the front door suddenly slam open and Charles tried to make himself into a small ball, wedging himself in the narrow space next to the toilet bowl, afraid that Erik might already be dead and that whoever is coming in will shoot him dead as well. He had noticed earlier that when Erik had pushed him down, the area where he was sitting was shot at; indicating that whoever was shooting had not meant to save him but was intending to kill him.

Charles trembled and closed his eyes, waiting to be killed and be put out of his misery and then Erik entered, pale and sweaty.

"Erik!" Charles cried out and then Erik kneeled next to him.

"I got him, he's out on the driveway but I got him-"

Erik was suddenly startled when Charles threw an arm around Erik and hugged him and then Charles was running his hand over Erik's back and chest, mumbling 'You're safe' several times under his breath. He was checking to see if Erik was injured. He was trembling but he was slowly getting himself under control, his breathing becoming even.

"Are you copping a feel or something? Are you quite through?" Erik asked dryly as he sat there waiting for Charles to finish. Charles pulled back, looking flustered, wanting to make some sort of an indignant response but he started laughing instead, laughing hysterically; his laughter grew loud and shrill as he continued and then he started sobbing, pressing his face to Erik's chest.

"I thought...you were dead. I thought I was going to get killed too-" Charles said softly.

Erik gave a small smile at that; he pitied Charles and then he placed a hand at the back of his neck, patting him there, almost affectionately, like how an older brother would do it. That was how Charles had thought of Erik's actions towards him.

"It's ok now-" He said in that calming voice of his. Charles finally pulled back and looked up into Erik's eyes.

"Who was that? Why did he want to kill me?" Charles begged to know.

Erik's face fell, his expression becoming grim."I shouldn't be telling you this but that was one of our previous associates. He knew a little about our plan but Shaw ousted him, can't agree on the share you see. Long story short, he didn't want us getting anything too and this was his way of getting revenge-"

Charles didn't know what to say to what Erik had shared so he just grew silent, staring up at Erik. Erik saw the understanding in Charles's eyes. This was Erik's way of living, a life of crime, double-crossing associates and schemes; a life of greed and violence and death.

"Welcome to my world-" Erik said spreading his hands out in a mock greeting. They sat there quietly for a moment and then Erik helped Charles up and undid the handcuff. Erik grew silent, as if he was thinking over something. He gave Charles a hard look as they sat on the sofa. There was some considerable damage done to the cabin but Erik did not make any move to clean it yet. He appeared to be deliberating something within himself.

"Charles,"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to have to leave you here by yourself because I have to notify Shaw on what had happened. Now don't go thinking I'm just going to leave you here like that. I'm going to tie you up. I'll be gone for a while. I want you to promise me something. If someone calls in and comes checking, whatever you do, do not answer. Just wait for me. Understand?"

Charles nodded slowly, trying not to meet Erik's eyes. A flutter of hope rose in his chest. This might be his opportunity to escape Erik. He was only pretending to agree but he sure as hell will not stay if a way to escape presented itself. Erik led him into the bedroom, made him sit in a chair and began to use the handcuffs on him. He tied a rope around him, same as before. Erik also tied his ankles to the chair and then he put a gag around Charles's mouth for good measure. Erik had looked undecided about leaving him. He was standing there for a moment, unsure about going but this was an emergency. Unknown to Charles while he was in the bathroom, Erik had gone to a cell phone they had hidden in the cabin but when Erik got it out of a hidden compartment, the battery was dead. Erik cursed under his breath. There was no charger around either. He could only think of one reason why this got bungled. Cain was the one that put the phone in the compartment and he forgot to turn it off and now the battery was used up. He returned the cell phone back in the compartment and closed it again. They should have had a contingency plan set up in situations like this.

Erik took the gun with him and then he closed the door to the bedroom without another glance towards Charles and then he locked the front door. He had to hurry. He knew Harry Leland, the poor bastard he had shot to death outside had brought his car. He'd probably parked it close to a roadside, perhaps some distance from the cabin and concealed. He had taken Harry's rifle and had taken what possessions and identification he had on him. He did not appear to have brought any cell phone with him, which Erik direly needed in this situation. He got the car keys too and then he dragged Harry's corpse behind the tool shed and covered it up with a tarpaulin from the shed. He intended to bury it later. He ran down the side of the main road and sure enough, Harry's pick-up was there, barely hidden by some branches and bushes Harry had used to conceal it with. He knew there was a service store a few miles down and that he could use the phone there and give Shaw some coded message. Erik got in the car and drove away. He tried to keep the car within the required speed limit, frequently glancing at his watch and hoping the gunshots had not attracted some unwanted company.

Charles waited, trying to sense if fifteen minutes had passed, making sure Erik had left and then he tried to push the chair towards the closet. The handle had a slight hooked edge. He could use it to undo the rope that had him tied to the chair, untie his ankles after he had wrestled with the handcuffs so they are in front of him and make his escape. It was easier said than done. It was hard to push the chair upwards with his ankles restrained so he was doing some sort of a hopping motion on one foot, trying to hook the back of the chair onto the handle. With all the twisting and turning he had done, he was able to undo his gag and it now hung about his neck.

Charles was sweating profusely, trying over and over to get the rope at his back over the hook. The notched end was too high to reach. Another fifteen minutes might have already passed and he was still there. He kept on willing himself to hop high on one foot. It was exhausting to do but he went on.

"Come on," He muttered under his breath. He was gasping with his efforts when he suddenly heard a sound, making him stop for a moment. Someone was shouting hello outside. Erik had warned him not to reply to anyone calling but that someone might be a cop or a neighbor that had heard the shots and was checking on what had happened. He wasn't planning on taking Erik's advice at all. He didn't intend to, but he remained quiet, listening on that someone. Something about this situation was telling him to be cautious. Charles then heard a crash, making him start in his chair. He swallowed thickly.

He heard footsteps, like heavy cleats from boots stamping down on the floor. Whoever it was tested the door to the bedroom and turned the doorknob open. A man in his late twenties entered the room. He looked to be a local, wearing the typical country outfit. The man had a tattoo on his right forearm and he looked to be prematurely balding.

"Whoa!" The man exclaimed when he saw Charles trussed up.

Charles felt his heart beat speeding up as he realized this man might be able to free him. Charles excitedly moved in his chair, gesturing to his restraints.

"Please Mister! Help me! I've been kidnapped!" Charles said in a rush, his eyes wide and hopeful.

The man did not make a move to help him. He leaned one arm at the doorknob instead and sneered at Charles. Immediately, Charles realized this man had no intention of helping him.

"So, you want me helping ye? Wher'd they keep their stash? Y'know?" The man asked with a greedy glint in his eyes. He also had an odd, twangy and ill-bred manner of speaking.

Charles shook his head faintly, his brow furrowing."I don't know what you mean, Sir. Can yo-"

Before Charles could say anything more, the man entered and slapped him. The slap shocked Charles, his elation at seeing a rescuer now turned into horror. He coldly regarded the man, trembling slightly in his restraints.

"You retard, boy? Pills! Booze and guns! Ring a bell?"

"T-they didn't have any of that! They took it with them I think-"

The man slapped him again, hard this time, causing his nose to bleed. "Bullshit!" The man bawled out and then he spat onto the floor. He left Charles there and went to ransack the place, looking for those items. Charles hoped he would find what he was looking for and then just leave him there. Moments later the man came back, glowering at him. He pushed Charles's chair with his booted foot, causing the chair to topple and Charles fell heavily on his side along with it. He cried out at the sudden pain, his other arm was being crushed by the side of the chair. The man opened the closet, tearing the coats off from the hangers and checking the pockets but found nothing in it. He made some sort of ugly, animal growl. He was getting mad for some reason, perhaps because he was getting nothing from this. He threw Charles a contemptuous look.

"They left you here, huh? Prob'ly fighting it out themselves when they thought you ain't worth shit. Guess I'll just have me some fun with ye-"

"Just leave me alone!" Charles cried out. He winced when the man pressed down on the chair with his boot again, drilling more pain into his trapped arm. Charles could not help it but he hollered out at the pain he felt. The man was laughing at him. He took out a switchblade, brandishing it before Charles's eyes. Charles could not bear looking at this travesty of a man any longer and shut his eyes from the sight of him.

"I'm gonna bleed me a little piggy!" The man tittered, he was moving forward but then he suddenly let out a low, liquid sounding grunt. Charles waited for the knife to descend but it did not come. He finally opened his eyes and saw that the man stood there, just holding his knife. His eyes looked blank and seeming to gaze at something from far away. Charles suddenly noticed that the middle of his chambray shirt was blossoming with blood. The knife fell from the man's hand and then he keeled forward, making a croaking sound. Behind him stood Erik, who had stabbed him through with a pair of garden shears. Erik was still holding the shears in his hands and it was dripping with the man's blood. He let the shears clatter down to the floor.

"Erik! Erik thank God you came back!" Charles said in a relieved voice.

Erik quietly stepped around the corpse and went to Charles, not saying anything. He slowly righted the chair first and removed the ropes, his expression grim and then he undid the rope around Charles's ankles as well. He removed the handcuffs last and Charles winced as he reached out to touch his hurt arm.

"Anything broken?" Erik asked in a low voice. His eyes narrowing down at Charles.

Charles shook his head and he did not say anything for a moment. He just held Erik's stare and knew Erik was waiting for him to explain what had happened.

"I tried to escape, Erik. I'm not going to lie to you. I wanted to escape. This man just started calling from outside. I never answered him, Erik. I swear. He broke in and then he entered this room. I thought he was going to help me but he was looking for drugs and guns instead. He thought you left me behind on purpose and he started to...to torture me-" Charles's voice finally broke and then he began to cry. He put a hand to his face as his chest heaved with his sobs. He did not see Erik's expression change. Erik looked like he was about to cry himself. He lifted a trembling hand up, wanting to touch Charles's head, to soothe him but he stopped himself. When Charles lifted his head, Erik made his expression stoic. Charles wanted to reach out and hug Erik but he thought Erik was mad at him because he thought he was lying.

"Please believe me-" Charles said in a small and choked voice, his expression imploring. He held Erik's stare again and then Erik was the one that could not help himself. Charles's eyes and face drew him on. He reached out and hugged Charles, causing Charles to cry afresh onto his shoulder. Erik hugged him tightly and Charles returned the embrace.

"I'm...I'm just glad you are safe-" Erik said softly.

What's happening to me? Why am I doing this? Erik thought in confusion. Am I going gay or something? What is it about Charles that's drawing me in?

They were like that for some time and then Erik pulled away, helping Charles to his feet. He looked down at the dead man lying there on the bedroom floor. Damn. Two men dead at his hands and the day had not even ended yet. Erik had never wanted this to happen. He gazed at Charles gently for a moment.

"We're moving house but first, you'll have to help me clean up this mess-"

Charles assured him he would help. Erik got out a large, black garbage bag and shoved the corpse into it, head first and then he bagged the man's legs next. He used duct tape on the middle to join the two halves of the bag together. He dragged the corpse by its legs and took it outside afterwards. Charles followed Erik around and saw that Erik had brought a red pickup truck and drew it close to the cabin. Erik shoved the corpse into the back, managing the bodies by himself and not asking Charles to help. He went for the second corpse covered in tarpaulin and threw the body into the back of the truck as well. Erik also placed a shovel next to the dead bodies.

Later on, they both went back inside to clean up the blood, broken glass and wood, placing it all in a garbage bag. Charles cleaned the table and placed their food supply into another garbage bag, laying it out in the front passenger seat of the pickup truck. Charles still felt as if his head was reeling over everything that had happened. He saw two men killed violently for the first time in his life and what was crazy about this situation is that he was helping the very man who had dispatched them. Thinking more on it, Erik had killed them because they had tried to kill him. Erik was protecting him against these men. He knew he should have been running away but instead, he was staying with his abductor, even helping him clear up the scene of his crime. He only knew Erik for a short time but he was already feeling a strange attachment to him, definite signs of the Stockholm syndrome. He clearly understood this was abnormal but it felt as if...it was inevitable.

Erik boarded up the broken windows and then they hauled everything they would need out of the house and into the pickup truck. When Erik was sure everything was clean, he poured gasoline in the metal trash bin and burned their garbage. Erik also gathered whatever shell casings he could find that are close by the cabin, the ones from the gun he had used and he pocketed them. Charles stood by the cabin door, waiting for him to finish. Erik gestured for Charles to get into the truck when he was done and then they drove off. It was near dusk when they had left the cabin. Charles furtively looked over at Erik as they drove on in silence. He broke it after several minutes.

"Why didn't you just bury the bodies there, Erik?"

Erik continued to stare down the road, hands steady on the steering wheel. Both of them are a filthy mess from their exertions and their ordeal.

"We should leave as little trace as possible that we were there, and leaving these bodies might draw the attention of the cops to us. That man who shot at us, they would know he is Shaw's associate; I really have to get rid of his body. As for that asshole that hurt you, I can't leave his body there too. I'm thinking he was just walking on foot nearby, he's not the type to have a car or a vehicle of any kind from the looks of him-"

"You think he lives around there?"

"No, Shaw and I scanned that location. Hardly any residents within range, that cabin's location is already deep in the woods but I'm worried that the gunshots may have been heard by someone else other than that fool I killed. I'm guessing he's a vagrant or temporary farmhand. I'm not sure if he will be missed or not but he should not have been hanging out close the cabin the way he did-"

Erik suddenly grimaced and hit a fist at the steering wheel."Damn it!"

Charles looked away, strangely feeling that he was to blame for these deaths. Erik noticed that Charles was looking troubled that he softened his tone.

"Hey, you have no hand in any of this, I did it all. I've killed lesser men than these, Charles. And these men deserved to die. They were a threat to your safety-"

Charles grew silent at those words. What do you say to something like that? This man had done those things for him and yet he was also the one who abducted him, causing this chain of events to happen. Should he be thankful that blood was spilled for his sake? He remained quiet as they drove on to the new location. At least he was not restrained and Erik was treating him in a dignified manner. It was almost an hour before they got to the new house. It was a country house this time and it was made of bricks, the old fashioned kind and it had a gate. Erik led Charles in after finding the key under a flower pot close by. A musty smell rose up to greet them and dust motes danced before their eyes when Erik turned on the light.

Again, this place was sparsely furnished but it was bigger than the cabin and it had a second floor. The entire room was colored gray and white.

"Charles, I have to tie you up again. Sit on this chair-"

Charles allowed himself to be handcuffed and tied to a chair. He did not fight or struggle. In fact, he had remained quiet even as they got here and meekly obeyed Erik's orders.

"I have to bury those two someplace but I'll be back as quick as I can. I have to do something to Harry's body first to remove any body identifiers-"

"What do you mean?"

"Trust me, Charles. You don't want to know-"

"Ok," Charles said softly and he leaned back in the chair. Erik gave him a lingering look and then he left. He drove the pickup and Charles heard his departure. Erik was gone for perhaps an hour or so and it had already grown totally dark outside. Charles did not attempt to escape again. He realized it would do no good. Before they got to this place, Charles had seen that they had gone even farther and deeper, the location growing denser with trees and the roads had become mainly dirt roads. Even if he ran out, where would he go? He feared that if he asked for help, he will encounter another person similar to that man who had almost killed him. He could only depend on himself. He had to figure out another way to escape. When Erik entered and he saw Charles sitting there, patiently waiting for him, he actually grinned at him.

"Look at us, we both look like a couple of miners! Just filthy!"

Erik went to the back of Charles's chair and began to untie the rope.

"Help me get our things ready and then we'll take a bath-"

Charles obediently followed and put aside their groceries while Erik cleaned the place up, removing as much dust as possible and then he had Charles prepare the bedroom upstairs. Erik entered the bedroom too and saw that there is actually a working bathroom inside. There was no need to go downstairs to use the toilet. Pretty convenient. Erik had started up the generator earlier before they got in and he used the gas that was stored away to start it up. He was elated to know there is also a working heater and once he got it functional, he went back into the bedroom and prepared the bathtub for Charles, running him a hot bath.

"You go first, I'll go see if I can find any spare clothes we can use around here-"

Charles was about to close the door but Erik advised him to leave it half-way open. Charles complied and he began to strip naked and got into the warm water. He let out a sigh, finally settling back into the tub. Erik peered over the edge of the door when he got back.

"I found some towels but no pants. Don't worry, when I made a call earlier, I asked one of my colleagues to have Shaw bring me some of the supplies we need. I asked for some clothes too-"

"That's nice-" Charles said slowly and let his head rest on the edge of the tub, looking up at the ceiling. Erik entered the bathroom and picked up Charles's clothing.

"I'll clean these up for you. Here's the towel. This is all we can use for now-"

"Ok," Charles said abruptly and began to soap himself up. Erik noticed the strangeness of Charles's behavior but he did not say anything. Erik prepared them a dinner of canned Curry meatballs and some toast and tea and afterwards they settled in the living room, waiting for their clothes to dry at the heater. They both only wore towels around their waists. Erik was still trying to adjust the TV they took from the cabin but he was not getting any reception. Erik gave up trying to make it work and ended up just picking a tattered old magazine from a low table nearby.

"This is fun! New fall fashion for the eighties. Nice! Very Nice! I really need to update my autumn wardrobe anyway-" Erik joked as he read on, pretending to be engrossed with it but Charles just stared on at him strangely. He didn't comment on what Erik had said. He was looking at Erik so intently that Erik finally had to look up.

"What?"

Charles spoke in that soft voice again, like he was too shy to say what he had wanted to say.

"I know it's kind of strange but I just want you to know I like you, Erik. Don't take it the wrong way! I mean I like you like a brother or a friend. You're a really…nice guy. Thank you for what you did-"

Erik's eyes widened at those words. For the first time, he was finally left speechless. He put the magazine down for a moment and regarded Charles tenderly. Charles gave him a small smile and he could not help but smile back. He started to chuckle.

"You're right. That's really strange...but I guess the correct word for it would be fucked up! You must have hit your head or something-"

Charles started to laugh with him. Erik suddenly reached for his head and ruffled his hair, the expression on his face was affectionate and playful. In return, Charles reached up and gently touched Erik's wrist.

"Really, I'm thankful that you treat me ok, even though you did kidnap me. You're better than the others-"

Erik's smile disappeared and he pulled away, his good mood suddenly gone. "No, I'm not-"

Charles felt that he had touched a bad nerve with Erik and stopped. He sat up straight and grew solemn again. An awkward silence came between them for a moment and then Charles spoke again, albeit hesitantly.

"Sorry, I'm being weird-"

Erik felt sorry for him that he suddenly softened.

"Nah, it's ok. You've been having weird shit happen to you, it gets to your head-"

Charles nodded slowly. They had both had an exhausting day so they retired to bed early after they had put on their dried clothes. The bed had a wooden headboard, with no bars slim enough to fit the handcuffs onto. Erik suggested handcuffing their wrists together again. Charles agreed to it immediately. He preferred it because at least his arm would not hurt from being restrained above his head all night long. They both brushed their teeth in the bathroom first and then they both got on the bed. Afterwards, Erik slapped the handcuffs on both their wrists. Erik lay back in bed and closed his eyes. It almost felt as if Erik was avoiding any further conversation.

Charles had wanted to talk to him. He had wanted to know more about him. Eventually, sleep found both of them but Charles woke up in the middle of the night, lying on his side and he saw that Erik was lying on his side too, facing him. Charles smiled softly to himself as he stared at Erik's face. He didn't know why he did it but he lifted his free hand up and smoothed the hair away from Erik's forehead with gentle fingers. Erik did not stir or open his eyes. Charles suddenly felt this strange excitement come over him, his heart was beating faster as he sidled up closer and continued to touch Erik's face tenderly. He was tracing his fingers upon Erik's brow; his cheek and his jaw. Charles swallowed thickly, hoping Erik would not awaken as he continued. It was kind of odd that Erik did not wake up. He told himself that if he did, he would tell Erik he saw a bug crawling on his face. He felt as if his own face was growing hotter, the heat running down the back of his neck and his chest. He leaned in even closer, his fingers found Erik's lips and he sighed. Warm. He feels so warm. Charles was trembling with his excitement now, a soft whispery sigh escaping his lips and his face was now next to Erik's face.

This is not normal. I should stop. Why am I doing this? Charles thought desperately but he still went on anyway.

He was intending to kiss Erik's lips. Erik suddenly moved, brow furrowing, causing Charles to stop. His heart felt as if it caught in his throat and he was shocked by his own actions. He pulled away as quietly as he can and closed his eyes, somehow relieved but strangely disappointed for some reason. He told him he thought of him like a brother or a friend but was that the truth? He was still trembling and blushing. He almost kissed Erik. A man; a man kissing another man. He thought that was just sick. That was just messed up. Was he falling for his captor?