AN-Right then, before I start there are a few warnings here which I need to put up. This does contain Torture in the coming chapters and it does get graphic. It was something I wrote as a complete accident when I wrote another fic. As it didn't really fit with the other thing I took it out and have now expanded it to this. Each chapter is short and there is only 4 of them. I did promise when I put this right I would share it for PinkAngel17 to read. I now just have to avoid the various objects the wonderful BonesBird will throw at me as she has read the original but not this version. So as always please read and review to let me know what you all think.
They had spent an amazing morning at the beach, just being themselves. As he covered her back and arms in sun cream to stop her burning, he noticed very faint white lines across her back. He had a fair idea what they were from, but now he saw how many she had, he wouldn't settle until she told him. He knew they weren't the only scars she had on her body and he understood that in this line of work they were inevitable. He had his fair share of scars from gunshot wounds to binding marks and the odd knife attack. Up until he saw the ones on her back, he had never really thought about what she had done before he meet her, what jobs she had been assigned. He had read her file and he had seen she had been shot a couple of times, but there wasn't really much else due to the fact she had done classified work on more than one occasion. She felt his fingers linger on her back and she knew then he had seen the scars. She knew he would ask, push for answers and she had no reason not to tell him.
They had talked about making their way back up to a small cafe they had passed and getting some lunch before maybe coming back when they were down. She hoped by suggesting getting lunch she would put him off asking. As they walked up to the cafe, he sensed a change in her mood and he had no idea what caused it. He felt her tense at his side as a horse and carriage drew passed them and the driver made a cracking noise with his whip.
"What's bothering you? I can't help if you don't tell me." Placing a kiss to her temple as they walked.
"Nothing really." Seeing the raised eyebrow look she was getting for giving the 'nothing' answer. "Just remembering stuff that I wish I could forget." Finally turning to look at him as she spoke.
"Does this have anything to do with the scars on you back as well as the one on your thigh and the ones on your ankles?" Seeing the shocked look on her face when he mentioned the scars.
"You did see them. I didn't think they were still that noticeable. I thought I hid the rest of them better than that." Looking down at the path as they continued to walk.
"Well? I won't give up till I get something from you or I can call Gibbs and see what he will give me. Or if that fails I will pass you both and speak to Vance." Making sure he made a point of telling her he would push.
"I can't tell you too much as you know it was and still is classified. The best it can do is tell you that I was taken hostage and tortured. It was Gibbs who saved me, but not before I received the injuries you're on about." As she stopped walking and stepped back away from the path.
"Is this in your NCIS jacket? I haven't read any file about it." Moving off the path to join her.
"It is, but not that you will see it. It's part of my medical file, which as far as I know, you won't have unless you ask for it. Before you bother I will tell you what that contains as I know you will now be bugged enough to go back and ask for a copy for some reason that you will make up. After lunch, we will go sit back on the beach and I promise I will tell you what you want to know but here is not the place. Plus as you know, I have never been good at sharing that sort of stuff." Taking his hand and intertwining their fingers.
He looked down at their joined hand then up at her face. He could see that whatever she was going to tell him he was not going to like one bit. They both had stuff in their past that the other had no idea of, but now he was not sure if he wanted to know this piece of Brody's past. He did the only thing he could think of doing and nodded his head in agreement as he gave her hand a squeeze. Nodding her head in return she led him back onto the path and in the direction of the cafe. They stayed holding hands till they were seated in the cafe where they were facing each other. After looking at the menu, Pride went and ordered and came back carrying a tray with two large coffees on. Setting the tray down, he sat back down and reached across the table taking Brody's hand and running his fingers over her knuckles.
They sat in silence as their fingers moved against each other's as they held hands across the table. Their lunch soon arrived and as they sat eating they did talk but they avoided the conversation they both knew was coming. Brody did her best as she ate to mentally prepare herself to relief the story that lead to her scars and Gibbs rescuing her. She had never really talked about the torture other than when she was admitted to the hospital and she had to disclose the reasons for the injuries she had. She was advised to speak to a psychologist, but she declined. Only two people alive knew what happened that day and she had kept it that way. Now she had agreed to share the tale and let someone else in. Since it was Gibbs that found her and saw what was happening when he rescued her, she couldn't hide from him. So she had sat with him and told him what she had been subjected to. It was Gibbs that held her as she relived the harrowing things she had been subjected to, but it was that conversation that helped her deal with what happened and helped her move on.
When they were both finished eating they got ready to leave after a stop at the bathroom. Pride made sure he had coffees to take out and he made them large as he had a feeling they were going to need them. Instead of walking hand in hand down the path leading to the beach Pride pulled Brody close to him as he held her around the waist with her head resting on his shoulder. They kept their coffees in their free hands as they walked and he placed the odd kiss to her hair as they went. It was with a very somber mood they arrived back at the beach and Pride looked around for somewhere to sit. Spotting a large open piece of sand, he led Brody off the path and towards the sand. When he stopped he let go of her and passed her his coffee. Taking the bag off his shoulder he got the picnic blanket out and spread it on the sand.
Sitting down he reached up and was passed the coffees as Brody sat down beside him. He had no idea what to say so he just sat and looked at her, waiting for her to speak. He was not going to push her to speak as he could see it was going to be a hard thing for her to relive what happened. So instead he pulled her to him and got her to sit between his legs as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. Lacing all their fingers together on her stomach he waited. After placing a kiss to her cheek, he felt her take a deep breath in and hold it before slowly exhaling it.
"Before I start I will tell you that you will be only the second living person to know what happened to me in the days I was held captive and tortured. It was agent Gibbs who found me that day and he could not only see but hear what was going on before he stormed the room, shooting dead the two men holding me. I did give the hospital a brief run down so they could treat me, but they have no idea the full extent of what happened. When I start I will not stop till I am finished as it's easier to run through it and get it over with. Any questions you have I will answer when I am done but before I start I need you to know that I do not want you to feel sorry for me or for this to change how you see me. I lived through it and it could have been so much worse had it not been for Gibbs timely arrival. I will skip straight to me being captured as the rest is still classified, So if you ready I will let you hear about the worst forty-eight hours of my life which were only topped when Emily died." Settling back against his chest and feeling him hold her a little tighter.