Title: Vengeance

Rating: T

Summary: The murder of someone from Catherine's past sets in motion an investigation that could change her life forever. Grillows!

Chapter 1

The bright lights of the Vegas strip could be seen illuminating the dark night sky for what seemed like miles away.

The women ran; her life depending on how fast she was going. From the distance she could hear the grunts of the maniac chasing after her from behind. The man she had met just mere hours before, the man who although wasn't her type, she had engaged in conversation and dancing with. The same man who had walked her to her car at the end of the night.

"Someone please!" she screamed hoping for a miracle, knowing realistically that out in the dark dry deserted hills it was unlikely anyone would hear her.

As she continued her desperate journey the pain in her bare and bloody feet threatened to slow her down.

"Please!" she sobbed uncontrollably, her lungs burning in attempts to give out, her heart pounding; her mind was racing. "Please help me!" she called again as a glimpse of hope in the form of bright headlights approached her.

The woman slowed down as if the lights were a sure sign of her survival. At her age of 26 she wasn't very strong, she wasn't unfit, but she wasn't in the best shape to be running for her life.

"Help me!" She sighed as she let her exhausted body take over her will and she fell to the dusty ground.

"Please..." she muttered between deep heaves. "Help!" she spoke as she waved her arms to make sure whoever was driving would be sure to spot her.

The vehicle before her came to a stop, its bright head lights shone directly on her. She watched hopefully as the driver side door swung open and a dark figure stepped out, she couldn't yet tell from her position if it was a man or a woman but if it meant she was saved it didn't matter much to her.

"Miss;" The figure spoke, and she knew instantly it was a man. "Miss; are you okay?"

"Please." She tried to calm herself and catch her breath but her attempts were futile, she just didn't have anything left to give. "They…" she sighed "He took …me.."

The stranger knelt down beside her and turned her face towards his. "What are you doing out here?"

"Help." She whispered. "Help..."

The man nodded, he could tell she had been through something terrible, her pink hair was tossed, her dress full of rips and spotted with blood, her eyes were blood shot and tears streaks stained her dirty face, her legs were dirty and bruised and her feet were cut and bleeding.

"Let's get you up." The man smiled as he helped the woman to her feet "Let's get you out of here." He spoke as he scooped her up in his arms as if he were rocking a baby to sleep. The man headed toward the passenger side of what she now knew was a truck.

It was when they reached the truck in her exhausted state that she got the first glimpse of the front seat passenger and fear came rushing back to her, the man that had been chasing her, the man that had taken her against her will was staring back at her with a smirk on her face that was haunting.

"No…no." she screamed and began the second fight for her life with the man she thought was going to help her.

"No!" she screamed as she flung her arms at his face "Stop!" she screamed again digging her dirty manicured nails into his face.

"Bitch!" the man dropped her as his hand flew to his throbbing face to stop the bleeding she had just caused.

The woman fell to the ground, ignored the pain that being dropped had sent shooting through her and made her best attempt to scramble on to her feet.

She only made it a few feet when she heard the voice.

"Where do you think you're going?" the predator that had been sitting in the truck, came from behind the vehicle his fist connecting with her abdomen. Her winded body fell to the ground as she gasped for the air surrounding her.

"I was just getting started." He spoke as he pulled her head up to whisper in her ear. "Just… Getting… started..." He smiled the same smile he had used to lure her.

The women dropped her head in defeat "Please." She sobbed, listening as the man walked back to the truck.

For a second she thought that the two men were leaving her to die which given the choice, she preferred. But all her hopes were dashed when one of the two men grabbed her feet and dragged her toward the truck, dirt and rocks scratched and cut at her already battered body.

"Please!" she screamed her throat raw "I'm sorry." She whispered "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry." The man that she had scratched laughed as he hoisted her up and dropped her into the bed of the truck. "Sweets," He smiled "You're just another message that has to be sent. Your boyfriend is the one who should be sorry."

tbc