A/N: Don't own TYR, just love.


Chapter 1

The first thing he becomes aware of is the pain. Dull, throbbing pain wraps around the back of his head to his temples. The pain pounds inside his head and the blood coursing through his veins keeps rhythm. Thud, thud, thud. The second thing he realizes is that he is not alone. The thudding sounds are not from within his own skull but footfall, very close to him. He opens his eyes, expecting a least a glimmer of night sky to help him distinguish where he is and who is with him, coming closer, but there is nothing. He swallows the panic now and his instincts are on high alert. His mind might not comprehend what is happening but his sense of self preservation takes over. He remains still, quiet.

There is a strike of a match, then light from a small candle. It is almost blinding for him until his eyes adjust. At first he can only see a hand, holding the candle, then as the figure steps closer, he sees an arm, light colored fabric, perhaps this is a...? He shifts his body upright, he realizes he had been laying on a dirt floor and tries to raise his right hand to shield his eyes until they can better adjust. The movement of his hand makes a clanking sound and it startles him. He feels the weight of metal against his wrist for the first time and he pulls harder. There is a chain. His hand bears a metal shackle. It fits snugly and bites into his skin. The panic is too overwhelming to tamp down any longer. He stands to his feet, or he tries to. The chain is attached to the ground, he guesses it might be three feet in length. He can move some, but he can not stretch to his full height. He pulls as hard as he can against it, but realizes quickly he will only damage his hand by doing so. The figure moves closer still and extends the hand not holding the candle.

"Shhh. Calm down. You will hurt yourself if you struggle."

He rests his hands against his knees as he tries to breathe. In and out, slowly, to remain calm. He looks up at... her. Yes, it is a woman who now joins him in this dark and frightful place. Her voice told him so, but it is hard to believe without seeing her as well. She does not belong in this place. Really, she's barely more than a girl, maybe a year or two younger than himself. He can see her eyes, but not their color. They are opened wide. Her pale skin, narrow neck, slight shoulders and long, dark hair. She is wearing a night shift and nothing else, her feet are bare. His eyes travel back to her face. To her lips. They are pressed together in obvious worry. He shakes his head slightly. He must be dreaming. A certain nightmare, except for her presence. Finally he finds his voice,

"Where am I," he asks. His voice is hoarse from lack of use.

"You are in the root cellar, under the barn," she answers softly.

"Why?" his next obvious question.

"Because you are a prisoner," she says, softer yet.

He looks at her dumbly, then feels his anger rising, bubbling up from the bottom of his stomach to the back of his throat.

"I'll ask you again... why?" his words are harsher now, he can barely contain his mounting anger, frustration... fear.

She takes a step back and the light fades around him. He is instantly sorry.

"You need to keep your voice down. I doubt they will hear you, but I don't want to take that chance. They don't know I'm here. I would be in as much trouble as you if they found out I knew they were keeping you."

There is something in her voice that he trusts, despite everything about his situation screaming at him to trust no one. He knows the fear in her voice is genuine. He takes a deep breath and looks above. More dirt. It only unsettles him more so he turns back to face the woman, to the light she holds in her hands.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I'll keep my voice down. Just stay, please? I don't understand anything right now. Last thing I remember is stopping for a bite to eat in Granger after a ride and playing cards," he says.

He tries to sound in control, strong... but the desperation leaks out in the 'please' and he sees her expression soften at the word.

"Sit down. It can't be comfortable to stand like that," she whispers.

In one movement she kneels before him and sets the candle down between them. She leans forward, pulls her hair to one side and over her shoulder. He was wrong before, her hair is not dark. It is light brown, almost blonde and her eyes, they aren't dark either. She tilts her face up and he gets a good look at them for the first time. They're a light color, maybe blue or green. He can't tell. He wants to ask. He wants to ask a million questions that this woman may know the answer to, but he has no idea where to start so he stays silent, and watches as she makes herself comfortable. She folds her hands in her lap. Her movements are gentle, purposeful and as he watches her run one thumb over the other he feels a tiny piece of calm creep into the back of his mind. She looks at him and tilts her head. Her brow furrows. He wonders if maybe she has too many questions for him as well. She lets out a sigh,

"What is the last thing you remember?"

He decides to be patient and thinks,

"I was talking to some men playing cards... they told me I looked familiar and got real curious," his frown deepens in concentration, "They followed me when I went to get my horse. I needed to go to the boarding house for the night, then... my brother's name. One of them said my brother's name. I turned to look at the guy. Then... blackness."

He absently pats the back of his head and winces when he runs his fingers over the lump he finds there. His hair feels stiff, and that confuses him until he makes the connection. Blood. He has dried blood in his hair. It is starting to come together now and looks up and meets the woman's sad eyes.

"One of them hit you on the back of head with the butt of their gun and they brought you here, on account of you being Jed's brother."

"Why? How do you know that?" he asks.

"Because. The leader of this gang is my uncle Victor. He and Jed go back a ways. Doing things to support the Southern Cause. They think Jed double crossed em over some gold or money a while back. That he hid some. They're counting on getting out of you where it is."

"Did... did your uncle tell you to come out here and talk to me?"

She winces and he wishes he could take the words back now.

"He doesn't think of me like that. Since my folks died, and my uncle took over the farm, I'm a built in cook and housekeeper... that's all. Anyways. He doesn't know I know this place exists."

She looks at him again, rubs her hand nervously against the fabric covering her knees.

"We've been talking a while, but I haven't introduced myself. I'm Mary Anne Haney, and you're..."

"Kid, people call me The Kid."

"Kid," she says his name with surprise, "nice to meet you. Jed joked and said your name was something else, but it sounded so silly that..."

"It is. Too silly that is. I don't go by it," he pauses and his whole demeanor changes as he asks, "did you know my brother?"

She smiles,

"Not all that well. He was fun, charming. He was real dedicated. Seems hard to believe he'd skim off the top and steal from Victor and The Cause... I was real sorry to hear he passed."

Kid only nods. His brother's death is too recent, and the wound too raw for many words.

She seems to sense this. She scoots forward and reaches out her hand to where his rests on the floor. Her fingertips brush over the top of his hand before landing, light as a butterfly to rest on top of his. Kid feels the warmth radiating from her touch and is afraid to move, to startle her away. The heat moves from his hand and travels up his arm, making him suddenly aware of how cool and damp the space is around him. He moves his fingers to lace through hers and looks up hesitantly to gauge her response. She is smiling. Her lips are barely curled upwards, but there is a softness, a smile all the same. He studies her face now. It could be considered plain if one was foolish enough to walk by her quickly, but now as he leans forward, into the small light he sees the stubborn line of her jaw, her apple cheeks and straight nose. Her breath shudders past her full open lips as she allows him to stare. She blinks and Kid turns his focus there, to her wide set eyes.

"They're green," he says, smiling.

She only frowns, so he explains.

"Your eyes. I was wondering what color they are. It's too dark to see much of anything..." his smile slips as his focus shifts from her candle lit face to the oppressive darkness around them, "how long have I been down here... what are they going to do with me."

There is an edge of hardness to his voice now, an unconscious reaction to steel himself for the dangerous unknown. She take his hand into hers now and squeezes it.

"They dragged you down here shortly after sundown. Our farm isn't too far outside Granger. They didn't see me watching from behind the chicken coop. I caught a glimpse of your face as they carried you," she looks up into his eyes as she mentions his face, "you looked young, innocent... good...I don't really know how else to describe it,"she throws up her free hand marking her inability to find the words, "something inside me told me I had to watch out for you. So I waited until everyone else drunk themselves to sleep and crawled down here," she smiles briefly, "this was my favorite hiding spot as a child. It only held my mother's preserves before," she notices he's not smiling and continues softly, "you've been here since 8 pm and it's 2 am right now, I'd wager. I thought you might be hungry. I saved you some scraps from dinner, they're supposed to go to the pigs. I hope you're not offended. I brought some water out too."

Kid is surprised and nods. She drops her hand and walks away from the small flame. It takes her half a second to disappear into darkness. Kid stretches, and realizes he actually is hungry and thirsty. He needs to relieve himself as well, but he'll wait to take care of that business. It occurs to him that maybe he is imagining her. That he is in a dream, and nothing around him is real. He wants her to be real though, maybe because the cold, hard earth beneath him feels real, the thick smell of must and dirt is real too. It clings inside his nose until he can remember no other smell. For one brief second he can no longer hear the sound of her feet. His heart races and he almost says her name out loud, but bites his lip, feeling foolish. She appears a heartbeat later, holding bread, a half eaten apple in one hand, and a canteen in another.

"Here," she says as she places them in his hands and wordlessly returns to her previous spot on the floor.

Kid chews slowly. The bread is stale, the water helps him gulp it down. Soon he is finished and hands her back the canteen.

"So in the morning, your uncle... you think your uncle is going to come down here, try and get me to tell him things?" he hesitates, but asks anyways.

She shakes her head,

"I was making dinner in the kitchen, they weren't paying me any mind, but I heard them saying about letting you stew, that some time without food and water, not knowing where you is, should make you real talkative," she pauses and purses her lips together, then raises her chin an in and regards him almost defiantly, "I spose this doesn't matter much, but I gotta tell you anyways. I don't like my uncle. Some days, like today, I feel as close to hate for him as I think I would for any body. When my parents were alive things were good. We didn't have much, but we had enough. My Ma is from the south but she didn't miss it. Slavery never set well with her. Then her brother Vincent came for a 'visit'. He stayed and fought with my parents. My Pa was set on kicking him out, but... they died. My Pa in a farming accident and my Ma this past winter, she got real sick in her lungs, but I think her heart was more broken than anything..." her eyes are filled with tears and Kid reflexively reaches his hand out to her, but the weight and sound of the chain still the movement. She hears the sound and straightens her back, blinking away the tears.

"I'm sorry," Kid murmurs. She waves her hand dismissively.

"You got problems bigger than mine, so let me get around to talking about that," she gives him a half smile, before she speaks again.

"Shortly after Ma passed, Victor's friends started showing up, and it was clear he wasn't interested in farming. Just 'The Cause', always The Cause. The only thing Victor's done nice for me is make sure all his men know I'm off limits. Don't figure that for a loving gesture though. If I get hurt... or with child, I can't cook or clean for him as well. He jokes that cattle, horses, Negros and women... they work harder if they're kept up. I don't... I don't know why I'm telling you all this cept maybe so you know I'm not like him. Maybe so you'll believe me when I tell you" she breathes out, "I want to help you escape."

Kid has a sudden urge to hug her, to take her in his arms and squeeze her tightly. Kiss her even. She spoke the words he realizes he's wanted to hear since he woke to the sound of her approach. Kissing her full lips may not be the kind of response she is looking for though, so instead he leans forward and waits until her eyes are gazing into his,

"Thank you."

She blushes and bites her lip,

"Maybe you won't thank me after you hear what I'm about to say. If I'm able to get you out of those chains and off the property, I'd like you to take me with you," she sees Kid open his mouth and she rushes ahead, "I can't stay here any more. I guess I knew Uncle Victor was a bad man, but I didn't know how bad til I saw him bring you down here. Final straw I guess," she shrugs and Kid moves closer to her.

"How do you know I'm any better than Victor? You took a real risk coming down here..." he trails off, not wanting to make her regret the decision or frighten her.

"Jed was one of the few men that came through here to make me smile, treat me like a lady. When I heard you were his brother, I knew I had to come down here... I've heard your real name, Kid... anyone with a name like that couldn't be too mean."

Kid chuckles,

"When I was little, my Ma would tell me to say my prayers. She told me I had angels watching out for me. I prayed real hard then, but watched one bad thing happen after another... till I stopped. It didn't seem like there was much of a point, no one seemed to hear. I looked real hard for those angels too, and never saw them. Till today," Kid stops as he sees the surprise register in her eyes. He reaches his hand out to her, brushes a stray strand of hair away from her face, "Mary Anne, even if you didn't ask, I'd want to bring you with me. This is no place for an angel."

"Really?" she asks, she catches his hand as it falls from where it rests, on her shoulder.

Kid enjoys the feel of her fingers woven with his, the way her thumb moves in a circular motion over the back of his hand. He doubts she's even aware she's doing it.

"Yes. Do you trust me?"

"I do... I'm surprised by how much."

"I trust you too. We're going to have to trust each other, to get out of here. I have to trust that when you walk out of this cellar, you'll come back for me, and you have to trust once we're out, that I'll take you away from here and keep you safe. I promise you I'll do that, Mary Anne."

She breathes out. Her relief is palpable.

"I promise I will be back here tomorrow night," she frowns and drops his hand. She pulls her knees up to her chest and hugs them, "I don't know where he has the key for that," she nods her head towards his chained wrist, "It will be hard to look for it. He doesn't let me near his desk, so that's the most likely spot..." her voice is now a whisper and Kid strains to hear her.

"Be careful... you said your uncle wants to keep me down here for a while. You might have some time," he tries to give her strength by keeping his voice steady, and firm, but his own fear is back, just at the thought of the darkness, the absence of her and her light. His breath comes out in a shudder and she notices.

"I'm scared. I don't know if I can do this and it will just kill me if anything... well... Pray, Kid, while you're down here. Maybe your angels really are listening... and I'll be back, hopefully with the key, but if I can't find it, I'll bring you food and water. I'll tell you what the day was like outside. I'll tell you what they talked about. You need to be stronger than my uncle expects you to be, if he comes down here to talk to you."

He nods that he has heard her, and swallows hard. He feels so helpless and out of control. He hasn't felt this way since he was a boy and he had promised himself then, that he would do whatever it took to protect himself; be stronger, smarter so he'd never have to feel this way again... but there is no controlling this situation. There is only hope, in the form of the small and frightened woman before him. Thankfulness overwhelms him for her very existence. Calling her an angel was not an effort to speak flattering words, she truly is. She glows in her white nightgown, her green eyes shimmer with unshed tears. She is so beautiful to him, he has to reach out to her.

He crouches and moves to her side, and maintains eye contact with her. She leans towards him. He puts both hands on her shoulders, enjoys the rush of warmth, even that slight touch brings him.

"I'm scared too, but I think we'll be alright. Thank you... again. For helping a stranger. You're very brave."

She smiles as she places one of her hands over his. It is the one with the shackle, her smile fades from her face as her fingers hit the metal.

"You're not a stranger anymore, and after what my uncle's done to you, what other choice is there? You need to get out of here... and so do I."

Kid is so touched by her care that he does something impulsive. He gathers her into his arms and hugs her. He pulls her flush against his chest and feels the softness of her curves against him. He wishes he wasn't wearing a jacket just for that moment, her warmth is infinitely better. She relaxes against him and wraps both of her arms around his waist. She returns the strength of the embrace, letting him know the closeness is not unwanted. She rests her head against his shoulder and sighs. Kid breaths her closeness in. She smells of soap and flowers and fresh air. He tries to memorize it against the dank air apart from her. She pulls away but allows her arms to stay loosely around his middle.

"I should go... I'm going to prop open the door with a small rock. I don't think they'll notice it. It will let in just enough light so you'll be able to see a bit. After the sun is down for a while, and they're sleeping, I'll come back, I promise."

He tightens his hold on her in reaction to the thought of being alone without her company in the dark. She bites her lip, her eyes plead for him to understand.

"I promise," she says again, slowly.

"Mary Anne..." he stops and makes himself let go of her, "I know you'll be back, you should go," he forces the words past his lips and she nods slowly.

She kneels and is ready to stand, but then, leans forward quickly. Her eyes flutter closed and before Kid knows what is happening, her lips are on his, feather light and warm, soft, so very, very soft. She moves away and stands with her candle before he has a chance to kiss her back properly, or maybe even beyond properly. She is shy now as she picks up her candle. Her hair shields part of her face.

"Goodnight, Kid."

Kid thinks he says the words back to her but is unsure, he watches her retreating form and wishes he could go after her, but he can't. The cold metal against his wrist is a constant reminder that everything else in this situation is a nightmare. He hears her blow the candle out just before the cellar door shuts softly. He is once again in near total darkness.


A/N: I started this story the first day of NaNoWriMo. I wanted to push myself during the contest, to write out of my comfort zone, and tackle a writing style and situations I never have before. So this story is in the present tense. It is definitely has more doomy peril than I usually write, and there is smut. All of that has been really challenging, but the muse took the story and ran with it. I have written the entire thing in 13 days. It is done. I know how this ends and I'm excited about it. This was a wild ride that almost killed me but I'm happy with how it turned out. I will update frequently as it's completed. I really hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think, please! :)

(Oh and if you are wondering, yes I turn my attention now to my other two stories for the rest of the month. You will get updates for them too)

:)