Nightmares don't wear wedding gowns

by Magalud

Linda and Fraser learn that marriage might not be a safe place

Title: Nightmares don't wear wedding gowns

Series: Part Five of the Nightmare Series. Comes right after Nightmares don't get married

Author: Magalud

Category: Romance, Drama

Rating: R for violence

Summary: Linda and Fraser learn that marriage might not be a safe place

Warnings: Bad treatment of Canadians, etiquette and police procedures inconsistencies.

Notes: A special thank-you note goes to my friend Vivi, who graciously agreed to act as a marriage consultant. Cris and Janny live in my heart and they know it.

Disclaimers: Linda is mine; Benny is not. How I wish it was the other way around. Maybe throw in Ray, too, because he's bald and cute.

Linda had never felt so kissed and effusively hugged before. But then, it was the entirety of the 27th Precinct that wanted to congratulate her for the wedding, which had just been held in said precinct.

Fewer times in her eventful life had she had bigger emotions. Not only had she gotten married to Constable Benton Fraser, but also in a wedding ceremony proffered by Lieutenant Welsh, a man she regarded as a kind of father figure. She had been "given" to Fraser by the man that had practically been her father, Dr. Lennyard, and Fathers Biehan and Mulcahey had talked about marriage and the importance of supportiveness and dependability on one another and faithfulness.

Linda and Fraser had to get married in the bullpen because St Michael's had been invaded by a trio of crooks, probably under Victoria's orders, who had tried to kidnap Linda and prevent them from getting married. Dr. Lennyard saved the day, escaping from a lateral door and calling the police. Since everybody, including bride, groom and guests, had been taken to the district, and since the lieutenant was qualified to marry people, the wedding ceremony had been performed in the police precinct - safest place they could find.

After that, there had been the list of congratulations and then the best news of all: Diefenbaker joined the party. He had been drugged when the trio invaded the church and after a few hours, the drugs had worn off. Now the wolf was enjoying the guests' attentions, and he was very elegant, with a bow tie, trotting happily, no after effects whatsoever.

Once the ceremony was over, all guests, bride and groom had to reach the Vecchio's house for the luncheon. The limo had been dispensed, so Ray had to drive Linda and Fraser in the Riv because of her dress, the beautiful wedding gown that almost got ruined during the horrible events.

The Vecchio's house was overflowing with guests. When Linda and Fraser arrived there, another rice shower greeted them. The guests applauded them heartily when they kissed, and then it was their turn to greet them one by one, in peace at last, without fearing for their lives.

Despite all the bad deeds that happened, the symbolic wedding inside the precinct, celebrated by Lieutenant Welsh with the blessings of two priests, was more than enough to lift the guests' spirits.

And the couple's spirits were above all dark misfortunes, too. Fraser was glowing, his smile illuminating the entire Chicago area. When he looked at Linda, his eyes sparkled in adoration. Linda, too, seemed to have left all the horrible experience behind and was happier than ever. She looked stunning and exchanged muted love looks with Fraser all the time.

Taking great care of her wedding gown (that didn't suffer as much as it could have in the mishap), she talked to Meg Thatcher and then went over to the table where Detectives Huey and McCloskey were enjoying the party. After that, she sat for a while with Mr. and Mrs. Mutchnik, who were sitting with Donna and her husband and their daughter Melissa.

It was truly a gathering of friends, and Linda was happy to see them all there. The music was about to begin, and there would be dancing. Ray was the one who wanted to have the second dance with the bride.

Linda answered a lot of questions about her honeymoon. They were going for the weekend on the romantic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, on Canada, to see Niagara Falls. It'd be a bit cold, but it was a short honeymoon. Their flight would leave a bit later in the evening, so they'd have to cut the party early.

Eventually, the photographer Ted asked her to pose for a picture with her friends. Little Gina also made the same request with the kiddie camera, and everyone would smile at her, too

There were waiters serving the guests and Mrs. Vecchio was the one controlling them. She and Francesca were always by the kitchen checking on the food and drinks to the guests.

Sometimes Linda looked for Fraser, who was similarly attending the guests. She watched him from afar, in his tuxedo, much more beautiful than she had ever remember seeing him. Now he was her husband, and he would be the father of their child. Today they had started their family; a family that would soon be growing and she would be the one responsible for its stability. She was the one to hold it together. She was the one to provide moral support emotional balance. She was the mother and the wife. Linda only hoped she had strength to do the task ahead of her: loving and nurturing a family for the next 50 or 60 years.

"Mrs. Fraser?"

"Mrs. Fraser?"

Linda suddenly spun around, surprised, all folds of her dress floating. She blushed red at the photographer, "I am sorry. I am not used to be called that."

The man smiled. "I understand. We get that all the time. I was wondering if now would be a good time for you to come outside for some pictures in the backyard. I don't want to miss the natural light."

"All right, then. I'll just call Ben."

"I'd like to take some of you alone first, if you don't mind. Your husband's pictures will be taken right after yours."

"I think it'll be all right, Mr... Mr... Sorry, I forgot your name."

"Just call me Ted." He said, smiling. "OK, then. I will just pull the van in the driveway, because I need some equipment, all right?

"Fine."

Linda got herself ready while Ted called his assistant to check the reflex and light. The girl was impressed with all the equipment and cases stores in the back of the van.

The woman who assisted Ted got close to Linda with a sort of light reader and said, "The light is not so good on your face. But I think that with a bit of makeup we won't need any light change." She turned the meter off, "I have a makeup case at the back of the van. Come with me, please."

Following the woman, Linda struggled to recall her name. She shuffled through a huge bag and produced a case. "Why don't sit here and we can powder your nose, so to speak?"

"Ok."

But before Linda could do it, Ted screamed, "No! What are you doing, Peggy? Don't you see Mrs. Fraser's beautiful dress will be ruined if she seats here?"

The lady seemed chastised. "Oh, I am so sorry." She turned to Linda. "But I need to put her makeup here on the outside and she has to sit down".

The photographer rolled his eyes. "Peggy, you are the one supposed to solve such things." The girl blushed. "We can't miss the light. Tell you what. I suppose Mrs. Vecchio has a bed sheet or kitchen table towel we can use. Otherwise, I will just grab a chair."

"Good idea." Peggy said, not moving to help him.

The man rolled his eyes again and disappeared inside the house, still with his bags and cameras. Peggy turned to Linda and shrugged. "I am kinda new on this. I hope you forgive me."

"It's OK, Peggy." Linda tried to reassure. "Everything will turn out fine."

"I only wished it could be true." Peggy seemed very sad.

Linda was going to tell her some reassuring words but Ted came back with a white sheet. "Peggy, we can begin."

The girl nodded and went to the front of the van, while Ted came close to Linda. "OK, Linda, now we need your help."

She opened her mouth to answer, but her attention was then diverted to some noise inside the house. It sounded like people screaming and running. Linda was intrigued, and told Ted, "I think there is some problem in the house. What could've happened?"

"I think one of the kids fell down," Ted shrugged. "Come here in the van, please."

So Linda did. When she got at the edge of the back of the van, however, Ted shoved Linda inside the vehicle and closed the back door, urging, "Go, Peggy, go!"

The van quickly pulled out of the Vecchio's driveway and gained the streets of Chicago before Linda could even react.

***

It was one of the Vecchio's children that gave the alarm. The turmoil began a few minutes after Francesca felt a sting on her shoulder. She looked up and Ted, the photographer, was smiling at her. "Sorry, Ma'am. I think I have a pin on my hand."

The Italian woman frowned, "OK, but be careful next time."

Apologizing once more, the man went out in the backyard with a bed sheet in his hands besides his photographer's bag. Francesca shook her head and turned back to the party. It seemed, however, that the whole room suddenly was beginning to spin around her, and her senses were failing. With a whispered sigh, Frannie went to the ground.

Maria's young daughter saw his aunt lying on the floor and thought she was sleeping. Odd place to do so, thought little Gina, still in her beautiful gown of ring-bearer. She bent and shook Aunt Francesca's shoulder.

"Auntie?" No move. "Aunt Francesca?"

Gina was quite puzzled and called. "Ma! Ma! Why is Aunt Francesca sleeping in the floor?"

Hard to say who shouted first. In seconds, there were dozens of Vecchios around the unconscious woman.

Maria approached the limp figure of her sister sprawled on the floor and shrieked. "Dio Mio, Francesca!"

Inspector Thatcher, who was talking to Maria when little Gina asked her mother about Aunt Francesca, rushed and shouted to the nearest person, "Doctor! Go get a doctor." Turnbull scrambled around in search of Dr. Lennyard or Dr. Wilson.

"Mia bambina!" cried Ma Vecchio. "Oh, Francesca!"

As Meg kneeled gently and cradled Frannie's head in her lap, Maria helped to get her sister in a comfortable position. Attracted by the noise, other people came to aid, as the photographer's van pulled out of the Vecchio's driveway. Diefenbaker dashed after the vehicle, and little Tony protested, "Diefenbaker!"

Inside the house, Meg Thatcher checked Frannie's pupils, and then took her pulse and temperature. Francesca didn't stir. Dr. Lennyard rushed in and also went to his knees. "What happened here, Inspector?"

"I am not sure, doctor. But Francesca's heartbeat and temperature seems to be OK. Her pupils are dilated and non-responding."

The psychiatrist asked, "I need help to take her to a bed".

Benny and Huey came right up as Meg said, "The couch is nearer."

Ma Vecchio was crying loudly and Uncle Lorenzo asked Father Biehan to try and calm her down. Ray pushed people apart to let Dr. Wilson nearer the couch, where Francesca was carefully laid. Both doctors examined her vitals, checked her pupils, and then exchanged glances. They realised there were at least two dozens of expectant eyes on them.

"Therazin?" guessed Dr. Lennyard.

"Possibly mixed with Rohypnol." added Dr. Wilson. "She won't remember who did this to her."

Ray asked, "How is she?"

Dr. Lennyard stood up and reassured, "Your sister will be fine. She will recover in a short time."

Benton looked around, as Ray asked, "What is wrong with her?"

"She has been drugged," answered the psychiatrist. "It was a strong but quick hypnotic substance to knock her out."

"But why?"

Benton Fraser asked, "Where is Linda?"

People turned heads and looked around, but no one came with an answer. Benny looked at Ray, and his face was pale, although his heart had begun to race.

"No!" Before anyone could even move, Benny dashed outside, and Ray tried to call him, "Benny!"

Lieutenant Welsh started shouting orders, "Huey, start looking around. Elaine, go check bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs."

Inspector Thatcher barked, "Turnbull, talk to the waiters and other hired help."

Welsh pushed Ray aside and said, "Miss Vecchio must have seen something, I guess."

Ray was fuming, shaking in pure rage. "We should have known, lieu. If we had a backup plan, so did they."

"I want you to go after Big Red", ordered his superior officer. "He's half-mad now, he'll end up licking the whole damn street. Take him downtown. We'll meet you both there and we can come up with a plan of work."

"Yes, sir," Ray ran out after his friend. The lieutenant watched the detective go and the old policemen's heart weighed a ton more.

Ma Vecchio came to Welsh, "Signore lieutenant, do you think someone has taken Linda?"

"We don't know yet, Ma'am."

"It can't be so!" said the old lady. "She was right here. I saw her here less than two minutes ago! Oh, no, first my Francesca, now my bambina!"

Welsh put his hand over her shoulder. "We are doing everything we can, Mrs. Vecchio."

Maria took her Ma by her shoulder. "Ma, let them do their job."

The old Italian woman wiped the tears from her cheeks with a handkerchief, then patted on her daughter's hand, "Maria, cara, get Aunt Lucia and both our rosaries. We have a lot of praying to do."

They were about to go upstairs to pray when Crystal, Linda's friend from the community centre, called, "I am sorry to interrupt, but I have a phone call for you, Mrs. Vecchio. The person said it was urgent."

"Thank you, bella." Mrs. Vecchio was feeling very sad, but picked up the phone anyway, "Hello?"

"Mrs. Vecchio?" It was a woman's voice.

"I appreciate your coming to the phone. I know there must be a lot in your head now."

"Who is this, please?"

"I am the person who took Linda," said the calm voice. "I just want you to know that I'll be calling again soon with more news."

The caller hung up, leaving only despair and agony at the Vecchio home.

* * *

A sharp curve rolled Linda violently on the floor of the van, and she yelped in surprise. When she was able to sit up, she found a revolver staring right at her noise, and Ted's cold voice warning her, "Don't move or I will shoot you right here."

Linda's heart raced and she realised that she was deep, deep trouble. "What do you want? Where are we going?"

"We are going some place not nice. Now be a nice girl and we are going to get along just fine." Ted took a cell phone from his pocket, flipped it open and dialled a number. "Report Phase 1. Completed." He shut the phone without waiting for an answer.

Trying to control her breathing rate and to recover her voice, Linda tried to ask, "Please, Mr. Ted, tell me... what do you want from me?"

"From now on, you just call me Mister. I need your help. Are you going to help me?"

Shaking, Linda asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"For starters, you can be a good girl and keep quiet." He picked up his photographer's big bag and from there produced a set of shackles. "And don't struggle."

Linda's eyes widened and, impossible as it might be, she got even more scared. The kind of shackles that the man presented was the exact one Linda had most feared all her life. She had seen them many times in the most violent interns of the mental institution she practically grew up. Since she wasn't a violent patient, Linda had never been restrained with any of those instruments. But many of her abusers threatened to use that to restrain her in the past.

It had been years ago. But the terror had never left the girl's memory. Now she was face to face to that which she most feared for years long.

"No..." Her voice seemed to be dwindling, and tears streamed unobtrusively down her cheeks. "Please, don't... I will do anything..."

"Put your hands to your back." She hesitated and the man's voice got colder, "Don't make me do it or things will get worse for you."

Timidly, Linda put her hands around her back and closed her eyes. She felt her wrists being bound together, and then heard the sounds of locking.

"Now your feet."

Still trying to breathe properly, Linda turned back to face the man, then stretched her legs and watched in horror, as the same type of manacles was put around her ankles. As the man finished the operation, Linda tried to look outside, thinking in ways of gathering attention. The van was still struggling through Chicago's heavy traffic, and maybe if she shouted loud enough...

"Don't even think of it."

The man's voice cut her thoughts and she spun to face him, surprised.

"I know what you are thinking and I advise you not to do it." He rummaged through his bag once more and produced a syringe. "I asked you to be a good girl. If you try anything, I will use this." He showed her a syringe. "Now lie down."

Linda obeyed, trembling and crying silently. More clinking sounds puzzled her and at the same time predicted more bad news for her. Her captor hooked a chain to her manacles, and ordered, "Raise your legs."

So Linda did, her pearl wedding gown getting dirtier by the minute. The beautiful white shoes were a contrast to the shackles that chained her ankles. The man got closer and began to wrap a heavy chain around Linda's legs. When he was done, Linda was practically wrapped up like a sausage, in a very painful position. The chain was not so long, and Linda's knees were slightly bent so that her ankles were tied to her wrists by the same chain. She wouldn't be able to escape by herself.

Ted turned her to her side, and Linda felt more comfortable.

"What is it?" asked Peggy, still driving the van. Linda struggled to see her face, in vain. Peggy seemed surprised at her partner.

"This, my dear, is some insurance."

"We agreed not to hurt her."

"I am not hurting her. She is not hurt, are you Linda?" Linda hesitated and he pressed. "Are you, Linda?"

"N-no, Sir."

"See? She is fine. And if she complains, we can always let her get a good sleep the rest of the way."

Linda shuddered in pure terror to think about the drugs.

Peggy reminded him, "The boss said that she is to be delivered unharmed or we wouldn't get paid."

"I know what the boss said." Ted, or whatever his name was, seemed to grow colder by the minute, totally uncaring for Linda's health or safety. "We are doing our part of the deal."

"Why?" whimpered Linda. "Please, tell me why."

Ted looked at her, "Linda, this is not personal. We are doing this because we need money, OK?"

"No, I mean, why is your boss doing this?"

"We don't question the boss."

"But who is him? Or is it a her?"

Ted began to grow irritated. "First, we don't know who the boss is. We only talk to a middleman. Second, we wouldn't tell you, and all I told you could be a lie. Third, this is your last warning: you shut up, otherwise we will drug you."

Linda winced, and concentrated on not panicking. Ted shouted at Peggy, "Can't you go faster? The cops will be all over us at any minute!"

"I am going as fast as I can!" said Peggy. "It's rush hour and this is Chicago, you know?"

For at least ten more unending minutes, Linda felt the van rocking and bouncing. Her brain raced, as she realised not all hope was lost. Benny and Ray would surely be looking for her. Besides, there were many cops and detectives and inspectors at her wedding. They would be able to pick up clues and find out who was behind this.

Because Linda did not want to believe the most logical alternative about the author of all of this.

"Rendezvous point," announced Peggy, pulling the van. The vehicle stopped and Linda's breathing sped up. Was this the end of her line?

"All clear."

Peggy opened up her door and stepped out of the van. Ted grabbed Linda's shoulder and ordered, "Sit up."

Linda struggled to keep herself in an erect position and Peggy opened the van's back door. Linda saw they seemed to be in some sort of alley.

"Sorry, babe," said Ted, "but first class treatment is over."

Before she could protest, Ted gagged her mouth with a large band of tape. He took out a sort of sack or black pillowcase, and Peggy seemed surprised, "What are you doing?"

"Just a bit of precaution."

"I don't like this. You are going way too far."

Ted got openly hostile and hissed, "And so are you. You keep that up, and I will take care of you."

Linda trembled all over, now unable to say a word. Ted put the black hood over her head, cutting her vision. Peggy said, "Don't cover her nose. She has got to breathe."

"Right you are," he snorted, "We wouldn't want you to suffocate, now would we?" The hood was raised to the level of her nose and Linda felt cold air coming from the outside.

"Now Linda, just relax. We are going a small trip. Think of it as your honeymoon trip, but your bridegroom got misplaced."

Suddenly, her body was hefted onto his shoulder with such violence that one of her shoes was knocked off her foot. Linda realised she was being taken to another vehicle. That was a logical step, to abandon the van so the police could not find their tracks. She also realised that her rescue was getting more and more difficult.

A strong odour of coffee powder hit her nostrils. Before Linda could ponder on what it might mean, she was clumsily dumped on the back seat of a big car, still chained up. Ted growled angrily, probably to Peggy, "From now on, I will take care of the driving, otherwise it might take days to reach our destiny."

Car doors slammed shut and Linda's seat shifted, meaning someone was sitting in the same seat as Linda. She heard Peggy saying, "I am gonna put some earphones on you. I hope you like this kind of music because that's all we have."

Linda felt the big earphones carefully covering her ears and cutting her hearing from the outside world. The music was loud and annoyingly heavy, with people screaming all the time about hatred and fear and war and violence. Totally out of her style.

Linda liked to hear classical music with Benny and melodious love songs with Frannie. Unfortunately, she had none of that. Her ears were flooded with the screams of some neogothic punk rock band.

Unable to get a clue of her whereabouts from the sounds surrounding her, Linda couldn't guess what would become of her. Her chances of rescue were getting scarcer by the second, and things did not look good for her. Linda could not believe that she was bursting from happiness less than an hour ago.

Quietly, she began to sob, her shoulders shaking in the back seat. Then she felt a gentle hand caressing her hair and she knew instinctively that it was Peggy, trying to soothe her. Linda could only hope that she could draw enough strength from the woman's compassionate touch to face what was ahead of her.

* * *

"Benny, talk to me."

"I can't, Ray. I can't - " He stopped, setting his jaw and barely containing his anger. "Sorry."

"Benny, we got half of the Chicago Police Department looking for her, not to mention the whole staff of the Canadian Consulate including Dief." The Riv made a smooth curve in the dark night. "Thank God he sensed what was going on and followed the van. The mutt will be back anytime, you'll see."

Fraser kept quiet, eyes on the street, looking for any sign of Diefenbaker. Ray's radio cracked, and Elaine's voice filled the Riv. "Ray, come in."

Ray took the speaker, "I hear you, Elaine."

"Neighbours are complaining of a barking dog, probably a Siberian Husky, at an alley near Taylor and Canal at the West Side."

"We're a few blocks away from Cicero Avenue, Elaine. Thank you!"

The Riv made a curve and Ben's heart sped. They found Diefenbaker frantically barking at the end of the alley. They stepped out of the Riv and ran to the wolf. Ray brought a flashlight and swept the place and its surroundings. It was dirty and deserted.

Dief began to whine at Fraser, and Ray noticed, "It smells like coffee here."

Fraser fell on one knee near Dief and brushed his hand to the ground, then brought it to his nose. Ray made a face. "You are not going to lick it, are you?"

The Mountie inhaled it deeply and said. "It wouldn't help."

The wolf barked twice, then ran to the very darkest corner of the alley. Fraser ran after him, and Ray lost his patience. "What? What?"

Almost imperceptible, a delicate white slipper, now smeared with mud and moist coffee powder, lay in the ground. "Oh, no."

Fraser picked up a twig to move the shoe without putting his fingerprints and Ray put the light on it. Fraser's voice was different when he confirmed, "It's Linda's."

"So they've been here."

Fraser made Ray light the ground and showed him the various wheel tracks. "This is the place where they switched cars."

"But if they switched cars here, where is the van?"

"Abandoned somewhere else. Thrown at Lake Michigan. Wherever it is, it's been disposed."

"I don't understand why they didn't abandon it here."

"To buy them more time while we were chasing the van. That's why they put coffee powder on the ground."

"Why?"

"To fool Diefenbaker. He's just told me that he can't scent the tracks anymore. He just found her shoe, but he doesn't have a trail to follow." Fraser sighed. "He feels very guilty."

Ray bent and petted the wolf, "Oh, Dief, don't worry. We will find them, and then you can get back at the guys." He began dialling his cell phone. "I will call forensics."

Fraser took the flashlight and began a detailed sweep in the perimeter. He tried not to concentrate on the shoe, on the thought of her presence in this same place a few hours ago; her scent picked up by the wolf's nostrils. Their only clues to find Linda were merely bits and pieces in a dark alley in a cold October night.

And that would have to do.

* * *

The torturing music continued for what seemed to be hours, and so did their riding. Linda's body complained a lot of being forced to stay in one position so much time. The girl couldn't hear nor see, but she paid attention to the bumps and jolts of the vehicle as they rode away, wondering that they might be travelling through roads without any pavements. Not that it could help her situation, but if she had an idea where she was headed, maybe she could know what to expect.

Of course Linda had ideas of the people who might be behind all of this. There were not many, but all of them were equally unwelcome. And feared.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the vehicle stopping. The music kept blasting on her ears as she was forced to sit up. The chain was taken off her, and so were the manacles that bound her hands. She wondered if she was free, and she was wrong. The manacles were put back on her, only this time her wrists were tied in front of her body. Once more the chain was wrapped around her legs, and her beautiful dress was more than probably ruined. Linda remembered sadly that she had wanted to keep the dress as a memory of her wedding.

Linda could not suppress a shout when she was once more draped on Ted's shoulder and carried out of vehicle pretty much folded in two, her head upside down. The hood and the phones had never come off, so she was still blind and deaf to her surroundings. All she could feel was the way her body bumped against walls or doors, and how they were climbing up and down stairs, getting her dizzy because she didn't know if they were taking her to a basement, an attic or a loft. Her nostrils picked up a faint scent of dampness, and she felt cold, too.

After a few more minutes, Linda's captors put her on a chair reclined back, and she thought of a dentist's chair or an old barber's chair. She didn't resist as her hands were strapped to the arms of the chair, which seemed big. Her remaining shoe was taken off, so that her feet could be properly cuffed.

The hood was lifted up to the line of her jaw and Linda felt hands binding a large metallic band to her chin. Linda also felt cold air at the top of her head as the top of the hood was cut and a similar band was used to immobilize her forehead. She could not turn her neck, being able only to face forward. The phones finally went off and so did the hood.

It took a few seconds till she could hear and see again clearly again. The first images and sounds to reach her were a smiling face very close to her own, and welcoming words in a soothing voice.

"Welcome, Mrs. Fraser."

It was Victoria.

***

As soon as Linda realised who was her captor, her whole body tensed in terror. She jerked backwards reflexively. It was ineffective, due to her bonds. She screamed anyway, only to have her loud squeals muffled by the gag.

Victoria tried to soothe her in a very comforting voice, "Shh, it's okay, it's okay. You are among friends."

With her head so thoroughly immobilized, Linda's wide eyes had nowhere to look but straight ahead - into Victoria's delighted expression.

"I am so glad to have you here, Mrs. Fraser. Let me congratulate you on your marriage. It was quite an accomplishment, wasn't it? I was so hurt not to get an invitation, but I understand, Mrs. Fraser. I am a difficult person to reach anyway. But I could not help to put all my efforts in felicitating you for your wedding, Mrs. Fraser. I heard the ceremony was quite touching."

Linda was horrified. She knew Victoria would talk and brag about all things she would do to her. None of the outlawed woman's plans, Linda was sure, would spare her from pain and suffering.

The lights were all focused on Linda, so there was not much she could see about the place of her captivity. It was large, dark, cold and damp. She had few doubts it was a barn, a warehouse or an abandoned large building. From the time of their car ride, it should be outside of Chicago, but not too far.

Unfortunately, her brain was registering all these observations in a subconscious level. All her conscious mind could focus was Victoria's face, her words and the terror she inspired in Linda.

"Oh, dear Linda, don't cry." Victoria reached out to touch Linda's face, and the girl futilely shrunk back in order to avoid the touch. The woman wiped her tear with a fake expression of pity. Looking straight into Linda's panicked eyes, Victoria leaned in until her patrician nose almost touched Linda's round, small one. Her voice was even softer, "We haven't seen each other for so long, so let's have some fun together. Remember the last time we met, Mrs. Fraser? When we parted, we could hardly say goodbye. I was sure we'd never see each other again. But then, that had been my intention. And yet you survived. Remarkable." Her voice had gone suddenly cold, hate distilling from her words.

Linda could feel her breath quickening, adrenaline making her heart pound against her ribs. Tears continuously streamed down her cheeks, and sobs raked her body, loud muffled sounds indicating she was about to have a complete breakdown.

Victoria pulled back and stood up, pacing a bit. She sighed, "I am getting tired of this capacity you have to survive, Linda. I have to admit that I admired it for a long time. Your ability to bounce back the worst flings and arrows of life's vicissitudes is astounding. But now it's tiring. And not less important: it's becoming very annoying and expensive to me. I think it's about time to put a stopper to it."

Linda sagged against her shackles, feeling all hope seeping away from her body. Victoria watched her, icy coldness in her eyes. "See, I tried everything to prevent you from living up to the point you might actually become Mrs. Fraser. It's hard to admit, but I failed. You are Mrs. Fraser. There's nothing I can do about it." Linda closed her eyes, tense. Victoria leaned in once more and whispered in the most menacing way, "Now, don't you agree that my logical choice would be to reassure that you become the *late* Mrs. Fraser?" Linda opened her eyes, her heart racing in pure terror, her muscles painfully rigid. Victoria had the corner of her lips slightly up, absorbing the terror from her victim. "I can see that you see my point. Good." Her grin revealed the perfect, pearly teeth. "Nice that we understand each other."

Once more, Victoria pulled away from Linda and said, determined. "I think I will leave you now in the company of your own thoughts. It may give you an opportunity to make peace with any God you worship. Maybe you'd appreciate some time in the dark. You know, getting used to it. As far as I know, afterlife is a gloomy place." Her voice increasingly distilled disgust, abhorrence and contempt. "Coming to think of it, afterlife can't be very different from the place you grew up, though. You know, the institution you should never have left, for the freak you are and you will never cease to be. Even dead, you will still be a freak."

Linda shuddered, the words stinging in her soul.

"Please." A different voice called somewhere beyond Linda's narrow field of vision. "Boss, please keep the lights on."

Linda recognised the voice. Victoria turned around, amused. "Oh, dear Peggy. I didn't know you cared about the little freak." She shrugged. "All right, I will do so, in an act of extreme magnanimity. It is very uncharacteristic of me, you know."

Peggy came closer. "Thank you, boss."

Victoria's stern eyes glanced at Linda before turning back to Peggy. "Keep an eye on her. She can't go anywhere, but I don't trust her. I have matters to settle with Ted." She turned to go, and then changed her mind. "By the way, about your payment..."

"Yes?"

"You only get paid when the job is over. You understand?"

Peggy nodded. "Sure."

"Now do the job." Victoria finally turned and left. The sound of a door closing echoed in the dark room. Feeling utterly defeated, Linda sagged against her bonds once more, closing her eyes in despair.

* * *

"I'm looking for Constable Fraser, please." It was the same voice on the telephone.

"Just a minute, please." Ma Vecchio turned to Fraser and nodded.

It was the call they've all been expecting.

Frannie hugged her mother and took her to the kitchen. The Italian woman didn't let her despair take the best of her and started making coffee for the visitors in her house. They were not wedding guests, though, whom had all gone home. Maria, Tony and the kids were at Aunt Lucia's. The visitors at Ma Vecchio's were all law officers.

The not so small contingent of cops gathered at the Vecchio living room rushed to make last-minute checks on their fancy assorted equipment, and exchanged looks. Recorders started rolling in silence, monitors sprang to life, and in seconds, a brief, sharp signal was the cue from the cops to make Fraser pick up the phone.

"Vecchio residence," he answered.

"Ben, darling. Remember me?"

His voice dropped several degrees to hear her jovial tone. "Victoria."

"It's so nice to be remembered after such a long time. I miss you, you know?"

"What did you do to Linda? If you harm a single hair on her head -"

Victoria never let him finished, in a sharp and aggressive voice, "As far as I know, she is unharmed, but whether she stays that way is up to you. I cannot guarantee her life unless I get US$ 1 million delivered in a place I choose. You've got one hour."

"One hour is not enough, I need - "

"It better be, beautiful Ben. Otherwise, your beloved Linda won't live to see another day. I'll be in touch."

"No, wait! Wai- "

"Remember: one hour. Stay by the phone."

A continuous tone after the click indicated the conversation was over. Ray looked at the Chicago PD specialist who was in charge of tracing the call. The man took out the earphones, shaking his head. "To trace a call I need at least 1 minute and a half. It means 90 seconds. This call didn't last 30. I couldn't even pinpoint which zone inside the Great Chicago Area. I'm sorry."

Ray smiled in sympathy to the guy, and Ben said, also looking deflated, "I'm sorry. I couldn't keep her talking longer so you could track the call."

"It's OK, Benny. Don't beat yourself over that. You know the bitch was timing the call for sure. She'd never given you a ghost of a chance."

Lieutenant Welsh said, "OK, the, we'd better get ready for next call. We have one hour."

Inspector Thatcher noticed, "It's a fairly educated guess that this woman won't talk to anyone else but Fraser. Hence, she won't let anyone deliver the money but Fraser."

Ray looked at his friend, and saw the anguish in his face. He tapped his back and promised, "We're gonna bring her home, Benny. We're gonna bring your wife home."

Benny smiled, because he couldn't say a word. A huge knot in his throat prevented him from speaking. But Ray could read his blue eyes. They were filled with grateful tears.

"She sounds as if she has no access to Linda," observed FBI Agent Taggart. "Almost as if she is merely passing along some information."

Ray asked, "Do you think she's the 'middle man', so to speak?"

"It sounded like that."

Welsh nodded, "You might be on to something. We have to work with the possibility that we're not dealing directly with the kidnappers."

"If not Victoria, who wants revenge, why would anybody kidnap Linda?"

"If we find who, we'll know why."

"But if we locate at least where Victoria is, then we might get an idea who they can be. Or why they are doing this to Mrs. Fraser."

A brief, heavy pause hovered the room until FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper broke it, "As Lieutenant Welsh said before, we'd better get ready for next call."

Ray said, "Er, not that I want to dampen the mood or anything, but I believe the lady mentioned she wanted to exchange 1 million dollars for Linda's life. Does anyone hear have a sort of plan to come up with that kind of money that I don't know? Because Benny could barely afford his own wedding."

Enigmatically, the Special Agent answered. "Don't worry about the money, Detective Vecchio." Cooper turned to Agent Taggart, his second-in-command. "You know what to do, Taggart."

"I am already on it, Agent Cooper." The big black guy was out the Vecchio house in a flash.

Ray let himself slump in Uncle Lorenzo's favourite armchair, hiding his head with his hand. He could hardly believe what was happening. They did everything they could, they checked everyone, rechecked, and still they were attacked - twice. He sighed, frustrated.

Welsh recalled, "We have a team investigating the phoney photographer. There must be an explanation why he went under the screen."

Rising from his chair, Ray put all his effort in sounding enthusiastic, "Elaine is taking care of it as we speak. I'm waiting for her call." His phone cell rang. "Here she is." He flipped it open. "Talk to me, Elaine."

A different voice purred, "Sorry, Vecchio. It's not your friend Elaine."

Ray felt his blood run cold with loathe for the woman and his voice didn't hide it, "What do you want from me, Victoria?"

All heads turned to him, and for a few seconds, there was nothing but dumb surprise on fully trained cops. Suddenly, they all galvanized into action, and the trackers turned on their equipment.

Benny leaned closer, but Victoria kept on talking, her irony only making Ray even more wrathful, "I'm so glad you recognised me after such a long time. Too bad I can't chat right now. I forgot to tell Ben that I want the US$ 1 million in notes of US$ 20, 10, and 1, all in black unmarked gym bag. He'll also need a second unmarked black gym bag with a change of clothes, a bag of toiletries, a matchbox, a small plastic bottle of mineral water and his passport. Ben will have to go through a metal detector, so he'd better leave coins at home." She didn't pause even to take a breath, but her voice became harsh in seconds. "And if I see any of the cops that are in your mother's house right now Linda won't see her first sunrise as a married woman. Capicce?"

The conversation was terminated at that point. With a threat. Mercilessly.

As she talked, Ray picked up the first piece of paper he saw in front of him and began frantically to scribble her instructions, until his hand began to hurt from the speed he was writing. When Victoria suddenly cut the call, he kept writing, and his hands were hurting because he had to force them to write, because they were shaking too much from hatred, impotence and anxiety. His Italian blood was boiling - about to explode.

In a fit of rage, Ray threw the cell phone across the room, making it hit the couch and rose, teeth clenched, growling, "Bitch!" Ray kicked the nearest wall, and then punched it, "How dare she? How dare she - Bitch!"

It took Welsh and Benny to calm him down. Ray slumped on the chair again, and Benny brought him some water. The Italian asked, "Forgive me. I just couldn't -" He sighed. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

Welsh said, "It better not, Vecchio, or I'll call Huey to cover for you."

"It won't, Lieu. It won't happen."

"So, what did she say"?

"As you may have guessed, she gave instructions for the pick-up." Ray gave Benny the piece of paper.

Welsh looked at it, and gave it to Special Agent Cooper, who read it, then passed it to Inspector Thatcher. They talked about each one of Victoria's demands.

"It's hard to take a conclusion from what she's asking him to bring."

"It's obvious she wants to take Benny to a hell of a ride, that's for sure," snorted Ray.

"And Linda may be already out of the country, as well," reminded Welsh.

Special Agent Dale Cooper shook his head, "Begging your pardon, Lieutenant, it's hard to believe." The man did not sound offended nor was his tone aggressive. "We activated every border police patrol the instant we were informed of the kidnapping. The borders are closed."

Agent Taggart came back inside - with a briefcase and sat by the table they were discussing the notes. Ray was getting anxious. "I say she's bluffing with these demands. Some of them don't even make sense."

Fraser finally said something, "It is quite possible she's trying to confuse us. It's her style."

"At any rate, we must prepared for everything," said Welsh sagely. He turned to Thatcher. "You're awfully quiet, Inspector. Anything you might like to add?"

Always thinking ahead, Meg Thatcher said, "The RCMP uses a subcutaneous, GPS satellite-tracked transponder made of fine porcelain in such occasions. I can have Turnbull bring it here with the appropriate needles in 15 minutes."

Dale Cooper turned to Taggart, then to Fraser, who nodded. Cooper then turned to Thatcher, "Do it."

She picked up Ray's discarded phone cell, "Do you mind?"

Ray felt a million years old. "'Course not, Maggie."

As she called her Constable at the Consulate, Ray turned his gaze at Benny, who was barely looking at anything else but the phone with a gazillion wires. He was expecting *the* call, the one which would start the race he's have to win to get Linda back.

The Canadian was still wearing his gala uniform, sans the red tunic, his features bedraggled and discomposed, his eyes disheartened. The Italian's heart ached, and he put his arm around his friend's shoulders, lifting him from the chair, "C'mon, Benny. Let's get your bags ready. We gotta help you get back your beautiful your bride."

* * *

Peggy stayed in front of Linda, so the girl could see her statement of grief. "Oh, Linda, I'm so sorry. I didn't know what they were up to. I swear. I wouldn't have agreed. But I need the money. They say they will ask a ransom. So you will be freed in the end. I don't understand why Victoria is talking about not letting you leave."

Linda tried to control her breathing, but she was shaking too much It was still hard to get a grip on her emotions. She had to focus, because if she lost control, they would win. But Peggy's words were like a balm to her terror. Her support was giving her strength to get through the ordeal. She whimpered, unable to do more than that. Her throat was dried from the gag, while her cheeks were wet with so many tears. Peggy smiled and said, "I'll help you blow your nose, and it'll help you breath, OK?"

Linda couldn't answer. She blinked in response. Peggy smiled gently. "You can use my blouse. I don't mind."

The girl leaned awkwardly over Linda, who couldn't even get her face forward. She blew her nose once, and Peggy coaxed her to repeat it. Then she could feel the air flowing more freely through her nostrils. She sighed, relieved.

"Feel better?"

Linda blinked as an answer, and Peggy smiled. "Good. I'm glad I could help. God, I wish I could get you some water." She caressed Linda's face, and Linda leaned to the warmth of her hand, the gentle touch. She craved the touch, the kindness. Peggy used her fingers to wipe her tears, and softly say. "I'm so sorry. But try to think that this will be over. Victoria is probably negotiating the ransom right now. Everything will be over soon."

Linda closed her eyes for a moment, letting the words from the stranger wash over her like a balm for her despair. She tried to imagine Ben, desperately looking for her. Ray would also be insanely looking for clues. They would find her. They wouldn't let her die.

"Your wedding was so beautiful," Peggy went on. "And touching. Very surprising for one conducted inside a police station. I wish mine will be like that." Linda felt leaning to that touch. "Oh, Linda, I wanted to do something for you, something more, but if I do anything she will kill me."

"Damn right I will."

Peggy jumped at the sound of the other woman's voice and Linda's heart, which had felt a soothing moment, suddenly went back to feel the cold steel of terror stab it. She couldn't turn her head, but even if she could she didn't have to know Victoria had returned. The rhythmic clicking of her heels producing shivers down her spine.

"Peggy, you can go now. Linda and I have much to talk."

Victoria put herself in Linda's field of vision, her hands on her waist, as the footsteps indicated Peggy's leaving. "I have just talked to Ben. It seems raising a million dollars to rescue you is no problem to him." Her tone was of amusement. "When I was in trouble for 20 thousand dollars, he wanted to arrest me!", she shouted.

Linda's heart began to beat faster. Ben knew? Ben was in touch with her? Maybe Peggy was right. If they paid ransom, she might be released.

No. Linda couldn't fool herself. There were only two options with Victoria. One, she would take the money and kill her. Or two, she would take the money, not kill her and torment her for the rest of their lives. And now Linda had her child to think about. Lost in her fear, she almost forgot about her baby. She had responsibilities to her child.

She had to survive for the baby's sake.

For a moment, Linda wished she could speak to Victoria. There must be some way to talk to her, to reason with her. Linda would do anything to save the life of her child.

"See," Victoria went on, "for things such as these you don't deserve to be left alive, dear Linda. As Mrs. Fraser, you are absolutely impossible to compete. I am really growing extremely annoyed at your ability of surviving. You insist on it, and Ben just can't see you for what you are: a freak. Any other normal person would be dead by now. You didn't even have the decency to stay crippled by my powerful drug cocktail." Victoria paced, the curly hair cascading as she moved around. "I'd have been happy to ruin your life leaving you on a wheelchair. That would have taught you both a lesson: he, for arresting me, and you, for surviving. But no, you had to recover, hadn't you? It took a year, but you recovered!"

Angrily, Victoria kicked a huge barrel of the type used in those oilier ships, and the sound echoed throughout the whole place, the sounded huge. Linda wondered how close they were to the Lake Michigan shoreline. It was doubtful they were in Chicago, but maybe they were near Lake Michigan.

Still, Victoria's explosion of rage increased Linda's fear. She just wished Benny would find her quick, because this time Victoria seemed more determined than ever to make Linda meet her maker.

"You see, I've been monitoring your activities, Linda. I've held my hopes high when I saw Ben breaking up with you and your name associated with an international group of terrorists. I could've let you alone, if you had kept your distance from Ben. But no - you had to survive, and you had to get together with Ben again. Not only that, you stupid little freak, you were pregnant."

Linda blanched, and tried to hide her reaction from Victoria, but the woman knew better and detected the signs of her distress. "Oh, so you had hopes that I wasn't aware that you are with child? Sorry, dear Linda. I am quite aware of the fact. Actually, for a while I entertained the thought of merely taking you somewhere far, far away from Ben until the child was born and then kill you, but the risks were too great. No, it will be much more painful to Ben to find his brand new wife dead with his unborn child in her womb."

Tears streamed from Linda's horrified eyes. Victoria stood right in front of Linda and grinned evilly. "Since there is a good chance that your corpse may be found, I think I'm gonna give you a go away present that Ben will never forget: a tattoo. Isn't that nice? When he looks at this, he'll remember me. I find this so touching."

Linda's eyes went wide. Peggy said, "Boss, please, why do this?"

"Because I *can*. She pissed me off plenty of times, and now it's payback time!" snarled Victoria. She kicked a hidden mechanism of the chair that made Linda lie almost horizontally.

"Ted!" called out Victoria. "Bring the knife and needles! It's time to carve some skin!"

Even though practically immobilized, Linda squirmed against her bonds, her terror rising. Victoria ripped off the left sleeve of her wedding dress, ordering, "Quiet! Or I'll carve your face, and I'll totally give up the idea of anaesthetics!"

That was enough to make Linda stop the squirming, but her tears kept on flowing. She could feel the cool air in her naked arm.

Peggy came up to Victoria, "Boss, what about the ransom? Aren't they going to pay?"

"That's for me to know."

"There's no need to do this," insisted Peggy. "Let's just grab the money and leave her so they can find her!"

"And have her tell them where to find us? No. And don't push your luck. You are beginning to annoy me." She turned her head. "Ted!"

Linda heard the footsteps, but the sensation of a cool gel in her arm grabbed her attention. "This is a mild anaesthetic, so your won't feel the prick of the needle. It'll feel like a pen through your skin. In case your body is found, they'll read the message. I still don't know if I'll leave your face in a state they can recognise you."

Linda cried out loud, unable to contain her sobbing. Her arm started to feel numb. Victoria nodded to Ted, who was out of Linda's view. "We're ready," said the man. It was the first time Linda heard his voice since they came inside that place.

The high pitch of a machine was heard right below Linda's left ear, and her whole body tense. Ted said, "If she tenses up, she will bleed like a pig."

Victoria asked, "Did you hear him? Try to relax, or you'll be dead before I want. In that case, I'm going to be furious. And believe me, *Mrs.* Fraser, you won't like me when I'm furious."

To her right side, she heard Peggy's soft voice, "Calm down, Linda. Don't make her angry."

Linda was shivering, and she tried her best to relax her muscles. But she was quivering with fear and exhaustion.

"Now what do we want to carve here? I don't think I want a drawing here, Ted. I want a message. Something like, 'This is your fault, Mountie.' What do you say, Ted?"

"May I suggest something in the lines of 'Never forget, Never forgive', and then your signature?"

"Oh, it's so poetic. I like the way you think, Ted. Make sure the signature is very deep in the carving. Did you bring different colours? Her skin is so pale, it will bring out the colours."

As they talked, Linda tried not to sob, and not to think at how she was treated like an object. At that moment, she felt Peggy's hand on her hard, carding the silky threads. Linda closed her eyes, the caress soothing her a little.

"Hey!" called Victoria sharply. "What do you think you're doing?"

Started, Peggy flinched back. "N-nothing, I was just-"

"Well, don't! We're about to begin."

As soon as she said that, the pitch went a bit higher, and Linda felt as if someone was writing with a pen on her arm. Slowly. The job was done quite slowly, and apparently with great care, although Linda was so terrified that she had enough trouble breathing to worry about anything. Sobs raked her whole body, as she felt the unseen needle pricking her skin.

"There," made Victory. "Looks nice. I'm sure that when Ben sees this, he won't forget."

Linda wished she could see something. Anything. Outside her field of vision, Peggy seemed astonished, "Oh my god. What have you done?!"

"I was just having some fun," said Victoria, despite in all her words. "*Mrs.* Fraser here owns me much. She ruined my life, and now I intend to have some fun."

Linda's chair returned to the upright position in a brusque manner, startling the girl. Victoria said, "Sorry, dear late Mrs. Fraser, but we need to leave you alone for a moment to decide how to take care of your short future. Don't try anything foolish. Come on, Ted, Peggy, let's go."

Closing her eyes, Linda sighed and listened their footsteps as they moved away from her. She sagged against her bonds and whimpered, crying even more out of total despair.

* * *

Heart racing, Benton Fraser laid both gym bags on his lap at the bus stop indicated by Victoria. He heard Ray's cell phone on his pocket ringing. He flipped it open and tensed. "Yes?"

"Can you see the yellow Comet at the street across from you? Inside the car you'll find its keys and a cell phone. Take the car to the Greyhound terminal at Cicero. In case you don't know where the terminal is, there's a map inside the glove compartment. You got 15 minutes."

Fraser rushed to where he was supposed to go. There he changed his clothes in the bathroom, left one gym bag with part of the money, then purchased a bus ticket to Eerie, Indiana, merely 10 minutes before the bus left.

And down to Indiana he went.

* * *

"Here, Ray," said Elaine. "The information you wanted on your friendly photographer Ted Danson." She chuckled. "He's got nothing like the actor."

"Thanks, Elaine." He grabbed the folder and looked inside. "Turns out the guy has got nothing in his file, but small peanuts, drunk driving, parking tickets, etc. I wonder what a guy like that was doing with someone like Victoria."

Agent Dale Cooper remarked, "If it's Ms. Metcalf."

"Believe me, it is her. She usually hires much qualified guys, real time crooks but this one doesn't fit..." Ray stopped suddenly, a cold feeling setting in his stomach. "Hey, that's not Ted Danson."

"Of course not, Ray. That is the photographer, not the actor."

"No, I'm telling you that's not the photographer. It looks like him, but it's not the same person. The nose is not the same, for starters. And the eyes are all wrong." Ray passed the picture to the FBI Special Agent. "Take a look."

"Well, blimey. You're right, Detective."

"We gotta talk to Benny. This is a set up. She's playing him again. Only now the bait is not guilt. It's Linda and the child she's carrying."

"Frankly, detective, the way you talk about this criminal, it's like she's a mastermind or something. Can't you just...."

Ray put his index finger dangerously close to the Special Agent's throat as he whispered in a threatening tone, "With due respect, Special Agent, you don't know this woman, and you've never been against her. Believe me, you don't know half the things she's capable of. She's treated Linda in a particularly cruel way and I don't think she'd have any reason to stop doing know. Ordering people to gang rape her for months was but one of the things she did to her. So don't give me the talk that I think she's a mastermind or something. The woman is dangerous, and my personal opinion doesn't matter. I have to follow the law, like any other case. So let's do our job and catch the son of a bitch."

Special Agent Dale Cooper had to remember how to breathe when Ray slammed the door behind him.

* * *

It seemed hours of loneliness, and Linda was getting used to the cold and the hunger and the thirst to doze off a little. She was so tired, almost to the point that she couldn't think anymore.

Her only thought was her child. She had to have hope for her baby. At least the kid was OK, because she didn't experience any abdominal pains, nor dizziness or nauseas. Like Ray once said, it was a tough cookie.

Holding to that thought, Linda calmed herself and just waited. She had faith that Benny and Ray were doing their best to find her. No matter where Victoria was holding her, Benny would find her. He was a Mountie. He was the father of their child. And he was her husband.

Loud noises startled her. She opened her eyes and tried to turn her head, as she knew Victoria was approaching. Peggy was with her, and she was begging, "Boss, please, please, boss, don't do it."

"I said, you're pushing your luck. It's done, and that's final."

Linda's heart raced. What was that all about?

Peggy appeared in front of her. "Linda, I'm so sorry. I tried, but -"

"Shut up!" Victoria pushed her away. "Linda, it's time for a showdown. It seems your dear little husband doesn't love you enough to pay the ransom. So, you're going down."

Linda's heart raced. She yelled "No!", but the duck tape in her mouth muffled the words.

"Here's the deal. I had to sell you for a percentage of what I asked for your ransom for an organisation that might be interested in you. You could be of use to an underground brothel or to a breeding farm. Since you like so much to get pregnant, that will be more or less your permanent status." Linda almost fainted. "Oh, don't worry. I entertained the thought of stealing the baby again, but I don't have the patience to wait until it's born. I'll leave that decision to your new owners."

Linda realised Ted was freeing some of her chains, as Victoria went on, "As I said, you're not of my concern now. All I have to do is prepare you for them to pick you up. I suggested them to kill you, for you are hot merchandise, with the police looking for you and all. But they want a toy to play, and you meet their requirements. Unfortunately, they like to hurt, to see things bleed. And your pretty little wedding dress turning red with your blood will make them triple the fun..."

Out of pure terror, Linda howled, and Victoria laughed. She was freed from the chains that attached her to the chair, but her wrists and ankles were still bound. Her feet with ruined stockings touched the cold, dirty floor. Her muscles complained when Ted made her stand up and started to cuff her wrists together, then her ankles. The chain was used to bring together wrists and ankles, making her bend forward because it was a short chain.

As he was working, Linda looked around, shaking with fear. As she expected, it was an abandoned warehouse, somewhere near the Chicago Harbour. She could smell salty water.

Victoria looked at her, as if examining a cut of prime beef. "It looks good. See if she can get to the rendezvous point."

With a tug of the chain, Ted indicated that Linda was to walk. Chained, cuffed, Linda took one step, then two and fell on the floor, her muscles complaining.

"Stupid freak! Can't you do anything by yourself? Ted, carry her."

"OK, boss."

He hoisted Linda on his shoulder and then put her down in a dark spot of the warehouse, near some craters and oil barrels.

"Tape," ordered Victoria.

Ted took more tape from his pocket and covered Linda's eyes. Now she was blindfolded, too. She entered a dark world. All noises suddenly became of triple importance.

"Now I must say goodbye, *Mrs.* Linda Fraser, and this time is forever. Your new owners and murderers will be the next ones you will see, if you don't die first. Ted will have you set in a beautiful package. Have a nice afterlife, far away from Ben. Maybe we can meet sometime in hell. Put her in there, Ted. I'll meet you in the car. Peggy, you can say goodbye to her if you want."

"I'll help Ted," said Peggy.

Clumsily, Linda was hoisted up in the air and put inside a barrel of oil that held some stale water at the bottom. She was all tied up, gagged and blindfolded, and her chances of escape were less than zero.

"Sorry, Mrs. Fraser. You're going to die, but I'll be richer," said Ted. "I'm so glad David failed. It was my lucky break. Peggy and I will get at least 50 grand. Nothing personal, OK?"

Peggy said, "Yes, it's nothing personal. I really feel sorry. I mean, that husband of yours... wow! No wonder the boss is pissed off at you. If I had a boyfriend like that, I'd hold a grudge against any one who tried to steal him, much more marry him. But I never thought it'd come to this. I'm sorry."

Linda's muscles began to cramp: her knees were pressing against her shoulders, her belly trapped against her legs. The poor baby inside her body probably didn't have much space. There was nothing she could do. She begged for help, and moaned - not for her, but for her baby.

"I'm so sorry", said Peggy. "I gotta go now."

Linda heard the noise of a big metal object moving above her head, and she figured it must be the lid of the big oil barrel where she was. It was being closed. She was locked inside the barrel.

After closing the barrel, Peggy walked away, leaving Linda in the dark, in desperation, with absolutely nothing to draw strength from.

This time she had nothing to hope for.

***

The bullpen was swarming with tension. Ray was sweating; the FBI guys were trying to assess the damages.

"We can't pick up the transponder signal anymore. Constable Fraser is out of reach, which means he left Chicago."

Ray went berserk. "What?! We lost him! Benny is alone on a bus ride to somewhere we don't know!"

"He was east bound."

"Great deal. He could be going to Lafayette, Cleveland, Detroit, Providence, New York or Boston - Who can say?"

"Vecchio!" bellowed Welsh. "Control your temper!"

Elaine said, "Ray, phone for you. It's your mother. She said it can't wait."

Ray sighed. "OK. Is it in my desk?"

"I'll transfer it to the lieutenant's desk."

Ray picked up the phone. "Hello? Ma, what is it? What?! What else did she say? Slow down, I'll write it down." He gestured for a piece of paper and a pen. Agent Cooper gave it to him. "In the Harbour. East side. No number? We'll figure it out. OK! Thanks, Ma. We'll get Linda right away." He slammed the phone. "Damn! It's useless, Sir. She's playing us like a fiddle."

"What do you mean, Vecchio?" asked Welsh.

"Benny is on a wild goose-chase." Ray was shaking with rage. "Victoria has the money and called my house. She gave my mother the address to pick Linda up. But if we don't hurry, Linda might die. She's in the Old Harbour."

The cops galvanized into action, Welsh ordering, "Lead the way, Vecchio."

Ray had only time to get his coat and yell, "Dief, let's go!"

***

It didn't take long for Linda to lose sense of time. She thought that hours had passed, because her legs went sleeping, due to lack of blood circulation. They cramped, and so did her arms. Her belly also ached. Sometimes it ached less, but it started to ache after some hours in the same crushing position, with her knees pressing her breasts against her chest.

Linda shivered from the cold, and that putrid water that was up to her ankles didn't help a bit. She tried not to think too much, for her thoughts were not good.

Linda almost prayed not to be found, because if she were found, those who found her probably would do worse than kill her. All she could think about was her baby. She tried to think of her baby, and tell her child how much she loved it, but she was losing hope fast. She tried to talk with love to the small creature inside her.

*My dear baby, I want to tell you that I know Daddy is doing the best to find us, child. He is the best Daddy ever. Daddy loves Mommy, and he loves you above everything else. He will do his best to get us out of here, sweetheart. Mommy loves you. *

She cried a lot, and somehow it was good. When she cried, she struggled to breathe, and it gave her a sensation that she was fighting for her life. In doing so, she felt alive. Sometimes, when she stopped crying and kept quiet, it seemed as if she was already dead. Linda was almost at the point of thinking that if she were really dead, then she was safe, with no one to harm her anymore. She would be safe, and her baby would be safe, too.

BANG!

Linda startled when she heard the loud noise. It was far from her, but it echoed inside the huge warehouse. She cringed to realise it was followed by people coming inside the place. Maybe they were those people Victoria talked about: the people that were coming to harm her, to hurt her even more. *Your new owners and murderers will be the next ones to see you...*

Trying to stay as quiet as she could, Linda forced herself to swallow the tears, even her breath. If she didn't produce a single noise, then maybe they'd go away.

"Fan out!" yelled the distorted voices. "She's gotta be in here somewhere!"

Yes, they were looking for her. Linda started shaking so badly she hugged her ankles, because that was all she could get a hold on. She hugged her ankles hard. Hard, so hard her knuckles went white.

"Nothing on this side."

"I can't see nothing on this side here either."

"There's just some crates and barrels over here."

*Bark! Bark!*

"What is it, boy? Did you find something?"

"Over here!"

"There's a barber chair. And a woman's shoe. A white one."

The voices were quite closer now, and Linda tensed up even more, trying to contain her sobs all gagged and blindfolded and bound as she was. They were so close to find her!

*Bark! Bark!*

"This is just a barrel, boy!"

Bark! Bark! *Whine* Bark! Bark!

"Hey! Watch the suit, fuzz ball! It's an Armani!"

They were beside the barrel, and Linda's heart raced. The voices were familiar, but they couldn't be familiar. Could they?

Linda heard a noise and knew that the lid of barrel was being lifted. She was blindfolded, but maybe there was light above her. She could not say. Things were strange for her. She could not say if it was a dream or not. Maybe it was a dream. But it could be reality. It could be those bad men coming, coming to kill her...

Shouts came to her ears, "We found her!!"

"She's in here! Inside the barrel!"

"Oh, jeez, the smell."

"Linda, are you all right?"

"Oh, God, look at her. She's in shackles!..."

"Call special equipments. We gotta need some experts to get her out of those cuffs and chains."

"Let's get her out of here. Gimme a hand."

When Linda felt the fist hand touch her skin, she tried to avoid the touch and screamed.

It was a horrible scene.



Jack Huey was the nearest one to Linda, and he thought he'd never saw such a terrible sight. The sound Linda produced was so horrible because it was muffled, and her throat was hurt, and it was as loud as she could give. She tried to get away from them, but there wasn't space, and she couldn't move her arms and legs - not only because they were tied, he realised, but also because she was terrified of them.

"Sir, she's afraid of us."

"Vecchio, get your ass here! Huey, call an ambulance." Welsh gestured the nearest uniform around. "Let's get her out of there. Easy, you hear?"

The three men hoisted out the barrel the screaming girl in her wedding gown. Blind as she was, crippled as she was, Linda struggled to get away, she tried to move her arms, and kick them, but her legs didn't obey, and she dripped the filthy water all over the floor. The ache in her belly hurt even more when she struggled. They put her in the barber's chair again.

Welsh ordered the uniform, "Go get a blanket, or something! She's freezing!"

The man ran out of the warehouse, as Ray came near her, touching her hair that dripped of filth. "Linda, Linda, honey, listen to me. It's me, Ray. We're your friends, Linda. It's Ray. We're not gonna hurt you. We came to help you, Linda. You are safe now."

Finally, after getting tired of resisting, Linda seemed to realise what he was saying something, and she said, still gagged, "Ay?"

"Yes, it's me, Ray. We're gonna take all those chains away from you. We're just waiting for the right equipment to arrive."

Linda leaned towards Ray and asked, "En?"



Ray sighed, "Benny was sent miles away from here, Linda, but we'll call him back as soon as we hear from him. Right now we're gonna take care of you and the baby. Now listen: I'm gonna pull the tape off your eyes, OK? It will probably hurt like hell, but there's no way to do it. So brace your self. At the count of three. One, two, three!"

Linda moaned loud, but the tape did come off in one firm push. Most of her eyebrows came off with the adhesive, too. At first she couldn't see but a blur near her. She tried to raise her hand, but the chains prevented her from doing that. She could feel Diefenbaker's tongue trying to lick her hand.

"All right," said Ray, "now, let's work at that tape in your mouth, and it should be easier. Ready? One, two and three."

It was really easier, and Linda coughed at her dry, sore throat. Her first words were, "Ben - where?"

"We'll call him." Ray took her dirty hands into his. "Now we gotta take care of you. Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm hurting, Ray... The baby... I need Ben. When is he coming?"

Ray blanched. "I don't know."

Linda's eyes watered. "What happened to him, Ray?"

"He is all right, Linda." Ray kissed her knuckles. "Victoria sent him to somewhere east - Cleveland, New York, we don't know. We lost contact with him. He will probably call us. How long have you been here?"

Linda still couldn't see him, and her unfocused eyes looked into the dark, "Don't really know. Hours. Many of them. How long - ?"

"You've been missing for 60 hours," Ray said. "Did you see Victoria?"

Tears streamed down Linda's faces. "Many times. She threatened me and the baby."

Ray felt his heart clench. "Oh, ragazza. I'm sorry. But did you see her recently?"

"No. She put me in here and she abandoned me for a long time. She said she had sold me for some people who would... turn me into a... breeder... or a slave." The last words were almost lost to Ray because Linda was crying so hard she could hardly say them.

The experts arrived at that moment, and they had to cut through the chains. The paramedics and EMTs waited until Linda was freed from her bonds to wrap her into blankets and take her vitals. Ray warned them that Linda was pregnant, so that they didn't give any strong medicine. Suddenly, as she didn't feel the Italian's touch on her skin, Linda pleaded, "Ray, please, stay with me!"

Her tone was so desperate that Ray consulted the paramedic, and he sighed, "OK, you can ride with her."

And his touch was so soothing that even in the ambulance with loud horns and everything, Linda managed to sleep a few minutes.

She woke up, thought, when they arrived at the same ER that she used to work. She was a patient, and she heard the medic talking to the nurse. She could hear something about the low levels of nutrients in her blood, her dehydration, and the pain in abdomen, as well as her pregnancy. But then she noticed, "Where is Ray?"

A nurse said, "He will be with you later, but now I gotta ask you a question: does your belly hurt? Right here?" She pressed three fingers right in a sore spot.

"Yes," Linda hissed. "Right there."

The nurse took Linda to a room, where she met a young man in green cover alls, who received the chart from the nurse and put an oxygen mask on Linda's nose and mouth and smile. "Hello, I am Dr. Lang, and I'll be your doctor."

The nurse said, "She tested positive for abdominal pain."

"Bring in the ultrasound machine."

Quickly, the equipment was brought from another room, and Linda felt the cool gel.

Dr. Lang nodded. "This confirms our suspicion. Your baby is suffering from lack of oxygen, so you are to wear this mask all the time, OK? It will be better if you don't speak for the next hour. Also, you had partial placental disruption. It means the placenta that feeds your baby threatened to break. If it did, you could have lost the baby. So, to prevent this from happening, you are forbidden to make the slightest effort. Actually, I'm confining you to bed for at least five weeks. Do you have a doctor?"

Linda took off the mask and answered, "Dr. Schroeder."

"We'll call him. Anyone from the family?"

"My husband. But it seems no one knows where he is. No one knew where I was, either. I was kidnapped."

The doctor looked suspicious. "In your wedding day?"

"At the wedding reception." Linda shrugged. "You can ask Mrs. Vecchio or Dr. Lennyard. She's my stepmother and he's my psychiatrist."

"What about that detective that is screaming to get in here? The tall balding one?"

"Oh, and him, too. The name is Ray Vecchio. Practically my older brother."

"I'll do that and get him out of my hair. Meanwhile that, you stay here."

"Can the detective stay with me? Please. I... I..." She started to cry, and she didn't know why. "I need someone with me..."

"He can stay with you, but I'll prescribe a sedative so you can rest, because your vitals are really low. You are undernourished. You need to sleep a lot, and that's what you'll do. But first you'll be cleaned and there are a few cuts that will be taken care of. Then he can come in, if you really want, but mostly, he'll watch you sleep, because this is what you'll be doing. I'll be very strict about it, Linda. You really need to rest. For you and the baby, OK?

"Yes, doctor."

A nurse came with an IV, and said, "Can you walk? I think we'll give you a shower, then start you on the IV and the meds."

Wiping the tears, Linda said, "I'm not supposed to take off the mask."

The doctor answered, "You can take your shower without the mask, as long as you wear it until you go in the bathroom, wear it right after the bath, and go straight back to bed." He turned to the nurse. "Please use a wheelchair to take her to and back to the room. You are staying the night. I'll talk to someone to alert your family."

Linda put on the mask, and then took it off briefly to say. "Ray is out there."

"Well, that makes it even easier." He smiled and left the examination room.

The nurse watched as he left and said. "Now I'm going to change you into a gown and order a wheelchair. Is this really your wedding gown?" Linda nodded. "God, what a crime. I'll deliver it to your brother so he can drop it to the cleaners or something. I suppose you want to keep it as a memento."

Linda shrugged. For a moment, she could not made up her mind whether she wanted to remember her wedding. It had not been at all as she had imagined. Everyone said it would be the most beautiful and happiest occasion of her life. She had been happy but there were also so many moments of pain.

"Look, honey." The nurse lowered her voice. "Your wedding is your wedding. Of all the things that will happen in your life this will not happen again. If you throw this away, you will regret it. It's not torn - at least not too much -, so it's not too damaged, and you can keep it for a ceremony such as an anniversary, so you can make better memories. Trust me on this. Don't do something you will regret later."

Linda smiled at the nurse. The lady was right. So Linda nodded, and the woman put away the dress, which was filthy and stinky, before headed to the women's bathroom.

***

"Vecchio!" Lieutenant Welsh raised his voice at the hectic emergency room as he located his detective.

Ray craned his neck and waited until his boss came closer to greet. "Lieutenant."

"How is she?"

"I don't know. They whisked her to an examining room before I could do anything. But it seems the baby may have had some complications."

"Oh, no. What about her?"

"She's very frightened, sir. That woman messed big time with her. Any clues?"

"Forensics is still on the crime scene. They say there's not a hair to pluck from the ground. All digitals from the chair, the cuffs and shackles are from Linda. The place was scrubbed, they say. Our best shot, believe it or not, still is the van."

"Damn."

A different voice distracted them. "Mr. Ray Vecchio?"

"Detective Vecchio, this is Lieutenant Welsh. Are you Linda's doctor?"

"I'm Dr. Lang, and I wanted to talk to you about Mrs. Fraser."

"Is she all right?"

"She's out of danger, now, but it was a close call. I read on her chart she'd been kidnapped. Is that correct?

"For almost three days. She was taken during her wedding reception. We don't have all the facts, though. There's no telling what they have done to her, but she's not wounded as far as the paramedics said. Can you tell us more about it? Has she been drugged, anything like that?"

"Lab tests haven't come up yet, and there were no signs of abuse or external injuries, but she is undernourished and extremely dehydrated. Her chemical imbalance was deep and electrolytes readings were totally wrong. Those, combined with periods of total lack of oxygen in the abdomen and partial disruption of the placenta, have led to a minor bleeding."

"Oh my God. What about the baby?"

"We are yet to determine if the foetus has suffered. It has a strong heartbeat, and it reacted to the cool gel of the ultrasound. These are good signs. Linda, however, is another story. I'd like to talk to the father," he consulted the chart, "Benton Fraser."

"He is, uh, paying the ransom somewhere east. We can only guess when he'll be back."

"East?"

Welsh intervened, "He is out of reach at the moment, sir. Is it urgent?"

"There are some delicate aspects to Mrs. Fraser's conditions once she is released. She is to be under total bed rest, if she is to have this baby. For the next 19 or 20 weeks, unless her body holds her child on his own. But that is unlikely. It may seem that she's not been severely abused, but to a woman in her condition, what she's been through was very critical. The history of her pregnancy status has changed totally. She may have to quit her job or get a license, for starters. That is why I need to talk to the husband. From what I saw, Linda can't handle that information now."

Ray muttered. "She's gonna get as mad as hell."

"I've send for her physician, Dr. Schroeder, and he'll probably have more details for you. Tell Mr. Fraser to report to him in any doubts."

"Thank you, doctor. Can we see her?"

"She is being examined and cleaned at the moment. I prescribed a strong sedative, to help her body regain chemical balance. But she's called for you. A nurse will tell you when you're allowed to come in."

"Thank you, doctor."

***

Half an hour later, Linda was clean; smelling of hospital-issued soaped, all stenches forgotten, and anxious, lying in bed. She had been given her medication, and a nurse had put an IV in her finger. Silently, Linda cried, swallowing sobs. She could still hear Victoria talking to her, saying she would kill her.

Suddenly, Linda raised the sleeve of the hospital gown at her arm and looked at her skin.

Nothing.

There should be an inscription, a tattoo reading: "Never forget, never forgive." The words were engraved in her mind, but strangely, not on her skin. Linda began to get even more confused.

The medication began to take effect when Ray came inside her room. She was sobbing, and called weakly, through the oxygen mask, "Oh, Ray..."

Ray ran to her, and took her hand that did not have the IV. "I'm here, ragazza."

"She said she had made a tattoo... But she didn't. She said she had scarred me... Why would she say so?"

Ray didn't understand a word she said, but he caressed Linda. "Shh. It's all over."

But Linda was getting agitated. "The baby!... The doctor said there's something wrong with the baby!"

Ray tried to calm her down. "We're gonna take good care of the baby, and you're gonna rest now. I'm here. Don't worry."

Linda was losing control, but she was also losing consciousness to the medication. "I was so alone, Ray. Don't leave me alone."

"I'm right here, sweetie." Ray kept caressing her hand, talking to her as if she was little Gina. "It's all right now. Everything is just fine, now. Rest now."

Her voice began to drawl a bit and she struggled to keep her eyes open. "Is Benny going to get here soon?"

"We hope so."

"I miss him." She sighed. "I'm so tired."

"I'll do my best to reach him. I promise." He caressed her hair. "He'll be here in no time, I guess. The minute I tell him you're here, he'll come running."

She smiled feebly. "I'm tired, Ray. I think I'll take a nap."

"Good, good. You do that, sweetie."

"Can you stay with me or do you have to work?"

"I can stay with you."

"Good." She put his hand on her chest. "I want to feel your hand. I was so lonely, Ray. So lonely."

"You're not lonely anymore. I'm right here."

"You're such a good friend. Thank you." She whispered, the drug finally taking over. "Thank you."

Her hold on Ray's hand loosened a bit, indicating she had finally surrendered to sleep. Ray stood up to kiss her forehead, and then he arranged the oxygen mask on her nose. The sun was rising outside the room, and he looked outside. Somewhere out there, Benny was on a useless chase, thinking he would find Linda.

Ray drew up the blinds, so Linda could sleep more comfortably. She moaned in her sleep, as if in pain. Ray came closer and caressed her hair. She leaned into the touch that seemed to comfort her and became still.

Of course she craved the touch, thought Ray. She had been left alone for almost three days, chained like an animal inside a tiny, filthy barrel of oil. She needed to be touched, to be caressed and cuddled. But most of all, she needed the man that now was her husband. Ray knew that, and all he could think of was a prayer that Benny could get in touch soon.

*Benny, please call us. Linda needs you. Please come home.*

***

Linda heard a noise and shifted in bed. She didn't wake up, because the medication wouldn't let her. But she could feel. And the feeling was bad.

The warmth left her hand, and she tensed. Victoria would come back, and this time she'd kill her. The warmth kept Victoria way. As long as she felt the warmth, she was safe. But now there was no warmth. *Please, warmth, come back*, she pleaded.

She felt so bereft. Cold. She wished she could move, but the baby was in danger. She'd have to be quiet. *No, don't move. Don't move.*

The darkness engulfed her once more and she let herself fall into the pit of restless, shady world.

Too bad Linda could not feel that the warmth had returned.

***

The door opened quietly and Ray was up in a minute, his arm sore from holding Linda's hand. His mother came inside the room, and smiled sadly when saw the sleeping figure in the bed. "How is she, caro?" she whispered.

"She's very frightened, Ma. But the doc says she'll get better soon."

"What about the bambino?"

"It suffered some. She's gonna need bed rest, probably till the baby is born. It's a high-risk pregnancy."

"Dio mio. I'm gonna pray some Hail Mary's. Our Lady of Sorrows will take care of the bambino and my poor daughter."

"Amen, Ma."

A moan came from the bed, and Linda shifted in his sleep, seeking comfort. Ray rushed to her side, and whispered to his Ma, "She starts to toss in her sleep every time I stop touching her."

"Caro, I came to render you. You've been up all night, and now you1ve taken care of her. I'm very proud of you, but you need to rest."

"But Ma, I need to be here in case Fraser calls."

"I can talk to Benton. Now have some rest, figlio. You'll be more able to help if you are rested."

"I guess you are right, Ma." Ray kissed Linda's forehead and she sighed in her sleep. "Please don't forget to touch her. I'm afraid she might wake up, and she needs the rest. For the bambino."

"Of course. Don't worry." Ray kissed his mother. "Bless you, my son. Thanks for getting Linda back. Benton will be proud of you."

"Thanks, Ma. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Raymondo."

Mrs. Vecchio took her son's place near Linda's bed and took the girl's hand. The effect was almost immediate. Linda let out a long sigh and stopped tossing and moaning. Silently, the matriarch of the Vecchio clan began a series of Hail Marys in favour of Linda and her unborn child.

***

"This is Pittsburgh operator. I gotta a collect call to Ray Vecchio from Benton Fraser. Do you accept?"

"Yes, I do!" squealed Francesca. "Benton!"

"Francesca, is Ray there?"

"No, he is at the precinct. Benton, you must come back to Chicago. Linda was found, and she is at the hospital."

"When? Where? How is she?"

"Linda is fine, but she needs you. She's scared, Benton, and they fear the baby might be in danger. Please, Benton, come back."

"How is she?"

"She needs you, Benton. Come back. Can you come back right away?"

"I paid the ransom and I waited for some one to pick up the money. No one showed up. I don't have enough money to come back to Chicago."

"I'll take Ray's credit card and buy you a plane ticket on the first flight. You need to be here tonight." She asked him. "Can't you take the ransom's money? They didn't pick it up anyway."

"They should have picked it up by now. I've contacted the local FBI office, too, and they're coming for help. I'll ask them to get in touch with Special Agent Cooper."

"Call me back again in one hour, Benton, and I'll tell you which airline you'll be flying."

"Can you do me a favour? Can you call Ray and tell him what I just told you? Of course, I'll have a full report when I arrive, but this will have to do for now."

"Of course I will. You just worry about getting here as soon as you can."

"I cannot thank you enough for this, Francesca."

"You can thank me later. Just get your Canadian butt here. Your wife needs you."

***

Linda felt warm when she opened her eyes. She almost forgot she still had the oxygen mask on her face. It was night, and there was a nurse touching the IV on her finger. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

Linda said, "It's all right." The mask muffled her voice.

"Your mother is here." The nurse took off the IV. "You won't need this any more."

"Ma?"

"I'll let her in."

Mrs. Vecchio came in, smiling. "Oh, mia bambina."

Linda steeled herself not to cry. "Hi, Ma. It seems I slept a lot."

"It's good for you. The doctor said you needed a lot of rest. How do you feel now?"

She stretched. "A little sleepy."

The matriarch smiled. "It's OK. You can rest as long as you want."

"Ma, is it too late at night?"

"No, it's only nine o'clock. The nurse is coming to give you some more medicine."

"Will it make me sleepy?"

"I don't know, figlia."

Linda kept quiet for a moment, and then said, "Ma, I'm worried about my baby."

Mrs. Vecchio took Linda's hands in hers and said, "Everything will turn out fine, bambina. The doctor said it could be much worse, and that all you need to do is take care of yourself and the bambino."

There was a soft knock on the door and the nurse came inside with a tray, saying, "I'm sorry, but I got your medication. You need it to rest."

"Does this mean I'll sleep even more?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Ma, please, go home. I'll be sleeping all night long. You need to rest, too."

"Don't worry about me. You need to take care of yourself and the bambino. Raymondo is coming to pick me up later."

"Tell him I said hi. And tell Benny I love him."

"I will, bambina."

The nurse applied the shot and Linda fell asleep almost instantaneously. That was a good thing, because she wouldn't feel the pain of being away from Ben or the pain of being worried about her child.

***

The next time Linda woke up, she felt much more alert. And it was very fortunate, because she was taken to new exams. Ray was there. When she returned to her room, Dr. Schroeder had the results, and he seemed very optimistic.

"Well, Mrs. Fraser, it looks like the hours of rest paid off. The area of disruption has been reduced and this is very encouraging. Dr. Lang's diagnosis was very precise, so we could act and minimize the risk."

Linda looked at him and said, "Dr., does this mean I'm gonna keep my baby?"

"This means that the chances of your losing your baby are lower than before. The baby's heartbeat is at optimum rate. You still need to rest, but I think we can reduce the period of using the oxygen mask and bed rest, once you get back home. You'll still be needing to take a lot of care."

"Will I be able to work?"

"Maybe, a light job, at home, a part time," he said. "Perhaps with a computer, but no more than four to five hours a day, at the most."

That seemed to lighten up Linda, and she smiled to Ray. The Italian nodded to her, and she beamed. Ray explained, "They were worried about the income."

"I see," said the doctor. "But remember, you are not totally clear. If you fell any pain, you need to get back to bed, and straight to the oxygen mask. It's important that you keep it near to you all the time, and that you sleep with it every night. It's the time of the day when the body is least oxygenated, and the foetus needs the oxygen all the time. But you seem very well, after all you have been through."

"When can I go home, Dr.?"

"I think you need one more night here, until your electrolytes get right once more. You'll also get a chance to start on solid foods. Tomorrow, if you keep on getting better, you can get home, on the basis of much bed rest and a solid diet. Do you have someone to take care of you?"

Ray rushed to say. "She'll be going to my home until her husband gets here."

"Then it's a done deal. Don't worry, Linda, your baby has a strong heartbeat, and it's very healthy despite anything that happened to you. We only need to keep it inside of your for the next four or five months. "

"All right." She nodded. "Thanks, Dr. Schroeder."

"You are very welcome. Take care."

He left and Ray said, "See? Everything will be fine."

Linda didn't let him give her the prep talk. "You said Ben is coming. Did you talk to him? Is he really coming?"

"I was about to tell him, but I didn't have the chance. He is coming. Victoria sent him without any money to Indiana. He is coming back to Chicago, and he should be here at any time. I'm going to pick him up in the airport. Do you mind being alone for the next two hours?"

"Of course not."

"Actually, you wouldn't be totally alone. The FBI is outside. They want your deposition. Dr. Schroeder say it's all right. If you want me to stay..."

"No. You go pick up Benny. I can answer their questions by myself."

"That's my girl." Ray kissed her forehead. "I will be back as soon as I can, OK?" She nodded. "I'll tell Special Agent Dale Cooper to get in, then. Is that all right?"

"OK, Ray. Just bring Ben as soon as you can."

***

Linda was glad that the FBI treated her with utter dignity and respect. She did not felt intimidated. Special Agents Dale Cooper and Taggart brought a small camera to the interrogation and Linda felt uneasy at first, but they treated so well that after a few minutes she forgot all about the camera.

Too bad she couldn't help much. It wasn't easy to remember all the horrible things Victoria did to her, but she couldn't say many concrete things to them as to where she was or where Victoria could have been headed. Linda even asked the agents if they had any idea where she might have gone. Their answer was not very encouraging.

"She was very thorough in erasing every trace of her presence. We found a few fibres of her hair, so we confirmed her presence. We also confirmed that the man who kidnapped you was not Ted Danson, but a man posing as him. He was in fact a convicted felon, a man named John W. Booth. The other woman probably has no record and is using her real name."

"They called her Peggy," remembered Linda. "She tried to be nice to me." She used a finger to wipe her wet face. Agent Taggart passed a Kleenex and she thanked him.

"I don't believe you are in immediate danger, Mrs. Fraser," said Special Agent Dale Cooper. "Judging from the pattern shown before, Ms. Metcalf may very well disappear for a long time. She wouldn't risk being caught, and now it seems she has the financial means to keep herself in a low profile."

"Are you sure?"

"I'd say there's a pretty fair chance of that, yes." The FBI agent looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "I understand your fear, and I think it wouldn't hurt to take some precautions. Have you ever considered buying a cell phone, for instance?"

"No. Why?"

"You could call you husband or the police in an emergency. I read Victoria Metcalf files and I know what she did to you, Mrs. Fraser, that's why I am recommending these precautions."

Linda smiled sadly at the agent, shuddering as she recalled the woman who tormented her so much. In a small voice, trying to swallow her pain, she managed to say, "Thank you."

"Well, I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for seeing us in your condition."

"I'll do anything to help catch that woman, Agent Cooper," said Linda. "If you need me again, please call me."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Before they were gone, a soft knock on the door interrupted them. Cooper opened the door and Ray came inside, "Oh, I didn't know you guys were still here."

Agent Taggart were putting away the camera and said, "We were just leaving, Detective. Please come in."

"I won't be staying. Look who I brought."

Linda heart raced when she saw Benny come in the room. She opened her arms and called out, "Ben!"

The Mountie didn't even acknowledge the FBI agents and went straight to Linda, sitting on the bed to reach her. She threw herself in his arms as if it were the last lifeline, her last hope of survival. Both of them were shaking, crying in each other's arms, mixed tears of relief, pain, need and love. After being so cruelly apart for so many days, being finally able to be with each other, to touch each other, to smell each other, was like a blessing.

Ray led the FBI agents out of the room before leaving himself, so the couple could have more privacy. Linda sobbed loudly, dampening Fraser's shirt, and he tightened his lips as his tears streamed down his faces. None of them could speak. Both felt their bond of love and need and survival growing stronger, as they survived even one more ordeal.

"Oh, Ben..."

"It's all right, my love. All right now."

"When is it going to end, Ben?"

"It's over, sweetheart. It's all over. You're here, and you're safe."

"Make it stop, Ben, please, make it stop."

"Shh... It's okay. It's all right, now. Everything is fine." He reached over and called the nurse. "It's all right."

"Ben, help me. I'm so scared. So scared. Don't leave me. "

"I am right here, Linda, I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

"The baby. Ben, the baby has special needs now. I may not be able to work now. And I will need to rest, or I may lose it."

"We'll take care of the baby, then. But you need to be calm for the baby. Do you think you can do that for me?"

The nurse came inside the room. "You called? You need any help?"

"We're wondering if my wife needs a mild sedative."

The nurse looked at Linda, who answered, "I don't think so. I think I will be fine."

"I don't have the liberty to give you any medication. I'll have to take your word on that." The nurse looked at her. "But you seem to be breathing hard. I advise you to put your oxygen mask and don't talk much."

Ben blanched. "Oxygen mask?"

The nurse helped Linda to put the mask on and answered, "It's for the baby's sake. The little one needs to breath, and your wife knows she can't get too upset. I'll ask Dr. Schroeder about that sedative, though."

Benny caressed Linda's face, and looked at her. "I think I'll talk to him later. For now I'll watch you rest. You are to talk just a bit and rest for as long as you can."

"Oh, Ben. Now that you are here I'm fine."

The nurse smiled and said, "If you need me, I'll be at the station. Please try to get some rest."

Linda said, "Thank you." She watched the nurse close the door and then sighed, "Sometimes I get so frightened, Ben."

He kissed her hand. "Everything will be all right. Ray told me all about your condition, and we will just have to take some extra precautions. You were always delicate, my love, and now you are even more delicate, that's all."

Linda smiled as the feeling of being loved acted as a balm over her pain. "I love you."

Ben kissed her hand again. "I love you, too. Now that you are my wife and we are going to have a child, I don't know what else can I want from life. My life is complete. It will be in total happiness for the next 50 or 60 years."

Linda squeezed her hand in his. "Mine, too. I just hope I can take good care of our child, so it grows as strong as his father. You'll be such a good parent, Ben. I wonder if I can be a good mother."

"Surely you can. You have so much love. That's all you need. Don't you love our baby?"

"Of course I do. How can you think I wouldn't?"

"I know you do, but that's all you need. You are a loving person. Everything else can be learned. I heard there are pre-natal courses for that. I'm sure that you'll be able to go to one."

"I'd like that." Linda yawned. "Sorry. I'm growing tired."

"Good. You need the rest."

"Benny, please stay with me."

"I won't go away." He smiled then his eyes shone as he caressed her face with the back of his hand. "No, I will never go away. You are everything I have. I was half-crazed when you were gone. I can't live without you, Linda."

Linda captured his hand on her face, but the emotional release was taking its toll on her and her arm let him go. "Oh, Ben." She struggled to keep her eyes open. "I was sure you were coming to get me, Ben. You and my child were the only things that gave me strength. Even when that woman said she was going to kill me, I thought about our child. Somehow I would save it. Oh, god I was so scared. And so lonely." The last words were almost unintelligible, as she was falling asleep with the mask. She finally was asleep.

Ben kissed her forehead gently, tears streaming down his face; an ache in his heart when he thought of the thing Linda had been through. Why had they had to start their married life in such a painful way? Was his past ever going to let them be happy?

All night long Benny was there, by her side. She moved a bit, moaning when his hand failed to touch hers. Ray had told him that somehow she felt reassurance by touch, and Ben was amazed to see it so. She opened her eyes, calling him. All she said was, "Please hold me." With his arms around her, she fell into a fitful sleep.

In the morning, Linda was still asleep when Dr. Lennyard came by. Ben took the doctor outside the room and talked about Linda. Benny couldn't avoid telling the psychiatrist how worried he about his wife.

"She is so frightened and I think that she is reacting in such a bad manner, doctor. You should have seen her last night. I called in the nurse because I thought she was in the verge of a breakdown."

"Yes, she was quite shaken up," agreed the psychiatrist. "But she didn't fall apart. She was more worried about the baby than herself. It is an improvement. Fraser, Linda is not reversing to a depression or to a catatonic state. She is in shock, like anyone who was kidnapped and tortured for three days would be. The abuse has affected her pregnancy, and it's quite natural that she is frightened."

"I see. Sorry, I am a bit scared myself. She has lost a baby before, you know. We want this baby so much."

"But now she has total care, and a physician following her case closely. It is very unlikely that she is in risk of losing the baby if she follows the doctor's recommendations. You have to be patient with her and don't you think it's your fault again. I know you also have a tendency to lay guilt upon you, and it's guilt you don't deserve. A psychotic woman kidnapped Linda, and the horrors Linda has been through are that woman's fault, not yours, Fraser. You have to believe that."

"I know." Fraser sighed. "I just can't live with the fact that I haven't been able to arrest her."

"Well, you're not alone in this. Chicago PD, FBI, RCMP, and a whole bunch of other people want to catch her, from what I hear. Don't beat yourself up. Concentrate on taking care of yourself, your wife and your child. She needs you, Fraser."

"I will. Thank you, doctor."

"I'll try to stop by later. Tell her I've been here."

"I'll do that."

When Linda woke up, she was feeling quite rested and very excited about going home. Dr. Schroeder examined her and pronounced her fit to go home, with a lot of very strict instructions and some medication. Linda and Fraser were also instructed as how they should operate the oxygen mask and how they should get refills. But before the good doctor could even leave the room, Ray went inside, looking quite serious. "Good, I've caught you all here. I've got news."

Linda was puzzled. "Ray?"

"I came as soon as I could. We caught one of the kidnappers."

There was a tense pause. Linda held Ben's hand, and it was the Canadian who broke the silence. "Did you catch...?"

"No, not Victoria. It was the other woman, Peggy. She was traced by the serial numbers of the money bills. The FBI is holding her and she says that she wants to see Linda. She won't say a word unless she sees she's okay."

"Me? Why?"

"She says she's very sorry to all she did to her. She wants to tell her so. And she won't give any info until she talks to Linda."

"I don't know if the doctor will agree to it."

"I've talked to Dr. Lennyard. He seemed pretty cool about it. But he asked me to check it out with you, Dr. Schroeder, because of the baby and all."

The doctor said, "If Mrs. Fraser follows my instructions as not to do any effort for the next 15 days, and to use the oxygen mask as much as possible all the times, there will be no problem. But if the emotional stress gets too much, all this effort could be in vain. I'd say that Mrs. Fraser should decide on the matter. Besides, I don't know how much the police need the information this woman has."

Ray sighed. "They need it bad. They don't have a clue. None of the other bills showed up." He looked at Linda. "But it's up to you. If you don't want to go, no one can force you."

Linda was quite, looking at her lap. She always did that when facing a hard decision. After a few seconds she looked up to Fraser, saw his concerned face and said, "I have to do this, Ben. Peggy won't hurt me. I know she won't. Besides, if she sees what Victoria did to me, perhaps she can see how wrong were her acts and help the police."

Ben kissed her forehead. "Are you sure? Like Ray said, no one can force you to do this."

"I want to do this. I want to help catch that woman so we can live in peace, Ben. I don't want to live in fear anymore."

Ben hugged her and Linda asked. "Can I have Ben with me when I talk to her, Ray?"

"Of course. She's in a federal facility near Cicero. We better get there as soon as we can and get it over with."

***

Ray had everything ready with the Feds, so Linda had a wheelchair with a place for the oxygen canister waiting for her when she entered the federal facility where Peggy was held. Before going inside the interrogation room, Linda took some deep, relaxing breaths, and held Benny's hand.

"I am ready now."

Benny kissed her front and rolled her inside the interrogation room, where Peggy was waiting for her with Special Agent Cooper. She was sitting by a table in a barren interrogation room, with a two-way mirror. There were certainly other agents observing at another room. When the girl saw Linda coming in, she was surprised - and alarmed, one could tell.

"Oh, God, what happened to you? Don't tell we did this to you!"

Linda nodded. Peggy was pale. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God, I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen! I didn't know. I'm *so* sorry!"

The oxygen mask muffled Linda's voice. "Peggy, I was left inside an oil barrel and left to die for days."

"No! Victoria told your family where to find you. She did this right after we left you."

Special Agent Cooper said, "Linda was held for almost three days by Victoria Metcalf, abused physically and psychologically. She's pregnant, and she almost lost the baby. You do know that it compounds to your situation, don't you?"

As if possible, Peggy pales even further. "Oh, no. But it wasn't my fault. I would never have done anything if I'd know what she was up to! I'd never meant any harm to Linda, specially she being pregnant and everything!"

Linda asked, "Then help us. Tell us everything you know, please."

"But I don't know anything!" She began to cry. "The boss wouldn't tell me anything, and she scared the hell out of me. Linda can tell that she threatened me all the time. She threatened not to pay me and she threatened killing me if I didn't follow her orders. I had to ask her permission to treat Linda kindly, and still she would be pissed that I'd ask that things. She didn't like Linda at all."

Linda shuddered to remember all the things she passed and she braced herself. Fraser put his hand over hers and she felt a wave of warmth at her husband's closeness.

Cooper wanted to know, "What happened after you left the warehouse?"

"We went to the pick-up point and then to a secondary location to split the money. From there I took a cab to my place, made a small bag and crashed at a friend's apartment. My plans were to take a train to Baltimore, to stay with another friend, when they caught me."

"Do you know about the your friend's plans?"

"Ted never talked about them, except that it included beaches. He always talked about the sun. All Victoria said was that she was finally getting rid of her. She really wanted to get rid of her."

Cooper circled the table. "You're not making sense. You said she called for Linda to be free, so how come you're saying that she was finally getting rid of her?"

"Victoria said she sold Linda to some people. Apparently they'd kill her or have her a breeding slave. When you guys told me she was safe, I was very happy. I didn't know she was sick."

Ray and Benny felt bile rising to their mouths. Even Agent Cooper widened his eyes as he heard Victoria's plans for Linda. When Linda herself had told him this, he had dismissed as a hallucination of sleep of food deprivation.

"Tell us something useful and it might help in your trial." Cooper looked at her. "Will you cooperate with us?"

Peggy wiped her tears, "Yes. I will tell you everything I know."

"Good."

The girl turned to Linda, her eyes still filled with tears. "I want you to know I didn't want none of this to happen. I'm very sorry. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for helping. Not only now, but before. You were kind to me in a very, very frightening time. I'll never forget this."

Ray said, "Linda, you need to rest. Doctor's orders."

Linda asked, "Peggy, please help us. If you really care about me, help us catch that woman. Only then I'll fell me and baby are safe."

"OK."

"Thanks."

Peggy nodded to Fraser, who nodded back and manoeuvred the wheelchair out of the room. They only hoped it helped a little in finding that woman that brought so much grief and sorrow to them.

***

Fraser helped Linda get back to the Riv, as Ray exchanged a few words with the FBI agents. Linda was silent, her face unreadable. Fraser began to get restless, wondering what was going on inside his wife's head. He wished he could take away the pain inside her.

"I took the liberty of asking Mrs. Vecchio to gather some of your clothes to bring to her home, so Ray can take straight there" he said, trying to get her attention. "Did I do a bad thing? Because we can go to our apartment, if you want, too."

"No, of course not. I better rest, anyway. It's doctor's orders."

"That's what I thought." Fraser smiled at her. "Do you feel all right?"

Linda nodded and tried to smile at him. She wished she could kiss them, but the mask wouldn't let her, so she just squeezes his hand. He kissed the top of her head. Linda loved when he did that.

They were effusively welcomed at the Vecchio's, and Ma had the guestroom all ready for them both. Fraser had a few things to take care of at the Consulate. Linda was to rest for a while, still with the mask on - but not before Mrs. Vecchio made her drink a good glass of milk, because it was good for her baby.

When Fraser returned a few hours later, Mrs. Vecchio was a bit restless. "Benito, I'm a bit worried. Linda is upstairs, and she doesn't seem fine to me."

"Why? Did she complain of pain?"

"No, my son. I think she's sad. A mother's heart knows these things. Please talk to her."

"I will."

He went upstairs, his heart clouded. Linda had already seemed a bit sad after talking to Peggy at the FBI. Maybe she shouldn't have done that. It had brought too many memories.

Fraser opened the door with great care in case she was asleep. She was in bed, and she turned her head to see him going inside. "Come in, I'm not sleeping."

"You should be. You need the rest."

"Don't worry. I've followed the doctor's orders and I've not left the bed."

"Are you all right? Any pains?"

"No pains." Linda looked at her lap. "I'm fine, really."

Fraser lay in bed by her side and put his hand on her belly. "You don't look so well. Are you worried about the baby?"

"Ultimately, yes, I guess. I've realised a lot of things, Ben. I was feeling quite sad for not being able to do all things I wanted to do in order to help with the baby. We go to prepare the nursery, and do baby shopping, and I still don't know how to be a good mother. There are so many things to do, but instead of doing those things, I have to rest because the baby needs to be strong. All because of that woman."

"We'll get her." Ben said. "And we'll live in peace with our baby."

"Ben, that's not the point. I've been missing the point for a long time. Since I've talked to Peggy, I've come across the truth. Things have already come into perspective, again. Victoria helped me regain perspective. She keeps calling me 'a little freak'. She keeps telling me that this is what I am, and that's what I'll always be."

Ben rushed to say, "It's a lie, Linda. You know it's a lie. You are not a freak."

Linda looked at him. "Ben, I've lived a great part of my life in a mental institution. I had few perspectives in my life until you showed up and entered in it. You made my life worth living. I'm forever grateful for you."

Fraser wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close to his body. "You gave me love. You, with your kindness, your gentleness and your sweet loving ways, gave meaning and purpose to my life. You gave me a family. How could I not love you?"

"Oh, Ben, I'll love you forever. I'll have as many babies you want, and I'll be by your side as long as you want me. You gave me a life. Each time Victoria calls me 'a little freak' she reminds what I could have become without you, and why my life is so precious." Her green eyes were twinkling in adoration as she looked up at him. "If having our baby means my getting a little bored so that it can be born healthy, so be it. Benny, my love, I'll do anything for our family. Thank you."

"No, Mrs. Fraser. Thank you."

Fraser leaned in, took off the oxygen mask from Linda's face, and took her breath away as their lips met in a passionate kiss. This time, Victoria's spectre was nothing but a shadow that no longer cast fear upon them. It seemed that from now on the woman's evil clutches wouldn't be the same on the new born Fraser family - the next generation.

From an undisclosed location, the ghost of Robert Fraser smiled.