Well, I must already thank you for the overwhelming response to the first chap! Thank you all who reviewed and added to your favourites, or story alerts, or even both! Thanks to Blue-Jackal for being amazing and helping me come up with ideas (Always ready with an idea for something to do to Alex! :P ) and for inspiring OSAS so I can write this one now :P
Chapter 2: Tested
She was fading in and out of consciousness now. Alex had no idea how long she'd been suspended in the air, hanging from the cross. After she was nailed securely, screaming through the duct tape in pain, Ryan had suspended the cross about ten feet in the air and left. Now her breast and back throbbed in unison with the searing pain that shot through her arms and legs with every breath she inhaled. She had been standing too long. She wanted to sit, but if she even tried the nails he had put on the steps dug into her back, the heads cutting against the marks from the whip.
The warehouse had faded to darkness a long time ago. Alex looked out of the window of the warehouse, staring at the moon. It lit the warehouse in its silver light, illuminating her brightly. From the shadows, she heard the sound of a footstep. She tried to turn and look, but could not move. A dark figure stepped into the moonlight, staring up at her.
"Animal," the figure whispered. Alex felt tears escape from her eyes. It was him. Ryan stared up at her, a grin on his face.
"It's all over, Animal," he said happily. "You're pure again. You'll join him in paradise. I've saved your soul."
The sound of other voices reached her ears. Alex tried to scream, but no sound emerged from her throat. She was too weak to even make a noise. Her eyes were growing heavier and heavier. Alex looked down at the ground once more where Burns stood happily, streaks of her blood running down his face.
"Only scarlet avenges sable," he whispered.
"Alex!" She heard a voice call her name from a distance. Alex turned her head, but could not figure out where the voice was coming from. It seemed to be coming from all around her.
"Alex!" The voice called her again. Alex decided to try and scream again, to get the person to find her.
"ALEX!" Alex's eyes snapped open. Gene was next to her, his expression relieved.
"I've been trying to wake you up for five bloody minutes. You wouldn't stop screaming. Nightmare?"
Alex nodded miserably. Since Ryan Burns had escaped from prison nearly a month ago, her nightmares had returned. She had gone nearly two months without them before he had escaped, and she had started to hope that they were gone for good. Now however, they were worse than ever, each night getting more and more vivid.
Alex refused to let them get to her. She knew that if she did, she'd end up exactly like she was when she was released from the hospital so many months before. She couldn't ruin the progress she had made. Yet every day that Burns evaded capture was another day the fear continued to build in her stomach. How long, Alex wondered, until the fear would overtake her again? She and Gene both knew that Burns was just biding his time until he was forgotten about.
They both knew that he liked to plan. He had admitted to planning her capture and cleansing for the two years he had spent in prison before. As long as he was safe, what was to stop him from planning another three or four months, or even years?
Burns may be a religious nutter, but he was smart. He had evaded Gene easily for six weeks, making sure each CID member fell into his trap. He knew their weaknesses in and out, from Alex's former love of wine, to Gene's need to return to a crime scene where nothing had been found.
He was also dedicated. Alex knew that by surviving she had not been properly 'saved' in his mind. She knew that he escaped to 'save' her again. And he would stop at nothing. Whoever stood in his way, he would kill.
"Bolls?" Gene's voice asked sleepily. He was already dozing off again. Alex didn't blame him. This was the fourth time in a week that she had woken him up in the middle of the night. It was a miracle he could function during the day.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," she responded. "Go back to sleep Gene. I'm gonna go down and make some tea."
Gene mumbled something incoherently and buried his face in his pillow, snoring before Alex even made it out the door.
~(*)~
Ryan looked at the house, smiling widely. The finishing touches were being put on it. It was almost ready for his Animal once more. He'd hide her here, away from all the cops of London. That was the fault of his plan the year previously. He had thought London was large enough to hide someone, but obviously, she had been too close. If he had hidden her here in the first place, he could have had all the time in the world. And he wouldn't have had to be so concerned about noise. She could have screamed at the top of her lungs and no one would have heard her.
Ryan shook his head. The 'what ifs' had struck once more. He couldn't waste his time on those. Obviously he had acted too soon and the Lord had intervened with the appropriate punishment for him. Now he was ready.
Ryan pushed his long hair out of his face. He had not cut it since the trial. The Lord had told him to take the vow of the Nazirite. He could not cut his hair until his mission was complete.
Ryan had let his beard grow as well. If the first half of the mission was successful, getting Animal back, then he could shave his beard. He knew he was almost unrecognisable now. Along with growing out his hair, he had stolen hair dye his first day and dyed his hair black.
Ryan smiled. They could be searching for him for years and never find him. He put his long hair up, out of his face and went out to the barn. It was almost ready for Animal's stay. It was time to initiate contact.
~(*)~
Alex stirred her tea, listening to Gene's snores coming faintly from upstairs, trying not to be annoyed with his ability to sleep. The first few nights he had stayed up with her, being worried, but as the days progressed and her nightmares continued he had started to go back to sleep. Alex didn't blame him. She could hardly deal with only three or four hours of sleep a night and then work the next day. She couldn't expect him to deal with it too.
Alex knew as well as Gene that all progress had come to a halt as soon as Burns had been released. The only reason she and Gene had not made love yet was because she was afraid of what Ryan would do when...if...he found out. It would be bad enough if he found out they were sleeping in the same bed. To be having sex out of wedlock...Well that was one of the reasons she had the scars on her hands and feet.
Alex unconsciously rubbed her fingers over the marks. What would Ryan do if he found her? Would he hang her right away? Or would he make her suffer in imprisonment once more? Would she be degraded, her basic needs taken away from her? Would the collar be placed around her neck once more, making her feel like the animal he told her she was?
She shivered as she remembered the many 'obedience lessons' she had received over the course of six weeks. Each one took a little more of her hope away, stole a little more of her fight, until finally she did nothing but cry silently and hope to die during and after the lesson. They always ended the same way, until the final one. She would curl up in a ball and he would stroke her cheek gently, telling her that it was all for the better.
Alex laughed humourlessly. They wondered why she didn't want to be touched. The only touch she had felt for six long weeks had been angry, spiteful, even when it was gentle. If she was being touched, she was usually in trouble for something.
Suddenly, Gene's snores stopped. Alex looked at the clock. She had been lost in her own thoughts for nearly four hours. Gene padded downstairs to the kitchen, looking sleep-ruffled and bleary eyed. He stifled a yawn as he shuffled in the kitchen, placing a light kiss on the top of her head.
"Did you sleep alright?" she asked.
"Slept fine," he mumbled. He was always terrible with conversation until he had at least one sugar loaded coffee. Somewhere he had upped to nine sugars, making his coffee almost syrupy. As he was spooning more sugar into his already sweetened cup, he looked at her.
"You been up since?"
Alex merely nodded. It was a silent acknowledgement of the plateau they both knew she hit.
"You think you're awake enough to..."
"Yes," Alex interrupted. She couldn't stay here by herself. Not with Burns on the loose.
Gene merely nodded. "I'll let you shower first then, Lady Bolls."
~(*)~
"We all know it's him! Let's just charge the bastard and throw him in a cell!"
"Guv," Alex sighed. "We've got no evidence that he did it. We can't charge him with no evidence."
Gene opened his mouth to speak, but Alex continued as if she didn't see him.
"Gut instinct does not count as evidence anymore, Guv. You should know that by now."
Gene set his face into a pout.
"You know he did it? Find evidence. And then charge him."
"He'll bugger off before then Bolly! God, sometimes its a wonder how you became a copper for all the common sense you have!"
Alex stared at him. "I've got no common sense?" she asked icily.
"Well, who locked us in a vault at Edgehampton?"
"They would have found us!" she hissed.
"Yes, and they would have found our dead bodies if Chris and Ray hadn't done something right for once," Gene replied, looking smug.
Alex opened her mouth to reply, but Gene cut her off just like she had only moments before.
"Terry!" he yelled. "Let's hold him for a while. See if I can't find anything more I want to ask him."
"But Guv, you haven't charged him!" Alex protested.
"I can hold him for extra questioning, DI Drake. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to search his flat for the evidence you desire!"
"I'll go with you!" Alex was desperate to get away from her desk.
"No," Gene said firmly. "You're not cleared for anything but desk duty, Alex. You know as well as I do that you're not ready."
Alex started to argue, but thought better of it and huffed to her seat. She knew he was right, and she hated him for it. She wanted to be back out on the streets. She hated the endless hours of paperwork. What was worse was that she didn't even have Shaz to talk to very much anymore. Gene was taking Shaz out in her place, getting her experience before her eventual promotion to DC.
Alex watched jealously as Shaz, Ray and Chris all filed out after Gene. How was she supposed to do all this paperwork? She couldn't sit still for more than half an hour straight.
She sighed, resigning herself to sorting through different files the rest of the day. As she looked down, she saw an envelope sitting on her desk. Her name was written in a neat loopy handwriting. Curious, she opened it. As soon as she saw the first word, she wished she hadn't.
Animal,
I went to your flat last night. You weren't there. I can only assume you've moved in with the man you were whoring yourself out to. You know the reason why I have sent this. You're not saved yet, Animal. You haven't repented. The Lord released me from prison to save your soul, just like he promised he would.
You need to do something. Tonight, go to Luigi's. Leave between 22.00 and 22.15. If you don't, I consider that disobedience, Animal. You can bring your precious Gene if it makes you feel better, but you do not have to worry tonight. Not quite everything is ready.
Also. Do not tell anyone about this letter. That includes Gene. Again, I shall consider that disobedience and when we are together again, I will have to punish you for it.
Be good now.
Master
Alex set the letter down, her hands shaking. This was it. He had finally made contact. The question was now, what was she going to do?
~(*)~
He sat around the corner from the wine bar. Ryan checked his watch. 22.10. She had five minutes to leave. Ryan continued to watch the seconds tick away, until finally, at 22.14, he saw the red Quattro start down the street.
Ryan smiled. She was being obedient. Good.
A/N: A Nazirite vow was when a Jew refused to cut his hair for a certain amount of time as a promise to the Lord. The most famous of these people is Samson, the man who had superhuman strength until Delilah, a Philistine cut his hair off while he was sleeping. He spent the rest of his days in captivity, dying with his enemies when he knocked over two pillars just by pushing on them after praying to the Lord to return his strength. The whole story can be found in Judges 16.
To Be Continued
