AUTHORS NOTE: So this isn't one of the best exit ideas I've ever had but read away anywho! You know I love to know your advice on the situation.

DISCLAIMER: I only own the OC's


[Torture]


DAY ONE...

Stuart struggled against the bonds, his heart racing as he realised that there was no way he was getting out of this one. He couldn't believe he'd been stupid enough to go alone to interrogate the husband about the flaws in his alibi. It was obvious that he was unstable and that he was the murderer. It was also obvious that Stuart wasn't going to come out of this one without a scratch.

He had no idea where they were but there were enough tools on the wall to cause damage so that he'd never be recognised. He struggled against the bonds again, his eyes starting to sting as he bit back tears because he wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction. "You don't have to do this. You can let me go and you'll have less of a punishment."

"But I shall still be punished," he said sitting down in front of Stuart, his hand wiping at the knife that he held. He froze when he saw the wedding ring on Stuart's hand. "You're married?" Stuart didn't know how to answer so eventually he just nodded. "I assume you have children because you're the fatherly type. I can see it in you."

"You never had children with your partner?" Stuart asked wanting to know why because he knew that they'd never had children from the records that they'd pulled when the wife had been initially found murdered but she had children somewhere because the M.E. had said that she'd definitely given birth once in her life but from the damage, he couldn't say when exactly.

"We did," he whispered looking down at the blade. "The bastard wasn't mine. I made sure that no one ever knew about him and she suffered for her infidelity." He smiled happily and Stuart was suddenly scared. This was a hardcore psychopath they were dealing with. He didn't realise there was a difference between right and wrong. He felt like the punishment had to fit the crime and the uglier the better.

"You beat your wife for having another man's child for years. Why didn't you just kill her straight away?"

"Death takes away the pain, don't you think?" He then dragged the blade deep down Stuart's arm causing him to howl out in pain, his eyes closing as the tears he'd been holding back fell down his face. "I like to torture my possessions first so they know that I'm in charge." The second arm received the same torture and when Stuart finally opened his eyes, he was alone.

DAY TWO...

"Are you awake, my detective?" He asked moving into the small hut, his grin feline as he sat down in front of him again. "You didn't lose much blood yesterday, did you?" He said checking out the floor that laid around them. "Don't worry though. The rats will eventually come for you." He promised.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because my wife wasn't my first kill, detective." He admitted standing up and picking up a screwdriver. Stuart stared at the tool for a moment, his mind trying to analyse where he would force it because it was apparent the game was to cause as little damage as possible so that the games could last for a long time. "I've been murdering people since I was sixteen." Stuart knew he was forty six.

"How many have you..." he screamed as the screwdriver was forced into his left knee, his blood spurting up and into his face meaning that one of the main veins had been ruptured. He found his breathing getting ragged as he glared at the man. "How many have you killed?" He continued asking through the pain.

"You'll be my thirty-first. I normally aim for one a year but my wife was a growing project so you can be this years." He said stroking the man's cheek, licking at the hand that now had a mixture of his tears and blood on it. "I think you'll be my strongest, detective."

DAY THREE...

Stuart was starting to suffer from the blood loss now. His head was light, his stomach weak as if he was dying for food. He watched as the man moved in holding a plate. "I can't allow my detective to get weak now or that will take the fun out of the hunt," he said holding out the piece of bread for Stuart to eat.

He shouldn't have eaten it. Stuart should have known better but his stomach had started growling and he was right. He did need his strength if there was any chance of him getting out of this alive. He ate eagerly, his tongue lapping up anything that he spilt down his chin. Once all the food was gone, he opened his eyes and saw that the guy had gone. He closed his eyes again.

Of course, the food was laced with poison. Two hours later, Stuart threw his guts up.

DAY FOUR...

The rats were starting to peek underneath the door, Stuart still had strength in one of his legs to stamp down enough to keep them away from him but he knew it wouldn't be long before he just gave up. He knew the team would be looking for him but he couldn't help but wish that either they'd hurry up or that he'd hurry up and kill him. Sighing, he saw a rat move into the room and he bit down on his lip as he waited for it to get closer.

When it did, he stamped down on it and closed his eyes as he heard the crunch of his bones. He hated this. He wanted to be let out. "Why won't you come kill me, you bastard?" He cried out through his tears.

What Stuart didn't know was that the team had dragged him in for interviewing and he'd managed to convince him that he hadn't got the young detective. He had a stoneclad alibi for when they assumed Stuart had been taken. Only he really knew the truth and he wasn't going to kindly volunteer it.

DAY FIVE...

Moving into the shed, he smiled at the dead rat that Stuart had managed to kick away from his body. He could also see that Stuart was asleep now but that was all he did so that he could hide from the pain. "My detective, did you miss me yesterday?" He asked sitting down in front of him, his hand stroking at the detective's foot as he held onto the hammer and the large nail. "By killing that rat, you disobeyed my plan meaning you shall need to be punished."

Stuart was just starting to wake up when the nail was punctured through his foot. He howled in pain, his foot jumping away causing even more pain to rip through his body as he whimpered. How could he still be alive after all the blood loss? It was obvious that he'd done research into where he could pierce without an instant death.

"Why won't you just kill me?" Stuart pleaded through his tears. "I just want it to end, please." He closed his eyes as the shame he'd have felt at the beginning of the week disappeared as his tears fell fast and heavy. The man just chuckled.

"It'll be over soon. I promise."

DAY SIX...

Stuart had accepted his sentence. He was going to die. He woke up and saw him sat there in front of him holding a laptop open. On the screen was one of the home videos that Stuart insisted they always take so that they can have memories of Ronan when she was older. It was Ronan's birthday and she was sat at the head of the table on Stuart's knee, her hands holding tight onto the table as she grinned happily at the princess birthday cake that was being put down on the table by Ewan. "Turn it off!" He begged.

The chorus of happy birthday started and he closed his eyes as he heard his daughter's happy giggle, the sounds of his family singing. He heard his own voice instruct Ronan to make a wish before she blew out the candles. He heard the exaggerated blow out of the candles before Ewan asked if he could know her wish. "No silly! It won't come true then," came the teasing voice of the daughter.

A lone tear slipped down Stuart's cheek as he realised that he'd only have one wish right now. He opened his eyes, his vision blurred from the tears just to catch the end of the video where Ronan turned round to look at Stuart. She hooked her arms around his shoulders and smiled, her lips pressing a kiss to her cheeks. "I love you, daddy!" She said happily before the video cut off.

"You bastard," Stuart said through his tears as he looked down at the floor, his tears falling still as he wished that he was at home right now with his little girl.

"You love your daughter?" He refused to answer, his gaze looking away from the man as he tried to pull himself free again. "You're not going anywhere." Stuart looked at him, his cries getting louder as the screwdriver drove into his shoulder. He cursed loudly as a shooting pain soared through his body, warm blood dribbling down his arm. He wanted it to end. He needed it to end. His tears fell as he heard the video start up again.

"You bastard!" He called out after him as the man left, the DVD player continually playing in front of him.

DAY SEVEN...

The batteries had died a few hours previously but he could still hear Ronan's giggle, Ronan telling him that she loved him and worst of all he could hear his husband's laugh. They were sounds he'd accepted that he wouldn't ever hear again as he felt his body starting to die around him. He'd already started chucking up tiny splutters of blood and he knew that meant his insides were failing thanks to the pills he'd taken the other day.

"How are we today?" The man asked moving into the hut and Stuart just closed his eyes, feigning sleep. The man just chuckled as he sat down in front of him. "No pain today. I just need you to drink some of this medicine."

Before Stuart could stop anything, a spoon was forced between his lips and he tasted the strong taste of bleach. He tried to spit it out but a hand covered his mouth. "You'll swallow it or the next portion will be bigger, do you understand me?" It was obvious that he was starting to lose patience in Stuart and now he wanted it to be over with.

"Just get it over with," Stuart pleaded open his mouth wide as a sign that he wanted him to finish him off. He shook his head.

"I want it to be slow for a reason, princess." He pointed out screwing the cap back onto his bottle before turning around to leave.

DAY EIGHT...

Robbie stood at the bedroom door, his hand rubbing at his face as he stared at the man hanging from the ceiling. He knew what this meant. There was no way they'd be able to find Stuart now unless he'd left a clue behind. They were ransacking everything to make sure that nothing was left unturned. If a clue was here, they'd find it. He saw Jackie stressing at a inferior officer and he couldn't help but feel for the officer. Everyone was worried for Stuart's safety now and he didn't want to be the one that told...

"Robbie?" Ewan, he thought as he turned to see Ewan standing at the foot of the stairs. Robbie moved down and led him back outside. "What's happening?"

"He's commited sucide and now we're hunting for any clue to where Stuart could be," he could see Ewan reading his face for any clues so he decided just to be clear with him, "the chances of us finding Stuart, Ewan, is pretty slim. We're trying everything we can but..." he stopped talking as he felt himself starting to tear up. How could this be true? He found himself controlling himself and continuing, "there are no promises. We will do everything in our power."

Ewan crumbled right there in front of Stuart, his anger apparent as Robbie pulled him in for a hug. The tears fell down the husband's cheek as he realised that he'd never see his partner again.

DAY FIFTEEN...

Stuart couldn't cope anymore. He'd tried his best to keep his eyes open despite the fact he could feel his organs failing, his blood was all over the floor thanks to the bleach and he'd even stopped caring about the rats. He took one final deep breath before he submerged into a world of black where he felt no more pain.

DAY THIRTY TWO...

"It is my deepest regrets to inform you today that the search for Detective Sergeant Stuart Fraser-McIntyre has come to a standstill. There is not enough power or hours in a day to carry on the search. However, we would like for anyone with information after this day to ring the hotline still because that will stay open. The police offer their deepest sympathies to DS McIntyre's family and would like them to know that we did all we could and we hope that one day the case will re-open with brand new evidence. Our fingers are crossed."

Ewan turned off the television, his anger taken out at the fact Burke was so calm as he gave the conference. He should know that Burke was just following orders but he felt let down by Stuart's closest friends and as his tears fell, he realised that he'd lost his husband forever and no one cared.

DAY FIFTY-FIVE...

Ewan and Ronan left in the middle of the night without telling the team. They had received a visit from Stuart's family and they had offered their condolences and had sought forgiveness for how they'd treated him. Ewan had decided that being found was too easy for them and they needed a new life in a different town. He'd not even packed. He had money to start a new life elsewhere. He did leave a scribbled note saying that he'd get in touch with a new address at a later date in case anything new came to light.

DAY FOUR HUNDRED...

A blank postcard was sent to Robbie with Ronan's handwriting on it. That was the end of that. Robbie literally put it in his drawer and forgot about it. There was no faith that Stuart would be found.

FIVE YEARS LATER...

Robbie walked up the front door to Ewan's new house. They'd not spoken since Stuart's disappearance five years earlier and he didn't know how that had happened. He rang the doorbell and smiled at a teenage Ronan. "Dad, there's an officer at the door!" She called after Robbie had flashed his badge. He didn't focus on the fact his niece had forgotten him but instead smiled as Ewan moved to the front door.

"Oh my god, Robbie!" He said moving to the door and pulling him into a hug. "It's been too long. What could have possibly..." he stopped talking as he saw the expression on Robbie's face and he started to cry almost immediately. "You found him."

"He was found in one of the abandoned army houses on the outskirts of town. No one ever uses the barracks so no one ever thought to check there but they're being re-built on and they were doing routine checks..." He remembered the call and thought how it was ironic that he, Jackie and their new detective had responded to the call. You would never have guessed it was Stuart at first but when the DNA and teeth imprint had come back they knew their friend had finally come home. "You're listed as his next of kin so we needed to alert you but I didn't want to share something like that with you over the phone."

"I have him back," Ewan whispered happily through his tears. "I thought I'd go to my own grave never knowing where he was!" He fell down onto the chair, his hand rubbing at his hands and he only stood up again when Ronan moved into the living room.

"Is everything okay, dad?" He nodded his head and pulled his daughter into a hug.

"They found your dad's body." He smiled. "It means we're finally allowed to bury him. We were never allowed to bury him because of there being nobody. Thank you Robbie. You have no idea how much this means to us,"

"I have an inkling." He said but saw Ronan looking at him.

"Uncle Robbie?" She said before laughing. "Wow you got old," she teased moving and pulling him into a hug, her lips pressing a damp kiss to his lips. He smiled knowing that Stuart's return would bring them all together again.

New Exit Coming Soon...