The sound of banging filled the empty hallway as Kate furiously pounded on her door, shouting for the tenth time,

"I need to talk to someone!" She hopped from one foot to the other, her knees squeezed awkwardly together as she desperately tried to 'hold it in'. This was the first time since she'd been taken that she truly needed to go to the bathroom and she just now realized that there wasn't one in this room.

"Come on, answer me!" she shouted urgently. She wasn't going to hold out much longer. Relief washed over her as she heard heavy footsteps and an aggravated sigh. A voice called through the door in patchy English,

"Go to wall. Put hands where I see." She obeyed the agitated voice happily, rushing to the wall to assume the position. Her bladder's desperate calls for release were becoming even stronger.

"Ok! Ok, I'm at the wall!" she cried out, desperate for him to take her to the bathroom. She heard the door click open as a shadow fell over her and the voice, now much closer, asked,

"What is it you are wanting?" he was clearly not at all happy to be here.

"Bathroom! Please, I need to go to the bathroom." She tried to keep the desperation out of her voice, but she couldn't help the quiver in her voice. She really had to go.

The man sighed again, clearly not in the mood to deal with this crazy American, but he had direct orders from Haswari and he knew what happened when you disobeyed. He reached out quickly, grabbing her shirt's collar as he pushed her out the door.

Kate hopped forward eagerly, letting the man's guiding hand show her where to go. She was shocked to see that there was a door a few feet from her room. It was hard to notice at first, considering it was painted the color of the walls and blended in almost seamlessly.

The man reached in front of her, quickly opening it and shoving her in. Kate felt a twinge of anger as she saw the giant hallway before her, a half dozen rooms lining the walls and a staircase at the end.

If she'd only known this was here before! Maybe her frantic flight for freedom would have lasted longer if she'd been paying just a bit more attention.

She was ushered to the first room on the right and shoved roughly in, the door being pulled shut behind her.

"Five minutes," the voice called from the other end as she heard the door lock from the outside. She glanced around eagerly, taking in the sights around her. This was the first time in…what? Two days? No, it had to be more than that. It felt like two years, two centuries. Too long.

This was the first time in two days that she'd seen anything but that bare room with it's blank, haunting walls. Her eyes danced across every part of the small room, mentally memorizing every detail.

The room was incredibly small, basically a large closet with a toilet. The walls were covered in an old, faded wallpaper that was layered with dirt and there was a single sink sitting in front of a grimy mirror.

After hastily making use of the rather disgusting looking toilet, Kate took her time slowly washing her hands, running the water up and down her arms. It had been two days since she last showered and she felt disgusting.

She slowly washed the grime away, taking her handfuls of water and rubbing them across her neck and hair. Her hands lingered over her neck, the cool water contrasting with the heat she felt from the now purple mark on the side of her neck. She stared at it in the mirror, recalling his words,

"I will let you go when my mark on you fades away."

Was he being serious? If that was the case, what was the point in even keeping her now? He must have some sort of angle; otherwise he wouldn't be taking these steps to keep her here. Maybe he was trying to get back at Gibbs…

Her mind drifted to Gibbs and the rest of her NCIS family. Were they worried about her? It upset her to think they were out there, wondering whether she was dead or alive. Still, this was her team she was talking about. They would definitely find a way to get her back; they'd rescue her. Soon, she prayed to herself. They'll rescue me soon.

Kate's eyes fell back to herself in the mirror and she shuddered at the wreck of a woman staring back. She looked horrible. Working quickly, she tried to wipe away the days old makeup that caked her face and, after what felt like forever, managed to scrub the majority of it off. She looked up again at her now lightly red skin, happy to feel clean for the first time in a long time.

There was a loud banging at the door as the man yelled,

"Time is up."

She sighed, saddened at the thought of returning to that dreadful room. As she started to leave the sink, however, her eyes were drawn to a slight glint hidden behind the handle. She felt a lump catch in her throat as her heart started a frenzied beating.

Nudged between the thin space between the wall and the sink's tarnished handle was a single, rusted razor blade.

The banging returned and her eyes flew to the door, seeing it start to unlock. Without a second thought her hand reached out, quickly grabbing the razor blade and pocketing it. She watched as the door swung open and an explicitly angry man glared at her as he barked,

"Time is up!"

He reached in roughly, dragging her out into the hallway. She was about to protest, but fell silent, her eyes locking on the man standing before them and blocking their path. Haswari watched them with a slight smirk, leaning against the door frame. The man dragging her dropped his hand, a solemn look on his face as he mumbled something she didn't understand. Haswari only nodded, replying in the language. The man nodded, accepting what he'd said, and turned and left the two of them alone in the hall.

Kate stared nervously at Haswari as he scanned her slowly and for a fleeting moment she almost thought that he knew about the razor blade. Something in the way he looked at her, he had this arrogant 'I-know-you've-been-bad' aura that surrounded him and gave her chills.

"Hello, Caitlin," his voice reverberated throughout the hallway and Kate fought the urge to shrink away. Why was she so afraid of this man?

He held up a bag of take-out, continuing with,

"Chinese. Hungry?" She nodded hesitantly and he gestured past him down the hall, indicating for her to lead the way. Slowly, she walked towards him and gradually slid past where he stood in the threshold, her shoulder brushing his chest and his breath on her cheek. Her heart quickened as she felt his fingertips gingerly brush across her side as she passed, and she upped her pace as she made her way back to her room.

She almost felt relieved as she pushed her way in, her mind still lingering on the place Haswari had gently touched. This room had more space than the hallway, so she could pull herself away from him. Kate moved to the bed, heaving herself to the now familiar position at the back of the headboard, as far from Haswari as possible.

He walked into the room slowly, placing the food on her desk and pulled out cartons. There were a few moments of silence, and Kate found herself suddenly chirping,

"I want to take a shower." He glanced at her, the corners of his lips threatening to pull up.

"Really? You know, I wouldn't mind one myself. Why don't we—"

"No. Nevermind. I'm fine."

She shook her head, averting her eyes as her face grew bright red. The tugs at his lips were no longer a threat as he now had a full-fledged grin.

"Oh, come now, Caitlin. Must you deny me so eagerly? You didn't even allow me to finish my sentence." He couldn't hide the chuckle in his voice, which only made her face grow even redder. After a small internal struggle, she managed to drag her eyes back to his. His chuckle died out when he saw the desperation in her eyes. Haswari couldn't help but sigh, furrowing his brow as he frowned.

"Fine, fine. You may have your shower." Her face lit up instantly and his frown started to tug upwards again.

"When?" she asked eagerly, suddenly feeling incredibly itchy and unclean.

"Right now. Come, take off your clothes." Her jaw quite literally almost hit the ground.

"What? No! Stop it, Haswari," she murmured nervously, tired of his games. She was just so tired of all of this…

Haswari chuckled.

"Relax, Caitlin, unless you intend to shower in your clothes. Fine, come with me." He motioned for the door and, hesitantly, Kate let him lead her out into the hallway and down the corridor until they reached what seemed to be a shower room.

There were five shower heads lining the tiled walls, a giant drain in the center. This immediately made Kate nervous. Haswari noticed this and quickly explained,

"All of the men have already showered for the day, so no one will come in. Besides, there is only one door here and it actually locks from the inside." He motioned for the lock.

"It will be fine. Your towel is over there on the hook and I will bring you some fresh clothing." And with that he was gone, disappearing out of the room. Kate walked hesitantly to the door, taking extra precautions to be sure that it did truly only lock from the inside. Satisfied that she was secure, she stripped off the dirty clothes, relief overcoming her as they were peeled away. They were disgusting.

She moved over to the first shower head in the row, quickly turning it on. She was instantly hit with a shockwave of cold as the water hit her and she quickly yanked it to as hot as it could go. Gradually, it warmed and the room soon filled with a thick layer of steam as she enjoyed the shower.

There was a single, giant bar of soap sitting on the ground a few feet away and she stared at it for a long time, mentally debating whether or not to use it. This was obviously a community shower, so who knows how many people used that….

Still, she had to feel clean again. With a slight feeling of disgust, she rubbed her hands across the bar until they were fully lathered and then desperately began cleaning herself. She had never before felt as good as she did in that shower, roughly scrubbing the layers of dirt from her body. It felt like a spa to her after the weekend she'd had.

A slight knock on the door made her jump, her fear of someone getting past the lock reentering her mind. She was soothed, however, when Haswari's voice called,

"Caitlin, there is fresh clothing here." She didn't acknowledge the voice, however, as she was too absorbed in the feel of this shower. After what felt like hours, she reluctantly decided to turn the shower off. Her fingers were starting to look like prunes.

Wrapping the towel around her, Kate went to unlock the door, peeking her head outside. She nearly jumped when she saw Haswari looming not even a few inches from her, his eyes scanning her lecherously. She closed the door a few inches, hiding everything but her bright red face as she quickly mumbled,

"Clothes." Haswari laughed condescendingly before slowly handing her the clothes in his hands. She pulled them into the room quickly, slamming the door and locking it.

This man was just too much.

After quickly dressing in the oversized t-shirt and sweatpants she'd been given, Kate opened the door to an expectant Haswari leaning against the wall.

"All finished?" She nodded, feeling so much better. Haswari took a step towards her, mumbling,

"Alright then. Where are your old clothes?" He motioned to indicate he wanted to come into the shower room.

Kate's heart stopped.

The razor blade.

"Uhh…, hold on," she turned, shielding the clothes from his prying eyes, as she leaned in to pick them up.

Ba-bump.

Her heart decided to restart at that exact moment and it seemed to her that it's beat was unnaturally loud, practically ricocheting off the walls.

Ba-bump.

Kate's hands shook as she reached into the pocket, her fingers finding the familiar rectangular shape. She could have sworn Haswari could hear her heart beat. Taking it out carefully, she subtly slipped it into the string of her underwear at her hip, hiding it beneath her giant t-shirt.

And suddenly she could breathe again. Or at least she could, until she turned around to find Haswari breathing down her neck.

"What was that, Caitlin?" he asked coyly, a knowing look in his eyes. She involuntarily took a step away from him, but he took a step forward in response. This continued for a few steps until she was backed up against the wall, his breath on her cheek as his deep eyes studied her. He slowly rested his hands on the wall on both sides of her head, effectively pinning her there. There was something enchanting in his eyes, a certain sparkle that both relaxed and terrified her.

"What was what?" she fought for control in her voice and, despite the screams of her conscience, her eyes flickered to his lips. No, stop. Eyes on his eyes.

He laughed slightly, noticing her struggle to focus, so he decided to help by leaning in ever so slightly, his lips just hovering above hers. She let out an involuntary gasp, and then quickly regretted it. What was she doing?

Setting her jaw, she decided to stare him down, her eyes fully focused on his eyes. Noticing this, Haswari fought a pout as he finally pulled away from her, saying,

"Oh, never mind." He turned and picked up her dirty clothes, starting to head out into the hallway. She let out a long exhale, relief washing over her. She had no idea what just happened, but somehow- somehow she'd been tempted to kiss him.

Shaking away the thoughts, her hand subconsciously fell to the tiny blade hidden beneath her clothes.

If it came down to it, would she really be able to use it?

Thinking back to that moment in the shower, she wasn't so sure anymore.

--------------

Haswari entered the grubby hallway bathroom later on that night, his eyes adjusting to the darkness the single bulb light couldn't disperse. He walked in leisurely, carefully inspecting every corner of it.

His eyes found there way to the sink and a huge, knowing smile soon crept across his face. He pushed his fingers gently in the space where it had once been, double checking to prove it was gone. His strategically placed razor blade was no longer carefully wedged where he'd left it. Things were working out just as he'd planned.

"Good girl, Caitlin," he purred happily, turning the lights off and slowly leaving the room.

"Good girl."

-----------------------------------

Haha I just can't let her have a win, can I?

And The Fabulous Mrs Cole Turner, you were definitely right.
He is developing a little Lima Syndrome.

And .- I giggled a bit when I saw you suggested I may be an actor, on the simple basis that I'm anything but (:

It made me giggle because I actually have really bad, very debilitating stage fright, so I would probably be anything in the world BUT an actor.