Rifiuto: Non Mirena

A/N: Yes, this story is largely Jo/Carter father-daughter relationship- because he feels responsible for not finding her sooner. And the romantic pairing, if you haven't guessed, is of course Jo/Zane.

He grabbed her, throwing her to the ground. She crawled back, sobbing, begging him to leave her alone.

She shifted, pushing the blankets off herself.

He held her against the wall, hand tight around her throat, as he parted her legs.

She whimpered in her sleep, choking out a sob.

A burning pain filled her, and she looked up into his cold grey eyes...

A scream brought Carter from the infirmary's lobby; he barreled into the area, the sleep and confusion quickly leaving him as his eyes landed on Jo. She was struggling against the interns, sobbing, begging. The sheriff was at her bedside in seconds, pulling one of the interns away from her and taking a seat across from her on the bed. "Jo. Jo! Calm down! It's me! It's Sheriff Carter!" A glimmer of recognition filled her gaze, before she threw her arms around him, her sobs ripping at his heart. "Shh, it's okay, Jo. It's okay. I'm here, I won't let them hurt you." He glanced up, nodding for them to back up, and they did, one of them running to call Dr. Blake. Once they were gone, he reached up, tangling a hand in her hair. "Shh. I'm here, Jo. I'm right here."

"What the hell happened?" Allison asked, pulling the curtain around Jo's bed and leading Carter into the lobby. Zane and the others were there, all waiting for her to tell them what had gone wrong. Carter sighed, glancing back at the small curtained room.

"Look, all I know is that I woke up to her screaming. I went in, and two of your interns were trying to hold her down and sedate her. She was begging, but I didn't catch for what. Once I sat down in front of her, she latched onto me like a leech."

"To stop." Everyone turned, to see one of the interns in the doorway.

"What?" Carter asked. The intern sighed.

"She was begging us... to stop." He said, swallowing.

"Stop what?" Grace asked. A look of fear passed over the young man's face.

"To stop raping her. To leave her alone. To not touch her." Tears slid down his cheeks, and he turned back to the curtained room. "She looked so scared... I can't even imagine what that girl went through... for twenty years... the abuse she must have suffered. The sexual assault, the torture... the rape and sodomy... the physical and mental and emotional abuse... how did she survive?" Carter looked up, to find the intern meeting his eyes. "How does someone- especially a child- survive something like that? How do they survive being raped and beaten and tortured every day for twenty years, and not.. snap and kill their captor... or themselves? How, Sheriff?"

Carter shook his head. "I... I don't know, Cooper. I've been asking myself that since the day she disappeared." The intern sniffled, turning back to watch the curtains.

"She's so damaged. It's like... like he broke her spirit, and... and she has no choice but to... to remain loyal to him."

"What are you talking about?" Allison asked.

"When we asked her who she was begging, she screamed that she'd never tell. That she'd never... never betray him... if only so she could survive. It's almost like... like she's... like he's... a part of her..."

"Stockholm sydrome." Carter whispered. "It's a... type of psychological disorder where a captive exhibits empathy or sympathy for their captor. It's not uncommon in kidnapping or abduction cases- especially ones where children were held in captivity. Patty Hearst had it, as did Steven Stayner to an extent. They feel responsible for their captor being captured or killed, they feel abandoned without their captor around, and so try to rationalize it away- the feelings of relief and freedom. Most who suffer S.S. don't feel like they deserve to be out of their captivity, because they've been in it for so long-"

"And they don't know how to adjust." Henry whispered. Carter nodded.

"Exactly." He turned back to the curtain. "I have to fix this. I have to find the man who did this, find her brother and get her home." He turned back to the others, searching their faces, before he walked back into the infirmary and pulled back the curtain. The others gathered in a small huddle close by, watching him interact with the girl. Jo was laying propped against the pillows, her eyes beginning to fall as the sedative Allison had given her beginning to kick in. "Hey Jo, how are you doin'?" She turned her sleepy gaze to him, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Tired." He gave her a small smile in return, taking a seat in the chair by her bed. She slowly moved her hand hand until she grasped his fingers. The others watched the interaction between the two; all noticed the way Carter seemed to slip from sheriff mode into father mode around the girl. She was his concern, she was his first priority. She was his charge, the one he was supposed to protect-

Maybe because he felt as though he'd failed to protect her twenty years ago.

Making up for lost time. He told himself, watching as her small, slender fingers wrapped around his hand and tightened. "I'll let you get some sleep." He stood, turning to go, but she refused to let go of his hand. He turned back.

"Stay." Her dark eyes were filled with unshed tears; tears that slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the blanket. "Please." She sounded like a child, and Carter was instantly reminded of the scared little girl he'd seen glimpses of since they'd found her. Suddenly, the happy, smiling child was gone, the girl in the photographs with everything at her feet no longer existed, replaced with a frightened young woman, fearing for her life and not entirely trusting those who'd rescued her- save for the former-marshal-turned- sheriff who had worked her case those twenty years prior.

He nodded, returning to his seat. She gave him a soft smile, her eyes again filling with tears. A moment passed, before he reached out, brushing stray strands of black hair from her forehead. She closed her eyes, swallowing. He could see the range of emotions dancing across her face- it had been so long since she'd been touched with a father's gentle hands; he hoped she savored it. When she opened her eyes again, it was to lock his gaze with hers and asked,

"Where's Luca?" Carter shook his head.

"I don't know. We haven't found him yet. But I won't give up." He leaned close; everyone could hear his soft, whispered words. "I promise. I will find your brother and bring him home." As she finally drifted off to sleep, he heard her softly whisper thank you, and a smile tugged at his lips as he leaned over her, pressing a kiss to the girl's forehead. "I promise, Jo. And I never break my promises."