Title: Club Descent: Taken (9/13)
Author: Aeon Cole
Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino
Rating: FRAO
Genre: AU
Warnings: This story is slash and contains graphic depictions of violence, abuse, bondage, and rape. If you are bothered by any of these things then please don't read this.
Fandom: CSI Miami
Pairing: Horatio/Speed
Challenge: 50 Dark Fics
Prompt: #96 Writer's Choice – Doubt
Word Count: 1590
Summary: Tim's past comes back to haunt him.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: This is the second part of the Club Descent series. Read the first part for this one to make sense.
ooo
Simon stood in front of the counter in the makeshift kitchen. It wasn't much more than a couple of hotplates, a toaster and a sink but it had served them well this past month. He glanced behind him to where he'd set up an old card table and noticed that the boy who had been his companion for the past two months was sitting there staring at his food.
"What's the matter Garrett? You're not eating," he asked.
"Not hungry," he said without looking up.
Simon turned around and stared at the boy for a moment. "What do you mean you're not hungry? You've been hungry since the day we met. All you do is eat."
Garrett's face broke into a wide smile and he dug into his food. Simon shook his head and turned back to the pot that sat on the hotplate. Sometimes he didn't understand the boy, then a thought struck him and he turned again.
"Did Timmy say that to you when you brought him his dinner?"
Garrett smiled at him and nodded. "I'm. Not. Hungry," he said punctuating each word with a nod.
Simon rolled his eyes. He'd learned very quickly that Garrett tended to mimic behaviors and repeat things he'd heard. He'd met Garrett and his caretaker, Aaron, while he was traveling through Georgia a few months back. His first impression of the boy was that he would make the perfect companion. He was obedient, friendly, and seemed to take to Simon almost immediately. Garrett's parents had been away for a several days on a cruise and he had managed to convince Aaron to come down to Florida with him, promising they'd be back before Garrett's parents returned from vacation. Of course, once they were there he'd killed the young man and taken Garrett. At first he'd been surprised that the boy had gone with him so easily, no coercion necessary. He seemed to look at their current lifestyle as a big game. After a bit of research, he'd discovered that this was not untypical of people with Down's syndrome.
Simon poured the remaining stew into a bowl and sat down across from the boy. As he ate he said, "Garrett, I have to go out for a while tonight. I want you to clean up from dinner then go to bed. Understand?"
Garrett nodded and looked at Simon with his head cocked to one side. "Timmy?" he asked.
Simon's expression hardened just a bit. "You leave Timmy alone. He's dangerous. Do you understand?" Garrett just stared at him. "He's a very bad man and I don't want him to hurt you. You just stay away from him when I'm not around."
The boy nodded even though he didn't really understand what Simon meant by a bad man. Tim didn't seem like a bad man. Garrett thought he looked sad and he hadn't tried to hurt him earlier when he'd brought the food in. Simon finished eating and stood up.
"You clean up then get to bed. I may not be back 'till late tonight and I expect to find you asleep in bed when I get home," he said.
Garrett smiled at him and nodded. "Okay," he replied.
Simon snapped the padlock on the front entrance to the building shut and headed to his car. He needed to check on Horatio and the progress of the search for Tim that he knew was taking place. He didn't want to have to hole up in Miami for too long but he knew there would be roadblocks and police everywhere. Traveling right now would be foolhardy. He had to go scout out the situation.
Inside Garrett finished eating and cleaned up the dishes. He worked very methodically washing and drying each item, just like his mother had taught him. His thoughts drifted to his mother and father as he worked and he smiled. He thought that they would be proud of him for learning to live on his own and he hoped he'd be able to see them again soon. Simon kept promising him that if he was good and did as he was told he would bring him to visit his parents one day soon.
ooo
Simon smiled at the librarian as she gave him an access card for the computer. He'd disguised himself before going inside, just in case. He made his way to one of the machines in the back of the library and booted up. It only took him a few minutes to hack into the server and get the information he needed. There was an all points bulletin out for him and Tim. He was surprised to see his old military photo along with his real name on the screen. He couldn't find Horatio's name on any of the reports and came to the conclusion that he must have been taken off the case. He decided to take a ride past Horatio's house and see what was going on.
ooo
Simon sat in his car in the library parking lot for a few minutes gathering his thoughts. It wasn't good that the police had found his military record. They knew who he really was now and that would make it easier for them to track him. Though he hadn't used the name Sam Conner in almost ten years so maybe it wouldn't make too much of a difference. He just didn't like the fact that he wasn't in complete control of the situation. Things weren't going exactly as he'd planned and that meant having to improvise. They may have to stay in Miami longer than he'd originally planned, he thought as he drove off.
As he approached Horatio's street he could already see the telltale signs of police activity. He pulled his car up to the curb on a side street and got out. He'd disguised himself well enough that he was certain that no one would recognize him if he casually walked by on the opposite side of the street. As he passed the house he saw the yellow police tape surrounding the property and noticed that the house itself was dark. Horatio wasn't there. He continued past the house and down to the next side street. The officers at the scene paid no attention to him. He rounded the block and got back into his car. He had a feeling he knew where he could find Horatio.
ooo
Garrett lay in bed but he couldn't sleep, something was bothering him. He knew he should listen to Simon, after all Simon was his caretaker now though he didn't understand why Aaron had left him. Simon had, for the most part, been good to him even though he was much stricter than the other caretakers his parents had hired. The life they lived was different than what he was used to and the games they played were very different. He didn't really like wearing the mask and he sort of felt like the game they were playing with Tim wasn't very nice. He was beginning to wonder about things.
He got up out of bed and went to the back of the warehouse. The door to the back room was not kept locked since Tim was shackled to the wall. He opened the door just a crack and looked inside. Tim sat in the corner of the mattress with his knees pulled up to his chest. He hadn't noticed the door open. Garrett watched him for several minutes before he saw him raise his head and swipe a hand over his eyes before resting it back on his knees.
Garrett stood up ready to go into the room when he remembered Simon's first rule; never go into the room with Timmy without the mask on. Garrett jogged back to his bedroom and put the mask on. He knew that he wanted to talk to Tim but he couldn't do that through the mask. He would figure something out when he got inside. He opened the door, stepped into the room then shut it quietly behind him. Tim heard him and looked up.
"You again," he muttered. "What do you want this time?" Garrett stood there for a few moments trying to decide what to do. "Well, you just gonna stand there?" Tim asked.
A thought struck the boy at that moment. He'd done as Simon had said. He's worn the mask into the room. The rule didn't say that he had to keep it on. He glanced back at the door before he slowly reached behind his head and unzipped the mask. He pulled it off allowing Tim to see his face for the first time.
"Talk," he said. "Want to talk."
ooo
Simon sat in the parked car outside Max's house. The lights were on and he could see through the big picture window into the house. He ducked down as he caught sight of Horatio walking up to the window. At first he was afraid he might have been spotted but Horatio simply stood there staring off beyond his car. He saw a young blonde woman step up next to him and lay a hand on his arm. He turned to face her then they both stepped away from the window.
Inside, Horatio and Calleigh walked back into the kitchen and joined Eric and Max. "What is it H?" Eric asked.
Horatio shook his head then shrugged. "Just a feeling. I can't explain it." He sat down at the table. "Okay, so, what do we know so far?"
TBC
A/N: I have spent most of the past twenty-seven years, most of my adult life, working with children and adults with disabilities, including several years working in a group home for young adults with Down's syndrome. Part of the work I do now at the college here on Long Island involves working with high functioning autistic adults, including one young man with Down's syndrome, who attend the college. I have had the pleasure of watching several of them graduate over the years. Garret is a composite character blended together from several of the boys that I used to take care of. Garret represents the bulk of people with Down's syndrome, mildly retarded, trusting, friendly, and outgoing.
