Note: here starts the mentions of torture and drug use

Clay came to sprawled out on the floor of the small room that had become his prison. The passage of time continuing to elude him. What he can remember is the multiple times he has been dragged from the lonely room and seated before Petro to endure many of his interrogation techniques. The question easy enough, he wanted to know where his family was. And for Clay, not breaking was just as easy, he honestly had no idea. Sure, he knew the original plan of heading back to the States with them, but after his capture he honestly had no idea what the plan was and where they would of been moved to.

Once Petro came to the same realization, he then moved onto the next version of his "interrogation". Clay he was already bloody and bruised from the earlier questioning, but now the real beatings started. Since now it was known that Clay no longer needed to be able to answer back, or even conscious for that matter, everything was ramped up.

Ransom, a trade, that was Petro's newest strategy. Clay no longer sat in front of the evil man, but a camera recording every slash, punch and kick.

After the change in tactics, Clay came to a realization of his own that he would not be used for bait or propaganda. He knew his country didn't negotiate with terrorists, but a thought in the back of his mind wondered since Pedro's wife and children weren't American if they would eventually be given back. That wasn't something he could live with, those kids coming back to this monster to face whatever he would do in retaliation to them. And then the more likely chance that there would be no trade, he didn't want his brothers to witness video after video of his torture until it led to his eventual execution. He would not let them witness that or live with that kind of guilt.

He had to find a way out or go down swinging.

Which is how he found himself on the floor of his cell, blood crusted over his eyes, head pounding and body unbelievably sore. Petro eventually grew tired of his escapades of trying to escape or ruining his ransom videos, that he resorted to keeping him almost always in a drugged out state. A shell of a man in the land of the living. But just like in SERE he retreated into his mind along with whatever was coursing through his veins, he began to have vivid dreams. Clay remembered his first that left him both happy and sad.

"Do you want to hold her Clay?"

Clay was startled by the question just as much as seeing the person in front of him. It was Stella, beautiful as ever sitting up in a hospital bed, holding a tiny newborn baby swaddled in blanket.

"What?" He said, stumbling over even the one word.

"Your daughter, Grace, do you wanna hold her?"

Clay slowly made his way over and sat on the edge of the bed as Stella passed the baby over to him, his baby, their baby. He felt like his heart would literally explode from happiness the first time he laid eyes on her. It was love like he never knew. He felt completely content to stay there in the moment safe and secure with the two girls that meant the most to him.

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Jason knew something was up, they had been stationed at a base in Germany for the last couple of weeks. And recently Mandy and Blackburn kept being called in for intelligence briefings, which was to be expected as they got intel on what happened to Clay. The only problem was they were called into meeting after meeting and none of the information was trickling down to Bravo. This kind of secrecy made Jason uneasy. If it was tactical or technical information they would be apprised as the information came in. If it was positive Mandy or Blackburn would surely give them something to hold onto as hope. So that left only bad news. As much as Jason didn't want to know what kind of bad news it would be, the not knowing, or worse off was the knowing now it was obviously bad enough not be shared with him or his team that had Jason playing all different scenarios in his mind. Those scenarios were always there, but the ones of Clay alive on a more positive variety always help quell the darker ones. No. He needed to know.

Not being able to take being in the dark he ambushes Mandy and Blackburn in a little makeshift office they are occupying talking in hushed tones.

"So what aren't you telling us?" Jason says in a tone that reeked of despondence.

"Jace…"

"I'm not in the mood for lies or excuses Blackburn. You don't go into this many meetings without at least something being relayed to us."

Both Blackburn and Mandy looked at each other trying to read what the other thought was best for the situation.

Jason interrupts their silent exchange by finally yelling at them and slamming his fist against the wall by the entrance to the doorway he was standing in. "Damn it! What did you find out about Clay?!"

"He is still alive as far as we know." Blackburn chimes in trying to defuse the situation with hopefully as little information as possible.

"Well, the fact that you knew that much but couldn't tell us obviously means that how you know he is still alive is probably worse then being dead." Jason angrily spits out.

"Jace, knowing or seeing it won't bring anything good."

"Seeing?….Seeing?" Jason's stomach drops. "They've sent recordings?"

Blackburn knows there is no turning back after his slip about there being videos. "Not at first. We spent a long time in the dark. Mandy and the agency trying to vet every source they have in the region for some kind of clue, but it turned up nothing substantial." Blackburn pauses to collect himself. Jason might not always see it, but just because he is not in the trenches with him and the team doesn't mean he feels any less responsible for the men under his command. Just like Jason tries to protect his team, Blackburn does the same. The combination of seeing the videos on repeat trying to get any sort of information out it as well as having to keep this kind of secret from his men was taking a toll on him that he couldn't let show. "The first video came in over a week ago, Petro wants to trade Clay for his family."

Jason already knows the answer, but he asks it anyway. "And we won't make it will we?"

"No."

Jason crosses his arms over his chest and nods his head silently. As much as he wanted Clay back with them and safe, no service member would ever want their life traded for a civilian, and children at that.

He's pretty sure he knows the answer to his next question as well, he knows how the game is played. "So they want a trade but we obviously aren't giving into it….so what's on the other tapes?"

Mandy's eyes start to have a slight glassiness to them as tears threaten to escape and Blackburn doesn't seem to be able to answer over the lump in his throat.

"Torture. They are torturing him thinking it's going to change our minds. Aren't they?"

Blackburn just nods while Mandy is unable to look Jason in the eyes. He wants to scream, run and punch something all at the same time. But he can't focus on that now, right now he needs to be brought up to speed on everything. Once he is alone, thats when he will allow himself to really process what is happening.

"So since we aren't giving into the ransom, where are we at with finding out where Clay is being held? How close are we to rescuing our boy?"

"Pretty much in the dark, but we have people around the clock working on the encryption of where the videos were sent from or trying to identify anything in them to lead us to a location." Mandy says quickly.

"Oh yeah, like the agency did so well with how they planned the OP in the first place!"

"Jason, I. I'm so sorry, I'm….just…." Mandy's emotions have been rattled too with blaming herself and barely sleeping trying to get some answers. She nervously fiddles with some of the papers and that's when Jason sees it. He stops Mandy from moving anymore and takes the photo. It's a still from the video. The first glimpse he has had of Clay since they departed the safe house. He feels his face becoming hot, looking down at the kid, yes kid that he drafted but didn't want to to his team. One eye was swollen shut, but the look in the other is something Jason will never be able to forget.

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I can not begin to thank everyone for their patience with this story. I've had this chapter started and planned for a LONG time. But the writers block was horrible. Plus I think just with work being so crazy for the last year and having the work load and mandatory overtime, I've just been really burnt out.

So please just bare with me, the story isn't written but it's definitely planned out, just gotta start getting back into the headspace for writing.

But thank you again everyone, I really hope you enjoy this little bit of the next installment of this story. And again, I am so so so sorry for the long delay.