Notes: Sorry for the ultra-long chapter, but I couldn't break it into two chapters.

Kelly wanted to be open with Vivian and Samantha. She wanted to do anything she could to help find Candace because she knew better than anyone what was happening to her. She knew that Candace was still alone in a cold, dark place. He wouldn't come back to her until she was so desperate for light, food, and water that she would be almost happy to see him. Kelly prayed that they would find Candace while she was still alone and before he returned.

Three years ago

Kelly lay on the cold, cement floor with her eyes closed. She wanted to sleep. She wanted to go to sleep and wake up to find out this was all a nightmare. The Man had just left her a few minutes earlier. He came every day at this time and made her take a shower. She assumed it was morning because he brought her a pop tart, but she wasn't sure. She had no idea what day it was. She lost track almost from the moment he dragged her into the basement.

As she finally started to drift off, she heard the door open upstairs. "Oh my god. He's never done this before," she thought as she opened her eyes. He's always left after he makes her take the scolding, hot shower in the morning, then he comes back later to "play his games" as he calls them. "Maybe this is it," she thought. All this time he's told her that he's waiting until she's ready…until she is pure enough for him. Kelly's stomach turned to knots. She sat up and recoiled against the wall as the door to the basement opened.

As soon as the form started to descend the stairs, she knew it wasn't him. This person was slow and careful…almost hesitant. The Man usually skips down the stairs taking two at a time. She also noticed a light of a flashlight. She wasn't sure what to do. Should she call out for help? Was it a trick to test her loyalty to the Man? She decided not to say anything. The punishment for making noise would be too severe. Because of the light coming through the open doorway, Kelly could see that the person coming down the stairs was a tall man who was not only holding a flashlight but also a gun. That made her more scared because what if the Man had a friend who was going to hurt her. So she backed into the corner to try and hide herself. When she moved, her chain dragged against the floor. She heard the the tall man call out, "Who's there?" Kelly froze.

The tall man still hadn't hit the light switch. He probably couldn't see it. Kelly just prayed that he didn't aim the flashlight in her direction. She let out a slight whimper when he turned in her direction. And then the tall man said, "Kelly…Kelly Carmichael…are you down here? My name is Danny Taylor. I'm an FBI agent and I'm here to help you."

Kelly hadn't heard her own name in a long time. The Man never called her by her name. She was still scared, but she had to take a chance. "I'm here," she said in a small voice.

And then Danny's flashlight shined in her direction. "Kelly? We've been looking for you," he said gently as he started to walk toward her. "Are you here alone?"

"Yes. He's gone. He left a little while ago."

"Is he supposed to come back?" Danny asked as he kneeled down next to her. She backed further away as he got close to her, so he said, "It's OK. It's OK, Kelly. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to take you home…home to your parents. They are very worried about you."

"He comes back later. I'm not sure when…I just know it's later. How long have I been here?" she asked starting to feel safe with Danny because of his soothing voice.

"Two weeks. I'm going to call for help now. And then we'll get you out of here." Danny opened his cell and dialed Jack. "Jack, I found her. She's in the abandon house on Grant St. She says that he's coming back this afternoon. If we can get her out…"

Kelly watched Danny talk to the Jack on the other end of the phone. She could only see him through the light of the small flashlight. But the look she saw in his eyes told her that everything was going to be OK.

"OK…OK…I got it. Thanks, Jack," he said as he finished the call.

"They're sending an ambulance now. You're safe now. Can you move? Is anything broken or bleeding?" he asked quietly.

"No, but I can't move," she replied as she started to cry.

"Why not?"

Kelly moved her leg to reveal a heavy-duty chain. "It's just long enough for me to get over to the restroom. He's never taken it off of me…the whole time I've been here."

Danny reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small utility knife. "Do you know who he is, Kelly? Do you recognize him at all?"

"No. I have no idea. I met him…I met him in a bar…," she said in an ashamed tone.

"We know," Danny stated as he picked the lock on her ankle shackle. "I'll have you out in a second. I've picked harder locks than this." And sure enough the shackle came open within seconds, and she was finally free. She became so emotional that Danny gently put his arm around her. "It's over, Kelly. You're safe," he said again. He didn't feel like he could say it enough.

"Thank you," she said through her tears.

"All in a day's work. Now let's get you out of here. Can you walk?" he said as he started to help her to her feet. As she stood, Danny noticed that she only had on a tank top. So he took off his overcoat, and put it around her as she braced herself against him. When she tried to walk, her knees gave out. He caught her and said, "If it's OK with you, I can carry you upstairs. We don't want to wait for the ambulance down here."

Kelly just nodded and he lifted her easily into his arms. She tucked her head into the curve of his shoulder and closed her eyes. In that moment, she finally felt like it was over.

After he carried her upstairs, he brought her outside slowly so she could get adjusted to the light. Then they waited on the porch until Danny saw the ambulance. Jack requested the ambulance to come without sirens. As soon as the ambulance arrived, everything started to blur together for Kelly. The EMTs helped her onto a gurney and thenchecked her vitals. They started saying things like "dehydrated", "multiple contusions" and "2nd degree burns." She kept of a hold of Danny's hand while they looked at her.

And then she noticed several cars drive up one after another. Danny bent down and said, "I've got to talk to my boss, but I'll be right back. Okay?" Kelly just nodded, but then hesitated as he tried to take his hand away. "These people are going to take care of you. I'll be right back," he said as she finally let go of him.

And then he walked quickly to a dark sedan to speak with Jack. The EMTs loaded her into the ambulance. Before they closed the doors, Kelly called out, "Danny…where's Danny?"

One of the EMTs jumped out of the ambulance and called, "Agent Taylor…we are ready to roll."

Danny jogged over to the ambulance and stepped in. "Kelly…You're parents are going to meet you at the hospital. They should be there by the time you get there. I have to stay here, but I'll come as soon as I can. One of my colleagues, Agent Johnson, is going to meet you there to take your statement. She'll help you through this."

"No…I can't…"

"Kelly, listen to me. You're safe. And now I have to focus on finding the man that did this to you. Do you understand? We want him to come back here, so we can arrest him," Danny said in a comforting tone as he gently stroked her arm.

And then Kelly understood. The only way she would truly be OK was if they caught him. So she nodded, and Danny smiled at her reassuringly. "See you soon," he said before he jumped out of the ambulance.

At the hospital, the blur continued for Kelly as she encountered her parents, doctors and nurses. The doctors treated her for an assortment of injuries. Then finally, Vivian came to see her once she got settled in her room.

"Kelly, I'm Special Agent Vivian Johnson."

"Hey."

"I know you've been through an ordeal, but I need to talk to you about what happened."

"Did they catch him? Did he come back to the house?"

"Not yet. We are staking out the house now. You told Agent Taylor that you saw him twice a day. Is that correct?" Vivian asked as she turned on a voice recorder.

"Yes."

"Did he do that from the beginning?"

"No. I think he left me there for a few days before he finally came back. I'm not sure how long I was there, but it felt like days."

"Let's start at the beginning OK? You went to Club Nirvana with a male friend, Brian Winters?"

"Yes."

"What happened when you got there?"

"Um…he and I had drinks and we danced. And then he ran into the old girlfriend, so he wanted to go home with her."

"Were you upset about that?"

"No, Brian's just a friend. We just wanted to have some fun. I should have left when he left, but…"

"When did you encounter the man who took you?"

"Shortly after Brian left. I was at the bar…and…he approached me."

"What did he say?"

Kelly started to cry. "He asked me…he asked me…if I wanted to party with him."

"And you said yes."

Kelly nodded with tears streaming down her face.

"Did he tell you his name?"

She shook her head. "No."

"At what point did you leave with him? Did you leave with him willingly? Or do you think he may have drugged you?"

Kelly started to sob uncontrollably. She shook her head. "I can't…I can't do this. I'm sorry."

"It's OK. It's OK. He did this before, Kelly. You're not the first."

Kelly curled into a ball on the bed. Vivian tried to ask more questions, but Kelly stopped talking. Vivian finally left the room, and let Kelly's mother in.

A couple of hours later, Kelly heard a knock at the door. Her mother called out, "Come in."

"Mrs. Carmichael? I'm Agent Taylor. I just wanted to see how the patient is doing and see if she is up for a few more questions," he said as he smiled.

Kelly silently breathed a sigh of relief. Just seeing him again made her feel better, and she wasn't even sure why.

Mrs. Carmichael stood up and took Danny's hand. "I can't thank you enough for finding her. We thought we lost her," she replied as tears filled her eyes. And then she turned to Kelly. "Is it OK if Agent Taylor asks you a few questions, dear?"

Kelly nodded.

"Would you like me to stay, sweetheart?"

"No. I'm OK, Mom."

"I'll be right outside," her mother said as she left the room.

"You're looking better," Danny said as he sat in the chair next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Did he come back to the house?"

Danny looked down and sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, no. We found a camera in the basement. It was a live connection to where he was staying, so he saw us the whole time. By the time we traced the connection to his location, he was gone."

Kelly looked down as a few tears escaped her eyes. "So he's out there."

"He won't hurt you again. I promise. We're going to find him…with your help."

Kelly looked up at Danny and shook her head. "I can't…I can't do it. I just…I want to forget."

"I know you do, but we need you. I need you...to help us find him. We have a sketch artist coming in a little while, and then we'll need you to look at some pictures. But right now, I need you to walk me through what happened. Agent Johnson said that you stopped when she asked you about leaving the bar. Is that right?" Danny asked as he turned on the voice recorder.

Kelly didn't want to talk, but there was something about Danny that compelled her to tell him. "She wanted to know if he forced me to go with him. And god…I wish he had…because the thought of what actually happened…I just…I don't know how I could have been so stupid."

"So, you left with him willingly. That's OK, Kelly. You are not the first person to do that. Did he tell you that he was taking you to his place or going to yours?"

"His place. But you don't understand. At first, when he asked me to leave with him, I told him no. I didn't think he was my type, you know." Kelly started to cry again.

"So then why do you say left with him willingly?"

"He told me…he told me…."

"Told you what, Kelly?"

"He told me that he had some really good coke at his place, and that if I went home with him and…if I had sex with him…then he would give me enough to last me for a while. So I went with him because of the coke…"

Danny looked at her sadly and ran his hand over his face. He wasn't sure what he could say to make this easier for her. "Why you went doesn't matter, Kelly. He had no right to do what he did to you whether you slept with him, got high with him…whatever…none of it matters. None of it makes what he did OK. You know that, right?"

Kelly nodded. "But it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't trying to score. And the only reason I thought it was a good idea was because Brian left earlier, and he was my connection. I couldn't think of an easier way to get a hold of something, and I wanted to get high."

Danny nodded. "OK…let's get back to leaving with him. You got into his car. Did he take you straight to where I found you today?"

"Yes."

"Did you do any coke with him? Or...did you have sex with him?"

"No. As soon as I walked through the door, he started to flip out. He called me a whore, and he said that he was sent to purify me. He said his reward for purifying me would be to claim me as his wife in the eyes of God. After I heard that, I knew I was in trouble. I…uh…I tried to get out of the house."

"And he stopped you. Did he have any kind of weapon?"

"No. Not that I know of, but he was strong. As soon as I tried to go for the door, he grabbed me by the neck and pulled me down those stairs. Once he got me down there, he started to hit me. I got pretty disoriented, and I guess that's when he chained me. Once I was chained, he didn't say another word to me. He just turned off the light, walked upstairs, and shut the door. I screamed and screamed for the first few hours. I screamed myself hoarse, but no one heard me. And he didn't come back for days. I thought I was going to die down there."

"What happened when he returned?"

"I was out of my mind. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink. The first thing he did was give me water, and I actually felt thankful to him for a second. He never really said anything to me other than repeat what he said to me that first night. And he called me awful names and told me that I deserved my fate. I actually believed him."

Danny continued to ask her questions and reassure her that it wasn't her fault. After he took her whole statement including a detailed, painful account of the abuse she suffered, he sat with her while she gave details to a sketch artist. By the time it was over, she was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. So he just told her to sleep well, and he would see her the next day.

And he was true to his word. He came to visit her each of the four days she was in the hospital. On the day she was discharged, she saw him come to the door.

"Hey there," he said as he smiled.

Kelly had come to look forward to and even depend on Danny's reassuring smiles. "Hey."

"I hear you get sprung today."

"Yep. Back to the real world. I can't really say I am looking forward to it."

"I wish I could tell you that we got him, but his trail has gone cold. We aren't giving up, though. I promise. And, from what I hear, your dad has hired a private security detail to look after you…so you will be safe."

"Yeah…safe…that word has a whole new meaning now."

"Listen, I…um…I know that all of this is unimaginable, and I can't imagine how you are dealing with it. You are doing great. But I just…I just want you to know…"

"What is it, Danny?"

"While we were looking for you, we had to find out as much about you as possible. The more we knew, the better chance we had of finding you. So I know about the drugs, the drinking, and the stints in rehab."

Kelly nodded. "I guess I was the quintessential rich, party girl…always looking for a good time. I learned my lesson, Danny. If this can't help me get clean…I don't know what can."

"If I had a dime for every time I said that when I was drinking, I'd be rich, too. I've been going to AA for eight years. And I probably quit twenty times before that because my drinking put me andother peoplein dangerous situations. I'm not comparing myself to you. Nothing that happened to me even compares to what happened to you, but it takes more than a wake-up call to get clean. It takes a lot of help. I don't usually do this. I don't usually tell my story so others will follow me into AA...but I would hate to see you get hurt again."

Kelly nodded. "I appreciate everything you've done. You…um…you saved my life. And I appreciate you sharing this with me. But I am getting help. I'm talking to this trauma counselor, and I know that I have a lot of work to do. I've been down the whole 12-step road before, Danny—and it doesn't work for me."

"Well…I just…I just didn't want to leave you without letting you know that there's help. And I'm sure after what you've been through all you want to do is forget. So just do me a favor—if you ever get the urge to forget by using some sort of controlled substance—call me and I'll do what I can to help you," he said as he handed her his card with his home and cell numbers on it.

Kelly smiled. "Thank you. Saying that doesn't seem like enough for all you've done…but it's all I have," she said as she started to cry.

Danny stood up with her and gave her a warm hug. "It works for me. Take care of yourself, Kelly. And hopefully, we'll have some good news for you soon."

Back to present

As Kelly answered Vivian and Samantha's questions, all the memories she tried so hard to forget started to flood back. After just a few minutes of questions, Kelly began to cry. She couldn't take reliving it over again. She stood up from the conference table as she cried almost hysterically. "I can't do this. I'm sorry. I just...I can't talk about this again."

"We know this is hard, but you have to think of Candace. She needs you right now," Samantha pleaded as she reached out to touch Kelly's arm. Kelly recoiled in fear when she felt Samantha's hand. She stepped back and sat on the couch as she continued to cry.

"What can we do? What can we do to make this easier?" Vivian asked.

Kelly pulled her knees up to her chest and held herself protectively. "Danny...I need to talk to Danny," was all she could say.