Disclaimer: The characters associated with CSI: NY and all other things are not mine. I just barrowed them for my story.
A/N: This is my first CSI:NY fic. I do have some NCIS stories.
Chapter One: Nightmare
Kolby James stood perfectly still. He allowed himself small shallow breaths. He did not move a muscle, did not make a sound. He was invisible. He had to be. He couldn't let him find him. Kolby had hidden his siblings in hopes that he would not find them. He would protect them; he would die for them. He was prepared.
He stopped his breathing as Robbie walked by him. He held himself still, not allowing even a slight movement. If he could last another minute he could silently slip away. He could escape this and they could move again. He couldn't call his mother, he couldn't tell her. They never kept a phone; it was easier to trace a person who had a phone.
He didn't blame his mother but sometimes he did feel the anger towards her. Sometimes he hated her, but only for the choices she made. She had met Robbie when Kolby was four. They had almost immediately had a child together, a girl named Kady, and then they stayed together. Robbie had always picked on Kolby. He had always been mean. Kolby had gone to his mother at first but she told him to stop lying so he started to keep to himself.
A year after his sister was born, his mother and Robbie had twins, a boy and a girl they named Kolton and Kasandra. They stayed together until the twins were four and then his mother finally realized that Robbie was mean spirited and abusive. It was Kolby finally convincing her that they had to leave to survive. They had moved numerous times since she left Robbie. He always managed to find them though and they would run again. This time he didn't bother with Kolby's mother, he came straight for the kids. Kolby knew he only wanted the younger ones, the ones that were his.
Kolby longed for a normal life. He longed to live in the same place forever, never to move again. He longed to have a loving father who would take care of him, his siblings, and his mother.
He had wanted to become a marine. He had studied the manual. He had studied the skills. He was good already and only thirteen. He moved without noise, he moved with precision, he moved without being seen.
When you live in a world of abuse and violence you had to learn the tricks of survival. If he can't find you, he can't hurt you. Kolby had learned that early. He knew now what to do when Robbie came around. Hide his siblings, then circle around unseen and wait for it to end.
Kolby watched Robbie circle around the house and he then moved silently out of the clump of bushes and went to follow. He sensed something the moment before he felt the blow, but it was too late to stop it. His reaction saved him from being knocked out. The pipe came around swiftly at his head. He managed to throw his left arm up to protect his head but the pipe smashed into his arm, sending it slamming into him just above his left eye. The blow knocked him back and onto his back, where he smacked the back of his head on the ground.
His vision dulled and the world swirled. He blinked hard several times to clear his mind, but the haziness stayed. He then felt two strong hands grip his shirt around his collarbones and he was then yanked up into the air to his feet. He blinked a couple more times and the world began to slow. He felt nauseous from watching his vision swim but he fought it back.
Finally his eyes focused and he felt the pain in his arm. He would not cry out, he would not give Robbie that satisfaction. He stared at the older man with cold eyes as he tested the damaged arm. It was broken he was sure of it. But he still had a good right arm. He felt the blood dripping from just above his eye. His head throbbed.
"Where are they, you little shit," Robbie asked him through clenched teeth. Kolby cocked his head to the side; his mouth curled into a very small smile and stared at Robbie for a moment. "Answer me you fucking prick."
"Safe," Kolby said flatly. It was all he said it was all he would say. But then he heard it. He heard Kady scream and then he saw the movement as she came out from their left. Kolby panicked for a brief moment then he regained control. Robbie was holding him just off the ground and he brought his foot up hard into the man's groin. Robbie bulked and his grip faltered. Kolby hit the ground and then he swung his good arm around and caught Robbie in the temple with a fist. "Kady, RUN!" Kolby yelled as he threw the punch.
The bigger man stumbled back but Kolby felt woozy again and his left arm wouldn't work. He tried to step into his next punch but Robbie caught him above the left eye again and Kolby was on the ground again. He felt Robbie reaching for him, so he kicked with as much as he could muster but he was no match for the bigger man and his head was too fuzzy to think what he could do. He tried to stand but got half way up before he felt dizzy and nauseous. He vomited as he was falling down and as he hit the ground he felt the sharp pain slam through his head as Robbie's foot connected with his temple.
Bright lights exploded in front of his head and he saw the sky whirl around him, then the darkness consumed him and the world was gone.
Mac Taylor sat at his desk in his office. He was reading through the report on the case he and Stella Bonasera had just cleared. He put the finishing touches on it and lay in the box to be filed. He was about to get up with Stella knocked lightly on the doorjamb them came in and sat down in a chair across from his desk.
"What's up, Stel?" Mac asked as he leaned back into his chair.
"You finish the report?" She asked.
"Just put it in the box," Mac said suspiciously.
"Tough one, this one was," Stella said softly. Mac nodded. He knew Stella had taken this case rather hard. It was an eight-year-old girl who was murdered but her uncle. It had taken them almost two weeks to put the case together, but the evidence was solid and the uncle was behind bars. But it still didn't take away the hurt they felt.
"It was. You want to talk about it?" Mac asked. Stella looked up at him and smiled.
"No, I just wanted to make sure you got everything squared," Stella said. Mac nodded at her and smiled.
"It's tight, Stel, don't worry about it, ok?" Mac replied and Stella smiled. Mac nodded. They were then interrupted by a knock on the door. Mac looked over to see Don Flack standing at the door.
"Mac, we got a call out," Flack said.
"Details?"
"Looks like one kid pretty beat up, think they are taking him to the hospital and maybe three kids missing. The call in was all over the place, a distraught mother came home for lunch. Radio cars were dispatched to the scene," Flack replied.
"All right. Come on, Stella," Mac said getting up.
When they reached the scene they were shown where they had found the unconscious body of the thirteen-year-old son of one Madison Campbell. He had been taken to the hospital with multiple serious injuries. They were also told that the three younger children were missing. They set about the crime scene and spoke with the neighbors, and anyone else that had been in the area. No one had seen anything. One neighbor said they thought they heard the oldest boy yell at one point but thought nothing of it until just now. Mac walked over to Aiden Burn. She looked up briefly at him then returned her gaze to what she was working on. Mac squatted down next to her.
"What did you find?" Mac asked.
"This is where the boy was injured. Look at the blood. From the tracks looks like the man was standing there around the corner. Now I can't find any tracks from the boy. I don't know where he came from but he was hit here, looks like with that pipe over there. My guess is he was facing the house like this. But it's weird, Mac, the only trace of the boy is the blood here. There is tracks from someone smaller coming from over there, but they end here." Aiden replied. Mac nodded as he looked around. He then stood.
"Keep at it. I have Stella doing interviews. I'm going to go to the hospital and talk to the mother and see about the boy. He probably saw everything that happened," Mac said. Aiden nodded and then Mac walked away.
It took Mac twenty minutes to get to the hospital they took the boy to. He found out where he was and was escorted to where the mother was sitting. They were in an exam room for the ER. The boy was still unconscious and a couple of ER workers were examining his other injuries. They already had his left arm casted and above his left was stitched closed. They were working on the back of his head and Mac cringed. The boy had taken a beating. Mac saw his mother sitting in the corner while the technicians fixed her son. She had a blank stare on her face as her eyes roamed her son's beaten body. She looked like she had cried, but the tears were gone now. She had dark hair and hazel eyes, she was about average height and slender. Her hair was cut short. He was taken back a moment by her beauty before he walked up next to her.
"Ma'am, my name is Detective Mac Taylor. I'm with the crime lab, I need to ask a few questions," Mac said softly. The woman ignored him for a moment before she tore her eyes off her son. She looked up at Mac and just stared at him with blank eyes. He waited. Finally he saw her register that someone had spoken to her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said," She said softly.
"It's ok. Ms. Campbell. I said my name is Detective Mac Taylor, with the crime lab."
"Oh, you can call me Madison," she replied. Mac nodded. "I don't know what happened. My children, they're just gone. Kolby James is…" she said. She didn't finish. The fresh tears came into her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. She made no sound. Mac stood for a moment then took a seat next to her. He put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and then sighed. She began wiping the fresh tears from her face.
"I know this is hard. But I need to ask some questions." Mac said. She nodded. Mac continued, "Do you have any idea who would want to take your children?" He watched her face and saw pain come into her eyes. He looked over at her son in the hospital bed. The ER staff was done working on him.
"Yes. And it also explains Kolby James' condition and why he was left behind," she replied. She turned and looked at Mac. His gaze came back to her. "I should tell you about me first. My name isn't Madison Campbell. My name is Madison Beale. His name is Kolby James Pike. My ex-husband stole my three youngest children. His name is Robbie Beale. He has been tracking us for four years now. Up to this point I have stayed a step ahead of him, but this time he found me and the children." She said flatly, the tears flowing down her cheeks. She continued to stare at her son on the bed. He had yet to regain consciousness. "God, I should have listened to him when he first came to me," she whispered silently.
Mac didn't know what to say to help her. He waited for her to bring her attention back to him. "Do you know where he would have taken them?"
She looked up at him with a painful expression in her eyes. The look made Mac hurt inside. She looked away at the boy again; he looked too. "No. I don't really know where he would go or what he would…"
She didn't finish. She finally broke down. Deep sobs came out of her and she put her face in her hands. Mac reached over and put an arm around her. She turned towards him and wrapped her arms around him. She hung onto him like if she let go that was the end. Mac wrapped his other arm around her and they sat for a while until the sobs started to subside. Finally he felt her settle and he pulled back slightly, one arm still around her.
"It's going to be ok," Mac whispered to her. She nodded. Then they both looked up at the boy as he started to stir. She was up and at his side before Mac knew it and then he stepped into the hall to find a nurse.