Disclaimer: I don't own anything except an old pair of doggy slippers that my real dogs chewed up. Everything in here is someone else's except Ronnie, Maddie, Indigo, Scott, Mark, Aiden, Ellen, Chris, Eliza, Bartholomew and Kayla. And that's it…I think
WARNING: Violence and swearing ahead.
Hero
Chapter 3
Ronnie awoke with a pained moan, her head feeling like it had been run over by a steam-roller. The rest of her body was sore-but, after a quick mental check, she was able to assure herself nothing was broken. After this internal check, her mind forcibly brought forth the reason for her pain.
Her eyes immediately snapped open as she sat up with a hiss of pain. She was in a bare rust-brown coloured room. There was one door and a small window that looked rusted shut. In one corner of the room was what looked like a surveillance room. At her side was Maddie.
Her little girl-her dimply faced, chubby-cheeked, brown curls, big blue eyed little girl- was limp and unconscious. She had a handprint shaped bruise on one cheek and a small cut above one eye that had stopped bleeding but left a trail of dry blood across the toddler's pale face.
Ronnie reached for her baby, scooping the toddler into her lap. She ran her hand soothingly over the little girl's brow and blue eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Mommy!" Madigan cried in a mix of fear and relief just a moment later, having herself recalled the attack that had been made on them when they were on their way to see Nick.
"Sh Maddie-baby," Ronnie soothed gently, "I'm alright. We're alright."
Maddie pressed herself against her mother, her eyes sweeping the room with obvious distaste as she asked tentatively, "Where are we?"
"I don't know baby, but someone will find us. Don't worry." Ronnie said softly, wishing that it would come true.
"Will Nick save us Mommy?" Maddie asked curiously, curling into her mother's body with her head on Ronnie's chest, right above her heart.
Ronnie smiled softly at the top o her daughter's head. Ronnie had explained-through their nightly phone calls-that she'd met a man she really liked and that she was dating him now. Maddie-ever curious- had wanted to talk to Nick and, once she had the slightly uncertain Texan on the phone, had launched into all questions and had delighted to learn that Nick "caught bad guys." It had been love at first "hear" for both of them.
"Maybe he will," Ronnie smiled.
"But doesn't he catch bad guys?" she waited for her mother's affirmative nod before saying, "So then he'll catch the bad guy who took us and then find us. Right?"
"Yea baby," Ronnie said softly, kissing her daughter's hair, marveling at the innocence of her child, before snapping her head towards the creaking sound as the door opened.
A man stood in the doorway, a video camera held up in one hand and a gun in the other. He had dark hair and cold, obsidian eyes stared out from the two holes cut out of the cloth that covered the upper part of his face. He was muscular, much stronger than Ronnie-and she knew it.
"Hello girls," he said softly, his silky voice every bit as hard as his eyes, "Why don't you say hello to the camera, hm? Because, you see, the people watching on the other end are the ones who actually care.
Ronnie ignored his words, tightening her arms around her frightened daughter as she demanded, "What the hell do you want with us?"
"Don't you remember me, Ms. Cooper? What you did to me?" he asked, walking towards the surveillance system with his back to the wall so as to keep the gun and camera on her at all times, "No? Well than, I'm afraid I'm not going to tell you-it'll give too many clues to your friends down at CSI- and we can't have that, can we?"
Ronnie's eyes widened as she realized who exactly was watching them. The man settled the camera onto the tripod in the corner, hooking up a few wires. When he returned his attention to Ronnie and Maddie, he chuckled mirthlessly at the horror and helplessness stamped across her face.
"Oh yes, Ronnie," he said maliciously, "Your precious 'Cowboy' is watching you now. Why don't we give him a little show, hm?"
The man stalked forward, predator-like, and Ronnie leapt to her feet. She placed Maddie behind her, raising he chin defiantly to the approaching man, refusing to back down.
"Stay the hell away from us!" she spat, letting her anger take hold, causing her blue-green eyes to flash like a stormy sea.
The man's face darkened and he angrily snarled, "Don't you talk to me, you stupid bitch!"
"The hell I won't!" she yelled back-and was instantly backhanded for it.
Her already battered body hit the floor with a dull thud, and she couldn't help the cry that escaped from her lips. Maddie's eyes widened in fear and she instantly stumbled back into the wall. The man bade her no attention, but Ronnie saw the action and it gave her the strength to lift her pain-filled body into a sitting position on the floor.
The man knelt on one knee before her, gripping the hair at the back of her head-at the same spot he'd smashed the handle of the gun into earlier. Ronnie whimpered in pain, but defiantly raised her eyes to his, refusing to allow him to see her fear.
The man growled, punching her in the face-hard. Ronnie cried out again but didn't lower her eyes. Angrily, the man lifted her to her feet by her hair, bodily throwing her into the wall, the impact causing her body to crumple to the floor.
Ronnie moan in pain and the man stalked over, kicking her hard in the ribs. Ronnie yelped in pain and he kicked her again. Another yelp escaped her , but again Ronnie met his eyes. And again the man's boot connected with her ribs.
The distant ringing of the phone was her savior from more abuse. Giving her crumpled-yet defiant-body a contemptuous look and another kick, the man strode from he room.
As the door closed behind him, Maddie rushed to her side, "Mommy! Mommy, are you okay?"
Ronnie smiled weakly at her daughter, pulling herself painfully back up into a sitting position. Despite the pain in her ribs that was causing her to wince visibly, Ronnie pulled her daughter into her arms, ignoring the metallic taste in her mouth caused by her violent accidental bite to her tongue.
"Sh, baby, it's alright," Ronnie soothed, "It's alright."
Only God-and her daughter- knew how much she truly wished it were.
XoXoXoXo
Tears coursed, unabashed, down Nick's cheeks as stared at the screen in the A/V Lab. The package had been much like the one Grissom had received when he himself was kidnapped-no prints, no DNA. The device inside had made it possible to view Ronnie and Maddie, but Archie couldn't get a trace on it thanks to some kind of scrambling device the kidnapper had used.
"Dear God," Brass murmured at his side, his wide eyes upon the screen before him.
Also in the lab were Grissom, Catherine, Sara, Warrick, Greg and Sofia-they'd all insisted upon helping. And, because Ronnie was quite a popular author in Canada and the U.S, her and Maddie's kidnapping had been all over the news and Ecklie had let the teams merge since it was high priority.
Nick watched as Maddie-the spitting image of her mother, only chubbier and her eyes a different shade-fell asleep in the security of her mother's arms. Ronnie carefully laid the little girl on the ground, her whole body shaking in pain as she used the wall to stand.
"What the hell is she doing?" Warrick murmured quietly, watching her make her way-with the help of the wall-to the window.
Nick's brow furrowed in confusion as Ronnie's white knuckles gripped the sill, her eyes staring intently out the window. After a moment, she shakily stumbled away from it and towards the camera.
"Alright, Cowboy, grab some paper and a pen," she said into the camera hoarsely, her eyes darting nervously to the door. Instantly, every CSI in the room had flipped open their notebooks, their pens poised, except for Nick, who was staring intently at Ronnie.
"You can't see much out the window." she continued softly after a short pause, "There's a couple of houses, all brick, with these sweet-looking wrap-around porches with the old-style black railings." she paused as harsh coughs wracked her body, "There's a small convenience store at the end of the street-but it's too far away to see the name. Maddie and me are on the second floor-but I can't see what kind of building we're in."
She stopped, staring hard at the door for a few moments, before continuing, "I don't know if you heard or not, but apparently I did something wrong to him. Bring Scott in-he knows all the crap I've ever done to anyone in my life." More coughs wracked her body before she shrugged, "That's all I can tell you Cowboy."
Standing, she stumbled back to Maddie, falling hard into a sitting position at her daughter's side. Her eyes closed tiredly a moment before opening again to stare into the camera, and-'though he knew it wasn't possible- seemingly into Nick's eyes.
"I love you, Cowboy," she murmured before her eyes drifted shut again.
"I love you too, Hellcat," Nick whispered, gently touching her face on the screen, ignoring the room full of people, "I love you too."
XoXoXoXo
A/N GAH! I'M SORRY! I can't believe I did that! I'm so sorry I did that guys! Anyway, ya'll still love me right?
Luv ya
Red