Title: Privilege

Author: NightMage

Rating: maybe PG13, to be safe.

Summary: The team gets very, very frustrated with doctor-patient privilege! And Sam deals with a problem of her own. My very first M/S fic. Please R&R!

NOTES:

I am SO SORRY this took so long! It's been crazy here, birthdays, exams, graduations, etc, and plus now that Season 3's over there are no new WaT episodes to get me all excited and in the fanfic mood.

BUT here the next chapter finally is, and I hope you like it, because it was very hard to write. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon, now that school's out.

Lastly, THANX SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed and has reviewed in the past, cause I now have OVER 100 reviews! Luv u all!

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Chapter 18
FALLING APART

The team reassembled in front of the shed behind La Maison des Lilas. There were no windows, no other ways into the shed but the one door. That one door was locked, though Jack knew he had not locked it behind him when he'd left.

He wondered how Samantha was doing.

Absently he reached for his gun and missed, his hand grasping the air beside his holster. He could have kicked himself. Get your head back in the game! What was wrong with him?

Vivian laid a hand on his arm, and he jumped. Jerkily he turned to face her. "What?"

"Jack, you're falling apart."

"What are you talking about, I'm perfectly fine."

She shook her head. "No, you're not. You're all wired up. You're not thinking clearly." Her tone convinced him that she had seen his blunder, and he winced. "Jack, sit this one out."

He stared at her. "What?"

"Danny and I can handle it."

"Viv, I – "

"Jack, face it, you're screwing up. You're making dumb mistakes. And every minute you spend sitting here denying it could cost a girl her life. You calm down. We're moving in."

There was a tense second between them, Jack not wanting to admit she was right, Vivian hesitating to make a major move without her boss's approval. Then Jack cursed his pride and said simply, "Go."

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"From the moment I saw you, I knew you were mine."

Sam could think of no clever retort that would not provoke her stalker, so she wisely kept her mouth shut.

"Hear me? You were mine."

She eyed the distance between the couch and the kitchen table. By her judgment it was about ten feet away. Too far to go without being noticed. Speed, then, would be the trick.

"Hey!"

Sam jerked her gaze from the table back to her captor, who was now striding toward her. Before she had time to react, he slapped her hard across the face. Her head snapped sideways.

"You look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Sam blinked, resisting the extraordinary urge to raise a hand to her stinging cheek. God it hurt. God, God, God. Pull it together, Sam, pull it together. She returned his gaze levelly.

Richard swore at her and stalked away.

Her gaze returned to her gun.

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Danny led as he and Vivian burst through the shed door for the second time in less than an hour.

Carolynn Casper looked up, startled.

She was sitting cross-legged against the back wall.

She was holding an empty pill bottle in her lap.

She was reaching for the gun on the floor beside her.

Danny bit his tongue to keep from swearing.

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Sam watched her captor stomp over to the window, continuing to yell. "You belong to me because we were meant for each other. And if you hadn't decided to whore yourself to that thickheaded idiot you call a man, everything would have worked out. But you denied me. You turned me into a freak." His expression sent chills down her spine. He shot a glare at her. "I hate you, Samantha Spade. And before this day's over, you'll know just how much."

Sam remained silent.

Frustrated with her lack of response, Richard swung around to stare out the window. Sam seized the chance.

She sprang off the couch and lurched toward the kitchen table before Richard could turn fully around. Come on, come on, come on. His reflexes were blastedly quick. He was gaining on her. The gun was in her sight, so close, so close. Come on Sam, a few more feet –

Her hand closed around cold, hard metal and she felt a burst of triumph that was abruptly suppressed as a cold, hard hand closed around her ankle – her broken ankle – in a vice-like grip, and yanked. Pain exploded. She fell forward, just barely missing the table as she went down. Her head cracked against the tile floor. With dazed surprise, she realized she had retained her hold on the gun. Unfortunately, she was in no position to use it, twisted on the floor as she was.

She couldn't turn over onto her back, she couldn't get her balance. Dammit, Sam, you've got a weapon, use it! But she couldn't. Her ankle killed, she couldn't take control.

He was dragging her across the floor, back over to the couch. Violently, he lifted her up and flung her onto the couch with absolutely no regard for her injured limb and just as savagely threw himself down on top of her, knocking the gun from her hand. The breath left her lungs. Oh God, can't breathe. Breathe, Sam, breathe. He was mumbling things, whispering things her brain wouldn't allow her to comprehend. His hands were all over her, she could feel his breath against her neck, and then he was kissing her, a brutal, defiling kiss that crushed her lips and gave her no chance for desperately needed air. The world was blacking out, fuzzing in her vision, she couldn't get her bearings. She thought, suddenly, that she heard Martin calling her, but she couldn't be sure of anything anymore…

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Carolynn raised the gun.

Danny jerked to a halt; it was pointed at him.

Carolynn was shaking, looking confused and angry. "Get away from me!" Her voice was high-pitched and unnatural, and Danny couldn't tell if it was because of stress, drugs, or the Zoloft already taking effect. He hoped passionately that it wasn't the latter.

"Okay, Carolynn, I'm staying over here – "

"Get away from me!"

"I'm staying right here – It's okay, I just want to talk. Can we do that for a minute, Carolynn, can we just talk for a minute – "

"Leave me alone! I hate you! I hate everybody!"

"Look, it may not seem like it right now, Carolynn, but things will get better. Believe me, I know things will get better. I've been where you are, Carolynn, I've been there – "

"Liar!" the hysterical girl screeched.

"I'm not lying, Carolynn, I've been there. Okay? I've been there. I know it seems like the world is hell. I know you feel like everyone's betrayed you, okay, and maybe they have, but you've got to believe that things will get better, okay? You've got to believe that."

She began to sob, big, fat, messy tears that broke Danny's heart. Slowly, he began to come toward her. "You can get through this. Life can be better than this. You've just got to hold on, Carolynn. Just hold on."

She was shaking her head side to side as if she couldn't bear to stop and see what was happening around her. "No," she mumbled. "No, no, no."

"Yes, Carolynn. You can do this. Just give me the gun, Carolynn, and we can get you to a hospital and – "

"No!" With sudden panic, Carolynn jerked back against the wall. Staring at Danny with wet eyes, the baby blue eyes of a model, Carolynn dropped the empty pill bottle and turned the gun on herself.

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