A/N: Okay, if you haven't figured it out yet I'll tell you now, I love whumping Don and Charlie, and I love angst…Things might slow down for updating because I just lost a lot of time that I used to have available for writing but I'm going to do my best…I will tell you that if you want things to move quickly you will review, it's very inspirational to get reviews…but enough talking…read on…and review!
Don sat, car parked in the driveway, his Charlie's driveway, gripping the steering wheel helplessly with a vice grip. He had to go inside, go see his father, but he couldn't. It made him sick every time he imagined walking into Charlie's home to tell his father that they hadn't found him. That there was no contact of any kind and no leads to follow, his brother was missing and there was nothing to do but sit and wait for something to happen. Every moment he thought of where his brother might be he couldn't stop the images from coming. Crime scene photos of the victims murdered, tortured, and brutally mutilated beyond recognition. He saw his Charlie's eyes pleading for help, filled with fear and desperation, and yet cold, and empty as the eyes of a man already dead. A shiver ran up his spine at the direction of his thoughts. Come on Don, hold yourself together. Two days, it's only been two days, your acting as if he's been gone for months. He's not gone, not yet. I would feel it if he were, I would get the gut feeling if he were dead…wouldn't I?
Don let go of the steering wheel, knuckles white, and dragged himself out of the car. Everything seemed to take so much energy no how simple the action. He trudged towards the door of the house, Charlie's house, fumbling for the key. He opened the door and stepped inside painstakingly slow as if he had all the time in the world yet felt as if he had one minute left to live. I should consider myself lucky for having as long I do…that one minute is more than Charlie probably has left. Another shiver crawled up his spine. The first thing he heard was his father's ever so hopeful voice.
"Did you find him? Is he home?" Alan shouted brimming with hope. When he looked into his son's eyes he knew that Charlie was still missing and wasn't going well at all. He felt his face drop and knew that his eyes showed the painful disappointment and sadness of not having Charlie back. He looked at Don, Don didn't, couldn't, look at him. What brought us to the point where my own son can't bare to look me in the eye from shame of himself or some failure of his own?
"I can't find him…there isn't anything that I can do. There isn't any new evidence or old that will provide leads to follow…there's nothing, he's simply gone and I don't know what to do." Don felt so tired, he just wanted to crawl into his old bed and never wake again, but every time he closed his eyes he saw Charlie's cold dead eyes filled with desperation for rescued, and so he stayed awake. He failed Charlie by letting him be kidnapped and now he was failing his brother by doing nothing, he was incapable. His father drew him into a firm hug. He told him everything would be alright, that he was doing his best and the Charlie would be found, but Don didn't believe him. His father led him to the kitchen and placed a plate of food in front of him. Don poked at it for a while with his fork. He didn't think he could eat. His brother probably didn't have food, so why should he? Even looking at the food make him feel sick, but somehow, he didn't know how, his father convinced him to eat. The next thing he knew he was in his own bed, staring at the bumps on the ceiling creating pictures in the bumps. Every picture would start with Charlie happy and smiling safe at home, then it would morph into the cold dead eyes. All he could think was that he needed to find his brother and soon, before he lost himself.
:-:-:-:-:-:
Charlie lay in the darkness. His captor's words echoing in his head. How could she know those things? He couldn't let himself believe, if he believed her than she would win the war. His head hurt but the room no longer spun at the tiniest movement, it had calmed to a dull roar. The words bore a whole in his mind, stung at the heart. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. She's wrong, she has to be wrong. No, no, no, no, no, I won't believe her, I can't believe her, I have to keep up hope...Don will find me...won't he? The mantra continued through his mind until he felt too confused the think so he just stared out into the darkness, shivering miserably from the cold. His stomach growled viciously at him for food, his mouth was parched; he just wanted to sleep this whole thing away. Is time flying by or crawling at an eek? I can't tell anymore.
Eventually the door flung open just as flamboyantly as before, making him grateful to be lying against the opposite wall to the door. Charlie stared at the pair of shoes before him. He would rather stay in his darkness than hear what that woman had to say. But as usual he had no choice and the kid simply hoisted him to his feet and led him back to the awfully bright room. He sat in the chair staring blankly at his own shoes now. He wouldn't listen to what she said, not this time.
"Hello, Charlie" she sounded too cheerful.
"I won't do it" Charlie made his voice as forceful and venomous as he could muster.
"Oh, determined you won't cooperate, you don't even know what I'm going to talk about"
"I don't care; I won't do what you want." She ignored his comment and handed him a small outline of what she wanted. She watched as Charlie skimmed it over, eyes wide when he finished.
"You know I won't do this, why bother asking?"
"Still won't do it huh?"
"No"
"Okay then." She looked at Charlie's escort with a nod. Charlie had no warning before receiving a ferocious punch to the jaw knocking him off the chair. The escort delivered kick after kick into his ribs, listening to him cry out in pain. If time had seemed to drag while he was in darkness, it really dragged on now. Every kick seemed to last for an eternity, the pain radiating through his body endlessly. Then just as suddenly as it began, he stopped. The woman was bending over him, looked at him intently for a moment, then stood and walked out of his vision.
"Think about what is at stake here, Charlie." Charlie's vision went grey around the edges, closing in on him. He wanted to scream at her that he didn't care, he wouldn't do what she asked.
"I won't do it." He whispered weakly. Then everything went black.
A/N: mean i know, poor charlie! More to come later, let me know what you think!
