Yeah sorry it's been a while. I'll try to post more frequently to finish this story out. Thanks for the patience.

This chapter is kind of a big one. The title came from this chapter (I wrote it right before posting the prologue all those weeks ago) and there is some action of all kinds.


Chapter 15

Sometime not too long in the drive, Jack noticed the way Kim fell with every bump, turn, or sudden movement the car made. He himself was having trouble staying stable. Not wanting Kim to be hurt, he managed to school himself close enough to her to sandwich Kim between him and the back wall. She was able to brace herself against him since her legs weren't long enough like his.

Both kids were silent, not acknowledging anything that was going on, still trying to process it and not wanting to admit it was real.

Fighting back the stupid tears, Kim closed her eyes and eventually, fell asleep.

When the car stopped a while later (Jack figured it had been hours) Kim woke up. It wasn't a very restful sleep and the pain in her back reminded her quickly of their situation. There wasn't much light and the sounds were muffled, leaving what was happening to the imagination.

"Jack," Kim whispered. "What's happening?"

"I don't know. We've been driving this whole time."

"For how long?"

"Hours?" Jack guessed.

"Where do you think we are?"

"I don't know, Kim," Jack sighed.

"Maybe we're just stopping for gas."

"Maybe, Kim."

"Do you think we're driving east?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think everyone is okay?"

Jack frowned as he looked down at Kim. "I don't know, Kim. I don't know what is happening, okay? I don't know where we are. I know as much as you, okay?"

"Sorry…" Kim muttered, feeling bad for having made Jack so annoyed.

"It's okay, Kim. We're both just a little scared right now."

Kim nodded. "I guess you're right…"

"Whatever happens Kim, we have to remember that we're on the same team, okay? I don't want you to think I am annoyed with you or that I hate you."

"Well I don't want to be annoying."

"You weren't being annoying."

"You made it sound like I was."

"You weren't. I'm sorry for making you think that."

"You basically said it."

"Kim," Jack groaned, "is this seriously the best time to be fighting about this?"

Kim smiled a little, kind of enjoying the way they were arguing. It felt normal.

Suddenly the back door opened and Kim was blinded by the sudden sunlight streaming in.

"Come on," a voice commanded gruffly. The men from before reached in and pulled both kids out of the van and set them on the ground. Kim's legs were asleep and she almost fell down before getting her footing.

Jack was right next to her as they were escorted towards a building. Kim looked around and saw they were on a big concrete lot with nothing but an old building ahead of them. There weren't many people there, just the men who had abducted the pair from school.

Walking along with Jack, Kim tilted her head up as much as she could towards Jack's ear. "Jack?" Kim whispered.

"Hmm?" Jack hummed back quietly.

"Should we try to run?" Kim wasn't sure what would happen if they allowed themselves to be brought into the intimidating building.

"Run where?" Jack answered realistically, looking at their surroundings.

Kim looked around and frowned. Jack had a good point.

"We'll wait until we have a better chance, okay?"

"Okay," Kim agreed.

They were silent the rest of the way and Kim took note of all their surroundings. She wanted to be sure she could recall any detail if it came down to it.

As they entered the building, Kim tried her best to remember every turn they made and any exits they passed. She was sure it would be useful somehow but after countless turns and doors, she was beginning to lose track of where they were.

Finally when they reached a smaller room Jack and Kim were shoved inside and the metal door was shut before either of them could blink.

Kim picked herself off the ground and looked around, seeing Jack do the same. They were in a small room, not much bigger than her parent's closet back home. There were no windows except the small window on the metal door that had locked them in.

"Kim, come here," Jack beckoned, nodding Kim over to where he was sitting.

Kim sat down and watched as Jack moved his wrists and then suddenly jumped over them so they were now in front of him. Kim just stared while Jack took her hands in his own and began untying her wrists.

"There," he said, throwing the rope aside. "How does that feel? Better?"

"Better," Kim agreed, rubbing her hands together. "Let me untie yours," Kim said, looking down at Jack's wrists.

As she started to work, she realized the knot was very tight, much tighter than hers had been.

"Jack, I don't know if I can get this loose," Kim worried, starting to feel awful for not being able to help him.

Sensing Kim was starting to get worked up, Jack pulled his hands back. "It's okay, Kim, don't worry. Just keep trying, okay?"

Kim nodded, feeling herself calm back down at the sound of Jack's soothing voice. Finally, she was able to pull a strand loose, and soon enough she could pull the ropes away completely.

Finally, Jack was able to wiggle his hands free. When he did, he threw the rope to the corner and Kim quickly grabbed his wrists and began inspecting the raw skin.

"How much does it hurt?"

"It's fine, Kim. I'm okay," Jack assured her.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Are we okay?" Kim asked, painfully aware of their situation. They were somewhere hours away from home locked in a room with people who knew Kim and had kidnapped them both.

"We're going to be okay, Kim," Jack said, sure of it–if not for himself, then for Kim.

Kim nodded, sniffling when her nose started to get clogged.

"Kim, don't cry," Jack rushed out, reaching an arm around Kim.

Kim hadn't even realized she was crying until Jack said it. She quickly wiped her eyes and nodded, turning her head down so Jack wouldn't see that she was, in fact, still crying.

They sat against the wall silently, thinking and trying not to think, until the door opened a while later. One of the men from before appeared in the doorway.

"Bathroom break. Kimberly first," the man grunted.

Kim looked to Jack who offered her a nod. Kim nodded back and stood up wobbly, wiping her eyes and following the man.

He grabbed Kim's arm and brought her down the hall and to a bathroom. Kim took care of her business, taking a little longer to wash her hands and throw some water on her face as well. She felt a little better, but it was only so much to distract her from the fact that she was kidnapped.

When they returned to the room, the man left with Jack and Kim was all alone. She wondered what these people's plan with her was and tried to see if she could remember the layout of the building.

Kim heard Jack coming back before she saw him. There were a few shouts and then the door was opened and Jack was pushed in just as the door was slammed shut.

One look at Jack told Kim someone had hit him.

"Jack!" she gasped. "Are you okay? What did they do?"

Jack offered Kim his stupid cocky smirk. "On the way back I may have done a little snooping."

Finding out he had done it to himself Kim punched Jack in the arm. "Why would you do that?" she scolded.

"Okay first, ow. And second, I overheard some other guys. They were saying something about moving."

"Moving?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah. So we need to stall them somehow."

"Why?"

"Because if we move, the chances that the authorities are going to find us are going to be a lot slimmer. The longer we can stay in one place, the better. Plus, even if somebody doesn't find us, these guys are planning on moving soon. If we can stop them then we've messed up their plans and they're going to get sloppy. Sloppy is better for us, it means they leave evidence behind. Get it?"

Kim nodded happily.

"Speaking of evidence... we should leave some. Like DNA, in case someone finds this warehouse after we leave."

"How do we leave DNA?" Kim asked.

"Fingerprints, hair follicles, that kind of thing. Touch as much as you can, and leave your hairs with the root around. We want people to know we were here even if we aren't later. But our best option is to delay them."

Kim smiled. Jack was a genius! "Jack, that's amazing!"

Jack frowned. "Yeah, well it would be except I don't know how we're supposed to stall them."

"Oh," Kim frowned. "Hmm…"

"Yeah…"

"Wait." Kim smiled, an idea forming in her mind. It was a bit of a stretch, but she could do it and she was sure it would work to a certain degree. She was with all guys, after all.

"What?"

"I have an idea!"

Without waiting for Jack to respond, Kim jumped up to the door and began banging on it to get someone's attention.

"Kim, what are you doing?" Jack asked, concerned that someone was going to get mad at her and not wanting her to take the brunt of any retaliation.

"Trust me, Jack," Kim answered, banging on the door again.

When the door opened, Kim took a step back.

"Bang on this door again and there will be no more bathroom breaks," the man spat, trying to close the door again.

"That would be problematic considering…" Kim began.

"Considering what?" the man asked.

"Considering I was banging because I need tampons and pads because I'm on my period."

As soon as the words tampon and pads left her mouth, the air in the room got incredibly stilted. Kim knew it was a little awkward, but she was confident in her plan. After all, menstruation never ceased to baffle men.

"Just use what you're using now," the man coughed out, clearly already uncomfortable. Kim almost felt bad for what she was about to do.

"You mean use toilet paper? Do you want me to get a yeast infection? A UTI?" Kim scoffed. She wasn't sure if that was medically accurate but she didn't think the man knew enough to question it.

"Fine," the man muttered, shutting the door and stomping off.

Kim watched with a satisfied smirk as she took a seat next to Jack.

"You're not actually on your… um… period, are you?" Jack asked nervously as Kim sat back down.

Kim laughed, she felt a little bad that even Jack was uncomfortable. But the plan was also going to help him so she couldn't feel that bad.

"No. I got mine two weeks ago and it won't come if I'm stressed or malnourished or anything. But they don't need to know that," Kim smiled.

Jack just nodded and turned away, deciding it was Kim's plan and to let Kim deal with it.

When the man returned, he handed Kim two boxes. Kim observed them before shaking her head and handing them back.

"These are the wrong kind."

The man refused to take the boxes back, half because he thought Kim was being stubborn and half because he didn't want to touch them any more than absolutely necessary.

"Deal with it."

"You got me super plus. I only use regular."

"Not this time."

"Do you want me to get toxic shock syndrome? Cause that's what happens when you wear a tampon that's too big," Kim informed him, channeling her amusement into productive sass.

"Okay, fine!"

"Thanks. And get some small panty liners too?" Kim added as the man retreated down the hall.

As soon as he was out of sight, Kim sat back down giggling. It was kind of entertaining to watch the whole thing unfold.

"Kim, are you sure-"

"Shh," Kim interrupted with a smirk. "Trust me, Jack. This will work."

When the man came back the next time, nearly an hour later, he had two shopping bags full of tampons, pads, and basically any feminine hygiene product in a store.

Kim inspected the items, trying not to laugh at the sheer amount, before selecting a box. "These will be fine, I guess. Can I go to the bathroom again?"

As the man took Kim to the bathroom, she looked back at Jack with a thumbs up. Because she wasn't actually menstruating, Kim opened a tampon, threw the plastic away, and flushed the cotton down the toilet. At the very least she could clog the drains and draw some attention to the building from the water company. Jack said to leave evidence. While she was at it, she touched every surface she could. The toilet, the walls, the sink, the mirror. Anything that would leave a print.

When she was all done she returned to the room with Jack with her small supply of hygiene products shoved in a corner.

"Sorry I took so long," Kim apologized upon her return. "I had to make it seem realistic and also I just wanted to stretch my legs a little."

"It's okay," Jack nodded, clearly still uncomfortable with the issue.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"How long do you think it's been since we've eaten?" Kim knew it had been lunchtime, but she wasn't sure how long it had actually been since lunchtime.

"I don't know, probably 8 hours?" Jack guessed.

"Okay, that should be good enough I guess. Are you ready for phase two?" Kim asked, smiling as she prepared herself.

"What's phase two?"

"This."

Suddenly Kim screamed and groaned, clutching her stomach.

Jack immediately sat up, ready to help with whatever was going on but Kim stopped him with a wink.

That was phase two.

Kim continued groaning as she started to pound on the door again.

She made sure to contort her face in pain when the door opened and the man appeared again.

"What?" he asked rudely.

"I need medicine!" Kim complained. "It hurts so bad!"

For good measure, Kim clutched her stomach tighter and shut her eyes with a whine.

"Please," Kim begged. "I need ibuprofen!"

The man seemed hesitant still, but the longer he waited, the louder and more pained Kim's cries got.

"Okay! I'll get ibuprofen, yeesh!"

When the door slammed shut again, Kim groaned once more for effect before scooting back to the wall with Jack.

"That was a little much, Kim, don't you think?" Jack asked.

Kim shrugged. "Sometimes cramps are really bad. And I needed the medicine so…"

"Why do you need the medicine? Are you hurt? Are you actually having cramps?"

Kim laughed. "No, it's for phase three."

Jack shut his eyes, trying to calm himself down. How could Kim keep doing this? "What is phase three?"

"I'm going to throw up."

"You- What?" Jack took a moment to collect his thoughts. Kim's plan just seemed to get bigger and bigger.

"That's great but what are they going to do when they find out you were just pretending to throw up? I don't want you to get hurt because of this stupid plan."

"Oh, don't worry. In about thirty minutes, I won't be pretending."

"What do you mean you won't be pretending?"

"I'm about to take ibuprofen on a basically empty stomach. That's a sure way to vomit, trust me I've done it too many times."

"Kim, I don't think you need to make yourself sick just-"

As soon as the door began opening again, Kim quickly fell on her side and started groaning again.

When the man handed her the pills, she slowly swallowed them, pretending to have a difficult time between cramps. Jack didn't have a chance to stop her as she sealed her fate.

Sure enough, within 30 minutes, Kim was actually feeling sick.

This time her groans were real and Jack was concerned she had gone too far.

Jack took the liberty to bang on the door this time, unsure if Kim even could at the moment.

When the door opened this time, the man was angry. It was clear his patience was running thin and Jack wondered if maybe Kim had gone too far. But then again, she wasn't pretending this time and she really did need help.

"She's going to be sick," Jack quickly explained.

"I just gave her medicine, it's not that big of a deal," the man responded gruffly.

Jack shoved his foot in front of the door. "Yes it is, look at her! She's as pale as a ghost!"

The man looked at Kim and saw that she was indeed much paler and clearly very sick.

"Boss isn't going to be happy about this," the man muttered. "Whatever, come on."

With that, the man grabbed Kim by the arm and pulled her out of the room.

Kim groaned as she stumbled along to the familiar bathroom. When they got there, she fell to the ground in front of the toilet, almost immediately gagging.

Kim wondered if maybe she was going too far, but the thought was fleeting because soon she was puking in the toilet.

She heaved a few times, emptying what little was still in her stomach. When she was reduced to dry heaving, she grabbed some toilet paper and wiped herself off. Throwing up was a nasty business but she had gotten accustomed to the practice in recent years. The first time she took medicine by herself she learned about ibuprofen on an empty stomach. She tried not to make that mistake again.

When Kim had cleaned herself up as much as she could, she realized she really didn't have much strength left.

Trying to ignore the harsh presence of the man standing guard, Kim forced herself to her feet and used the sink to wet her face. When she was all done, she lifted her hand to turn the water off before letting it fall along with her body as she pretended to faint.

The guard swore as he leaped forward and caught Kim.

"Stupid teenage girls," he muttered, shutting off the water and lifting Kim into his arms. "Why couldn't we have gotten a nice quiet little girl?"

On the walk back Kim was glad for her quick thinking, it was much better being carried back than walking.

When the man deposited Kim in the room, Jack was upset that Kim seemed to be unconscious, but his focus was on Kim, not the man.

"What did you do to her?"

"She fainted." With that, the man simply left Kim on the ground and shut the door.

"Kim, can you hear me? Are you okay?" Jack asked, kneeling over Kim.

"I'm okay," Kim smiled softly, sitting up with a little help from Jack. "I didn't want to walk back so I pretended to faint."

Jack's face softened, realizing Kim was okay but still very committed to her little charade. She was confident and stubborn as always, but Jack could see through the cracks that she was beginning to shake.

She put up a front and focused on playing the part of a moody girl on her period, but on the inside, Kim was scared. She didn't know what was going on and if pretending could keep her distracted then she was going to pretend like there was no tomorrow.

"Kim," Jack finally said, "things aren't great right now but I know that we'll be okay. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but we'll be okay."

Kim's smile faded as she mulled over Jack's words. "I'm really scared."

"Me too."

"But…"

"But what?"

"I don't mean for this to sound wrong, but… I'm glad, of all people I could have been abducted with, I'm glad it was you."

Kim paused to gauge Jack's reaction, her heart calming when he nodded his head.

"Not that I want you to be hurt or involved but, if it had to be someone, I'm glad to have you here," she elaborated. "Like… if it had to happen, if I had to get kidnapped and if my life had to completely spiral out of control, I'm glad I at least have you."

"Me too," Jack agreed. "It's a little less terrifying to have a good friend."

"Yeah…" Kim agreed.

"What was that?" Jack asked, noticing the way it seemed like there was something else Kim wanted to say.

"Just, Milton and Jerry are good friends too."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, sensing where the conversation was going and itching to get there.

"But I would still rather be here with you."

Jack smiled. There it was.

"Me too."

Kim could feel her silly little heart sputter. "Really?"

"Mhm," Jack hummed.

Kim couldn't contain the small smile that crept up her lips.

"Hey, Kim?" Jack whispered softly.

"What?"

"I'm going to try something."

Kim nodded just as Jack leaned in close. He was moving excruciatingly slow and Kim was anxiously waiting for the moment she had been waiting for for far too long.

And then Jack kissed her.

Jack's gentle hand reached up to softly cradle Kim's cheek, his fingers barely brushing the skin.

Kim closed her eyes in pure joy as she let her lips linger and relish in the feeling. Just as her wrist was beginning to ache from the weight of her upper body, Jack wrapped an arm around her back.

Kim was happy. So so happy. So many things were uncertain and blurry but her happiness at that moment was real and sure.

All too soon, they pulled away for a minute to breathe.

Kim was panting softly, a small smile on her face. She wasn't sure what exactly she was feeling, but it sure felt nice.

Sitting there in silence, the pair just looked at each other, not needing words to share the moment. It was quiet and simple but so tender.

Then Kim's stomach growled.

"Oops," Kim squeaked out, a little embarrassed. "I guess I'm a little hungry."

Jack laughed softly, "Me too."

Then they didn't say anything more because the moment was too special and they weren't ready to move on just yet. So they just stayed there, Jack holding Kim lightly on the ground while they were left to their own thoughts.

A few minutes in, Kim laid her tired head on Jack's shoulder and Jack rested his chin on the top of her head. They stayed like that until the door opened again.

"Dinner," the man from before gruffly announced, holding out a big take-out bag.

Breaking out of the trance, Kim scooted away from Jack and looked at the bag, remembering she had a role to be playing. She couldn't afford to stop even if she was exhausted.

"Is that a burger? Because my iron levels are really low right now, I really need some red meat or something to make up for all the blood I'm losing. I basically only eat burgers when I'm-"

"It's a burger," the man interrupted, thrusting the bag toward Kim forcefully.

Kim grabbed the bag and before the door could close, came up with a retort. "Does it have mustard on it?" she asked.

"I don't know," the man said, trying to close the door again.

"Well, it looks like it does. I can't have mustard, I'm allergic to it. I can't eat this."

The man clenched his jaw as he looked at Kim, assessing if he was really going to have to get her another burger.

Kim meanwhile reached into the bag and pulled out the burger, confirming that there was indeed mustard on the burger.

"Just cut it off," the man said.

"It's everywhere, I can't eat this," she repeated. "I'm allergic."

Groaning, the man snatched the burger away.

Kim smiled to herself, her plan had worked once again. "And while you're at it, I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes either!" Kim shouted after him as he slammed the door.

"Allergic to mustard?" Jack asked as Kim turned around to face him with a victorious smirk.

"I may have been exaggerating a little bit," she admitted. "I'm not really allergic, I just don't like it."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Well I, for one, don't care and I am hungry. Let me see what else is in there."

Kim brought the bag over to Jack as they pulled everything out. Two fries, two waters, and one burger.

They both ate their fries first, scarfing them down. Neither had eaten since lunch and Kim had thrown up what little she had in her stomach.

Jack offered Kim his burger, but she maintained that she really didn't like mustard and she could wait for her own burger. Still, Jack put his in the bag to wait until Kim had hers.

It took the man nearly 30 minutes to come back with Kim's food and when he did, he simply threw it into the room and shut the door before Kim could make another comment.

After finishing their food, Kim was still a little hungry, but she was grateful that she got food. At least that meant her captures weren't going to feed her just barely enough to survive.

When their dinner was all said and done, Kim figured it would be sensible to use the bathroom one last time.

Grabbing a pad for the charade, Kim knocked on the door.

The man yanked it open, wordlessly taking Kim to use the bathroom one last time for the night. It was almost sweet the way he had so quickly become accustomed to Kim's needs. Almost sweet. She was still being held captive.

Soon after Kim returned to the room, the door opened and two thick quilts were dropped on the ground.

Kim crawled over and grabbed them both, handing one to Jack and wrapping the other around herself.

"A pillow would have been nice too," Kim mumbled.

"Come here," Jack said, "It'll be more comfortable for the both of us."

Kim crawled over to where Jack was and leaned against him, using his chest as a pillow while Jack rested his cheek on her hair. It wasn't ideal, but they were together and that kept the bad dreams away.


I forgot just how big of a chapter this was until I read it just now. There's a lot that happens. Especially some kick. I'm a big fan of slow-burns so yeah this is the real first kick we've gotten. But don't worry, I'll fit more into the story.

Review your thoughts, please!