Chapter 88

Hotch looked at Leo. "So what are the pits exactly?"

Cole huffed. "Hell."

Hotch's eyes snapped to his and he couldn't tell if he was being facetious or not.

"Seriously, it's like hell down there," the werewolf insisted.

"Down there, as in, real pits in the ground?" Hotch asked as he looked at both of his roommates. He knew the place was big from what he'd seen of it, but if it was big enough to cover up pits dug into the ground, then it had to be huge.

"There are several levels to the underground part of this fortress," Leo clarified.

"Fortress?" He stood up and got closer to them. "Where and the hell are we?" He knew his trip hadn't seemed all that long, but he also knew they were poisoning him the whole time, so he knew the trip could have taken a lot longer. He'd figured that since they put him on a plane that they had taken him across the country, but now he was beginning to think he was a lot further away than that.

Cole and Leo shared a look.

"You know, don't you?" Hotch asked as he got closer to the bars and fixed the werewolf with his stare. "Tell me!"

"Where do you think we are?" Leo asked him.

Hotch swallowed. "I had thought still in the US, but. . ." He ran a hand along the back of his neck. "But I have the feeling that there aren't any places in the US that could hide someplace like this." His eyes darted around the stone walls making up the room, and he could imagine being in a large castle like the one he had vacationed in with his family in Scotland.

He looked back at his closest roommate. "And the warlock's not American, but everyone else I have heard speak seems to be. . ." He took a deep breath and looked at the chimera. "Just tell me."

"We're not in the US," Cole told him. "I thought we were, too, until the big kitty showed up and told me otherwise," he continued as he hooked a thumb towards Leo.

Hotch turned to Leo. "So you can tell where we are?"

"Not specifically, but I know we are not in the US. We are much closer to my homeland than that," Leo told him.

"Your homeland?" Hotch's eyes grew wide. "You're talking about Greece?"

"The homeland is much larger than today's Greece, but yes. We are still on the same continent."

"Europe? We're in Europe?" Hotch asked to clarify.

Cole nodded. "Where else to have a supernatural prison than where most of this shit originates from?"

Hotch ran a hand down his face.

"I'm sorry, Aaron. I know that news. . ." Leo started and then stopped as Hotch started laughing.

"Hotch, man, you ok?" Cole asked him as he shot a look to Leo. He knew captivity did things to people, but he'd never seen anyone crack that quickly.

"Europe?" Hotch asked as he still laughed. "They'll definitely never find me here!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Leo continued, but Hotch shook his head.

"No, that's a good thing! If they can't find me, then that damn warlock can't find them!"

Thinking he must have been talking about his vampire family, Leo nodded. "Yes, Alucious does not need to get his hands on anymore supernatural beings!"

Hotch blew out a breath and sat back down. Knowing that his wife or his team couldn't end up in the clutches of the sadistic bastard actually made him feel pretty good even if it meant that he'd never see them again. Keeping them safe, that's the most important thing! I can't let my problem become their problem!

XXXXX

Rossi, Chuck, Kahlan, and all of the vampires stood in front of a tall, glass office building. "So, this vampire who has his hands in everything, is in there?" Chuck asked them with raised brows.

Rossi mentally winced. "Are we talking organized crime?" He knew a few mobsters and how bad they could be, so he really didn't want to think about vampire ones.

"From what we could gather, this Tommy guy is sort of like a leader in this area, but I wouldn't compare him to the mob," Michael told them.

"Although, there are many nonhumans who have their hands in illegal things," Willie pointed out. When Christian shot him a look, he huffed. "And we all know they do."

"Yes, there are good and bad in all species," Sebastian told them and took a deep breath as he looked at the humans with them. "Please don't take offense to this, but I think it would be best if you all let us handle this."

Kahlan immediately started shaking her head. "No! If this will help us find Aaron, then I want in on it!"

"And I go where she goes," Chuck insisted as he stood up tall.

"And I have to keep an eye on them," Rossi put in with a grin.

Christian sighed. "This is a bloody mess waiting to happen," he muttered.

Willie glanced at the man who had changed him and then Kahlan. "It might be dangerous for you to go in there."

"Can you tell how many vampires are in there?" Kahlan asked him.

They all looked at Sebastian and Christian, apparently the older ones could tell that best. Sebastian sighed. "Only four."

"Then you all. . ." Kahlan started.

"Then we got this," Jenny put in with a big grin.

"We outnumber them even if we don't count the humans," Michael pointed out with a matching grin.

"Yes, but they may be older than you all," Christian put in. "And there are also humans in there."

"Well, it is an office building," Rossi started and then looked at him. "Are you saying that two ancient vampires like you and Sebastian are afraid to go in there and face four vampires?"

Christian huffed. "It's not me or us that I'm afraid for, it's you three. You are rather fragile."

Chuck bristled. "Who you calling fragile?"

"Can we just do this?" Kahlan asked as she put a hand on Chuck's chest to stop him from stepping towards the vampire.

Sebastian sighed. "Alright, but you must follow my lead on this. If I tell you to leave, then you must."

Kahlan gave him a smile. "Of course."

He gave her a hard look. "Promise me, Kahlan."

Her eyes cut to the side as her face showed how disgusted she was with that order.

"Come on, Kiddo," Rossi started as he put a hand on her shoulder. "They only want to protect you for Aaron."

She sighed and then nodded as she looked back at the man who had brought them all into the supernatural world. "Alright, I promise to leave if it gets bad."

"Then come one," Christian said and started across the street and they all moved to follow him.

Sebastian glanced back at Kahlan and mentally cringed. Somehow, I don't think our definitions of 'bad' are the same.

XXXXX

Cole winced as he watched Hotch pacing. "Not that I'm trying to tell you what to do, but your time here is going to seem a lot longer if you keep that up."

Hotch stopped and looked at him and then cringed. "Sorry, but I'm not used to inactivity."

"Boredom isn't nearly as bad as the bottling room," Leo stuck in as he stretched out on his side.

"No, no it's not," Cole agreed.

"Isn't that the truth," Hotch muttered to himself and then looked at them. "You've both been there, too?"

Cole huffed. "He sends everyone through there at least once. If the blood is really worth anything, though, he does it as often as he can."

"He is rather money hungry," Leo put in and then looked up at them. "I can't even imagine how much money that bastard has."

"He has to have a lot of money to pay these assholes," Cole told them as he gestured to the walls around him and the men on the other side of them who worked for the warlock.

"They don't do it just for the money, though," Hotch told them and when they looked at him, he shrugged. "I tried to buy my way out of it, and they wouldn't even listen to me. They fear him."

Cole huffed. "He kills anyone and anything on a whim; I fear him, too."

Hotch nodded. "He killed one of the guys who helped abduct me because he got mad when he found out how little time I've been a vampire."

"There have been many people who rule using fear all throughout history," Leo told them.

Hotch sat down and leaned up against the bars as he looked around the room one more time. "Has anyone ever escaped here."

A groan escaped Leo. "Don't even think about it, Aaron."

"That didn't answer my question," Hotch pushed.

"I've never heard of anyone doing it, but I have heard of several trying. Hell, I even tried it back in the beginning."

Hotch studied him. "What do you mean, you tried? What did you do?"

"I slipped away from them down in the pits, but I couldn't even find my way out of there, let alone a way out of here."

"Have you even seen an outside wall, door, window, or anything?" Leo asked as he sat up and looked at their newest member.

Hotch swallowed. "No, but there has. . ."

"I haven't either in all my time here. That's partly why more don't try to escape. You can't escape if you can't even find a way out," Cole insisted.

"With as powerful as the warlock is, maybe there's some spell or something on the place that makes it have no outside," Leo mused.

"But they brought us here. If there's a way in, there must be a way out," Hotch reasoned.

"If there is, I've never heard of one," Cola admitted.

Hotch shock his head. "I can't believe that at least one being hasn't been able to get away from these people."

Leo yawned. "Maybe they have, maybe they haven't. When beings disappear here, we just assume they have been killed."

That made Hotch's brows raise as he thought about it. Maybe several people have escaped, but they just cover it up. His eyes snapped to Cole's. "But what about the arena? Is that open?"

Cole shook his head. "Nope. It's in a cavern set off from the pits."

Hotch sighed. So much for thinking that I might be able to jump and climb out of it. He grabbed the collar hanging loosely around his neck. Not that I could even try with this damn thing on me!

XXXXX

After a short wait in the lobby, Sebastian and crew were escorted up to the top floor and to a massive conference room with a small, round, polished mahogany table at one end of it. Only two people were sitting at the table and there was an empty seat between them. Rossi figured that they were the middle guys and would decide if disturbing the boss was actually warranted, and he mentally cringed when their eyes roamed over the group and settled on the three humans standing in the back.

The one on the left, a beautiful black woman, looked at Sebastian standing at the front and smiled. "What can we do for you?"

Sebastian returned her smile and took a step forward. "We would like to speak with Mr. Smith, please."

"And what would you want to talk to him about? Maybe we could help you?" the thin man with a beard and glasses to her right offered.

"Perhaps you could," Sebastian started as his smile grew. "How much can you tell us about the people who have been hunting here in DC?"

The woman stood up in a rush. "Hunters?! Here?!"

Christian nodded. "Yes, hunters. Now if we could speak to Tommy, we would greatly appreciate it."

"Time is of the essence," Sebastian added.

The woman nodded to her friend, and he got up and went to the door behind them. It opened before he got to it, though, and in walked a heavier man in a dark grey suit followed by an Asian woman in spiked heels. The man shook his head at the alarm on the black woman's face and then looked at his guests. "Come now, you didn't come here to start a panic, did you?"

Sebastian glanced at Christian and then stepped closer to the table. "Then you don't know anything about them?"

The man smoothed out his tie as he sat down in the biggest chair and smiled at them as he gestured to the table. "Come now, let us be civilized and sit down and discuss what has you all so upset."

There were only three seats left at the table after the two new men sat down, so Sebastian and Christian were the only two to step forward. Once they were seated, Tommy looked at the others and then looked back at Sebastian. "You brought humans with you, and yet they aren't part of this?"

"They are connected," Sebastian offered after glancing back at Kahlan and them.

Tommy gestured to the empty seat. "Then one of them should join us."

Kahlan glanced at Rossi, but he waved her forward. She took a deep breath and sat down in between the two ancient vampires that she came with.

Once she was seated, Sebastian opened his mouth, but Tommy cut in. "And the rest of you can wait in the anteroom."

"Now just a. . ." Chuck started. There was no way in hell he wanted to leave his best friend in a room full of vampires.

Sebastian shot a look to Michael, so he grabbed Chuck's arm and leaned in close. "They will protect her."

"But. . ." Chuck started and then Kahlan shot him a look to behave.

"Come on, Chuck. Maybe they'll actually get something from this," Rossi told him as he grabbed his other arm, and they all left the room.

When the door shut behind them, Sebastian moved to start again, but Tommy held up his hand. "A drink first," he told them and then looked at the bearded man who nodded and went to a cabinet behind them.

When he turned back around with an ornate glass bottle with a red liquid in it and seven stemmed glasses, Kahlan's eyes shot to Sebastian.

"Anyone wishing to parley with me, must drink. If not, this meeting is over before it even gets started," Tommy told them with a vile smile as the bearded man poured the glasses.

"Then I guess. . ." Sebastian started as he got up, but Kahlan stopped him with a hand on his arm.

When he turned concerned eyes to her, hers pleaded with him to stay. "If it will help Aaron, then I'll do it."

"But that is blood," Christian felt he needed to point out.

She took a deep breath and looked at the man in charge sitting across the table from her. "I'll do it," she insisted strongly.

Tommy nodded. "Then we will talk."

* The final ballot is up for the 'Profiler's Choice Awards', and this fic was nominated for 'Best Overall Fic'! Thank you to everyone who nominated it! If you have a fanfic account, you can vote. Please go to the following:

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