Chapter 90
Cole looked back at the vampire on the floor of his cage. "I just wish there was something we could do for him. It's like he's barely breathing."
"Vampires breathe a lot slower than you and I, my friend," Leo pointed out.
Cole ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "But if you could see his face. He looks like he's in pain."
"If it is the warlock, he won't kill him. He's no good to him dead, at least not yet."
The werewolf huffed. "Yeah, I'm sure the asshole has something spectacular planned for him."
XXXXX
While Chuck broke any and every law he had to as he careened them towards the Hotchner home, Rossi had text Cindi to get the kids out of the house.
Sebastian, who had been holding Kahlan's hand, cringed. "Her hands are turning blue."
"That's the shock; I'm hurrying!" Chuck insisted as he took a second to reach back to his best friend. "Come on, Kay, hold on, Aaron needs you," he told her and gave her arm a squeeze.
"Aaron," she muttered and gripped Sebastian's hand a little harder.
"That's right, Kahlan. You must fight this," the vampire told her and then pat her hand.
Rossi cradled her head closer to his. "Yeah, Kiddo, Aaron needs you, so you must hold on," he whispered into her ear.
"Cover her up, the shock will cool her down."
Once they reached the house, Rossi ran to unlock the door as Chuck carried his best friend in. Sebastian cleared the island with one arm and Chuck laid her onto it with gentle hands and then felt for her pulse. Rossi had disappeared into the house. "Whatever you're doing, Dave, you need to do it now!" Chuck screamed. "Her stats are dropping even more!"
Rossi was in Hotch's den looking in every drawer and crevice the room had trying to find what he was almost positive was hidden someplace in there. Come on, Aaron, where the hell did you hide it? Kiddo needs it! He then moved to the book shelves lining one wall and started throwing the books to the floor. An exasperating sigh left him as he looked around the ruined room. "Damn it, Aaron Jackson Hotchner, where did you put them?" he screamed at the ceiling.
Back in the kitchen, Sebastian focused on the unconscious woman. "Maybe she'll be alright, her breathing is starting to pick back up."
Chuck had gone to grab a blanket out of the living room and then came back intent on covering her up. A quick look over had him cringing. "She's starting to hyperventilate, and her skin's getting clammy." He took a deep breath as his eyes filled. "She doesn't have much time left." He turned away from his dying friend and yelled out into the house. "Dave, man, come on! We need whatever you came here for!"
Dave ran his hands down his face as he searched Hotch's dismantled room with quick eyes. Would he have one of those hiding holes in here? Would Kahlan have given him one, too? He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down so he could think. He would have put them someplace safe, someplace no one else would be able to find them. Someplace that means something to him, someplace. . .
His eyes fixed on a large picture frame that held a collage of several snapshots of Hotch's whole family. Would it be that simple? He went to the picture frame, and he couldn't help it, a smile graced his lips as his eyes roamed over the many pictures. Beautiful pictures of a perfect family.
He reached out with a shaky hand and grabbed the right side of the picture frame and tried to pull it away from the wall, but it didn't budge. NO! This has to be right. This has to be. . . He stepped back and shook his head. That was a damn rookie mistake, David. Shame on you!
He took a deep breath and looked at the frame again. "Aaron's left handed, it would open from the left," he said aloud all the while silently praying that he was indeed correct. He was, and the fame was hiding three shelves built into the wall behind it. A pistol, two knives, and small pouch that Rossi figured held money, IDs, and such for quick exits lined the two lower shelves. He huffed. Kiddo, has trained you well, Boy.
The third shelf was too high for him to see, so he reached up and felt around. He thought it was empty and his heart started to sink until the edge of his finger hit something hard. He tried to get it, but he couldn't quite reach it.
Looking around quickly, he grabbed Hotch's metal trashcan, tipped it over, and used the added height to boost himself up. Set back even further into the wall, was a black, wooden box. He sighed his relief and pulled it to him.
"Dave!" yelled from the other room spurred him on even faster and he opened the box and pulled out one of the bottles the Schewel family had given to Hotch. He sent up several prayers: one to God for helping him find it, one to the Schewels for giving them to Hotch, and one to Hotch in hopes that he would know they are doing everything they could for the woman he loved so much. We're going to save her, Aaron.
He put the box back, closed the picture frame back over the opening, and ran out to the kitchen. He held the small glass bottle out to Chuck. "Here, you have to get her to drink this."
Chuck took it, held it up to the light, and then looked at Rossi as if he'd lost his mind. "You want me to make her drink more blood? Are you serious!?"
Rossi nodded. "Now!"
"She couldn't even swallow with the state she's in!" Chuck told him. "She's slipping fast," he added weakly.
"Don't you have any kind of syringe in that bag of yours?" Sebastian asked. "You just have to get it in her system."
Chuck nodded and dug for one. "What is that? Hotch's blood?" he asked as he found one and squirted out the clear liquid that was in the syringe into the sink. "And that's going to help her?" he asked as he sucked the blood into the empty needle.
"It's not Hotch's, but it should heal her," Rossi insisted. He noticed Sebastian's eyes on him, but he chose to ignore that. "Just do it, damn it!"
Chuck straightened out her right arm and searched for the biggest vessel he could find and then pushed the needle in and pressed the plunger down all the way. Once it was done, he drew the needle back out and they all stood there staring at her.
After about thirty seconds, Chuck looked at Rossi. "How fast does that shit work?"
Rossi winced. "I don't know, to be honest. I guess we have to wait and see."
Sebastian held up his hand to silence them, though, and stepped closer to Kahlan. "Her heart is getting stronger, slowly, but steadily stronger." He looked at Rossi with a grin. "Whatever that is, it's working."
Chuck pulled Rossi into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you!"
Rossi pat him on the back and nodded. "I did it for me and Aaron, too."
"I think maybe she would rest better in her own bed," Sebastian suggested.
Chuck nodded as he wiped his face and turned towards her. "I'll take her up."
Once he was up the stairs, Sebastian fixed Rossi with a serious look. "You all go down and help a bunch of shape shifters, and he comes back with some of their blood. That's a very rare gift."
Rossi nodded. "Rare indeed."
"Care to share the story with me?"
Rossi looked at him. "Ask Hotch about it when we find him."
Sebastian wilted. "Do you honestly think that we will. They've had him for so long. . . Their hunters. . ." He shook his head. "I really can't see them keeping him alive very much monger, David, and if we don't find a lead soon, I am afraid they will kill him."
Rossi fixed him with a look. "Is he still alive?"
Sebastian stood up tall as he took a deep breath. "Yes."
"Then we keep looking," he told him and then headed for the stairs.
They got up the stairs to find Chuck hooking up a bag of IV fluids. "It'll help combat the shock and help flush her system."
Rossi put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "She's going to be ok, Chuck," he told him and then went and sat down beside her. He rubbed the hair back from her forehead and gave her a smile when she twitched under his touch. "A little rest, and I bet she'll be good as new." When her eyes fluttered, his smile grew. "Well, if she ever wakes her lazy ass up."
"Dave?" she asked weakly.
"Yeah, Kiddo, I'm here."
"Aaron?" she breathed out and then looked around the room. Her eyes widened when they fixed on Sebastian. "Aaron. . ." she called as she held up her hand towards him.
Sebastian looked at the other two men, and Chuck winced. "Low blood pressure causes confusion and blurs vision. She thinks you're him."
The vampire cringed. "No, Kahlan, I'm. . ."
"Come here, Aaron. Your wife would like to hold your hand," Rossi said as he stood up and motioned the man closer.
Sebastian immediately started shaking his head, though. "No, I wouldn't feel right pretending to be him to his wife in her hour of need."
She called out for him one more time, but her hand sank to the bed in her weakened state.
Chuck put two strong hands on the man's back and pushed him towards the bed. "And that is exactly why she needs you to do it. A little reassurance from you slash him will speed up her recovery."
Rossi nodded his agreement. "And I think Aaron would appreciate it," he told him as he pulled him the rest of the way to the bed and basically forced him to sit down beside her.
The vampire sighed but sat and grabbed her hand. With the way she was looking at him, he could tell she wasn't really seeing him, but he gave her a smile. "You need to rest, Kahlan."
"Don't leave me, Aaron," she uttered and closed her eyes, but her grip on his hand didn't lessen.
"Just rest, Kahlan. You'll. . . "
"No, I need to. . ." she started as her eyes fluttered back open and she shifted as if trying to get up.
"No, Kahlan, you need to stay here," Sebastian tried as he held her down with soft hands.
"He calls her babe," Chuck put in softly.
Sebastian looked at him and then nodded. He put a gentle hand on Kahlan's cheek and looked her in the eyes. "Rest, Babe, for me, please."
She gave him a weak nod and a slight smile and shut her eyes. "K."
After a few moments, her grip relaxed completely, and he stood up and fixed both men with a hard look. "We must find him. Love like that cannot be lost, for whatever reason."
"No, no it can't," Rossi agreed and then ushered him out of the room while Chuck finished getting her comfortable.
XXXXX
Hotch moaned as his body shifted.
"He's waking up!" Cole yelled out once he noticed him moving.
Hotch rubbed his eyes as he sat up and then looked at the werewolf with confusion all over his face. "What happened?"
Cole shrugged. "I was going to ask you that. One minute you're talking, the next you're slumped on the floor. Are you alright?"
"We thought that maybe the warlock was doing something to you. How do you feel?" Leo asked him.
Hotch stood up and shook his head. "Dizzy, disoriented. . . but alright, I guess."
Cole and Leo shared a look. "You sure man? You look a little out of it."
"Yes, I'm just not sure. . ." he started and then turned away from them. Oh God, has something happened to Kahlan? He ran a hand down his face. Would I even still feel it being so far away?
"Hotch?" Cole asked as he shared a look with the chimera.
Hotch turned back to them. "I'm fine." Their looks told him they didn't agree, so he forced a smile. "Really," he assured them but inside he was cringing. God, please let her be alright. He knew it was a good possibility that she'd had gotten hurt trying to find him, and that made him feel even worse. Please, Babe, please don't get involved in this.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by the door opening and Cole and Leo standing up to face the two men who walked in. A tall, muscular, blonde man covered in tattoos smiled at Hotch. "It's time to venture out of the cage, bloodsucker."
The dark-haired man with him laughed. "Yeah, time to sink or swim in the pits. Isn't that right, Jordan?" he asked the other man as he cuffed him on the arm.
Jordan's eyes cut to man. "Touch me again, Nathan, and I will kill you."
The fear that flashed across the dark-haired man's face made Hotch mentally wince as he faced them. "As much as I really hate this cage, guys, I think I'd prefer to stay."
Cole chuckled, but quickly coughed it away when Jordan's eyes met his, but the man snorted as he held out a short chain that had a shackle on each end towards Hotch. "Then I guess it's a good thing you don't get to make the decisions, dog."
Hotch's stare came out in full force and he was about to saying something smartass, but Nathan held up a small plastic squirt gun. "Come to the door, and be leashed like a good puppy, or you'll feel the wrath of blessed water."
"Lose the shirt, first," Jordan demanded.
"What?" Hotch asked.
"You stupid or something? Take off the shirt."
Hotch looked at the tattooed man. "Just because they obviously don't pay you enough to afford one, doesn't mean I want to walk around without one."
The man glared at him. "Either take it off, or we'll take it off for you."
Hotch glanced at Cole and Leo, and Cole nodded making Hotch mentally wince and suddenly wish that he'd gotten them to explain about the pits a little more, but he peeled the shirt off.
"Leave it here. You won't be needing it where you're going," Jordan told him as he unlocked Hotch's cage. "Now step out and hold your arms out to the side."
Hotch's heart sped up to almost prevampiric rate and he had to force his feet to move as fear sunk like a weight into his gut.
"Arms out!" Nathan demanded as he jabbed a spear type weapon at Hotch's back.
Hotch flinched and screamed as the weapon burned him, but he quickly moved his arms out as he looked at the weapon. He'd expected the weapon to either bludgeon or stab, not burn, but there fixed to the end of it was a small metal cross. Son of a bitch!
Jordan wrapped the chain belt around Hotch's waist as the other man stood guard clearly expecting the vampire to try something.
"Why do I need to be chained? This damn collar is restraint enough," Hotch tried as Jordan then grabbed his wrists and hooked them in the shackles.
"Not our decision," Jordan told him and then stepped back and motioned to the door. "Now get going."
Hotch took a deep breath as his eyes trailed to his roommates.
"Be tough, Hotch," Cole told him, but his face showed his concern.
"Good luck, Aaron," Leo offered.
Before Hotch could thank them, Jordan shoved him towards the door and looked back at the long-term occupants, "You two should know better than to get attached to the new meat, he might not even make it out of the pits," he told them and then laughed as he shut the door and locked it behind them.
Cole took a deep breath and sat down as he ran a hand through his long hair and looked at Leo. "You think he has a chance?"
Leo sighed as he flopped down onto his side and stretched out. "I don't know, Cole, but I hope so. He's intelligent, he'll adapt."
Cole huffed. "But he has no clue. . . He didn't even know what a troll was." He threw a lump of dried dirt in anger. "His mind might not even be able to process it, let alone deal with it and beat it."
Leo inhaled deeply. "Yes, he is young, but I think there is a lot more to that vampire than even the warlock knows."
