I woke up in total darkness. I didn't how long I had been laying there, where I was or whether or not I was alone.

Nothing stirred around me. Nothing made a noise. There was no warm body laying against me. Just a great emptiness that seemed to absorb everything. My heartbeat and breath sounded so loud in the darkness I was almost afraid of the noise.

Reaching out a shaky hand, I tried to assess my surroundings. I had no idea whether I was in impending, immediate danger or not. Blinking my eyes did no good. There simply was absolutely no light that I could determine.

I realized I was laying on the floor, right beside the bedroom door, in exactly the same place that I had fallen. The memory of the moments before came back to me in a terrifying wave and I jerked around, frantically feeling all around the floor in search of Chuck.

I found nothing and the fear began to settle in my stomach like a heavy anchor pulling me down into immobility. I fought against it, told myself that he just woke before me and was somewhere in our little 'house'.

" Chuck !" I called out, praying with everything in me that he would answer.

But my pleas were met with no answer. I tried again and again, calling out until my voice was hoarse, but the end result remained the same.

Climbing to my feet was an effort. My head felt foggy and full of fluff, not painful as if I had hit it, but groggy as if I had had too much to drink.

I realized in my altered state that the bang I heard was probably some sort of tranquiler gun or something similar. A quick check of my arm reveled something oblong and needle-like sticking out from just below my shoulder. I plucked it out and dropped it to the floor as I felt around on the door until I found the knob.

Staggering, I opened the door and tried calling out once again. Again there was no answer. I stumbled to the bed and fumbled around until I found the lamp.

The light seemed far too bright, far brighter than it I had the night before and I blinked against the sudden change.

When I could focus again, I rose from the bed, still unsteady and off balance, and began to search the entire area.

I found nothing. Nothing was out of place, even our dinner plates were still scattered over the table, untouched. The scene was eerie, as if we had been plucked out of a moment in our lives and sat back down somewhere else.

Nothing was amiss, except two things, I noticed the refrigerator had been restocked with fresh milk, fruit and vegetables and there was no Chuck.

No Chuck, I didn't know what to do with that. I couldn't imagine being in the small confining space without him. I couldn't imagine being without him, period.

Terror filled me and I went to the couch and fell onto it in a heap. Then I started to cry.

A million thoughts buzzed through my mind all at once and I was completely incapable of figuring them all out. I managed to grasp hold of a few as they flew by and none of them were pleasant.

What if Lily had paid Chuck's ransom, but my mother hadn't paid mine ? What if Chuck had been taken somewhere else and he wasn't ever coming back ? What if I was completely unimportant to these people like Chuck said, so unimportant that they would leave me here to die alone ?

I shook my head to push the thoughts away. Of course my mother would pay the ransom if one had been asked for. And even if she wouldn't, my father certainly would. And if Chuck was free and I was still here, I knew without a doubt in my mind that he would never rest until he found me and set me free as well. He loved me. The memory of the sound of the words rang in my ears, filling me with at least some comfort. He loves me, I told myself over and over, repeating the words like a mantra as I got up and moved into the bedroom.

Another thought struck me as I reached for the door and it stopped me, holding me completely still and unable to move at all.

What if the kidnappers had taken Chuck somewhere and they were hurting him ? What if they had killed him because Lily refused to give them any money, or called the police ? I had seen enough movies to know how the kidnapping thing worked. Don't call the police or we'll kill your precious child. Do exactly as we say or we'll kill your precious child. Had Lily made a mistake that cost Chuck his life ?

I sank back to the floor and huddled against the door. I noticed offhandedly that I was laying in the exact place where I had woke up only a little bit before.

What was I supposed to do now ? How long until I knew what exactly was going on ? How long would I have to lay here and wonder if he was alive or dead ?

Tears streaked down my face again and I heard myself sobbing into my hands which were covering my head. I felt like I couldn't breath and it took me a minute to understand that I was crying so hard, I was nearly hyperventilating.

In fact I was crying so hard and so loudly I nearly missed the sound of the door at the end of the hall opening and then shutting once again very quickly.

I jerked my head up, squinting into the darkness and peering through tears that refuse to let up, I saw something moving. A huddled mass shrouded in darkness and not making a sound. There was a sharp hiss and a click on the other side of the door and the light above it blinked on once again. I hadn't even noticed it wasn't lit until it came back on. An angry red beacon over the only portal of escape.

I wondered absently if the light being off had meant that the door was unlock all this time. Could I have just stepped out and walked away instead of searching frantically for Chuck ? Would I have left him here and escaped to freedom had I known the option was opened to me ?

I thought about all this only vaguely as I continued to watch the shape at the end of the hall, shrouded in black and almost totally unmoving.

I watched and waited. Waited for something else to happen, waited for something that would put things into motions, whatever motion that might be.

When nothing happened for several minutes, I got slowly to my feet and eased my way towards the object. As I got near, I realized that it was human shaped, a human shape I recognized, in fact. A human shape that only minutes before I was mourning the loss of. Chuck.

I raced to him and fell to my knees by his side, gingerly touching his back as I tried to find his face in the mass of body parts.

When I touched him, he raised his head and I nearly jumped back in horror. His eyes, always so beautiful and full of mischief and emotion, were swollen mostly closed. I could barely make out the smallest sliver of color looking back at me. His perfect, flawless skin was battered and bruised so badly he almost wasn't recognizable.

I gasped and my eyes flew open in surprise.

" Oh my God, Chuck, Are you okay ?" I asked, laying gentle fingers to the side of his mishapped face.

His bottom lip was swollen as well and a steady stream of blood trickled from a wound of the side of his mouth. His nose looked broken and he was holding his arm around his middle protectively.

At first he didn't answer me. I wasn't sure he even recognized me. There was no emotion in him. But then so suddenly it startled me, he reached out and grabbed me against him.

" Blair," He whispered. " Are you alright ?"

I shook my head, feeling myself start to cry again. " Of course, I'm alright. Are you alright ?"

He struggled to an upright position and propped his back against the door. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his arms were propped on them as he turned his head carefully to look at me.

His gaze scanned over me as if he were checking to make sure I was really okay and not just lying to him.

" They didn't touch me. I woke up right where I fell down. The only thing different was you weren't here." I told him.

" They didn't take you, too ?" He asked, disbelievingly.

I shook my head again and reached for his hand to reassure him, or maybe to reassure myself that he was really there. Either way, I just wanted to be touching him somehow.

He tried to take a breath but choked and started coughing before he made it very far. I winced at the look of pain on his face. " God, what did they do to you ?"

" Not they, " His strained voice was just above a whisper. " I know now why we're here." He shifted and grabbed me into his chest, clutching at me almost desperately. " I was so afraid that they had taken you, too. That he would find out who it was in here with me."

" Who ?" I asked into his shoulder. He relaxed his hold slightly, allowing me enough room to breath. And I turned my head so that I could see into his face. " Uncle Jack." He answered finally.

I jerked back and eyed him incredulously. " Your Uncle Jack is the man that's taken us hostage ?" I demanded.

He nodded painfully.

" Why ? " I pondered out loud.

" He wants my shares in the company. He wants me to sign over my stocks and give him control. He actually told me that while his crones were beating the shit out of me. Said, I'm sorry, kid. This isn't personal. It's just business." He told me sardonically.

I didn't know what to say to him. He looked so hurt, so lost and so unlike Chuck. I was reminded of the time right after his father's funeral when he came to me and I held him all night. He had been beaten and broken then, too, only on different level.

" We need to get you up and into the bedroom. I want to see how badly you're hurt." I told him.

He held onto my hand, refusing to let it go and I glanced at him then stopped when I caught his eye.

" The men that are working for him don't know who you are." He told me. " All Jack knows is that they grabbed some girl when they took me." He squeezed my hand. " We have to keep it that way. As long as Jack is just threatening me, I can hold him off. If he finds out you're the one down here with me, he'll try to use you. I won't let that happen."

" Well, you aren't giving him your company either." I announced firmly. " I don't care what he does to me. You can't let him do this. We'll just have to figure out a way to escape."

"Escape ?" He asked like he didn't understand the word.

" Yes, escape. You know, flee, runaway, leave this place and return home. Escape." I answered, getting to my feet with him still clutching my hand, which was no easy task.

" How do you propose we accomplish this miracle ?" He muttered as he tried to stand and fell back into the door.

" I don't know yet. But we'll think of something. We always do."