Parental Obligations: Of Fear Smart Mouths

Mac felt his blood run cold when he heard Lindsay's address over the police scanner. He immediately turned on his lights and headed toward the apartment building while Danny, who was in the passenger seat, called Lindsay.

They got there seconds before the ambulance and Mac took the stairs two at a time, Danny close behind him. They burst into the apartment with their guns drawn and Grace immediately threw herself into Mac's arms.

"Daddy," Grace sobbed.

Mac held her close as she cried. Danny and another officer checked the rest of the rest of the apartment while the paramedics loaded Hannah onto a stretcher and wheeled her out.

It was the first time Grace called him daddy and it was tainted by the fact that two girls were missing and another one was being taken to the hospital.

Danny emerged from the bedroom with his gun holstered. "There's no one else here, Mac," he said. "Elizabeth and Samantha are nowhere in this apartment."

"Where the hell are they?" Lindsay asked from the doorway. Her voice shook as she looked at the small amount of blood on the floor.

"Gracie," Mac said gently, "can you tell me what happened?"

Grace pulled away and looked up at him with luminous green eyes. "A man came and then he had a gun and 'Lizbeth told him he's not her family and he made them go with him and Hannah wouldn't wake up so I called 911."

"Made them go…?" Lindsay said faintly.

Danny was by her side in an instant, leading her to a chair.

"Who took my kids, Danny?" Lindsay asked, looking into his eyes.

He so wanted to give her all the answers, but he couldn't. "I don't know, Montana," he said, pushing her hair aside, "but we'll catch him."

Lindsay felt like something was squeezing her heart and she couldn't breathe. Her mind had gone blank and all she could think of was the fact that they were gone, possibly dead.

Stella entered the apartment. "Grace?" she said fearfully.

"Mommy!"

Stella sighed in relief as she swept Grace up in her arms. She had come as soon as she heard.

Over Grace's head, Stella and Mac's eyes met, both filled with unspoken fears. They had both thought the worst. After he received the silent comfort he needed, Mac turned away and walked over to Lindsay and Danny.

"Lindsay?" he said quietly.

Lindsay looked up at him. Her big brown eyes were glazed over with unshed tears and she looked like she was moments away from a complete breakdown.

"I have reason to believe that…that Elizabeth knows whoever did this," he said quietly.

"Mac," Lindsay half-sobbed, "Elizabeth has only been in the city for a month. She never gets a chance to meet anyone new."

"She called him Uncle Kenny," Mac said.

Lindsay felt all the air escape her lungs. Spots filled her vision moments before all went black.

"Who's this young lady?" Kenneth Manchetti asked, a half grin making him look devastatingly handsome.

Nine-year-old Elizabeth giggled. "I'm Elizabeth," she said in a cheerful, friendly tone.

Kenneth glanced over at his very pregnant girlfriend. They had only been dating for a few months, but they had both agreed that it was time to meet the daughter. "I'm Kenneth, but you, little lady, can call me Uncle Kenny."

Lindsay rolled her eyes good-naturedly when Kenneth theatrically kissed Elizabeth's hand. Despite his rugged appearance, he was quite handsome and could charm just about anyone.

She laughed slightly when her baby kicked. Things were starting to look up.

"I think she's starting to come to," Danny said. He lightly slapped Lindsay's cheeks and her eyes fluttered open.

Lindsay looked up at him in confusion before comprehension dawned on her and she squeezed her eyes shut. "He's never going to let us go," she whispered.

Danny gave Mac a worried look. "Who isn't going to let you go, Montana?"

Lindsay slowly reopened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling of her kitchen. "Kenny. Kenneth Manchetti. My ex-fiancé."

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Elizabeth sighed quietly. "You do realize she isn't going to take you back, right? Kidnapping someone's kids isn't really a catalyst for fluffy feelings…at least not on our end. I mean, sure, some people—"

"Elizabeth," Kenneth snapped. "Shut up."

Elizabeth sighed again. Sam had cried herself to sleep and was lying against Elizabeth's left side. Elizabeth was handcuffed to the bed frame so she could get some sleep. Right. It was barely even one. She had just woke up about three hours before. How was she supposed to sleep?

Kenneth had no problems sleeping, apparently. He was stretched out on a cot beside the door. Nuh uh. He scared Elizabeth and Sam, and Elizabeth wasn't going to let that go.

"I'm hungry," she complained, even though she had absolutely no inclination to eat.

"Dinner's at six," Kenneth said without opening his eyes. "I'll get you a snack in a couple of hours. Now shut up!"

Elizabeth went silent and stayed that way…for about three minutes. She gave him just enough time to drift to that peaceful place between waking and sleeping before she spoke again. "Do you have a book or TV or something?"

Kenneth's eyes popped open and he sat up quickly.

Elizabeth smiled innocently at him and shrugged. "A girl gets a little bored." Inside, she was frantically trying to work on a way out. When he went to sleep, that would give her the perfect opportunity. First, she needed a plan though.

Kenneth growled to himself before leaving the room for a few seconds. He returned minutes later with a Gameboy, a book, and a magazine. "Now. You will be quiet or I will give you a reason to make noise. Do you understand me?"

Lindsay's mouth snapped shut from the demand of water she was about to give. She silently nodded and picked up the book. Peter Pan. She had already read it. Twice. Of course, a book wasn't good unless it made you want to read it again and again.

Shrugging to herself, she opened it and began reading it again. The escape plan would have to wait, as she didn't have a plan and Kenneth was clearly insane.

Sam stirred against her and Elizabeth froze. "Sister?" Sam murmured, her eyes opening a little.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"'M thirsty," Sam whispered, wiggling a little. "And I have to potty."

"Can you hold it?" Elizabeth whispered, pulling at the cuffs with no results. At least her left hand was free.

The look on Sam's face clearly said she couldn't hold it for long.

"Hey!" Elizabeth said. Kenneth didn't stir so she threw the magazine at him.

Kenneth woke to something hitting him in the face and came up with the gun pointed straight at the girls.

Elizabeth moved in front of Sam. Although she was fairly certain Kenneth didn't plan to kill them, she didn't want to chance it. "Sam's gotta pee."

Kenneth took his finger off the trigger and loosened his grip on the gun. "Dammit," he cursed. "You crazy little—come on."

Sam cried out when Kenneth tried to pick her up. She moved further behind Elizabeth.

"Sam," Elizabeth said quietly. "You're going to have to be brave. He's not going to hurt you." She knew that much.

Kenneth picked Sam up and she allowed him although she wiggled until he put her down, taking her hand and leading her to the bathroom. He propped a chair against the doorknob so she couldn't get out until he let her before going back into the bedroom.

"What the hell is your problem? Why won't you let me sleep?"

"Uh, hello?" Elizabeth said. "Being kidnapped wasn't on today's agenda. Maybe next time you should call ahead and I'll tell you what day will offer me the most comfort."

Kenneth slapped her. "You're just as mouthy as ever," he said with a certain amount of amazement. "You were so sweet when we first met."

"Well, I guess when you really get to know some people, they're not at all like they first seem," Elizabeth said with a meaningful glare. Her cheek hurt like hell but it just fuelled her anger. It didn't stop her urge to cry though. She hadn't been hit like that since Kenneth had left two years earlier.

"All I want is for us to be a family again," Kenneth said quietly. His face softened. "I love you. That's why I do this. You need the discipline."

"I'm plenty disciplined, thank you. You don't get to decide what punishments I do and don't get." Her glare was nasty. "You're not my father."

"You're father never wanted you," Kenneth snapped.

"Maybe not," Elizabeth said, "but at least he's a good man."

"He's not a good man," Kenneth scoffed. "A good man doesn't leave his kids."

"He's twice the man you'll ever be," Elizabeth said quietly.

When Kenneth finally led Sam back into the bedroom, Elizabeth was passed out cold. "Your sister needed to take a little nap," Kenneth said gently. "You're not going to try anything, are you? I don't need to tie you up, do I?"

Sam silently shook her head, her eyes never leaving Elizabeth's still form. There was blood leaking from a cut on Elizabeth's left cheekbone and her eye looked a little swollen.

"Great," Kenneth said cheerfully. "Why don't you lay up there beside big sis?"

Sam quietly climbed onto the bed, laying her head on Elizabeth's chest and listening to the steady heartbeat. Kenneth watched the sisters, a little disconcerted by Sam's silent gaze.

He hadn't seen them since Sam was two, Elizabeth eleven. It felt like a lifetime, and he had missed them all, including Lindsay, dreadfully.

TBC…Ugh. I hate Kenneth. So I was sitting here thinking...I need to write some more. Then I realized that I already had another chapter written and all I needed to do was post it.