god, you guys. i really am sorry about the posting delay - this chapter was a monster to write. and more so because of the monster involved...
i hope you understand the necessary evils of this bit. if you are triggered and would like to continue reading, just read the first two lines.
THIS CHAPTER (and now story) IS RATED M FOR MATURE CONTENT. TW FOR VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ABUSE.
thank you for your continued support...i hope this suffices until the next installment.
playlist:
1. barton hollow - the civil wars
2. that wasn't me - brandi carlile
3. the end of the line - sleigh bells
reagent /rēājənt/ n. Chem. a substance that, because of the reactions it causes, is used in analysis and synthesis.
"I'm tired, Brian," Charlie whispered hoarsely. "Just do it."
She closed her eyes, stretched out her arms, and waited to die.
18 HOURS AGO
Cold. Hard. Dark. Those were the first sensations Charlie registered when she came out of her drugged stupor. She knew she'd been drugged, because she felt the same way she had when she'd woken after that party the night Lucy had died - only about forty times worse. She tried to lick her chapped lips, and it was then that she realized she was gagged. The cloth was tight and thick around her mouth, and tasted like a mixture of stale chips and gasoline. She blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the light, and felt her eyelashes curl against another strip of fabric that covered her from forehead to nose. Her arms and legs ached from being bound, and she wondered vaguely if she was going to be given anything to eat.
She strained her ears, hoping to hear the sound of traffic, birds, footsteps, or even someone breathing - anything to know that she was not just going to be left here to rot. She twisted and thrashed, and eventually flipped herself over on her side. She used the edge of her right foot to propel herself slowly across the floor, using her shoulder almost as a limb to push off from. She reached a wall and leaned against it, breathless.
"Someone's awake," a deep, familiar voice purred. Charlie felt like she would be sick, but she quickly swallowed back the bile, as she knew Brian would make her do that anyway. And from experience, she knew vomit burned twice as much going down as it did coming up.
"Let me go!" Charlie tried to shout. Her muffled cry just made Brian laugh.
"You always were noisy," he commented. "You're much easier to handle when you're gagged."
She felt him kneel beside her, his calloused hand roughly brushing her cheek. Charlie wished she could see, but was glad that he could not see the fear and loathing in her eyes. She tried to control her breathing, but her uncomfortable position made it hard for her to stop panting.
"Daddy's missed you, Emmeline," Brian said, pushing Charlie's hair out of her face. Charlie shivered involuntarily, and Brian chuckled.
"Let's go upstairs, hmm?" he said. "Daddy's gonna take off your blindfold and the ropes on your legs. If you behave, I might let you take off the gag."
Charlie blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog from her brain. The damp cellar she was in was not terribly bright, so it didn't take long for her eyes to adjust. Brian lifted her up by the shoulders, and her legs felt as wobbly as a fawn's, but she held her own as Brian led her upstairs.
Charlie immediately took stock of her surroundings. They were in a storage center of some sort - probably where discontinued products and damaged goods came to die. Charlie could make out stacks of crates lining one wall. Her stomach lurched as she noticed the other area of the warehouse. There was a bed made up atop some old pallets, a mini fridge, an armchair, a small TV, and a rack of clothes.
Brian tugged Charlie over to the makeshift room, and sat in the armchair before pulling her down on top of him in a sick imitation of a parent and his child.
"I love this little schoolgirl outfit," he muttered thickly, his hot breath wafting past Charlie's ear. "Did you wear it just for me?"
Charlie glared at him, and he tapped her leg sharply. "Do you want the gag out or not?" He barked. Charlie felt the dry and cottony cavern of her mouth begging for water, and she bowed her head. Summoning up all the acting prowess she'd amassed via osmosis, she made her eyes dewy and repentant, and turned her face shyly towards Brian.
"That's much better," he praised, stroking the tender inside of her thigh. Charlie suppressed a shudder, instead focusing on her small triumph. Brian loosed the knot at the back of her head, and Charlie relished the feeling of her tongue passing over her lips again and again.
"Water," she croaked, looking at Brian beseechingly. Charlie felt sick inside, playing nice and kissing up, but she was fighting to stay alive. Until she could figure out a way to get out of this place, she would have to use the resources she had at hand. Brian was her only avenue of sustenance at this point, and she didn't have a plan.
Brian set her on her feet, and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. He unscrewed the cap and tilted the mouth of the bottle up to hers. Charlie slurped greedily, pausing occasionally for a breath, until the thin plastic crumbled in on itself as she sucked in only air.
"Thank you," she said automatically, slipping into her role as dutiful daughter.
"I think you know how to thank me properly," Brian said suggestively. He put a hand on Charlie's head, forcing her onto her knees. He unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans, pulling his flaccid penis from his underwear. Charlie gulped, her nose beginning to tingle, but she fought back the tears and closed her eyes. She would not let him see weakness in her.
'I am stronger than him,' Charlie thought to herself. 'I will beat him, not the other way around.'
She lowered her mouth to his member and began to suck, swirling her tongue around as her head bobbed up and back.
He grunted and moaned, wrapping her hair around his fist and pushing her face into his groin. When he finally released his load, Charlie had to swallow as she continued to suck, because he wouldn't let go. After a minute or two, he fell back into the chair, and Charlie relaxed slightly, her thighs against her calves and feet tucked beneath her.
"You haven't lost your touch," Brian said, once he'd recovered. "Or your suck, I guess," he said with a lascivious wink.
Charlie gagged, her face wrinkling of its own accord.
"I just gave you a compliment, girl!" Brian barked.
"Thank you," Charlie muttered weakly, cursing her slip-up.
"Thank you, what?"
Charlie exhaled quietly, gathering her strength. "Thank you, Daddy."
"That's a good girl," he cooed. "Now come here," he ordered. "I wanna take a good look at you."
Charlie blinked once more and stood slowly, unsteady without the use of her arms. But she managed, and shuffled over to stand between Brian's splayed legs.
He examined her carefully, turning her this way and that to see all of her. Charlie winced as he unbuttoned her cardigan and blouse. He pulled her breasts out of her bra, fondling them roughly as if they were balls of dough. Then, leaving them hanging uncomfortably over the top of the cotton garment, he turned her around and bent her over.
"White panties," Charlie heard him mutter. She didn't have to look to know that his dick was getting hard, and the thought made her stomach turn. She resisted slightly as he forced her thighs apart, but relented after a couple of brutal slaps. He petted at the gusset of her underwear, and then stood her straight again.
"Damn, you are such a slut," he laughed cruelly. Charlie said nothing, understanding that it was not her who was to blame. She promised herself yet again that she would not break, no matter what he did. She was stronger than him.
"Stay right there," Brian ordered. He stood, and walked over to the rack of clothes against the wall. "We're going to play a little game."
Charlie stood, arms still bound behind her. She was very uncomfortable, but tried not to shift around, lest she draw Brian's attention back to herself. He fumbled through the rack, which Charlie could now see held a variety of satiny dresses. Eventually, he selected one, bringing a box and the dress on its hanger back over to her.
Charlie saw it clearly now, and her stomach turned upside down in her abdomen. It was shiny and pink, with polka dots and tulle ruffles and silken ribbons. A rounded white collar ringed the neck of the dress, and a big pink bow with a rosette in the middle adorned it. Her eyes clenched tightly in reaction, and she tried to keep from doubling over.
"Let's get you out of these dirty clothes," Brian cooed, reaching for a pair of scissors on a nearby shelf. As Charlie tried to stifle her shrieks of horror, Brian snipped her uniform into shreds. Soon enough, she was standing nearly naked, shivering in the cold air of the room. The only clothing that remained intact were her underwear and her shoes.
When Brian finished cutting up the sleeves of her sweater, he set the scissors back down and slowly unknotted the ropes binding back her arms. "Now," he warned, "don't you try anything funny. Can you lift your arms up for Daddy?"
Charlie had no intentions of trying anything funny - at least, not at the moment. She would lull Brian into a false sense of security, she thought, and then she'd make her escape. For now, though, Charlie closed her eyes and extended her sore limbs, allowing Brian to slip the pink monstrosity over her head and thread her arms through the sleeves. He chuckled and clucked, and Charlie held back the disgusted shudder that threatened to wrack her body.
"We're gonna play Daddy's Princess, Emmie," Brian whispered. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"
Charlie shook her head, almost without meaning to. Brian grabbed her chin roughly and jerked her face to look into his.
"What?" He growled, spitting mad.
"N-nothing, Daddy," Charlie sputtered, suddenly feeling twelve years old again. He slapped her, hard, and she winced as her head cracked to the side. She ached, and she was tired, and she was scared.
"Get over here," Brian was saying, as he yanked her arm and dragged her over to the mattress.
Charlie felt cool air rush across her stomach and legs as her dress was hiked up around her ribcage and she was divested of her underwear. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt Brian's stiff appendage force its way into her body.
Maybe she couldn't do this. Maybe she wasn't strong enough.
'Mom,' she cried out in her mind. 'Mom, please help. I can't do this alone. Please, somebody help!'
12 HOURS AGO
Rick looked through the small window above the espresso machine in the break room. He could see his wife running her fingers through her hair, muttering angrily to herself. Pushing the lever sharply to the side, Rick picked up coffees for Kate and himself and brought them back to Kate's desk.
"Beckett," he murmured. "Take a break."
"I can't," she snapped, not even looking at him.
"Kate," he said again, more urgently. "Please."
"I need to find my daughter!" Kate yelled. The whole division went silent, and Kate glared around, daring people to keep staring at her. Then, finally, she met Rick's eyes.
They were gray-ringed and worried, like her own. They were both exhausted, mentally and physically. Kate felt a pang as she realized that Charlie wasn't just her responsibility anymore; that Rick cared about her, too. Sighing, she took one of the mugs her partner had brought over and nursed it quietly.
"We're gonna find her, Kate," Rick promised.
"We have no idea where Wright is, Castle! He could be halfway across the city, he could be out of the state! He could even be in another country, and we would never know! Charlie's phone is off or dead or broken, so we can't track her with GPS. She said she was going to school, but she obviously didn't, so we don't even have a direction to follow. We need leads, Rick!"
"And we'll get them," he responded calmly. "But neither of us will be able to see anything if we're too tired and wrung out to focus."
"I can't just go, not knowing where she is or what's happening to her," Kate said despondently.
"Just get a few hours of rest, Beckett, that's all I ask," Rick coaxed.
Suddenly, Kate felt lightheaded, and her vision began to blur. She nodded slowly. "Alright, Castle," she relented.
"Good," he said, smiling. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be back."
"Okay," Kate said, unable to stifle a yawn.
Rick smiled, and helped Kate out of her chair and over to the elevator. In a minute, they were in a cab and headed for home.
Kate was restless that night. She was constantly waking, screams raw in her throat, thinking of where her daughter was and what was happening to her. Around one AM, she decided that it was useless to try and sleep any more. She turned to her left to look at Rick, and sat straight up when she realized that he wasn't there.
"Castle?" She whispered. She got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, but he wasn't there. "Rick?"
Grabbing her robe from off a hook by the door, she left the bedroom and picked her way across the loft to Rick's office. Sighing in relief, she stood in the dimly-lit doorway and knocked.
"Whatcha doin', Castle?" Kate asked, her voice raspy from sleep.
"She's gotta be around here," he muttered. "Wha-?" Rick looked up, seemingly surprised to see his wife standing in the doorway. "Beckett, what are you doing up?"
Kate moved around to sit in one of the soft leather chairs in front of Rick's desk. "I could ask the same of you, Rick," she said. "Couldn't sleep."
Rick shook his head. "Me either," he agreed. "I've been trying to look for clues, but I don't even know where to start." He rubbed his fingers across his eyelids and down the bridge of his nose. "There's a series of warehouses around the girls' school," Rick explained. "I've been trying to figure out which ones are abandoned - maybe Wright is using one of them as his hideout."
"Let's go," Kate said, standing and moving towards the door.
"Whoa, wait," Rick called. "I still don't know which ones we should look in. There are about 20 of them, and half of those have multiple stories! We need backup, and more information."
"Well, we'll call Ryan and Espo, and we can split up," Kate suggested manically. "C'mon, Rick," she begged. "I gotta do something."
Rick leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "Alright. I'll start breakfast while you shower."
Kate wanted to protest even that, considering the hour and her distress, but the worn look on her husband's face quelled that slightly. She walked around the desk to give him a kiss, and then re-entered their bedroom to get ready for the day.
24 HOURS AGO
Charlie heard her feet strike the pavement like the rhythmic staccato of a bongo beat. Her knees felt the pressure of running in her comfortable, yet unsupportive school flats, but she didn't mind so much as long as she was getting somewhere.
She ducked through the system of alleyways around Marlowe Prep, successfully avoiding seeing anyone she knew, and continued to run through Tribeca. The sun was slowly poking its head out from behind the dark horizon, and Charlie stopped to catch her breath. Rubbing her hands over her knees, she bent over and tried to relax.
She looked around her. She was in a fairly deserted area - no shops, no offices, no nothing. She was fairly far from the loft, and was suddenly very tired. She figured that a short rest wouldn't hurt, and she poked around outside the nearest warehouse, trying to determine if it was occupied or not. She guessed not, and slipped into the alley.
Charlie crept through the rusted side gate, which was swinging open in the late fall breeze. Charlie shivered, rubbing her upper arms and elbows for warmth. She tugged the sleeves of her school sweater down over her thumbs and balled the cuffs in her fists, looking around for an entrance. There were two alley doors - the one closest to Charlie lacked a handle, however. She walked down a ways, and found that the other door had a plate that swung out to pull. As she yanked on it, the door opened with a pop. Charlie hoisted her backpack up further on her shoulder and stole inside.
It looked deserted, at first glance. There were empty pallets piled high above Charlie's head, crates that had been crowbarred open and left, and painted-shut windows that were so dusty that the glass looked gray. Charlie walked down rows of concrete, lined with makeshift walls - she felt like a rat in a maze. Finally, she reached the far wall, and sunk down upon a stack of empty burlap sacks. It certainly wasn't the comfiest stool, but Charlie was exhausted. She placed her backpack on a low ledge, wrapped her arms around it, and laid her head down. In a few moments, she was out like a light.
She woke suddenly, a few hours later, because her body was alerting her that it couldn't get any oxygen. She was being strangled from behind, and as she desperately tried to throw off her attacker, her vision and muscles got weaker and weaker. Then the choking was gone, and Charlie's lungs swelled as she began panting rapidly, trying to force air into her body. But before Charlie's eye could focus, her vision was obscured by a piece of dark cloth. Charlie felt her fingers and toes numb - was it really that cold? She'd been hearing the whirring of industrial grade fans constantly, but they started to fade out. She felt light-headed, like her skull was stuffed with cotton, and her limbs grew limp. The last thing she remembered was falling...
6 HOURS AGO
Rick had convinced Kate that it would make their search more efficient if they looked at surveillance around the warehouse area before heading out there. They went down to the station, and Esposito and Ryan were waiting for them there.
"Thanks for coming so late," Kate greeted. "Or early." Ryan and Esposito both nodded.
"Hey guys," Ryan greeted. "Most of the footage has come in already - we're still waiting on one or two cameras, but Espo and I have started looking through what we've got. It's looking like a lot of buildings and alleyways, honestly," he said, a note of apology in his voice. "I'm sorry, Beckett."
Kate let out a sigh. "It's okay, Ryan, it isn't your fault. And there are a couple more tapes to come in, so maybe there will be something on them."
"Wait, Beckett," Espo said excitedly.
"What?" Rick asked. "Did you get the rest of the film?"
"No, but I think I got something," he answered. "Watch this - look at the bottom right corner at 13:07."
Kate leaned in behind him, staring hard at the grainy film. Thirteen ticked by, and Kate held her breath. At 13:08, a little head popped up, slowly walking into the frame. As the figure came more into view, both Kate and Rick gasped. There was the backpack, the school uniform - even a tiny little color blip on the screen that told Kate that there was a stuffed bear in that bag. The figure paused, continued walking, then went up to the wall and disappeared.
"She went inside," Kate said disbelievingly, at the moment unsure if she was more terrified or furious.
"Is that it?" Rick questioned, an unconscious hand going up to knead Kate's shoulder.
"No, guys, look. This is the other angle of Espo's alley," Ryan said quietly. Kate and Rick went over to his computer, and Esposito swiveled around to look.
They watched as a face quite similar to Charlie's came up the street and went into the building. But Ryan fast-forwarded to roughly ninety minutes later, when another person appeared in the shot. Big and burly, the man lumbered down the alley and went in through the same door Charlie had used.
"Oh my god," Kate muttered under her breath. "No."
Rick took in the sick look on his wife's face. "Beckett?"
"That's him, Castle," she whispered. "That's Brian Wright."
PRESENT
Everything was happening so fast. After being fucked mercilessly last night, wolfing down a hamburger, and going at it again, Charlie had been allowed to fall asleep. When she woke, Brian was crouching over her with a sickening scowl on his face.
"What the fuck did you do?" he roared.
"I…wh-what are you talking about?" Charlie stammered.
"This area is suddenly swarming with police," he spat, saliva droplets landing on her face. "Don't you dare try and tell me you had nothing to do with that."
"I didn't, I swear! How could I?" Charlie was nervous, and it radiated from her.
Brian smirked. "Maybe you are telling the truth, little bitch," he said. "But your slut ass will get what's coming to it."
Roughly, he grabbed Charlie's arm and hauled her from the bed. It took a minute of freezing air hitting her for Charlie to realize that she was still naked.
"Can't I put on some clothes?" she asked meekly, cringing at his thunderous expression.
He punched her solidly on the cheek, and then tossed her a dress from the rack. Wincing, Charlie slid the dress over her head and scrambled to find her underwear.
"C'mon, Emmie," Brian said gruffly, slapping her ass. Charlie lurched forward and howled as her wounded cheek hit the floor. "Oh, shut up!"
Brian dragged her outside, shivering and pained, and stood her up against the wall. Charlie's eyes went wide in fear as he whipped a gun out of his pocket and leveled it at her heart. Her brain was screaming at her to run, but she couldn't move. She could barely even breathe.
"Your fucking cop mother won't get here in time to save you, you know."
Charlie wanted to cry at the threat, but a piece of information stuck out in her mind. "You know my mom is a detective?" Charlie asked.
"Of course I do, Emmie," Brian said condescendingly. "I know everything about you. I know where you live, where you go to school, what you do - I am near you all the time."
Charlie felt a shiver go down her spine, and a choking noise filled her ears. It took her a moment to realize that she was the one making it.
"It took me a while to find you, of course, but then it was so obvious. You'd come here to find your mommy, and that's exactly what happened, isn't it?"
Charlie's stomach turned at the way he referred to Kate, but she kept quiet, forcing down the dry heaves rising in her chest.
"Mommy took you in, kept you safe and sound, and then got together with her little boyfriend and you all became one big, happy family," Brian mocked. "But they will never choose you, Emmeline."
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but-"
"Your father and brothers left you." Brian continued, ignoring Charlie. "Your friends left you. And your own mother," he sneered at the term, "chose me over you."
Charlie bit down on the inside of her good cheek, hard. He was right. Her dad and Drew and Topher left her. They left her with her mom, someone who was not strong enough to protect her. Caitlin and Courtney; Amanda and Annie; Ella - they all left her. And right after her father and brothers had died, too. She was damaged goods; no one wanted her. And she wasn't even enough for the mother who claimed to want her in the first place. No, Fran had to go out and find a new man. And she couldn't protect Charlie then, either - she'd already made her choice. Aggie left her and Lucy. And once Lucy had left her too…
"You really think that a detective and a famous author want to be your parents? You're a screw-up, Emmie - you know that, and I know that, and now they know that, too."
She had known, really, that it was too good to be true with Kate and Rick. Alexis hated her, Martha pitied her, and Rick and Kate really just thought she was a nuisance. She shouldn't have been their responsibility.
Charlie tasted metal and bile as she slowly let her jaw slacken. She dropped all guard and raised her eyes to meet Brian's.
For a second, he smiled. But then the wind seemed to drift out of his sails. He wasn't enjoying it anymore, now that there was no fight.
"I'm tired, Brian," Charlie whispered hoarsely. "Just do it."
She closed her eyes, stretched her arms out, and waited to die.