Rescued, Reunited and Refused

(I know it's a bit long but I'm trying my best to even things out and make them make as much sense in the story as in my head)

I was sitting in Cam's arms. I was still shaking but I was getting better. I heard a thump and someone cry out. It sounded like Jack. I jumped up and tried to go to the dressed but my legs were shaking so much that I just collapsed. Well, I would have if Cam didn't catch me.

"I need a shirt." He nodded and opened the dresser drawer. He took out one of his bagging shirts and helped me put it on.

As he was helping me Jack ran into the room. "Let go of her."

The shirt was on and I ran to Jack. He took me in his arms and spun me around. "Come on let's go." He was about to jump back but I ran into Cam's arms again.

"No! We are not leaving him here!"

Jack looked confused, "He kidnapped and hurt you and you want to take him with us?"

I shook my head, "He didn't hurt me. If it weren't for him I would have been raped by my own father. I'm not leaving without my big brother and I'm not taking no for an answer!"

Jack had his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay he can come with us." He looked at Cam, "Thank you for taking care of her." Cam nodded. Jack walked over and took my hand, "Hold on to me, both of you." I grabbed onto Jack and Cam grabbed onto me. "Brace yourself." Jack pushed on the manipulator and we jumped to the hub. I watched as the boys grabbed their heads in pain.

I knew why I couldn't feel it and it scared me to tears. Cam looked up and ran to me, "What's wrong? You're home you're safe why are you crying?"

I sniffed and wiped my tears, "I couldn't feel the pain, Cam I didn't feel anything."

He pulled me into his arms, "Hey, you've been through a lot these few months. The pain from what you went through is worse than the pain from whatever we just did."

"We jumped," Jack explained, "This is a time vortex manipulator. We can go to wherever whenever. All I do is lock on coordinates of a place, the time and date and off we go."

Cam looked bewildered, "That's amazing."

I looked up at him, "That's my job."

"What do you do here? I mean I can see him but you're fifteen."

I laughed, "Well I work in the autopsy room with Owen in the mornings and in the afternoons I work with Tosh on the computers."

Everyone on the team had poked their heads out of there office doors, "Do I hear Zorah?" everyone looked at me and came out, they all hugged me and everything went well until I got to giving Owen a hug. As relieved as I was to see him again as soon as I smelled the alcohol I was hit with flashbacks.

I pulled away, "Get away, get away, get away." I ran back to Cam and Owen looked both hurt and shocked. I hid behind Cam crying as my head filled with the beatings and screaming fits.

Jack looked up at Owen and walked over. He sniffed the air and nodded, "You smell like alcohol, her dad drinks a lot. It's not you trust me." Owen nodded and walked away.

I wiped my tears realizing what I just did, "Owen wait…" he didn't stop. He just walked into the autopsy room and locked the door behind him.

I held my breath trying not to cry until I gave up, "Ianto, where's my room that Jack had you put together for me?" He pointed down the hall and started to walk behind him. The others started to follow when I turned around. "Stay." I turned back and followed Ianto down the hallway.

Ianto stopped and pointed into a room, "There's also some of your clothes in the dresser if you want to change." I nodded and walked into the room. I locked the door behind me and curled up on the bed. What had I just done? Why did I react like that? I did deserve everything, I'm a horrible person. I pulled out the knife from my dresser drawer, that's where Jack told me he'd always hide it in case I had to defend myself. Before I knew what I was doing I had started to cut through my wrist. I laid there for hours until I finally cried myself to sleep.

I was standing in my mother's bedroom. Mike was about to give me another beating when my mother ran into the room. She tried to pull him back but grabbed her wrist and beat her instead. I watched as Mike tied my mother to the bed posts. She bucked and cried and tried to scream but couldn't. There was a piece of duck tape on her mouth. She was completely defenseless as Mike raped her. With all her screaming and fighting my mother passed out from exhaustion with tears streaming down her face. Mike turned to me and smiled. He pulled out a knife and stabbed her heart.

"This is your fault Zorah, you killed your mother." He walked out of the room leaving me unharmed.

I shot up in bed, "No!" I was alone in the dark. I heard the door being fiddled with. I screamed as loud as I could. The door burst open and Jack came running in. He tried to hug me but I just screamed and hit him. "No! Get away! Get away!"

Cam came running in and pushed Jack back grabbing my shoulders. "Zorah I need you to look at me, right at me there's nothing else. There's no one else here it's just you and me, look at me baby girl, please just open your eyes." I looked up and into his deep blue eyes. I stopped fighting. "That's it, just breathe you're safe." He hugged me tight and slowly rocked me back and forth rubbing my back.

Owen ran in, "I heard screaming is she alright?"

I saw him and ran into his arms. "Owen I'm so sorry for before I just…I smelled the alcohol and I started to have flashbacks and I had no right to hurt you like that I just…"

"Hey, it's okay." He held me tight. I started to cry and we walked back over toward the bed. "I'll tell you what; I forgive you if you let me take a look at these cuts and bruises to make sure you're healthy. Alright, does that sound reasonable?" I nodded. "Okay, you lay down here with Cam and Jack and I'll be right back with my bag." I nodded again and he left.

As soon as he was out Jack turned to me, "What was your dream about?"

I looked down at my hands, "I don't want to talk about it."

Jack walked up to me and lifted my chin, "Zorah, tell me."

I pushed his hand away, "I said I don't want to talk about it."

"Tell me Zorah, I need to know."

"No you don't, you want to know! I may have gone through ten months of physical and emotional abuse but I can still fight back as well as I could before. I'm allowed to keep secrets from you I don't have to tell you everything!" I had gotten off the bed and was yelling in his face now.

"It could be important."

"How on earth could my dream be important?"

He sighed, "You wouldn't understand, but answer me this, was it about your mother? In your dream did Mike do something to Cara?"

I glared at him through tears, "I don't have to tell you everything. If I have to repeat it a thousand times then so help me Satan I'll do it!"

Just then Owen came in, "Whoa, okay, it's okay. Zorah I need you to lie on your back." I nodded and sat down on the bed, I laid down on my back. "Alright I'm just going to look at your arms and legs first okay?"

"You don't have to ask you know; I trust you."

Owen looked at my face with his eyebrows raised, "Are you giving me attitude?" I shrugged, "You are so lucky that I'm afraid to do anything to get you back right now since you have so many scars and bruises." I smiled. He lifted my arm off the bed and looked at it. He rubbed his thumb over the bruises, some were fading and some were new. He left that arm and went to the other side. He gasped as he saw the cuts along my wrists. "Did you do this to yourself?" I looked away. "Zorah?" I sighed and nodded. "Why would you do that Zorah? When did you do that?"

Cam looked up, "She didn't have that when we got here."

I pulled my arm away, "I did in when I came in here."

Jack looked at me like he was angry and sad at the same time. "Why?"

I held back tears, "I just…I couldn't feel the pain when we landed and it scared me and then I hurt Owen and I came in it just…it just happened I'm sorry don't be mad at me." I turned and curled into a ball hiding under the covers.

I heard them sigh, Jack tried to pull off the covers but I held on for dear life. "Zorah we aren't mad at you and we aren't going to hurt you just come out." When the only response he got was silence he sighed again. "You asked for it." He tickled my sides and I squeaked.

I pulled of the covers, "I really do hate you right now."

He smiled, "I know, now let Owen finish looking at you." I nodded and lay back down. He went by my head and pulled at the collar of my shirt. I whimpered.

"It's okay, I just want to see if there's anything that needs to be treated on your neck or your shoulders." He quickly looked over them and went over to my legs. He started to lightly touch the bruises making sure they were only minor. There was one bruise on my leg, in the middle of my calf, that was swelling more than normal. Owen pulled out a small device and held it over my leg. It beeped and he looked up suddenly very concerned.

"Zorah, how badly does this leg hurt?"

I shrugged, "Not much, just sore that's all. Why?" He ignored me and walked over to Jack. "I hate when you do that! Do I have to get up and over there to find out what's wrong with me?"

He whipped around suddenly, "No, do not stand up."

I crossed my arms over my chest, "Then tell me what's wrong."

He looked at Jack and sighed, "Your leg is fractured." I froze, I couldn't talk or move, I couldn't even breathe.

"Zoe, sweetheart you have to breathe." Cam ran over and tried to hold me. I took in a breath but didn't move. My leg was fractured and I couldn't feel it. I wanted to grab the knife that was hidden in between my mattress but I knew Jack would put me in a straightjacket before he let me do that to myself. A tear dripped out from my eye.

"Zorah, it's okay. You're still in shock and it's normal to be a bit numb. You are perfectly fine." I took a deep breath and sighed. I relaxed a bit and allowed him to finish with my legs. He walked up to look me in the eye. "I'm going to have to…um, lift your shirt. Just a bit though."

I looked back uncertainly, "How much is a bit?"

"Just above your ribs, that's all. I can make them leave if it makes you more comfortable."

I nodded, "Cam can stay. Jack has to leave."

Jack started to protest, "I am not leaving…"

I glared at him, "Just do it!" he stopped in his tracks and stared at me. My eyes widened in shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Please don't hurt me!" I hid my face.

Jack looked at me, "I will never, ever, hurt you. I'll leave, but I want to know why later, okay?" I nodded and he left the room. Owen lifted my shirt and gasped. I whimpered knowing exactly what he saw. My stomach and ribs were a striped with horizontal red lines. On top of the lines I was even more beaten then the rest of my body. I felt a hand in mine and looked over to see Cam. He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand, smoothing circles into my skin. I watched as Owen took out the device again and held it above my stomach. He moved it up to my ribs and sighed with relief.

"No organs are damaged and no broken ribs." I smiled slightly. "Alright I'm going to put a splint on your leg for the rest of the day and you'll have to use crutches for a few hours. Then I'm going to look after the cuts that seem to be everywhere so they don't get infected." I nodded.

He put the splint on and finished cleaning my cuts. There was a timid knock on the door. Owen looked at me and I nodded. He opened the door and my mother came running in.

"Mom!" she hugged me tightly and we both started to cry. "I thought I would never see you again, I missed you so much."

She smiled, "I missed you to baby. I never lost hope, I knew you were out there." We hugged again.

Cam cleared his throat, "I will leave you two alone."

He got up but I grabbed his arm. "No stay, Mom, this is Cam, he's my big brother."

My mother looked at him, "Yes I remember, you were the young man who attacked me from behind."

Cameron looked down, "I'm very sorry about that, I was just doing what I was told. I didn't really have a choice."

"Yes well, why are you back here with my daughter?"

"She's my little sister, I wouldn't leave her. Our father is still out there, I just knocked him out. If I could be there to help protect her I would do anything."

"She is not your sister, and how could you protect a thirteen year old girl? You can barely protect yourself."

I couldn't take it, it was the second time, "Mother I am fifteen! And I am his little sister, we are connected by blood, and he can protect himself just as good as jack."

"You are connected by rotten blood! I will have nothing to do with anything associated with your father."

"Mom, where will he stay? He has nowhere to go but back to Mike."

"Nonsense, he'll go into foster care."

"But then I might never see him again."

"That is the point."

I glared at her, "I will not let you do this."

She looked back, "It's in your best interest." I sighed in frustration, grabbing the crutches that Owen had given me. I hobbled out. I knew I was being followed by both my mother and cam but I didn't care. I got to Jack's office and closed the door behind me, locking them out.