Been almost forever since I updated this one and I'm not going to say how long this chap has been sitting here waiting patiently for my attention, like a few others, sighs, don't worry nothing has been forgotten just put on a short hold.

Warnings: Rating M, swearing, child abuse, if this type of thing offends you then DO NOT READ! This is a fictional story and nothing more. This rating will be staying the same nothing will change, so please take note.

Disclaimer: I don't ownYugioh.

Chap 16: Suspension

Later that afternoon Marik went to the hospital, two uniformed officers standing at Meg's door. Yami dismissed them for a short time while they talked with her, which was if she was up to talking. Marik had asked Elder to take Malik home and let his sister know that he was going to be home a little late tonight.

The Doctor had been reluctant to let them in at first but agreed. Shizuka was the first to walk into the room, taking in the young woman's appearance in the bed resting; Meg had a bandage wrapped about her head, drips hanging next to her bed, her pale face held a few bruises and a black eye. Shizuka nodded her head for Marik and Yami to come in; she walked over and lightly tapped Meg on the shoulder.

Meg jumped wide-eyed and reached for her help buzzer at seeing the strangers in her room, she was going to call for help. "Relax, I am Shizuka Asami." Meg stopped and looked at her. "This is Detectives Ishtar and Motou."

"What do you want?" Meg asked looking at them her hand still clutched onto the buzzer and her thumb rested just above the button, she shifted a little on the bed and pulled her covers up as if a proactive shield.

"We just want to ask you about the man that took you?" Marik said staying at the end of the bed so not to alarm her.

"I'm… umm." Meg shifted in her bed and looked about nervously. "I don't remember much."

"Anything at all." Marik asked.

She shook her head and looked up at him tearfully; Marik had been expecting this and said. "You're not the only one he's done this to." This had been the same conversation he had with his sister. "We can stop him if you give us some information."

Meg bit her split lip softly, aware that it started to bleed again. "I just want to go home; my mom and dad are flying in." She said.

"And you can, we just want any information you can give us." Shizuka said. "It will be completely confidential." She reassured the injured girl.

"I don't have to go into detail do I?" Meg shifted her frightened look from the two males to the only female in the room.

"Only as much as you feel comfortable with." Shizuka said in an understanding tone.

"Well he was charming at first and got me to go home with him." Her voice shook. "Everything was okay until I was ready to go home and he." She stopped herself and started again at a different spot. "He took me to a… a-a farm house or a cabin, it was white with worn green shutters…. He kept me in the basement said I had three days then he was going to kill me." Marik twitched at that bit of information, this sounded like the bastard he was after, could he after all these years finally get what he needed to catch this guy?

"There was a girl there… he, he called her Lucy." Meg glanced up as Yami was writing everything down and Marik just listened. "She was already dead though." Tears started to fall as she bowed her head. "I got out through the little window and then… I don't remember anything after that."

Marik let out a sigh it wasn't much and said. "Some hunters found you; your kidnapper shot you in the head and ran off before anyone saw him."

"I know the Doctor told me and the two men sent me these flowers and get well cards." She pointed to her small nightstand that held a vase with the bright flowers and two cards sat beside it. "I try to remember more… like his face what his name was, but I can't it's."

"It's alright." Shizuka said stopping her before Meg upset herself to much. "It happens and in time you are going to remember everything."

"Will he go to jail if I still don't remember?" Meg asked looking up at Marik.

"We're working on it." Yami said.

"I'm sorry but you'll have to leave now." Said a nurse as she walked in holding a clipboard to her chest and a warm smile.

Marik had been extremely disappointed, he walked around the bed and pulled out a small card and pen and wrote his cell number on the back of it. "Call me if you need anything, even if its small and you think it might be stupid, call me." He handed her the card and she took it looking it over.

Meg nodded her head as she took the card asking. "Will I have to point him out, like in a line up or something?" She looked the card over.

"It might help us in getting him." Shizuka said.

"You want to testify against him?" Yami asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Can I think on it?"

"Sure." Shizuka said and the three left the room.

They stood out the front of the door for a minute when Shizuka cell started to ring; she answered it as she walked away.

"You think that she'll point out her attacker?" Marik asked.

"She might." Yami said as he watched Shizuka walk back to them pocketing her cell phone.

"Mai got a search warrant on Malik's place for the court hearing, she's there now." She smiled and they headed out to their car to go back to the office.

His cell started to ring half way on the drive back. "Ishtar?" There was a long pause and Marik was about to hang up, thinking no one was on the other end.

"It's me, Meg." There came an unsure voice, before Marik could say anything she spoke up again. "If I do this, you can get him, right? Put this bastard away. " There was a sharp intake of breath over the phone line and a long silence followed. "I just want all this to end."

Marik kept his eyes on the icy roads, the events with his sister played rather quickly in his mind; he knew what she was feeling as he had seen it on his sister's face before many times. Yami was looking at him as he couldn't hear what was being said as Marik had his earpiece in.

"Can you make him pay" She asked her voice turned to a more bitter side. "Make him pay for what he did to me and Lucy?"

"We can try." Marik said not wanting to say yes and get her hopes should this guy escape like had in the passed.

"After Christmas." Meg gave a tired sigh as if all the energy had been drained from her with the conversation. "I just want to be with my family for now… I'll be ready afterwards and we can get him then."

"Alright Meg, you have my number call me when you're ready… we'll get this guy."

"Thank you." She hung up and Marik pulled back out into the traffic, giving the other two in his car what was going to happen after the holiday.

Marik sat at his desk filling a few papers, that always came with his job and were always endless. "Ishtar?!" Marik glanced up to see his boss standing at his office door. "In here." Marik sighed as he got up and followed, he walked into the office and closed the door.

"Marik I have bad news." His boss sat down behind his desk. "Mr. Jihan placed an assault charge against you this afternoon."

"Bullshit John." Marik stood up straight. "The bastard beat the crap out of a boy, who I remind you caused that boy today to have a panic attack just by the mere sight of him."

"I'm just letting you know that he has and you have to stay away from him." John said. "Take a few weeks off." He sighed as Marik just stared at him. "Marik I'm ordering you to take a few weeks off."

"I have a witness coming in after Christmas to work with me in identifying her kidnapper and rapist."

"Someone else can handle it Marik, until you get back."

"Years, John, five bloody years, I have worked overtime, longer hours then anyone else here, and you're just handing it over to someone who doesn't know anything about it."

"Marik, I'm not handing it over to anyone." He stood up. "Everyone here is qualified in their own field just like you." Marik was just about fuming, weekends missed with his family all sacrificed in trying to catch this killer.

"This guy will keep killing girls, until he is stopped and you doing this is ensuring he can." Marik tired to reason with him.

"Marik, if you keep going you are going to force my hand and report it that you have made it personal, by attacking the kid's father." The older man sighed. "My hands are tied Marik, me putting you on this short suspension will guarantee that you are still on the case."

"Since when did criminals win over people like us?" Marik mumbled angrily.

"You need this time off." John said.

"I don't need time off, I want this guy." Marik just wanted to hit something anything to make himself fell better.

"I'll have someone connect your computer with ours and you can work from home with Yami and Shizuka. Damn it Marik it's almost Christmas go home and spend time with your family." Marik sighed, he guessed it was better then being kicked out of this case completely.

"Fine. But I want access to all labs if needed." Marik demanded.

"Yes fine, just go home." The older man waved his hand and Marik left the office.

Marik walked into his house to find it quiet and warm, he glanced up the stairs wondering if the boy's were in bed asleep already, taking off his jacket and boots leaving them near the door, he headed upstairs.

Marik stopped and looked in Bakura's bedroom and found it empty and moved on to Malik and Ryou's room, finding that empty as well, he turned and walked right into his own room, leaving the light off. He walked over to his bed using the light from the hallway and gently lifted away the blankets to see Malik curled up and fast asleep. Marik watched him for a few minutes. "He's been asleep all afternoon." Isis said softly as she walked in standing next to her brother and leaning her head on his arm. "He wanted to sleep here." She smiled down at them.

Marik lent down and tucked Malik in covering him back up and brushing the hair from his little face. "How was he?"

"Quiet." She said.

"He's always quiet." Marik mumbled.

"No, not like his usual quiet… a sad quiet, just wasn't himself, poor baby." She lent down and kissed his head. "They're not making him do it again, are they?" She looked at him, and Marik grabbed her arm and led her outside the bedroom and back downstairs so Malik wouldn't hear.

"Daddy!" Ryou squealed crawling out from under the coffee table on all fours in his full fluffy blue pajamas. "I missed you." He was on his feet, giggling loudly as Marik swept him up off his feet with one arm. "Oh daddy." Ryou placed both hands on the older males face and lent in saying. "You look tired; did you have a nap, today?" His voice stern and worried.

Marik smiled and said. "No, but you should be in bed."

"But uncle Rishid said I could stay up until you got home." Ryou crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Well I am home and you can go to bed." Marik flipped the child over his shoulder and gave the child's rear end a firm but still soft swat; Ryou squealed again in delight and kicked his legs. "Just be a second." Marik said to his sister who placed a kiss to Ryou's head and ruffled his hair.

"G-good." Ryou giggled trying to get out the words from being jostled about. "Goodnight!" He waved but giggled again as Marik gave him a small tickle.

On the second floor of the house, Ryou called out pointing into Marik's bedroom. "In there, in there. Malik's there."

"Yeah, but your bed is in here." Marik said pulling Ryou down off his shoulder.

"I don't want be too alone." Ryou said as he trembled his chin.

"Fine." Marik gave in before Ryou could muster up the tears to go with the trembling chin of doom, which the child seemed to do with just a thought. Marik placed Ryou down behind Malik and tucked them both in again; Ryou snuggled down for sleep and said a soft goodnight.

Marik returned downstairs and headed for the kitchen wishing for the first time in a while that he had something stronger then coffee. "How was your day?" Bakura asked from the table a hot drink in his hands.

"Fine." Marik mumbled taking a mug for himself and went about making a coffee; Isis walked in and took a seat across from Bakura and watched her brother.

"You know, you don't need to announce when your home." Bakura grinned as Marik looked at him. "Because Ryou's squeals are loud enough to wake the dead… positively deaf here."

"As long as he's happy." Marik said, Isis frowned as she watched Marik's movement, she could read him like a book and he wasn't his normal self, sure he played with Ryou a little but Marik had been all to quick to put the child to bed. Isis got up and walked out of the room. Marik turned his attention back to Bakura.

"He wasn't always." The boy mumbled.

"Then what was he like? Because I find it hard to picture him anything but happy." Marik took a sip of his hot drink, as Bakura thought it over and glanced up at him.

"Scared." Bakura mumbled. "He was scared all the time mostly because of…" He stopped and looked down at his cup.

"What?" Marik asked, he really wasn't in a good mood for this conversation, right now. What he really wanted was to find a bar and drink the strongest stuff they had until the crack of dawn and sleep the day away and wake up, to find that he still had a better chance to get this guy and Malik's father before Christmas hit.

"Nothing." Bakura said, pressing his lips together.

"It's bad enough that I already have a kid that can't talk… and you unwilling to talk." Marik said sternly holding onto his anger the best he could. "You boy's have my work cut out for me and I have had enough of it." That anger got through on his voice.

"We aren't work." Bakura snapped, noticing the change in his voice.

"I didn't say you were, but it's a lot of work for me to look into your backgrounds and find out what the hell you've been through, just so I have an idea what I have to work with, so I can help, you!" Marik's voice had raised and Isis and Rishid walked into the room so see what was going on.

"And what can you do to help, me."Bakura matched his glare with one of his own.

"I'm busting my ass to help you and all I get is your glares and silent treatment, at least Ryou has opened up." Marik walked around the counter and approached the boy.

Bakura instantly took to the defensive side and stood up with a wince holding his still healing stomach wound. "You're all the same, you get your sights set on Ryou and push me aside as something to deal with in your own time… well you know what." Bakura lent in seething, they were standing right in front of each other. "You can't have him… Ryou's mine and we go together… if I'm not wanted then neither is he."

Marik was seething one bad day and this kid was pushing him, he drabbed Bakura by his good arm and pulled him closer and narrowed his eyes. "Okay!" Rishid said stepping in as Isis gasped, the older sibling made Marik let go of the boys arm. "Bakura, best you were off to bed." Rishid said, using his own body to block Marik's view of the boy.

"Gladly." Bakura snapped walking by them, but he stopped when he was out the door and turned back leaning out of view but still in ear shot, his back to the wall next to the kitchen door.

"Marik, what's going on?" Rishid asked.

"Just one bad day." Marik got his coffee. "Been forced to work at home as in a kind of suspension." Marik couldn't tell them everything that he wanted to.

"Well isn't that a good thing?" Isis asked biting her lip. "You can spend time with the boy's get to know them better."

Marik took a seat. "But it's Bakura and Ryou… I can't do anything until I know about their past, who their parents are. For all I know Bakura could've kidnapped his little brother and ran away from a perfectly good home."

"But biting his head off isn't going to win him over." Isis glared at him.

"I just need him to see that I'm not going to separate him and Ryou once I found out the truth, I just want to help them." Marik lent forward his forehead touching the table. "I'm just overwhelmed, right now." The table muffled his voice. "I have a court hearing for adopting Malik soon."

"Seems to me that you need a little time out." Rishid said with a grin.

"Don't say that, Ryou will think I've been bad." The three laughed and continued to cheer up their youngest sibling. Bakura moved away from the doorway and headed upstairs to his bedroom. Maybe he should tell Marik, he climbed into his bed and if things didn't go right he could always run with Ryou.

TBC

R&R.