Hola! Thanks for my reviews. Florb – Thanks so much, I hope you got the software working, lol! Delaney007 – LOL at your idea, I think it's awesome. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it would work in the big scheme of things :-(
Anyways, I HAS A MAJOR SAD, as last night the LAST EVER EPISODE of CSI Miami was shown in England, which means I really believe it's over. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO!
But some reviews would cheer me up? Pretty pretty please with sugar spice and all things nice on top?
I genuinely tried really hard for quality this chappy, so tell me if it's okay.
Read. Enjoy. Review.
Chapter Thirty Eight # Snowflakes #
"What? What the hell is going on?" Ryan yelled. "Who was that, Nick?"
Sara bit her lip and looked at Nick.
"Do you know him, Nick? What did you mean, 'you swore'?" Morgan cried. When he didn't respond she started screaming. "What do you know that you aren't telling us? Was he the guy that mugged you or something? Nick how do you know the man?"
Nick's breaking mind snapped even more. "Stop!"
Ryan spoke up on Morgan's side."Not until you tell us how you know him and what's going on!"
"I don't know what's going on!"
"Like hell, Nick. You're supposed to be our friend, what could be so bad that-"
"He fucking raped me!" Nick screamed, ceasing all other sound.
No one even breathed.
"He's Maria Johnson's husband, and she did babysit me when I was nine, but there were no bats, and there was no shed! She touched me and then he raped me. I was nine years old! I like the fucking coward I am, I kept my damn mouth shut. I didn't tell anyone! Then they turn about a few months ago and I freaked. He knocked out Warrick and he shot me and told me that he would kill my family, my friends and lastly me if I told anyone. Then he...they..."
"Came to my house." Sara swallowed, and the frozen eyes all snapped onto her. "I wasn't imagining anything, I wasn't ill, he sent me death threats and a CD of Nick screaming via a messenger boy, then broke into my house, sat on my chest and shoved a needle into my neck. Next thing I know, Tali's in my room waking me up and I'm lying on the floor feeling so sick...he stalked me for a week so I went to Nick and asked him what was going on."
"The day we said Muse was ill." Nick said hoarsely. "I told Sara everything. She convinced me to go to the police. Then he turned up, threatened us some more...offered us a deal. They would go, leave us all alone, leave us all alone, if we didn't tell."
"We were gonna go to the police when school started and there were more people around, less chance of being seen." Sara whispered, her lip quivering.
"They...they did that to you?" Ryan whispered. "And now they have Greg?"
"Aw, hell no!" Warrick's strong voice shook.
For a long moment, no one moved. Then Tali took a hesitant step forward. She closed the gap between herself and Nick and hesitantly touched his shoulder.
"Nick?"
He couldn't look at her. He just couldn't.
"Nick?" She dropped to her knees next to him. "Nick, this isn't your fault."
"How?" Nick whispered without looking.
"Because you were a kid. Because you're still a kid. Because he manipulated you, on top of everything else." She whispered tearfully.
She sniffed slightly, and decided not to wipe her eyes. No amount of rubbing her eyes would stop these tears from falling.
"Nick, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what they did to you." She sobbed, breaking down.
He looked up slowly and even more self-hatred welled inside him. "I screwed up."
"Maybe a little." She gasped between sobs. "Oh, Jesus, Nick!" She fell into his chest and he hugged her tightly.
He looked up above her head at the others. "What do we do?"
"I'm calling the police." Warrick said, his arm around a deathly still Morgan. "Now."
Nick nodded, his throat thick with tears. "Sure...sure..."
Warrick pulled out his cell phone and instantly dialled 911. "I need the police, now. My friend's been kidnapped..."
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Greg opened his eyes, his head pounding, praying his memories were lying.
He blinked and the baby blue room swam into view. His right hand was handcuffed to the metal frame of a small bed. Across the room was a single blue chair standing next to a tripod. Greg instantly grabbed the handcuff with his free hand, pulling it as hard as he could. He had no idea what he should do.
Should he scream? Should he stay quiet? Where were the others?
What in the name of sweet Jesus is happening?
The door opened and Greg scrambled into a sitting position, squashing himself into the corner of the bed. The man, Jason, walked in holding a large bag.
"Hi Greg." he smiled. The same smile that had seemed so friendly before looked so sickening now.
"What do you want with me?" Greg swallowed, trying to keep strong and brave, the way he imagined that Warrick or Nick would be. Nick. Nick knew this guy. How?
"Many things." Jason smiled. "But now, it's movie time!"
"What?" Greg half whimpered.
Jason rested a small projector onto the tripod and switched it on. The screen flickered to life to a group of laughing boys jumping all over each other.
The soccer match.
"You want us to do what?" Natalia Boa Vista asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Boys vs. girls soccer game, everyone of high school age." Nick explained. "It's tradition. Basically, in World War One, the British and German troops put their guns down on Christmas day for a casual game of soccer, so we play soccer on Christmas day for two reasons. One, to commemorate the soldiers. Two because it's fun!"
"I think I'll sit out."
Nick grabbed Sara's arm before she could back out. "It's not optional."
"Le damn."
"Okay, sounds like fun." Natalia nodded.
"Great! How equal are the teams?" Ethan asked.
MJ did an official sounding headcount. "So for the boys we've got Ethan and Nick Stokes, Eric Delko, Don Flack, Jesse and Eddie Cardoza, Tony DiNozzo, Jude Angell, Ryan Wolfe, Warrick Brown, Greg Sanders, Archie Johnson, and Leo and Pete Todd, that's fourteen. For girls we've got me – Mary-Jane Stokes, Natalia and Anya Boa Vista, Catherine Flynn, Calleigh and Joeley Duquesne, Jessica Angell, Caitlin Todd, Ziva and Tali David, Morgan Brody, Sara Sidle, and Hailee Jefferson, so that's thirteen. We're one short. Who's the nearest girl to high school age?"
"Christina left last year." Anya mentioned. "She's nineteen."
"Perfect." MJ grinned happily. "Robbie normally referees, we can get them both at the same time."
"So what are the rules? How do you actually play soccer?" Morgan asked with a frown as the adults and younger children began to file out to watch.
"Okay." Robert clapped his hands together. "So, only your goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with their hands. Everyone else, stick to feet. You kick the ball around the pitch; try to shoot it into the goals at either end. Like hockey but without the stick. You can't tackle someone unless they have the ball, and even then only to try and gain control of the ball. We won't worry about little details."
"Let's just play, Robbie." Ethan grinned. "Anyone who doesn't know the rules can figure them out as we go."
"Alright, alright." Robbie rolled his eyes and stuck a whistle in his mouth. "Get into position! Ethan, MJ, you're the captains."
As Ethan and MJ started to direct people around, Ryan Wolfe and Eric Delko ended up front in attacking positions. Next to each other.
Eric sighed, and Ryan turned to him.
"What is your problem?"
"Excuse me?"
"You have a problem with me; I want to know what it is." Ryan said, folding his arms.
Eric smirked slightly. "You know, I don't have a problem with you."
"Really? Well it sure seems like it most of the time."
Eric shrugged. "I don't have a problem with you, man."
"Okay, sure..." Ryan shook his head in time for the whistle to blow.
"Go, go, go!" Ethan yelled as Catherine got the ball and dribbled daintily past the members of their team.
Catherine swiftly passed to Natalia, who squealed as she weaved past Greg and shot.
"Oh my god it went in!" she yelled, happily hugging Morgan, her nearest team member.
"Sorry!" Greg called sheepishly.
As the feisty game continued, the girls' early lead remained until the last minute, when the score stood at three all.
Ryan tackled the ball off of Sara with a triumphant 'ha!' and raced toward the goal. Natalia, Anya and Christina all raced towards him.
"Ryan, here!" Eric yelled. Ryan passed the ball to the older boy without a second thought.
Robert started counting down. "Five, four, three-"
Delko swung his foot as hard as he could and the ball flew through the air.
"Two!"
The ball hit the net.
"One! The boys win!" Robert declared.
"YES!" Ryan and Eric roared together, running towards each other and fist bumping each other. The other boys raced over and they all bundled on top of each other, laughing and yelling as the girls grinned and shook their heads.
"That was a fun day to watch." Jason smiled. "But it's not what I want to show you."
He slipped a different DVD into the projector. The image was slightly fuzzy, as if it was at least a few years old, and the room it showed was dark. Then it lit up as a light turned on.
A small boy was lying in the bed, a small boy Greg recognised instantly.
Nick.
When the man entered the picture, Greg's beating heart sped up. He knew what was coming. It was obvious, from the way the man walked, the way his hands flew to his belt...
They did that to Nick?
He squeezed his eyes shut but the man grabbed his chin and pressed something thin, cold and sharp to his cheek.
"Watch the video, Greg, or I'll decorate your face the same way I decorated Nicky's."
Greg breathed sharply and opened his eyes, which grew wider and wider as he watched the image of his nine year old friend being violated over and over again. A couple of tears escaped from his eyes.
Tears of fear. Tears of pain, pain for what his friend had gone through. Tears for the sake of tears.
When it was finally over, Greg shut his eyes tightly, trying to shake nine year old Nick's screams from his head.
"So, Greg. Do you wanna know what that felt like? How it felt to take away his innocence like that?" the man crooned, leaning over Greg.
"No." Greg whispered.
"It felt good Greg. So, so good." Jason whispered back, and Greg cringed away. "We're going to have fun like that, Greg, very, very soon."
Greg whimpered involuntarily and Jason's eyes lit up. "Do that again."
Terrified, Greg shook his head.
Jason instantly sat up. "You know, children who misbehave must be punished." He stood up and pulled a whip out of the bag.
"No, no!" Greg cried and he walked closer. Greg tried to scramble away but there was nowhere to go, and he was chained to the bed. "I'm sorry, please!"
"This way you can learn to obey me, Greg."
"Help! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Greg screamed as the man came closer.
"No one can here you!" Jason sang, slashing the whip across Greg's shoulder.
Greg screamed in pain and Jason grabbed him by the hair, thrusting his face down into the pillow and holding it there with one hand while the other brought the whip down repeatedly on his back.
Exactly two minutes later a small timer beeped, and Jason let the whip drop once more, before bringing it to his side.
Greg didn't move. He felt like he was drowning in his endless tears that had stopped being absorbed by the pillow and had started to cling to its surface.
"Now," Jason whispered in Greg's ear. "If I tell you to whimper..."
Greg whimpered obediently.
"Good boy." Jason praised Greg, stroking his hair.
Fear was the only thing stopping Greg from pulling away. He looked up as a familiar woman walked into the classroom.
"Hello Greg." Maria Johnson purred.
"Oh my god..." Greg whispered as it all came together in his head. So that's how he knew Nick. That's who the woman on the tape was. Nick had tried to protect him... Nick had failed. "Oh my god!"
Maria walked over and wiped the tears away from Greg's cheek. "We want you to do something for us Greg."
What the hell could you expect me to do, you crazy motherfuckers? Greg screamed in his subconscious. You're goddamn PYSCHOPATHS!
Instead, the pained, frightened teenager nodded.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
No one spoke in the police station's waiting room. No parent, no child.
No sound.
Every parent had come. They had all been filled in on exactly what had happened.
Two pairs of parents were crushed. Two families' worlds came tumbling down in an almighty crash that brought the others' families down with it.
Elise Sanders had barely spoken at all. Neither had her husband. Jillian Stokes couldn't stop crying. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed. She felt so guilty that she hadn't protected her son. Bill Stokes wanted to scream. He wanted to find the man that hurt Pancho and he wanted to rip open his chest and tear the monster's heart out with his bare hands. When Rosa was told she ran to the toilet and threw up for five minutes solid.
And Nick wouldn't be anywhere near them.
They were disgusted by him, he knew it. How couldn't they be? He was.
He hadn't said a word since talking to the police. He sat in the corner alone, hugging his knees to his chest.
Just as he expected the others stayed away, as if he had some contagious disease.
No one had suggested going home. No one was scolded for sneaking out. They were too numb, too broken.
The straw that broke the donkey's back. It was a pretty damn huge straw.
"Nick?" Tali whispered.
He looked up slowly. What? His eyes seemed to say.
"You...you know we still love you, right?"
If possible, the room became even more silent.
Tali took a shaky breath, ignoring the other eyes to look only at Nick's. "I mean...it's not like it's changed who you are. It already happened, just...now we know. This isn't your fault, it's out of your control... And we still love you Nick, all of us. Whatever...Whatever happens."
Nick shook his head, tears pouring down his cheeks. "I don't...I can't, not if...not if something happens to Greg and, and..."
Tali pressed a hand over her mouth to muffle her sob as she nodded, moving onto Nick's chair.
"We still love you. I still love you." She whispered, and she leaned into his shoulder and they cried, leaning on each other's broken hearts.
Morgan took a deep breath and stood up, walking over to Nick. Like him, she hadn't said a word. Her tears had flowed continuously since Greg was taken, with no sign of them stopping any time soon. The police officer at the desk was mildly surprised that she had any left.
Her heart was breaking into tiny little pieces of glass that cut into the hollow hole of her chest. Greg, her Greg, had been taken by monsters. Nick, her Nick, had been violated by the same monsters years before.
Why was it always them? What had they done to deserve any of it?
She slid down onto the floor next to Nick's chair and leaned on his leg. It was her way of saying that she was there. That she forgave him. Sometimes words were just too hard.
Ryan took a deep breath and joined her on the other side of Nick's chair, followed by Warrick who took the seat next to Nick and Tali. Sara sat down next to Morgan, and the two girls clutched at each other's hands.
They were all touching, in some way or another and the adults watched with mild surprise. Each shattered individual had retreated into the depths of their own mind with nowhere else to go, but each shattered individual stuck to each other, stood by each other. Protected, loved, each other.
Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they do when they stick together.
For two hours they sat with each other, musing and worrying, crying and sighing.
The door burst open and a young cop called something like Peterson stuck his head around the door.
"Mr Stokes, you need to come with me, quickly."
Nick leapt to his feet and followed the man into the chief detective, Stanton Gerrad's office.
A familiar cell phone on the desk was ringing. It was his. Greg's number flashed on the screen.
"We want you to put it on speaker. If it's the kidnapper, don't let him know that you're with the police, okay?"
Nick nodded, his heart pounding and he answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Nick!" Greg's voice was barely a whisper.
"Greg! Greg, are you okay?" Nick cried, yearning to clutch at the phone.
"Uh...depends on your definition of okay. I'm not badly hurt, I guess."
"Greg-"
"He wants me to tell you that I've seen it."
Nick thought he was going to hurl. "Wh...what?"
"Nick, I'm really sorry, I tried not to watch, I tried but he-"
"It's okay, Greg, it's not your fault." Nick choked. "Okay, none of this is your fault."
Butler scrawled something on a pad. Location?
"Greg, do you have any idea where you are?"
"No, Nick, I... I could be anywhere." Greg's frightened voice lowered so it was barely audible. "Nick, I'm scared."
Nick flung his head back to the ceiling trying to stop the tears. "I know, me to, Greggo, but you're gonna be okay. I will do everything I can to make sure you're okay."
"Thanks, Nick. It might not be enough, though."
The police officer, Peterson, watched with slight shock as the terrified teens spoke over the phone. They were being realistic.
"I know, Greg, but you gotta hold on for me, please. I am so, so sorry, but you have to hold on."
"It's not your fault, Nick."
"Sure it's not." Nick laughed humourlessly. "We'll talk about that when you get back, okay?"
"Sure thing."
Suddenly a pained cry spluttered down the line.
"I don't think that's going to happen."
"Jason, please, let him go! He didn't do anything!" Nick cried automatically.
There was another noise and then Greg screamed in pain.
"GREG!" Nick screamed.
The phone went dead.
Nick's knees gave out but the officers on either side caught him and held him up. He felt as if he was about to be dragged before a medieval judge.
They helped him back into the waiting room and brought him a soda. His face was white and he was shaking, tears in his eyes.
"Nick? What happened?" Morgan whimpered.
Nick broke down on the spot and a pair of familiar arms pulled him into a hug. Nick clung to Rosa as if she was the only thing holding him to earth, and for the purposes of his sanity, she may well have been.
She rocked slightly on the balls of her feet, murmuring nonsense into his ear, calming him down.
Officer Peterson watched the whole scene and walked up to Stanton Gerrad. "Sir?"
"Yes?"
"We have to find this kid."
Note: Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they do when they stick together. Is not mine. It's a quote from a V.M. Kelly on my mum's calendar, so I thought that in their poor broken state it was quite fitting. It is also where the chapter name comes from.
Review to make my major sad about Miami go away?
Please?