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Chapter 52

Cameron sat down on the blanket that was spread out across the green grass. She leaned back on her arms and closed her eyes, letting her head fall back. She was enjoying the warm sun on her face and the breeze swirling through her hair. It was a beautiful day, she thought and she didn't want it to end. However, she did think it was odd that she couldn't remember what day it was but a faint whistling in the distance took her mind away from the thought. She listened to the pretty sound as it continued to get louder and she realized it was getting closer and this aroused her curiosity. She sat up and opened her green eyes and was mildly surprised to see that it was House who was whistling and he was walking towards her. Why is he here? She wondered but something in the back of her head reminded her that he was supposed to be there. She watched as his long stride brought him closer and her heart began to race. He is so handsome, she thought. He was wearing faded jeans with a light blue shirt and as he approached, she noticed there was something different about him. With her head tilted to one side, she kept watching until it dawned on her what was different. He wasn't limping and he didn't have his cane. When did that happen? She wondered curiously.

"Hey gorgeous." House said as he sat down on the blanket beside her. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

Cameron touched her mouth as she looked into his sparkling blue eyes. The same eyes that had captured her heart five years ago.

"Wanna go for a walk?" He asked, running his finger lightly up her arm. "There's a stream over the hill and a secluded spot where we could make out. Maybe you'll let me get to second base." He teased.

Cameron smiled as she stared at the devious little grin spread across his irresistible mouth.

Not waiting for an answer, House stood and held out his hand to her.

This feels so strange, she thought. She placed her delicate hand into his and stood but a wave of dizziness quickly consumed her and everything began to go black. House, she called out. House!

Cameron felt herself being pulled away. Everything was spinning and she kept reaching for House's hand but he kept slipping further away from her. Panic was now taking over the calmness she was feeling only moments ago. She could feel herself trying to talk but no words were coming out. Suddenly, the spinning stopped and she felt herself engulfed in total darkness. The world around her was quiet... too quiet. A strange smell drifted past her and this is when she realized her eyes were closed. Slowly, she opened them and found herself in a dimly lit room. House? She called out again, hoping he was still with her but there was nothing but silence. She realized that she had been dreaming and House was no where around. The panic began to grow stronger as she desperately tried to grasp where she was. She was cold and her head was filled with an intense pounding. She let her eyes adjust to the room, noticing there was a small window in the corner, the only source of light in the room. She lied very still, afraid to move and after a few minutes, she decided to sit up. Again, a wave of dizziness swept over her and she closed her eyes until it passed. She opened her eyes again and looked around. There were some objects in the room but it didn't appear that anyone was in there with her. She began to scoot to the edge of the thin mattress she was sitting on and discovered there was something heavy weighing her left arm down. She raised her arm and stared at it in shock. Attached to her wrist was a rusty, metal shackle and hanging from the shackle was a long chain. Her eyes traveled down the chain and saw that it was attached to a hook of some kind, pushed into the ground. She blinked several times, hoping this would wake her from the nightmare but it didn't. This can't be real, she thought, her fear increasing. She took a deep breath and slowly her mind began to flash back to earlier. She remembered being in her apartment, getting ready for work. She remembered talking to Wilson and walking to her Jeep but then things became confusing and she couldn't remember what happened next. She took another deep breath and urged her memory to press on. Suddenly, Steven's face flashed in her head and a cold chill slid down her skin. Oh my God, she whispered as she remembered Steven sitting next to her in her car and feeling something sharp being jabbed into her arm. He's the one, she thought.

As the realization of this began to set in, Cameron began to gasp for air. She tried to breath but her throat felt like it was closing. She was having a panic attack and knew if she didn't calm herself, she would pass out. She leaned forward, holding her head down and after a few minutes, the muscles in her throat began to relax and her lungs filled with air once again. She continued to hold her head down until her breathing became normal again.

Slowly she raised her head and focused on her surroundings once again, still not wanting to believe this was actually happening to her. She couldn't believe she had been so foolish but it had never occurred to her that the one who wanted to hurt her was someone she knew... someone she had befriended. She almost laughed at the thought of what House would say to her if he knew how stupid she had been. Then it occurred to her, did House know that she was missing? Did any one know? Her fear was escalating again and she pushed it down so she could focus on her situation. She needed to find a way to get out of the mess she had put herself in and fear would only jeopardize that.

Again, she focused on the room. She could tell that she was in a basement and there were two sets of stairs. One leading to a door that looked like it had been closed off and the other set leading to an opening in the ceiling. She presumed she was in Steven's house but wasn't sure. She swung her legs around and placed them on the cold floor, discovering she didn't have any shoes on. She looked down at the thin mattress and realized the smell she had been smelling was coming from the mattress, which smelled of dried pee. She looked across the room and on the opposite side, she spied a toilet and sink. The thought of having to use them gave her a sickening feeling. Behind her, were three shelves filled with books and magazines and next to them, in a corner, was a table with a lamp sitting on top of it. An eerie feeling came over her as she looked at all the things in the room. She couldn't help but wonder how long Steven planned to keep her there. She noticed there was a bottle of water sitting at her feet. She picked it up and examined it carefully. Once she was satisfied that it hadn't been tampered with, she opened it and took a few sips. The cool water sliding down her throat felt good and helped clear her head.

After collecting her thoughts, she looked at the metal shackle around her wrist. She played with it a minute, realizing there was no way she was going to remove it from her wrist. The next thing, she thought, would be to attempt to pull it from the ground. She stood slowly and almost fell over due to the dizziness she was still experiencing. It took a minute for her to balance herself. She then wrapped the chain tightly around her hands and pulled as hard as she could. She tried this several times. Each time, pulling harder. She pulled so hard, her fingers gripping the chain, began to bleed slightly. After doing this with no luck of freeing herself, she reluctantly accepted the fact that she wasn't going to be able to remove the shackle without a key. She sat back down on the smelly mattress and dropped her head into her hands, letting the weight of her situation sink in. Tears began to roll down her pale cheeks. She just couldn't grasp the idea that she had been kidnapped. It seemed so unreal, like something out of a movie. She was cold, scared and angry and she knew it was these things that were going to keep her alive and eventually free her. She had to continue to believe that.

She glanced at the small window again. At least she knew it was still daylight. The pounding in her head had increased and she wondered what drug Steven had given her to sleep. As much as she didn't want to, she grabbed the folded blanket at the end of the mattress and lied down, curling up on her side like a small child. A lone tear escaped the corner of one eye and she angrily wiped it away. The last thing she wanted to do was to feel sorry for herself. She wondered what was going to happen when Steven came back and the thought of that, terrified her. She wanted to scream but knew there was only silence listening.

She didn't know how long she lied there, struggling with her thoughts, before exhaustion took over and she fell into a restless sleep.