AN/ Hey guys...so sorry for the long wait...again. I've been struggling a little with this chapter, but I think it turned out well in the end...

Thank you so much thatgirlmona, pinkrocker12, bffs are always forever, anaross3000, Accoustic Writer, thechilledhalf, ADayWithNoLaughterIsADayWais ted, sad-beautiful-tragic, Dreaming2BAWriter, Jiggy, .948, themusical, sweetsos209, ThebiggestLMfan, stikenotes, Hershey9, Bluedog270, Dachshundlover, StripedFuzzySocks, Chloegurl98, Guest, sarabear266, dubs666666, Guest, Aqua468, krc93, TeddyBear93, Penquinlover3333, Nerdygurlk13, Guest, Everlasting Faith, GottashipKick, JacknKimforever, Guest, JazzyJasmine24, Molly127, XMusicIsMyReligionX, JulianaRocks, AnonymouslyTruthful and 88Keys.

You guys are the best ever. I would never have made it this far without you:)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin' it.

Chapter 29

Finally Awake

Jack's pov.

I inhaled deeply, pain still throbbing through my limbs after my attempts to get free earlier. Thinking about it, it had been a pretty bad idea to pull on the handcuffs like that. I'd already knew that it was impossible to break them, but still I hadn't been able to stop myself from forcefully struggling against them, which only had caused me more pain.

I still lay on the floor with my face in my hands, trying to decide on what to do. Austin had freed me from the chain, trapping my legs and he had removed the padlock that'd forced me to stay on this particularly spot. I still wore the handcuffs though as he hadn't managed to find the key to unlock them. But it didn't really matter; I would be able to leave anyway. And trust me, there was nothing that I desired more than getting my freedom back, except for Kim still being alive… There was a huge problem though. A problem that stopped me from even trying to get up…

I closed my eyes, letting the tears of anguish fall freely.

"C'mon Jack we gotta go." Austin said, pulling on my arm, sending new waves of pain through it, making me pull back by reflex. Actually his attempts of getting me up were really starting to annoy me. Why didn't he get it? If Mark was outside and I just walked out of here, he would turn into Alan, and Alan would… I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Alan would torture me to death if he caught me trying to escape one more time.

"Mark's outside and Kim's there. You've got to come! Are you just gonna lay there and feel sorry for yourself?!" He said, starting to shake me. He sounded a bit angry which only got me even more irritated. I did not just lay here to feel sorry for myself, even though I clearly had a reason for it… I lay here because I was trying to survive. "You can't give up now! Not without even trying!" My head shot up.

"Don't you think I've tried?!" My voice came out harsher than I'd expected, making him back off. Tears of hopelessness were rolling down my cheeks. "Don't you think I've tried…" I repeated, more softly this time, looking him straight in the eyes. If he only knew how badly I wanted to leave. If he only knew how much I longed for this moment. But now, when I was finally free I couldn't go because of the man waiting outside. Austin just couldn't have picked a worse time. "Don't you think I've tried to fight him off? Or to leave?" I said hoping that he would understand that it wasn't any point in trying. All it would do was to cause me more pain. Actually I was already worried that me not wearing the chain around my ankles anymore would be enough to make an excuse for Alan to beat me senseless. But if I just lay here absolutely still, then maybe he wouldn't be more violent than I'd be able to survive it. I placed my head against the floor again. "I can't take him…" I said quietly, knowing that I'd been defeated and I'd come to accept it. Why couldn't Austin accept it as well?

"Of course you can take him." Austin said from above me. I couldn't believe he thought that. I mean didn't he have eyes? Couldn't he see that I was in no condition to fight? "Jack, Kim nee…"

"Kim's dead!" I cut him off as the painful memory hit me.

"No she's not." He shook his head. "She was just in here. Didn't you see her?" Blinking away a tear, I looked up at him. How did he know that I'd seen her and heard her and felt her unless… Oh my God she really had been sitting next to me a few moments ago...

"You mean…you mean you saw her too?" I asked, wanting to make sure that she hadn't been just a part of my imagination.

"Yes. Now c'mon." He smiled and reached his hand out for me. "She needs our help." A new thought crossed my mind at that moment though. A thought that made me hesitate. What if he was just saying that to trick me to go outside? What if Austin worked with Alan? What if this was all just a game they played with me for their own amusement?

I was quickly torn away from my thoughts as a heart breaking scream was heard from outside. Well, it was heart breaking for me anyway, recognizing that voice instantly. I scrambled to my feet, pushing aside the pain it caused. My legs barely held me up though. They just wouldn't obey my commands, no matter how hard I tried to force them. The chain being wrapt around my ankles had partly cut off the circulation and I'd lost the feeling in my swollen feet. Panicking I tried to get control over my body, almost falling over. I needed to get to Kim. Austin reached out and grabbed my arm, before I could hit the floor. He supported me for a few seconds, until I'd finally found my balance.

"Take it easy" He mumbled, just before another scream was heard. Oh no…

"KIM!" I screamed, pulling out of Austin's grip. I somehow managed to get to the door without my legs giving in. Not having the power over my body as I used to, made me really upset. I needed it in order to save Kim. For every step I took though, the control over my movements slowly started to increase, but so did also the pain.

I swung the door open and ran out on the porch. The sight that met me made me stop for a split second. The blond owner of my heart was indeed there. My angel was actually there. She was crying though, pinned to the ground by no other than the Monster himself. My Kim had returned only to be taken away from me again. As if losing her once hadn't been bad enough.

She was lying on her stomach, with Alan sitting on top of her, holding her arms behind her back. He pulled them up in a way that I knew was painful to her. The scene was truly infuriating to watch and all of a sudden all my fears for the tall green-eyed man were gone. All I could feel was anger, pure and complete anger.

I was sick of him hurting us and for the first time I was able to do something to stop him. I wasn't gonna let that chance slip away. With adrenaline pumping through my veins I jumped off the porch and charged at him. He didn't notice me until it was too late. My body collided with his, sending him to the ground with me closely following. I was a little surprised at just how powerful my move had been as it caused us both to roll over a couple of times before coming to a halt about fifteen feet away from Kim, our bodies lying next to each others.

I quickly pushed myself off the ground, before Alan was able to comprehend what'd just happened. From my hands and knees I jumped him again. Managing to climb on top of him, I placed one leg on each side of his body, pinning his arms to it and holding him down the same way he'd done to me so many times before. Raising my still cuffed fists together in fury, I could see a glimpse of fear in his eyes. It meant nothing to me at the moment though and the next second my fists had already made contact with his face. He cried out in pain as I hadn't gone easy on him, using as much force as I could behind my punch. Luckily for him I was weak after everything that had happened to me during my time in captivity and the damage I caused wasn't as severe as it would have been otherwise. But it was enough to give him a black eye, that would soon start to show. Not giving it a second thought I hit him again. This time it was his jaw that had to take most of the blow, sending his head sideways. He spat a few times, blood mixed in with his saliva. He struggled to get up, but I wouldn't let him. I was far from finished. The hatred inside me made my blood boil and I completely lost my mind. Not caring about that I'd always been taught not to hit a man when he's down, I went against my own principles and prepared myself to strike once again.

I wanted to make sure that he would never hurt me or the ones I loved ever again and this was my chance. Pulling back my fists even further, to increase the distance between them and the man beneath me allowing my punch to gain more speed and power…

"DAD!" He suddenly screamed, a horrified expression on his face. "He's hurting me!" I froze, watching him tear up.

"Tess?" I mumbled confused. Realizing what I wasn't only hurting Alan, but Mark and Tess as well, I lowered my hands. I knew that they'd been behind much of my agony as well, but they never really meant it and by hurting them I was no better than Alan, now was I?

He started to move, trying to get up and too stunned to do anything else I let him, sliding off of him and sat on the ground. I shot a glance over at my friends. Austin had helped Kim to her feet and they now stood watching us with a mixture of fear and confusion. The adrenaline was coming off of me and I was starting to shake from exhaustion after pushing my weakened body to the limit.

All of a sudden I saw Kim's eyes widened.

"Jack!" She exclaimed pulling away from Austin. I didn't have the chance to react before I was sent sideways to the ground. Pulsing pain started to spread across the left side of my face as I shot a glance up at the man who'd just punched me. I moved my jaw around a little to see if it still worked and thankfully it did. It hurt really bad though and I couldn't bring myself to get back up. Just as I had foreseen I'd ended up lying on the ground in pain while Alan victoriously towered above me.

"Stay where you are." He warned, holding up his hand in Kim's direction, making her stop. Having control over the situation again, he chuckled. "See I told you he was stupid and easily fooled…"

I mentally scolded myself, realizing that he'd been Alan the whole time. He'd only pretended to be Tess so that I would let my guard down…

Kim met my gaze and for the first time in what felt like an eternity I felt peace, if only for a short moment. If I only could've reached out and touch her… She was so close but yet so far away.

I'm sure that Kim felt the same at that point and it looked as if she was about to approach me again, but stopped as Alan started to speak.

"One more step and he'll pay." He said. Kim looked from me to him with a horrified expression, but didn't say anything. "Now go back to your friend." He gestured towards Austin who stood a bit further away, anxiously watching us. Kim's feet seemed to have stuck though as she looked at me again. I could tell she wanted to come over to me and she was probably trying to figure out a way how to do it. I wished that she would come up with something fast, because I didn't know how much longer I would be able to manage without her near.

Suddenly I let out a groan and broke the eye contact as Alan's boot collided with my stomach. Pressing my hands over my abdomen, I curled up, my eyes squeezed shut.

"Jack!" Kim exclaimed. I could hear the fear and worry in her voice and she probably hoped that I would answer her, but I couldn't. The air had been knocked out of me and I struggled just to breathe.

"Now back off or…." Alan said as he prepared himself to kick me once more.

"Don't!" Kim interrupted him. "I'll back off, just don't hurt him. Please." I could hear Kim's footsteps slowly retreating, heading in Austin's direction.

"That's better…" Alan said satisfied, lowering his foot to the ground again and placing it next to me.

Still unable to move through the pain, I lay on the soft ground listening to them as a lump in my throat started to grow. I couldn't believe I'd been stupid enough to think that I would have a chance of defeating him. After everything I'd been through I should've known that he would always be one step ahead of me.

So many thoughts ran through my head at that point. I tried to think of what I could've done differently, what I could've done to prevent this from ever happening. The worst part was that just moments ago I had him. I freaking had him. I could've ended it all and I could have been with Kim on my way home right now. Instead I lay completely beaten down in the dirt, waiting for Alan's next move. A move that I knew would most probably hurt in one way or another…

My breathing had started to go back to normal and the worst pain had subsided. The weight on my chest had increased though and it became harder to keep myself from breaking down and cry. Everything felt so hopeless… and all because Alan had managed to fool me… he'd fooled me…

Somewhere in the middle of all my depressing thoughts an idea popped up in my head as I realized that two could play at this game…

I wasn't sure it would work… probably not…but there was a chance and that was enough for me to give it a go… I hadn't much more to lose anyway...

My body sank if possible even deeper down into the soft dirt as I relaxed my muscles. I let my jaw drop, leaving my mouth slightly open and I breathed as softly as possible. The pain throbbing through most parts of my body became suddenly very distinctive, but I tried to ignore it as I concentrated on the man next to me.

"Jack?" I heard Kim, but I remained silent. "Jack, please say something." The way her voice wavered told me that she was about to cry. As much as I hated to hear her like that, this was in a way the reaction that I'd wanted and it looked as if my plan was working. "Jack?"

I could feel Alan nudging me with the tip of his boot and it took everything I had not to flinch as his foot bumped into one of my bruises.

When I didn't react Alan bent down over me to check if I was still a live. I held my breath, just waiting for the right moment. He leaned in a little further. I think he was about to say something but he never got the chance…With a rapid movement I reached out and grabbed his arms, pulling him down at the same time as I twisted my body in under him, placing a foot just beneath his ribcage. I've done this move so many times before, but this time it was so hard to do. My body was so weak and hurt I let out a small cry as I pushed with my leg while pulling on his arms, flipping him over me.

He landed on his back with a thud. I did my best to get to my feet quickly. It was extremely hard to push through the pain though and my weakened body was about to give in any second. But I had to get up, knowing that if he managed to get to his feet before me I was doomed. We were doomed. The brief thought about Kim and how much was at stake gave me the last bit of energy that I needed. I got onto my knees and with adrenaline rushing through my body and with willpower more solid than a mountain I threw myself at him. Raising my fists I gathered all the frustration, all the fear, all the sorrow, all the pain and all the anger that he'd cost me into one single blow. Screaming I released the power and my fists came crashing down his temple, sending painful shocks up my arms. Alan stopped moving instantly, his arms falling down to be lying lifelessly on either side of his body.

I panted, every muscle in my body shaking from exhaustion. The tears began to slide down my face as I placed my hands on the ground to support myself. I was so tired.

"Jack." I turned my head and saw through the black dots that blocked some of my vision, Kim coming towards me. Even though I knew that I would eventually be in her arms, it felt like it would be an eternity before she'd reach me and I needed her. Now.

Thinking that I could meet her halfway I hoisted myself up, placing one foot on the ground. Never letting my eyes off of her, I tried to push myself up onto my feet. But before I could reach a standing position my leg gave away underneath me and I collapsed. I closed my eyes, preparing myself to hit the dirt once more. Two caring arms embraced me before I could though.

Kim had apparently been closer than I thought.

Holding me tightly, she slowly sank to the ground. I'd fallen sideways into her arms and was now resting my head against her chest.

"It's ok Jack." She said softly as she sat there, slowly starting to rock me back and forth. "I've got you." Her warmth made me feel safer than I'd been in a long time and through her chest I could hear her heart beat. The heart beat that told me she was alive. I think that's when I finally got it. That was the moment I finally let myself believe that this was actually happening. The lump in my throat grew to a size that almost made me choke and I struggled to get my words out.

"You're real…" I whimpered. "Oh my God you're really here…" I pressed myself deeper into her warm embrace, closing my eyes. The relief I felt from this whole nightmare to be over was overwhelming and all the emotions just wanted to get out at once. Unable to hold it together any longer I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Still wearing the handcuffs I couldn't wrap my arms around her like I wanted to. Instead I took hold of the sweater she was wearing, up by the shoulder. Gathering enough fabric to fill both my palms, I clutched it as hard as I possibly could in my feeble hands, revealing a part of her shoulder and probably ruining the garment in the process. At the moment I didn't care though, I just wanted to make sure that she wouldn't disappear from me again.

Her hand was soothingly rubbing circles on my back, distracting me from the pain, which I very much appreciated.

"You're not dead…" I confirmed quietly with a voice that was weak and shaky due to my supply of oxygen running low from the convulsive crying I was doing.

"Of course I'm not." She said. "I promised you I wouldn't die, didn't I?"

I was instantly reminded of the scene in the basement where she had given me a hug and I had made her promise that she would make it out alive, just seconds before she was forcefully taken away from me. The thought of her remembering and keeping her promise almost made me smile…or I tried to smile but as the corners of my mouth was about to pull up, my jaw started twitching and my face contorted, leaving me no other choice but to let the powerful sobs out.

"It's ok. It's over." Kim mumbled, tightening her arms around me, probably feeling as if I was about to fall into pieces from the way my body was violently shaking. My sore and bruised muscles ached at her action, making me flinch slightly. "Sorry." She apologized and let go a little, causing a knot to form in my stomach.

"Don't let go." I whined, pressing myself harder against her, terrified to be left alone. She tightened her embrace again, more carefully this time. It still hurt a little though. But I was determined not to show it, holding back a moan. I so desperately needed the safety, comfort and love she provided me with that I couldn't let the pain in my body stop me from getting that. I sniffed loudly, trying to keep the mucus from leaving my nose, although, some of it already had and it was now covering a larger part of my upper lip. It wasn't fair. I'd longed for this moment for so long and now when it finally was here, I was too beaten up to fully enjoy it.

"Don't worry. I won't let go." She reassured, resting her head on mine. I could tell she was taken by the situation as one of her tears had found its way down in between her cheek and my temple. "I'm not gonna leave you. I promise, and you should know by now that I keep my promises." A warm feeling came to life inside my chest and slowly began to spread, knowing that I could trust her and she cared for me. It almost felt as if she placed a kiss on the top of my head, which made the pleasant feeling grow faster. Slowly but surely the destructed heart of mine began to heal. I could literally feel her touch magically making the emotional pain fade.

A pair of footsteps was coming from behind Kim and I tensed slightly.

"Is he dead?" I heard Austin anxiously ask. He must've been talking about Alan, who I'd almost forgotten was lying right next to us. I didn't know if I'd killed him and frankly I didn't really care. Closing my eyes, I tried to relax in Kim's safe embrace while listening to them talking. It's strange how I was so weak and tired I could barely move and yet my muscles were refusing to rest, keeping shaking and contracting.

"No, he's still breathing." Kim answered him. Oh so he wasn't dead. That's too bad…

"Hm…how's he?" Austin asked concerned, probably meaning me. Kim didn't reply. Instead she placed a hand on my swollen cheek, wiping away a few tears with her thumb. My stomach made a small flip at her touch.

"Jack?" I opened my eyes and tilted my head slightly backwards so that I could look her in the eyes to show her that I was listening. Judging by the look on her face and the way she gasped, I must've shocked her. Did I really look that hideous?

Not feeling comfortable with exposing my face any longer I attempted to hide it again. Kim noticed and gently slid her hand from my cheek and placed it under my chin, lifting my face up again.

"You're bleeding." She stated worriedly. Was I? I hadn't noticed, but it made sense considering how wet and hurt my face felt. "Maybe we should go inside and clean you up." She suggested.

"No" I shook my head and clung to her tighter, placing my head in the crock of her neck. "I can't…" I started, but had to stop as I felt a new sob was building up and if I would have continued to talk it would have burst out of me.

"It's ok. You don't have to…" She reassured me and I felt a lot calmer. I never wanted to set foot in that cabin ever again. I just wanted to go home with Kim and forget everything that had happened. In other words, I wanted my life back.

"How do you feel, Jack?" Kim asked as she began to stroke my head, rhythmically. I closed my eyes, enjoying her fingers combing my hair.

"Hurt." I answered truthfully, not crying as hard as before, which made it a little easier to talk. Kim stopped her hand at the back of my head, carefully pressing me even closer to her, while placing her cheek against my head.

"I know you're hurt." She said softly, her voice slightly cracking. "But could you be a little more specific? Where does it hurt?"

"My arms…and my face…" I said quietly, before inhaling a shaky breath. "Those are probably the worst…"

To be honest most parts of my body hurt to some extent. Not to mention all the emotional pain I had to deal with… A lot of the physical pain was bearable if I just kept still though and the ache in my heart was already healing as every second in Kim's embrace made me feel better.

"Look what I found." Both of our heads shot up by the sound of Austin's voice. Well Kim's head shot up anyway, I just kind of turned my head slowly so that I could look at him, careful not to lose any physical contact with Kim while doing so. Austin had already crouched next to us when I finally laid my eyes on him. He reached out for my hands. Suddenly feeling very insecure I pulled back, still holding on to Kim's sweater as if my life depended on it.

"It's ok Jack." Kim said, noticing my reaction. I felt a bit silly actually. I wasn't really scared of Austin, it had only been a reflex due to the past days experiences.

"Here…" Austin mumble, carefully taking a hold of the handcuffs around my wrists. Because of my refusal to let go of Kim he had to twist them around so that he could place the key he'd been holding in the keyhole. A few seconds later they were unlocked and he swiftly removed them from my wounded wrists. Even if the cuffs didn't weigh more then 15 ounces it felt like a ton had just been lifted from me.

I locked eyes with Austin for a brief moment, suddenly feeling very grateful of him being there.

"Thank you" I said sincerely, before snaking my arm up behind Kim's neck and letting my other find its way around to her back. Pressing me against her, I started to cry again. But this time the tears came from joy and the wonderful feeling of being able to hold her in my arms again.

"I love you Kim." I whispered so quietly that I don't think she heard me, which was okay since I hadn't really meant for her to do that. Feeling the need to say it but not having the courage to tell her, I mainly spoke to myself, as I hugged her tightly, burying my face in her hair. "I love you so much."

There you go, finally some kick at the end... and not much of a cliffy...

I have couple of announcements to make; There's only two chapters left of this story and I'm gonna do my best to get this finished before the end of March. And one of the reasons to why it has taken me so long to update is that I've been working on the sequel. That's right there's gonna be one, since so many wanted it:) The plot is done, so now I just have to write it;P

Please don't forget to review:)

/MJ