Trizzy - Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to get any better on the cliffhangers until 205! And you're right about the fluff. I haven't written any in so long, it's not only overdue, I'm not sure I remember how to write it!! And you really might hate me by the end of this chapter!

The Corrupter - Hey, glad you're still about. And I think you should be worried - if you think I'm capable of being really, really mean!

Madison Bellows - See, that's the work of a guilty conscience and being caught reading fanfiction when you're at work! (:P)

ambercsiny - Thank you! Just a couple more chapters and this arc will be done with

Bmangaka - lol, Don't think I can! Girl has a mind of her own

RK9 - Happy New Year to you too! And now I see why you were so happy for me to babysit Seymour - you wanted to go out and have some fun! (:P) Hope you enjoyed the partying

meadow567 - They will be making an appearence in this chapter, although probably not how you expect them to. I picked Miracle up last night and I'm going to watch that tonight (housemates permitting). As for the other - I'm still waiting on that one.

sparkyCSI - yeah, it's cheating when you know what's coming up! Speaking of, you know what's planned for Cory, so don't feel too bad!

No notes, just thanks to my beta!

What The Eyes Can't See

Chapter 202: When the darkness turns to light, it ends tonight

Taylor scooted down to the bottom of the bed, ignoring the pain in her ankle and rolled back over to face the camera. And then she began picking at her bra-top until she pulled the wire from it. It was fat and flat, and probably not going to do much other than…

Taylor clutched tightly at the wire as the door was unlocked and Reggie stormed in. 'You don't learn, do you?' he asked her as he approached the bed. His hand was back around her throat again as the other pulled the wire from her hand. 'And I'll take the other one too.'

As his free hand headed to locate the other wire, Taylor took one hand away from the arm he was using to pin her and before he realised what was happening, stuck a finger in his eye as hard as she could.

Reggie roared with pain, stumbling backwards. With her own cry of pain, Taylor threw her weight into her leg and swung it with all her might so that the shackle connected with the side of his head. Reggie stumbled, before slumping onto the bed.

Taylor bit her lip, drawing blood, as she tried to block out the pain in her ankle, instead focusing on searching Reggie's pockets. She pulled out a set of keys and began to try each one in the lock of the shackle, her hands shaking so much that she was sure the noise would awaken Reggie.

Finally, the lock clicked. In her excitement, Taylor leapt of the bed, only to collapse in a heap as her ankle again collapsed on her. She clamped her hand around her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Taylor swallowed back the pain and got back to her feet. Quietly, she pulled the shackle and chain over to Reggie and locked it around his wrist – the chain wasn't long enough to reach his ankle, and there was no way she would be able to lift him.

Taylor headed out of the room, as fast as she could with the pain she was feeling, and pulled the door shut behind her. The room was upstairs and she could hear voices floating upwards. She couldn't tell what they were saying, but it didn't sound like they were worrying where their friend was. She edged towards the stairs and peered down.

The stairway opened up into a brightly lit room, although the windows were also boarded shut. From where she was, she could see a computer monitor with an image of the room she was in, with another monitor next to it which was streaming the video somewhere else. There were three men on the other side of the monitor, all playing cards, engrossed in their game.

Taylor crept back. She wasn't getting out that way. She headed back up the corridor and to the end room. The window was also boarded up, but there was a glimmer of light poking through. Taylor limped over to it and began pulling at the boards. It took a while, but one came away with a crack. Taylor held her breath, praying that no one heard it. Thankfully, no one seemed to.

Outside, it was daylight. Taylor couldn't tell where she was, but Reggie had been right – she wasn't in the city anymore. She was surrounded by trees and in the distance she could see a river. Taylor pushed herself through the small hole she had created, ignoring the searing pain that was coming from her ankle, as well as the great cut she had acquired as she caught her arm on a nail which was sticking out.

Pushing aside the fact that the drain pipe didn't look overly sturdy, she manoeuvred herself over to it and used it to lower herself down to the ground. It held, with a lot of creaking, and so did her arms – the last thing she wanted to do was fall on the ankle. She paused to catch her breath and looked around. Just as she spotted a truck, there was shouting in the house.

Realising there was no way she would be able to hotwire the thing quickly enough, Taylor took a deep breath and headed straight for the trees.

---

Two cars pulled up outside the Portwood's old family house followed by another two Jersey state Police patrol cars. Out of the first came Flack, Mac, Danny and Hawkes. Before Lindsay, Angell and Cory could get out of the second car, Flack was already kicking the door down.

'Flack!' Mac cried as the detective went bounding into the building, gun drawn. The others were close behind them, taking cover behind the doorway as bullets began ringing out into the night air.

From her position behind a cupboard, Cory leant out, shooting at one of the men who had been playing card only moments ago. He dropped to the floor, the blood splattering onto Flack's back.

Flack turned around at the sound of the body hitting the floor. Rather than acknowledge the fact that Cory had just saved him from being in that position, he ignored her and carried on into the house, regardless of whether it was secure or not.

The house was eventually rendered safe, the only other occupant giving himself up quickly. Again, without waiting for the all clear, Flack hurried upstairs, bursting into all the rooms until he came across the one he recognised as Taylor's holdings – her broken phone the extra proof she had been there.

Flack stormed back downstairs to where one of the officers was busy leading the only 'bad guy' still alive to the car in cuffs. The guy was snatched out of the officer's hands and flung against the door before the rookie could figure what was going on.

'Where is she,' Flack demanded.

'I don't know what you're talking about!' his voice came out muffled.

'Taylor! Where's Taylor!' he repeated, pulling his gun out.

'Flack, what are you doing?' Danny cried, pulling the taller man off the suspect.

'He knows something,' Flack told him.

Danny shrugged. 'And you think jamming a gun at his head is the right way to find this out?'

'And if this was Lindsay?'

'She managed to escape,' Cory interrupted them. 'Reggie and a fourth man went to look for her.'

---

Taylor collapsed to the ground. She had been running for what felt like hours, and her foot felt like it was going to explode. If it was not for the fact she knew that her life was on the line, she wouldn't be putting any pressure on it at all.

Not only was the ankle in agony, her feet were cut to shreds, and she didn't have a clue where she was. Whilst she had been keeping under the trees as much as possible to avoid the snow and leaving footprints, the ground was still frozen, as was the rest of her. It was also beginning to get dark.

Taylor took a deep breath. Having to walk with a limp for the rest of her life was a better option than the alternative. She got back to her feet and continued in the direction she was heading.

Finally, the trees began to thin and she found herself at a tall fence. Behind it, lurking like a monster in the night was something which resembled a factory, sitting on a dock at the river. 'Please be the Hudson,' she muttered to herself, before she gritted her teeth and began climbing. 'Please let me still be in the state of New York.'

She dropped down on the other side and stumbled through the snow drifts, heading for the buildings. As she rounded one of the corners, she faltered, spotting someone walking ahead of her, checking the area with a flash light.

'Oh, thank God,' she muttered, heading towards him. 'Hey! Help!'

The man turned, and Taylor continued towards him… until she realised who he was.

'You seem surprised to see me,' Reggie told her, a grin on his face. 'You didn't think that there was only one set of keys?'

'Frankly, I only needed enough time to get out of that place,' Taylor told him as she inched backwards.

'You didn't get very far,' Reggie informed her, his movement forwards matching hers backwards.

'What do you mean?' Taylor asked him.

'We were a mile that way,' he explained, pointing away from the water. 'It's a shame that you had to run all this way to die.'

'Look,' Taylor tried, 'you could just walk away and leave me here and I'm not going to tell anyone.'

Reggie nodded. 'Well, I am going to walk away and leave you here, and you're right, you're not going to tell anyone. Because the dead can't talk.'

'You are so wrong about that,' Taylor muttered, before turning and running.

'You can run, but you can't hide,' Reggie called after her.

At any other point, Taylor might have rolled her eyes at the tired cliché, but instead she was so focused on running away, she couldn't focus on anything else. Taylor rounded a corner and was faced with the option of running back to the forest, or a door ahead of her. She took the door, figuring that she might find something she could use as a weapon, or somewhere to hide, or even someone who could help.

It was locked. Taylor whirled around, ready to head in a different direction; only Reggie was right behind her. She took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and then punched at the glass with all her might. It shattered, slicing her arm, but it meant that she could reach in and twist the lock. She pushed the door open and ran, just as a shot rang out in the night, crashing into the wall just beside her.

Taylor shrieked and changed direction, willing her feet to move faster. She didn't have a clue where she was going, but she could hear Reggie behind her, taunting her as he called out her name. She dashed through another doorway and found some steps in front of her. Without even looking behind, she ran up them, and through another door until she was on a walkway of some description. Through the criss-crossed metal grated floor, it seemed like there was nothing below her other than a black abyss.

Taylor froze. She'd been here before – at least once a week in her dreams. Taylor looked around. The air smelt damp and of old fish, and it was cold in the warehouse. It was quiet too. The only noise she could hear was her own breathing and that sounded deafening. She glanced back behind her, certain she was being followed, and tripped on the metal rung of the suspended walkway she was creeping along. The piece of metal she kicked went flying over the edge, but instead of landing with a crash, it landed with a splash.

There was no doubt about it. She had been here before, and she knew what was going to happen. 'Aiden,' she hissed, 'I know you're here.'

Aiden appeared in front of her, 'how did you know?'

'Look, I don't have time to explain. I just need you to promise me something.'

'Taylor?'

'Just promise me,' Taylor pressed, urgently, glancing behind her.

Aiden looked at her. 'What?'

'Protect Don.'

'What are you talking about?' Aiden asked her, looking at her as if she had gone mad.

Hearing a noise behind her, Taylor gave Aiden one last pleading glance. 'Please, Aiden.' She took a deep breath and carried on in the direction she was heading.

In front of her, the walkway widened as it reached a door. To the left, where the walkway was the widest, were a couple of drums. Taylor gritted her teeth, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. In front of her, the door burst open and Flack dashed through.

'Taylor!' he yelled, his voice sounding like he was shouting in slow motion.

Taylor turned, even though she knew what was there – Reggie with his gun trained on them. And then it really was as if she was moving in slow motion. Knowing that Aiden would still try to knock her down, she stepped back, feeling Aiden fly past her. She turned around, pushing Flack to the floor as there were several loud bangs.

And then life returned to normal speed. Taylor turned back around in time to see Reggie slump to his knees, a look of surprise on his face. With his gun still trained on her, he fired again. This time, Flack leapt back to his feet and rained bullets into him, as Taylor watched Danny and Mac appeared from behind, doing the same.

After checking Reggie wasn't going to pose a further threat – he was well and truly dead – Flack turned back to Taylor.

'Taylor,' he said, looking thoroughly relieved, walking towards her.

Taylor took a step forward and stopped. Looking down she saw the blood running from her arm where she had cut it breaking the glass, her chaps were torn and covered in blood, as was her stomach. Only the blood on her stomach wasn't only from where the trees had torn at her. There were two bullet wounds.

'Don,' she managed weakly, as something behind him caught her eye. It was Reggie… or rather, the ghost of Reggie as he sat up from the body, and then he seemed to fly through the air, faster than Flack could run over to her. He flew into her, and Taylor stumbled backwards, hitting the railing behind her.

'TAYLOR!" Flack screamed as she went careering through the railing and into the black abyss behind her.

---

Taylor awoke and everything was white. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she noticed two things. Firstly, she couldn't feel any pain at all, and secondly, she wasn't alone.

'So you're finally awake.'

Taylor slowly turned her head and waited for her eyes to focus on the semi-transparent person standing over her. 'Maddy? Oh God. I'm dead, aren't I?'

And yes, before you ask, I have considered ending here for a VERY long time. However, unluckily, or luckily, depending on how you look at it, because of all your wonderful support, heartwarming reviews, and the general nice feelings that accompany the alerts from FanFic that tell me another reader has added this to their favorites/alerts, I've carried on.

And if there was anything I could do to repay the happy feeling y'all keep giving me, I would! So thank you!