Hi everyone thanks again for the reviews. I am glad you are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it.

A quick note about this chapter: If you remember for the first chapter I said that the character Livie comes from another one of my stories. A Castle based one called Her Secret Life No More. Now in this chapter something that happens to Livie in that story comes up. You don't need to have read it to understand but I just thought I would mention it.

Enjoy

Chapter 6

"We do not suffer from the shock of our trauma, but we make out of it what suits our purposes." Alfred Adler

Clark looked up as Livie entered and uncertainly flashed his eyes over her. "Hi" Livie said brightly as she sat down on the other side of the table to him "I'm Livie". Clark stared at her blankly before he leaned forward "I'm not saying anything without my lawyer" he said coldly "not you your boss, not to you, nor to anyone else you send in"

Livie shrugged "that's ok" she said "you don't have to say anything; all you have to do is listen." She dropped her gaze to the file in front of her before she tugged out the photos of the little girls and slowly spread them across the table. "Pretty aren't they" she said softly seeing him lean forward slightly to study them "shame that they were killed" she added and she saw him flinch slightly "they would have been beautiful young ladies"

Clark looked back up at her "I didn't kill them" he blurted out and Livie smiled. "I know" she said and he paused eyeing her uncertainly. "You do" he said looking startled. "Yeah" Livie said leaning back in her chair and relaxing her body "I know you didn't kill those girls, it was your partner wasn't it". Instantly he stiffened again clenching his jaw "I won't tell you anything" he said but Livie ignored that comment and kept her voice gentle as she continued.

"You cared about them didn't you Lucas; you didn't hurt them at all did you". Clark eyed her, they could tell he was dying to agree with her but something was stopping him. Livie sighed and dropped her head before she slowly looked back up at him "I saw how you buried Stella in the woods" she said softly "how you lay her down like she was sleeping… how you wrapped her in a blanket, like you were protecting her from the cold… you didn't want them to die did you". Clark stared at her before he dropped his head. "No" he muttered and he began to twist his hands in his lap.

Livie leaned forward keeping her eyes on him "you didn't want them to die" she repeated as she gently pushed Sophie's picture across the table towards him "so why are you letting her die" she asked.

In the observation room Hotch looked over as the door opened and the rest of the team filed in. "Do we have anything" he asked and they all shook their heads. Reid looked over and frowned when he spotted Livie sitting opposite Clark. "Why is she in there?" he asked uncertainly. "Because we are running out of time and she wanted to give him a go" Hotch said watching her "does she have anything to go at him with?" Emily asked looking worried "yes" Hotch said but didn't elaborate any further as he and JJ looked at Livie keenly.

The rest of the team looked at each other before they shrugged "is she even meant to be allowed in there?" Morgan asked and Hotch shook his head without taking his eyes off of the interrogation in front of him "then why is she in there? We are going to get murdered if Strauss finds out" Morgan said. Hotch didn't look away, he just stared at the scene before him. "Because we are running out of time" he eventually said and everyone realised he was right.

Livie looked at Clark as he stared at Sophie's picture "if you don't like him killing the girls then why do you help him" she asked. "I don't" he muttered not looking at her "I don't help him". "You are helping him now Lucas" Livie said "you are helping him by not telling us about him" she looked at him "Lucas why are you protecting him" "because I owe him" he muttered and his lip curled slightly. "Lucas you don't owe him anything" Livie said gently.

"Yes I do" he exploded "I owe him everything, he saved me, he protected me" "you mean in the foster home" Livie asked not flinching at his sudden anger and he glared at her "he looked after you in the foster homes yes, he protected you from the other kids and from the mean foster parents yes"

Clark looked away "yes" he muttered "without him I wouldn't be here, he protected me and so I will protect him". Livie stared at him "Lucas just because he stopped some people beating you up it doesn't mean you owe him your life" she said "you have a life and it is your life to live, why should you waste it doing something you don't want to do". Clark looked up at her "well I don't have a life anymore do I" he said coldly and Livie sighed "I am sure if you cooperate then the jury would be willing to cut you a deal" she said and he snorted "I know what happens to kidnappers and child molesters in prison, I'll never make it out alive" "we can help with that" Livie persisted "we will get you protected in prison, the FBI can do that"

"Should she be making promises like that" Morgan asked and everyone shrugged before turning their attention back to the scene playing out in front of them.

Clark stared at Livie "no" he said softly "I can't" "yes you can Lucas" Livie said "you can help save Sophie's life". "No I can't" he suddenly shouted leaping to his feet and in the observation room everyone tensed ready to run in if need be.

"I cant betray him, you don't know what it was like for me, my father beat me every day, it was all he seemed to enjoy doing, he would whip me with a belt and punch me with his fists before he would sexually abuse me, you have no idea what that was like. Then I finally got out of there when I was fourteen and I thought things would be better but no they weren't, everything was the same, everyone bullied me, people tried to abuse me, but … he wouldn't let them, he stopped them from hurting me and because of him I felt safe for the very first time"

He glared at Livie who had remained where she was "you know nothing about me" he said coldly "you are a spoiled little rich kid who has never felt pain, who has never been hurt" he hissed. Livie chewed her lip in an almost angry way before she stood up and looked him straight in the eye "don't go there" she said "I know more about pain, about suffering than you think." He snorted and flung himself back in the chair "don't pretend" he said "trying to sympathise with me, it won't work, you are lying"

Livie suddenly seemed to snap because she suddenly launched herself towards the table and grabbed her tablet, she opened it angrily and accessed a document before she slammed the tablet down in front of him "lying am I" she asked coldly "I don't think so because that is proof that I am not"

"Hotch what is that" Emily asked uncertainly. "Get her out" JJ said "That's too much" but Hotch put out a hand "wait" he said "this could be our only chance" "Hotch you know she shouldn't open that door again" JJ said and Hotch looked at her "it was her choice" he said.

Emily looked at the others who looked just as bemused as she felt before she looked back at Livie who was leaning over the table her eyes burning with emotion.

Clark was staring at the document in shock before he looked up at her "this is fake" he said uncertainly but Livie snorted "I wish" she said bluntly "let me tell you a story Lucas, a story that shows that I know what you have been through". She slowly began to walk around him glaring at him "there was this detective, she worked for NYPD, and one day she caught a case, a case involving a girl who had been murdered. That afternoon she received a call from a man who told her to let the case go and nothing bad would happen to 'her'" she paused and sat down opposite him.

"The detective then received a phone call from her daughter who was terrified, saying that someone had tried to grab her but she had gotten away. The detective tried to get to her daughter but was too late, she watched her daughter get drugged and kidnapped, ripped away from her by some coward who didn't want to get caught for murder"

She looked at Clark before she paused and looked over at the observation mirror and she hesitated before she looked back at Clark. "That detective" she said "she was my mom and her daughter that got kidnapped… that was me"

Inside the observation room everyone gasped in shock. Rossi and Emily both stared at each other before looking back at Livie. Morgan's expression tightened into one of distaste. Hotch and JJ both looked sombre, 'they had already known' Emily realised; they had read her file, of course something like that would have been in there. She glanced over at Reid and saw the shock and sympathy on his face as he stared at Livie; he looked so startled and confused.

Livie was still staring at Clark who was looking at her "so what you got kidnapped" he said "that isn't that bad". "Oh the story is only getting started Lucas" Livie breathed and she swiped her finger across the screen of the tablet, turning the page of the file. "When I woke up I was all alone, they had locked me in this cellar that I can remember to this day; dark, damp, stinking of rot and cold, so cold. I was scared out of my mind because I didn't know what was going to happen to me, but I knew that my mom would be looking for me and that she wouldn't stop and I knew that when I got out of there, I would see my mom again, that was the only thought that kept me going".

She broke off and looked at Sophie's picture "Sophie though will never see her mommy again though will she? Because she is dead, does she know that? Do you tell them that mommy and daddy are gone" Clark didn't answer but his expression gave Livie her answer and she scowled before she continued.

"My mom received a call the next day from my kidnappers and he taunted her, he said I had settled in well and that I would be fine as long as my mom did everything he asked… her boss wanted proof of life before he let my mom do anything that he wanted from her. So she asked for some" she paused and they saw her hand shake briefly before she swallowed and pressed on, flicking to the next page of the report.

"Do you know what they sent her Lucas? They sent her a video…. This video"

She tapped on the play button and the rest of the team could see via one of the cameras a video that began to play…

It began with an image of a door, a gloved have reached out and unlocked the door before pushing it open. The camera then zoomed in on a small motionless figure lying under a filthy blanket, her hair hung in knots, her face was tight and pinched, like she was having a bad dream and she was curled up in a defensive posture. There was a bang as the door was slammed shut and she jerked awake.

Reid stared at the image of the young Livie who stared at the camera before leaping up and backing away. "What do you want from me" she begged and they could all hear the terror in her voice "please let me go." The voice that answered was gentle almost reassuring, and they saw the confusion in the young girl's face "I want nothing from you my dear personally my dear, don't worry I won't hurt you, as long as everything goes to plan"

The young Livie stared at him before she continued to back away trying to keep as much distance between herself and her kidnapper. "Why am I here" she begged and they could see tears shining in her eyes. "Because my darling, I need you to get your mother to do something for my friend, I am going to send her this video, talk to her if you like my sweet" the kidnapper said and the camera zoomed in on the terrified little girl who stared at it before she whispered "I love you mom". To the side JJ looked upset, like she wanted to turn away but she couldn't look away from the horrifying image that held them all transfixed.

On the video the kidnapper moved towards his victim and she continued to back away until she reached the wall. She pressed herself up against it as though hoping it would swallow her up "please don't hurt me" she begged "please let me go". The gloved hand came up tracing down her cheek causing Livie to shudder and a few tears to slip down her cheeks "I wouldn't hurt you if I didn't have the choice my dear, it is my friend who wants to hurt you." Livie leapt backwards, "what" she cried "why?" there was a sigh "your mother wants proof of life, so my friend wants to give her very visual proof". There was a clang and the door opened and two men entered "remember" one of the men said coming very close getting right in her face and Livie shut her eyes "your mother asked for this".

"No" the young Livie screamed "she wouldn't ask for something like this she wouldn't". "Oh quite contraire my sweet, you didn't hear her on the phone, she doesn't even sound fussed that you are missing". "You're lying" Livie screamed again stamping her foot in distress and covering her ears desperately. "We will see" the new kidnapper said and then placed the camera down on a ledge so they could see two men move forward towards Livie who cowered away "no" she whimpered "please no" but they ignored her.

One man grabbed her and forced her to the ground pulling her arm hard behind her back causing her to cry out. The other man stepped forward, he was wielding some sort of iron pipe which he swung experimentally, and the end was white hot glowing in the dim light. Livie struggled desperately, again she stared at the camera her lips forming the word 'help' when the pipe came down on her back.

Livie screamed. She screamed as it hit her back and screamed as the attacker pressed the white hot metal against her back, pushing down; the pain that she was in must have been unbearable. The stick came down again and again, Livie was screaming, crying out "mommy help me please", suddenly another voice whispered "feel her pain and suffer detective" before Livie's screams became louder and more pleading.

JJ turned away unable to see the young girl struggling to get away from the iron screaming in pain, crying and begging for her mommy to come and rescue her. Glancing over Emily saw that JJ looked like she was about to throw up and Emily felt the same as she listened to the screams of a terrified little girl. She glanced at Reid and felt her heart break even more when she saw the pain on his face and his eyes shining. Morgan looked disgusted and also very pissed, every muscle was clenched as he stood there listening to the cries of pain.

Livie was staring at the video blankly and they all saw her tremble slightly before she reached out and stopped the image, pausing it on an image of her younger self's screaming face. She sat there breathing deeply before she looked back up at Clark who had gone rather white as he stared at the image with wide eyes. "You have scars from what happened to you Lucas" she asked softly and he shakily nodded "so do I" Livie whispered and she twisted in her seat and brushed her hair aside and pushed the back of her shirt down out of the way.

JJ let out another gasp and even Hotch looked disgusted. Everyone's faces reflected the same shock, anger and sympathy that they all felt. Reid felt slightly sick in his stomach as he stared at the burn marks lining Livie's shoulders. They stood out on her skin, large and lumpy shining slightly in the light. Some of them were still dark, contrasted against her pale skin. Permanent reminders of what had happened to her when she was a young girl.

Livie turned back to face Clark who was looking at her "those cover my back and shoulders" she said "every time I see them, I remember being in that basement, and I wake up screaming sometimes, dreaming of that pipe flashing down towards me, branding me for life" Clark looked away looking slightly uncertain.

They sat there in silence before his curiosity obviously over came him "how did you get out" he blurted and Livie looked at him. "My kidnappers made their demands; all the evidence from the case and fifteen thousand dollars for them to use to escape. They told my mom to meet them at the docks the next day for the exchange". She paused again before she continued "when we got there my mom was already there along with her friend Rick. The leader of the kidnappers looked at me and told me not to try anything or he would kill my mom. Then to make sure my mom didn't do anything…" she paused again looking at Clark and everyone dreaded what would be said next "he shot me, three times, twice in the leg, I was lucky that they were just flesh wounds and then he shot me once in the shoulder" again she lowered the shirt to reveal her shoulder with its small puckered scar resting on it, from where the bullet had torn through her skin.

Livie sighed and covered the mark, "doctors say I was lucky there too" she murmured "took me a while but I regained full use of my arm". She looked away before she continued "they brought me forward" she said "and my mom gave them everything they wanted before they released me… I thought that was it but then they attacked again, the leader had a knife now and he was determinedly trying to stab me. My mom saved me, she knocked me clear but the knife caught her in the side and she fell" she shivered and her eyes went slightly distant as she obviously briefly flashed back to that time before she shook her head and continued.

"The leader went for her to finish her off but I stepped in the way, I didn't want him to hurt her, I wouldn't move so he grabbed me, dragged me to the edge of the docks and stabbed my in the stomach before he threw me into the water" she looked away again "my mom managed to save me but I went into a coma and when I woke up… I couldn't remember anything, I lost my memory, and I didn't remember my mom nor anything that had happened to me ever"

She dropped her head before she looked Clark square in the face almost as his equal "I know what it I like to feel helpless and powerless, like the whole world is working against you, believe me I know, I know what you went through as a kid, I know your pain"

Clark stared at her looking uncertain "why are you telling me this" he asked in a whisper. "So you know that there is always a choice" Livie said staring right back at him "I went through a lot when I was a kid Lucas just like you did, but that didn't make me a killer. You may think that because of what happened to you as a kid you didn't have a choice but you did Lucas you did" she stared at him, willing him to understand as he stared at the table swallowing hard.

Slowly Livie sighed "when your father beat you were you scared, were you scared anticipating his next rage" Clark nodded, still not looking at her. Livie tilted her head to the side looking at him "I was too" she said "I was thirteen years old and I was scared out of my dammed mind because I was all alone and then after they did that to me I was terrified they would come beat me again and they did Lucas. They came back and verbally abused me, they told me my mom didn't love me, they told me she hated me, they were determined to destroy my faith in her and my faith was the only thing that kept me going. Do you know what happened when I woke up? The only thing I remembered was that which had been beaten into me, that my mom, my best friend in the world, the person I cared about more than anything else didn't love me"

Clark swallowed again "your mother was killed by your father wasn't she" Livie said, he didn't respond but he didn't need to. Livie sighed "your father scared you a lot I know…" she paused before she asked "how do you think Sophie is feeling" and he stiffened not liking that they were back onto the missing girl. "She is six years old" Livie said tapping the picture "just a little baby girl, scared and alone, cold, locked in a dark basement" "not in a basement" Clark muttered before scowling when he realised he had given something away. Realising this was her chance Livie pressed on.

"Ok" she said "well that is good I guess, but I bet she is still scared hmm… did she cry a lot? I know I did". When Clark looked up at her again he looked slightly torn and Livie could see that "it isn't too late to save her Lucas, tell us where she is and we can end that fear and pain you know she is feeling, she wouldn't have to die, wouldn't that make you feel better?"

Clark lifted his gaze to her and he looked panicked "I can't… he'll kill me" he whispered "no" Livie said urgently "he won't hurt you, not if you help us rescue Sophie, please don't let anyone else get hurt Lucas, you have a choice right now, make sure it is the right one"

The minutes ticked past as everyone held their breath whilst Livie and Clark stared at each other before eventually Clark sighed and dropped his head "201 Lightfield Road" he said softly "she'll be in the attic, there is a secret room behind a book case" Livie nodded "thank you" she whispered before she slowly stood up and gathered up her things before she moved over to the door. Before she slipped out though her eyes fell on the mirror and she stared at it for a minute before she slowly slipped out of the room.

Morgan looked at everyone else before he uncertainly opened the door to see Livie leaning against the wall with her hand over her forehead, eyes closed and breathing hard. They all stood there for a minute watching her, uncertain of what to do before eventually she allowed her eyes to flutter open and she looked over at them standing watching her.

Her eyes flicked over them, trying to judge how they felt before she gave a weak smile. Hesitantly Emily moved over to her and gently pulled her into a hug with Livie returned and the smile widened slightly. Slowly they all moved forward to give her a hug and she accepted each one without speaking. When JJ came forward she hugged her tightly murmuring "I'm sorry" "don't be" Livie murmured back "I'm fine, what happened to me all those years ago is a part of who I am and without it I wouldn't be here today" JJ hugged her tightly before stepping away and Livie looked around at them all "I'm fine" she said "really I am"

She looked up at Reid who was standing next to her and JJ noticed her hand slip into his before she looked around again "lets go rescue Sophie" she said softly and they all nodded.

XO

In the car Morgan, Emily and JJ travelled in silence at first pondering what they had just seen and heard.

"JJ did you know all that" Morgan eventually asked quietly and JJ sighed "not all of it" she whispered "I knew she had been kidnapped when she was thirteen and that she had been badly hurt. I had intended to read into it to see whether she was suitable but then I met her and I didn't see what I expected to see from someone who had been torn away from her mother, beaten and had then fallen into a coma and forgot everything. I didn't see a scared traumatised girl, I saw a strong, confident young lady who wanted to learn the truth behind the actions of serial killers. I saw someone who had seen death, but wasn't going to let that hold her back. I didn't think what had happened to her was troubling her so I didn't feel the need to dive into her past" she dropped her head "god did you see what they did to her" she whispered "how did she survive that"

Nobody answered; they didn't know how she had made it. It had been a miracle. "What do we do now" Emily asked looking uncertain "we follow her lead" Morgan said "let her decide how she wants things to be and we help her, she spilled her guts to save a little girl so lets help her save that child's life". Again everybody nodded in agreement.

In the other car Hotch kept glancing at Livie in the rear view mirror, she had kept her head ducked for most of the journey and was playing with a charm bracelet around her wrist. "You did good in there" he eventually said and she looked up to give him a grateful smile "but you didn't have to do that" he added "you didn't have to hurt yourself like that"

Livie sighed "I knew I had to get through to him and it was the only way that I could see" she looked at Rossi and Reid who were eyeing her uncertainly. "I'll be fine" she said "guys it wasn't the first time I had to talk about it, hell I had to stand up in front of a room full of people and testify against the guy who had burned my back when I was thirteen. I had to sit in that little box, alone and isolated, in full view of everyone including my kidnapper who sat there smirking at me the whole time and tell them about how they had shoved the iron against my skin for half an hour branding me. I had to sit there and watch that video again just when I was beginning to recover, believe me Hotch, that was fine compared to having to do it when I was thirteen"

Hotch sighed as he glanced at her again "just be careful" he said "don't throw yourself into any situation you can't handle you hear me" Livie nodded before she looked away. "What happened to the men who took you" Reid hesitantly asked and Livie looked over at him before she sighed "they were all sent away for life but the guy who branded me… he only served about three months" "why" Rossi asked "did he get out" "no" Livie said with a small smile "someone killed him whilst he was in prison" she dropped her head again.

Hotch saw Reid hesitate before he cautiously reached across the gap to gently take her hand. Hotch watched their fingers interlock and Reid squeeze Livie's hand gently before she gently rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand.

It was amazing how much could be said without any words and just that small gesture. Without saying anything Reid had told Livie that it was ok and that they were there for her and that she was safe, and Livie had responded that she knew and she trusted them all. There was definitely a connection between those two and it was getting harder to ignore.

"Crime butchers innocents to secure a prize. And innocence struggles with all its might against the attempts of crime" Maximilien Robespierre

Hope you enjoyed that. If you want to read what happened to Livie in full you can find the story on my profile. Please bear in mind that I wrote that story when I was very young and it isn't the best written story in the world. If you would like a synopsis of what happens to her inbox me and I will write you one.

The main reason I brought Livie into this story is that what happened to her there was traumatic and hurtful. She had been through a lot, just like Reid. I wanted them both to find happiness.

Anyway please review. I love hearing what you think.

Thanks

Mysticgirl.