Chapter Text
You woke slowly, barely able to register anything of the world around you. Your eyes only managed to focus on the little details-- the barren dark walls of the room, the solitary lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and a sliver of light that slipped into the room from beneath the door. From outside the room, you could hear the rustling of the wind and, occasionally, bird song. The room was cold and your body ached from laying on the grainy hard-wood flooring for so long. Splinters bit into your palms and forearms, as well as any other exposed skin you’d managed to let come in contact with the floor. Your wrists and ankles were bound together and you’d given up on freeing them a long time ago. Your mouth was dry and your stomach twisted with hunger, letting out a long and low growl.
Curling in on yourself even more, you let out a shuddering breath that you could see and let out a quiet groan. How long had it been since Jack had taken you? After falling unconscious, you did not know how much time had passed nor where you were. This room was what you had woken to every time. You’d lost count of how many times you’d groggily came to and been disappointed to see the same setting. It was slowly driving you mad. When you would finally break, you hadn’t a clue. It was just a matter of time before you succumbed to some ill fate, be it hypothermia or starvation and dehydration or perhaps all of these things. Knowing how agonizingly painful death from any combination of those conditions would be, you prayed that the roof of the room would collapse and kill you on impact.
Your hands moved to hold your belly, wondering if the child growing within you stood any chance. It was about 5 weeks along, last you had counted, and no bigger than a pea. The lack of food and water would not just impact you, but your child as well. The realization that you could lose the child before you even lost your own life hit you like a freight train. Tears welled up in your eyes and you choked back a sob. If you didn’t do something to break free, then you could very well lose everything that mattered to you. You’d never get to hold your baby. You’d never get to share it with Gabriel. You’d never get to see the child grow up and become everything that it wanted and more.
Sitting up, you didn’t even bother wiping your tears away for fear of getting splinters in your eyes. You stared at the door in front of you, wishing you had the strength to try move closer to it. Whatever Jack had given you to make you fall unconscious had seemingly sapped your strength. You didn’t know if it had been mere hours since your kidnapping or if it had been a few days, but you knew that the lingering effect of that drug still coursed through your veins.
A breeze passed from beneath the door, making a shiver run down your body. It carried the scent of rain and something earthy that felt so familiar. You shut your eyes and tried to imagine what lay just beyond the door. The sky had to be grey and overcast, visible through the trees where birds had just began to build their nests for spring. You mustered up the image of some bunker hidden in the woods and you were kept in this shed a miles hike from it. There had to be something to prevent someone from finding you and rescuing you. The shed could be camouflaged from above by a canopy of trees and surrounded by a thick growth of bushes.
Your imagination was still running rampant when you heard it-- footsteps. They were drawing closer and closer. The rain-sodden ground squelched beneath the pair of feet with each step and you held your breath as the sound stopped just outside the door. You looked down to see the shadow of the feet that was cast underneath the door, wondering who it was on the other side. Would they open the door? Would they keep walking? Your heart thundered in your chest as you heard the jingling sound of a set of keys. You had been locked in this whole time. Pressing yourself back against the wall, you waited with bated breath as the person on the other side worked on unlocking your place of imprisonment.
The door swung open and light flooded in, stinging your eyes momentarily as they adjusted. You threw your arms up to block the light and struggled to see through the brief blindness it caused. “Jack? Is that you?” you questioned, staring blearily at his feet as they moved closer. If it weren’t for your state of weakness and the wall you had your back pressed up against, you would have retreated further from this person. Rough hands grabbed you by your wrists and you yelped as you were pulled to your feet. Your arms no longer blocked your view and you lifted your gaze, the image of this person’s face coming into focus. “Jack.”
Anger swelled up inside you, but you couldn’t act on it. He had left you here in this room, cold and without food or water. You’d managed to hold your bodily functions in otherwise you would have been even more of a mess. Unsure of how long you’d been there made this all the worse. Holding you by your bound wrists, he jabbed your arm with another syringe and you jerked away as best you could manage. It was no use and you felt the warmth of the drugs coursing through your veins. This wasn’t like what he’d used to kidnap you. It was something else. As he scooped you into his arms, you felt your extremities tingling as the warmth reached them. Carrying you from the room, you were finally privy to the information of where you were.
It was the house in the woods, where Reaper had hidden you away for so long. The room that you had been in was the small shed off to the side of the house. Your imagination couldn’t have prepared you for seeing this place again. The shed had remained the same, but the house looked sturdier than before. The warped wood and splintering pieces had been cleaned up and fixed. Even the paint had been touched up, making it look almost brand new. The swing on the porch was gone and the front door was made of an even sturdier looking wood than the house. Taking it all in, silent tears poured down your cheeks as Jack carried you up the short steps and into the house.
Inside was even stranger of a place to you. The door had multiple locks now and the walls were lined with a dark, ballistic looking material. You glanced to the kitchen and the table was covered with maps and different sheets of paper. Long gone was the small vase of flowers Moira had made a habit of replacing every couple of days. You don’t know why, but you longed for that familiarity. You wanted those flowers to be there instead of Jack’s makeshift desk. You even found yourself not minding the thought of Moira appearing from the small pantry with her arms full of items to use for dinner. It frightened you that you longed for something from that time. Looking away, you did your best to put it out of mind.
Jack carried you past the completely empty living room and into the room you had once shared with Reaper and Gabriel. The bed was completely gone, but the mattress was shoved into the corner of the room. Thick iron rings were drilled into the wall above it and from them hung chains. They were long, probably so whoever they held could move around and use the bathroom in the room over. You swallowed the lump that had risen to your throat, knowing that those chains were to imprison you. Jack dumped you onto the mattress and reached for the chains, attaching them to your bound wrists with a lock he pulled from his pocket. They felt so heavy, even with your strength slowly returning to you. The moment his hands dropped yours, they fell into your lap.
“Why are you doing this, Jack?” you asked as he moved to untie your ankles. His ignorance peeved you greatly. He had yet to say anything to you or explain why he was doing this, why he was working for Talon. When he pulled the bindings from your ankles, you tested just how much of your strength had returned. With a quick motion, you bent your knee and kicked Jack square in the chest with as much force as you could muster. He stumbled back, almost falling over, but managed to stay standing. The impact reverberated up your leg and you felt a tingling numbness for a brief few seconds. However odd the sensation, it was worth testing. Given your full strength, you could maybe stand a chance of fighting if you needed to.
Jack’s gaze was cold and angry as he righted himself. “Do that again and I’ll take you back out to the shed.” he threatened through clenched teeth.
“I’ll do it again if it gets a response from you.” you shot back. “Jack, answer me. Please. Why are you working for Talon? Why are you doing this? Was it something Jesse or I did?”
The man looked conflicted. His face fell for the briefest second and returned to a harsh scowl. “I don’t have to answer to you. You answer to me.” he growled unconvincingly.
“Is it because they want Gabriel dead?” you pressed, thinking back to when they kidnapped you. Gabriel said he had enemies and if Talon was after him, then it made sense why Jack had you. They knew Gabriel would come for you if you were in danger. “It is, isn’t it?” Jack said nothing and you knew it to be true. “So I’m to be bait for Gabriel.”
“Or Reaper.” Jack added, his eyes meeting yours. You held your tongue, knowing that he had meant to go for a low blow like that. It stung, but not worse than his betrayal. “Whoever gets here first.”
Jack started walking away, heading for the door he’d brought you through. You still hadn’t heard his reasoning for working with Talon or the reasons that Talon had for going after Gabe in the first place. “After pretending to help Jesse and I, you owe me an explanation, Jack.” you called out. He paused. “Please. I will listen and I won’t say anything. I just want to know why you’ve turned your back on me.” On Jesse. On Gabriel. On everything that I thought you stood for. “Please.”
Jack opened the door, pausing just long enough to say, “I can’t.” The door shut behind him with a soft click and then you heard the lock snap into place.
You wanted to scream. You wanted to run to the door and pound on it, all the while yelling for Jack to answer you. You wanted to break free from your chains and leave Jack wondering where you disappeared to. You felt stupid for letting yourself get into this situation. If there was anything Gabriel taught you, it was that people couldn’t always be trusted. He’d tried to warn you, even if he had only meant himself.
Rising from the mattress, you went to use the bathroom. That room seemed to be the only one that Jack hadn’t changed. As you stepped inside, you felt a chill fall over you. You caught your own gaze in the mirror, holding it as your mind conjured up the image of Reaper in the reflection behind you. The chain hanging from your bound wrists was held in one of his hands, the other resting on your shoulder, even though you couldn’t feel it there.Taking a shuddering breath, you shut your eyes and willed the illusion to go away. Your throat tightened and you choked in your next breath, the memories of all that had happened here trying to force their way back to the front of your mind. Why did it have to be here? Why did Jack take you to this place filled with so many wretched memories?
Opening your eyes back up, Reaper was gone from the reflection. Relief washed through you, but you weren’t going to risk putting yourself back in that place. You moved along, finishing your business and hurriedly washing your hands, so you could return to the adjacent room.
However, that familiar sense of dread followed you from the bathroom. It was as if he was still there, purposely tormenting you from out of sight. As you settled back onto the mattress, you drew your knees up to your chest and hugged them. Your body was shivering, even though the room was far warmer than it had ever been when Reaper held you captive there. It was also much warmer than the shed just outside the house. There were no sheets, not even a thin blanket, for you to pull around your shoulders. Leaning into the corner of the room, you tried to relax and find a semblance of comfort.
Your body shook and your teeth chattered, the chill overtaking your body penetrating and violent. What was happening? Your stomach twisted and you felt a growing, aching pressure low in your abdomen. In an attempt to relieve that pressure, you stretched your legs out in front of you. It helped momentarily, but then the pressure reached its threshold. Your stomach churned and you rolled to the edge of the mattress as quickly as you could before vomiting what little was left in your stomach. Sitting there, you dry heaved for a few more minutes after your stomach had been emptied.
You sat back up, your abdominal muscles aching even more so after vomiting. Perhaps even worse than vomiting, you realized a dampness between your legs. The vomiting and dry heaving had probably made you wet yourself a little. Feeling disgusted, you got up and moved back to the bathroom so you could clean yourself up. Avoiding looking up at the mirror, you pulled down your pants and moved to strip away your underwear. Your pant leg got caught on your heel and you grumbled in annoyance. As you kicked your pants aside, your eyes caught sight of something strange. Bending down, you picked up your pants, turning them inside out and looked for what had caught your eye. When you found it, your heart skipped a beat and you dropped your pants.
Blood.
Your pants had blood stains.
“No. No, no, no.” you said aloud, panic growing with each syllable. Reaching down, you pulled your underwear down and saw the bright red spots that had stained through to your pants. Your legs gave out underneath you and you sank to the floor, wanting nothing more than to have your hands freed so you could hold your abdomen. The coldness of the floor seeped into your skin, but you didn’t care. You didn’t care that you were half-naked on that bathroom floor where Jack could walk in and find you like that. Not even the blood slowly trickling down and pooling beneath you on the floor became a bother. None of that mattered. Nothing mattered in that moment.
“My baby.” you muttered brokenly, your heart shattering at the realization of what had happened, was happening. You choked back a sob. “My baby.” you repeated, tears starting to flow down your cheeks. Agony, grief, fear was all you knew in that moment. Your abdominal muscles cramped and your body shook with every soul wrenching sob that passed your lips. You wanted to die. You wouldn’t care if Jack threw you back out in that shed. You wouldn’t care if Reaper came storming in, guns ablaze and took you for himself. All you could think of was the overwhelming feelings that filled you. You felt everything and nothing as you thought of the life your child would never have.
At some point, the bathroom door connected to the rest of the small house swung open. Jack walked in and found you lying there, mostly out of it. He swore and rushed over to you. The man was unsure of what to do, his hands just hovering over you while he thought. You were still quietly sobbing and not registering that he was even there. When at last he decided to try and move you, he slipped an arm under your arms and the other beneath your knees. It was a struggle to get you off the ground with how limp your body was in your despair. The man managed and, once he had you in his arms, he carried you back into the room.
Depositing you back onto the mattress, he knelt down and removed the chain locked to your wrists. He untied your bounds and set them aside before shrugging off his long coat. You were still shivering, just more violently than before. Jack laid it over the top of you, hoping it might help. You continued bemoaning the loss of your child, all the while Jack pondered getting help. He knew there was a chance for infection to set in if things weren’t handled properly. There was the chance you could bleed out if things weren’t healing as they should. However, asking for help would put yet another person in the path of danger. He couldn’t risk his mission by taking you to a hospital-- Jesse would be watching for you as they had before with the help of Athena.
Mercy crossed his mind momentarily, but Jack knew that she would have questions, the kinds of questions he couldn’t answer. Not to mention that he’d already caused her enough trouble by having her look into the blood samples from Gabriel’s apartment. She’d not help him if she didn’t know the full story this time around.
A thought hit him-- the doctor that was seeing to Gabriel. Dr. O’Deorain worked for Talon if she worked for Reaper. When he had prepared this place, he’d cleaned it out of everything that had been left behind. He’d found the burner phone with its solitary contact-- one Moira O’Deorain. It hadn’t crossed his mind to use it before, but now it seemed like he might need to. Glancing down at you, he felt guilt wash over him. It was the least he could do. Besides, he might be able to find out what was going on with Gabriel.
After making sure you were fine for the moment, he moved back to the kitchen. The burner phone sat with the rest of his belongings, as well as the journal you’d kept during your time here. He hadn’t opened it and knew if he did, his feelings of guilt and shame would only become worse. Picking it up, he flipped the outdated technology open and pressed the call button. It automatically dialed the doctor’s number and the line began ringing. The line rang a few times before he heard the click of it being answered. Clearing his throat, Jack spoke.
“Dr. O’Deorain,” he started, “I am in need of your services. I believe you are familiar with Miss (y/f/n).” A breath hitched from the doctor’s line. “Doctor?”
No answer came. Not a single word. He could still hear the doctor’s breathing through the phone, however. The woman was being difficult it seemed.
“If you do not comply, then I will have to bring it up to Commander Mercurius.” he continued. “(Y/n)’s life is in danger and she will die if you do not get here in a timely manner. I will…” Jack trailed off, feeling that something was off. The doctor would have responded if she’d answered the phone. Whoever had it before would have been of importance to the woman and she’d at least be a bit eager to hear from the person. “You’re not Dr. O’Deorain, are you?”
After a few moments of silence, a response came-- “No, I am not the doctor.”
The voice sent chills down Jack’s spine. He recognized the voice, despite its distortion. He knew exactly who it was on the phone now. “Gabriel.” he gritted out. “Where is Dr. O’Deorain?
“Not available to see patients.” he replied. “ Neither is Gabriel.”
Oh. “Reaper.” Jack corrected himself.
“What have you done to (y/n)?” Reaper asked him, venom dripping from his slowly spoken words. “Why is she in need of that damned doctor?”
“It is more of a concern of what you did to her.” Jack lied. “If you want her to live, then you will bring Dr. O’Deorain and surrender yourself to Talon. Should you choose not to comply, then I will let her die or kill her myself. Meet us at your safe house in the woods within the next hour or she dies.”
“Always knew you were a snake in the grass, Morrison.” Reaper growled, catching Jack by surprise by using his name. “You and Mercurius will pay for crossing me. I will take great pleasure in ending your miserable existence.”
With that, Reaper hung up and Jack set the phone down. Reaching for his pulse rifle, he picked it up and tried to ready his mind for what was to come. Reaper’s words didn’t scare him, but the impending confrontation did. If he failed, he would die whether it was by Reaper’s hands or Mercurius’. As well as that, he’d lose Vincent and any chance of redemption, if there was a chance.
Jack moved back into the room with you, sitting at the end of the mattress. You’d curled yourself up underneath his jacket and had fallen silent. He could still see you shivering, but it was significantly less than before. His coat was stained with the blood from your miscarriage and he had to look away from it for fear he’d vomit.
Shifting his pulse rifle in his lap, he leaned back against the wall. His eyes would stay glued to the door, the only way into this room, and wait for Reaper to come. When he did, Jack would not hesitate to end him then and there. Only then, could he be at peace, could free himself and Vincent, and never be seen again.