✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*
Mia watches as Daniel drags Heather kicking and screaming from the warehouse, fading into the darkness the closer they get to a door on the opposite side of where she entered through the hallway. Her breath hitches in her throat when the slamming door echoes throughout the otherwise empty building, eyes brimming with unshed tears. After a moment of holding her breath, praying that this is some nightmare she can wake up from, she gasps out a choked sob. Her hands tremble as she buries her fingers in her hair, the metal cuff biting into one of her wrists and stopping the movement short. Anger courses through her veins as she glares at the handcuffs and Mia wraps her fingers around the chain links, relentlessly yanking on the restraints. The sound of metal scraping against metal barely hits her ears, everything becoming white noise. She isn't sure how long she struggles before the sting of the metal cutting into her skin finally registers, blinking through watery eyes until her vision clears enough to see the bloody scrapes on her wrist.
Slamming her palms against the pole, Mia lets out an angry scream before leaning her forehead against it, closing her eyes and trying to steady her racing heart. She only has herself to blame for this, right? She came here alone; she didn't call Jay; she dropped the gun. Maybe the police could've helped. She should've trusted them. But because of her, Heather is probably dead and now, she'll be next.
No. She refuses to be next. She refuses to let him win – not without a fight.
With one last deep breath through her nose, she uses her sleeve to wipe at her cheeks and sits up straight. She uses her free hand to brush the hair out of her face before focusing on her surroundings. Her eyes scan for anything she could use to break free, struggling to see with the only light coming from a dim lamp on the table a few feet away. There is nothing in her pockets, nothing on the mattress or the concrete floor. Growing frustrated, her eyes land on the cheap-looking chair and focus on the legs, the wood being held together by nails. An idea sparks in her mind and she shuffles forward until the handcuff bites into her skin again, glaring back at it. But Mia is determined.
She stretches as much as she can to try to reach the chair. If she can just grab it with her foot and pull it closer, maybe she can use one of the nails to pick the lock. It's so close, that she can almost reach it. Mia tries to extend more and grits her teeth at the pain in her wrist. When she just barely reaches the leg of the chair with her shoe, all it does is nudge it further away. She lets out a dejected groan and deflates, the back of her head thumping against the mattress for a moment before she sits back up to regroup.
Before she can even attempt to form a new plan, her gaze snaps towards the door as it swings open, and Daniel comes rushing through. He appears disheveled, only glancing at her long enough to confirm she is still there before hurrying over to the table. "Where's Heather?" Mia demands, willing her voice not to break or show any fear. He doesn't answer, only frantically continues to gather the papers into a pile. Her voice is weaker this time as she begs, "What did you do to her?" Again, he stays silent, grabbing everything and rushing back outside. A rock forms in the pit of her stomach as she realizes what this means, that Heather is probably dead, and he doesn't want to admit it.
About a minute later, Daniel comes back and this time heads straight for her. She can't help but scoot back slightly, swallowing down her fear as he reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a small key, the same key he used earlier to unlock the cuffs, before using his other hand to grab the gun from his waistband. Mia holds her breath and is surprised when he gently tosses the key within her reach. She glances back and forth, trying to figure out if this is some sort of trap.
Daniel gestures to her shackled wrist with the gun, "Unlock it." Hesitantly, Mia does as she's told, immediately rubbing at the torn skin. "Get up," he instructs, still frantic, "We gotta go."
"No," she bites out, staying exactly where she is.
His eyes darken as he squints at her, "Don't be stubborn. We need to leave."
She narrows her own eyes and asks again, "Where's Heather?"
Closing his eyes, he pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales slowly to tamper his growing anger, "She's fine."
"I don't believe you," Mia barks out before he can even finish his sentence.
The look he sends can only be described as betrayal as he takes a small step toward her. "How can you say that?" Daniel brings both hands to his chest, and her gaze tracks the movement of the gun, "Don't you trust me?"
She hesitates, watching him closely and considering her next words carefully, "Why should I?"
"Mia," he breathes out her name, and it sends an uncomfortable chill down her spine. His mouth twists into a sinister smile, "I would never lie to you. I love you."
"You love me," she scoffs and gestures to the handcuffs, "So you chained me to a pole?"
He shakes his head and lets out an exasperated sigh, "I love you, so I'll do whatever is necessary to protect you. Everything I've done has been for you, to protect you from the toxic people in your life that you refuse to see! I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to force you."
The unspoken threat lingers in the space between them, crushing her chest like an anvil. She weighs her options carefully, raiding her memory for every episode of 'Criminal Minds' she's ever seen. Jay is coming for her. She knows he is. All she has to do is buy him some time. Closing her eyes and letting out a long breath, Mia rises to her feet.
✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:**:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
The sun was beating down on her as Mia walked around campus with her friends, pushing the hair out of her face and pressing her hand harder into the small of her back. She tried to focus on the story being told, biting back the pain that had been building since she woke up this morning. It was probably nothing, just another symptom that she'd read would seem totally worth it by the end of the nine-month period.
It seemed like yesterday she stood in her bathroom, staring at the positive test and fighting tears at the reality of what it meant. And as quickly as she was a pregnant twenty-one-year-old in her final year of college with a military boyfriend, she was alone. Alone and pregnant, with a boyfriend who once again lied and abandoned her. Ex-boyfriend. God, that still didn't feel real. She was so goddamn angry at Jay that day that she couldn't find the words to tell him they were becoming a family. But as stubborn as she wanted to be, she knew that her mom and Will were right. The only problem was that she didn't want to be an obligation. She wanted him to be here, in Chicago, because he wanted to be. Not because he needed to be. That's the real reason she decided to wait until Jay came home from Fort Benning to tell him about the baby – not only because she would rather tell him in person than over the phone, but because a part of her hoped he would come home with some grand apology, begging her to forgive him and take him back. Mia swore to herself growing up that she would never become her mother – someone who uproots their goals and dreams because of an unplanned pregnancy, for a man who didn't appreciate her. She already knew that was a ridiculous thought, though, because there was no world in which Jay Halstead was anything like her father. If she knew one thing at all, it was that Jay was a good man.
Brows drawing together tighter, a sharp pain shot from her back to her front and stopped her in her tracks. A cry fell from Mia's lips as her hand flew to her stomach before she collapsed to her knees on the hard pavement. The panicked voices barely reached her ears, vision blurring with tears. Whatever happened next, she couldn't remember clearly. Her friend calling an ambulance. The stabbing pain getting worse by the second. The gush of warmth between her legs. The sounds of the emergency room whirring around her.
It was only a few hours later she was lying in a hospital bed, tubes in her arm hooked up to machines and pumping her full of something to numb the pain. Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheek, soft voices breaking the near silence of the room.
"We've waited as long as we can for the tissue to pass on its own, but she's losing too much blood," her doctor said from across the room, "We need to perform a D&C sooner rather than later."
A heavy sigh echoed off the walls before a familiar voice reached her ears, "Okay." Will crossed his arms as he nodded, understanding the dangers of proceeding without intervention.
The doctor glanced between him and Mia where she lay curled into herself on the bed, "I'll give you a moment with her." She turned on her heel before pausing and glancing back over her shoulder, "I'm so sorry for your loss."
Will's breath caught in his throat. "Oh, I'm not..." he hesitated, considering the best way to explain, "She's... with my brother. He's in the military." At the actual mention of Jay to another person, his stomach plummets at the realization and he dragged a hand over his face, "Jesus, he has no idea what's going on." The doctor's face softened at his words, eyes flooding with sympathy. She placed a comforting hand on his forearm, lips tugged in a straight line before leaving the room. He watched her leave before turning toward his best friend laying unmoving, sucking in a deep breath before walking towards the bed.
When he reached her bedside, Will immediately grabbed her hand without a second thought. It took a few moments to steady himself before he even managed to look at her face, mouth falling open slightly in surprise at her already-open eyes. "Hey," he breathed out. When she only blinked watery eyes back at him, he stammered, "Your friend called me. I got on the first flight I could."
Mia stared at him, vaguely remembering telling her friend to call him all the way in New York, knowing that he would drop everything. She gave a hollow, watery smile, squeezing his hand. "I didn't—" she couldn't continue, choking on her own sobs. While she was happily settling into the idea of being a mother, she hadn't realized just how badly she wanted it until it was too late.
"I know," he shushed her, using his free hand to brush her hair out of her face as she cried. "I'm going to call Fort Benning. I'm sure they can at least get Jay on the phone—"
"—No," her words cut him off harshly, tears clogging her throat, "You can't tell him."
"Mia—"
"It's done," she interrupted, barely able to force the words out, "We're done, okay? It would only hurt him, and I don't... Promise me that he'll never know, Will." When he silently opened his mouth, the wariness evident in his caramel eyes, she reiterated, "Promise me."
Will hesitated for another moment before softening at the pain in her eyes, "I promise." She barely nodded, exhaling a stuttering breath before the doctor and several nurses reentering the room distracted the pair.
"Alright, honey," an older nurse smiled sadly, meeting Will's eyes. He understood immediately, taking a half-step back to head out to the waiting room.
Eyes widening, Mia tightened her grip on his hand to keep him at her side. "C-can he stay?" she asked the nurse, trying not to register the pity in her gaze because it would only frustrate her. She hated being pitied.
After exchanging a glance between the nursing staff and Will, the doctor sent a weak smile toward the young woman, "Of course."
✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:**:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
A car horn violently wakes Mia from the memory of the worst day of her life, and she sits up straight from where she was dozing off against the window. Her hand flies to the armrest, fingers digging into the leather and when she tries to move her other hand, she winces at the slight pinch. Breaths coming in quick pants, the last few hours flash through her mind as panicked eyes land on her bandaged wrist cuffed to the door handle.
"Careful. I don't want to have to wrap that again."
The voice coming from her left sends an uncomfortable shiver up her spine, raising the hairs at the back of her neck. Mia closes her eyes, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth slowly. Once her heart starts beating normally in her chest again, she gazes out the window both out of curiosity and defiance, not wanting to look at him. She scans the surroundings whipping past as they drive down the highway, lingering on a passing road sign. Her stomach drops when she realizes where they're headed.
"What's in Wisconsin?" she manages, putting all her strength into keeping her tone flat and even.
"It's a surprise," there's an eerie giddiness in his voice, "Don't worry, though. You'll love it."
The pessimist in her conjures up an image of a remote torture dungeon somewhere all the way up in Canada, and knots twist in her gut.
Stay calm. Be kind. Earn in his trust.
Relaxing her features, Mia tries her best to add some sweetness to her tone, "Can I at least get a hint?" When he eyes her skeptically, she forces a small uptick of her lips and bats her lashes, "Please?"
Daniel stares at her for another second before his mouth spreads into a wide grin, seemingly buying her act. "Well," he drags out the word, "I know how much you love going up north. The peace and quiet, being in the sun. You used to love fishing and relaxing on the lake. Much more than polluted city life, right?" She tries her best to keep her expression neutral, ignoring the rising unease at how much he seems to know about her. "Maybe we'll get a dog, too. Like I said," he beams, "you'll love it. Just you and me and the stars. Nobody trying to ruin us."
As he grits out the last words, Mia considers them carefully. She wants to stay on his good side, but she can't help it – she needs answers. "Is that why you killed Kyla? She wanted to ruin us?" Mia stares at him, trying her best to feign curiosity over pure, unadulterated hatred.
Luckily it works as he gets annoyed instead of angry, scoffing at her question. Daniel rolls his eyes and practically spits out the other woman's name, "Kyla wasn't your friend, Mia." Ticking his gaze towards her, he clocks the grief in her eyes and visibly softens, his grip on the steering wheel relaxing. "I didn't want to hurt her," he explains, "I know how much you cared about her. But she didn't care about you, okay? She was jealous of you. You deserve the best, Mia, and she wanted to control you."
Forcing even breaths, she bites back a snarky retort and glances back out the window so he can't see the tears in her eyes at the thought of her friend. If she tries to keep the conversation going, she knows he'll pick up on her sadness, so Mia stays silent for the next stretch of road. When the car eventually veers to the right and takes an exit, she stiffens in alarm. A gas station comes into view and Daniel pulls into a spot, shutting the car off and getting out without a word. She watches him set up the gas pump before moving around the car to the passenger side. Mia's head snaps up when he taps the window with his knuckle, motioning for her to open it. With her free hand, she slowly turns the crank – yes, the car is that old – until he can reach his arm in, forcing herself not to lean as far away as possible.
When Daniel unlocks the handcuff keeping her attached to the door, her brows shoot up in surprise as she rubs at her now-free wrist. He opens the door and leans against it, tilting his chin and waiting. Hesitating for a few seconds, Mia climbs out and can't help but exhale a relieved sigh at being able to stretch her legs after hours without moving. Glancing around, she notices only one other car parked near the entrance to the building.
Noticing the way her eyes linger on the car, Daniel wraps his fingers around her arm and gently tugs her towards him so he can slam the door shut. She jumps slightly at the sound, peering up at him and swallowing at the proximity. "We're going to go inside and you're going to behave, right?" he arches his brows expectantly, lifting the hem of his shirt just a bit to show off the gun and only letting it fall back after she nods.
Following him into the station, Mia focuses her efforts on staying calm and collected so that nothing sets off any alarm bells, knowing that Daniel won't hesitate to kill anyone that gets suspicious. Fortunately, the only person inside in an employee behind the counter, and he doesn't seem too observant as he barely lifts his gaze at the dinging of the bell above the door. Still, her eyes search the store carefully to make sure there's no one else there as they approach the counter. She brushes messy curls out of her face and as she lowers her arm, the white bandage on her wrist catches her eye. She quickly adjusts her sleeve to cover it, hoping the man wouldn't notice.
"Ten gallons at the first pump," Daniel says to the employee. He glances at the various snacks and beverages before addressing Mia with a smile, "Pick whatever you want."
She isn't the least bit hungry, but she nods anyway, scanning the shelves on the counter lined with candy and gum. When her eyes land on a box of sour patch kids, it's like a lightbulb goes off in her head. She's out in the open and even though she can't risk alerting the employee that she needed help, there may still be a way to send a message. She has to at least try.
Tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, Mia lifts her chin and tries not to get too excited when her eyes land on a small camera in the corner of the ceiling. Wanting to do something to bring attention to the footage, she grabs the sour patch kids and tosses the box on the counter. When Jay inevitably tracks them to this gas station, he'll ask for the receipt; and when he sees that she bought his favorite candy, he'll know that she's trying to tell him something. He has to.
Glancing over her shoulder, she notices a sign against the back wall and addresses the employee, "Can I use your bathroom?" When he grunts out a response, she spots a marker on the counter. Mia turns to Daniel with her eyebrows raised in a silent question, distracting him long enough to swipe the marker as he gives his permission.
With a quiet thanks, she purposely slows her steps toward the back of the store, immediately locking the door behind her when she makes it to the bathroom. Mia scans the room, trying to decide the best place to leave some sort of message. She could write something on a piece of toilet paper, but where would she leave it that the police would be sure to find, but Daniel won't if he comes back? And what would the message even be? She has no idea where they are or where they're going.
"Okay. Just think," Mia mumbles to herself, closing her eyes and trying to recall what Daniel said in the car. He's taking her somewhere she'll love, probably somewhere in Wisconsin. Quiet. Where she can fish. Where she can see the stars. Stars. Vivid memories of Jay's cabin on Newton Lake flash through her mind. That can't be it, can it? It is the only place that makes sense right now. But if she's wrong...
A loud set of knocks on the door startles her, Daniel's impatient voice reaching her ears, "What are you doing in there? Hurry up."
"Just a second!" she calls out with wide eyes, searching the bathroom again. Spotting a graffiti wall, Mia rushes over to find an open space. She considers what to write, knowing it has to be something only Jay would understand, something that Daniel couldn't learn about her in some file or database. The knocking continues louder, the locked handle jiggling in place, and she frantically writes a message. Tossing the marker in the trash bin, Mia hurries over to the door and lets out a long breath before swinging it open.
Faced with the angry face of her abductor, she does her best to appear normal. Narrowing his eyes, Daniel half-steps around her to peer into the bathroom, searching every inch with suspicion. Her breath is caught in her throat as she waits – waits for him to somehow see her words and know what she was trying to do, waits for him to snap and shoot the employee before dragging her out by her hair. But he doesn't. He doesn't hesitate over the hastily scrawled writing. He doesn't pull out the gun she inadvertently supplied him with, he doesn't resort to taking his anger out on her. All he does is grab her hand and tug her back through the aisles.
When they pass the counter, Mia stays silent as he swipes the plastic bag and when her eyes land on the bright box of candy, the first spark of hope flutters in the pit of her stomach. All she can do now is pray that Jay somehow finds his way to that random gas station bathroom. And that her shot-in-the-dark message doesn't lead him to a dead end.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
author's note: i can't believe this has reached over 100k reads!! i love y'all 🥹