All credit goes to Valentinesdaygreen a great deviantart writer.

{Reader's POV}

            Grunting softly, I rolled over in bed and opened my eyes only to freeze as I found myself face-to-face with a navy blue mask. Immediately I gave a start and almost yelped, but quickly stopped myself from making a sound. Mentally calming myself, I thought back to what happened last night. There was a storm, and a blackout, I saw Jack having a nightmare, and later he came inside my room with a penlight...

            Oh, he must have fallen asleep at some point.

            As far as I could tell he was still asleep, though I wondered when he'd crawled into bed with me. Maybe it was because of the nightmare? Strangely enough, he was kind of cute when he was peacefully asleep. Fortunately the bed was a queen size, so we weren't touching, but still. Swallowing, I edged away slightly and got up, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Not an easy feat, given I still had a chain on my ankle. I really needed to talk to him about getting it off. For now, though, I quietly walked to the dresser to retrieve a book, sitting on the floor against the wall to begin reading.

            I was about five chapters in when I heard Jack grunt and shift, sitting up. Yawning, he went to rub his eyes only to pause as his hands touched his mask. Glancing around, his gaze fell on me and I assumed he was going through the same mental process I'd been through when I woke up. Shoulders relaxing, he got off the bed and walked over, crouching in front of me so we were eye level.

            This time it was my turn to be tense, and he peeled off a glove, pressing a hand to my forehead. My blood ran cold at the unexpected contact, and after a few moments he removed his hand and pulled the glove back on, departing wordlessly. Blinking a couple times, I started to go back to reading when he abruptly returned with the thermometer. "Open," he said, and I sighed as I opened my mouth and he stuck the thermometer under my tongue. Pulling it out after it beeped, he examined the screen and nodded.

            Silently he stuffed it in his pocket, walking out without another word. Weird... Did I still have a fever or not? Shrugging it off, I returned to reading. However, I didn't get far before Jack returned once more, walking to the bed. Watching him curiously, I saw him pull out the key and unlock the shackle attached to the bedpost, catching it as it fell with a clatter. Walking over to me, he dropped it in my hands and then wrapped his arms around me, making me yelp.

            "W-what are you doing!?" I asked, struggling as he hoisted me from the ground.

            "Stop struggling," he ordered plainly, making me stop. "You still have a fever. You're on bed rest, but I figure bed's a bit boring." Carrying me into the hall, the chain dragged behind us, rattling and scraping against the wooden floor. Eventually Jack stopped in front of the couch and carefully set me down, snatching the shackle in my hands and wrapping it around the couch's leg. With this, I was now chained to the couch instead of the bed. ...Well, at least I could watch TV, I guess. As I curled into a ball, Jack went back to my room and returned with my blanket, spreading it over me.

            With me in place, he walked to the kitchenette to start making breakfast. "Pancakes?" he offered.

            "No thanks," I mumbled, not trusting him to make them without burning them. The offer was still pretty nice, though. Sure, I was chained to a freaking couch, but I guess he cared a bit. Looks like being sick isn't all bad. Funnily enough, though, I didn't really FEEL sick... I just had a small cramp in my side. Whatever. As I surfed through the channels, Jack set down a frosty bowl of Frosted Flakes in front of me, making me smirk slightly. Someday I should probably tell him that they aren't meant for the fridge.

            I shifted slightly so I could eat it, while Jack just sat in the armchair like usual. For a while neither of us spoke, the only sound two idiots arguing on TV about their relationship. Finally he broke the silence by saying, "Your turn."

            "Huh?" I snapped my head to look at him in surprise, finding him staring at me. Confused, I asked, "My turn? For what?"

            "I told you my past. You tell me yours." This caught me off-guard. My past? Was he asking about Buddy, or...? Noting the look of confusion on my face, he clarified himself. "There's no way you're related to that man. Your features are too different, and there were no baby photos in your house... The youngest picture I saw was about five or six." This surprised me.

            "Really? You paid that close attention?" He shrugged.

            "You were out for a while. Besides, you told me you weren't related to Buddy in our little... interview, when you first woke up." A shudder ran down my spine as I recalled the interrogation that had occurred when I'd first woken up. Not a very pleasant memory. That wasn't an "interview", it was a flat-out interrogation. During that conversation I'd expected him to slice me open and devour my innards in front of me several times. It was the first time I'd felt true fear, and unfortunately it wasn't the last.

            Reminiscing over it for a few moments, I pushed out of my mind and turned my head away, sinking into the couch with my eyes closed. "...Yeah. We're not related. My parents didn't really want me. As far as I know, I'm only here because a condom broke and they were too religious to get an abortion. Bu—he... was a family friend, and he offered to take me." I avoided saying Buddy's name, not wanting to trigger Jack or anything. Last thing I needed right now was to make him mad. "They didn't argue or anything, they just handed over all my papers and everything. No questions asked. Never saw them again."

            "Sounds like crappy parents," Jack commented, his voice soft, and I shrugged.

            "Yeah, well, I don't know if they were or not... I was only five... I don't really remember them. I never really missed them, either. I was happy with Buddy, he was like an uncle to me." Fond memories stirred inside me as I thought back to my childhood, hanging Christmas ornaments, going to the zoo... The key word, though, was "was". Now my memories were filled with doubt and questioning, wondering just how genuine all of them were. I shivered as I remembered his smile and sweet tone in the video as he tormented Jack, taunting him with the kidney.

            Suddenly I felt a weight on my forehead, making my eyes pop open. Jack was leaning over me, pressing a hand to my head. Immediately my cheeks flushed, too stunned by the sudden contact to really react. "Still warm," he muttered, removing his hand and picking up his glove. As he tugged it on, I glanced at the TV behind him and noticed something that made me give a start, sitting up. "Hey, [Name], don't sit up," he hissed, planting his hands on my shoulders and gently but firmly pushing me down. I ignored it and tried to sit up again, making him growl. "[Name], you're sick! Stay down!"

            "Jack," I said, ignoring him as I stared at the television. "There's a picture of me on TV." He tensed and slowly turned. Sure enough, there was a news broadcast showing a photo of me. For a moment we just stared at it dumbly. Then I scrambled for the remote and unmuted it.

            "...ill no sign of her," the reporter was saying. "If you see this girl, please call..." I groaned as she rattled off an 800 number, leaning back.

            "Why was I on the news?" I mumbled, closing my eyes.

            "Because they found your so-called 'uncle''s corpse." Jack's response caught me by surprise, my eyes popping open and my head snapping to look at him. He was looking at the television, his arms folded. "I saw a newspaper article about it a few days ago. Investigators are totally stumped, particularly by the lack of organs." A shudder ran down my spine as he chuckled, knowing full well where the organs went. I could almost hear the smirk in Jack's voice. However, more importantly than that...

            "So I'm missing?" I muttered, feeling dazed. My absence was finally noticed? Police were looking at me? I felt strange knowing that salvation might soon be at hand, but it was quickly dashed when Jack chuckled again.

            "Not necessarily." Seeing my strange look, he continued, "I cleaned up all traces of your presence, so no one knows if you were even living there at the time. Turns out most of that guy's friends don't remember how old you are, or even if you exist. And according to the latest newspaper I found, well... they're pretty sure you're dead at this point." Something inside me shattered at this. They... thought I was dead?

            "What...?" I whispered, feeling strangely hollow. "...How...?" Leaning over me, he peeled the blanket off and raised the hem of the blanket, making me tense. He lifted it just enough to reveal the scar on my side, smirking at it. A bit of time had passed since I'd gotten it, and it was starting to fade. However, it would never vanish completely. It was a perpetual reminder of Buddy and his cruelness, of the day that my old life was stolen from me.

            "This is why," Jack said, tracing it lightly with his fingertip. "They found a bit of blood they couldn't identify near his corpse, and traced it to the basement. They haven't said so, but I'm pretty sure they think he was holding you prisoner down there, and that he killed you." My blood ran cold at this statement. They thought... I was the one in the basement? Suddenly I thought of the video, and imagined myself in Jack's place. Tears welled in my eyes at the thought, my heart no longer beating. However, they quickly vanished as I felt a sharp pain in my side.

           "Ah!" I gasped, reflexively smacking his hand away. He looked at me in surprise, and I blinked a couple times. Wiping my eyes, I muttered, "Guess it's still sore..." He didn't respond right away, and after a moment he tapped my side again. Flinching, I inhaled sharply as pain radiated from where his fingertip touched, and he quickly removed it.

            "...Guess so," he murmured, fixing my shirt and tucking me in. Ruffling my hair, he lightly brushed his hand over my face, making me close my eyes. "Get some sleep now."