𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦
CHAPTER ELEVEN!

〔 Season one, episode five 〕

"𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻...." 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑴𝑨𝑵 𝑳𝑨𝑼𝑮𝑯𝑬𝑫 "𝑰𝑻'𝑺 𝑱𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑬𝑻 𝑻𝑶 𝑯𝑬𝑳𝑷 𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑳𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯 𝑶𝑵 𝑻𝑶 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑴𝑨𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻'𝑺 𝑮𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑨 𝑯𝑬𝑳𝑷 𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯 𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺"

Nick kept his head down listening to the man antagonise his neighbour, all of them trapped in a cage like someones animals, the guards waiting for them to turn on each other

Nick heard his neighbours sobs, he heard the clinking of the metal fence as he ran into it. The footsteps of the soldiers coming to take him

"All right, open up"

"I don't know what came over him" the stranger said

Another one gone.

Nick heard the footsteps of the stranger as he approached him, leaning against the fence

"So, then....who the hell are you?" And that was when Nick raised his head looking up at the stranger, his brown shaggy hair a complete mess from being dragged, his bruised eye a deeper purple

As Nick stared up at the older man he had no idea who he would become to him and to Cassandra.

♱

"Ofelia, what the hell?" Cassandra shouted as she walked in on Daniel and his daughter dragging a soldier across the floor

Daniel looked up shocked meeting Cassandra's wide eyes, not giving her anytime to react ofelia starts speaking

"This is how we get them back. My mom and Nick"

"It had to be done" Daniel stated, Cassandra didn't know what to do, she was frozen. On one hand it could help them get Nick back on the other it was wrong...it was so wrong

They all heard the sound of radios getting closer, Cassandra glanced down at the unconscious soldier on the floor

"Help us!"

With no time to think and knowing after last night what the soldiers were capable off, she quickly ran towards them ignoring all of her instincts that this was wrong and helped them move the unconscious solider
All three of them dragging the soldier down and into the basement of Susan's house

She stood in the conner, as she watched Daniel tie the man up to a chair. She didn't know what to do.

Cassandra jumped as voices started to come through the soldiers radio
"There gonna know that you took him" Both of the salazars could hear the panic in her voice. She feared being caught but she didn't fear what Daniel was about to do to the man - she knew it was probably the best way to find Nick and she would do anything to find him

The door flew open and a light blinded Cassandra who let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Madison's voice

"What is this?, what the hell is this?"

Her eyes connected to Cassandra's and her eyes filled with confusion, Madison quickly walked towards the soldier

"She's got a knife" Ofelia announced

"Stop, stop, stop" Daniel reached out grabbing her arm

"Answer me" Madison's eyes shot Cassandra's "what's is this?"

Cassandra shrunk back from Madison's gaze, Daniel stepped closer to the blonde making her look at him

"This is how we bring them home."
And with those words Cass could see the change in Madison, she would do anything to bring Nick back

Madison nodded placing the knife on the side before, making her way to stand beside Cassandra placing her hand on her arm trying to comfort the brunette

"We're gonna bring him home Maddie" Cassandra told her giving her a small smile, they were both trying to comfort and reassure each other and themselves

Only a few moments passed when she heard the soldier speak

"You're worried about your family, I get it. But this isn't necessary"

Cassandra squinted her eyes at him
"What your men did last night was not necessary either"

The soldier's eyes snapped to hers a little smirk playing at his face
"I'm sorry you feel that way ma'am, I'm sorry about your boyfriend but he is in good hands. They are all being treated and you will have them back"

"When?" Madison asked

"I don't know. Soon" his eyes met Cassandra's "it wasn't right how it was handled"

"Handled?, you came into my home at night. You took my son. His wife. You terrified my daughter and held a gun at my step-son and my daughter in law" Madison spoke anger laced in her tone, her Southen accent becoming more noticeable

Cassandra looked at Madison with soften eyes when she said 'daughter in law' . She knew Madison had always seen her as one but she hadn't ever called her it before. Even if she technically wasn't...at least at the moment. Her hope of actually marrying Nick especially in this world was dwindling but she liked the idea

"That wasn't me."

"It wasn't, he didn't have anything to do with it"

"But it was his men. He must have known. Don't defend your boyfriend Ofelia. When mine is god knows where" Cassandra spoke her eyes stuck on Ofelias who shifted in her spot guilty

Cassandra teared her eyes away from Ofelia, the brunette wrapped her arms around herself, playing with the sleeves of Nicks jumper that she had on

"Where are they now?" Madison's voiced

But Cassandra had noticed that Daniel hadn't said anything yet. He was just watching like he was waiting for something - waiting for a tell.

"Look..." The soldier started "I can help. I want to help you"

"Then answer the question!"

"I wish I could"

"He doesn't know" Ofelia defended the soldier

Cassandra didn't believe him, he had to know. Her eyes glanced towards the knife Madison left on the side, a thought running through her head, she could make him tell her but as quickly as it came she shook it away. That wasn't her, it was wrong. She didn't harm people

The radio started blarring with voices again.

Ofelia ran out the room, Madison running after her but Cassandra stayed put, making Daniel turn towards her noticing her eyes fixed on the knife, the desperation behind her eyes it surprised him, he studied her

"You don't want to do something that you will regret. It will turn you into someone you wouldn't want to be" she heard Daniel's words, blinking away her stare she turned towards him

"'I know" she met his eyes "but I'm going to have to some day with the way things are going"

"Not like this"

♱

Still sat against the fence, Nick hadn't said a word. Listening to the coughs and the cries of the people around him, his attention once again caught by the soldiers outside his cage

"Step to the fence"

"What no turning cough" the stranger told them yet still listened to there orders, Nick watched the man on the suite as they took his temperature

"98.6"

But as they approached Nick, he started to panic. He knew his temperature wouldn't be normal. No not when he was withdrawaling again, he glared up at the soldiers

"101.1"

"Pull him"

"The boy's not sick, Melvin" the stranger tried to defend him

"Orders. Anyone with a fever goes downstairs" Nick watched at they stepped into his cage, he stated to back up, trying to get away. Panic shot through him, he couldn't let them take him him. Not when he had to get back to his family, not when he had to get back to his girlfriend

Not when the last thing he ever did was disappoint her, the look in her eyes the night before haunted him. Her screaming for him. He couldn't stop hearing it.

As they got closer all he could picture was Cassandra. He pushed the soldiers away, images of people telling her he was gone flashing through his mind, again he pushed the soldier another image of what would happen to her in this world without him

He couldn't leave. He couldn't leave her.

"No, no, no" he fought against them

"Hey relax, buddy"

Nick faught, he faught as hard as he could but they pushed him against the fence

"I'm not sick"

They dragged him out of the cage, thrashing in there grip tyring to escape them. He couldn't leave not like this.

"Get off. Get off" he shouted as they pulled him down the hallway, others around him , a lot of strangers but a few faces he recognised from his town

"Halt!"

And with that command the guards stopped dragging him, he still tried to fight. He had to get back

"Get off me!" Nick shouted, as he tried to rip away from there grip

But he was surprised when they started dragging him back, throwing him back into the cage he hit the ground with a thud. Gasping in pain rolling over as he let out deep breath, he noticed the stranger still talking to the guards

But in one moment he felt his stomach turn and he hunched over, throwing his guts up. Why did he do this to himself?

"I was wishing we had something to mask the smell of urine. You saved the day"

Nick sat up, his body feeling weak as he covered his puke

"Why'd you do that?"

The man took straightend his jacket, Nick's head starting to feel dizzy as he just lost a lot of his fluids, breathing heavily trying to stop himself from puking again

"What you did with the guard, you saved me."

"No, I obligated you. There's a difference"
Pulling his blazer jacket on "the game has changed. We return to the old rules"

Nick listened to him as he fiddled with his hands, licking his busted lip

"And the people" the stranger walked closer to the Clark boy "who won the last round with their grande lattes and their frequent flyer miles are about to become the buffet"

The stranger placed himself beside Nick as the Clark boy looked into space. He could still smell Cassandra on his shirt, since it was the one he had told her to put on earlier

"I look at you and I see someone who knows the meaning of necessity"

Nick shook his head before focusing his stare up towards the man who saved him

"Well, I'm an addict"

"No, you are a heroin addict. That's the gold standard. Don't sell yourself short."

Nick let out a dry laugh at that, tracing his needle marks underneath his coat, he could still feel Cassandra's gentle touch tracing them

"If my girlfriend heard you say that to me, she'd hate you"

The man's expression turned into one of surprise as he looked down at Nick

"Girlfriend?" The man laughed a little, that may put a kink in his plans, he had chosen Nick in hopes he didn't have any loyalties

Nick looked at him dryly.
"Yeah"

"The soldier's are leaving. I'm gonna require a man with your talents when I make my move"

This sparked Nick's interest. It could be his way out. His way back home.

"What move?" His soft voice asked

He followed the man's movements to his hand were he revealed a key, Nick stared at him for a moment before nodding his head impressed. A smile tugging at his face.