cynicalone94

[cynicalone94]

Fanfiction Master List

Hey guys,

I've been a whump fan since I was a kid. My primary mode of expression is through writing fanfiction.

Most of my work is in the Chicago PD fandom with Jay Halstead as my number one target. I also write fiction here and there for Marvel, Brooklyn 99, and 9-1-1 Lone Star.

Chicago PD

I Don't Have Any Beneficiaries Anyway

Alternate Ending to 2x03 Weigh Station. When Jay fails to get the upper hand and is traded for Alex Price, the team scrambles to find him before its too late.

Just Another Day

Jay gets hurt during a raid. So just another day for the Intelligence Unit.

Rather Take a Bullet Than Get a Flu Shot

Friendly teasing goes too far. And just why does Jay hate needles so much?

Cost of Doing Business

A trip to Med to meet his brother for lunch becomes more dangerous than Jay had anticipated.

He's My Brother

Will knows about the death of Roy Walton and the cover up and he's not happy with his brother's new wife.

Living Donation

With his daughter's life on the line, a rich businessman makes a risky decision. But did he make the right choice?

Your Boy Tough

An annual taser recertification course brings up bad memories for Jay.

In The Wind

In a dense forest, sometimes even ten feet is too far.

I'd Rather Stay At Work

Jay actually admits he's sick. It doesn't go well.

Imbalance of Power

Sometimes the easiest way to make someone talk is to give them the upper hand.

Sacrifices

How do you judge whether a sacrifice is "worth it"?

Where He Should Be Safe

A sixteen part series of Jay having a bad time in places where he should be able to feel safe.

The Past Has a Price

When someone from Jay's past returns to take Will hostage, will the brothers make it out of this one alive?

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Tag to 2x20 The Number of Rats. Gregory Yates becomes aware that Will Halstead is being questioned and sees an opportunity to shift the blame. **Update 11/19 Tags and warnings have been updated to include rape/noncon elements. It's kind of implied with the Tag to 2x20 but better safe than sorry. There's nothing explicit in this story but it is mentioned.

Upstead One Shots

A series of oneshots featuring Upstead and their beautiful family.

Up-Hill

Tag to my story In The Name of Justice. They might not be on the best terms but when Jay has a panic attack, Will can still find a way to bring him home. Pre-series.

Repaid in Kind

Tag to 9x13 Still Water. After Dylan was arrested, they thought all that was left to combat was Hailey's guilt over not saving Lisa. Turns out there was more.

Tripwire

Pre-series story from Jay's days in Afghanistan. Tag to Guilty Until Proven Innocent. How did Jay recognize the sound of the tripwire in time to dive out of the way?

What's Your Verdict?

The final day in court to wrap up a case that Intelligence has invested so much in takes a surprising turn. Hailey is put in a difficult position and every choice that she makes can only hurt her husband more.

Witness Tampering

The mundane lead up to a trial suddenly becomes a race against time when Hailey's husband is kidnapped to keep her from testifying. Will they find Jay in time? Or will a dangerous criminal evade justice yet again?

Chrysalis

An on the job injury changes Jay's life forever and he struggles to navigate the aftermath.

I Don't Know Me

Jay (at least that's what she said his name was) wakes up after a serious head injury with no memory of who he is or what happened to him. He's relieved when a woman shows up, telling him his name and claiming to be his wife. Finally, someone to fill in the blanks and answer some questions. Only… something about Meredith doesn't seem quite right and he isn't sure he can trust her. But what other choice does he have?

Friends in Strange Places

Jay is taken hostage by drug dealers when a sting goes sideways. But when they find out that his name isn't Ryan Clarke things take an interesting turn.

Missed Opportunities

Have you ever watched an episode of Chicago PD and been disappointed that Jay wasn't more seriously hurt? Well then you're a monster but you're also in the right place because so am I. Alternate episode endings focused on the idea of increasing Jay Halstead Whump.

Childhood Secrets

When Jay learns that the man who molested him as a child is out of prison and that two of the man's other victims have been brutally raped and murdered since his release, he's pretty sure it's not a coincidence. But will he survive long enough to prove it?

Missing PTSD Moments

Missing moments from the show where the events taking place really should have triggered Jay's PTSD. Starting with the ambush from the opening of Forty-Caliber Bread Crumb.

Stigma

When a minor on the job injury opens a can of worms, how will the team handle the revelation that one of their own has been trapped in an abusive relationship? And that another member of the team isn't the person they thought she was. NOTE: This story might be difficult for Erin Lindsey lovers. Please know that I do not hate her, nor do I think she was abusive to Jay, she just fits with the plot that I've come up with.

9-1-1 Lone Star

Burner Phone

Someone from TK's past arrives in Austin to make amends. But is everything as it seems?

Making Him Jealous

When Sadie Beck escapes from prison, she finds another crazy way to get the relationship with Owen that she thinks fate has promised her, making him jealous. Will Carlos survive her latest strategy?

Miscellaneous

Thanksgiving - Brooklyn 99

Jake gets hurt when he and Amy's fathers are fighting, adding injury to insult. Tag to "Two Turkeys"

First Impressions - Marvel

Bruce Banner gets to meet Tony's new intern.

[fylindsayhalstead]

Some more of Jesse from  Entertainment Weekly & People New York Upfronts (May 15 2017)

[xofeno]

“Here, let me give you a hand.”

[buginateacup]

Every single fic update there is an author trying frantically to find the right balance between a nonchalant aside of "leave a comment if you enjoyed =)" and clinging desperately to the coat tails of a random stranger, dragging along behind them on the street wailing "Please, please! I have to know what you thought! I'm desperate to talk to people about this! Ask me about the alliterative repetition! Ask me about the symbolism!"

[inyourorbitx]

@the-communist-unicorn peak comment

[acid-rain1]

It’s you. It’s always been you. | Upstead.

[mid-knife-crisis]

Any time I see in a show or movie or whatever someone's captured but their hands are just like boringly bound in front of them and there's no other restraints I'm like why did they even bother

[mid-knife-crisis]

YOU. YOU GET ME.

[cynicalone94]

Wes proposed. Amanda said yes. Lili is thrilled and so are their friends and family. Amanda's ex-husband and his wife are less so. They already thought that three was a crowd and apparently four is entirely too many. What will they be willing to do to prevent Wes from joining their family?

Chapter 16 is now up.

Read on Ao3 or below the cut.

Smitty honestly never thought she would be raiding a literal castle.

Built in the seventeenth century and passed down through countless wealthy families, traded hands via massive purchases before finally being opened to the public in the twentieth century.

These days, it’s open to the public for tours and events from May to November each year.

Ibolya Vass pays an exorbitant sum each year to have exclusive use of it for her family for the first two weeks of May.

This year she’s expanding her role play of medieval French royalty to locking a prisoner in the dungeon and torturing him.

At least, Smitty sincerely hopes it's a new addition this year.

Fortunately, the estate is still owned and managed by others so they are able to get permission for a raid without involving the legal system and make their approach without Ibolya being alerted that they are coming.

The management team have also provided maps indicating not only the location of the dungeon entrance but also which rooms have been fully updated for modern residence and which ones have only been partially updated for tour groups.

Armed with this information and supported by the French police, it takes them less than twenty minutes to locate and secure Ibolya, Laszlo, Zoe, several other members of the Vass family and the household staff who have accompanied them as well as two mercenaries who were employed to see to Wes.

Then she, Riley and Andre make their way toward the dungeon, accompanied by an EMT cross-trained officer.

The moment the heavy, wrought iron door swings open she can tell that it’s not meant to be opened from the inside.

“Riley, stay out here so we don’t end up trapped.” she orders before ghosting into the room.

The table from the photos and video sent to Amanda is off to the left of the door, only Wes’s legs visible past the hulking figure looming over him.

“Step away from the table and put your hands up.” Andre orders.

“‘e’s lost a lot of blood already.” the man says darkly. “Won’t take long to bleed to death if I slit ‘is throat.”

Smitty skirts around toward Wes’s head, risking a glance to see his eyes closed, his pale face drenched with sweat, before she locks her eyes back on the man pressing the blade of a knife against his throat.

“If you move, I will shoot you.” she threatens.

“Shoot me and this blade will cut him.” he says lightly. “Might not be deep, might not need to be.”

She swallows hard.

She has a clean shot.

Could easily drop him now.

But he’s right.

Wes will be cut when he goes down and her boss doesn’t have a lot of blood left to lose.

However, it’s also one hundred percent true that if she doesn’t shoot him, he’s going to slit Wes’s throat.

And her boss will definitely bleed out if that happens.

She pulls the trigger.

The round slices cleanly through the man’s forehead and she moves forward, holstering her weapon and trusting Andre to see to the DOA.

The slice left behind is only a few inches, barely penetrating the skin and she pulls her sleeve over her hand, carefully pressing down to apply pressure without closing off his airway or any blood vessels.

Andre pauses long enough to double check for a pulse on the man that she’d shot before dragging him out of the way and searching his pockets for keys to release the restraints locked around Wes’s wrists and ankles.

Wes’s eyelids lift slightly.

“Smi’y?” he whispers.

“Shh.” she soothes. “It’s going to be alright, Wes. We’ll get you taken care of. Just try not to move.”

His lips twitch in a faint imitation of his signature smirk.

“Move.” he breathes. “Good one.”

She offers him a weak smile.

“Easy enough then?” She attempts as Andre motions the medics into the room.

He gets the restraints unlocked and then steps back, watching them begin their assessment.

Protocol dictates leaving impaling objects in place but roughly two dozen skewers and an entire damn sword are going to complicate transport.

They end up using bolt cutters to trim everything down before bandaging them into place.

Then Andre helps transfer him to the stretcher, watching as they start an IV in the side of his neck because they don’t have decent vein access in either arm thanks to the skewers.

An oxygen mask is slid over his face to support labored breathing and then they start moving toward the door.

Smitty pulls out her phone and hits a speed dial.

Amanda doesn’t bother with a greeting.

“Do you have him? Is he okay? Sean is on his way to the airport.”

“We’ve got him.” Smitty assures her. “He’s lost a lot of blood and it looks like the sword perforated his stomach. They’re worried about sepsis but we’ll get him taken care of. Tell Sean to let me know when he lands and I’ll pick him up.”

“Can… can I talk to him?” Her friend asks.

“For a second. He needs to get in the air and probably shouldn't talk too much.” Smitty agrees cautiously, putting her phone on speaker and lowering it by Wes’s head. “Someone wants to say hi.”

“Hi baby.” Amanda says softly. “You gonna be a good patient? Let Smitty and Andre take care of you.”

“M’okay Manda.” Wes mumbles behind the mask. “S’ Lili k?” [I’m okay, Amanda. Is Lili okay?]

“She’s good.” Amanda tells him. “Looking forward to watching that soccer game with you when you get home. Your dad took her to the park and then mini golf but he’s headed your way now.”

“Doesn’ need ta fuss.” He protests.

“He does and you know it.” She says gently.

Before he has a chance to answer, the doors swing open and they’re hit with the sound of a helicopter.

The castle that Ibolya had rented out is isolated enough for a medevac.

“That’s our ride.” Smitty says, shouting to be heard. “I’ll let you know when we reach the hospital.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Amanda responds and the line goes dead.

Wes is loaded into the back of the chopper and after a moment's indecision, Smitty shoves Andre up next to him.

The castle is privately owned and managed but there will still be a certain amount of government fallout thanks to Ibolya using it as a prison.

Particularly with the modifications she’s made to the dungeon.

It’s going to be a long day.

@itsdesiree86

[gatesofminrathous]

there will never be anything as funny as the mutual disbelief between long form and short form fic writers about each other's style.

short form writers look at people writing 100k+ fics as though this is some sort of talent given as part of a fae bargain, that the commitment required shows some sort of ungodly mental fortitude.

meanwhile long form writers look at people writing 1000 word one shots like god I would cut off my left nipple to be able to say anything concisely. i would love to play with multiple ideas. free me from the shackles of this child I have birthed. i love them but I now must take them to t-ball and doctor's appointments and they're going to destroy everything I own.

[ao3commentoftheday]

[cynicalone94]

Wes proposed. Amanda said yes. Lili is thrilled and so are their friends and family. Amanda's ex-husband and his wife are less so. They already thought that three was a crowd and apparently four is entirely too many. What will they be willing to do to prevent Wes from joining their family?

Chapter 15 is now up.

Read on Ao3 or below the cut.

He’s lost too much blood. 

It had taken some time for him to notice. 

The blood loss has been slow enough that the symptoms had crept up on him. 

The confusion – something he’s experienced a time or two – makes it even harder to recognize them. 

It was his breathing that gave it away. 

At first he thought he was having a panic attack – also wouldn’t be the first time – but his heart wasn’t racing. 

When none of his usual coping strategies are enough to help him break out of the attack and steady his breathing, he starts to piece it together. 

He’s in serious trouble. 

And he’s running out of time. 

They’re getting closer to finding him. 

They know where Ibolya – and presumably Wes – entered France and they know what vehicle was being used immediately after the fact. 

But the airfield is in a rural area and the vehicle hasn’t been picked up on cameras in more populated areas. 

Honestly, its a stroke of incredible luck that they’d caught it on the one camera that they did to identify the entry point. 

Amanda had – in a moment of terrified desperation – hacked into the rental company’s computer system to get the gps information for the vehicle. 

Only to discover that the system has been disconnected and the transceiver removed to protect ‘VIP client privacy’.

“Hang on.” Kyle says, looking up from his computer. “We’re looking for the wrong thing.”

“What do you mean?” Amanda says, standing up. 

“Ibolya has covered her tracks. The hotel with the VIP entrance and no cameras, the rental company actually removing their tracking equipment before renting her the vehicle.” Kyle says. “I don’t think that’s new. That’s standard operating procedure for her.”

“I get it.” Amanda says. “We’re never going to be able to track her.”

“We just need to focus on what we can track.” Kyle says. “Ibolya has expensive tastes, delusions of grandeur, and more. If she’s rented herself a castle, she’s also got staff there to clean up after her, cook for her, bring her drinks. There were deliveries made so that she has the right food, the right drinks, hell probably even the right fancy drinks.And yeah, she’ll have emphasized that same privacy but when you bring in that many people into the equation, someone messed up. We just have to find it.”

“Lili.” Amanda says. 

Kyle frowns. 

“She’s spent time with Ibolya.” Amanda says. “If she’s particular about food, drinks or.. linens, Lili may know what she likes.”

“She likes Louis XIII Cognac.” Lili says from the doorway to the conference room where she’s been doing her homework. “And Mariage Freres tea. When she does drink water, there’s a brand she likes… Sval- something.”

Kyle is typing behind her and Amanda hurries up to her daughter, crouching in front of her. 

“What about foods?” she asks. “Is there anything she really likes?”

“Caviar.” Lili says immediately. “I think it’s gross but she has it at every single gala she hosts. At the galas she has Caviar Russe but at home she likes a brand called Almas.”

“Paying a lot of attention.” Amanda comments. 

“She’s always trying to teach me.” Lili says. “Telling me her granddaughter deserves the best.”

She looks at the floor. 

“Why can’t she understand that the best doesn’t mean expensive food. It means people who care about you. Like Wes.”

“She’s probably only had the expensive food, Princess.” Amanda tells her. “Doesn’t know what we know.”

“I miss him.” her daughter says. “We were supposed to watch the game tonight if he was back from Poland in time.”

“You’ll have to watch a replay when we bring him home.” Amanda says, forcing a smile. 

“Lili?” Kyle calls. “That water, was it Svalbardi?”

“That’s it.” she answers. “Will that help find Wes?”

“Yeah kiddo.” Kyle says. “I really think it will.”

Lili doesn’t look fully convinced but she glances back at her books. 

“I can’t really focus on my homework, mom.” she says quietly. 

Amanda sighs. 

Her daughter needs to stay caught up on her schoolwork while she’s not attending classes and homework has been a helpful way to keep her somewhat distracted while they all dig for a location.

“Maybe I can help with a better distraction.”

Amanda looks up to see Sean Mitchell standing in the entry to the bullpen, a visitor’s badge clipped to the outer layer of his jacket and an aide standing awkwardly to the side. 

“Thank you for bringing him down, Eric.” she says, standing up and walking over. 

The aide heads back up the stairs. 

Amanda hugs Sean. 

“Why didn’t you call me?” she says. “I would have picked you up at the airport.”

“You’re busy.” he says. “I found my own way here fine. Any progress?”

“Getting closer.” she assures him. “We’ve traced them to a region in France and now we’re using some of her more… expensive tastes to help narrow in on a location.”

“Well, if it’s okay with you, I’d love to keep an eye on Lili while you guys work on that.” he offers. 

He’s not a stranger. 

Sometimes Lili hangs out with Wes while he’s video chatting with his dad and the man had made a trip out to Hungary six months ago.

Amanda turns back to Lili. 

“What about it?” she asks. “You up for spending some time with Sean?”

“Can we take Tank to the park?” she asks. 

Amanda glances back at Sean who nods. 

“I have a rental.” he offers. 

“Okay.” she agrees. “I’ll call when we have something.”

@itsdesiree86

[goatedgreen]

i hate that when you try and look up shit for writing purposes it starts linking suicide hotlines and addiction advice articles like bro i just wanna know the information im not killing myself i promise. now tell me what i wanna know

[jessesofferfanfrance]

Halstead’s Brothers ! 😉 😍 ❤ ❤

[torreshalstead]

pictures of you

Summary - Landscapes had always been his favourite thing to photograph, that was until she walked into his frame and his whole world got turned upside down in the space of two weeks. Now the only thing he wanted to photograph was her, if only so he had something to remember her by when their inevitable goodbye came.

Notes - it’s time for another Upstead project and this time we are counting down to summer with summer themed/related fics! All the stories will be posted to the collection on AO3 so you can easily read them all! I get the joy of starting it off with this one!

AO3 Link

[cynicalone94]

Wes proposed. Amanda said yes. Lili is thrilled and so are their friends and family. Amanda's ex-husband and his wife are less so. They already thought that three was a crowd and apparently four is entirely too many. What will they be willing to do to prevent Wes from joining their family?

Chapter 14 is now up.

Read on Ao3 or below the cut.

She has to leave the room when the video finishes playing. 

They’ll play it again. 

Over and over again as they analyze every pixel of every frame for something that might tell them where in France the torture they’d witnessed is taking place. 

But she’s going to have to find other leads to follow, other evidence to chase. 

Because she can’t watch that again. 

She doesn’t know what was worse. 

Watching the blade slide through his skin, hearing him scream as it had vibrated. 

Or watching the way that man’s hands had roamed across Wes’s chest; probing and possessive. 

To her knowledge, sexual assault was one of the only evils Wes hadn’t encountered during his time in the Los Angeles foster care system but he’d protected a five year old girl from her own father in his first placement and the memories have stuck with him. 

And, according to his mom, he himself is the product of spousal rape. 

He takes sexual assault cases hard and has as long as she’s known him. 

If the owner of that hand has done more than just what’s shown in that video – and the bandage hastily wrapped around his thumb makes her think he has – there’s a good chance Wes is struggling more with that than he is with the repeated impalement. 

Ibolya is holding that bastard back, keeping him from following through on what he really wants to do, but it won’t last forever. 

Once she gets what she wants or decides that Wes isn’t going to be the way that she gets it, she’ll take the leash off. 

Amanda can’t bear the thought of letting that happen to him. 

Can’t bear the thought of being the reason why that happens to him. 

“Hey.” 

She looks up to see Celeste stepping into the stairwell. 

“Tea.” the other woman says softly, pressing a cup into her hands. “Kyle and Ernesto are looking through the footage now.”

“I’ll come back in there in a minute.” Amanda says, taking the cup but just holding it in her hands. “I just… needed a minute.”

“I get it.” Celeste says, squeezing her shoulder. “It was a lot.”

“I’m sorry.” Amanda says. “I know you guys care about him too. I’m not trying to make this all about me.”

“I care about him but I’m not marrying him.” Celeste says. “And I sure hope Kyle isn’t either.”

Amanda snorts wetly, scrubbing at the tears trickling down her cheeks. 

“And that bitch brought your kid into this.” Celeste reminds her. “This is personal for you in a way that it just isn’t for the rest of us. And that’s okay.”

Amanda nods. 

“It is personal.” she says, shaking her head. “That bitch has been trash-talking me to my own daughter. Making Lili feel uncomfortable in her own home. I want her to pay.”

She stalks up the stairs with Celeste on her heels. 

“And she’s not fucking up my wedding either.” she snarls. 

“We’ll keep working on it.” Andre promises, hanging up the phone. 

“News?” Smitty asks. 

“They got a video.” Andre says, clenching his teeth. “Wes being tortured. The techs are running it, hoping there’s something in the background.”

“We’re running out of time.” she says, shaking her head. 

They’d managed to enter France under the radar and it doesn’t seem to have caught Ibolya’s attention. 

To have accelerated the timeline at all. 

Smitty has a contact in France that’s been helping them move the investigation forward, moving through official channels without drawing extra eyes. 

They’ve been running through footage from cameras near smaller airports and ports. 

Trying to assess local attractions for something that would draw someone with the kind of money that Ibolya has to return every year. 

They’ve got a list of maybes but nothing that stands out. 

The door swings open. 

“I have them.” Riley announces, sticking her head into the room. “Over three days ago but.. I know where they arrived in France. And a vehicle to try to track.”

She pulls back and they follow her into the other room. 

She’s got an image frozen on the screen. Ibolya Vass in the backseat of a sleek black sedan. 

“I ran the plate.” Riley says. “It’s leased to a company that’s a subsidiary of Ibolya’s company. It should have gps tracking but we’ll never get the information without a warrant so I’ve been focusing on tracking it the best I can on traffic cameras.”

“It’s in a pretty rural area.” Smitty says. “That won’t be easy.”

“It has to work though.” Riley says. “We just… we hit the deadline, right?”

“We’ve got a little bit more time.” Smitty says. “They know there was an unavoidable legal delay so they’ve given us a little bit more time.”

“How long?” Riley asks. 

“Thirty six hours.” Andre says. 

“She thinks she’s untouchable.” Smitty scowls. “Like royalty or something. That she can just get away with whatever she wants.”

“That’s it.” Andre says, reaching for his phone. “Hey, you said there was stone behind him, right?”

They can hear a confused confirmation. 

“Okay.” he says. “Keep working on that. I might have something to compare it to soon.”

He hangs up and looks at the two of them.

“She fancies herself royalty.” he says. “France has plenty of old castles, including some that you can rent on Airbnb. I’d stake decent cash that woman claims one of them for herself every year to live out her fantasy of her own importance.”

“This year she’s decided to add imprisoning an enemy of the state in the dungeon.” Smitty says. 

“I can put together a list of castles available for rental within a … fifty mile radius of the airfield.” Riley says. 

“Actually, let’s focus on the ones that aren’t available.” Smitty says. 

The other two frown at her. 

“Castle rentals in France aren’t cheap.” Smitty says. “For the average person. I couldn’t afford it and I’m guessing neither of you could either but plenty of fairly run of the mill wealthy people could without issue.”

“If she’s looking for a flex, she’s staying somewhere that people generally aren’t allowed.” Andre concludes. 

“She’ll still want modern comforts though.” Riley says. “Indoor plumbing and the likes.”

“Let’s focus on those criteria then.” Andre says. “And see if we can find some photos of stonework on our options so that the analysts can compare it to the video.”

“Let’s do it.” Riley agrees.

@itsdesiree86

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

reblog if you would never let ai write fanfics for you

[rawish-moonstone]

imagine letting AI do your creative hobby for you

[cynicalone94]

Wes proposed. Amanda said yes. Lili is thrilled and so are their friends and family.

Amanda's ex-husband and his wife are less so. They already thought that three was a crowd and apparently four is entirely too many. What will they be willing to do to prevent Wes from joining their family?

Chapter 14 is now up.

Read on Ao3 or below the cut.

Time helps.

When the door swings heavily inward, he knows that it’s been twelve hours since they left.

That they’ve reached the deadline.

Seventy two hours since he’d spoken to the love of his life.

Since he’d begged her to let him die before surrendering her parental rights.

The look on Ibolya’s face tells him that she hasn’t.

Yet.

He gets to live a little bit longer.

Gets to keep Dave and Colin’s fucking hands off him a little bit longer.

If Amanda refuses to sign the papers maybe Ibolya will kill him trying to make her point before her guard dogs get what they want.

Or maybe she’ll just shift her attention to his use as ‘breeding stock’.

Colin has a different camera in his hands this time.

One designed for video.

This should be good.

Dave unbuckles the muzzle, setting it off to the side.

“Thirsty?” He asks, hand caressing the side of Wes’s face, the thumb pushing it’s way into his mouth and pressing down on his tongue.

Idiot.

It takes both men to pry his jaw open and then Dave is stumbling back with his hand clutched to his chest, blood running down his arm.

Ibolya sighs.

“I don’t know what you expected to happen.” She scolds lightly. “Now stop messing around. I don’t have all day.”

Dave’s jaw clenches, the man biting back whatever he wants to say in response to that but Colin steps away.

“Play stupid games -” Wes starts.

The rest of the statement is forced back down his throat as Colin tosses another full bucket of water over him.

It’s like déjà vu.

A few swallows of water followed by choking and gasping for breath; his entire body flooded with pain as the skewers are jostled.

Then something does change.

Colin doesn’t wait for him to start to catch his breath before throwing the second bucket.

His body’s time without oxygen stretches and his levels of panic rise.

He can’t breathe.

A third bucket follows and darkness is already starting to cloud the edges of his vision.

There’s no fourth bucket.

He doesn’t lose consciousness.

Slowly catches his breath, coughing harshly as his lungs spasm.

His chest is heaving and as the panic recedes, he becomes aware of the pain lancing through him with each breath as the skewers – now almost two dozen of them – are shifted.

As his breathing starts to steady, his mind slowly becoming aware of things beyond fear and pain, he notices Dave standing over him.

A strip of cloth has been hastily wrapped around his thumb, stemming some of the bleeding, and he’s holding….

Is that a fucking sword?

A rapier actually – the voice of his high school European his teacher – and fuck he hated that guy – corrects immediately.

The blade is long and thin, barely having to narrow to come to a point at the end.

An escalation from the skewers but honestly, more in how fancy it is than because it will do more damage.

Though it will do more damage.

Dave’s fingers dance over his chest.

Caressing his pecs, grazing over his nipples and then dropping down to wind between the skewers dotting his abs.

It’s more hesitant than his groping up to this point which gives Wes some satisfaction but it’s nearly drowned out by anticipation.

That rapier is about to find a new home using his body as a sheath.

Dave’s fingers stop moving midway down his left side, pressing down to double check the location and then he looks up at Colin.

Who is filming and probably has been for several minutes.

Because why stop at taunting his fiancee with physical injuries and blood loss when you can add the threat of sexually assaulting him?

He’s too distracted by his anger to notice Dave moving and can’t stop the scream that rips out of his throat as the blade of the rapier pierces his skin, scraping against the top of his lowest rib as it slices through muscle.

He can feel the blade hitting the table, its path through his body coming to an abrupt halt that sends vibrations up the length of the blade.

“You could feel the bone?” Ibolya questions.

“Yes ma’am.” Dave answers quickly. “Low enough to miss his spleen, just like you said.”

Wes snorts.

It’s not even actually funny but they didn’t really have to worry about his spleen.

Could have gone higher and still only hit his stomach.

Wes had still been a teenager when someone else had decided for him that he was too cool for his spleen.

The doctors had done their best to save it but since it was the second time having that conversation they hadn’t succeeded.

“What’s so funny, pretty boy?” Dave snarls. “Wishing that it was in your spleen? Bleed out in under an hour that way.”

“If it was – in my spleen- you’d be in LA.” Wes chokes out. “In the past.”

Dave’s eyes narrow.

“We parted ways.” Wes tells him. “Was fifteen.”

“Then I can do this.” Dave snaps, flicking the hilt of the weapon.

The blade is flexible, easily bending as the hilt sways back and forth.

It’s deep enough into him for his body to hold it in place but he screams, head snapping back against the table as it tears at the surrounding flesh.

The rapier continues to move, sending waves of pain through him with each oscillation.

It isn’t long before the pain drives him into unconsciousness.

Amanda sits at her desk, trying not to watch the clock.

It’s been seventy two hours and fourteen minutes since that first phone call.

She’s missed the deadline but the kidnappers have yet to reach out.

The longer it takes, the more brutal her reminder is likely to be.

Ding.

She looks at the notification icon that’s lit up at the bottom of her screen.

The team is on the ground in France, doing their best to stay under the radar while figuring out where Ibolya visits every year.

Where she is right now.

But they hadn’t found her in time.

She opens her email, flinching when she sees a video file attached.

‘Time is up. The price has been paid. You have thirty six hours before another one comes due. One that he can’t afford.’

It’s about what she’d expected.

Thirty six hours will take them past the waiting period before she can sign the paperwork but not by much.

Hopefully, it will be enough time for them to find Wes.

She hovers the cursor over the video file.

She doesn’t want to watch this but she owes it to Wes.

“I can go over the footage for evidence.” Celeste says, resting a hand on the back of her chair. “You don’t have to see this.”

“Yes, I do.” Amanda says.

“Together then.” Ernesto says, coming to stand next to her.

Swallowing hard, she clicks play.

@itsdesiree86

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“Drop it” - Detective Jay Halstead