Scum of the Galaxy: Chapter 10
The update is *finally* done. It's over 6000 words, is spilt between two location/storylines and has nearly all of the existing characters in there somewhere.
And it's only taken me 3 months.
I gotta stop doing this.
Title: Scum of the Galaxy
Author: rhin_ariel
Rating: R
Pairings: Caldwell/Weir
Summary: There is a gang boss in the bar, but the only one who can deal with it is lightyears away fighting for her life.
Warnings: Bad langauge, violence, refrences to rape.
Never before had John hated the sight of the planet he knew so well. He just wanted to turn and leave, trying to make some pathetic attempt at a rescue. Anything would be better than facing the truth that he was responsible for Elizabeth going back to Caldwell. It made him feel sick, but he fought back the bile. He knew how to help her, but he was going to need some support.
It took him longer than expected to finally reach the bar, as he found himself stumbling along through back streets and alleyways. When he finally did reach the familiar steps leading down to the door, he practically fell down them. The loud clattering outside attracted the attention of Ronon, who opened the slit in the door to look out. He was half expecting to find Caldwell had arrived to survey his new surroundings. Instead, he found the badly beaten Sheppard trying desperately to stand.
“Get Carson,” Ronon called through to the girl at the desk, before pulling open the door. John was leaning on the wall; breathing hard, but still managed a slight smile at the sight of the burly doorman.
“It’s good to see you’ll open the door to anyone,” he said, pulling himself up. As he did, his head began to spin again and he found himself falling forwards. Ronon darted forward and managed to grab him before he hit the ground, Sheppard feeling more like a dead weight in his arms than the lively man he knew.
“What’s going on?” called the familiar Scottish voice behind him, the sound of footsteps following closely behind. Ronon could guess that the whole bar was talking about this injured visitor by now. As he began to turn with the near unconscious Sheppard in his arms, people began to gasp as they recognised the bruised and battered figure. Soon the whispers had started as they all began to contemplate what fate Elizabeth had met at the same hands. Carson managed to push most of the girls out of the way in order to get Sheppard to a spare room; he was in no state to be answering any of their questions however worried they all were. It was only when they lay him down on the bed and Carson began to examine him that John finally woke once more.
“I couldn’t save her,” he cried weakly, his voice sounding far away in his own ears. “I tried, but I couldn’t save her.”
“It’s alright lad,” said Carson, trying to calm the clearly agitated bounty hunter. “Elizabeth’s strong, she’ll get through this till we can rescue her.”
“You don’t understand,” said John, his voice suddenly calm. He stared straight into Carson’s eyes, his gaze level. “He’s going to hurt her Carson. He’s going to beat her. He’s going to rape her. And most likely, he’s going to kill her. There is no time left anymore. It’s too late.”
The moment the last words had left his lips, John’s eyes rolled up and he fell back against the bed once more. Carson sat stunned unable to comprehend what he had just heard. Was it really too late for Elizabeth? Could Caldwell want revenge that badly on the fiancé who had left him all those years ago? The image of the scars on Elizabeth’s back suddenly seemed clear in his mind. Perhaps John was right, though he could always pray there was still time for her.
“Carson.” The voice behind him startled him. He spun around quickly to find Rodney and Laura standing in the doorway. Both looked concerned, though Rodney looked more like he was about to throw up.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he began to stand. The preliminary examination of John had told him his injuries weren’t life threatening, he just needed bandages, painkillers and rest. What he didn’t need was another problem, which probably made it a good thing that he was out cold.
“It’s Kolya,” said Laura at last, her hands shaking a little, betraying her fear.
“What about him?”
“He’s here.”
“And he’s holding Teyla hostage,” added Rodney slowly, his eyes darting towards the unconscious Sheppard. “He wants to see Elizabeth.”
Carson was sure his heart stopped beating for a few seconds once Rodney had spoken. The idea of Kolya in the bar was bad enough, the fact he had a hostage even worse. But now he wanted to see the one person in the galaxy that it was impossible to see. Everything seemed to have hit them at once, and it was showing no signs of improving. He glanced back at John, he was clearly in no fit state to try and help them. That left it up to Laura, Rodney and himself for now.
“Right,” he said at last, taking a deep breath and walking towards the pair in the doorway. “Rodney, can you go and ask the girls if one of them can bandage up John’s major injuries. Laura, you and I will go and deal with Kolya. We’ll just tell him Elizabeth’s out on business at the moment and then we’ll work on from there. You both okay with that?”
They both nodded slowly, words suddenly seeming beyond them. What words could there be though in a situation like this? In silence, they all left the room, Rodney moving down the corridor towards the group of girls looking on in terror. Carson and Laura turned the other way and strode towards the bar.
“We have to be strong don’t we?” asked Laura quietly before they entered the bar.
“Ay lass we do,” replied Carson, taking deep breaths to slow his pounding heart. “For Elizabeth’s sake.”
The sight that greeted them as they entered the bar was like nothing they could ever have imagined. Kolya was stood leaning on the bar surveying his surroundings carefully. A couple of his goons were walking around slowly, their weapons held tightly in their large hands. At one side, Sora was stood with Teyla, a gun pressed to her head. Ronon was stood up on the stairs glaring down at them all, his hand resting on his gun. He wouldn’t dare use it though; they all knew that.
“I asked to speak with Ms Weir, and if I am not mistaken, you aren’t Ms Weir.”
Carson turned and faced Kolya slowly, calming himself in preparation for what he needed to say. He had to make it sound convincing or they were all in a great deal of danger.
“I’m afraid Elizabeth isn’t here at the moment. She had to go out to deal with some business.”
Laura took a step closer to Carson, and he could see a slight smile on her face out of the corner of his eye. He was fairly sure it was a false smile, but they weren’t to know that.
“Is there anything we can do to help,” she began, her voice sounding a lot calmer than she felt. “We’re the ones in charge while she’s out, so maybe we can provide some assistance?”
“That’s alright,” sighed Kolya, a strange smile spreading across his lips. “We’ll just wait till she comes back.”
Laura and Carson exchanged a nervous glance suddenly unsure as how to proceed. They still didn’t know what he was here for, but it must be something big if he could only tell it to Elizabeth. It must be serious too if he would take Teyla hostage in order to get his way.
“Some drinks would be nice in the meantime,” said Kolya at last, breaking the silence that had fallen on the room.
“Coming right up,” smiled Carson, walking towards the bar with Laura close behind. As he began to pull bottles up onto the bar, he found himself glancing towards the closed door to the girls’ rooms. In his mind, he could see the unconscious figure of John Sheppard, and he found himself praying that he would stay like that until they had gotten rid of Kolya. John had faced too much today, this could push him over the edge. And then he would be no use to Elizabeth at all.
If they could find a way to save Elizabeth in time.
--
Elizabeth wasn’t sure how much time had passed; she didn’t dare look back at the window. She hadn’t moved from sitting in front of the desk yet, fear holding her in place. She didn’t want to look through the window to see Kavaunagh’s body still lying there. It was like seeing her own future, lying dead somewhere with no one to care about her body. Though, unlike Kavaunagh, hers would be a broken body.
The sound of a key turning in the door startled her, and she found herself on her feet in seconds. Her stiff body protested at the sudden movement, but she forced back any cry of pain. She wasn’t going to show any weakness to these men, she was stronger than they knew. She also needed to be ready to fight if she had to, she debated looking for a weapon in the room, but there really wasn’t enough time. When the door finally opened, Elizabeth was stood ready for a confrontation with whoever walked in. It came as a surprise then when the figure in the doorway was not a burly guard, or even Caldwell himself.
“Radek?” she said softly, her guard dropping entirely. The familiar man looked up and smiled, his eyes lighting up as he saw her.
“Elizabeth,” he replied, pushing his glasses back up his nose with one hand. It was only then that Elizabeth noticed the tray he was carrying, a tray laden with food. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Nodding her head slowly, she felt herself beginning to smile as Radek entered the room fully and closed the door behind him. Walking across to her, he placed the tray down on the desk next to her. Turning to face her fully, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Elizabeth hadn’t been expecting it, and found herself taking a step back at first, before placing her hands gently on his back.
“I should have done something,” he said at last, stepping back to look at her. She could see the pity in his eyes as he looked at her. He had probably heard people talking in the house; he probably even knew what she was facing.
“There was nothing you could have done,” she responded, shaking her head slowly. “It was Kavaunagh who betrayed me to Steven, you couldn’t have stopped that.”
“I know,” he sighed. “I could have tried though.” He looked so sad, his whole body slumping. It was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Elizabeth had no idea how long he had been working for Caldwell, or how he was being treat while he was here. Something told her it wasn’t a brilliant life.
“I’m just happy you’ve brought me some food,” she smiled, turning back to the tray. It was a lie though, she felt physically sick and the idea of eating didn’t make her feel any better.
“You can eat it later,” she heard him say behind her. Reaching out, he placed a hand gently on her arm. She turned slowly, not wanting to face him, not wanting to know if he could really see how she felt. “I have heard…things.”
“You’ve heard what’s going to happen to me?” she asked, praying silently for a miracle. Perhaps there was something Radek knew that would help her.
“He is still angry. Very angry.”
“I know,” her voice was barely a whisper now. Radek moved the hand up from her arm and gently touched her face, his fingers brushing the red mark on her skin.
“He has hit you,” he said softly, his eyes not meeting hers. They both knew what the future held for her, and it wasn’t much of a future if they looked at it honestly.
“I’ve had worse.”
The words hung in the silence of the room, neither of them wanting to say anything more. Elizabeth could feel her whole body seeming to ache, the memories of every bruise and cut suddenly rushing back to her. Radek was trying to force the terrible images from his mind. He’d heard about what Caldwell had done to people, Elizabeth included. He’d never seen the scars on Elizabeth’s back, but he’d heard how she’d gotten them. He couldn’t imagine the pain she had gone through. And now she was trapped here again.
It was a sacrifice he didn’t think many people could make.
“I should go,” Radek whispered when the silence suddenly seemed too much. “If Caldwell finds me here…”
“It will be both our heads,” sighed Elizabeth. If she couldn’t save herself, she could at least protect Radek. Steven wasn’t to know that they were friends, after all what would a courtesan be doing with a computer hacker?
“Be safe,” he said softly, hugging her once more. Elizabeth could feel tears welling in her eyes, the idea of being left alone again suddenly terrifying her. Maybe she wasn’t strong enough to do this after all.
“I’ll try to be.”
“Remember,” began Radek, pulling back and moving towards the door. “You don’t have to be afraid of him. He does not own you.”
The words lifted Elizabeth’s spirit a little; everything he was saying was true.
“Thank you,” she said with a slight smile as he left the room. The sound of the lock clicking seemed strangely ominous in the quiet room. After staring at the closed door for a long time, she found herself turning back to the desk. She forced herself not to look out of the window, not to see if Kavaunagh’s body still lay out on the path. Instead, she looked down at the tray of food, picking over it slowly with a fork. She still didn’t want to eat, but she was happy to know there was food there for when she wanted it. It didn’t look too bad either, some pasta and salad, some kind of cake and some water.
When she heard the lock click and the door handle turn a few minutes later, she thought it was Radek returning with something else for her. Spinning around, her blood ran cold when she found herself facing Caldwell walking into the room. He had what looked like a dress looped around one arm. She steeled herself for an outburst of anger or another tirade against her, but nothing came. Instead, he seemed to be smiling softly at her. It was that thin smile, with a knowing glint in his eyes. It made her feel physically sick. She’d seen that smile before, and it had always meant more pain.
“How are you feeling Zara?” he asked softly, closing the door quietly behind him. Everything about his manner exuded calmness, which put Elizabeth off even more. There was nothing calm about Steven Caldwell, even on a good day.
“My name is Elizabeth, not Zara,” her words were spoken coldly, trying hard to sound like the strong Elizabeth Weir she had become. She was no longer the timid and naïve Zara. She saw Caldwell’s eyes flicker for a moment, a look of sheer hatred suddenly aimed at her. It was gone no sooner than it had appeared though.
“As you wish…Elizabeth. I came to give you something to wear. Something more appropriate.” As he spoke, he took in the dress she wore carefully. It sickened him to see the slits up the side of the dress that revealed most of her legs. There was also the fact the dress was so low cut he could see plenty of her cleavage. It disgusted him that his fiancé of all people should flaunt her body so much. No matter, if she wanted to show off her body, he had the perfect way for her to do it. “For you,” he said at last, unfolding the dress. It was a long deep blue gown with a high neck. Elizabeth had been waiting for him to do something like this. Then he turned it to show her the back.
Elizabeth gasped when she saw how low the dress went. There would be nothing to cover her back right down to her hips. Her scars would be on show to everyone. This was Caldwell’s idea of ‘more appropriate’; to remind her of what would happen. It suddenly dawned on her it was an exact replica of the dress she’d been wearing when he’d caused the scars. Never before had Elizabeth found herself loathing a piece of clothing so much.
“No,” she whispered, turning away. She couldn’t look at the dress anymore, her back beginning to ache as she thought about it.
“What?” asked Steven, and she could hear the edge in his voice. She was going to regret this, but she didn’t care.
“I won’t wear it,” Elizabeth answered, still facing away from him. She waited for him to scream, or even to hit her. When she heard him begin to move towards her, she braced herself for his fury to strike her. What she got wasn’t what she expected at all. He stopped just behind her; she could hear him breathing hard. Suddenly, he wrapped an arm around her waist and forced her back. Pressed against his body, she froze. What was he doing? She had been expecting him to hit her, now she had no idea what was going on anymore. Steven then began to drag her backwards, and finally Elizabeth began to move again. She began to struggle against him, but she didn’t get far at all. His grip was tight; she could feel his fingers digging painfully into her side. He pulled her backwards, before turning sharply. It began to dawn on Elizabeth where he was taking her, and her whole body went cold. He was pulling her towards the bedroom.
Now she began to fight against him more earnestly, pulling against his vice like grip. He could scream and shout, he could beat her all he wanted, but she wasn’t going to let him rape her. Not without a fight. For a moment, she thought about screaming out, a desperate cry for help. Then she remembered, no one would save her here. They’d probably just laugh, especially Everett. Some day, Elizabeth wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face.
Suddenly, the violent struggle came to a halt as Caldwell froze at one side of the room. He turned her viciously so that she was facing the full-length mirror that stood at one side of the room. Looking at the reflection, she found herself staring at what she had always seen as the opposite of her life. She could see herself fully, her hands gripping at the arm wrapped around her waist, trying to pull it away. Her high heels were gone, lying on the floor next door after they’d gotten too uncomfortable earlier. Without the extra height, Steven was now stood taller than her. He stared at her in the mirror; she could feel his eyes boring into her, even through the reflection.
Slowly, his free hand began to move up towards her neck. She saw the glint in the mirror, but it was too late to do anything as she found a long thin blade pressed to her neck. A gasp escaped her lips as the cold metal touched her pale skin.
“You are my fiancé,” growled Steven in her ear. “You will do as I say, you hear me?”
Elizabeth made no sound, so he pressed the blade harder against her skin. This time she let out a slight whimper as he began to cut through her skin.
“Perhaps it would be easier if I cut these whore clothes from your body myself.” As he spoke, he pulled the knife away from her neck and moved it across to her shoulder. He pushed it under the wide strap of her dress and pulled sharply. The material gave no resistance to the blade, and Elizabeth could only watch as the strap fell apart. The front dropped forwards, and she could feel the dress slide a little on that side. If he cut through the other strap, the whole dress would probably fall away. It was one of the more simple dresses she owned, with no fancy fastenings. She was beginning to regret wearing it.
Now he let the knife slide down her bare skin till it came to rest on the top of her breast. He pressed the blade flat against her skin, the metal felt cold on her warm body.
Steven looked into the mirror to find her eyes still fixed on her own reflection. He could see the fear there, but it was less than he expected. Somehow he had always suspected that at this point she would be begging for mercy. It seemed that she had grown stronger since she had left him. This would not be a problem of course; it just meant it would take longer to break her. He continued to watch her in the mirror as he gently dragged the knife across her skin, keeping the blade flat. He wasn’t going to start scarring her yet, at least not physically. Finally, he let the blade come to rest on top of the other strap. They both knew what would happen if he cut through it, and Elizabeth desperately didn’t want it to happen.
“So,” said Steven quietly. Elizabeth could feel his warm breath on her ear as he spoke, and it sent a chill down her spine to have him this close to her. “Are you going to put this dress on or am I going to strip you myself?”
--
Soft hands on his skin was the first thing John felt when he began to wake up. At first, he thought it was Elizabeth. Perhaps it had all been a dream, maybe he’d just been involved in a fight and been punched in the head. It wouldn’t be the first time someone with a nasty blow to the head had had some strange dream they thought was real. Then he heard the humming. Whoever it was, their voice was clearly higher than Elizabeth’s. Which could only mean that it wasn’t a dream. John’s heart sank, but he still forced himself to open his eyes.
Looking across the bed he found himself looking at one of the young girls from the bar. She was gently placing a bandage around a cut on his arm. When she pulled a little too tight he gasped, causing her to jump backwards.
“Sorry,” he said slowly, his voice sounding rougher than he expected. Everything seemed to ache, especially his head and his side. Caldwell’s boots must have been steel capped or something he thought to himself as he tried to sit up.
“You need to rest,” said the girl quickly, placing her hands on his shoulders, but he pushed them away.
“I need to help Elizabeth. You got any painkillers?” The girl nodded silently, turning to the little table next to her. John rubbed his head before running a hand through his hair. One eye hurt when it was open, but he was going to have to get through that. He could see fine and that was the main thing. Clenching both hands into a fist, he was glad to find that there was no damage to his fingers. That meant he could fire a gun, and that was all that mattered to him now.
“Here you go, but I’m telling you rest would be better than just painkillers.” She held out a cup of water and two large pills. John smiled, regretting it when he realised his lip and been split, and took the cup and pills.
“I’ll tell Carson about your concerns,” he said, before swallowing the pills and gulping down the water. “Where is he anyway?”
“In the bar.”
“Thanks,” he muttered through gritted teeth as he tried to stand. The pain in his side actually extended across his whole waist, but hopefully the pills would take care of that. Taking a few careful steps, he was glad to find his legs hadn’t been badly affected either. With a slight smile at the girl, John began to leave the room. She could only sit shaking her head, until she suddenly remembered what was going on in the bar. Jumping up, she ran to the door to find him almost at the door to the bar.
“I wouldn’t go through there if I was you,” she called out, but John only waved a hand back at her dismissively. Glaring at him, she just watched him walk through the door. “Your funeral,” she muttered to herself, before going back into the room to clean up.
The girl’s assessment of the situation wasn’t entirely correct however. When John walked through the door to the bar, there was no shooting at all. A few men reached for their weapons, but Kolya quickly raised a hand.
“John Sheppard, how wonderful to finally meet you. Although I must say you are looking a little worse for wear.” As he spoke, he made no move to stand and greet John personally. He just sat smiling, or more smirking, at the battered bounty hunter. “Have a problem with a client?”
“Not exactly,” said John quietly. “Now, what the hell are you doing here?”
“A fine greeting, but I like the fact that you get straight to the point. I am here to take this bar in exchange for this hostage.” He indicated Teyla sat near him with Sora pointing a gun at her head. John took a deep breath wishing he had a weapon with him there and then. “There is also another matter I wish to discuss with Ms Weir, but it is for her ears only.” The smirk had not faded at all, which could only make John more suspicious. What did he want with Elizabeth?
“I hate to tell you this, but it’s gonna take more than one assassin to make Elizabeth hand over this bar.” John tried to sound confident, even cocky, but he was feeling more worried than he appeared. Teyla as a friend, and the last thing he wanted to see was for to get hurt.
“I think I have something that will persuade Elizabeth. See it as a straight trade. This bar in exchange for protection.” Protection? Now John was getting confused, what could Elizabeth need protecting from? Except from the likes of Kolya, of course. And Caldwell.
Caldwell.
“Been talking to Kavaunagh lately?” John tried to make the question sound as natural as possible. Kavaunagh was a bastard who would do deals with either side; everyone knew that. He’d already gone to Caldwell, there was little to stop him going to Kolya too. John caught the sudden look of confusion on Kolya’s face, but it was soon replaced with that smile once more.
“Yes. And I shall assume Sheppard that you already know what he came to tell me.”
John clenched his fists, fighting to remain calm. He wanted to knock Kolya out there and then. Kolya would exploit Elizabeth for everything he could, and she would be unable to do anything with the threat of being exposed hanging over her. It made John sick to think of how far Kolya would have gone in his exploitation.
“You’re too late,” John said at last, his voice cold and even.
“What do you mean ‘too late’?” Kolya stood as he spoke, glancing around at Carson and Laura. They were both looking away guiltily. “What’s going on here?”
“Caldwell has already taken Elizabeth, and in theory control of this bar. That makes him the most powerful gang boss in this galaxy.” John watched, as Kolya grew more and more furious, his eyes narrowing. For a second he was worried Kolya might give an order to shoot them all, but he said nothing. “I can, however, offer you the location of Caldwell’s base of operations, as well as a basic layout. That way, you can take Caldwell out and take charge of the galaxy.”
“You would do that?” Kolya was suspicious; no one would give up this kind of information that easily, not without a catch.
“If you agree to leave this bar alone once Caldwell’s dead. And you let me come with you to get Elizabeth. Not much in the grand scheme of things.”
A deathly silence fell across the bar while they all thought about it. It was a very good deal for both sides. Kolya wasn’t entirely keen on giving up the bar, but if it meant he could get rid of Steven Caldwell once and for all, he couldn’t give it up that easily. Besides, there would always be other times and other plans.
“You have a deal John Sheppard,” Kolya smiled, holding out a hand.
“It’s gonna take more than a handshake to seal this. You must swear on your blood that you will leave this bar alone and let me rescue Elizabeth.” John nodded to Ronon in the background, who quickly produced a knife from his belt. A few of Kolya’s men trained their weapons on Ronon in a flash, but Kolya just held up a hand to stop them once more.
“As you wish,” he said, his smile barely faltering. John walked past Kolya slowly and took the knife from Ronon’s outstretched hand. Turning back, he found Kolya already stood waiting for him, his hand held out ready. There were already a few scars on his hand, a few more blood promises from the past. Taking a deep breath, John stepped forwards and placed the knife flat on his hand. “Do it,” said Kolya quietly, before taking a deep breath of his own. A slight gasp was his only complaint as John quickly and firmly pulled the knife across his skin. Bright blood soon covered his palm, a few drops falling to the floor below as they stood in silence.
“If we’re all done here, I suggest we start preparing for this battle,” Kolya began. Carson came over with a bandage and some water ready to help deal with the cut. It wasn’t deep; it had just been enough to get some blood. John nodded in return, before handing the knife back to Ronon. He spun around when he felt a hand on his arm to find Teyla smiling softly at him. Sora was stood a little further back looking on disapprovingly, but she began to arm up like the rest of them. “It looks as though you might have some help Sheppard,” said Kolya with a slight wince as Carson tightened the bandage further.
“We’re going to need it,” muttered John as he remembered the security at the base. It was going to take all of the men, and all of their weapons to get through to Caldwell. John just hoped they were in time to stop him from hurting Elizabeth. “Just hold on,” he whispered to himself as he picked up the gun someone was holding out to him. He winced as he strapped it to his side, at least the painkillers had taken away most of the pain. It was still going to be slower going than usual, which was going to be a major problem. All he could do was fight through the pain. He had to. “Just hold on.”
--
“I’ll wear it,” Elizabeth said quietly. At least if she agreed to wear the dress, she had a little more time to think of a plan. She could always try to barricade herself in here, if she had to, while he was waiting for her to change.
“Excellent,” responded Caldwell with a sickening smile. He pulled away from her quickly, the knife disappearing as fast as it had appeared. Elizabeth tried to calm her breathing as Steven left the room. She needed to seem strong and powerful, there could be no weakness. When he walked back in with the dress, she forced a smile as she turned to face him. He handed the dress over to her and then took a step back. For a moment, they stood looking at each other waiting for the other to make a move.
“Is there a problem?” he asked at last.
“I wanted to get changed alone, that’s all.” Elizabeth tried to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke; after all, he still had a knife on him.
“You never used to mind me watching when you got dressed.”
“Things are different now.” Elizabeth couldn’t believe she was trying to argue her point with such a monster. He wasn’t interested in what she had to say; he’d made that clear plenty of times in the past. She wasn’t going to back down though.
“I understand,” he said softly, taking a step forwards instead of the step back Elizabeth had been hoping for. Elizabeth found herself frozen to the spot as he took a few more steps to close the gap between them. Reaching out, he placed a hand softly on her cheek, brushing her skin with his thumb. “It’s okay though. Whatever you believe, I still think you’re attractive. Even with those scars. Time has been kind, your beauty hasn’t faded.”
“That’s not…” Elizabeth began to speak, but she found herself sharply cut off as Steven leaned forwards and began to kiss her. It was a soft and gentle kiss, his hand still pressed to her cheek. The dress slipped from her hands and landed on the ground with a gentle thud. With her hands now free, Elizabeth reached up and pushed against his chest. This wasn’t what she wanted.
Steven’s eyes suddenly snapped open, that cold fury once more present. The hand on her cheek moved around to the back of her neck, gripping hard. His other arm moved around her waist, forcing her closer to his body. The kiss became rougher; his tongue violently forcing it’s way into her mouth. She began to push him harder, but she couldn’t break free. At the same time, she began to realise that he was making her move backwards. It wouldn’t be long before they were level with the bed. Spurred on by the sickening thoughts of what could happen, Elizabeth began to fight even more. Her pushes became more forceful, and she felt the grip around her waist giving a little. Suddenly, she jerked her head back, the violent kiss broken.
When Elizabeth met Steven’s eyes this time, she felt fear coursing through her body. The look in his eyes was nothing short of murderous. Without warning, he threw her violently to the floor. Lying on the floor next to his towering figure, it took Elizabeth a few moments to realise what had happened. As soon as her senses had returned, she began to pull herself away from him. If she could get herself away from him, she could avoid the worst of his temper.
But she couldn’t get herself away fast enough. Before she had time to react, Caldwell was bearing down on her, forcing her onto her back before straddling her waist. Her hands were up in and instant, ready to fight him. He merely seized her wrists and forced her hands above her head. Now his face was just inches from hers, and this time she couldn’t fight him off.
“You two faced bitch,” he growled in a low voice. “One minute you are the good little woman who does as I say, the next you’re pushing me away. You’re nothing more than a tease. Is that what you do to your customers? Do you turn them on and then leave them wanting more? Of course not, you give them what they want. After all, they’re paying. You pathetic whore.”
Elizabeth cried out as the grip on her wrists tightened, but she still forced her eyes to remain fixed on his. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her afraid, even if she felt terrified. He was breathing hard as he stared down at her, she could feel the warmth on her face he was that close to her now.
Steven found it amazing that she wasn’t crying or begging him to get off her. It was almost as if she was daring him to do it. Daring him to take her there and then as they lay on the floor. It wasn’t going to give her that though. When the time came, he wanted to see her begging him for mercy.
With a low growl, Caldwell released her wrists and stood up sharply. Elizabeth began to turn onto her side, ready to get up. She got no further though, as he suddenly kicked her hard in the stomach. Crying out, Elizabeth found herself doubled over from the unexpected pain.
“Worthless slut,” he said in a low tone before storming out. Elizabeth heard the door slam as he left, but she didn’t care. He was gone, and that meant she had a little more time. Closing her eyes, she tried to force herself up to her feet, but the pain in her stomach was too much. Instead, she just lay on the floor quietly praying for a miracle. If there were any gods left to help her now.
And it's only taken me 3 months.
I gotta stop doing this.
Title: Scum of the Galaxy
Author: rhin_ariel
Rating: R
Pairings: Caldwell/Weir
Summary: There is a gang boss in the bar, but the only one who can deal with it is lightyears away fighting for her life.
Warnings: Bad langauge, violence, refrences to rape.
Never before had John hated the sight of the planet he knew so well. He just wanted to turn and leave, trying to make some pathetic attempt at a rescue. Anything would be better than facing the truth that he was responsible for Elizabeth going back to Caldwell. It made him feel sick, but he fought back the bile. He knew how to help her, but he was going to need some support.
It took him longer than expected to finally reach the bar, as he found himself stumbling along through back streets and alleyways. When he finally did reach the familiar steps leading down to the door, he practically fell down them. The loud clattering outside attracted the attention of Ronon, who opened the slit in the door to look out. He was half expecting to find Caldwell had arrived to survey his new surroundings. Instead, he found the badly beaten Sheppard trying desperately to stand.
“Get Carson,” Ronon called through to the girl at the desk, before pulling open the door. John was leaning on the wall; breathing hard, but still managed a slight smile at the sight of the burly doorman.
“It’s good to see you’ll open the door to anyone,” he said, pulling himself up. As he did, his head began to spin again and he found himself falling forwards. Ronon darted forward and managed to grab him before he hit the ground, Sheppard feeling more like a dead weight in his arms than the lively man he knew.
“What’s going on?” called the familiar Scottish voice behind him, the sound of footsteps following closely behind. Ronon could guess that the whole bar was talking about this injured visitor by now. As he began to turn with the near unconscious Sheppard in his arms, people began to gasp as they recognised the bruised and battered figure. Soon the whispers had started as they all began to contemplate what fate Elizabeth had met at the same hands. Carson managed to push most of the girls out of the way in order to get Sheppard to a spare room; he was in no state to be answering any of their questions however worried they all were. It was only when they lay him down on the bed and Carson began to examine him that John finally woke once more.
“I couldn’t save her,” he cried weakly, his voice sounding far away in his own ears. “I tried, but I couldn’t save her.”
“It’s alright lad,” said Carson, trying to calm the clearly agitated bounty hunter. “Elizabeth’s strong, she’ll get through this till we can rescue her.”
“You don’t understand,” said John, his voice suddenly calm. He stared straight into Carson’s eyes, his gaze level. “He’s going to hurt her Carson. He’s going to beat her. He’s going to rape her. And most likely, he’s going to kill her. There is no time left anymore. It’s too late.”
The moment the last words had left his lips, John’s eyes rolled up and he fell back against the bed once more. Carson sat stunned unable to comprehend what he had just heard. Was it really too late for Elizabeth? Could Caldwell want revenge that badly on the fiancé who had left him all those years ago? The image of the scars on Elizabeth’s back suddenly seemed clear in his mind. Perhaps John was right, though he could always pray there was still time for her.
“Carson.” The voice behind him startled him. He spun around quickly to find Rodney and Laura standing in the doorway. Both looked concerned, though Rodney looked more like he was about to throw up.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he began to stand. The preliminary examination of John had told him his injuries weren’t life threatening, he just needed bandages, painkillers and rest. What he didn’t need was another problem, which probably made it a good thing that he was out cold.
“It’s Kolya,” said Laura at last, her hands shaking a little, betraying her fear.
“What about him?”
“He’s here.”
“And he’s holding Teyla hostage,” added Rodney slowly, his eyes darting towards the unconscious Sheppard. “He wants to see Elizabeth.”
Carson was sure his heart stopped beating for a few seconds once Rodney had spoken. The idea of Kolya in the bar was bad enough, the fact he had a hostage even worse. But now he wanted to see the one person in the galaxy that it was impossible to see. Everything seemed to have hit them at once, and it was showing no signs of improving. He glanced back at John, he was clearly in no fit state to try and help them. That left it up to Laura, Rodney and himself for now.
“Right,” he said at last, taking a deep breath and walking towards the pair in the doorway. “Rodney, can you go and ask the girls if one of them can bandage up John’s major injuries. Laura, you and I will go and deal with Kolya. We’ll just tell him Elizabeth’s out on business at the moment and then we’ll work on from there. You both okay with that?”
They both nodded slowly, words suddenly seeming beyond them. What words could there be though in a situation like this? In silence, they all left the room, Rodney moving down the corridor towards the group of girls looking on in terror. Carson and Laura turned the other way and strode towards the bar.
“We have to be strong don’t we?” asked Laura quietly before they entered the bar.
“Ay lass we do,” replied Carson, taking deep breaths to slow his pounding heart. “For Elizabeth’s sake.”
The sight that greeted them as they entered the bar was like nothing they could ever have imagined. Kolya was stood leaning on the bar surveying his surroundings carefully. A couple of his goons were walking around slowly, their weapons held tightly in their large hands. At one side, Sora was stood with Teyla, a gun pressed to her head. Ronon was stood up on the stairs glaring down at them all, his hand resting on his gun. He wouldn’t dare use it though; they all knew that.
“I asked to speak with Ms Weir, and if I am not mistaken, you aren’t Ms Weir.”
Carson turned and faced Kolya slowly, calming himself in preparation for what he needed to say. He had to make it sound convincing or they were all in a great deal of danger.
“I’m afraid Elizabeth isn’t here at the moment. She had to go out to deal with some business.”
Laura took a step closer to Carson, and he could see a slight smile on her face out of the corner of his eye. He was fairly sure it was a false smile, but they weren’t to know that.
“Is there anything we can do to help,” she began, her voice sounding a lot calmer than she felt. “We’re the ones in charge while she’s out, so maybe we can provide some assistance?”
“That’s alright,” sighed Kolya, a strange smile spreading across his lips. “We’ll just wait till she comes back.”
Laura and Carson exchanged a nervous glance suddenly unsure as how to proceed. They still didn’t know what he was here for, but it must be something big if he could only tell it to Elizabeth. It must be serious too if he would take Teyla hostage in order to get his way.
“Some drinks would be nice in the meantime,” said Kolya at last, breaking the silence that had fallen on the room.
“Coming right up,” smiled Carson, walking towards the bar with Laura close behind. As he began to pull bottles up onto the bar, he found himself glancing towards the closed door to the girls’ rooms. In his mind, he could see the unconscious figure of John Sheppard, and he found himself praying that he would stay like that until they had gotten rid of Kolya. John had faced too much today, this could push him over the edge. And then he would be no use to Elizabeth at all.
If they could find a way to save Elizabeth in time.
--
Elizabeth wasn’t sure how much time had passed; she didn’t dare look back at the window. She hadn’t moved from sitting in front of the desk yet, fear holding her in place. She didn’t want to look through the window to see Kavaunagh’s body still lying there. It was like seeing her own future, lying dead somewhere with no one to care about her body. Though, unlike Kavaunagh, hers would be a broken body.
The sound of a key turning in the door startled her, and she found herself on her feet in seconds. Her stiff body protested at the sudden movement, but she forced back any cry of pain. She wasn’t going to show any weakness to these men, she was stronger than they knew. She also needed to be ready to fight if she had to, she debated looking for a weapon in the room, but there really wasn’t enough time. When the door finally opened, Elizabeth was stood ready for a confrontation with whoever walked in. It came as a surprise then when the figure in the doorway was not a burly guard, or even Caldwell himself.
“Radek?” she said softly, her guard dropping entirely. The familiar man looked up and smiled, his eyes lighting up as he saw her.
“Elizabeth,” he replied, pushing his glasses back up his nose with one hand. It was only then that Elizabeth noticed the tray he was carrying, a tray laden with food. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Nodding her head slowly, she felt herself beginning to smile as Radek entered the room fully and closed the door behind him. Walking across to her, he placed the tray down on the desk next to her. Turning to face her fully, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Elizabeth hadn’t been expecting it, and found herself taking a step back at first, before placing her hands gently on his back.
“I should have done something,” he said at last, stepping back to look at her. She could see the pity in his eyes as he looked at her. He had probably heard people talking in the house; he probably even knew what she was facing.
“There was nothing you could have done,” she responded, shaking her head slowly. “It was Kavaunagh who betrayed me to Steven, you couldn’t have stopped that.”
“I know,” he sighed. “I could have tried though.” He looked so sad, his whole body slumping. It was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Elizabeth had no idea how long he had been working for Caldwell, or how he was being treat while he was here. Something told her it wasn’t a brilliant life.
“I’m just happy you’ve brought me some food,” she smiled, turning back to the tray. It was a lie though, she felt physically sick and the idea of eating didn’t make her feel any better.
“You can eat it later,” she heard him say behind her. Reaching out, he placed a hand gently on her arm. She turned slowly, not wanting to face him, not wanting to know if he could really see how she felt. “I have heard…things.”
“You’ve heard what’s going to happen to me?” she asked, praying silently for a miracle. Perhaps there was something Radek knew that would help her.
“He is still angry. Very angry.”
“I know,” her voice was barely a whisper now. Radek moved the hand up from her arm and gently touched her face, his fingers brushing the red mark on her skin.
“He has hit you,” he said softly, his eyes not meeting hers. They both knew what the future held for her, and it wasn’t much of a future if they looked at it honestly.
“I’ve had worse.”
The words hung in the silence of the room, neither of them wanting to say anything more. Elizabeth could feel her whole body seeming to ache, the memories of every bruise and cut suddenly rushing back to her. Radek was trying to force the terrible images from his mind. He’d heard about what Caldwell had done to people, Elizabeth included. He’d never seen the scars on Elizabeth’s back, but he’d heard how she’d gotten them. He couldn’t imagine the pain she had gone through. And now she was trapped here again.
It was a sacrifice he didn’t think many people could make.
“I should go,” Radek whispered when the silence suddenly seemed too much. “If Caldwell finds me here…”
“It will be both our heads,” sighed Elizabeth. If she couldn’t save herself, she could at least protect Radek. Steven wasn’t to know that they were friends, after all what would a courtesan be doing with a computer hacker?
“Be safe,” he said softly, hugging her once more. Elizabeth could feel tears welling in her eyes, the idea of being left alone again suddenly terrifying her. Maybe she wasn’t strong enough to do this after all.
“I’ll try to be.”
“Remember,” began Radek, pulling back and moving towards the door. “You don’t have to be afraid of him. He does not own you.”
The words lifted Elizabeth’s spirit a little; everything he was saying was true.
“Thank you,” she said with a slight smile as he left the room. The sound of the lock clicking seemed strangely ominous in the quiet room. After staring at the closed door for a long time, she found herself turning back to the desk. She forced herself not to look out of the window, not to see if Kavaunagh’s body still lay out on the path. Instead, she looked down at the tray of food, picking over it slowly with a fork. She still didn’t want to eat, but she was happy to know there was food there for when she wanted it. It didn’t look too bad either, some pasta and salad, some kind of cake and some water.
When she heard the lock click and the door handle turn a few minutes later, she thought it was Radek returning with something else for her. Spinning around, her blood ran cold when she found herself facing Caldwell walking into the room. He had what looked like a dress looped around one arm. She steeled herself for an outburst of anger or another tirade against her, but nothing came. Instead, he seemed to be smiling softly at her. It was that thin smile, with a knowing glint in his eyes. It made her feel physically sick. She’d seen that smile before, and it had always meant more pain.
“How are you feeling Zara?” he asked softly, closing the door quietly behind him. Everything about his manner exuded calmness, which put Elizabeth off even more. There was nothing calm about Steven Caldwell, even on a good day.
“My name is Elizabeth, not Zara,” her words were spoken coldly, trying hard to sound like the strong Elizabeth Weir she had become. She was no longer the timid and naïve Zara. She saw Caldwell’s eyes flicker for a moment, a look of sheer hatred suddenly aimed at her. It was gone no sooner than it had appeared though.
“As you wish…Elizabeth. I came to give you something to wear. Something more appropriate.” As he spoke, he took in the dress she wore carefully. It sickened him to see the slits up the side of the dress that revealed most of her legs. There was also the fact the dress was so low cut he could see plenty of her cleavage. It disgusted him that his fiancé of all people should flaunt her body so much. No matter, if she wanted to show off her body, he had the perfect way for her to do it. “For you,” he said at last, unfolding the dress. It was a long deep blue gown with a high neck. Elizabeth had been waiting for him to do something like this. Then he turned it to show her the back.
Elizabeth gasped when she saw how low the dress went. There would be nothing to cover her back right down to her hips. Her scars would be on show to everyone. This was Caldwell’s idea of ‘more appropriate’; to remind her of what would happen. It suddenly dawned on her it was an exact replica of the dress she’d been wearing when he’d caused the scars. Never before had Elizabeth found herself loathing a piece of clothing so much.
“No,” she whispered, turning away. She couldn’t look at the dress anymore, her back beginning to ache as she thought about it.
“What?” asked Steven, and she could hear the edge in his voice. She was going to regret this, but she didn’t care.
“I won’t wear it,” Elizabeth answered, still facing away from him. She waited for him to scream, or even to hit her. When she heard him begin to move towards her, she braced herself for his fury to strike her. What she got wasn’t what she expected at all. He stopped just behind her; she could hear him breathing hard. Suddenly, he wrapped an arm around her waist and forced her back. Pressed against his body, she froze. What was he doing? She had been expecting him to hit her, now she had no idea what was going on anymore. Steven then began to drag her backwards, and finally Elizabeth began to move again. She began to struggle against him, but she didn’t get far at all. His grip was tight; she could feel his fingers digging painfully into her side. He pulled her backwards, before turning sharply. It began to dawn on Elizabeth where he was taking her, and her whole body went cold. He was pulling her towards the bedroom.
Now she began to fight against him more earnestly, pulling against his vice like grip. He could scream and shout, he could beat her all he wanted, but she wasn’t going to let him rape her. Not without a fight. For a moment, she thought about screaming out, a desperate cry for help. Then she remembered, no one would save her here. They’d probably just laugh, especially Everett. Some day, Elizabeth wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face.
Suddenly, the violent struggle came to a halt as Caldwell froze at one side of the room. He turned her viciously so that she was facing the full-length mirror that stood at one side of the room. Looking at the reflection, she found herself staring at what she had always seen as the opposite of her life. She could see herself fully, her hands gripping at the arm wrapped around her waist, trying to pull it away. Her high heels were gone, lying on the floor next door after they’d gotten too uncomfortable earlier. Without the extra height, Steven was now stood taller than her. He stared at her in the mirror; she could feel his eyes boring into her, even through the reflection.
Slowly, his free hand began to move up towards her neck. She saw the glint in the mirror, but it was too late to do anything as she found a long thin blade pressed to her neck. A gasp escaped her lips as the cold metal touched her pale skin.
“You are my fiancé,” growled Steven in her ear. “You will do as I say, you hear me?”
Elizabeth made no sound, so he pressed the blade harder against her skin. This time she let out a slight whimper as he began to cut through her skin.
“Perhaps it would be easier if I cut these whore clothes from your body myself.” As he spoke, he pulled the knife away from her neck and moved it across to her shoulder. He pushed it under the wide strap of her dress and pulled sharply. The material gave no resistance to the blade, and Elizabeth could only watch as the strap fell apart. The front dropped forwards, and she could feel the dress slide a little on that side. If he cut through the other strap, the whole dress would probably fall away. It was one of the more simple dresses she owned, with no fancy fastenings. She was beginning to regret wearing it.
Now he let the knife slide down her bare skin till it came to rest on the top of her breast. He pressed the blade flat against her skin, the metal felt cold on her warm body.
Steven looked into the mirror to find her eyes still fixed on her own reflection. He could see the fear there, but it was less than he expected. Somehow he had always suspected that at this point she would be begging for mercy. It seemed that she had grown stronger since she had left him. This would not be a problem of course; it just meant it would take longer to break her. He continued to watch her in the mirror as he gently dragged the knife across her skin, keeping the blade flat. He wasn’t going to start scarring her yet, at least not physically. Finally, he let the blade come to rest on top of the other strap. They both knew what would happen if he cut through it, and Elizabeth desperately didn’t want it to happen.
“So,” said Steven quietly. Elizabeth could feel his warm breath on her ear as he spoke, and it sent a chill down her spine to have him this close to her. “Are you going to put this dress on or am I going to strip you myself?”
--
Soft hands on his skin was the first thing John felt when he began to wake up. At first, he thought it was Elizabeth. Perhaps it had all been a dream, maybe he’d just been involved in a fight and been punched in the head. It wouldn’t be the first time someone with a nasty blow to the head had had some strange dream they thought was real. Then he heard the humming. Whoever it was, their voice was clearly higher than Elizabeth’s. Which could only mean that it wasn’t a dream. John’s heart sank, but he still forced himself to open his eyes.
Looking across the bed he found himself looking at one of the young girls from the bar. She was gently placing a bandage around a cut on his arm. When she pulled a little too tight he gasped, causing her to jump backwards.
“Sorry,” he said slowly, his voice sounding rougher than he expected. Everything seemed to ache, especially his head and his side. Caldwell’s boots must have been steel capped or something he thought to himself as he tried to sit up.
“You need to rest,” said the girl quickly, placing her hands on his shoulders, but he pushed them away.
“I need to help Elizabeth. You got any painkillers?” The girl nodded silently, turning to the little table next to her. John rubbed his head before running a hand through his hair. One eye hurt when it was open, but he was going to have to get through that. He could see fine and that was the main thing. Clenching both hands into a fist, he was glad to find that there was no damage to his fingers. That meant he could fire a gun, and that was all that mattered to him now.
“Here you go, but I’m telling you rest would be better than just painkillers.” She held out a cup of water and two large pills. John smiled, regretting it when he realised his lip and been split, and took the cup and pills.
“I’ll tell Carson about your concerns,” he said, before swallowing the pills and gulping down the water. “Where is he anyway?”
“In the bar.”
“Thanks,” he muttered through gritted teeth as he tried to stand. The pain in his side actually extended across his whole waist, but hopefully the pills would take care of that. Taking a few careful steps, he was glad to find his legs hadn’t been badly affected either. With a slight smile at the girl, John began to leave the room. She could only sit shaking her head, until she suddenly remembered what was going on in the bar. Jumping up, she ran to the door to find him almost at the door to the bar.
“I wouldn’t go through there if I was you,” she called out, but John only waved a hand back at her dismissively. Glaring at him, she just watched him walk through the door. “Your funeral,” she muttered to herself, before going back into the room to clean up.
The girl’s assessment of the situation wasn’t entirely correct however. When John walked through the door to the bar, there was no shooting at all. A few men reached for their weapons, but Kolya quickly raised a hand.
“John Sheppard, how wonderful to finally meet you. Although I must say you are looking a little worse for wear.” As he spoke, he made no move to stand and greet John personally. He just sat smiling, or more smirking, at the battered bounty hunter. “Have a problem with a client?”
“Not exactly,” said John quietly. “Now, what the hell are you doing here?”
“A fine greeting, but I like the fact that you get straight to the point. I am here to take this bar in exchange for this hostage.” He indicated Teyla sat near him with Sora pointing a gun at her head. John took a deep breath wishing he had a weapon with him there and then. “There is also another matter I wish to discuss with Ms Weir, but it is for her ears only.” The smirk had not faded at all, which could only make John more suspicious. What did he want with Elizabeth?
“I hate to tell you this, but it’s gonna take more than one assassin to make Elizabeth hand over this bar.” John tried to sound confident, even cocky, but he was feeling more worried than he appeared. Teyla as a friend, and the last thing he wanted to see was for to get hurt.
“I think I have something that will persuade Elizabeth. See it as a straight trade. This bar in exchange for protection.” Protection? Now John was getting confused, what could Elizabeth need protecting from? Except from the likes of Kolya, of course. And Caldwell.
Caldwell.
“Been talking to Kavaunagh lately?” John tried to make the question sound as natural as possible. Kavaunagh was a bastard who would do deals with either side; everyone knew that. He’d already gone to Caldwell, there was little to stop him going to Kolya too. John caught the sudden look of confusion on Kolya’s face, but it was soon replaced with that smile once more.
“Yes. And I shall assume Sheppard that you already know what he came to tell me.”
John clenched his fists, fighting to remain calm. He wanted to knock Kolya out there and then. Kolya would exploit Elizabeth for everything he could, and she would be unable to do anything with the threat of being exposed hanging over her. It made John sick to think of how far Kolya would have gone in his exploitation.
“You’re too late,” John said at last, his voice cold and even.
“What do you mean ‘too late’?” Kolya stood as he spoke, glancing around at Carson and Laura. They were both looking away guiltily. “What’s going on here?”
“Caldwell has already taken Elizabeth, and in theory control of this bar. That makes him the most powerful gang boss in this galaxy.” John watched, as Kolya grew more and more furious, his eyes narrowing. For a second he was worried Kolya might give an order to shoot them all, but he said nothing. “I can, however, offer you the location of Caldwell’s base of operations, as well as a basic layout. That way, you can take Caldwell out and take charge of the galaxy.”
“You would do that?” Kolya was suspicious; no one would give up this kind of information that easily, not without a catch.
“If you agree to leave this bar alone once Caldwell’s dead. And you let me come with you to get Elizabeth. Not much in the grand scheme of things.”
A deathly silence fell across the bar while they all thought about it. It was a very good deal for both sides. Kolya wasn’t entirely keen on giving up the bar, but if it meant he could get rid of Steven Caldwell once and for all, he couldn’t give it up that easily. Besides, there would always be other times and other plans.
“You have a deal John Sheppard,” Kolya smiled, holding out a hand.
“It’s gonna take more than a handshake to seal this. You must swear on your blood that you will leave this bar alone and let me rescue Elizabeth.” John nodded to Ronon in the background, who quickly produced a knife from his belt. A few of Kolya’s men trained their weapons on Ronon in a flash, but Kolya just held up a hand to stop them once more.
“As you wish,” he said, his smile barely faltering. John walked past Kolya slowly and took the knife from Ronon’s outstretched hand. Turning back, he found Kolya already stood waiting for him, his hand held out ready. There were already a few scars on his hand, a few more blood promises from the past. Taking a deep breath, John stepped forwards and placed the knife flat on his hand. “Do it,” said Kolya quietly, before taking a deep breath of his own. A slight gasp was his only complaint as John quickly and firmly pulled the knife across his skin. Bright blood soon covered his palm, a few drops falling to the floor below as they stood in silence.
“If we’re all done here, I suggest we start preparing for this battle,” Kolya began. Carson came over with a bandage and some water ready to help deal with the cut. It wasn’t deep; it had just been enough to get some blood. John nodded in return, before handing the knife back to Ronon. He spun around when he felt a hand on his arm to find Teyla smiling softly at him. Sora was stood a little further back looking on disapprovingly, but she began to arm up like the rest of them. “It looks as though you might have some help Sheppard,” said Kolya with a slight wince as Carson tightened the bandage further.
“We’re going to need it,” muttered John as he remembered the security at the base. It was going to take all of the men, and all of their weapons to get through to Caldwell. John just hoped they were in time to stop him from hurting Elizabeth. “Just hold on,” he whispered to himself as he picked up the gun someone was holding out to him. He winced as he strapped it to his side, at least the painkillers had taken away most of the pain. It was still going to be slower going than usual, which was going to be a major problem. All he could do was fight through the pain. He had to. “Just hold on.”
--
“I’ll wear it,” Elizabeth said quietly. At least if she agreed to wear the dress, she had a little more time to think of a plan. She could always try to barricade herself in here, if she had to, while he was waiting for her to change.
“Excellent,” responded Caldwell with a sickening smile. He pulled away from her quickly, the knife disappearing as fast as it had appeared. Elizabeth tried to calm her breathing as Steven left the room. She needed to seem strong and powerful, there could be no weakness. When he walked back in with the dress, she forced a smile as she turned to face him. He handed the dress over to her and then took a step back. For a moment, they stood looking at each other waiting for the other to make a move.
“Is there a problem?” he asked at last.
“I wanted to get changed alone, that’s all.” Elizabeth tried to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke; after all, he still had a knife on him.
“You never used to mind me watching when you got dressed.”
“Things are different now.” Elizabeth couldn’t believe she was trying to argue her point with such a monster. He wasn’t interested in what she had to say; he’d made that clear plenty of times in the past. She wasn’t going to back down though.
“I understand,” he said softly, taking a step forwards instead of the step back Elizabeth had been hoping for. Elizabeth found herself frozen to the spot as he took a few more steps to close the gap between them. Reaching out, he placed a hand softly on her cheek, brushing her skin with his thumb. “It’s okay though. Whatever you believe, I still think you’re attractive. Even with those scars. Time has been kind, your beauty hasn’t faded.”
“That’s not…” Elizabeth began to speak, but she found herself sharply cut off as Steven leaned forwards and began to kiss her. It was a soft and gentle kiss, his hand still pressed to her cheek. The dress slipped from her hands and landed on the ground with a gentle thud. With her hands now free, Elizabeth reached up and pushed against his chest. This wasn’t what she wanted.
Steven’s eyes suddenly snapped open, that cold fury once more present. The hand on her cheek moved around to the back of her neck, gripping hard. His other arm moved around her waist, forcing her closer to his body. The kiss became rougher; his tongue violently forcing it’s way into her mouth. She began to push him harder, but she couldn’t break free. At the same time, she began to realise that he was making her move backwards. It wouldn’t be long before they were level with the bed. Spurred on by the sickening thoughts of what could happen, Elizabeth began to fight even more. Her pushes became more forceful, and she felt the grip around her waist giving a little. Suddenly, she jerked her head back, the violent kiss broken.
When Elizabeth met Steven’s eyes this time, she felt fear coursing through her body. The look in his eyes was nothing short of murderous. Without warning, he threw her violently to the floor. Lying on the floor next to his towering figure, it took Elizabeth a few moments to realise what had happened. As soon as her senses had returned, she began to pull herself away from him. If she could get herself away from him, she could avoid the worst of his temper.
But she couldn’t get herself away fast enough. Before she had time to react, Caldwell was bearing down on her, forcing her onto her back before straddling her waist. Her hands were up in and instant, ready to fight him. He merely seized her wrists and forced her hands above her head. Now his face was just inches from hers, and this time she couldn’t fight him off.
“You two faced bitch,” he growled in a low voice. “One minute you are the good little woman who does as I say, the next you’re pushing me away. You’re nothing more than a tease. Is that what you do to your customers? Do you turn them on and then leave them wanting more? Of course not, you give them what they want. After all, they’re paying. You pathetic whore.”
Elizabeth cried out as the grip on her wrists tightened, but she still forced her eyes to remain fixed on his. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her afraid, even if she felt terrified. He was breathing hard as he stared down at her, she could feel the warmth on her face he was that close to her now.
Steven found it amazing that she wasn’t crying or begging him to get off her. It was almost as if she was daring him to do it. Daring him to take her there and then as they lay on the floor. It wasn’t going to give her that though. When the time came, he wanted to see her begging him for mercy.
With a low growl, Caldwell released her wrists and stood up sharply. Elizabeth began to turn onto her side, ready to get up. She got no further though, as he suddenly kicked her hard in the stomach. Crying out, Elizabeth found herself doubled over from the unexpected pain.
“Worthless slut,” he said in a low tone before storming out. Elizabeth heard the door slam as he left, but she didn’t care. He was gone, and that meant she had a little more time. Closing her eyes, she tried to force herself up to her feet, but the pain in her stomach was too much. Instead, she just lay on the floor quietly praying for a miracle. If there were any gods left to help her now.