Some of you may remember me posting this several months ago and taking it down. I took it down because I wasn't sure about it, but have been asked by many people to repost it. It was originally going to be posted yesterday (OSAS's first birthday :D Created 906 pm, oddly enough) but I completely forgot. So here's it again. I can't promise regular updates, but the inbetween stories will get told. This is between Shaz leaving and Chris arriving.

This world was a never ending nightmare. She knew by now she had been here for days. Surely Shaz's funeral had already passed.

Alex felt a wave of grief pass over her at the thought of her former friend. She should have done something more to save her. She shouldn't have just sat and watched on as the man took her from the room.

The logical side of her brain kicked in. She hadn't known what the man was going to do, and if she had interfered, she may very well be dead herself.

Although, right now, being dead was certainly the preferred option to being here. She felt weak now. She had always hated that feeling, but in the past, at least she was able to do something about it. Now, all she could do was curl up into a ball and tug uselessly at the collar that never came off except for an obedience lesson.

Slowly, its presence was starting to make her feel safe. The collar was always taken off before obedience lessons. To have her neck bared meant to suffer, to be filled with the anguish she was so desperately trying to separate herself from.

However, the apathy just could not come. No, she was always filled with emotion now, but it was only the same few over and over. Humiliation, when the man fed her, when he called her animal, immense grief for Shaz, for the loss of her freedom, and fear of what would happen next ran her unchanging days and nights in this dark hell hole.

But even through the grief, she had no more tears. She only had the feeling of overwhelming sorrow and misery, and the choking pain of loneliness. Her only company was the bastard who had kidnapped her, and he spent the time tormenting her.

She desperately wished for Gene to come crashing through the door, but it never happened. He had told her once that he was everywhere. Where was the Manc Lion now? Why wasn't he rescuing her? She knew he was pissed off at her that day, but surely her disappearance would put all that behind them?

Unless he's glad you're gone, a voice said in the back of her head. He doesn't have to deal with you nagging him anymore or bear the sight of you every day. He made it clear that he didn't want another relationship with you after the disaster of the first one. He'd probably been wishing for you to disappear since that night he threw the record at you.

No. That wasn't true. Gene wouldn't give up on a fellow officer, even if they were a former love interest, would he?

The light was on at the moment. After the man had left, he had left the light on. Alex was still shaking from earlier. She had looked him in the eye. Animals weren't allowed to look humans in the eye. She had been so sure she was going to get an obedience lesson. The look of rage in his eyes showed her that she was.

But he had only beaten her. And that Alex could take. But she knew that soon enough, she would do something really bad in his eyes, and she'd be given a lesson. And the problem with being beaten now was that he still had the rage inside him, which meant that the next lesson was going to be worse.

She stared at the collar on the short chain. That was also a place she never wanted to go again. She had no idea how long she had spent on the short chain, but it had been pure torture. She couldn't sleep because if she did, she'd lose her oxygen supply. She couldn't die yet. She had to get out and find Gene. She'd slap him for not trying to find her sooner.

Alex heard him stomping up the stairs. She had realized when she tried to escape that this block of flats was empty. If she heard anyone anywhere in the building, it was him. Alex turned to the wall opposite the door. She couldn't look at him. If she looked at him, bad things could happen.

She heard the main door open. She didn't move, continuing to stare at the boards that covered the window. It wasn't that she wanted to see outside, it was that she wanted, needed, to get out. She was ready to claw her way layers, one of wood, and one of glass, a maximum of six inches, was separating her from her freedom. She stared at it, willing someone to come find her. Alex knew that she couldn't get out on her own. She was always trying to figure out how to get out during never ending hours in this hell hole. She had nothing, however. There was no way to get out of the collar. She had nothing to pick it with, and more often than not, the man locked her in the room. Sometimes he'd be gone for only a few hours, sometimes it would be for what seemed like a day or more. What would he do if he found her out of her collar, or getting ready to exit the flat?

Besides, right now her hands were cuffed behind her back. She had been bad, so she needed a punishment. Beatings usually ended up like this.

The lock clunked as the man unlocked the door. Alex didn't move. She wondered if it was time for her to be fed. She'd have to eat it. Even if she didn't want to eat, she'd have to eat it. Who knew what would happen if she didn't? He had been so angry lately. If she didn't eat, would she get an obedience lesson?

She couldn't risk it. Even the idea was enough to make her shake in fear.

The door opened and Alex heard him walk into the room.

"There's no point in staring at the window, Animal. Those boards aren't coming off," he said quietly.

Alex picked up on the cues in his voice and stared down at the floor. Whenever he said that there was no point in something, it meant to stop doing it or suffer the consequences.

"Turn to face me," he commanded.

Alex turned, hating herself for obeying. How she longed to fight! She longed to see him suffer like he had made her suffer. She imagined what he would look like when Gene got his hands on him. The only problem was, she had no idea what the man looked like.

Alex heard him approach her. "You've been very good, except for yesterday," he said softly.

He knelt down in front of her and picked up her chin with a finger. Alex averted her eyes, staring at the wall opposite, which had a small spatter of blood on it.

My blood, she thought, wondering from which of her beatings it had come from. Probably one where he had knocked her out. She would always wake up with blood dried somewhere if he had.

He removed his hand from her cheek and sat down across from her staring at her. Alex bent her head down to the ground, knowing she couldn't look him in the face. She knew she needed to find her defiance.

Alex started considering an idea so insane, she thought for a moment she'd gone mad. She knew how to get out of the collar. First he'd have to remove the handcuffs from her wrists. After that, if she got him angry enough… Sometimes when he gave her an obedience lesson he would just hold her wrists down. If she got him that angry, he'd remove the collar and she could attack him and then run.

However, there was a ninety percent chance of that plan failing. Alex knew what would happen if the plan did fail. There would be an obedience lesson and a punishment. But still, Alex considered it. Ten percent. Ten percent was a lot higher probability of something working than anything she had thought of in the past.

The man was speaking, so she forced herself to listen.

"You don't think you deserve this, do you Animal?" he said thoughtfully. She knew in moments like this, he was speaking to himself. "You think you're above all these punishments."

Alex noted the danger in his voice. She may not be doing anything currently to defy him, but he was teetering on the edge of giving her a lesson. She only hoped he removed her handcuffs first. She knew she was completely nuts for considering this, but she needed to try.

"You've been good though," he considered. "Maybe your handcuffs can come off. "

Alex felt her stomach leap and tried not to show the excitement on her face. If he saw she had hope, he'd beat it out of her.

He reached a hand out to her cheek. Alex tried not to shudder as his thumb stroked the side of her face.

"You do realise that you deserve this, Animal? Being that horrible person you were before I intervened is what made you need it. You understand, right? Answer."

Alex merely nodded her head.

"Silence is a good quality in an animal," the man said proudly, reaching for a key. He unlocked her handcuffs, putting them in his back pocket.

Alex was amazed and excited at the same time. She was going to be able to fight soon. However, she couldn't do anything that sent him over the edge. Even though an obedience lesson was her ticket to freedom, she had lived in such fear of them that she could not induce one on purpose. She knew though, with his mood that one was close, no matter what she did. He'd find something that she did wrong soon enough. All she had to do was wait. She'd get one soon enough.

"Animal!" he barked suddenly. Alex jumped. She realised she hadn't been listening to anything he had said. "Animals listen to their masters," the man said dangerously.

She couldn't apologise. That would be speaking without permission. So she just looked at the ground.

He slapped her across the face. "Who do you listen to, Animal? Answer me!"

"You," she whispered.

"Do you ignore me?"

She shook her head no.

"Why did you ignore me?" he questioned her.

Alex said nothing.

"Answer Animal! Answer!"

"I...was happy," she said. "I was happy that I pleased you." Alex nearly vomited as the words came out of her mouth. Pleasing him was the last thing on her mind.

However, the man stopped a moment and stared at her. Alex risked a glance at his face to see if his eyes gave away any clues. She caught a glimpse of his eyes, the blue softened for a moment before they turned hard and cold.

He slapped her across the face, hard. "What did I tell you about looking at me Animal?" he yelled. He pushed her on the floor and sat on her stomach, reaching into his pocket for the keys to her collar.

Alex tried to stop the despair from building up inside her. This was her chance to escape. As soon as the collar came off, she could run. He was extremely angry now. She knew that he would be too angry to remember the handcuffs. Alex felt the weight lift off her neck suddenly as he bared it from the iron collar that was her constant companion. She heard it clunk as it was thrown across the room.

The man moved off her stomach and seized her chance while she still had it. Alex picked up her foot and kicked him in the spot that would hurt the most.

The man fell to the floor, hissing, doubled over in pain. Alex wasted no time. She sprang to her feet and ran out the door of her prison, of the flat.

As she ran down the flights of stairs she realised how weak she felt. She only got fed once every couple days. She only got water if she was fed. However, she was determined that she had to get out. She ignored the faint feeling and continued down the last flight of stairs until she was on the main level.

It was night outside. Alex had no idea of how late it was, but she knew if she hid in CID for the night, the man couldn't get her. She ran for the doors as she heard the man thumping down the stairs.

He was on the main level before she had even made it halfway to the door. Alex continued to run, trying to get out before he caught her. She was so close to the door! Alex reached out a hand for the door.

With a roar of rage the man grabbed her and pulled her away from the door. Alex continued to fight him throwing her weight around, trying to break free. She knew that she had lost however. He was too strong.

She felt one of his arms disappear from her waist and started fighting harder. She felt something poke her leg and realised what happened. He was calming her down. If she wouldn't do it herself, he'd drug her so he could get her back upstairs.

Alex felt her fight beginning to slow as the drug took effect. Her arms and legs grew too heavy and she stopped kicking at him. She knew she was growing heavier in his arms. She felt him adjust her so he was carrying her instead of dragging her. As her head lolled and darkness descended, Alex knew that the punishment she would experience when she came round again would be one of the worst ever.