One of those rescue threads (Daniel, Deirdre, Thomas, Zoe? and open if you want more peeps)

[deirdre-rose.insanejournal.com]

Warning: Effects of sexual and physical abuse

They had one day left to fine Danny and Deirdre was beginning to get more than a little frantic. It had been her responsibility to watch over Danny in the first place, and a tragedy involving her brother had drawn her attention away. If that driver ended up causing two casualties, Deirdre was going to hate herself for a very long time. Not that Dylan was dead yet, but Deirdre was fairly pessimistic about his prognosis.

Thomas had taken to driving, and he wasn't keen on discussing the fact that Spectre had gone with Flynn instead of him. Deirdre was aware, distantly, that something had happened in Glasgow, but she didn't really have time to worry about the state of her friends' marriage. She was just happy enough to have him with her; and happier still that at the last moment, Zoe had decided to join them. Deirdre understood. They had done day and Zoe was getting as frantic as Deirdre was.

"The GPS says turn here," she informed Thomas, a moment before the automated voice chimed in and told him the very same thing. "Heh. Sorry."

"It's fine," Thomas said, flicking on his indicator and making the turn. "Where the hell are we again?"

"Maesteg, Wales," Deirdre replied. "And we are getting take away on our way out of town if we don't find shite, okay? I'm starving and I think Rhosa-fucking-weird-Welsh-word is about two hours away. We won't stop long, Zoe, I promise. Just a few moments? Mickey D's, I don't care. I'll even buy you a kiddie cone if you're a good boy, Thomas."

"Oh gee, thank you?" he said, his voice devoid of joy. "I could go for a burger though, and I can drive one-handed."

"Don't want to know how you figured that out, big guy! OOh, turn!" Once again, the GPS chimed in and informed them to turn right moments later, and Thomas complied. "Smith Street is like...the second one along this street."

They made the turn and drove along, counting the numbers up from 1. When they approached the 400 block, Deirdre started leaning out the window like a dog, and as 420 loomed into view, there were the numbers, crimson and plain as day.

"Holy shite," Deirdre hissed. "Zoe, is this the house? I don't feel an incubus in there, but I feel someone else. It's...whoever it is, they feel pretty weak."

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[lightningseed.insanejournal.com]

Throughout the journey Zoe had wanted to keep in near constant contact with Cai and Rachel. She sat in the back of the car, texting. At first, while they were still in London, they were texts about the plan, and reassurances that Cai and Rachel were okay to stay at home – Zoe was fine. Zoe didn’t need them. Zoe had Deirdre and Thomas and was safe enough. Except that was a lie – Zoe totally wished they were both here.

She was the one who had told them to stay at home, though. For Rachel’s sake mostly – Zoe didn’t want to put Rachel into a rescue scenario where anything could happen. She didn’t want Rachel to witness what Danny was suffering through firsthand. Zoe wanted to protect her from that. Cai had already seen it, but Zoe wanted to protect him from worse too. She didn’t like to imagine what might happen if Cai touched Greg. Did not want to think about the kinds of things he’d see.

Plus someone needed to stay at home and look after Rachel.

So Zoe was in the back seat, alone. One mobile out, her lifeline to the others. A second mobile in her boot, the purple, steelcapped boots with the spikes that Rachel had bought her and you know what? Zoe didn’t even care if the accusations were true and she had stolen the money to buy them. That was so far into the realms of not important anymore. What was important was this; Rachel’s life. Danny’s life. Cai’s. That they all stayed alive. Zoe had had them all less than a year and already the solid threat of death hung over them. Danny especially (except it was beyond a threat, now, it was a certainty. If they couldn’t find him death was a certainty) but if Zoe couldn’t save Danny, then she was pretty sure Rachel would be next.

And what would happen to Cai if Zoe couldn’t save Danny? What would happen if his grandfather died too? Family was so vital to Cai, she didn’t know who he would be if he lost them both. He was losing enough of himself just under the threat of losing his family.

And if Zoe lost Danny and Rachel and Cai, who would she be?

Zoe had never admitted to anyone that she’d hated the person she’d become after she’d lost the Sisterhood, but she hadn’t had any choice but to change. She’d hated the way she treated people, she hated her meanness and her cynicism, but she hadn’t been strong enough to handle it any other way. Cruelty was weak, she knew that. Her cruelty toward Liz especially had been a sign of her great weakness and failure as a person. She cringed at the memories of outbursts, mean words, slammed doors, anger. She hated herself for not being strong enough to be kind.

She still wasn’t sure she was strong enough for kindness to be an instinct, but over the last few months she’d been trying. Rachel and Danny, they demanded kindness from her, they needed it. And Cai didn’t need it because he’d had kindness all his life; instead, he inspired it in her, though that scared her in a different way.

But she still feared what she might turn into if she lost them. Was she stronger now than she was after the Sisterhood? Or would it be worse, losing all her friends a second time? Would one of them stay and haunted her with Juliet? Would she go through life collecting dead bodies and ghosts?

As that came up on Smith Street Zoe sent one last text to the pair of them and put her phone on silent. Even before she saw the house, she knew.

She knew with a certainty that this was the house. Or was it just hope? But it didn't feel like hope. It felt like knowledge. This was the street. "It's the house," Zoe confirmed out loud, when Deirdre asked. She'd already unbuckled her seatbelt, was poised to burst out of the car as soon as Thomas stopped.

Of course whoever was in there was going to be weak. Zoe wanted to snap at Deirdre for saying something so obvious and stupid, but, she reminded herself, cruelty was weakness, and cruelty directed at Deirdre would be no help whatsoever.