Drifting Snowflakes

The Last Place They'd Look

Niall whimpered in pain. The movement was distressing him badly. He just wanted the pain to stop.

"Shh, little one. Daddy will make it better." Liam injected something into the iV bag and almost instantly Niall's body relaxed. He felt so sleepy. Sleepy, but safe, as he listened to the familiar voice. A paci was put into his mouth and he automatically began to suck on it. His stuffed Giraffe was tucked into his free arm and he snuggled his face into the soft fur. Some part of his brain was telling him something was badly wrong but he couldn't focus. He drifted off to sleep.

Liam gently picked up the small Irishman and cuddled him into his chest, carefully supporting his injured leg. He gazed down at his 'son' and then up at his husband. "Zayn, I can't let him go. I can't. We've got to get away from here."

"We will, babe. They won't find us and we'll be safe. Come on, get the baby settled. We've got a long journey ahead of us." Zayn leaned forward and kissed Liam then bent his head to kiss Niall's forehead. "Let's do what Louis said and get going." Liam reluctantly put Niall back in his temporary bed and settled back down to continue their journey though he had no idea what destination Louis had in mind.

"Oh G*d, I thought I'd never see you again" Mark hugged his wife tightly. She buried her face into his neck, warm tears dripping onto his skin. Suddenly her stomach lurched and she pushed away from him to bend over the nearest trashcan as the contents of her stomach erupted. Mark watched in horror. "Patience, what's wrong, did they hurt you?" He checked her over anxiously.<

"Nothing a few more months won't cure. We're having a baby." She smiled at him brightly before another wave of sickness had her bending over the trashcan a second time.,"Mark. A real baby!"

The Investigative team was bent over a large map marked with various crosses. A huge whiteboard contained random place names, names, and comments. It seemed hopeless. It was as if Niall and his kidnappers had vanished into space. None of the leads made sense. They were going nowhere. Joe pounded his desk in frustration making everyone in the room jump at the loud noise. They needed a lead, he thought, no matter how small. Just something that could break the deadlock they were in. The longer Niall was missing, the less their chances of finding him....or Harry. He rubbed a tired hand over his face then crossed the room to rejoin his colleagues. He'd call Patience in again. Maybe she knew something that she didn't consider relevant enough to tell them that might be the key to the entire problem.

"I just can't think! I'm trying...I really am!" Patience looked up at the two Detectives sitting opposite her. "I know that all Community members had places they could bolt to in an emergency. Other communities for a start. I know there is one in Montana. But, I just don't know. People tended to keep quiet about their boltholes, you know. People could disappear then return and we'd no idea where they had been. And the Malik-Paynes are very, very wealthy. They could be just about anywhere. I'm sorry" Patience shook her head in defeat. She wanted to help. She desperately wanted Niall and Harry back safely but she just couldn't focus. She rubbed a hand over her belly, trying to calm the nausea she felt. 

"Thank you. I know we're asking a lot of you. Just, if you, or Mark, do remember anything, no matter how small or unimportant you think it is, just let us know." Joe stood up and watched as Mark escorted his wife from the room. He'd hoped that Patience had heard or seen something that would lead them in the right direction but so far all they drew was blanks.

The van drove down dark, dust track roads at a steady speed, doing nothing that would draw attention to themselves. Finally, they pulled into a deserted town. All the houses looked neglected and the yards were unkempt, Louis turned and grinned at the others over his shoulder.

"Last place I think they'de look..at least for the time being. They'll think they have gone through this place with a fine tooth- comb. And they didn't find everything that is hidden. This town still keeps its secrets!" He turned back and continued to drive, finally pulling up before a building that only Simon had ever been in. "This is it" Louis announced. "Let's get you inside then I'll back this van van-ish" He grinned at his terrible joke.

"You made it...through here" Simon Cowell appeared in the doorway and waved them in. He had shaved off his "Doctor Nomis" beard and, once again, looked recognizable as the leader of the illegal community. They followed him quickly, Liam carrying a sleeping Nial whilst the other carried in their various items from the van. Simon approached a seemingly blank wall where he pressed a hidden button. The wall immediately slid aside to reveal a steep metal staircase leading downward. He beckoned and they all followed. "Welcome to your new home."

Patience was again talking to Joe and his team. in the hopes that she would remember some small detail that would help. She sipped her tea and spoke reflectively."There was an island, but I don't remember where. I know I told you that before, and two communities that I know about, one in Montana, but I never heard where the other one was. There may have been other communities.. I'm sorry. I know I am missing something."

"You're doing well, Patience. We know it's hard. Thank you for trying. Maybe something else will come to you. Try and relax. Don't force it." Joe smiled at the young woman who suddenly frowned at him."Yes?" he asked hopefully.

"The lockdown rooms! I know you found some of the hidden 'lockdown rooms' the houses had, and the ones at the hospital. Well, this may not be true, but I'm sure  that I've heard talk of another hidden place in the community, Like some kind of community bunker." Patience stopped speaking a moment, still frowning, then shook her head ."Probably just a rumor though." She stood up to leave. " I'm sorry, that's not helpful. I can't even remember where and when I heard it. I probably dreamed about it."

Joe tapped his pen against the desk, staring into space as he thought. They had pulled that community apart. Could they possibly have missed things? He stood suddenly, his chair falling over as he pushed away from his desk. They were going to look again, they'd pull that place apart.

Niall woke from this drug-fuelled sleep and slowly became aware of the surroundings He lay there quietly, allowing his head to clear. He slowly became aware of soft whimperings coming from nearby so he turned his head. He was in a crib and able to see through the bars to another crib. He pushed himself up on his good arm to get a better look but all he could see was a mop of curly hair. Familiar hair! 

"Harry?" he whisper yelled. The whimpering abruptly stopped. Then the door to the room opened.