Beyond the Pain
by Camilla Sandman

Summary: 8 bodies, 4 couples, one killer. And two detectives in danger of being victimes 9 and 10.

Disclaimer: *pretends to own them* They are all mine I tell you!! MINE!! Umm.. yeah, in a dreamworld. No, alas, they are not mine, will never be mine, and probably won�t be yours either.

Author�s Note: I just loved this series. So I thought it deserved at least one fanfic. God knows I write enough fanfic.. so why not a Touching Evil one?
For those unfamiliar with this series, I�ll give a brief explanation.
It�s a British series, centring on a crime unit called the OSC. They specialise in special crime.. serial killers etc. The main characters are Dave Creegan and Susan Taylor. A third guy, Mark Rivers, was also a main character.. until he was killed in series 3. (Quite the shocker). Since this takes place after this, he is naturally not in it.. not in the normal sense anyway. Creegan is divorced with two kids, but had the family sent away after a nutter tried to kill them (killed his girlfriend instead). Not even he can find them, after his own wishes. And that sets the stage..

*********

Pain. It was everywhere at once, eating away at him. He staggered, but something told him that if he fell, it would only be worse. The pain was hot, hotter than fire.

He wanted to scream, but didn�t have the energy. His mouth was dry.

�Impressive.� The voice was chill, and he somehow knew it, knew it to be evil. He couldn�t remember. All there was, was the pain.

His eyelids were so heavy, he struggled to open them. They didn�t want to obey him, as if more pain would come with eyesight. But his ears worked perfectly, he could hear the sob, hear the scream. His name. It was..

Pain. A new wave hit him, he clenched his fists, bit through his upper lip. He didn�t taste the blood, just felt it in his mouth. His knees finally gave in, and he fell and fell and fell..

His last memory was of pain.

******

Flash.

�He kills his victims slowly, torturing them. He keeps them alive for a long, long time.�

�But why?�

Flash.

�Lisa and Paul Jennings. George Hudson and Jane Gregor. John and Johanna Keilen. John Tally and Andie Jacobsen. What did they have in common?�

Flash.

Pain.

�Daaaaaaaaaave!�

Couples. They were all..

Pain.

*******

Soothing, cool hands against his face. And the pain, the pain was still there, but distant. He tried to feel his legs, but he felt only numbness and he concentrated on the feeling of soft hands stroking his cheek instead. Slowly, he became aware of a voice near his ear, pleading.

�Creegan? Talk to me, come one, wake up. Dave? Dave?�

He wanted to speak to her, take away the pain from her voice, but his tongue didn�t seem to co-operate.

�Hmm..� he managed to get out.

�Dave?�

He knew her, her realised. He knew the voice. Susan Taylor. Struggling harder, he finally managed to open his eyes and looked into her face. She was pale, was his first impulse, the feeling only made stronger by her dark clothes and dark hair. A nasty cut on her forehead, still bleeding a bit, was his second observation. He felt an urge to reach out and wipe the blood away, but he only managed to move his arm an inch before it seemed to be engulfed in pain. The look on her face told him that he had to look far worse than her though.

�What..� His mouth was so dry it hurt to speak.

�Jonah Montgomery. Do you remember?�

An image formed in his head. A strong, big man hovering over him. Smiling at him, but not a heart-warming smile. More of a grimace that could resemble a smile, but once you looked closer, it sent chills down your spine.

�Yeah,� he muttered. Letting his gaze wander, he saw white walls, a white floor..

�Where..�

�I don�t know. We were knocked out.�

Pain. The pain in the back of his head.

�I remember.� Closing his eyes again, he let his mind drift. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could remember it all, but he didn�t want to go there. Pain was there.

�Creegan..�

Flash

�Creegan? Be careful on this.. The OSC is walking a fine line here, the local police doesn�t want us involved.�

�We�ll tread carefully sir.�

�Just catch the guy..�

Flash.

�Creegan?�

He pushed the memory aside forcefully, focusing on her voice.

�We have to get out of here.�

�He caught us..�

�He will kill us if we don�t get out of here.� There was a desperate ring to her voice, that seemed to cut into him, waking him up from the daze of pain. She was looking at him, so pale, so very pale.. Like the walls around them, deadly white.

�I must say I�m impressed.�

Flash.

�How does the killer know them? Why does he kill them like this?�

Flash.

�They are holding hands. The victims. He goes to great trouble to arrange the bodies, making everything perfect.�

�Why go to all that trouble?�

�Exactly.�

Flash.

Jonah Montgomery was standing in the doorway, looking at them. His face seemed to shine with ecstasy, his eyes watered up.

�He finds it touching,� a voice from inside the wall of pain in his head told him. Rolling away from Susan, he got on all four. The pain hit him again, all at once, but he stubbornly refused to fall.

�You handled more than I would have thought,� the big man continued. His shadow was looming over them, blocking most of the view into the hallway where he came from too. Dave could only see more white walls. �That last shock almost killed you. I have to be more careful next time.. you can�t die yet.�

�Why is that?� Susan asked, getting on her feet unsteadily.

�He haven�t got what he wanted yet,� Dave cut in, �have you Jonah?� Pushing himself up, he stood, although by sheer willpower. The man�s attention shifted, his clear blue eyes meeting Creegan�s.

�You need us to confess our love first, don�t you?� Creegan continued, all the little bits in his head clicking into place. �You saw these couples, standing in your store, and you thought �What do they know about love?� They didn�t know, did they?�

Flash.

The young couple stepped into the shop with silly grins on their faces, beaming.

�We want a ring.�

�An engagement ring.�

�Really? It so happens I just got a new batch..�

Flash.

�You had to tell them, had to show them what love was. But why kill them afterwards?�

�I showed that they couldn�t live without each other. I killed them, so they could be together forever.�

Susan had stepped closer, still unnoticed.

�You did them a favour, did you?�

�Yeah.. I didn�t think that you would see the connection.�

Flash.

�DI Creegan and DI Taylor. We understand Lisa and Paul Jennings were here a week before they were killed.�

�Yes.. they were looking for rings to the renewal of their vows.�

�You own this jewellery store?�

�Yes.. I�m here every day.�

Flash.

�So why are we here?�

�I was just gonna kill you.. but the look on her face when I hit you over the head..�

Just one more step.

�I must admit you took us by surprise there..� Susan took the last step, �but remember what is said about the last laugh.�

Jonah frowned, just as Susan hit him hard on the neck, knocking him to the ground. He growled in surprise and pain, trying to maintain his balance, but loosing horribly. As if steered by some outer force, Dave felt his legs begin carrying him towards the door all by themselves.

They ran. Behind them came curses, and then, a gunshot. Susan staggered against him, and Dave realised she had been hit. He didn�t have time to check how badly, just dragged her along. The end of the hallway was a door. Tearing it open, they almost fell into a basement. A few stairs away, daylight beaconed.

Rain greeted them. Pouring, ice-cold rain, but never had he felt so grateful for anything. The open farmland surrounded them, miles upon miles with corn waving slightly in the wind.

Flash.

His senses began to return to him just as someone opened the car door. He could feel hair tickling his cheek, a slight tilt of his head revealed that it was Susan. She seemed to be breathing, but her eyes stayed firmly shut.

And then he felt wind on his face, and saw corn fields all around him before darkness claimed him again.

Flash.

A painful gasp from Susan tore him away from the memories. She was clinging onto his arm, her fingernails digging into his flesh.

�My phone,� she gasped, �in the car.�

He didn�t know exactly how they got there, he only knew seconds later they stood by the dark grey car, tearing the door open. And there the phone was, lying in the backseat.

His fingers dialled the number by themselves, he couldn�t for the life of him remember what it was.

�This is Creegan. We need back-up now!�

�Where did he go?� Susan asked.

And indeed, when he looked back, there was no sign of anyone pursuing them. Just the endless fields of corn. His feet fell under him, and leaned heavily against the car door, trying to breathe in between the stabs of pain.

Flash.

�What are you doing to him? Dave??!�

Pain rushed through him.

�I�m giving him shocks of electricity.�

Flash.

He lost his grip on the phone, his fingers feeling numb. He had blood on his hands.. but it wasn�t his, he realised. Her head had fallen against his chest, her breathing was painful gasp. And the blood.. the blood was everywhere. She seemed to have been hit in the abdomen, at least the blood seemed to come from there. He tried to stop it, but there was just so much blood..

Flash.

Pain.

Flash.

Pain.

He screamed against the night sky.

*********

Beyond the Pain Part Two

Bright.

It took him a while to register the sensation. His eyes hurt. But the rest of his body felt strangely distant, not really there it would seem. He used several minutes to connect with the muscles in his neck and turn his head.

A monitor came into view, telling him his heart were still beating. So, he was in a hospital. He lay still a while, listening to his own heartbeat and trying to remember.

Being in a hospital suggested that he had been hurt somehow. Had he been shot? No, that was..

He blinked.

A faint echo of pain throbbed through his body once, and all the memories came rushing at once. He saw himself being hit over the head, saw Susan�s shocked expression as she reached for her gun. He saw the darkness, and the pain, felt her hands of his face. He felt the taste of blood in his mouth as they ran outside, and could almost feel the shot hit Susan.

Drawing a sharp breath, he sat up in his bed. There was only him in the room, he felt a surge of panic rush over him. There had been so much blood.. Her blood.

Gritting his teeth, he forced his legs to touch the cold floor. Whatever drugs he was on, they seemed to be wearing off, he could feel his body beginning to ache. Taking an unsteadinly step, he pushed off the bed and stood upright.

The door banged open, and the young nurse who entered immidiatly frowned.

�You�re not supposed to be out of bed!� she protested, rushing to his side.

�I have to see..� he tried to explain, but she didn�t even seem to listen.

�Mr. Creegan, you�re still weak from your injuries,� came a voice from the door, and the doctor emerged. Smiling briskly, the middle aged woman walked up to the bed.

�I was with someone.. Susan Taylor.�

The doctor�s face softened.

�I treated miss Taylor myself. She had lost a lot of blod when she got here. We were able to stop the bleeding fairly fast, but she had already slipped into a coma.�

�Come? But she�ll wake up?�

�We hope so.. but..�

He closed his eyes, seeing once again all that blood. On his hands.

Sleep was troubled.

*******

Susan slept also, and dreamt..

She was young again, hiding from the boy next door. She knew of a bush you could crawl into without being visible from the outside. He�d never find her there. Giggling softly, she crawled deeper into the bush.

Suddenly there was footsteps close by, and she held her breath. Watching feet walk by, then stop, and walk back. Seeming to look straight at her.

The bush was pushed aside, and she looked up, terrefied. Straight at David Creegan.

�You can�t hide forever from me,� he simply said.

**********

Dawn came. The darkness of the night slowly faded to the grey dullness of a rainy day. The sun was presumably hiding somewhere behind the clouds, but might as well not have been.

That morning they found the bodies of the 5th couple. Since it had rained all night, the rivers had gone over its normal bank, washing over the green grass. The bodies were carried hundred of metres from where they had been put down the river, until a elderly man walking his dog had spotted them.

Soon the area was sealed off, and all the gruesome details were recorded.

And the river kept running by, slowly.

*********

Dave woke to a hundred questions and a splitting headache.

His colleagues stopped by one by one, all expressing their sympathy, all promising they�d nail the bastard. They had his name, his face, his car licence. He wouldn�t get away.

But their worried glances told another story.

Simmons stopped by too, telling him about two new victims. They had been dead at least a week. And they fitted the profile.

But finally they all left him alone. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The killer wasn�t done. He�d be back soon enough. All he had to do, was to wait.

But not here. Slipping out of bed quietly, he walked unnoticed to the room across the hall. It was very much like his rooms, filled with machines and comforting noises. At least she was alive. Taking her pale hand in his, he tried to somehow will her to live, to take some of his strength as her own.

�Wake up Susan,� he pleaded, and his voice sounded desperate even to him.

Flash.

�Dave, I have a bad feeling about this.�

�About lunch?�

�The case.�

�Oh, come on.�

Flash.

He should have listened. And so he sat on her bedside, listening to the machines. Waiting.

***********

Jonah was in pain. A cut on his forehead was bleeding badly, the blood didn�t bother him, but the pain did. He wasn�t supposed to feel pain. It didn�t work like that. They felt pain, and he watched.

Flash.

�I don�t love you. I never loved you!!�

Pain stabbed through his heart.

Flash.

Gritting his teeth, he began cleaning the wound while watching his reflection in the mirror. They had found him. But he had been waiting for that, waiting for them to begin chasing Jonah Montgomery. It had been a useful role, one he�d be sorry to let go, but it had outlived its usefulness.

He was Father Thomas Kent now. A man of the cloth. Someone who could give Last Rights. Like all roles, he would play it perfectly.

And the pain.. the pain always ended.

*********

�Good morning father!� the doctor greeted him with as we walked into the hospital. �Busy day?�

�Not as busy as yours, and that is good,� the priest replied calmly, �you save their lives and I save their soul. Speaking of saving souls.. Susan Taylor?�

�Second floor,� the doctor smiled warily, �room 415. We almost lost her.�

�We may not always understand God�s ways, but he is always here,� the priest declared, patting the doctor on the shoulder before walking towards the elevator.

*********

Dave awoke with a start as cold sweat dripped onto his eyelids. For a moment he thought he was back in the basement, screaming in agony, but no sound escaped his lips..

Then he realised he was looking at the white hospital walls, not the walls of the basement. He�d fallen asleep despite his best efforts to stay awake. But his hand was still clasped in Susan�s. If she had woken up, he would have noticed. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed, the sure sign she was still alive, and he watched, hypnotized.

The door cracked open.

He didn�t turn, didn�t move, just waited.

The police guards in the hallway obviously hadn�t done their job.

�Do you need guidance, my child?�

He knew the voice. Jonah.

�You came back.�

�As you knew I would.�

The two men stared at each other, Dave barely concealing his hatred, Jonah with a slight smile.

�I think I have proved to you that you love her. Now you just need to die.�

�No,� Dave said slowly, �you forget. You�re the one to die following your logic. Everything you have done prove to me how much you love this woman who left you.�

�No,� Jonah protested, �I don�t love her!�

�yes, you do!� Dave got up, �you loved her and she left you. But instead of working through that pain, to get beyond it like the rest of us do, you chose to inflict it on others. By taking lives. But I have met your kind before. Your pain will kill you.�

Jonah lunged out, punching him in the face, but Dave didn�t even try to avoid it.

�I gave you pain, so you give me pain. It doesn�t work like that,� Dave continued, despite his nose bleeding, �we heal each other of pain. Otherwise.. the pain would be all there was.�

The man trembled slightly, dropping his gun to the floor. Moments later, policemen rushed in. Dave just watched, coolly.

********

�Mom! It hurts!� Susan cried out, holding onto her knee. She had been running through the forest and stumbled over a rock.

�I�m here, honey,� her mom muttered lovingly, �the pain will go away. I promise. The pain will go away�

And the pain did go away as she felt a cool kiss against her forehead.

********

He kissed her. Quite what possessed him, he wasn�t sure, but as Dave looked at her, he just impulsively bent forward and planted a kiss on her forehead.

As he pulled back, his eyes locked with hers, and a smile took over his face.

She was alive and awake. And at that moment, that was all that mattered.

************
The sun never shone that day
From an early dawn the sky was grey
I never should�ve walked away
I know that now, but I�m here to say

Everybody holds their own
Everybody lives alone
Everybody hogs the phone
It happens all the time

Everybody feels the strain
Everybody holds the pain
Everybody stays the same
It happens all the time

I can�t see the point of turning everything upside down
I can�t see the point of greeting everything with a frown
I can�t see the point of painting everything black or white
I can�t see the point of leaving
Everyone full of doubt

The sun never shone that day
The sun never shone that day
************

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