The blows kept falling, rhythmic, snapping William's head back and forth, back and forth. All silent to Susan.
William's feet slid on the floor with every punch, and he tried to get away from the men holding him, but they didn't let go until he couldn't hold himself up anymore. He fell to all fours, spitting blood. He crawled toward Susan, but didn't get far. An orderly kicked him in the gut, and he fell on his side, his hair covering his eyes. Then one kicked him in the kidney, and William's back arched as he screamed. She saw him gasping for breath as he rolled onto his back.

An orderly grabbed the front of William's shirt and hauled him to his feet, his back to Susan. Another savage blow to the face, and this time blood splattered across the clear dividing wall. William staggered back into the wall, sliding slowly down into a sitting position. His back was right there, so close, yet unreachable.

They started kicking at his legs, and when he started kicking back they picked him up and literally threw him across the room. He slammed into the opposite wall and fell heavily to the ground. He twitched and his arms and legs moved sluggishly, but his eyes were rolling in his head. Blood streamed from his mouth and nose, from cuts on his face. They picked him up again, holding him between them as his head lolled. One grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head up, holding him like that for a few moments, waiting until his eyes stopped rolling. He blinked rapidly, eyes widening with pain and fear as his senses returned. He looked for Susan and found her, his adam's apple bobbing as he tried to swallow. He actually started to smile at her, lips and teeth bloody, but then they started the beating again.

   Susan couldn't look away. She yelled and pounded her fists against the barrier, trying to get their attention, to get them to stop if only for a moment. But they kept beating him. She ran to the strange concave circles in the wall, pulling and pushing at them in vain. Moving back to the opposite wall, she ran to slam her body against the barrier, and then again, "Will! she shouted, slamming a shoulder against the wall. When his blood splattered across the clear divider, a tortured wail ripped from her sore throat. She sank to her knees behind him, hands pressed desperately to the wall.

   Her own screams were the only thing she could hear. When he looked at her, on her knees and leaning against the divide with trembling arms, and smiled.. Susan could only mouth I love you before they broke eye contact.

   As she watched, it was if she were being beaten too. Every blow sent a painful clenching through her stomach. Utterly helpless. Caged. As tears started to roll down her cheeks, words started to pour out of her as well, "I know you're listening! I know you're watching!" she pounded a fist against the wall, "Please! What do you want? I'll give it to you! Just, please! Stop hurting him! Please!" she begged, near to sobbing and feeling on the verge of hysteria. "I'll give you anything you want! Please! ..Please!" she trembled on her knees, feeling as though she were going to vomit, unable to take her eyes from William.

No one answered her pleas. The beating continued. They rained blow after blow after blow, and slowly the floor, walls, and white clothing of both William and the bouncers were dotted and slashed with red.

William had been beaten before, but not like this. This went on and on. Methodical. Precise. The pain was breathtaking, crushing. Every time he got close to passing out, they would stop and wait. Sometimes shake and slap and pinch him until he was awake again. He was never quite able to lose consciousness completely. One of his eyes was swelling shut. The taste of blood in his mouth was overpowering. And every time he caught a glimpse of Susan, enduring suffering of a different kind, alone, he felt like he was going to explode with anger. A few times it gave him strength enough to successfully fight back, block a blow, sometimes manage a hit of his own. He felt particularly proud of one good, strong punch he landed on one of their jaws. He knew he would pay for it in pain, but he didn't care.

Once, he would have just taken it. He would have snarked at them if his mouth was free, but then surrender to whatever test they were running on him, hoping that this time, it would kill him. He hadn't fought with his body, but with his mind. His decisions. When they had offered him a choice of leniency or luxury versus pain, he'd chosen pain. Every time.

But now he wasn't alone. Things were very different-- no longer run of the mill experiments and torture. He knew this wouldn't result in his death. He could tell they were being careful. Staying away from his spine. Not breaking any bones. He had no intention of trying to make them kill him this time, either. But just taking it... while Susan was watching? He couldn't. She was right there. She gave him strength. She had to see him fight back.

She had changed him. She was the pulse of life in his veins, the only reason he had to fight. So he did. He wished he could tell her it was all right, to be strong. He was with her, even if they were apart.

Each time the orderlies had to stop and wait and try to keep William from losing consciousness, it took longer and longer for him to come back. At the fifth such break, when after all the shaking and slapping had failed to open William's fluttering eyes, the opaque circles popped open. Only about an inch, but suddenly sound from both sides of the divide could be heard.

   Susan's stomach felt like a nauseous, shriveled rock. She had one hand supporting her as she leaned against the divide, the other clutching her abdomen. Her mouth was so dry, and her throat was so torn from screaming that she had to take a moment to try and swallow to ease the pain. She glanced up at the now open circles, hearing the panting from the slightly winded orderlies.

   "Will." she rasped, relieved that it seemed to be over. Dragging herself to her feet, Susan gazed down at the bloodied man on the floor. She slowly raised her gaze to the first orderly that had written her the message, her eyes blazing, "You sick son of a bitch!" she shouted hoarsely, slamming a bruised palm against the clear wall, "All of you! Bastards!"

At the sound of her voice, William's eyes opened, rolled a bit, then focused. He turned his head to look at her, smiled through split lips. His left eye was red and swollen to a slit, and a dozen small cuts dotted his cheeks and nose. "Susan," he started, voice hoarse. "It's all right--" He was cut off as the orderlies snatched him to his feet, and cranked their fists back for more punishment.

On Susan's side, a cruelly amused voice hissed over hidden speakers. "Thanks for the assist."

   Susan's knees gave out and she crumbled to the floor, a hand still pressed against the clear wall, "No." she croaked, fresh tears stung her eyes but didn't fall. What could she do? What did they want? Her mind felt so muddled, her head was pounding. "Please. I'll do anything." She felt so lightheaded, and so... guilty. It was crushing her. Why couldn't she doing anything to help him? "I'm so sorry, Will.." she murmured, the scenes before her blurring and spinning. She slipped lower, and found herself laying on her side by the divide, her hand against it.

This part of the beating seemed to be the last hurrah, the punches falling fast, almost frantic. And Susan could hear all of it now. William was mostly silent. One or more of the orderlies breathed harshly through their teeth; perhaps smiling as they worked. The worst was the hollow sound of the blows landing, the splattering of blood, William gasping or grunting depending on where he was hit. He cried out a few times, mostly to body shots.

Occasionally, William got out a word or two. "Susan," he would gasp. "Susan." Trying to tell her something. "I'm here," he said once, pressed against the wall by an arm across his throat. "It's okay," he groaned from his hands and knees.

Less than a minute later, something changed. Another blow across the face sent William careening into the clear divide, right by where Susan lay. He fell and didn't stir. The orderlies stepped over and jostled him, slapped his face and pinched his arms, thumping at his chest with flat palms. His eyes never fluttered. Finally one peeled open the least swollen eye and shone a light into it. "He's out." he grunted, out of breath. "Unconscious."

They all straightened up and started to move toward the door, leaving William lying with one shoulder pressed up against the clear wall. One stepped to the side and picked up the pieces of cast and medical brace on the ground, tucking them and his notebook into pockets.

   Susan looked up at the orderly with hatred burning in her glassy eyes, "I'm going to break more than your wrist, when I see you again." she rasped quietly. She stretched herself along the length of William from where she lay on the ground, fixing her eyes on him and clearly dismissing anything else the orderly might say. She raised her hand and moved her fingers lightly over the clear wall, as if she were stroking William's face, soothing the swelling bruises.

   "Rest now, Will." she murmured, making sure his chest was moving up and down, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I don't know what to do anymore." she whispered, her bottom lip trembling. She spoke to him then, knowing he probably couldn't hear her, "I love you, Will. I want more than anything to be on that side of the wall with you. That's why they made this room I imagine. To keep us apart like this." she grimaced and placed a palm on her throbbing temple, "Sadists."

   She was so tired, but how could she rest? To not be awake when William regained consciousness? She rubbed her eyes, "I told them I would give them anything to make them stop. I don't know if there is anything I can give, or if they just want to watch us scream." she rested her head on her arm, "I saw you fight back. I want you to know that.. You're changing." she smiled, but it faded a soon as it arrived, "So am I.." she sighed.

The orderlies left silently, all of them with bloody knuckles.

William was still, breathing shallowly, for hours. The blood streaked everywhere darkened as it dried. At the angle he was laying, his face was turned away from her. She could see part of his profile, misshapen and red. Almost every inch of skin she could see was bruised and cut.

Finally, his breathing changed, and his limbs twitched. She heard him gasp in pain as he returned to consciousness.

   Susan jerked out of the unintentional doze she had fallen into. Her hunger and thirst vanished as concern for William took her complete attention. "Will?" she croaked, her voice was gone. Swallowing, she tried again and managed to make a more solid sound, "Will." She propped herself up on an elbow and pressed against the glass, "Be careful." she cautioned, worried that moving his swollen and bruised body would be too much for him, and he would lose consciousness again.

He lifted his head, then changed his mind and put it back. "Ouch. Ow, ow ow." The fingers on the hand closest to her twitched and jittered, his legs moving fitfully. "Let me just..." he trailed off as he bent his knees, and then slowly and carefully, with much hissing and wincing, William scooted so that his shoulder wasn't jammed up against the wall and he was lying completely on his back. There were tears flowing freely from his eyes; his face was a swollen mess, especially the left side, blood everywhere. He opened his right eye and looked at her, clearly trying to smile. "Sorry you had to see that," he rasped, the pain in his voice tightly controlled.

   "You're sorry?" Susan said incredulously, propping herself up on a hand so that she could look down and see him better. She shook her head and brushed her hair from her eyes, "You? William, you were just.. beaten. Harshly, cruelly! No matter what I said they wouldn't stop. I'm the one who is sorry." she finished quietly. She closed her eyes for a moment, looking at his battered body was difficult, "I broke that guys wrist a while back, he wrote a note that said that since I did that, he was going to break you." she put a palm to her forehead, her headache was returning.

   "Every time you were hit, or you fell.. I'm so sorry. You were fighting back, and I couldn't help you." she leaned her forehead against the wall and looked down at him in misery, "I can't even hold you now."

"But you're here," he countered, gazing steadily at her. "I can see you, hear your voice. Much better than being alone. And this?" he raised a hand slightly, fluttering it at himself. "This isn't the first beating I've taken, and it's not the worst. No bones broken. Sure, previously they didn't go for... for so long, but... you know. They are always thinking of new ways to hurt us. We knew something like this would happen. We knew we'd have to be strong."

   Smiling slightly, she sighed and nodded, "Yeah. I.. know. Don't let me forget." she said. Sitting up, she crossed her legs and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, "What can I do for you? Is there anything that will help you feel better?"

He tried to take a deep breath, but winced and stopped. He sighed, started to slowly raise a hand to his face. "You being near is enough. It seems like they're going to leave me like this. Usually after something like this I'm whisked off for treatment and bandaids. So... yeah, you being here helps. Have they delivered food yet?"

   Shaking her head, Susan tried not to lick her dry lips, "No. There is no way that you are going to get better without food and water." she didn't dare voice aloud that she thought it might be another tactic to weaken them, in case she inadvertently gave them the idea. She didn't want to play into their hands again, not after earning another round of beatings for William, "Maybe if I just ask nicely?" she said jokingly. Turning to address the room with a politely raised voice she said, "May we have some food and water, please?" before cocking her head to the side and waiting.

The waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. William's raspy laughter broke the silence. His hand plucked at some strands of his hair that were stuck to his forehead with blood; he winced as he pulled them free, then scratched delicately at the area. "Man... I am messed up," he groaned as he carefully lowered his hand. "I do wish you were in here with me. Some kisses would be real nice right about now."

   Susan smiled at him, as big a smile as she could muster. It was good to hear a laugh come out of him, "I have to agree." she took a moment, and marveled at him. Beaten to a bloody pulp, and he was laughing and wanting kisses. She gave her head a slow shake, it aggravated her headache, "Though, it does make you feel special. I bet they built this whole room, just for us. Lots of time, energy, money. They're such idiots." she didn't know why she said that, but it did feel good to do so.

"Yeah." William's eye closed and he sighed. His eyebrows twitched and he shifted his body slightly. He laughed a little again. Then he swore. "Sorry. Just... ow." His hand raised like he was going to pluck at his face again, but then he seemed to force it back down. "Riding this out is gonna suck. Promise..." He trailed off, then shook his head slightly. "Nevermind."

   Susan's eyebrows puckered and she leaned forward to place her hands on the divide, "Promise what?" she blew a breath out of the corner of her mouth to get her hair out of her eyes, "Tell me, Will." she didn't want to sound as desperate as she felt to know what he wanted her to promise. She would do anything to help him, to feel like she was needed, and wanted.

"A promise you can't keep," he said. "I don't want to make you do that. I just wanted you to stay with me. And I know you will as much as you can, but they... they might take you away. So no, don't promise." His closed eye tightened and he grimaced, breathed in sharply as he dealt with a wave of pain. "Just... just love me. Even if you're apart from me."

   A warm feeling, like a heavy blanket, wrapped snugly around her insides. She felt more relaxed than she had in hours. She smiled at him and nodded, "Always." her headache was still there, but didn't feel as pronounced as before. She kissed the tips of her fingers and touched them to the clear wall, "You're stronger than I am. I know you're going to be fine, and I will be strong for you." she tilted her head to the side, lowering her voice to say, "Maybe we should try and sleep. It'll get us through some hunger, and help your body heal."

William nodded, cracked open his eye to look at her again. "Sleep, yeah. Good idea. And I'm... not strong. I'm just... acclimated. Used to it."

   Susan shifted to lay down by the wall, her head resting on her crooked elbow, "You are strong." she insisted, already fighting to keep her eyes open, "I've been watching you, so I know you are, no use trying to convince me otherwise." her eyes closed heavily. After talking with him, hearing his voice, seeing him move a little, eased some of the tension knotting her stomach. She was asleep by the end of her next breath, her body sagging against the ground in exhaustion.

Knowing she was asleep, William tried to relax. But his body... everything hurt. He wasn't comfortable, and it wasn't possible to get comfortable. His throat was dry and his face felt like it was actively being stung by bees. He tried to shift again, but the bruises everywhere complained at every twitch. The ground felt lumpy, but he knew it was just him.

Eventually his exhaustion overwhelmed his pain, and William fell asleep.