A new year a new Traps... thanks be to Jess who's muse helped my muse to reappear... She wrote this chapter and I'll continue on with sequential chapters... we'll see how this is recieved.

Traps 3: The Beginning of Dysfunction

Chapter One

Two hours had passed since Jasper had received a message on her phone from Todd asking her to come over to the Brotherhood house after school. The message worried her more after taking notice that Allana didn't show up at school and that Scott and Peitro hadn't been seen since before second period. At lunch she persuaded Tobias to let her use his car and to get a ride home from whoever at the manor was picking them up that day. Despite his efforts she wouldn't give him a reason why. She hated keeping things from him but she didn't think he would understand if he knew the message was from her ex-boyfriend. Ten minutes after school let out she was pulling into the driveway of the rundown house that the brotherhood lived in. Todd opened the door before Jasper reached the top step of the porch.

"Where is she?" Jasper asked looking past Todd, into the house. Allana told Jasper where she was going when she left the night before. Jasper almost went with her, angry that the Professor couldn't just read Allana's mind and know that it wasn't her that said those things to Rogue. Allana convinced her to stay promising to see her the next day.

"They went to the Bat Cave, I think." Todd answered nervously, letting Jasper into the house.

"They? What do you mean, 'they'?" Jasper asked looking around as Todd closed the door.

"Yo… man… see… this is what happened. I mean…see… Allana didn't go to school today so Peitro made me stay with her. I know…she hates me. But I guess no one else wanted to do it. So, then Allana left despite my efforts to make her stay…she would have killed me if I got in her way. That was this morning. Half an hour later Peitro and Scott show up looking for her…yeah Scott. I thought it was weird, too. Anyways, Peitro asked a bunch of questions about when she left and if left with anything and stuff like that. But... yeah it thought it was weird that Scott was skipping school to look for Allana so I thought it was serious and I called you." Todd let out an exhausted sigh after spitting out an explanation Jasper almost found hard to comprehend. She then smiled at the dirty little boy.

"Thanks." Jasper responded giving him a hug. Just then the door flew open, revealing Lance standing in the doorway with a confused look on his face.

"You guys aren't back together are you?" Lance asked. I shook my head as Todd pulled away and disappeared to his room mumbling something about it being a weird day. Lance only shrugged as he plopped down on the couch and turned on the T.V. Dante followed behind him but Jasper grabbed his arm and pulled him back outside pushing past Fred and Tabitha.

"We gotta go." She said as she got into the car and unlocked his side. Dante barely closed the door before Jasper pulled out of the driveway. When she looked over to him she saw what looked like fear in his eyes as he pulled on his seatbelt. She handed him her cell and told him to call the Bat Cave. He obeyed. He held the phone to his ear for a moment before closing the phone and responding with:

"No answer."

"Shit." So many things were going through her head as she raced through traffic. If Allana was at the Bat Cave this time of day it would only mean one thing. Rogue wouldn't cooperate at this point, but what if it could work. Jasper knew her sister too well. Allana would sacrifice herself if she knew she could make this work. If she was at the Bat Cave she was with Cameron. If they couldn't test it on Rogue she would test it on herself. Jasper had to get there before Cameron…

"Call Cameron, he's in my phone book." Again Dante obeyed. He held the phone to his ear, then asked:

"What's going on?" It took Jasper a while to realize that Dante was speaking to her.

"Allana." She answered as though that explained everything. Her mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts. Thoughts about the car accident that made her an orphan at the age of five. She couldn't lose her sister too.

"She stayed at our place last night. She didn't want to go to school today." Dante replied plainly, trying to cover any worries that Jasper might have had about her sister.

"She left your place this morning. Peitro and Scott were looking for her. Two guys who are fighting over the same girl. Scott doesn't even like Allana. Something is going on."

"No Answer." Dante replied closing her phone. "Allana is probably just at the…"

"Bat Cave," Jasper finished his sentence as she made a sharp turn into the parking lot, slamming her foot on the breaks, parking in no general spot. Dante's head almost kissed the glove compartment before flying back against the passenger seat.

"I will never ride with you again." Dante commented. Jasper shook her head and got out of the car.

"You stay here. If there's no sign of me or Allana in 5 minutes then call the Professor. The mansion's number is in my phone book." She ordered before walking away from the car. She heard Dante call out to her but she ignored him. She ran towards the door of the club. Her heart was pounding. She didn't feel like she was going fast enough. As she turned the knob on the door she said a silent prayer. Allana, please be alright. She opened the door and walked inside. With the windows covered and the lights out the place was very dark. The place seemed empty but she could sense someone inside. The person's scent was faint but familiar. It wasn't Allana. She wasn't here at all. Neither was Cameron, Peitro, or Scott. They were here before but they weren't now.

She started to leave but she sensed more than one person there. She walked further into the room, trying not to bump into the tables. She could hear sounds in the back. Hushed whispers. She could barely catch their scent- they were too far away. She could only tell that there were two of them. One scent seemed strangely familiar almost like…

Suddenly, another scent came at her. The first one. It was stronger now. Closer. He was in the same room as her now. His scent was so familiar. She couldn't place it but she knew this person. She knew she feared him. He was coming closer. He knew she was there. She had to get out of there but she couldn't move. She was scared. She couldn't move and he was coming closer. Run! She ordered herself. Run. Her feet started moving and she headed towards the light from outside that outlined the door.

Just make it to the door and you'll be home free, she thought to herself. She tried to focus, to clear her head and maneuver herself in the dark. But her mind was clouded with who this person was and why his presence made her want to crawl into a corner and cry.

"Ashley." His voice called in a low, taunting tone. Part of her wanted to stop dead in her tracks at the familiarity of the voice that haunted her nightmares as a child and the name she hadn't heard in just as long, the other part of her said to keep running. The mental tug-of-war resulted in her stumbling over her feet and the side of her face hitting a table.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" He continued. Jasper looked up realizing she landed right in front of the door. She scrambled to her feet and felt the door for the knob. Once she found it she flung the door open but before she could take a step she felt a hand wrap around her neck as she was pulled backwards. She tried to call out for Dante before the door slammed behind her. He lifted her into the air and tightened his grip on her neck. All she could see was his fierce glowing eyes as she struggled to breathe.

"Hello Ashley."

Dante repeated the pattern of looking from the Bat Cave door where Jasper disappeared to the time on Jasper's phone that she had left with him. You're worried aren't you? A voice popped into his head. He tried to ignore it, focusing on the time on Jasper's phone. You are so pathetic. You saw how panicked Jasper was. Allana could be in some kind of danger and here you are sitting in a car checking the time. You have no chance what so ever with…

"Shut up." He said as he looked up to see Jasper, halfway out the door with a look of fear in her eyes and panic on her face, before she was pulled back into the building and the door closed. He would have missed it being so distracted with the voice in his head. Going down the list of names on Jasper's phone he selected one and called it. When someone answered on the other end he responded with three separated words:

"Tobias…Dante…Bat Cave." He then hung up and got out of the car. What are you gonna do? The voice questioned in his head as he walked towards the club. You gonna save the damsel in distress? You gonna kick open the door, say something witty, and save the day? Dante tried to shake the voice as he reached the door. How are you gonna do it? You don't even know what's in there and worst of all, you don't know how to fight. Trying to ignore the voice he turned the door knob and opened the door. He looked into the darkness for a second before reaching in and flipping on the light. He looked around the room before his eyes landed on Jasper lying half-conscious on the floor against the far wall. She had blood coming from her for head and lip and bruises on her arms and face. He could feel anger filling every crevice of his being as his eyes went from Jasper to a tall beastly looking man standing in the center of the room. Sabertooth. The voice in his head sneered. Sabertooth turned to Dante with a smug grin.

"You gonna just stand there or are you gonna join me?" he asked. While you were in the car doing nothing Jasper was getting her ass kicked. Now the same is going to happen to you. You can't take him on your own. You know what you gotta do. Dante looked over to Jasper who had closed her eyes and slipped fully into unconsciousness. She shouldn't have to see this anyways. The voice confirmed as Dante turned his glare back to Sabertooth.

"If you ain't gonna join me then you're gonna have to fight me." Sabertooth responded to Dante's glare. You know what you gotta do. A rare smile appeared on Dante's face as he took his hair out of its usual ponytail.

"Gladly." a voice came from Dante's mouth that wasn't his own. "I've been waiting for this all night."