One more chapter and its done. I'm more happy than sad that it is, because I got back on track and managed to finish it. Having it end is better than never finishing it at all, in my opinion.
When Tori woke up it was to the sound of Cat arguing with someone. She was vaguely aware of being in a moving vehicle because every so often it would hit a bump and jostle her. Her head swam and she tried to focus but she couldn't. Her mouth was taped shut and her hands were tied. She was laying on her side on a hard surface but she was too disoriented to try and move.
"Please!" Cat yelled, for what sounded like the thousandth time to the other passengers, plus driver of the vehicle, because they all groaned.
"Will you shut up?" Beck demanded from the front. A fellow traitor cop pushed Cat but she only pouted.
"But I really, really, really, have to go!" she responded, refusing to stay quiet. Beck sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.
"Just make the stop. We'll have to if we want her to shut up. The plan called for two hostages not one, and if she doesn't shut up I'll kill her," Beck dryly commented like it was normal to do such things. Fear for her friend raced through Tori but in her state she couldn't do anything. The vehicle stopped and the traitor cop in back with them escorted Cat out. The long wait for their return made Tori start to drift back out of consciousness but she became aware again when radio static caught her attention.
"What's taking so long?" Beck questioned.
"She won't leave unless she gets, um, she wants…stickers."
Tori smiled wearily under the duct tape over her mouth. Beck wasn't so amused.
"Then get her the damn stickers and get your ass out here! We have somewhere to be!" Beck commanded.
"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!"
Beck let out an agitated sound and glanced back at Tori before looking out the windshield to see Cat happily skipping over to the car with a booklet of stickers in hand. She got in and the cop followed, shutting the van's back doors. Beck shot Cat's escort a deadly glare he looked away from while the driver just raised a brow.
"Hurry up! We wasted enough time!" Beck yelled, directing his rage at the silent driver who quickly started up the vehicle. Cat giggled and leafed through the sticker book, catching Tori's unfocused gaze with a knowing smile before patting her shoulder reassuringly.
~S~S~S~S~
Jade had been nothing short of panicked the following day. Nothing Andre or Robbie said could dissuade her from what she knew to be the truth. Tori hadn't answered any of her calls or messages. She felt it was enough to tell Trina who tried to get a hold of Tori, also with no luck. Now the older Vega was just as worried as Jade.
"We shouldn't even worry. What if she's just sleeping in? Or maybe she went to work and forgot her phone?" Trina suggested. Jade shot a glare at her.
"Call her up at work then. Ask for her. If she isn't there, warn them of a possible kidnapping," Jade commanded, heading back upstairs to the loft so she could gather what she would need. She was done waiting around. Andre and Robbie followed her with deep concern etched on their features but they remained quiet.
"And tell them what? That I have a feeling my sister was kidnapped? What's my proof?" she shouted back.
"You don't need any! Tell them if they value a life and a respectable member of the team then they'll look into it! Do anything you can!" Jade shot back.
"And what are you gonna do?" Trina asked. Jade stopped at the foot of the stairs.
"I'm going after the bastard that took her," she responded.
"You know who did it? Then tell me!" Trina demanded, running up to Jade who shook her head.
"They won't believe you, which is what he's counting on. Just do what I told you Trina. I'll handle the rest," she refused. Trina opened her mouth a few times to argue but eventually gave up and started calling the police. Jade and her team scaled the stairs to grab their gear. Jade threw it on at that moment, uncaring if Trina saw or not so the guys followed her lead. They headed back down to the van when they were ready. The guys went out the back door before Jade who Trina happened to spot.
"What? No, I saw her yesterday, but-can you just listen to me?" she argued on the phone, but when she caught sight of Jade her eyes widened comically and she pointed an accusing finger at her.
"Holy shit! It's you!" she shouted. Jade smirked, tipped her hat, and ran for the door.
"Huh? No, I didn't see who-no, I mean, yes! I saw who did it. Sly Cooper!" Trina stated. That brought Jade to a skidding halt.
"What!?" she demanded. Trina just waved her away, a gesture that told her to hurry up.
"Yes! Thank you Chief! Please, do all you can to find her!" Trina pleaded before hanging up.
"What was that for?" Jade demanded, gesturing at the phone.
"They didn't believe me! This way they'll go out and look! I had to do something and you weren't being very helpful!" Trina retorted. Jade glared at her and paced back and forth before giving up and pushing open the back door.
"Dammit! If they catch me before I get to your sister you'll have no one to blame but yourself!" she told her before running out the door, leaving Trina frozen with anxiety. Jade jumped in the van and Andre tore out onto the street.
"Guys! I had a message from Penelope I didn't see before!" Robbie exclaimed, tapping away at his phone.
"What does it say?" Jade asked from her position in the back, leaning over the seat.
"She says The Owl has Tori. She heard him talking about taking her to a secret island. Do you think that's the same island where your family vault is?" Robbie questioned.
"It's most likely the same one. I would wonder how he knew where it was this whole time but when you really think about it, The Owl is smarter than the people he surrounds himself with. He must have had it all planned out, waiting for the right moment," Jade suspected.
"I think you're right. No use guessing though. If they got a hold of Tori today then we still have time. We're only a few hours behind at most. Let's just concentrate on getting over there as fast as we can and worry about the rest when we get there," Andre suggested. The other two nodded and silence fell. The journey was long and Jade didn't bother trying to figure out where they were or where they were going. All she could really think about was finding Tori and getting her to safety. By the time they left the mainland to take a boat out to the island she was practically sick with worry. They anchored the boat and disembarked. Robbie made sure to keep the map he had printed up on hand since his connection to the internet would be null here.
"Maybe we should start out at this point and enter here," he mumbled, planning their route while Andre looked over his shoulder and Jade looked around. Her keen gaze spotted a clue.
"Robbie," she called to him, shaking his arm.
"Let me focus, Jade," he replied. Jade rolled her eyes and tapped Andre then pointed in the direction she wanted him to look. When he saw what she meant he too nudged Robbie.
"Hey, Rob," he said, but he was brushed away.
"Don't encourage her, Andre. Now let me plan this out," he dismissed.
"Robbie!" they both yelled, startling him enough to drop the map. A gust of wind quickly took hold of it and he began to chase it when Andre grabbed him and dragged him over to the trees.
"We're in the right place," Andre told him, facing him towards a tree baring a brightly colored cupcake sticker.
"A sticker?" he questioned, confused.
"Either someone else is with Tori and left this or she's given us a path. Look," Jade explained, pushing aside foliage to step into the dense plants and stopping at another sticker which depicted a smiley face.
"But why stickers?" Andre wondered. Jade shrugged.
"Oh, well then, I guess all my work was for nothing," Robbie grumbled.
"No it wasn't. You still found us the fastest route over here," Andre reminded him. He smiled at that and nodded.
"I did," he acknowledged.
"Yeah, now stop crying and hurry up!" Jade added, beginning to push aside more plants in search of the next sticker that would lead them in the right direction. Robbie frowned and Andre shrugged. They followed their fearless leader like they always did, unsure of what they'll find but hoping for the best. It was a long trek but soon they found themselves at an abandoned campsite. Jade walked over to kneel and examine the smoldering remains of a fire.
"They probably just left," she announced.
"Or maybe they're still here," an unexpected voice answered her. She jumped to her feet and spun around to see Beckett Oliver with two cops restraining Andre and Robbie.
"Leave them out of this. It's between me and you," Jade stated, barely restrained anger in her voice. She wanted to seem calm but was close to failing. She already had too much to lose. She couldn't afford more. Beck seemed to realize it too because he only smiled and walked closer to the only two people she called family for so long.
"Let's make a deal then. You open your family vault for me, forfeiting anything it might have, and I'll let everyone you care for go free?" he offered. Jade grit her teeth but remained quiet.
"No?" Beck asked, signaling to a cop to hold Robbie more securely. Andre moved to defend but he was also held tightly by the bigger cop. Beck advanced on Robbie and glanced at Jade before raising his hand. Jade took in the metal gauntlet covering his fingers and hands up to his elbows. They were tipped at the end like talons.
"Stop," Jade gasped, eyes on Robbie's frightened expression. Beck responded by striking Robbie in the stomach. He cried out and his legs buckled but he was forced to stay standing.
"I said stop!" Jade screamed, darting forward to defend her brother. Beck ducked her attempted blow with her cane and turned it into a spin under so that he could strike her side. She cried out as the gashes tore at her flesh but brought her cane around to knock Beck on his back. She then jumped at him but he threw his feet up in time to collide with her stomach, winding her and tossing her over his head to hit the dirt. She pushed herself up but Beck quickly got behind her, reached around, and secured her cane in his hands so that he could bring it horizontally flush against her throat. He yanked back until she was choking, desperately grasping at his hands to try and get free, but her gloved hands just slipped over the glinting polished metal of the gauntlets he wore.
"Jade!" Andre called to her, panic in his tone. He fought to get loose, and almost did, but he was quickly thrown down and restrained further.
"Ah, there's your name. Jade West, the last remaining West thief. I should kill you right now but I'm not that merciful. Instead, I would rather take everything from you while you watch before I finally put you out of your misery," he whispered to her, yanking back on the cane again. She coughed and gasped for air until he released her so that she fell to the ground.
"Bind them all and bring them with us. We have the cane, now we can open the Vault. Call in the helicopter while you're at it," Beck ordered, walking away and twirling the cane as he went. The Cooper Gang were bound with their hands behind their backs and then pushed to follow Beck. The other cop directed Tori and Cat out of a tent and forced them to follow along too.
"Tori," Jade rasped, walking closer to her. Tori looked to her with relief in her eyes but couldn't say anything due to the tape. Meanwhile, Cat was trying to soothe Robbie's pain by distracting him with talking. He felt a little better just by finally meeting the woman behind the screen name. Andre walked close by them, concern creasing his face.
"This is all my fault. You and Cat wouldn't even be here if I just stayed away from you," Jade muttered, looking away from Tori who made a sound of protest and shook her head vehemently. Her fierce brown eyes told Jade not to continue. She moved so that their shoulders and arms were pressed together and locked eyes with Jade.
"I know, you don't want to hear it, but I'm still sorry," she apologized. Tori sighed through her nose and Jade fell silent next to her. Beck brought them to a clearing where the called for helicopter sat waiting. They were shoved in with Beck and then the two cops climbed in after them. The whole thing came to life and began rising. Beck took the copilot seat and directed the pilot to the tall mountain in the middle of the island.
"Get close to that ledge!" he shouted over the whipping wind. The pilot did so and Beck motioned to the cops. They nodded and each grabbed two hostages while Beck grabbed Jade. They hopped off the helicopter and it pulled away. While Beck and their captors were busy watching it leave Jade took advantage. She swept her foot under one cop's feet and then slammed into him when he lost his balance so that he toppled off the ledge, screaming the whole way down. A loud thud silenced him. The other jumped away and she missed Beck altogether. Now that they were aware, the remaining, bigger, cop tried to catch her but she dodged him.
"Run!" she yelled at the others. They did as they were told, taking the incline down, as that was their only choice.
"Get them. I'll deal with her," Beck commanded. The cop ran after the temporarily escaped hostages while Beck turned on Jade.
"They won't get far and neither will you," he remarked.
"I'm not running or else I would have already been gone," she responded certainly. Beck swooped down on her in a blur of movement. She avoided his attacks the best she could, returning attacks with high kicks. It was all she could manage until Beck caught her leg and twisted so that she fell to the ground heavily. His hand shot out to grip her by the neck and force her back to her feet.
"It feels good to finally have you in my clutches little raccoon. I'll be sure to gut your fox right in front of you," he promised. Jade screamed her rage and slammed her body into him so that they both tumbled down the incline. They rolled to a stop at the bottom where Jade hastily yanked and pulled at her bindings. She slipped free and wasted no time tackling Beck before he could get up. She got in a few punches to his face before he blocked and fended her off. He threw her off him then latched onto her neck again to subdue her. He looked around to see the hostages still bound and huddled together. The burly cop stood over them, hard eyes fixed on the fight that was now over.
"Get up and open the Vault, West. Don't get any ideas," Beck ordered, shoving her cane in her hands before releasing her. She looked up from the dusty rock ground to see a large, round, steel door with an indent in the shape of her cane in the middle of it. She staggered over under Beck's watchful eye and fit it into the slot. She cranked it to the left and then pushed in before removing her cane. Mechanisms began to shift within and then the door swung open slightly. Beck and the cop muscled it open and then Beck returned to shove Jade forward.
"Get in there," he told her. She shuffled inside and Beck followed behind her with Tori. The cop stayed outside to watch the others. Jade saw Tori and her eyes became stormy, only serving to make Beck smirk.
"An incentive to do what I say," he explained, digging his talons deep enough to draw a pinprick of blood from Tori's neck. She flinched and Jade's fury grew. She stopped to stand on a circular floor that began to lower beneath them. It came to a stop close to the floor of a wide, dimly lit room. Jade glanced around before dropping down and catching herself on nimble feet. Tori dropped down next to her, stumbling a little, before Beck landed heavily. The three looked around the circular room in awe. Jade analyzed their surroundings and her eyes came to rest on a rope leading off to a corridor on the other side of an otherwise broken bridge that had connected the middle area with a way over the chasm dividing it from the way forward.
"Looks like I go alone from here," she commented.
"The hell you are," Beck growled.
"This place was built for my family so it stands to reason that only I can traverse it," Jade shot back in response.
"No. I don't need you anymore. I can get in myself!" Beck snarled, lashing out at Jade who stumbled out of the way. She ran for the broken bridge and began crossing it when Beck leaped onto it, upsetting her footing. She caught the rope with her cane and pulled up so that she now held the rope in her hand, dangling over a drop that looked to have no end. Beck laughed above her and snagged her by the yellow collar of her blue shirt, the talons shredding it slightly.
"It ends now, West," he seethed, raising his free hand to deal the killing blow.
"Freeze, Oliver!" Inspector Vega's commanding voice shouted, bringing him to a halt. They both looked over to see that Tori was free, courtesy of the three additions behind her. She was also equipped with her paralysis pistol once more and it was aimed at her former Police Chief.
"Go ahead, Vega. Pull the trigger. We'll both fall to our deaths," he guaranteed, shaking Jade for extra emphasis. Tori only focused her aim with a grim scowl.
"Do it, Tori," Jade called to her. Tori's eyes met Jade's and a mischievous glint was found in the blue-green depths. Tori nodded and fired. Beck dodged the shot and Jade tore herself free while he was distracted. She caught the rope and found her balance just as Tori fired a following shot that hit its mark, striking Beck in the chest. His body seized and then he fell limp off the rope, only to snatch at Jade at the last minute. His talons sunk in her shoulder and pulled her off the rope but she stopped her descent with her cane hooked on the rope again. Beck's dead weight kept pulling him down so that the talons drew deep lines down her back with every inch he slipped.
"I'll…take you…with me…West," he forced out through numb lips, scowl unaffected. He tried to get a better hold and ended up sliding down further, hanging off Jade's hip and forcing a cry of agony from her mouth. Her arms shook and if it wasn't for her gloves her hands would have slipped from their hold on her cane already from the sweat that accumulated on them.
"Jade!" Tori shouted. The master thief looked up to see Tori at the edge of the stone middle ground. She raised her pistol and aimed at Beck. Jade nodded and Tori fired again. Beck's muscles gave out completely and he disappeared into the inky void below, unable to even scream. Now Jade hung off the rope with less weight but a rapidly tiring body.
"Don't give up now. Get closer and I'll haul you up," Andre told her, leaning down with a hand on the rope to use as leverage. Jade nodded and began the torturous action of pulling herself up onto the rope. She locked her legs around it, held her cane in her mouth, and then shimmied along the rope towards Andre. As soon as he could reach her he grabbed a hold of her and hauled her back on solid ground. She set aside her cane and allowed Andre to lay her out on her stomach.
"I imagine this is what a rodent feels like after a narrow escape from an attacking bird of prey. Too bad that one didn't know how to fly," she joked, cringing in pain a moment later.
"Shut up, Jade. Now isn't the time to joke," Robbie scolded, signs of tears in his eyes. Tori knelt by the thief and took in the damage done to her torso. It was gruesome enough that she had to look away from it.
"Come on. Let's get you out of here," Andre said, carefully lifting Jade and then throwing her over his shoulder where she hung off him limply. Tori picked up her cane and Cat took Robbie by the hand. They all climbed onto the moving platform that then took them back up to the surface where they walked out into a cool atmosphere with a setting sun.
"I don't know about you, but I don't want to be here when it gets dark," Robbie pointed out. The others nodded their agreement while Cat just pressed closer to Robbie.
"Wait, did you spare the pilot?" Tori questioned, glancing at the knocked out cop laying in the grass tied up.
"Yeah, he should be cowering in the helicopter waiting for us. It didn't take much to make him listen," Andre replied.
"Ok then. Andre, set Jade in first then come back for this one. I'll make sure he's exposed for what he's done. Cat, Robbie, keep an eye on Jade," Tori told them. While they moved into action Tori shut the West Vault and locked it with the cane. It was slow going since the door was so heavy, but she managed it just as the others were ready to go. She ran to the helicopter and was given a boost in by Andre. When everyone was settled they rose into the sky on their way home. Tori held Jade's cane close and rested a hand on her paler than normal cheek. Robbie found a medical kit in the helicopter and did what he could to patch her up and ease her of the pain. Now she slept soundly with the help of some painkillers. They touched down on the mainland where Jade was taken to a hospital. The group spent a whole day there before Jade woke up, wanting to head home. She was hell bent on getting everyone home safely, not wanting to wait for something bad to happen. Tori had to quiet her guilty ramblings more than once with a kiss and her fingers running through her black and blue hair.
That usually calmed her down. After three days passed Jade refused to stay any longer. She was now strong enough to refuse any attempt to calm her and her temper returned. They had no choice but to comply with wry smiles, irritated that Jade didn't want to be 'coddled' anymore, as she termed it, but happy to see Jade up and venting her frustrations again. Once they reached the city they called home she instantly relaxed. Tori helped her into bed with the promise that she wasn't going anywhere, and then reunited with her sister. Andre made it his duty to bring in the cops who helped Beck and Robbie took it upon himself to get Cat home. With everything settling down and Trina finally went home for the day Tori found herself leaning on the doorway to Jade's room. The master thief was sprawled on her stomach in bed wearing nothing but shorts and a sports bra, leaving her whole bandaged back exposed and relieved of any pressure. The mess of blankets was pulled up to her waist but one of her legs stuck out stubbornly. She cracked open an eye and smiled at Tori.
"Don't just stand there, Tor," she mumbled. Tori allowed a small smile and walked over to perch on the edge of the bed. Jade groaned dramatically and reached up to pull Tori down next to her where she shifted so that she laid on her undamaged side and draped an arm over Tori. Her lips found the inspectors and her hand drifted up to bury in her hair. Tori placed a tentative hand on Jade's cheek. When Jade pulled away she sighed.
"I missed you so much," Jade whispered, nuzzling under Tori's chin.
"I was with you the whole time," she replied.
"Not as close as I wanted you to be," Jade explained.
"No, but I never left your side," Tori responded, tracing over Jade's face while a lengthy silence followed.
"You know, you said it was your fault that this happened to us but it's my fault for even allowing this between us. If I hadn't become a weakness for you-" Tori began only for Jade to cut her off with a chuckle.
"If you had never been there I would have died. I love the guys but we all know that this lifestyle isn't the safest thing in the world. We already talked about what we would do should one of us not make it on a heist. We would move on. But I'm not sure I could move on without you, Tori. It made me fight that much harder to see you guys safe so that we can be like this again. I love you, and not even the fear of dying will keep me from you," Jade stated sincerely. Tori grinned and kissed Jade tenderly.
"I love you too. So much," she responded, snuggling as close to Jade as she could without causing her discomfort. Jade held her and allowed herself to relax. Danger, pain, dying. She would overcome all that as long as she still had the love of her fox. That was all she needed.