A/N: This chapter was quite hard to write...I planned to post it much sooner, but I had some difficulty getting it just right, so I appreciate you bearing with me. Also I apologize its on the shorter side...but it needed to end where it does.

Jane felt hazy as she surfaced to consciousness, registering that her was cheek plastered up against a grainy wooden floor. She fought the urge to blink, hearing the light sound of pacing not far off. She kept her breathing steady, knowing that any sudden movements could be her last.

A chilly gust of air seeped in through an opening Jane could not see. Behind her, her arms were taped together tightly, though she didn't dare move, knowing that her legs were bound as well. She wouldn't stand a chance at defending herself in this state. Even her mouth had been covered with a large stretch of duct tape that clung uncomfortably to her skin.

She dared to slit an eye open, trying to catch of glimpse of her surroundings. The hazy, bare room was hardly recognizable, though one thing was certain.

She was no longer at the school.

Everything had gone terribly awry so quickly that it took Jane a moment to process the entire situation. Mr. Chesholt, rather, Charles Hoyt, had somehow taken her from the school – the back exit, the service staircase, the fire escape, perhaps - and with the cameras disabled, they had provided him with the upper hand. Stupid, she berated herself. So stupid. The situation was grim, and avoidable as well, she bitterly reminded herself. She should have listened to Maura's reasoning.

Maura.

All at once, her eyes shot open, the ramifications of her rash actions hitting her with a forceful impact. With difficultly, she rolled onto her other side, her eyes wildly scanning the dim room as she fought to account for Maura's location, knowing that Mr. Chesholt wouldn't have dared to leave her at the school with what she knew. She prayed he hadn't finished her off, a useless pawn in whatever grand scheme he had planned for Jane.

Her breath was shallow as she tried to maneuver her disabled body, her heart skipping a full beat once her eyes fell on Maura's still frame. She was here. She was here, and though she was far okay, she was still here. Jane watched her chest rise and fall softly, a breath of relief washing over her.

In the mere seconds it had taken her to assess her best friend's current state, Mr. Chesholt had registered her condition as well. She heard his steps approach her, his wry grin panning closer to her as he crouched down, taking her chin firmly in his grasp.

"Awake, I see," he chuckled softly. "I'm pleased."

Jane whimpered, though it was inaudible beneath the gag. She jerked her head, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. There was no point in lying limp now – if she were going to die, she at least wanted to put up a fight.

"Feisty," he laughed again, only tightening his grasp. With his other hand, he reached to rip the tape away from her mouth. "I like to play just a bit fair." He grinned again.

Jane gasped for air, sucking in a proper breath. She glared harshly at him. "Fair? You really want to talk about playing fair right now?" she hissed at him, her voice sharp and acidic, not sure where her courage was coming from. She had never faced death before – and she had never expected to face it this brutally – but she wasn't as scared as she expected to be, willing all his attention to remain on her.

Because if he were preoccupied with her, he couldn't touch Maura. And Jane was going to protect her for as long as she could manage.

"My dear, your bravery is charming. It's why I've waited for just the right time for this – a proper conclusion to my little game." He traced her jawline with his elongated fingers, keeping his eyes locked with Jane's. She wondered how long he had planned this, and with a sickening wave of dread, she imagined him watching them from some hidden perch in the woods as they stumbled upon the body, watching their interactions with the police force. And of course the two clever girls who put their noses where they didn't belong had become his target. "I like the chase, you see, and I wouldn't want to end this before we have a little more fun."

Jerking her neck, she forcefully pushed the saliva from her throat, her aim perfect as she spit into his eye. He let out a yelp of surprise, stumbling backward, but he was hardly deterred. "I'm so glad to see you like to play games as well, my dear."

The moment was interrupted as a tiny, hardly audible whimper escaped Maura's lips from only a few feet away. Jane's head immediately perked up, her eyes frantically searching for Maura's.

Mr. Chesholt grinned a bit wily, his eyes darting between each girl, as if silently assessing the intensity of their bond, eager to use it to his advantage. But his thought process was interrupted by a loud vibrating sound, and he perked his ears, his eyes appearing uncertain for the first time.

He rose, following the source of the noise, only to be cut off my Jane's voice. "No! Don't! Don't you dare touch her," she snarled, knowing very well what was causing the noise, her anger rising significantly as she thought about where his hands would wander in search for Maura's phone.

"Maura, my dear," he crouched down beside her now, the vibrating continuing. He followed the sound and the faint glow to her chest, his finger dipping into the neckline of her low-cut blouse.

"No!" Jane continued to shriek. "Don't touch her! Please don't touch her!"

Maura own whimpers were muffled by the tape still covering her mouth and by the incessant drone of Jane's screams. Mr. Chesholt, however, proceeded to reach his hand beneath her shirt, his hand lingering for a painfully long moment, before producing Maura's buzzing phone.

"So very clever of you," he spoke softly, before hurling the phone at the ground. Jane could hear the glass cover crack, and the rest of the phone was soon demolished as he brought his food heavily down against the electrical device, smashing it until it was no longer recognizable.

He kicked the shattered pile away, focusing his attention back to Maura. "You're quite protective of her, aren't you Jane?"

"You leave her alone, you bastard!" Jane screeched at him, her voice already becoming sore.

"I'm so very glad I didn't kill her before hand," he laughed, his words blunt. "This is going to make our game all the more interesting."

"You get away from her!" Jane relentlessly sobbed, fighting against her binds, trying to propel her body closer to Maura. "You fucking bastard! Just let her be!"

"Now, Jane, you know that would ruin all my fun." Mr. Chesholt reached into his pocket, and as he pulled his hand out, a shard of light bounced off the metal object he held in his hand.

A scalpel.

"Leave her alone! Kill me instead. I'm begging you….just leave her alone. I'll do anything." Jane cried out, so frantic that she almost become sick, her stomach heaving as she fought with every ounce of strength she had in her.

Mr. Chesholt crouched down, gliding the scalpel lightly against Maura's neck, creating a superficial wound. Maura's scream vibrated against the tape plastered against her mouth.

"Fuck! Just leave her, please! Please leave her. Fucking kill me instead. I don't care, just kill me – just let her be!" Jane's words continued on at a steady rate, her body now drenched in sweat.

"What do you say, Ms. Isles? Shall I grant her request now?" Maura's eyes widened in horror as he spoke the words, shaking her head frantically as her words became lost against her gag.

Mr. Chesholt paid her no heed, instead crossing the distance to Jane's writhing form, though she had hardly loosened her binds.

"You sick bastard," she spat at him.

"I've never had one of my victims beg me to take their life before," he smirked down at Jane, bringing the scalpel still dripping in Maura's blood to her neck this time. She clenched her teeth, letting out a hiss as he dragged it lightly against her skin. "You're quite the little martyr. Unfortunately, it will all be in vain," he murmured, not the least bit apologetic.

He jerked her wrists harshly, bringing the bloody scalpel down to the tape, agiley loosening the bind. Before Jane had a moment to react to her split second of freedom, he brought his knee harshly to her gut, swiftly knocking the wind out of her. She grunted, struggling to catch her breath, but the pain in her ribs quickly subsided as a much sharper pain took dominance.

She let out a howl, registering a searing pain in her hand, and it took her muddled mind a moment to realize he had jammed the scalpel clear through her hand, right into the wooden floor. "I always, win, Jane. Remember that," he spat at her, producing another scalpel from his pocket. Swiftly, he pinned her other hand to the ground, stabbing it with a matching wound.

The screech she let out hardly sounded human. "Kill me!" she managed to gasp out, her body convulsing in agony. "Just kill me!"

"Not quite yet, my dear. You see, I'd quite like it if you watched me kill Maura first."