Marionette
Chapter 36 - A Banquet Under Seige
Emptiness.
It was the only thing that Elsa could feel as she distantly gazed at her reflection in the vanity mirror. She ran the small hairbrush over and over through her well-conditioned hair; the silky tendrils slipping effortlessly through the its teeth. A distant look glazed her sapphire blue eyes, paying very little attention to what she was doing at the moment.
Elsa felt lost in the labyrinth of her own mind. A person who she had once spoken to every single day and who she trusted greatly was now gone from her life. It was different than when Jack disappeared before. Now, she made the difficult decision of ending things with him once and for all. She wasn't quite sure whether if the uncertainty or a definite end of their relationship hurt more.
The blond involuntarily shivered in her seat as she quietly set down the hair brush. It was as if she could feel the metaphoric chill inside of her chest spread throughout her body. She brought her lithe arms up to hug herself, trying to bring some sort of comfort to herself. It didn't work.
A sigh of utter defeat passed by her pink lips. What was she supposed to do at a time like this? She felt despairingly alone and the coldness of it began freezing her heart to its very core.
Then, as if answering her silent cry for help, her phone rang. Elsa blinked herself back to reality and turned her head back towards the bed, where her phone rest. She quickly picked it up before the call dropped and saw that the caller ID displaying Anna's name.
As soon as she brought the phone up to her ear, she heard her little sister's chipper voice.
"Elsa! Oh god, I finally got through! I hope the reception isn't too bad! Can you hear me okay?"
Her hands trembled out of relief. "Y - Yes, I'm fine, Anna. This is so sudden."
"Well, I know you'll be coming back tomorrow, but I just thought that...I don't know...maybe I should check up on you?" Anna sheepishly laughed. "Not that I don't trust you to take care of yourself, but...you might be meeting Jack and I know how much he meant to you. I just wanted to make sure that you're okay. I can't imagine a meeting like that to be pleasant."
All Elsa could do was let out a breathless chuckle in response. She felt a warm mix of comfort and relief upon hearing Anna's voice and the combination brought hot tears to her eyes.
Anna seemed to have taken notice of her elder sister's soft cries over the phone. "Elsa -" she faltered. "What happened?" she asked in great concern.
Elsa laughed again, stronger this time. She quickly brought her hand up to wipe away at her loose tears. "I'm sorry. I'm just happy to hear your voice, Anna."
A wide, proud smile decorated Henry Haddock's round face as he tightened up the black bowtie on his slender neck. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror in triumph and he quickly spun on the heels of his black oxfords.
"So?" he asked his bodyguard. "I clean up pretty nice, right Astrid?"
The golden blond raised her eyebrow at his clear anticipation for her response. "What? You want me to compliment you for doing the minimum, Hiccup?"
His jaw dropped slightly agape. "Oh, come on! I managed to tie this all by myself! I usually have Clyde do this for me."
Astrid rolled her eyes at him as she checked the clock in the room. "It's nearly time for the banquet. Peter said he would be sending someone up to our room to escort us down. Are you ready, Hiccup?"
He gave her a skeptical look as he waved his hands down his body in a showy manner.
She glared. "Yes, I can see that. You know what I meant."
The brunette young man laughed softly behind closed lips. "I'm just joking. Come on, Astrid, loosen up."
She furrowed her brow at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You do know that Peter Black is very dangerous man, don't you?"
"Yeah, but it's...kind of weird for you to be more worried about this than me. Usually I'm the worrywart, remember?" He approached her and gently took her by the arms, kneading away at her biceps with his large hands. Henry felt the tension leave her body and he smiled down at her lovingly.
Astrid closed her eyes when she felt a light peck on her lips from him. She reopened her eyes shortly after and peered up at him, worry still reflected in her gaze.
"I'll be fine," he reassured her in a soft voice. "I'm more diplomatic than you think."
She saw him smile confidently at her and she let out a light scoff in response. "Just don't get cocky. We don't need Peter's crosshairs focused in on you or your company. I'm sure that the only reason he invited you to the banquet was to avoid suspicion from Elsa."
Henry furrowed his brow, portraying a look of confusion at her statement. "Is this guy still hung up over what happened all those years ago?"
"The Pitchiners lost a lot of money and power back then. Probably more than you or I or anyone else could possibly imagine. I think that's a good enough reason to want revenge."
"Yeah but...to go so far as to kill people over it?" Henry asked timidly, as if the mere thought of such a violent act was frightening enough.
Astrid gave him a sideways glance and asked, "you scared now, Hiccup? What happened to all that confidence from before?" She sneered, finding him adorable when he widened his eyes and blushed, visibly flustered by her question.
He dumbly stuttered for a bit before he felt Astrid's hand gently touch his arm.
"Hey," she addressed him in gentle voice, a rare tone of voice to hear from the usually calloused and hot-headed blond. "You'll do fine. I believe in you."
Henry's body involuntarily shivered when he saw her looking up at him so warmly. Another rare trait to witness from Astrid and he felt pride in knowing that he's the only one that she would reveal this side of her to. His innocent blush darkened however, and his gaze averted from hers. He was never quite sure of how to react when Astrid became like this.
She brought her hand up to the side of his face and gently turned him so that he was looking into her eyes once more. Astrid flashed him a lopsided grin and asked in amusement, "what are you getting flustered for?"
The brunette frowned, but to Astrid it looked more like a cute pout, prompting her to let out a feminine giggle. Henry immediately reacted by indignantly exclaiming, "that! It's just...I'm not used to seeing you like this. It's kind of weird…"
Astrid became somewhat self-conscious and she quickly pulled away from him. "O - Oh," she stammered, growing embarrassed at her actions.
They had just recently explored their romantic relationship together and both were unsure of how to act. This naturally led to many awkward conversations and failed attempts at intimacy. It still made Astrid squirm in mortification when she remembered how she was far too committed to perfecting the art of french kissing, that she ended up scaring Henry half to death at how aggressive she was.
She nervously coughed into a loose fist as she attempted to try and excuse herself, only to end up in his arms. Astrid could feel her heart hammering away at her chest, growing stronger as Henry's embrace tightened. "H - Hiccup -?"
"I didn't say I hated it," he muttered coyly into her shoulder.
A subtle pink blush painted itself over Astrid's face. Just as she raised her head to look up at him, a knock at the door promptly tore the couple apart.
"Mister Haddock?" a voice called out from the hallway. "Are you in there? I'm here to escort you to the banquet along with Miss Hofferson."
The two exchanged a wary glance. Astrid cautiously approached the door and opened it to just a crack. She peeked out and saw an elderly gentleman dressed in a sharp tux standing outside. Seeing as how he posed no physical threat, Astrid opened the door up wider.
The gentleman smiled warmly and extended a hand out in greeting, a hand that Astrid did not take. "Miss Hofferson," he said, disregarding the cold manner in which Astrid ignored his gesture. His gaze switched over to Henry. "Mister Haddock."
Henry simply returned the smile he presented.
Neither of them said a word as they followed the escort towards the location of the banquet hall. They exchanged several awkward glances with each other as they walked a few paces behind the old man. The silence was rather intimidating to both of them as they wondered if they should strike up a conversation with the escort or if they should continue remaining silent.
As they passed the elevators, Astrid furrowed her brow in confusion and asked, "I wasn't aware of a large meeting room on this floor?"
"You are correct, there isn't," the escort replied with a wrinkled smile. "We will need to take the stairs to get to the banquet. It's an extension of the resort that was built specifically for private gatherings. Public elevators having access to the area would take away from the "private" aspect of it."
"I see," Astrid said as she quietly moved closer to Henry. The fact that they were being taken to a secluded location of the resort caused her to grow uneasy and suspicious.
As they descended the stairs, they could hear the jubilant sounds of party-goers on each floor they passed. With each floor passed, the faint sounds of the party grew louder. However, before they could reach the sixth floor landing, the escort led them into the seventh floor entrance.
While the resort itself was pretty, the private add-on to it was absolutely breathtaking. The floor was a sleek black marble that was polished to the point where one could see their own reflection. Adorning the walls were asymmetric, abstract designs that all seemed to meld together in perfect dysmorphic harmony. Although painted in a gloomy mixture of dark grays and blacks, the private area gave off a more modernized feel rather than the latter.
"The banquet is at the very end of this hall," the escort said rather curtly as he stepped off to the side to let Astrid and Henry go on ahead.
Henry acknowledged him with an awkward 'thank you' before leading the way. He glanced at Astrid and commented, "he turned cold rather quickly, didn't he?"
She kept her eagle-like gaze straight forward. "I don't like this," she muttered ominously. "He's trying to isolate you and Winters from the rest of the party. For what? He can't be trying to kill you both and he knows that you're both smart enough not to play into his hands."
Unsure of what to say in response, Henry simply kept his head bowed and turned off to the side. He had hoped that he made the right decision in attending this party. He remembered the talk he had with Elsa a few weeks prior and the warning she gave. Peter Black was a questionable man with an even more questionable past. Many of the Pitchiners were convicted in playing a part in the murder of the Lunanoffs. Henry was well-aware of this thanks to his father.
He always urged him not to get tangled up in the conflict, for it could possibly ruin their family as well. Henry promised, but now he felt a slight regret for going against his late father's wishes.
As if she could read his mind, Astrid glanced at him and gave him some reassurance. "It's too late to back out now, Hiccup. We just have to make the most of it. If Black tries anything, I'll protect you."
Before Henry could say anything else, they were both greeted by the very man they were talking about.
"Henry Haddock!" Peter exclaimed as he graciously approached the young man. His thin lips were spread across his sharp face in a toothy grin as he exchanged a handshake with him. "Glad to see you here. Please, come in. Seat yourself wherever you'd like along with Miss Hofferson."
The pair walked in and saw one large round table, clothed in a luxurious black fabric and only six chairs. Although he knew the answer already, Henry asked casually, "seems like a small amount of people for a 'banquet'."
"Yes," Peter responded, standing in the doorway. "We're just waiting on Miss Winters. I would have liked to invite a few more parties, but if I did, then it would take away from the 'exclusive' feature of this dinner I would think."
Astrid turned around to lock eyes with the former Pitchiner. She gave him a cold stare and he simply responded with a convincing smile. Her wariness and suspicion were at their peak. She couldn't afford to let her guard down now.
As they took their seats, Peter greeted the third and final guest to the banquet.
"Miss Winters! Glad to see that you could make it."
Astrid peered up to take a look at the young CEO arriving with her bodyguard. She appeared as flawless as always. Her platinum blond hair was braided and tied into a tight bun, with shimmering white crystal hair pins shaped like abstract snowflakes adorning the sides of her head. Her dark purple eyeshadow was blended out into a fading gradient which perfectly complimented her ruby red lipstick. Astrid had heard from Thiana that Elsa wasn't in the greatest of moods, but she could hardly tell from the way the young woman smiled and greeted Peter.
"Did you doubt that I would?" Elsa asked with a soft smile as held the clasp of her white faux fur shawl with a loose fist.
"Of course not," Peter responded, motioning to her to step into the room and take a seat at the table. "To be frank, it just felt like you were avoiding this banquet from the very beginning. I just had to wonder if you were going to cancel last minute."
Elsa lightly laughed into her hand as she sat in the chair Thiana helped pull out for her. She sat down carefully, trying not to disturb the long white evening gown she wore. "I apologize. I wasn't feeling very well from the start of this trip. I'm not used to the higher elevation."
"I hope you're feeling better now."
"Yes, I am. Thank you."
Elsa looked to Henry and Astrid as she settled herself down on her seat. Before she could speak, Peter cut in.
"Introductions shouldn't be necessary I'm assuming. I think you two are well acquainted with each other."
Elsa could hear Astrid let out a sharp exhale through her nose, which came off like a scoff, obviously irritated with the manner that Peter was speaking to them in. She turned her attention towards Peter, trying to distract him from Astrid's obviously cold behavior. "It seems that you know a lot about us, Peter," she commented, trying to keep the tone of her voice light to avoid suspicion.
Peter smiled, which appeared more like a smirk. He didn't say anything until his bodyguard, Jack, arrived. The two exchanged low murmurs briefly before Peter returned his attention back towards the party. "Well, it appears that the rest of my guests have been well taken care of, now - shall we begin?"
Elsa momentarily locked gazes with Jack before she quickly averted herself. Her heart jumped nervously and she exhaled through her mouth unnoticeably in an attempt to calm herself down. This wasn't the time for her to lose her cool. She had to force herself to ignore him to the best of her abilities and focus on Peter.
Luckily for her, Henry's nasally, but calming voice provided a bit of a distraction to the situation.
"So, Mister Black -"
"- Oh please. Just call me 'Peter'. I do not want any formalities between us."
Henry raised his eyebrow slightly and asked in amusement, "no formalities? Sounds like you're implying that we all become friends."
Peter chuckled deeply. He took a seat and asked rhetorically, "why don't we start with a bottle of cognac?"
From across the table, Elsa could see that Henry made a slight face of disparity at the suggestion to start off with a rather strong liquor before eating.
"I'm not much of a drinker I'm afraid -" Henry quickly shut his mouth when he received a rather sharp jab to his side from Astrid, albeit discreetly. He widened his eyes at her slightly when she mouthed to him 'drink it'. Sheepishly, he returned his attention back to Peter and continued, "- but I suppose I could make an exception in this case."
As one of the waiters brought over the small bottle that contained the expensive drink, Peter's hazel eyes went wide. "Oh!" he exclaimed in feigned shock. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that we all have different tolerance levels. If you don't want to drink, you're more than welcome to decline. I don't want anyone getting sick before the entrees arrive."
Elsa saw a small glass of the cognac being placed on the table before her. She peered over at Henry, who seemed to still be hesitant on drinking the strong liquor on an empty stomach, and Astrid, who seemed to be silently urging the brunette to drink it or risk losing face. She could read her lips as she whispered to the young man, "just take a small sip. It won't have that much of an effect on you unless you drink this entire thing all at once."
Peter took Elsa's momentary pause as a sign of hesitation and he addressed her rather patronizingly. "Miss Winters," he cooed, "I can ask the waiter for some water or a light wine for you. I'm not quite sure if a delicate lady such as yourself can handle a cognac."
She responded with a relaxed, feigned smile. "It's fine."
Once everyone received a glass of the rather pungent smelling drink, Peter raised his glass in the air and toasted. "I hope for a prosperous future, for each of us."
Henry gave a nod in agreement and pursed his lips together before he took a small sip from the glass. His face expressed distaste at the strong flavor, but he quickly tried to hide it by bringing the white cloth napkin to his mouth.
Jack felt rather apprehensive of drinking the liquor as well. He hadn't had the time to eat a meal since the morning and he knew that his body couldn't handle alcohol very well in general. He had overheard what Astrid said to Henry and he decided to follow that advice and take a small sip as well, so to not agitate his empty stomach. As he brought the glass to his lips, he stopped when he looked across the table at Elsa, who happened to catch his attention.
By then, everyone's attention was focused on her as she downed the entire glass of cognac in one go. Henry appeared visibly distressed just by watching her and he quickly averted his gaze, trying not to throw up. Jack on the other hand, remained transfixed on her in shocked fascination as he held his own cup of cognac to his lips, still unable to stomach the liquid.
Peter let out a soft chuckle when Elsa set down the empty cup on the table, not a single of a sign developing grimace on her heart-shaped face. "My, my," he commented, "you have quite the taste, Miss Winters -"
"- It's Elsa."
He raised an eyebrow at her. Before he could speak, she elaborated.
"You wanted us to be on friendly terms, didn't you? I don't think it's fair that I call you on a first name basis alone while you refer to me so formally."
"Are you sure?" Peter asked with an airy tone of voice. "I wouldn't want to come off as disrespecting the late Agdar Winters' eldest daughter."
The platinum blond let out a relaxed chuckle. "I'm sure. With you referring to me in that manner, it could come off more as condescending rather than what you intend, Peter."
Thiana brought a hand up to her mouth in order to conceal her smirk when she saw a glint of annoyance from the former Pitchiner. He must have clearly underestimated the young female CEO, which is what many others have done over the recent years. However, Thiana knew more than anyone that Elsa wasn't just a pretty face for show. She was a natural born leader and Thiana was proud to say that she helped with her growth.
The green haired woman flickered her eyes over to Jack, who was doing a rather poor job of concealing his interest towards her. He was clearly entranced by her, never being able to take his eyes off of her, and after three years of being apart, he was more than likely downright intrigued about this new Elsa he was now witnessing.
A glass of water in a wine glass was brought to each of them as well as a small appetizer. It provided a temporary distraction from the developing tension in the room. The soft clatter of silverware and plates replaced the silence, but it was soon overtaken by Peter's voice.
"Well then - Henry - I hope I can call you that," he said in the brunette's direction.
He quickly swallowed whatever it was he was chewing on and choked out a response, "of course."
Elsa locked eyes with Peter, who flashed her a little smile before returning his attention back towards the young Haddock. "I understand Berk is a small country. Your father must have been proud to build up an automotive industry that practically runs seventy percent of the country's economy. You must be proud as well, having such a successful father like that -"
" - Yes, I suppose so -"
"- It must be quite the burden as well." Peter feigned a coy smile when he saw Henry falter at the abrupt statement. He glanced at Elsa, who was shooting him a wary glare. In response, the former Pitchiner shrugged his shoulders languidly and elaborated in a lofty manner, "I mean, I'd imagine it must be difficult for someone as young as yourself to try and maintain the image of your late father - for both of you."
Elsa's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're trying to imply, Peter, but I can assure you that how we maintain ourselves and our businesses are none of your concerns."
His sharp eyebrows went up slightly in mock innocence. "I'm not trying to imply anything, Elsa. I'm just pointing out the facts. Surely the two of you must still be struggling to maintain an industry as large as the ones you hold. It's only natural since the both of you are so young, in fact, some of the youngest CEOs in the world."
The young woman didn't take to the explanation too kindly.
"I can assure you. I only want what is in your best interests. There is no need for the hostility."
"Hostility? Why would it be in your best interests to take care of us when we're your competitors? Our families have been at each other's throats for as long as I can remember. We're enemies, aren't we?"
The servers took away everyone's entrees, eaten or not, and brought out the main course. Not a single soul in the room took to the meal, however, not with the mounting tension.
Peter looked towards the platinum blond and smirked. "'Enemy?' Sounds like a strong word to use -"
"- Don't play dumb," Elsa snapped out coldly, grabbing everyone's undivided attention. "I know you blame my family as well as the Lunanoffs for what happened to you. You tried to get revenge and you still are."
Jack grew wary of where the conversation was headed. He moved his arm slightly so that his elbow tapped the gun that was holstered underneath his blazer. He had to make sure that he had it just in case things turned out for the worse.
Peter contemplatively laced his hands together and held them to his thin lips. "I won't lie to you, Elsa. I do hold contempt over what happened to my family, but it is only to the Lunanoffs. I don't blame you for anything...that happened to me of course."
Elsa wrinkled her brow in confusion as she subconsciously drew back in her seat at the ominous feeling the conversation took on. She kept her eyes on Peter, who's smirk turned into a deep frown and his golden hazel eyes seemed to try and pierce her whole being.
"What -?" Before she could finish her question, a loud fire alarm blared throughout the entire building.
Henry quickly stood up, along with Astrid. "What's going on? Is there a fire?" he asked in a slight panic.
Even Peter seemed taken aback by the interruption. He looked all around at the resort staff, who seemed just as equally as confused as everyone else. Then he looked towards Jack. "You made sure security knows what they're doing?"
"Of course, I -" Jack was interrupted by a security guard that came bursting through the doors of the banquet room.
"Mister Black, sir!" he exclaimed frantically and out of breath. "We need to leave. There has been a breach."
"A breach?" Peter asked incredulously as he stood up from his seat. "What do you mean?"
"We did pat-downs on every guest that came in, but some of them managed to get a hold of a few weapons. We're not sure where they got them from."
The dire situation set in completely when they all heard the faintest sound of gunfire coming from the bottom floor. Elsa dropped her jaw slightly in shock, but she quickly averted her attention towards Peter. In anger, she indignantly shouted, "I knew this was a set-up."
Jack saw that Peter visibly upset and confused by what was happening.
"I swear to you, Elsa, I would never dream of doing something like this," the middle aged man insisted frantically.
Before the young woman could say anything else in response, Thiana took her by the arm and gave it a slight pull. "We should get out of here. It isn't safe."
Astrid followed suite and stood up as well, practically yanking Henry to his feet. "Follow me," she told Thiana and Elsa. "We can take the stairs since the elevators will probably be cut off."
Elsa gave Peter one last glare before allowing her bodyguard to take her away to safety. Just before she left the banquet room, she turned back once more - just a subtle glance at Jack, who made eye contact with her briefly before she was whisked away.
He took comfort in knowing that she was going to be safe in the hands of Thiana, but the imminent danger present didn't reassure him that she was going to completely safe. His attention was drawn back to Peter, who stood up and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"Fix this," he hissed behind clenched teeth.
Jack gave him a sideways glance, his gaze reflecting the idea that what Peter was asking for was practically impossible. With this incident unfolding amongst the high profile guests that Peter invited, Jack knew that the former Pitchiner's public image was pretty much ruined.
The lanky older man seemed to be aware of this as he let out a soft snarl in contempt over the unfolding situation and left with a couple of his other bodyguards.
Jack remained rooted to the spot until he saw Peter being escorted down the long hallway. Once he was out of sight, the young man started his way out of the banquet room and took the stairwell down. As he approached the bottom levels, he could hear the frantic yelling from the guests as they all tried to exit the resort.
His pace quickened when he heard muffled gunfire. The weapon didn't sound automatic, thankfully, but there was still the danger of being shot if you were unlucky enough to have a bullet with your name on it.
With the elevators stopped because of the fire alarm, he passed several guests who were doing their best to climb down the stairs without tripping or falling over each other amidst the panic. Jack managed to fight through the small crowds and make his way towards the second floor. However, once he opened up the second floor landing door, he was met with a cloud of smoke.
"Fire! Fire!" he heard some of the party guests shouting as some of them roughly brushed past him in order to get down the stairwell to safety.
Jack held his sleeve up to his nose and furrowed his brow. The scent was slightly different from smoke produced from a fire and when he moved down the smoke-filled halls closer to the sound of gunfire, his foot made contact with an empty canister, confirming his suspicions.
A smoke grenade.
His eyes narrowed at the small container. How did they get this past security, much less the guns?
The attention on the item was quickly diverted when a sudden, loud thunk resounded throughout the building and almost instantaneously, the lights went out. Jack found himself submerged in near complete darkness, except for the small bit of moonlight trickling in through the windows that lined the hallways. Despite his limited vision, he trekked further into the building, trying to figure out who was behind this attack.
There was no way that Peter would purposely try to sabotage his own party just to murder Elsa. Jack wasn't even sure if this attack was for her. There were plenty of other high profile targets invited to the party and any one of them could be a target.
Although the sound of gunfire ceased, Jack kept his wits about him. He could no longer hear the cries from the frenzied guests, but what he could hear was the sound of approaching footsteps. They were light, almost inaudible against the shallow carpet, but to Jack's trained ear, he could hear them clearly.
He stifled down a cough as he reached around the back of his head to unclasp the eyepatch he wore. He blinked a few times to get his eyes used to his normal vision. It felt relieving to have it off. With so many variables affecting his sight, he needed both his eyes to make sure that he wouldn't succumb to an assailant.
Crouching down slightly, Jack stood completely still, trying to listen for the footsteps again. Were they around here?
The footsteps approached closer and Jack quickly realized that it was someone coming around the corner just a few steps before him. He had to act fast.
"This way!" he heard a voice shout in the distance.
His head remained calm, but his heart rate sped up when he lunged forward, attempting to quickly get the upper hand on whoever he was about to run into. Friendly or not, he had to make sure that they didn't harm him. Jack grabbed the figure that appeared before him roughly by the arm. He heard a sharp, feminine gasp.
Good - since this is a woman it would be easier to handle her.
However, before Jack could grab both of her lithe wrists, the woman attempted to elbow him in the gut. He quickly stopped her by grabbing and twisting her arm closely to her back. She continued struggling, stifling down her grunts through clenched teeth.
He was forced back closer towards one of the large windows in the hallway and in the sliver of moonlight, he saw that the woman had a head full of platinum blond hair in an all too familiar braided bun. His eyes widened. "El -?"
In the split second when he was taken off-guard, the young woman released herself from his grasp and spun around rather wildly, delivering a sharp left hook that hit Jack directly across the face. He staggered back in pain, holding his injured face, but he had very little time to recover as he was shoved to the ground.
Jack grunted as the fall knocked the wind out of him. He tried to get back up as quick as he could, but was denied by the weight of her straddling him across the waist. A rough yank on the collar of his shirt brought him halfway up and he saw Elsa readying a pulled back fist at him.
She panted heavily, apparently riding the adrenaline rush that fueled her up until now. It wasn't until a few seconds later that she realized just who she attacked.
"...Jack?" she breathed out in half shock and confusion. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the hazy darkness as she stared down at him, completely bewildered that she managed to take him down.
Jack could feel the warm rush of blood trickling out from his nose, thanks to her. He brought his arm up to wipe it away. As he did, he chuckled. "I see Thiana's been teaching you well."
Elsa remained silent, unsure of what to say to him. Apologizing didn't seem right, but saying that she felt a slight pleasure from being victorious against him also seemed inappropriate. Instead, she remained frigid and still.
"You know, Ice Queen," Jack said with a widening smirk, "as much as I wanted to try out this position, how about another time? Maybe when we're both out of danger?"
Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red in anger and embarrassment. Her mouth immediately dropped open in speechlessness. Before she could say anything to him, she felt him grab her arm and lean up closer to her face.
"You can yell at me later, but for now, we have to move. Like Thiana said to you earlier, it isn't safe here."
Elsa got up off of him, but remained stubborn. She tried to release her wrist from his grasp.
His mood quickly changed. Jack met her indignant glare and he told her rather crudely, "I don't give a shit at this point if you don't trust me. Just come with me if you want to make it out of here alive."
She had nothing else to say to that. Not only did she lose contact with Thiana amidst the mass of party guests, but she was vulnerable against these unknown assailants if she were to run into them without any protection. With this in mind, she let her shoulders relax and told him, "fine."
"Good -" Jack stopped mid-speech when he caught a shadow moving in his peripheral. He turned and saw a man dressed in a clean tux just a few feet away from them. It was hard to see in the darkness, but when Jack saw the glint of a gun being drawn out from underneath the man's jacket, he quickly moved into action.
He pushed Elsa out of the way and ran forward, swerving his body just in time to dodge a bullet that whizzed past his head. His hand managed to grab a hold of the gun, throw it off to the side, and the two men entered a brief, physical struggle. With each of his actions calculated and precise, Jack elbowed the man in the jaw and managed to get around behind him, locking him in a choke hold.
"Who do you work for?" he questioned him.
The man laughed. "What are you talking about? I'm just a guest -"
"- Likely story," Jack whispered dangerously as he tightened his arm around the man's neck. "If you were a guest, you wouldn't have drawn a weapon on me. Guests wouldn't be able to tell who's who. You guys on the other hand, know each other. So tell me, who are you working for?"
He sneered. "Who I work for is none of your concern, boy."
Before Jack could react, he was forced backwards by the man putting his entire weight on him and the two tumbled to the ground. His hold loosened and the older man used the opportunity to free himself. He rolled over and quickly put his large hands around Jack's neck, attempting to strangle the young man.
Jack gasped for air as he tried to pry away the man's hands. When it didn't work, he tried to bring his legs up to kick him away. It all seemed futile, but just before Jack lost consciousness, he heard a loud thump. The man stilled above him and immediately afterwards, his eyes rolled back into his skull and he fell over lifelessly.
Standing above him was Elsa, who had used his gun to knock him unconscious. Her shoulders heaved up and down with each pant as she looked down at Jack.
He coughed, quickly regaining his breath and senses in time for him to see Elsa's outstretched hand. As he was pulled up to his feet, he uttered a small word of thanks before he was met with a swift slap to the face.
Elsa could tell that he was undoubtedly confused by her action. She shot him a glare and answered in a curt manner, "that's for the joke earlier."
He scrunched up his face in confusion. "What -?"
"It's inappropriate, Jack," she responded pointedly.
He rolled his eyes. "You're as frigid as always, Ice Queen. I didn't mean anything serious by it."
She grit her teeth and bunched her hands up into tight fists by her side. "And you're so insufferable! I can't believe I'm even having this argument here with you!"
Jack scoffed, getting genuinely annoyed with her at this point. "The feeling's mutual. I just saved your life and you repay me with a slap to the face?"
"I saved your life!" she emphasized sharply.
Before their argument could spiral down into childish name calling and verbal jabs, Elsa stopped herself and simply began walking away from the young man with her head held pettily high. Jack went after her, his face showing an expression of complete confusion.
"Uh, excuse me, but where do you think you're going now?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Towards the exit obviously," she answered irately, her arms swinging and hips swaying with each arrogant stride.
"Do you even know where it is?"
"Uh, yes, I do as a matter of fact." Elsa felt him grab her by the shoulder, but she quickly brushed him off. She flashed him a defiant look. "I don't need your help, Jack. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, as you experienced first hand."
Jack narrowed his eyes when he saw her eyes flickering briefly down to his bloody nose, which had ceased, but it still throbbed a terrible pain. "I only let down my guard when I realized it was you. Had it been anyone else, you would have been easily subdued."
The smokescreen around them was slowly clearing up and the sounds of panic diminished greatly. It was as if the two of them were immersed in their own bubble of silence.
"Listen," Jack contested with an exasperated, inaudible sigh. "I know I'm the last person you'd want to be with right now."
Elsa kept her lips tightly pursed and her gaze averted towards the ground. She suddenly felt apprehensive to confront him - nervous and timid.
"But let me help you, just this one time. Then I promise…" He sighed distantly. "I promise to get out of your hair for good. You won't ever see me again...okay?"
Her eyes widened slightly at his proposal. She peeked up at him through the corner of her eye. "...Just this one time?" she asked softly, feeling somewhat sullen over the news. Was this really the last time she was going to see him? "You...promise?"
He moved closer to her. "I do," he replied in earnest.
Her brow wrinkled slightly in skepticism. "You haven't been very good keeping your promises to me, Jack."
"I know," he responded, standing flush against her. He brought his gloved hand up to gently tuck a lock of loose blond hair behind her ear.
Elsa shivered at the subtle touch that ghosted the shell of her ear. She peered up at him as the tips of her fingers twitched. She had a desire to hold him, but she knew that she shouldn't. Jack wasn't hers anymore, in any regard; not to mention that she was the one that made the decision to break up with him.
Just as Elsa felt a blush creep up her slender neck, she heard Thiana's voice calling out for her. The young woman perked up at the sound of her bodyguard and tore herself away from Jack. "Thiana?" she answered hopefully.
Jack could hear Thiana calling out again, attempting to locate Elsa through the dark maze of hallways. He stared for a while at the back of Elsa's head, trying to formulate a change in plans at the top of his head.
"Thiana? I'm here -!"
It all happened so fast that Elsa could barely process what was going on. All that she knew was that she felt Jack yanking her back towards him and her lips colliding rather painfully against his. Instinctively, she tried to push herself away from him.
"Jack - mmph!" she gasped for air before being brought back in for a silencing kiss.
Jack kept his eyes tightly closed as he tried to keep her from struggling. He could feel the vibrations of her muffled whimpers of protest against his mouth. His lips parted, deepening the kiss between them, and almost like magic, he could feel Elsa starting to relax against him. He let out a low moan into her mouth as their tongues slid against each other, reaping pleasure for himself as well. That caused the young woman's knees to nearly buckle out from underneath her, but Jack kept her supported by holding her around the waist.
Elsa's whole body felt as if a sudden weakness hit her. It was embarrassing to admit, but she could barely keep herself on her feet, much less keep her wits about her, as Jack ravaged her mouth with his. She couldn't register what was happening, as her mind was drawing a complete blank.
Just as she was about to bring her hands up to rest them upon his broad shoulders, her eyelids fluttered as her vision began fading to black. By the time she realized that the pressure she felt on her neck was Jack's thumb, pressed tightly against her pulse, she succumbed to the dark depths of unconsciousness.
Her body went slack and Jack caught her in his arms before her limp body fell over. He could hear Thiana approaching quickly, calling out the young woman's name frantically. Jack's gaze fell back down onto the unconscious woman in his arms. In the dim light of the moon, he saw the red mark he had left on her neck. The last thing he wanted to do was harm her, but he couldn't let Thiana get in the way of everything. It would allow for him to escape if he left an unconscious Elsa here as a distraction.
"You know I'm a liar, Ice Queen," he whispered before setting her down on the ground just as Thiana arrived.
He raised his head just in time to make direct eye contact with the short, green haired woman, who stood a few feet away from him. She appeared startled for a moment, lips parting in shock, before coming to her senses.
"...Jack," she addressed him cautiously as she stepped forward warily. Her pink eyes focused in on him like a hunting hawk.
He didn't respond and instead, continued to maintain an impassive stare with her.
"I know it's you," she said as her eyes darted down to Elsa, whom he held against him. "Did you...harm her?"
He could see the female bodyguard worriedly eyeing the unconscious young woman. Seeing as how he no longer needed, Jack placed the unconscious Elsa on the floor and turned to leave.
"Wait -!" Thiana stopped when she saw Astrid approaching her from the adjacent hallway.
"Did you find her?" the other female bodyguard asked, only to stop when she realized what she had just walked into.
Jack shot a glare over his shoulder at the hot-tempered blond, who noticed him as soon as she caught up to Thiana. He didn't expect Astrid to be here as well.
"Frost," Astrid growled lowly, her expression quickly changing as her dark blue eyes narrowed in a dangerous glare that matched his. When she saw the black haired man turn to break into a run, she gave chase.
"Astrid! Where do you think you're going!?" Thiana shouted after her in a scolding manner.
She stopped just to answer her. "Take care of the little princess, Thiana. I'm going after him. He has to know something about tonight." Her legs picked up the pace once more, trying her best to catch up to Jack before he disappeared for good. She saw the sliver of his shadow slip into the stairwell.
Jack could hear her footsteps closely behind him as he descended the metal stairs as swiftly as he could. Her sudden appearance really threw a wrench into his work, but he considered it nothing more than a minor inconvenience. He was confident enough that he could get rid of her.
Once he made it to the lobby floor and went for one of the side exits in an attempt to throw her off. It was just a small diversion and Jack knew that Astrid wouldn't be so easily fooled, but he just needed to buy himself a little bit of time.
Astrid panted heavily as she exited the stairwell. She stood in the deserted lobby, trying to determine where the other bodyguard ran off to. Calmly, she gathered her thoughts and walked out towards the front parking lot. If he was trying to escape, she would assume that he would be somewhere there.
Many guests were still present, some trying to cope with the chaos by breaking down into tears, while some were raising hell in a drunken stupor against the resort employees. Astrid paid no mind to any of them and casually looked around, trying to spot Jack in the darkness of the parking lot.
"Would be a lot easier if he had kept his white hair," she muttered under her breath as she tried to spot the tall young man.
She tried to cut across the parking lot, but was stopped by a black BMW of the latest model that barely missed her as it zipped past. Astrid's eyes went wide as she stared at the car for a second longer before running off to her parked motorcycle. In her mind, that had to be Jack. There was no one else that would be in that much of a hurry to leave, so much that they would nearly run someone over.
The stylish, blue-teal fusion sports motorcycle that she fondly nicknamed 'Stormfly,' awaited her in the dark corners of the parking lot. The engine purred beautifully when she started the bike, like a sweet melody to her ears. She revved it up a few times before speeding out of the lot. Despite Jack getting a headstart, Astrid was confident that Stormfly could help her catch up to him.
The prototype model bike sped down the narrow mountain roads, glossing down the asphalt surface as if it was ice. Astrid's ponytail whipped around wildly behind her as she picked up speed. She squinted her eyes against the cold winds that chilled her skin. Her vision narrowed and she could see the taillights that belonged to Jack's car up ahead.
She stepped on the gas and sped up so that she could catch up to the driver's side of the car. The windows were tinted, preventing her from seeing anything inside, but it slowly rolled down and Astrid widened her eyes when she saw that she was staring down the barrel of a gun. With fast reflexes, she applied the brakes and barely dodged the shot that was clearly aimed for her head.
Astrid grit her teeth as she tailed the car. There was no doubt now that it was Jack.
She sped up once more, this time going to the passenger's side.
"Hey! Frost!" she yelled out to him. "Stop the car!" Astrid didn't expect him to comply, but she definitely didn't expect him to retaliate in the way that he did. She let out a gasp in shock and realization when he jerked the car against her. He was attempting to try and bump her into the mountainside without any mercy.
Astrid managed to dodge it by quickly steering her bike to the side and decelerating so that she was tailing him from behind once more. She glanced down at her speedometer and saw that she was already going the maximum speed the bike allowed with the engine working in full throttle. "Damn it," she whispered behind gritted teeth. Even though this prototype was claimed to be able to maintain its high speed for a long time, every engine had its limits, not to mention that it was still a prototype in the testing phase. She had never tested it to this capacity. There was no telling what would happen.
Her next option was to try and shoot the tires out from under him, but that was risky. Not only would that result in a catastrophic accident, but they weren't the only ones on the road as well.
The roads began splitting into multiple lanes and roads, giving her more space and more chances to weigh her options. Astrid decided to split off into a different direction to try and cut him off.
Jack's eyes flickered up towards the rear view mirror and he saw the headlight from Astrid's bike swerve off to the side and disappear from view. He focused his attention back on the road in front of him. Astrid wasn't one to throw in the towel so easily, he knew this.
Anticipating what was to come, Jack slowed the car down and as he suspected, the blonde popped out from the crossroads ahead of him and slid to a screeching stop.
She propped the motorcycle upright with her leg as she stood in front of the oncoming car. The headlights blinded her, but she took out her gun and fired off a few rounds into the engine hood and the windshield.
Jack heard the bullets break the windshield glass and fly past his head, barely missing him. He let out a wry chuckle to himself as he brought the car to a rough stop on the side of the road.
Astrid rolled her bike over to the small, plateaued side of the road that overlooked a rather steep drop down. She cautiously watched as the plume of disrupted dirt disappeared slowly from behind Jack's car. Finally, she saw him step out. Upon sharing a glance with him, she smirked dryly. "So it was you. I had my suspicions, but I never took you for a coward that would side with the enemy."
He said nothing to her as he shed his blazer, revealing his weapons holster strapped tightly around his slim torso, and tossed it into the car.
"Why the glare, Frost? I should be the one shooting you a dirty look since you tried to kill me just now." She dismounted her bike. "What? You want a rematch?" she asked haughtily upon seeing him approach her with an aggressive aura surrounding him. Astrid tilted her chin up and gave him a cocky, lopsided grin as she tightly pulled her black leather gloves down on her hands. "I can assure you that the result will be the same as last time."
Astrid backed away cautiously when she saw him run towards her to attack first. She blocked and pushed away his first punch with her forearm. Without losing momentum, she tried to uppercut him, but missed when he bent backwards to dodge it.
Jack let himself fall to the ground in order to deliver a sweeping kick to throw the young woman off balance.
She stumbled backwards, dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. When she nearly lost her footing, she felt a hand grab her by the wrist, saving her from certain death. Astrid could feel the viciously cold mountain air whip her hair around as she stared up into Jack's distant, narrow eyes.
Before she could react, he pulled her up sharply and threw her down onto the ground behind him.
She grunted from the impact and she quickly snapped her head towards him, baring her teeth. He was definitely a lot faster than he was when they had first fought.
"This is your last chance to run," Jack finally said to her as he stood menacingly over her.
"What?" she hissed.
"I can only imagine that you came after me because you came looking for answers, but I can assure you that I'm under no obligation to be telling you anything - or the Guardians."
Her eyes narrowed up at him.
"Get up," Jack ordered in a frigid tone of voice as he circled her slowly.
Astrid grit her teeth as she picked herself up slowly. She stepped away from him and warily asked, "I'm. Not. Running," she said, punctuating each word with a sharp breath. Her lips formed into a cocky grin. "You must be delusional to think that I would, Frost. Not until I get what I came here for -!"
She threw a punch at him, only to have him catch her fist in his hand. Astrid drew in a sharp gasp when she felt him yank her closer to him.
He held her wrist in a vicegrip, enough for it to make her wince in pain. In a low, ominous whisper, one that was enough to make even Astrid shiver in fear, he told her, "then I take no responsibility for what happens next."
A/N Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit choppy. Trying to get back into the groove of writing.
I feel it's been a while since I've responded to any reviews, but I'll respond to them in the next chapter. But thank you to Author1911, For the Love Of Fantasy, Furiyan, The Atlantean, KenzoFan, RJCA27, Migoreng, snowfire12345, Cricri, FanficOverload, Melissa, and AnthroDragon for your amazing reviews!
Feel like it's been too long for me to respond to the reviews left since most of them have been left a month or so ago haha. Again, I really appreciate the support and the things you guys have to say about this fic. I do try my hardest with each chapter, so the words of encouragement are really nice.
The next few chapters are going to be really eye-opening and a lot of questions will be answered in them, so brace yourselves! I know certain characters have been MIA for a large portion of the recent chapters, but don't worry, they'll be back!
Til next time, in the hopefully near future when I update again.
- ZERO