Basil, Genevieve, and Dawson were led to a staircase underneath the trapdoor. The girl gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh boy," Genevieve said, "That was close! I'm gonna say this once, but I am never, ever, going back in that place again!"

Basil shushed Genevieve, and she obeyed. The trio looked over to see Fidget hopping across stones, holding a lantern, dancing and sang Miss Kitty's song to himself. The bat placed the lantern in the pipe, making the interior glow bright and he climbed up into the pipe.

Basil looked back and waved to his companions. Dawson and Genevieve followed the detective as he hopped over the stones and reached to the pipe. The trio looked in to see Fidget hopping his way through the pipe as he continued to sing. It appeared that he was unaware he was being followed by the trio.

"Basil…" Dawson whispered.

The detective looked back at the doctor and shushed him, not wanting Fidget to notice them and Genevieve. Dawson placed his hand over his mouth to prevent himself from saying another word. Basil climbed into the pipe, and turned back to Dawson and Genevieve.

"Follow me," he said quietly.

Dawson helped Genevieve up into the pipe, and she and Basil turned back to help the overweight doctor to climb up. Once the doctor was in, the trio began their walk through the pipe. It turned out that walking through a dark pipe wasn't easy as they thought. But Basil was calm, and seeing Fidget's light in the distance would be very helpful.

"Great scot! I can't see a thing!" exclaimed Dawson.

"It's so dark in here!" added Genevieve. "I feel blind as a bat!"

"Shh, grab onto my coat," Basil instructed. "Genevieve, grab onto Dawson's coat too and follow along."

The three mice continued to walk through the tunnel, until Dawson walked into another direction.

"No, no, no! Not that way!" Basil said, attempting to warn the doctor. "Dawson, look out for your…."

Too late, Dawson accidently conked his head into a wall where the water rains out and yelled out in pain, "D'OOWWWW! Confound it!"

"Ooooh," Genevieve muttered, feeling sympathy for the doctor. "That's gotta hurt."

After that episode, the trio continued on their way up the pipes on the way to Ratigan's lair.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" asked Dawson.

"Of course," Basil said positively and he guided his other two companions with the light in the distance. "Left turn... Right turn here…. My friends…"


It seemed as if a little time has passed of going up the ladders and making strange turns, until the trio managed to reach to the surface. Basil pushed the grate open and examined their surroundings.

The area was filled with crates loaded with wine and champagne, and a familiar large barrel with a golden single R painted on it.

"Aha! Dawson! Genevieve! We've found it!" Basil whispered ecstatically. "Ratigan's secret lair!" He hopped out from the grate and held it open for Dawson and Genevieve to crawl out and continued, "And it's filthier than I imagined."

"No kidding," Genevieve added.

Basil lowed the crate and hurried over to the wall, with Dawson and Genevieve following him. He made sure to stay hidden, in case Ratigan's henchmen were around. The trio peered over from behind the wall to examine the area, the light in Ratigan's barrel was on, but Genevieve began to feel uneasy about this place.

"There's something funny going on in here," she whispered.

"Look! The bottle!" Basil gasped.

Basil, Dawson, and Genevieve looked over to see a large empty green bottle and a little figure was curled up inside. The girl held back her tears and voice when she recognized the figure.

"Oh sweet Olivia," she whispered quietly.

Genevieve felt so relieved to see her sister alive and well. But then her father came to her mind and grew determined to find him and set her family free. The trio ran to a wooden pillar and Basil checked again to see if the coast was clear, then Genevieve came up with an idea.

"You two try to free my sister," she said. "I'm going to look for my father."

Before she could attempt to hurry to find Hiram, the detective grabbed her by the hand to stop her.

"No Genevieve, there could be danger. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Look Basil," Genevieve said. "I appreciate you keeping me safe from danger, but this time I have to make things right and save my family. I promise, I'll be fine."

Basil looked deep into Genevieve's eyes. Having gone through so much together, the detective now trusted her on finding her family. Finally, he just nodded.

"Just be careful," he whispered, worryingly. He let go of Genevieve's hand, and watched her sneak away, but not before the girl nodded again.


Basil and Dawson nodded, and headed towards the green bottle. Genevieve hurried away and looked around the area and called, "Father? Father?"

"Genevieve? Is that you?" a voice called out.

The girl looked around and saw Hiram standing behind the bars of his cell. He grew surprised to see his eldest daughter here, in Ratigan's lair. She gasped at the sight.

"Father!" Genevieve cried and ran straight towards the cell barrel and grabbed her father's hands. She gave a smile of relief to see her father alive and well. However, she was worried about him.

"Genevieve, how did you find me?" Hiram asked.

The girl brought his hand to her cheek and Hiram coughed.

"I'll explain later," his hands were frozen in her own and she gasped. "Oh no, your hands are like ice! We have to get you out of here."

"No!" he said in a worried tone. "Genevieve, I want you to leave this place."

The girl grew confused by her father's warnings.

"Why? I just got here!"

"No time to explain, you must go! Now! It's a trap!"

"What? I am not leaving without you and Olivia!"


As Genevieve attempted to understand her father's warnings, Basil and Dawson reached the green bottle. Basil climbed up to the neck of the bottle and attempted to pull the cork to free the little girl. "It's stuck."

Dawson came to the side of the bottle and knocked on the glass gently to get the little girl's attention and called quietly, "Olivia."

The figure turned its' face around and it was none other than Fidget the bat. The bat was wearing the little girl's coat and hat and grinned at the duo, blowing a kiss and horrifying Dawson.

"SURPRISE!"

The room lite up and was filled was Ratigan's henchmen giving mock-happy cheers to the duo. The girl gasped in terror and placed a hand to her beating heart. The detective fell off the bottle and landed in alarm.

Confetti rained down from the ceiling, balloons floated up in the air, and a banner unrolled reading, 'Welcome Basil'. Ratigan's goons played out the scene as if it were a surprise birthday party for the unsuspecting trio.

The trio heard a clapping, and they looked up to see Ratigan standing in the doorway of his wine keg, looking pleased.

"Bravo! Bravo! A marvelous performance," the professor called and walked down the steps chuckling evilly. Now face-to-face with his long-time enemy, Basil's face formed into a glare. His teeth clenched tightly and his eyebrows were furrowed downwards. He was feeling pure resentment. Genevieve stood by her father's prison cell and her face turned into a glare towards the rat, and felt disgusted by him.

"Ugh, it's that awful Ratigan," she muttered angrily.

"Though frankly," Ratigan said, and took out his pocket watch and looked at it, "I've expected you fifteen minutes earlier." He gave a grin and jeered at the detective. "Trouble with the chemistry set, old boy?"

Despite giving a fierce glare at the professor, Basil decided to put on a calm, and cool smile. "Ratigan, no one can have a higher opinion of you than I have," the detective said and his smiling face turned into a glare. "And I think that you're a slimy, contemptible, sewer rat!"

Ratigan's henchmen gasped, afraid of Ratigan's reaction of his least favorite word. But the professor didn't react with rage; instead he kept on his grin, chuckled, and placed his pocket watch away.

"By the way, Basil…" the rat said, and leaned into Basil and grabbed one side of the detective's fake mustache, stroking. "I just love your disguise." Once he finished his sentence, he ripped off Basil's fake mustache, causing the detective to flinch in pain as the professor scowled at him.

The henchmen laughed and Ratigan grinned again and placed his hand underneath Basil's chin, continuing to mock him, "Really, no one would hardly recognize you." The professor lifted up the detective's hat to have a better look and placed it back on Basil's head and patted it. He walked around and shoved Basil's slim build, ridiculing, "The greatest detective, in all of Mousedom!"

Before he could humiliate Basil any further, he noticed Genevieve Flaversham standing near her father. The girl clutched her hands into fists, and kept her glare firm at him. Then Ratigan decided to make his move at her and walked towards her and put on his best smile.

"Ah, you must be Flaversham's eldest, and most beautiful daughter, Genevieve Rose Flaversham," he said casually, stroking her cheek. She flinched away from his touch and he took her hand kissing it. "I've been waiting for this moment for years."

"What are you talking about?" she hissed, not comfortable of Ratigan kissing her hand.

"Why you have arrived to become my bride," he said smoothly.

"WHAT?" Genevieve exclaimed in horror and disgust and took her hand away. Basil and Dawson flinched with the same reaction, they couldn't believe that the professor would want to marry the girl.

"You're speechless, I see," Ratigan said, chuckling. "A fine quality in a little wife."

"But why? We've only just met. How could I possibly marry you? And how do you know my full name?"

"I have been watching you during my times of hiding, and your beauty and my love for you…" he touched her cheek tenderly. "These are new feelings. For your full name, I have my secrets."

"Ratigan how dare you talk to me about my beauty and your love?" The teen snapped. "You live under the ground. How can you possibly love me? You never even saw me until right now."

"For some secretive reasons," Ratigan replied, and with a smirk he took Genevieve's hand and guided her so she could seen every inch in front of his henchmen. "My friends, here is the moment we've all been waiting for.

Ratigan got down on one knee and took Genevieve's hands in his own, and said, "Genevieve Rose Flaversham, I want you to be my bride and join me in matrimony."

The girl couldn't believe her ears. First, this rat has abducted her close family members and now he asks for her hand in marriage. Just the mere thought of marrying a criminal made her cringe in terror.

"Are you kidding me? I will never marry you! I would rather die than be your queen! You have stolen my father and you kidnapped my sister! You filthy, lying, slimy, son of a b…." Genevieve attempted to swear at Ratigan, until the professor placed his hand over her mouth to prevent her from saying a curse word.

"It'd be best not to say inappropriate words to a gentleman," he reprimanded her and his face turned to threat. "If you don't accept my proposal, I'll let you father and little sister suffer under consequences they'll never forget."

"Ginny!" a familiar child's voice called out in fear.

Genevieve looked over to see her sister, being held hostage in another green bottle by one of Ratigan's goons. The poor little girl struggled to break free by banging her hands against the glass, but it was no use for her.

"Olivia!" the girl cried and hurried over to her sister, but Ratigan wrapped his arms around her waist to halt her.

"What are you planning to do with my sister?" she demanded.

Then there was a loud meow, and Genevieve gasped in terror to see Felicia the cat. Olivia, still inside the bottle, looked back and screamed in terror at the sight of Ratigan's cat. The little girl laid on the surface and covered her head. Felicia licked her chops, waiting for another tasty meal.

"Unless you don't marry me," Ratigan warned, "I'll feed your family to my cat! You have a choice, Ms. Flaversham. Be my wife or your family will die!"

Genevieve gasped and froze in terror. How could this villain be so heartless? The poor girl would never let anyone harm her family, friends, and herself. Never had she felt so much pain, since her last suitor cheated on her, and shattered her heart to a million pieces like a puzzle. When she met Basil, she didn't let him in her personal space, but for some reason the detective was healing her heart, little by little. But then, Ratigan came along and threatened to kill her family, and once more her heart shattered again.

The girl turned back to the professor and gave a sigh; she held her hands together and looked down at them.

"You have my word," she replied. "I'll do it, for my family."

Ratigan gave a smile and held out his hand. Genevieve hesitantly, but without resisting took his hand and looked down in sorrow, feeling ashamed. Basil, Hiram, Dawson, and Olivia looked in horror, that Genevieve had accepted Ratigan's proposal, even though they knew she would never do that. Poor Hiram, locked in his cell, was horrified, his eldest daughter was forced to marry Ratigan, and she accepted the professor's proposal.

"No, Genevieve! I won't let you do this!" Hiram cried in terror.

Basil grew angry, not only did this criminal planned to harm Mr. Flaversham, but this fiend was planning to marry the girl. The mere thought of this totally enraged the detective and he clenched his teeth.

"Ratigan… So help me… I'll see you behind bars yet!" the detective yelled.

"You fool!" Ratigan shouted directly in the detective's face. "Isn't it clear to you?" The professor lifted Basil by the coat and hoisted him in the air and shook him. "The superior mind has triumphed! I've won!"

He dropped the detective and laughed. Fidget and the other henchmen joined in to laugh at the detective. With the entire room filling with laughter and jeering, poor Basil's stubborn faced turned into defeat and slumped his posture. He never felt so defeated in his life, and his heart was broken because, Genevieve had accepted Ratigan's marriage proposal to save her family.

Dawson wanted to help the detective, but he didn't know how. Genevieve wanted to help Basil, but she was blocked by Ratigan and was trapped. All hope of rescuing her family went down the drain, and tears filled her eyes. Genevieve was so devastated, the man who helped her grew to be more than a friend to her, but felt true emotional feelings for him. But she was filled with so many emotions, that she dropped to her knees and began to sob.

The professor continued to laugh in hysterics and pointed teasingly at poor Basil, and his laugh echoed throughout the area, "Oh I love it, I love it! How I love it, I love it, I love it!"


Well, we've finally reached a new high point in this story; Basil, Dawson, and Genevieve are finally face-to-face with Ratigan. Basil and Dawson have been captured, and Genevieve is forced to marry Ratigan to save her family. The next chapters are going to be a challenge, but I can do this! Stay tuned!