Prepare to be surprised at what is to come in this chapter! Feel free to critique me when need be.

Chapter 12: Caught by Ratigan

Kaitlin's POV

I was the first to make it to Ratigan's hideout before Basil, Dawson, and Fidget. When I got there, I watched the scene where Kitty sang her song, Fidget gazing at the mouse girls with ga-ga eyes (which I found cute), the bar fight, and Basil and Dawson following Fidget through the pipes. I stifled a laugh when Dawson let out an "D'OW!". I'll admit that Basil looked hot in his sailor suit. I put my necklace away, safely tucking it under my scarf.

"Back so soon, my dear?" a familiar voice asked me.

I gasped at the rat coming my way. "Ratigan! It was YOU! One of your henchmen must've taken Hiram and Olivia from me!"

"How very smart of you, Miss Kaitlin," Ratigan said mockingly.

"Don't you Miss Kaitlin me, you no good MOUSE WANNA BE!" I spat.

Ratigan appeared astonished by my outburst. "Boys, take this little brat to the dungeon with the Flavershams."

A couple of mouse thugs started to grab my arms, but I punched them to get off me. "Good, but I can go by myself, thank you!" I stormed off in a huff to find the Flavershams in the dungeon.

A lizard named Bill unlocked the dungeon to let me in and closed the door. "Olivia! Hiram!" I cried, "Thank goodness I found you and you're okay!"

"We're very glad you found us, too, Kaitlin," Hiram said.

I looked worriedly at Olivia. "Olivia, your shoes, coat, scarf, and hat!"

"I'll get them back eventually," Olivia said, more unsure than what she hoped, "Hopefully." She sighed and started to sing:

Here comes a wave meant to wash me away,

A tide that is taking me under.

Broken again, left with nothing to say;

My voice drowned out in the thunder.

I gasped, hearing Olivia's pretty voice. I never heard her sing before.

But I can't cry

And I can't start to crumble

Whenever they try

To shut me or cut me down.

"You can sing," I said, "Don't let anyone get to you."

I can't stay silent

Though they want to keep me quiet

And I tremble when they try it.

All I know is I won't go speechless...

Ratigan unlocked the door and pulled me away from them once again. How could this happen? I made a deal with him just so I could get them back, but no, he had his lackeys take them away from me! He used me! Ugh! He was going to get it!

Third Person POV

During Kaitlin's predicament, Basil and Dawson were already in the sewers below the pub listening to Fidget hum to the song, "Let Me Be Good to You". The two mice watched as the bat carried a lantern with him, hopping from stone to stone and placing his lantern inside the opening of the pipe, while climbing in with a grunt. "Let me be good to you," Fidget sang Miss Kitty's song as he'd done so. Basil waved to Dawson to come along and follow Fidget as Fidget hummed and sang. "So dream on and drink your beer," Fidget continued to sing joyfully, clueless that Basil and Dawson were following. "Your baby's here…"

As Fidget grew farther away from them in the distance, it took Dawson only a second to take a glimpse of him leaving with a light. "Basil…" Dawson said, louder than he intended, so Basil quickly shushed him.

Basil climbed up the pipe before poking his head. "Follow me," he commanded in a whisper.

Dawson started to climb after him. "Great Scott! I can't see a thing!" Dawson exclaimed in aggravation.

"Grab onto my coat and follow along," Basil instructed, but then noticed Dawson going the wrong way when Dawson's eyes slowly adjusted. "No, no, no, not that way! Dawson, look out for your-"

Dawson hit his head with a loud bang against the loose lid. "D'OW!" he cried in pain, "Confound it!" He massaged his head.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Dawson asked, once he recovered.

"But of course," Basil said confidently as he continued to lead the way. "Left turn...right turn here, Doctor…"

What seemed like an eternity of climbing through the pipes with so many twists and turns, they finally made it when Basil opened the grate of Ratigan's secret hideout. Seeing the golden "R" engraved on the barrel, Basil realized he and Dawson came across Ratigan's lair. "A-ha! Dawson, we found it!" Basil hissed with excitement, "Ratigan's secret lair." He climbed out and lifted the grate so that Dawson could climb up. "And it's filthier than I imagined." Basil set the grate down gently.

Basil and Dawson crept towards a corner to see if there were any thugs in sight. What was strange to them, mostly Basil, was that everything in the palace was eerily quiet, yet they could see a light in the barrel, which meant someone was home.

"Look, the bottle!" Basil gasped.

For all they knew, it was Olivia trapped in the bottle. So they rushed over to it with her confined inside. Basil climbed up to the bottle's neck, trying to pull out the cork while Dawson stood beside it. "It's stuck!" Basil strained.

"Olivia?" Dawson said, knocking on the bottle to get Olivia's attention, only to be stunned to see Fidget in there, grinning and smooching as Fidget wore Olivia's coat, scarf, hat, and shoes to trick them.

"SURPRISE!" Ratigan's thugs shouted, making Basil fall off the bottle in surprise.

The gang outside of Ratigan's barrel clapped and laughed. Confetti rained all over Ratigan's hideout from the ceiling, balloons floated, and a banner unfurled, written "Welcome Basil!" on it. Ratigan stood outside his barrel, clapping his hands. "Bravo! Bravo!" Basil and Dawson turned to see him in shock. "A marvelous performance!" Ratigan cackled wickedly as he went down the steps of his barrel to approach the detective, who glared at him and gritted his teeth at the sight of his arch-nemesis.

Kaitlin followed Ratigan downstairs with a distraught look on her face and went to Dawson so Basil could deal with Ratigan. "Are you alright, Kaitlin, dear?" Dawson asked her.

"No," she replied sadly, "Ratigan's gang took Olivia and Hiram away." She hugged Dawson as she started to sob, tears falling from her blue eyes. "I never saw it coming!"

"There, there, there, we'll get them back," Dawson said.

Basil looked at the crying girl with concern and then at Ratigan.

Ratigan pulled out a gold pocket watch from his vest pocket and opened it with a smirk. "Though, frankly, I expected you fifteen minutes earlier. Trouble with the chemistry set, old boy?"

"Basil and Ratigan don't have the same watches," Kaitlin whispered to Dawson as her weeping died down. "You and Basil didn't see this coming."

"No, we haven't, child," Dawson agreed.

"Different time frames, I might add."

Basil appeared stunned at Ratigan's comment, caught off-guard, but then he smiled cooly. "Ratigan, no one can have a higher opinion of you than I have…" Basil's face changed to anger as he clenched his fists to his sides, adding with his best insult that he could muster, "And I think you're a slimy, contemptible, sewer rat!"

"You tell him, Basil," said Kaitlin, who felt a little better from crying and gave the detective a small smile. He winked at her and glared at Ratigan.

Ratigan's thugs gasped as Basil said the word Ratigan dreaded most. Ratigan, however, was unfazed by Basil's insult, so Ratigan held his temper as if the name calling never happened. The rat snapped his pocket watch shut and put it back in his vest pocket, while chuckling with amusement, "Oh, by the way, Basil…" Ratigan outstretched Basil's fake mustache to touch it, "I just love your disguise." With that sarcastic remark, he cruelly ripped it off his face, causing Basil to wince in pain and scowl. While the thugs laughed at Basil's affliction, Ratigan lifted Basil's chin up so Basil could look at him. The professor mockingly continued, "Really, one would hardly recognize you." Ratigan picked up Basil's sailor hat to get a better look at him and placed it back on his head with a chuckle. The rat shoved Basil mockingly. "The greatest…" Ratigan stifled a laugh. "...detective...in all Mousedom!" He broke into a fit of laughter along with his thugs. Seeing this reminded Kaitlin of 101 Dalmatians based on how Cruella shoved Roger Radcliffe, while Roger stood tall, standing up to her.

Ratigan stopped a moment to compose himself when Kaitlin stepped over to Basil, but the rat grabbed her wrist.

"Let her go," Basil ordered.

"Not a chance, Basil, she's mine now! We made a deal!"

Kaitlin fiercely freed her wrist from Ratigan's hand. In that moment, Fidget tried to lunge for her, about to grab her necklace for shining him in the face. Seeing this, she punched him in the face as payback for punching her in the toy store as he stole Olivia from her. "That's for hitting a girl, creep!" she shouted, glaring at him and smiled knowing that karma finally hit him. "Boys shouldn't hit girls."

"She already talked to me about this and the only reason she did that was to get the Flavershams back just like she promised," Basil said. "When she keeps her promise, she doesn't break it."

Kaitlin nodded, knowing he was right.

"I underestimated her," Basil sighed with guilt, "She'd taken good care of Olivia."

"Take a good look at this," Ratigan sneered and showed him the contract Kaitlin signed. Basil was about to snatch it from him, but to no avail. "You see? The contract's legal, binding, and unbreakable - even for YOU!" Basil gasped, but the rat had more to say, "Of course, I've always been a boy with an eye for a bargain. This human girl from the future is a precious commodity as well as Olivia and Hiram. But I might be willing to let you join them for reconciliation." Ratigan handed him a quill pen he handed Kaitlin before she signed the contract.

Kaitlin shook her head at Basil, suggesting he shouldn't do it.

"Kaitlin already told us about her being a human from the future."

"So do we have a deal?" Ratigan asked with a sinister smirk.

Giving in, Basil sighed as he signed the contract to join Kaitlin, Olivia, and Hiram by being a prisoner as they were.

"Ha! It's done then!" Ratigan cackled.

"Basil?" Kaitlin said and to Ratigan, she added venomously, "You MONSTER!"

"Don't toy me with me, brat!" Ratigan retorted.

"Don't speak to her like that!" Dawson scolded.

Kaitlin looked at the bottle Olivia was in. "Olivia, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Kaitlin!" Olivia told her and although her voices were muffled inside, Kaitlin and Dawson could hear her. "I saw Basil sign the contract for us." Olivia continued her song Kaitlin had sung in the bar.

Written in stone

Every rule, every word;

Centuries old and unbending.

Stay in your place,

Better seen and not heard.

Well, now that story is ending.

Basil went to join Dawson and Kaitlin.

'Cause I

I cannot start to crumble.

So come on and try.

Try to shut me and cut me down!

"Is Olivia singing the song Kaitlin sang in the bar?" Basil asked and they nodded as Olivia continued, with more volume.

I won't be silenced!

You can't keep me quiet.

Won't tremble when you try it.

All I know is I won't go speechless.

Speechless!

Ratigan's gang were soon distracted and enthralled by the little girl's beautiful voice.

Let the storm in.

I cannot be broken.

No, I won't live unspoken

'Cause I know that I won't go speechless.

"I saw the older girl sing this in the bar when she wasn't looking," Fidget said, "But this girl can sing?" He was shocked to hear Olivia sing.

Try to lock me in this cage,

I won't just lay me down and die.

I will take these broken wings

And watch me burn across the sky

As it echoes saying...

Kaitlin joined her for the first part of the lyrics until Olivia sang the rest of it alone.

I won't be silenced,

Though you want to see me tremble when you try it.

All I know is I won't go speechless.

Speechless!

"You're doing it, Olivia!" Dawson, Basil, and Kaitlin cheered.

'Cause I'll breathe

When they try to suffocate me!

Don't you underestimate me!

'Cause I know that I won't go speechless!

All I know is I won't go speechless!

Speechless!

Kaitlin and Olivia sang the last word in unison, concluding the song. When the song ended, a familiar figure wrapped his arms around Kaitlin's waist, making her grunt. She knew it was Ratigan just by looking at him.

"You think you outwitted me, but I'm a patient man."

"What are you doing?" Kaitlin demanded.

"I was just imagining a rope around your neck," Ratigan answered as he sniffed and rubbed his face against her hair.

Luckily, the girl-turned mouse pulled away before he caused any more harassment and assault towards her. "I know what you're imagining!" she snarled defiantly.

"Such a clever witch," Ratigan told her. "So typical of your kind to twist the truth. To cloud the mind of unholy thoughts. Well, no matter. You've chosen a magnificent prison, but it is a prison, nonetheless. Step one foot outside and you're mine."

"You're wrong, you sick twisted rat!" Kaitlin sneered under her breath as Ratigan laughed.

Basil's chest heaved as he spoke in anger, "Ratigan, so help me...I'll see you behind bars YET!"

"You fool!" Ratigan raged, right in Basil's face. "Isn't it clear to you?" Ratigan picked him up and shook him with as much strength and power he had. "The superior mind has triumphed! I've won!" Ratigan exclaimed triumphantly as he dropped Basil to the ground.

Fidget, who recovered from Kaitlin's punch, joined in the jeering laughter along with the other thugs, laughing at Basil. Basil steeled himself from the cruel laughter, but his ego deflated as he lowered his head in shame at the face of it all. That shame showed that despite letting his annoying ego get in the way, he cared about others, and felt ashamed for how he treated Dawson, Olivia, Kaitlin, and many others.

Dawson wanted to help, but didn't know how. Kaitlin watched Basil being bullied and decided when she'd had enough. "Don't worry, Basil," Kaitlin said softly, "I'll help you."

Ratigan held onto his chest, pointing as he continued sadistically laughing at Basil. "Oh, I love it! I love it! Oh, I love it! I love it! I love it!"

"SHUT UP!" Kaitlin shouted with her fiery temper, making Ratigan and his gang stop laughing as she used her power from within her necklace.

"How dare you defy me!" Ratigan pointed his finger at her in anger, infuriated with the girl defending his enemy.

"You minions should be ashamed of yourselves!" Kaitlin shouted, closing her necklace, "Don't you see Ratigan's using you before your very eyes?" She then pointed to Fidget, "Especially YOU, Fidget! This should be you - all of you!" The bat flinched, knowing he was included. Turning to Ratigan, she added, "You mistreat these poor mouse detectives, your minions, including your bat the same way you mistreated my people! You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those who are in most need of your help!"

"SILENCE!" Ratigan bellowed.

"JUSTICE!" Kaitlin yelled back.

"Mark my words, Princess: You will pay for this insolence!"

"Well, then it appears we have crowned the wrong fool," the girl-turned mouse said, doing a mock bow. "The only fool I see is YOU, sewer rat!" With that, she pressed the button to make a crown for Ratigan that said "FOOL" on it, making him wear it. She covered her mouth as she giggled, seeing the rat flustered.

Olivia blew a raspberry at the mean lot, much to Kaitlin's amusement. Although it was childish, Fidget and the thugs deserved it.

Kaitlin glowered at the bad crowd, adding, "If any of you sons of rats have ANYTHING else to say, NOW IS THE FREAKING TIME!" Seeing everyone silent, she added, "No? Good." With the push of a button, she pressed "POOF", so she could go from place to place inside Ratigan's hideout just to annoy the gang.

"Witchcraft?" Ratigan said, astonished by the girl's magic that came from her necklace. "I must have that necklace!" He grabbed her by the hand, saying, "You're coming with me, my dear!"

Astonished and angry, Kaitlin said, "Are you nuts? This doesn't make any sense! Basil signed the contract so he can join us, fair and square! So I'd rather DIE with them than join you, you jerk!" With that, she kicked him in the leg, so she could get away.

"You naughty little brat!" Ratigan slapped her so hard, she landed on the cobblestone floor, her vision turning black, much to Olivia's, Basil's, and Dawson's shock. Basil returned to his somber state, failing to protect the girl-turned mouse. The rat had already taken her necklace.

AN: All of you are wondering what Ratigan intends to do with her necklace. You're about to find out.