Author's Note: Firstly, an apology to all of you: I am sorry for how inconsistent I have been and will likely continue to be with reviews and updates. Writing fanfiction is not my main focus at the moment, though it is something I miss, terribly. Saw 3D left a bad taste in my mouth and I am still desperate for a sense of closure from the entire series. It's not over yet, not to me. In the meantime, I'm trying something new while finding comfort in the original Saw trilogy and my first love: J/A. There's nothing like blurring the lines for these two. It's going to be bittersweet- heartbreaking at times –but it's also going to shed some light on their dark world. Secondly, I would like to make dedication: to my dear friend Riss –DirtyLittleGleek. This collection- particularly this piece of it –would not exist without her influence and encouragement. I hope you like it.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." –Helen Keller.

Time is Precious
-somewhere between Saw II and III-

"Count backwards from sixty."

"What? Why?"

"Quickly. One number per second: start now."

"Um... sixty. Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight. Fifty-seven. Fifty-si ... why am I doing this?"

"It's a game. Just play along."

"But why?"

"You're counting, Amanda. And keep in mind that twelve seconds have passed between your hesitance and this conversation."

"Right. Forty- um... four? Forty-three. Forty-two." She pauses but decides against voicing another question or objection. She calculates the time lost and resumes. "Thirty-six. Thirty-five. Thirty-four..."

Twenty-two seconds pass. Amanda recites numbers with a steady pace and an uncertain tone. She looks at John with an unspoken question in her eyes, but resolves that humoring him is not such a bad thing and the remaining seconds will pass quickly enough.

"Twelve. Eleven. Ten. Nine. Eight. Sev-"

"Stop."

"What?"

"Sixty seconds have passed and you only spoke fifty-two numbers."

"Okay... so, what?"

"Nothing. I simply want you to understand the concept of one minute. How slowly and how quickly those sixty seconds go by. You miscalculated that just now. You can't do that again."

"But..."

"When you are choosing how many seconds you set a timer for, consider each and every one of them, how precious they are. Imagine if I had give you eight seconds less."

Amanda shivers at the unwelcome mental image of her reverse bear trap snapping closed mere moments after she managed to remove it. She blinks, attempting to banish the memory.

"A few seconds can make all the difference." John continues. "It could mean death or survival. Right now, you counted fifty-two seconds when there were actually sixty."

"I was... confused."

"As you certainly would be, in any kind of game."

"Oh." Amanda can't think of anything else to say. She is painfully aware that seventeen seconds go by with absolute silence between them. "Well," she breaks the silence with the first thing she can think of. "You could have made me count forward."

"I suppose so. But you had to concentrate more to think backward, didn't you? You couldn't use the logical order of what comes next. You had to consider what happened before, the previous number."

"Right... Okay."

He nods in the direction of the device she's been building. "How long were you planning to set that timer for?"

"Two minutes."

"Have you changed your mind?"

"Yeah," she nods. "At least another eight seconds."

"You don't have to do that. Just think, Amanda. Could you, personally, escape from that device in two minutes or less?"

"Yeah. I think so..." she glances at her creation once again. "Actually, I know I could."

"Then leave it at two minutes."

"But I thought..."

"I wasn't ordering you to add more time. I was simply reminding you to consider each second you do allow your subject."

She nods, suddenly speechless.

"Consider what will be going through his head. Account for factors such as panic, confusion, and hesitation; but you can only be so lenient... Just remember your own test."

Another shiver passes through her. "I will."