Jack sat in the booth, waiting for Aqua. Their first official date. Or rather, one that wasn't brought on by the contract. He decided to mark the occasion special, by getting flowers. He went with a bouquet that reminded him of her when he walked into the shop one with lavender roses, light purple carnations, pink Gerbera daisies, light pink mini carnations and purple trachelium, dotted with green foliage.

Only, as he waited, Aqua never showed. She was many things but punctual was one of them. She never kept him waiting before. Had she… reconsidered dating him? Had their first kiss been that bad? No one else ever complained before but he had to wonder. He anxiously looked around, wondering if she just couldn't see him where she was. Still, he waited. An hour rolled by, and Jack had finally given into despair. She wasn't coming. She would have let him know in advance if she couldn't meet him. She was the responsible sort that way.

However, a small worry plucked the back of his mind.

Even if she had reconsidered their relationship, Aqua was the sort of woman who would have told him directly to his face. She wouldn't have played with his emotions. Her heart was too gentle for something like that. She was also a terrible liar. Her poker face would have gotten her eaten up at the card games he attended. Though, the thought of having her there as his luck…

He shook his head.

Back to the task at hand. He stood. The flowers were crushed in his grip. The wait staff were clearly alarmed when he stormed out. Just as he was about to head for his car, he found a man – dressed in black – waiting for him. Immediately, Jack drew the gun from the holster under his jacket and leveled it at the man. Normally, strangers didn't go calling upon him.

"Ah, Mister Frost. I've been sent by Kozmotis Pitchiner… He has a message for you."

"I'm not interested," Jack hissed.

He had half a mind to shoot the man right then and there. He was in such a foul mood. Hurt and angry because Aqua never showed.

"You most assuredly will be."

The 'messenger' drew something from his breast pocket. Jack would have shot him immediately if he hadn't seen the small napkin. As much as he hated to admit it, Aqua made him soft enough not to shoot him on sight and loot whenever this 'message' was later. He glowered at the man as he took his time unfolding it. And the flowers dropped from his hand when he saw a lock of blue hair.

Pitch Black had Aqua.

Aqua looked up. Her head ached something fierce. The last thing she remembered was seeing Jack across the street. She had waved and had been about to cross over to join him but then… someone had grabbed her, stuffing her in the back of a car. She had tried to reach out to Jack but… Of course they had used chloroform. She wanted to scream in frustration but she had to keep calm. This wasn't the Guardians she was dealing with. This was someone else. Something new was never good, not when the mobs were involved.

Aqua furrowed her brow. Her head felt so foggy that it was hard to even string two thoughts together. First, she was aware of being cold. A chill running down both her arms and central to her wrists. When she tried to pull them close, she found her arms wouldn't budge. Blearily she cracked open an eye, wincing at the darkness of the room. Only a few candles lit the small room and she could see shadows all around her.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up." a voice said, "We did go through all of the trouble to bring you here."

Bring her here? Aqua's fogged brain strained to figure out what that meant but then she remembered. She had been on her way home when two men jumped her outside of her work. Again. She had even been more careful since the first time. She had taken different routes out of work every day. She had staggered her leaving times. Never leaving at the same time even if her shift was over. She had been so careful!

She managed to crane her head back. Horror dawned on her when she realized her hands were chained over her head to a pipe in the wall. Trying to wrench them away only served to make the chains rattle. Chains. She was chained up. Her heart raced within her chest. Fear started to choke her up. She couldn't let them see, couldn't let them know how terrified she was.

"The boss is talking to you!"

She barely had time to turn before a brutish hand struck her across the face. She was proud for biting back the whimper of pain that nearly escaped her. Pain seared across her cheek. Her head was forced to snap to the side with the blow. Aqua still couldn't see a thing in the room. Just shadows and flickering candlelight.

"Now now, none of that," the first voice scolded, "When will you learn we must treat our guests with respect? Not break them so quickly…"

Break… She took a deep breath, willing herself to be calm. This wasn't the Guardians she was used to dealing with. They didn't resort to chloroform and chains. This was another gang. She knew that if she pushed this gang too far, they would hurt her or worse. They had already shown they had no qualms with hurting her. She didn't even know who had her. Or where she was. Or if they had already decided to kill her. Her life was inconsequential to the men in the room.

"W-Who are you?"

Her voice was weak, raspy and paper thin in the large room. She could feel the emptiness that surrounded her. The only furnishing the room had was a single chair with her chained to said chair, and all of the men surrounding her. She closed her eyes and willed back a surge of fear. She was alone with strange men who had no qualms with hurting her. No one knew she was missing.

"My name is Pitch Black," the first voice said, "Frost hasn't mentioned me to you?"

So he knew that she was around Jack. What else did he know? The thought sent a chill down her spine. What if he knew where she lived? Were Elsa and Ven safe? She had to do whatever she could to ensure her survival. Whatever it took.

"I don't understand."

"Frost. The Guardian. He's been seen with you."

Aqua cringed. How long had they been watching? What did they know? She had been careful up until the night that she had gone dancing with Jack. Then again… she had gone grocery shopping with him. And had lots of lunches with him in public places. So perhaps she hadn't been as careful as she had thought?

"I d-"

"Don't lie to me!"

The demand echoed throughout the room and Aqua flinched. Pitch had finally stepped into the little light that the room had to offer. He was a tall man, all sharp angles and startling yellow eyes. His suit was made of some expensive black material that seemed almost otherworldly in the dim light. Ominous for certain. The look he was giving her promised nothing good to come. He seized her by the chin and forced her to look up at him. His vile yellow eyes practically burned in the darkness as he gripped her so hard her teeth cut into her cheeks.

"Listen, I pull bullets out of mobsters. You can't scare me."

He laughed darkly and let go of her face. She considered spitting out the blood but didn't want to earn the ire of the man any more than she already had. However, she realized there was no point. Surely, Jack wasn't going to come to her rescue. He wasn't a white knight, but she was a damsel and she was in distress. She clenched her fingers into the arm of the chair to hide her tremor.

"You couldn't face me directly. You sent your lackies after me!"

"The Guardians made it difficult."

Oddly, she was pleased to hear that. It meant they had been keeping their part of her and Jack's deal. That spending time with Jack truly had paid off, in ways more than one. She could see him being offended that she had doubted him. After all, he insisted he was a man of his word. Her comfort was the forefront of his mind when he took her out on their dates.

"Gee, wonder why. You two have been at each other's throats for years."

"This isn't about them... I'm talking to you," Pitch said, redirecting their conversation. "You're going to tell me everything I want to know about Jack Frost."

Aqua's bravado wavered. She may have given Jack grief about being a hardened criminal but this man had kidnapped her off the streets and already his underlings had done her harm. He wouldn't shed a tear if she were battered, beaten or bloodied in the process of getting whatever information he wanted. But... this was Jack he was talking about.

"Then you're an idiot," she bluffed, "Jack won't do anything to save me. I'm just some girl he hired."

"We'll have to see about that."

She grit her teeth as he loomed over her.

"I won't ask again... where is she?" he demanded, emphasis on every word he spat out.

Jack had not been kind in extracting the information he wanted from the messenger. The man looked on the cusps of death itself. With Jack standing over him impassively. A dark look in his eyes. The bouquet lay in a pool of blood, the flowers ruined and stained. Annoyed that the flowers would go to waste, Jack glared at the lackey in front of him. Blood splattered across his suit and one of his arms was bent at an odd angle.

"I… don't know," the man coughed. "I was told to deliver the message and I did."

He sighed in relief when Jack raised the gun away from him. Perhaps he had been about to plead and beg for his life. After all, Jack was the Frozen Prince of the Guardians. He didn't weep over the men he killed. He was a cold, efficient killer. That was what had scared Aqua off of him in the first place. He had been doing so well, not giving into the dark impulses, but now, with his evening ruined and Aqua in danger, he had fallen off the wagon once more.

"I believe you," Jack said.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do."

The gun was leveled with the man once more and a shot rang out before the man could even give a startled cry. Jack simply re-holstered the gun and got into his car. He had to get help. The flowers he had gotten for Aqua were left behind in the pool of blood. The other Guardians would know what to do.