"Hello" White said into the mouthpiece

"It's me" Max answered

"452" he said associating the voice with the number

"I knew you'd call"

"Yea, so what's the deal here, where do you wanna meet" Max said, trying to put as much anger and hostility into her voice as she could manage.

White glanced over at Joshua who he had tied to a chair, and then back to the dinner he was attempting to cook on the stove.

"My house in 10" he said and hung up the phone.

White carefully removed the sauce from the element, and set it to one side to cool. Then he reached open the oven and took out the tray which contained, a roasted chicken surrounded by a succulent array of vegetables. Why he had taken so much trouble to prepare this meal? White had no idea. All he knew was that Max would be here any minute, and that meant, that he had to get a move on.

As he hurried to set the plates around the table, a muffled gruffling erupted from the other room. Joshua was waking up.

More inconvenienced than alarmed, White placed down the candles he had been working into their holders, and returned to where Joshua was tied.

For a moment he just stood there, watching as Joshua writhed his hands to bloody pulps, as he tried without success, to free himself from the wire, which held him. Then, when he could take no more of this insolent creatures stupidity, White stepped up and smacked him across the face.

"That's enough" He spat.

"What do you think you're doing? Do you want Max to see you like this?" He spoke to Joshua as an angry parent would speak to their child.

A look of bewilderment and hope showed itself on Joshua's face. He sadly tossed his head to one side.

"Yes, that's right" White confirmed.

"Max will be here any moment" He smiled and seemed to stare off into oblivion.

"And I can hardly wait" He grinned maliciously and left the room.

By now, Joshua was in a right panic. He wanted so badly to be free, but unfortunately, considering his current situation, his freedom could only come at Max's…. Max's what? Joshua pondered. What exactly was White planning to do to her? Of all the horrible and twisted things, that White's name could be credited for having done, somehow, cooking dinner for his enemy and then killing them, was something Joshua felt didn't quite make sense. He could smell the delicious aroma's of the meal that White was preparing in the other room, and with Joshua's heightened senses of smell, which came only with the canine DNA brandished deep within his genome, he could pick out every ingredient. There were sweet potatoes, and exotic sauces to match; there were onions…there was pasta…oh to be at that table! He thought sadly to himself.

But why was White doing this? Why?

Although Joshua's IQ was ashamedly low, even he knew that he was only a pawn in White's plans for Max. Even he understood that White had abducted him only to get at Max, and to bring her here. But the one thing that Joshua couldn't understand was why? Surely whatever it was, it would not be pleasant for Max.

Joshua began to whimper helplessly until White reappeared. In his hand he held three things, a spoon and two cans.

"Now, I didn't know which one you'd prefer, so I bought you two different kinds" White's eyes gleamed and he looked down at his watch.

Joshua wasn't sure what he was getting at…Two kinds of what?

The letters on the cans read out….D-O-G…F-O-O-D but poor Joshua couldn't read!

"I've only got 3 minutes so you'd better hurry up with your decision making." White said impatiently, and when Joshua still did not answer he tore the lid of the can he held in his left hand.

"Duck liver it is then" he breathed and took a large, foul helping out and began removing Joshua's gag.

"Good choice, not exactly the choice I would have picked for myself you understand, but then…"

"Hey" he cursed angrily as Joshua gagged on the jellied curd and spat it back out.

"Eat up" He ordered harshly and forced the food down his throat, even holding his nostrils firmly closed, till he swallowed it.

It tasted so awful that tears sprang from Joshua's eyes. Already he was dreading that other spoon that White was already filling for him.

White buzzed the spoon around like an airplane and cruelly shoved it inside Joshua's mouth.

"Come on boy! Eat up" He urged encouragingly, as Joshua wretched again, and again.

"Time's a wasting"

* * *

Max increased her pace to a brisk walk, as she neared the corner to White's street. Her mind was such a hive of thoughts that she felt almost giddy and faint. Although she knew that she was crazy to have come, and that walking into his house would probably be the last journey that she ever took, but she had to free Joshua. Against her better judgement she had opted not to inform Alec and Logan about this, and had instead, come alone and in secret. The more people involved, the harder it would be. She just wanted to get in there, get Joshua and then…and then…

The memory of White's lips, pressed lightly against hers in a tender kiss, came back to her and suddenly, Max was afraid. More afraid than ever before, what exactly was White planning for her tonight? Why had he kissed her back in the warehouse? Why had she let him? Why had she left? But Max already knew the answer to the last two questions. She had let him kiss her because she had wanted him to kiss her, and she had left because she had liked it.

Goosebumps flared across her exposed flesh and Max wrapped her arms around herself tightly. She wished that she had worn her jacket instead of this singlet. She quickly adjusted her metabolism to fight against the cold, being an X5; this technique was always at her disposal, but still she felt chilled and nervous. She hesitantly approached White's front door and raised her hand to the buzzer.

Wait! What the hell am I thinking? She stopped herself.

Here she was, walking into an obvious trap at the house of her arch nemesis and she was about to announce her arrival by ringing the buzzer? How stupid. She ducked away from the door and into the shadows of the bushes; she'd have to find another entrance.

* * *

"Your friend's late" White snarled at Joshua, after he had finished feeding.

Joshua growled back and for it he received another hit in the snout.

"Where is she!"? White roared and kicked the chair Joshua was sitting on, to the floor.

"I was so sure this would work! That she would come!" He looked down at Joshua.

"But I guess she doesn't care about you after all. Hell why would she ever care for such a disgusting creature as you anyway. She doesn't care for m…" White stopped himself abruptly and sat down on the floor beside Joshua.

He took a breath and rolled back a corner of the mat.

From where he lay, Joshua could see what was underneath that mat, what was underneath the loose floor boards that White was now lifting and reaching into, and as the collection of knives, tasers and other torturous weapons were removed and scattered on the floor, Joshua began to scream.

AN: Sorry to the readers that love Joshua and think he's a really cool and funny character, because I do not share your beliefs. In fact I really hate Joshua with a passion and this chapter was especially fun for me to write J tehe!