The later the night got, the more concerned Annie grew. She knew Oliver had to have found them by this point—well, the castle, at the very least. The fact that he'd yet to come even close to the dungeon, though, made her surer and surer that these were about to be her last moments. It was a thought that absolutely terrified her. There were so many things she hadn't been able to say—to everyone. She wanted to apologize to Hannah and Molly, for ever getting them in this mess, and for probably being the reason they'd die overseas, far away from either of their respective families. Of course, Molly didn't have a living family any longer, but if she were to pass, shouldn't she at least have the chance to be near he Fishers? And, Hannah… she'd done nothing wrong this entire trip except try and help them stay out of danger. If they'd listened when Molly wanted to be stowed in the trunk, she'd have never gotten the concussion. Maybe Oliver and Grace wouldn't have fought, then. Maybe nothing would've happened with Darlene in the first place. He'd have seen his flame, they'd have caught up like normal people, and there would be no talk of dungeons or death or not being around your family when it all came down to it.

And, her family. She wanted to see them just one more time, even if it was only for a minute. She wanted to hug Grace, say how sorry she truly was for all the stuff she'd put her through over the years. It was true, her imagination ran wild every single day. She got into trouble with Hannah, she got into trouble with Molly, she got into trouble at school, she got in trouble literally everywhere she turned, and Grace was the one who had to put up with the brunt of it. Oliver only expressed his disproval; Grace took it to heart, felt like it was a personal failure on her side as a parent. Why couldn't Annie have just learned to behave? She could be home right now—well, at the hotel—and she could be warm, drinking hot cocoa by the fireplace.

Then, her father. Oliver was one of the only adults she trusted, even now. Of course, she had faith in Punjab and the Asp, and the rest of the mansion staff, but Oliver was her protector. He was her daddy. She wanted to make him proud of her, make something out of the life he'd given her, but these days, it felt like all she did was fail. The disappointment he'd shown when Molly had gotten hurt… how could she be so careless? All the events that'd led her to this moment, she couldn't pinpoint on anyone else.

It was her. It was all her.

Now, she and Michael were trapped in a cold, dark dungeon with no hope, and he was about to die, too. And he didn't just have an Oliver and a Grace, either. He had both parents, plus a litany of brothers. How could she have let this happen?

"I'm so sorry," she whispered at some point, after what had seemed like an eternity in silence. Still with Michael's jacket draped around her, she felt safer with it, but so guilty and so sick, too. "Michael, I never meant for you to get stuck in this mess. If we make it out, you have every right never to talk to me again."

"You didn't know she had a castle, did you?" he sounded amused, but there was also a hint of caution, like he couldn't be sure. Annie sniffled.

"Of course not," she wiped her face. "But I roped you into all of it. I mean, you didn't have to hang out with us at the park. I made you come out because I was mad at Daddy. I'm the reason you were there with me. If I hadn't said anything, you'd be at home still. I'm so sorry, Michael."

He sighed a little. "You shouldn't be," he said, and now, he sounded absolutely genuine. "Bad things happen all the time. If anything, I'm probably more at fault than you are."

"How?"

There was a pause, and as this sort of tension filled the air, Annie felt her heart pick up. She'd asked the question so she could comfort Michael and tell him there was no way he was responsible, but now, she wasn't quite so sure she wanted to know why he blamed himself.

"I saw the car," he said after about a minute. "I'd seen it following us from Mum and Dad's to the park. I thought it was just a coincidence, so I didn't say anything. It was parked next to us for a little bit, but then it drove off, so I thought we were safe. Then, everything happened so quick." He sighed. "I should've said something, I'm usually really careful with st—"

"Sinister characters," Annie said, almost on autopilot. Even through the darkness, she could see him looking at her with curiosity, and she laughed, despite how awful everything was.

"Madame Charlotte said to watch out for 'em before we left," she said. "I think Mrs. Lewis counts."

"I like that better than 'strangers,''" he laughed a little, too. "I'm sorry, too. Really, I am. I should've made you come home earlier for dinner—we could've played ball in our backyard, anyways. We'd have been safer then."

She sniffled again. "Daddy's never gonna find us," she said. "I just wish I could hug him one last time."

He paused for a moment, again, as though unsure of how to respond. Then, he scooted closer, his hand grazing the top of hers. "I think we're going to be just fine," he said, though he wasn't at all confident in the statement. "I can feel it, he's close to finding us."

"Golly, I hope so," she hugged her knees to her chest. "I miss him. I even miss Hannah's nervousness. It comes in handy sometimes, I'm just realizing that."

He laughed. "We'll be out of here in the next hour," he said. "Trust me, okay?"

She looked at him, smiling though he couldn't tell. She nodded, and gently, she squeezed onto his palm, a gesture he returned almost at once.

She didn't know if she believed him. She knew he didn't believe himself.

It was a nice thought, though.

She was holding onto it with everything she had.

"Annie?" Oliver called out, perusing the walls of the castle, aimlessly, hopelessly, weakly. By now, Darlene and her daughter had both been arrested, but they weren't saying a word about where Annie and Michael were being kept. Hannah and Molly had been found, thankfully, and they were now safely heading back to the hotel with the Asp, but the search for Annie was going on four hours now. The longer he walked, the more hopeless he became. It was such a large place, with so many twists and turns and passages.

What if he never found her? What if this was it?

"Annie?" he asked again, raising his voice. He'd said her name easily over a thousand times since getting to the castle, and each time he did, he yearned for his family more and more. "Annie, it's me. It's Dad. Please, please tell me where you are."

He paused for a moment, as he'd gotten into the habit of doing every time he called out to her. Once again, there was nothing, and he sighed, rubbing his forehead. How could he go back to Grace, saying he'd recovered two of the children, but left two behind? Their marriage would never recover. He'd never forgive himself, either.

"Annie?" he heard his voice crack. "Annie?"

"Daddy?"

The voice was so faint, as first, he was sure he was hearing things. Chills went up and down his spine, and he paused, shaking his head. No. No, it couldn't have been.

Was it?

"Annie?" he inched closer to the wall. "Annie, Michael?"

"Daddy! Daddy, we're in here!"

This time, it was unmistakably his daughter. She was muffled, but it was her all the same, and all at once, every ounce of despair left him completely. He was close. He didn't know where she was, but he could hear her, and that was half the battle.

"Annie, keep talking," he said, strongly. "I don't know where I am, I don't know where you are. Talk to me until I figure out how I can get to you, alright?"

"Are Hannah and Molly okay?" she asked, voice growing louder as he turned a corner to the left. His heart picked up speed. He was so close. He was so close.

"We found them, they're perfectly alright," he said. "They're on their way back to the hotel right now, your mother will be waiting for us with them."

"Is Mommy alright?"

"Oh, she's scared out of her mind right now," Oliver chuckled. "I think it'll be the happiest day of her entire life once we get back to her. Keep talking, I can hear you better now."

"I'm so sorry, Daddy," she sniffled, loudly. "I didn't mean any of this."

"You're sorry?" he felt a lump rise in his throat. "Annie, no part of this was your fault. None of it, do you hear me?"

"I made Hannah and Molly come with me to the park," she said. "We were running from dinner, but we should've told you before. Or, we should've stayed. We just couldn't stand the thought of being around Mrs. Lewis."

He sighed, moving closer and coming face-to-face with a door. "Annie? Say something else."

"Daddy?" her voice sounded louder, as though she were only inches away. "Daddy, are you close?"

He placed his hand on the knob, expecting right away to have no success with turning it. He'd have to remember every turn he'd taken to get Punjab back here in a timely manner. It was heart-wrenching, the thought of leaving her while he tried to figure out a rescue plan, but at least he knew where she was now. Still, he couldn't help but try with the knob, and to his utter surprise, the door swung open, a dirtied, pale, and terrified Annie standing before him.

"Daddy!" she raced towards him, throwing her arms tight around his neck. "Daddy, it's so good to see you."

"Annie," he hugged her tighter than he ever had, swallowing as tears raced to his eyes. Pulling away, but not before a minute or so had passed, he cupped her face in his hands. "Sweetheart, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm tired, and I'm hungry," she laughed. "But I'm okay now."

He shook his head, kissing the top of hers. "Thank God," he whispered. "You're never to leave my sight again, okay? Ever."

"Even for school?"

He laughed. "Who needs a blasted education?"

She grinned, widely. "I like the sound of that!"

He just kissed her head again, sighing as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Then, he glanced at Michael, who was slowly rising to his feet. "How are you, son? No injuries?"

"My brothers have done way worse to me," he grinned. "My mum likely will, too, when I get home."

"Nonsense," he shook his head. "They'll just be glad to know you're okay."

Annie shrugged the jacket over her shoulders off, handing it back to Michael. "I'm not cold anymore," she said. "Thank you for making me feel better."

The boy grinned, cheeks growing red as he did. Annie's skin was equally as reminiscent of a tomato, and any other day, Oliver would do anything he could to get between the kids and make sure Michael knew, in no uncertain terms, that his daughter was entirely too young for any kind of romance, no matter how innocent it may be. However, after the two had been trapped in a dungeon together, after the boy had clearly comforted her when she was at her most terrified, he was prepared to let it slide for now.

Plus, if the conversation he'd had with the Webbs was indicative of anything, it was that they'd be seeing quite a lot of the family in recent months.

"Come along," Oliver looked at the kids, smiling as he did. "We have a long ride back. I'll make sure we grab something to eat on the way, though, okay?"

Annie hugged his arm tight. "I think I don't ever want to come back to England," she said. "I know this is where you grew up, but I think the people here are way eviler than in America. You're good, though, 'cause you moved there."

He chuckled again. "I wish I could disagree with the sentiment," he said. "However, I think our next vacation will be stateside. Likely, the next few."

"But I'm not evil, right?" Michael gave a look of slight offense. "I'm good for some other reason?"

Annie just blushed more prominently, hiding her face in Oliver's sleeve for a second. Then, as she recovered, she shook her head. "You're good because you have American friends," she said.

He grinned, cheeks also growing redder. He and Annie locked eyes for a moment, a sense of something passing between them, and as they started back towards the outside of the castle grounds, Oliver sighed.

He was not looking forward to his daughter's first boyfriend—at all.

However, if she ever had to have one, he was pretty sure he could make peace with it being Michael.