Only the plot is mine!
The night was endless and lonely, and while Ash could often take solace in the stars, he couldn't tonight. There was too much to think about, and not much to distract him from thinking about it.
Mare was missing. The werewolves had gotten her while he had been too engaged with other things to think about what was at stake. He could jab wood into his heart right now, but he doubted that it would take the pain away. He felt so stupid. The one chance he had to help Mare out, and she'd ended up getting kidnapped. True, it had been her command that he deal with Malfoy that led to her kidnapping, but why had he listened to her now when he had never done it before? And yeah, even that was a lie. He'd gone on this little thinking mission for her, but when she had suggested it, he'd only done it grudgingly. Where was his sense of fight?
A crunching twig snapped him immediately out of his reverie. He looked behind him, and saw Malfoy splayed on the ground. He sighed.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, boredom and annoyance creeping into his tone.
Malfoy looked up at him with bright eyes. "I fell over a root on that tree over there," he whined, "and I think my leg is bleeding."
Ash turned away, and rolled his eyes. Turning back, he noticed Malfoy hadn't gotten up yet. "What are you waiting for?"
Malfoy looked at him in the dark. From what Ash could see, his expression was incredulous.
"Didn't you hear what I just said? I'm bleeding. And in a lot of pain. I don't think I'll be able to walk."
Ash just stared. "And what do you want me to do about it? Kiss the ouchie for you? I don't do that, and even if I did, there would only be a few people who would have the privilege. Now get your ass up here right now so we can get to the freakin' puppy castle and rescue your girlfriend!"
And with that, he grabbed Malfoy's hand, and yanked him to his feet. They continued walking, and Malfoy complained about his leg the whole way.
Mare was set in the bed of the truck, and it wasn't very comfortable. She couldn't even sit up. When the vehicle had gotten far enough away from the woods, they had stopped, and the two guys that had grabbed her had brought out rope and had tied her up with it. The bed was hard, and it's red paint was flaking off. The roads they drove along were rocky and uneven, and every so often, they'd hit a bump, causing her to bounce up, then fall down hard on the metal.
Finally, after what seemed like a million years, the truck stopped, and she heard the cab door open. The two thugs got out, and went to the bed of the truck. They picked her up, and she winced.
"Don't worry girlie," one of them whispered. "The boss wants to carry you inside."
Then, she felt a shifting motion, and found herself staring up into Jeremy's deep, dark eyes. After she had looked for a few minutes, he looked ahead, and carried her into the building.
Jeremy stood her up in a dark, dank, and cold room. She could hear water dripping from somewhere in the room. She looked at him. "Where am I?" she asked him calmly.
He looked at her, and spoke slowly. "This is the hideout. We're in the dungeon right now. I have a feeling you aren't really amenable to the current situation, so I've decided to keep you here until you become more cooperative."
Then, he did the finger-snapping thing, and once again, the same burly quartet of werewolves grabbed her, and threw her into a cell. She stood up, and clutched at the bars, screaming.
"Oh my God, do you honestly think that locking me up like an animal is going to make me love you at all? if you do, you are seriously twisted."
Jeremy leaned his face through the bars. "Trust me, Mary-Lynnette, this hurts me a lot worse then it's hurting you. And remember that you don't have to stay here like this. All you have to do is say that you love me, and I'll have my friends over there let you out."
Mare snorted. "In your dreams."
Jeremy sighed nonchalantly. "All right then, have it your way." Then, he turned on his heel, and left her alone.
As soon as she was sure he was gone, she slumped down the cell wall on to the floor of her cell and cried. Ash didn't know where she was, so he couldn't save her, and Malfoy couldn't save anything. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she had to accept her fate.
She was a prisoner.
Ash and Malfoy had been trudging the lonely road for what seemed to Ash like hours. Malfoy was driving him insane. When they got to the castle, Ash was thinking of giving him to the werewolves in exchange for Mare. They'd probably love that.
He could hear Malfoy behind him, whining about something. He had stopped listening long ago. It was probably still about his leg with the ouchie on it. The guy was such a baby. Then again, with goon body guards like he had, he probably never had a reason to toughen up.
Finally, they heard the truck engine stop. Ash told Malfoy to be quiet, and pulled him into a nearby bush where the two of them could see and not be seen.
Ash saw two big, hulking guys get out, then grab something from the bed. It seemed to be struggling violently. Then, the two big guys handed the something to another guy. He looked down at it for a few seconds, and then walked it inside.
"That's Jeremy Lovett," Ash whispered to Malfoy. "He's the guy who wants Marie. She's probably what he's carrying. Now, you and I are going to march in there, and find whatever room they're hiding her in and rescue her. Got it?
He felt Malfoy stiffen reluctantly beside him. "I'm not so sure I want to. Were you serious when you said that those guys in there were bloodthirsty and insane? Because in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly capable of fighting really well."
What kind of boyfriend are you? Ash thought to himself. "Yeah, I've noticed you aren't worth anything when it comes to combat, but I've heard that you sure as hell can provoke people. Do you think you could distract them while I get Marie out?"
Malfoy nodded. "Sure. I can do that."
"Then come on." Ash whispered. His voice was barely a breath."
Without a second's pause, they sprinted out of the bushes, and ran towards the werewolves' hideout.
When they got inside, they were both surprised to find the entrance completely unguarded.
"I know werewolves have low I.Q.s, but you'd think that they would least have someone guarding the entrance to their hideout." Ash whispered to himself.
They ran from room to room, finding nothing. After about two hours, they only had one room left: the dungeon. They followed the steps downward, and immediately saw the guards standing at rigid attention, one on either side of Mare's cell.
Ash gestured to Malfoy, and he went to work. He got the guards' attention, and walked them away from the cell, making small talk about various things. Meanwhile, Ash did his job. He strode forward and clutched at the bars, whispering "Mary-Lynnette" loudly over and over again.
Finally, she looked at him. He couldn't help but be shocked. She was filthy, and she looked as if she'd been crying. She let out a gasp at the sight of him, and all but skipped towards the front of the cell.
"Ash!" she whispered loudly, "I thought I would never see you again! How'd you get here?"
"We walked." Ash whispered back.
"What do you mean? Who's 'we?'"
"I brought Malfoy too. He said, and I quote: 'as her boyfriend, it is my duty to rescue her,'"
Mare giggled. "Are you serious?"
Ash nodded. "And then, when we finally did get here, he didn't want to come inside."
"Why?"
Ash cleared his throat. "I told him that Jeremy and his band were bloodthirsty and insane, and I guess it kind of scared him."
Mare nodded. "I bet it did."
Ash straightened up, checking to see if the guards were still otherwise occupied. They were.
"Now," he said to Mare, "let's get you out."
And, thanks to his strength, he managed to pry the bars apart enough so that Mare could escape. The unfortunate side effect of this was that they made a large screeching noise as he pried. Suddenly, the guards gave a yell, and around a hundred werewolves descended upon them. There were too many for them to fight by themselves.
Just then, an authoritive looking owl flew in the window. It held paper and a quill in one of its talons.
Ash grabbed the paper. On the first sheet was a note from Professor Dumbledore:
Dear Mr. Redfern,
We were at dinner this evening when Professor Trelawney announced that you might be in a bit of trouble. Along with this letter, I have sent parchment and a quill. Write down your location, and we will send backup.
Albus Dumbledore.
Ash quickly grabbed another sheet of parchment, and wrote down the castle's location, and attached it to the owl's waiting leg. Then, the fighting continued as the owl flew away in the night back to Hogwarts.
Mental Twitch- Thanks. I hope you like this chapter!
Piscean Wisdom- Thanks for the review. I hope you think that this chapter is just as excellent.
Dogs die in hot cars- yeah, Mare is too damn lucky. I guess this story is proof that art doesn't necessarily imitate life. Thanks for the review!
Angel- I guess it's hard to be beautiful sometimes. Thanks for the review!
sexyirishBeep- Thanks for the review!
