Not much of an authors note, but just a brief warning. This chapter is violent in ways that nobody will like. Nobody has ever done anything like this before for a good reason. I will probably be lynched for this, but before you flame me, wait for the next chapter. I promise that it's not as bad as you think.

Disclaimer:I had a dream that I owned the Scarlet Pimpernel. Then I woke up to discover that I don't.

Falcon in the Dive

Chapter 5: Who's Lived a Vain and Useless Life

Tony had a hell of a time finding Armand's location. All afternoon he had been interrogating soldiers all over the city, and very few of them even knew that a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel had been captured.

After he was just about to give up in frustration, he caught wind of a small group of soldiers speaking of the impending trial of a certain Armand St. Just. Straining to hear what they were saying, he caught the name of the prison where his comrade was being held and sped out into the streets.

Coming upon the gates of the prison, he saw that the jail was incredibly well fortified and the Captain of the Guard himself was standing watch at the front gate. Tony rolled his eyes in annoyance at this unexpected complication, but he determined that it would not be difficult to get past the man.

Walking forward with a gait of authority, he approached the Captain and saluted. "Citizen, I have been sent to interrogate the prisoner Armand St. Just."

The Captain skeptically looked at the soldier; he hadn't been expecting anybody to question the League member. "Oh? Who sent you?"

"Agent Chauvelin."

"Do you have the papers from the Citizen giving you permission to interrogate the boy?"

Tony's breath caught in his throat. He certainly wasn't expecting that. Quickly catching himself, he shook his head. "I do not, Captain. You know how Chauvelin is nowadays."

"Ah, yes. Of course." That explained everything. He leaned in close to Tony and quietly asked, "How is Agent Chauvelin?"

Tony was slightly taken aback, but he went along with the Captain. "He's stressed, I think. He hardly had a word for me before he rushed out of the room."

The Captain nodded and he stepped aside to allow the soldier entrance. "Good luck, Citizen." the Captain said as he saluted. "That boy is stubborn like none I have ever seen. I'll have the jail guard show you to his cell."

"Thank you, Captain." Tony said as he passed through the gate.

As he was led to Armand's cell, Tony allowed himself to relax. The hard part was over, and all he had to do now was talk to Armand. He walked into the room that held Armand's cell and closed the door behind him.

He looked into the prison of his friend and saw Armand laying on the cot, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling in a slow, even pattern. Tony grinned in a mockery of a malicious grin; Armand was asleep.

Picking up an empty pan, he threw it at the bars of the cell and screamed as loud as he could "Wake up, dog!"

Armand sprang put of the bed at the sound of metal striking metal and began cursing fluently in both French and English.

Tony laughed out loud at the display. "For shame. You should know better then to curse in English. It's far too elegant a language to be used for such vulgar purposes." Tony reprimanded in English as he shook his finger at the now silent and completely stunned man. He smiled slyly at his friend. "That's why we have French, what?"

"Tony?" Armand asked tentatively.

Tony removed his hat and bowed deeply. "One and the same." He righted himself and nodded in his friend's direction. "Hello, Armand."

"Tony!" he shouted as he clasped his friend's hand through the bars. "How have you been?"

"Never mind me, Armand. How have you been?"

The joy he felt from seeing his friend quickly evaporated into bitter despair. "I don't believe I could possibly be any worse, Tony."

Tony placed his hand on the desolate man's shoulder. "Tell me all about it, but first, I need to take care of some business for Percy, if you don't mind too terribly." Armand nodded and sat down on the edge of the cot and Tony pulled up a stool to the bars of the cell.

"First things first," Tony began, "Percy sends his apologies for not being able to get here sooner. As we arrived this afternoon, we are spending the rest of the day gathering what information we can and we meet tonight to plan your rescue."

Armand breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God."

"Also, Percy wants to know if you have seen Marguerite."

Armand stiffened. "Yes, Tony." He mournfully said. "To my misfortune, I have seen my sister."

Fear and concern crossed Tony's face. "Is everything alright? Is she well?"

"She is spying for Chauvelin, Tony."

Armand's words hung heavy in the air, and for a while, neither man could speak. Tony's head was spinning. Marguerite had been suspected before of spying for France, but Percy had assured them only recently that she had been blackmailed by her former lover into denouncing one of Percy's close friends. Percy. What would he think? So recently he had found he could once again trust his beloved wife. What would this do to him?

Taking a deep breath, Tony managed to ask "Armand, are you sure?"

"I'm positive, but that's not the worst of it."

"Marguerite's a spy!" Tony shouted. "How could it possibly be any worse?"

"She loves him, Tony."

Tony heard Armand, but he didn't comprehend a word. His friend was suddenly speaking a language Tony simply couldn't understand. "What?" he asked weakly.

"Marguerite is in love with Chauvelin, Tony." he whispered, his entire body trembling as he spoke these words he knew were true but he didn't want to believe.

"You lying dog…"

"You can ask her yourself." Armand said bitterly. "She's staying at Chauvelin's residence. I can give you the address if you so wish to speak to my darling sister."

"No." Tony said in a hushed tone. "I believe you." He hung his head in utter despair. "What will Percy say?"

"That doesn't matter right now." Armand sternly said. "She knows that Percy is the Pimpernel."

Tony's eyes immediately flashed with fear. "Oh God…Does Chauvelin know?"

Armand shook his head, "I don't know, but I can only assume that she has told her lover everything."

"Poor Percy. This is going to break his heart." He sat in silence for a few moments before rising and turning towards the door. "We're going to get you out of here, Armand, alright? Just hang on for a little while longer. I've got to go find Percy. If Chauvelin does in fact know the Pimpernel is him, he may run into a bit of trouble."

"Tony, wait!" Armand shouted. "You're not going to tell Percy about Marguerite, are you?"

Tony sadly shook his head. "Not yet, Armand. I fear the very words will kill him."

"Let me tell him, Tony." Armand whispered.

Tony nodded and opened the door to leave. "Of course, Armand." he said and then left the man in solitude.

Andrew sighed in disappointment as he exited yet another inn with no more information then he had when he entered. He looked to the sky and prayed that Tony was having better luck then he. It was getting late and he didn't have much time before he was to meet with the rest of the League. Deciding that he had enough time to search one more establishment, he crossed the street and entered one of the few inns he had not yet inspected.

No sooner had he entered that his eyes caught a pair of beautiful blue ones, yet he immediately looked away and continued on.

The owner of those eyes, however, did not forget that man as soon as he had. Turning around and gazing at the back of the receding soldier, she tentatively called "Sir Andrew?"

Andrew quickly turned around at the mention of his name and found himself looking into the eyes of none other then Marguerite.

"Sir Andrew, it is you!" she cried as she threw herself into his arms. "Andrew, where is Percy? Is he alright? Is he in danger?"

"Wait, Marguerite." Andrew interrupted. "Calm down. What are you talking about?"

Marguerite pulled away from him and, trembling, looked fearfully into his eyes. "Andrew, I know about Percy. I know he is the Pimpernel."

Andrew's heart stopped. "You know?" he whispered. "How did you…"

She put her finger to his lips. "Hush! Armand told me. Come away. I'll tell you everything."

He nodded and allowed her to take his hand and lead him up the stairs and into one of the small, secluded rooms. Carefully closing the door behind her, she motioned for Andrew to sit down on the bed and, taking his hands in her own, she sat next to him.

"Andrew," Marguerite slowly began, "I have a few confessions to make, but you must promise to listen to my explanations and promise not to hold any of this against me, for I greatly regret the things I have done in the past few days."

Andrew paled and trembled slightly. He had a feeling that this was going to be worse then he could possibly prepare for, but he nodded in agreement to Marguerite's request. Her hands tightened around Andrew's hands as she began.

"I left England without a word to anyone to come here and save Armand. Chauvelin had told me about my brother's peril and I knew I had to go on my own to save him because there was nobody in England who could help me. When I arrived here, I came very close to saving Armand, but I was captured by Chauvelin before I had a chance."

Marguerite shifted uncomfortably on the bed and Andrew laid his hand upon her shoulder. "It's alright. Go on."

She smiled sadly at the man and nodded in assent. "He told me that he would execute Armand the very next day if I didn't find out that very evening who the Pimpernel is." A slight sob shook Marguerite and she lost her hold on herself. "What choice did I have, Andrew? I didn't know that Percy was the Pimpernel! I couldn't let Armand die!" she sobbed as she buried her head in Andrew's chest.

"Hush, hush. It's alright." He said as he drew Marguerite closer to him in an attempt to comfort his leader's wife. "I understand. Now, what happened?"

"Armand told me that Percy is the Pimpernel."

"And you told Chauvelin?"

Marguerite stiffened and began to cry freely. "Yes. Oh God! I'm sorry Andrew! I…I…"

Andrew's arms tightened around her slender form. "I'm not angry with you, Marguerite. Do you understand?" She nodded slightly and he asked, "Why did you tell Chauvelin?"

"I didn't mean to." She said between sobs. "But Chauvelin is very good at pulling information out of people. That's why he is the top agent in France."

Andrew tried to make sense of what the unfortunate woman had told him, but all he got out of what she said was that they were in a huge amount of trouble and that was very, very bad. "Marguerite, can you tell me where Armand is?"

She vigorously nodded. "He's being held in the prison directly south of the Place de la Greve. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes. Thank you." Andrew rose and prepared to leave to meet Tony and Percy, thankfully not empty-handed. "Marguerite, I believe that you can render the League a great service."

Marguerite jumped at the thought of being able to aid her beloved husband and quickly asked, "What do you wish of me? I'll do anything to help Percy."

"Now that Chauvelin knows who Percy is, we are in a great deal of danger. In orderfor us to successfully get you and Armand out of France, we need to know all we can about Chauvelin. Marguerite, find out who knows about Percy, any weaknesses in Chauvelin's forces. Most importantly, try to discover something that can deal a large amount of damage to Chauvelin. Weaknesses, faults, anything. The man cannot be invincible."

"Yes, of course. I'll do whatever I can."

Andrew smiled at Marguerite's enthusiasm to help the League. "Good girl. We'll come for you after we formulate a decent plan." He bowed and walked out of the small room.

"Andrew, wait!" she cried as she rushed out to the man.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" Andrew politely asked.

She gently held his hand in her own trembling one. "Will you take me to Percy?" she asked, her voice quivering with emotion.

Andrew smiled sadly and shook his head. "Not tonight, Madame. We have quite a bit of planning to do. However, meet me here this time tomorrow and I'll take you to see him."

Marguerite's eyes lit up with undiluted joy and she threw her arms around him. "Oh, thank you, Andrew! Thank you!"

Andrew couldn't help smiling; the girl was positively glowing. "Think nothing of it." He said as he brought her hand to his lips. "I shall see you tomorrow." With that, Andrew left the inn to meet with his companions.

Percy stood before the law offices of the Agent Chauvelin and smiled slightly to himself. He was almost positive that the agent was inside. He was so close to discovering all he needed to save Armand and find his perfect, beautiful wife. All he needed to do was play Chauvelin the right way, and that was easy.

He opened the door and stepped into the room where Degas sat and worked. Pulling down his jacket, he walked up to the desk and cleared his throat to announce his presence. Without looking up, Degas unemotionally stated, "Go in. Chauvelin is expecting you."

Percy was slightly taken aback. He had arrived just that afternoon and entered the city unnoticed; how had he known that he was in France? Brushing away his concerns, he muttered his thanks to Degas and entered Chauvelin's personal office.

Leaving the door slightly ajar, he walked into the room and nervously looked around; Chauvelin was nowhere in sight. The door suddenly slammed shut, and before Percy could spin around, two strong hands clamped down on his arms and a deep, silken voice whispered in his ear, "Good afternoon, Belgian."

Percy nodded his head and, in a trembling voice, answered "Citizen."

"What have you for me?"

"Nothing on the identity of the Pimpernel." He responded in a thick, Belgian accent. "However, Marguerite Blakeney is here in France."

Chauvelin's hands tightened around Percy's arms and he pulled him against his body. "You think I don't know that?" he angrily growled. "Useless man. Besides nothing, what can you tell me? You have been gone for over a month. I expect more then ignorance from my spies after such a period of time."

"I have only information regarding Marguerite, Citizen."

Chauvelin pushed the spy into the center of the room. "Tell me."

Percy was furious, but he hid that well under the guise of the Belgian. How dare that snake even ask about his wife! "She said that you blackmailed her to denounce St. Cyr."

"What of it?" Chauvelin snapped.

"Nothing, nothing." Percy frivolously said. "Just repeating what I heard."

Long, slender fingers rested on Chauvelin's shoulders and began to knead the tense muscles of his back and upper arms. "You're tense, Chauvelin. Why?" the young Chauvelin gently whispered in his ear. "Relax. He's a dead man. Toy with him. Have some fun." Chauvelin loosened up almost instantaneously and a slight smile slid over his face.

"She also said that you and she were once lovers." The Belgian continued.

"Tell me, Grappin," Chauvelin said nearly kindly, "how are she and her husband faring?"

"Her husband knows about your little affair with his wife, Chauvelin." Percy said with a slight hint of anger and jealously.

"Oh? And?" he asked completely indifferently.

"He doesn't care!" Percy replied defiantly. "He loves her even more then ever!"

Chauvelin began softly laughing. "Oh, that's really too bad for him."

"What?" Percy asked rather surprised and caught completely off guard. "Why is that?"

"Now now, Belgian." Chauvelin scolded. "It's my job to ask the questions.

Percy quickly resumed his calm demeanor. "Yes, of course, Citizen."

"She is beautiful, is she not?" Chauvelin asked dreamily asked.

Percy nodded suspiciously nodded. "That she is, Citizen."

"Yes…Marguerite." Chauvelin sighed in absolute bliss. "Lovely Marguerite. Perfect, heavenly Marguerite."

"Citizen," Percy nervously interrupted, "I know that we could go on all day about Lady Blakeney, but may we take care of business first?"

Percy's words eluded Chauvelin completely; the agent at that moment did not exist in the same room as the Englishman. "She is an amazing lover." He purred as he flushed and his breath quickened. "Were you aware of that, Belgian?"

"Citizen, please!" Percy shouted in exasperation. "Can we please just-"

Chauvelin's eyes slid out of focus. He knew the spy was talking, but he couldn't hear a word. All he could hear was the silken voice of the boy whisper in his ear "Enough games, Chauvelin. Kill him."

"-ite Blakeney." Percy concluded, now completely out of breath.

"Yes." Chauvelin quietly said to himself. "Blakeney. What can you tell me, Grappin, about Sir Percy Blakeney?"

Percy blinked in surprise. Where had that question come from? Had he not been listening to a word he said? "Blakeney?" Percy asked quietly. "What is it you want to know?"

Young Chauvelin cupped the agent's cheek in one hand and gently stroked his hair with the other. "Learn what you can. His usefulness has nearly expired."

Chauvelin shivered; the boy's hands were freezing and his words instantaneously intoxicated him. He looked directly into the Belgian's eyes and whispered "Everything. Tell me everything."

Percy's breath caught in his throat; the agent's eyes were completely glazed over. He felt the air grow heavier and he suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Something was horribly wrong, but he couldn't place what it was. He had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Taking a deep breath and standing up to his full height, he strongly proclaimed, "Percy Blakeney is a fool. An absolute fop at his best."

"Oh?" Chauvelin smoothly whispered. "Very well." He turned away from the Belgian and slowly walked towards the door.

"Kill him." the child whispered.

"Do I have your leave, Citizen?" Percy asked cautiously.

"Now, Citizen." The boy sternly said.

"Ah, Grappin?" Chauvelin purred.

"Yes?"

"Kill him, Chauvelin!"

Percy's ears filled with thunder and his eyes widened as he felt a searing pain just above his navel. He brought a trembling hand to his stomach and felt a warm, thick liquid quickly running over his hand and down his body. All the strength was suddenly sapped from him and he sank to his knees. His vision slid in and out of focus as he looked up at the agent standing before him reloading a pistol he held in his hand. The edges of Percy's vision began to fade to black and he became light-headed as his breathing slowed and became very shallow.

Something pressed on the low of his back and easily forced him to the ground. Percy made an attempt to push himself up, but his hand slipped on the blood that covered the floor and he fell back down.

He gasped for breath and softly moaned as long fingers ran across his cheek and neck. "You must forgive me, Grappin," Chauvelin gently whispered to the dying man as he pressed the barrel of the gun to Percy's upper back, "but you have outlived your usefulness."

A second shot rang out through the room and the little movement that the spy had been making ceased immediately. Chauvelin rose and, with a final glance at the still figure on the floor, he left the room.

Andrew entered the designated meeting place just as the clock struck six. "Excellent timing, Andrew. Very stylish." Tony called from the table he was sitting at. "Had you arrived a second later, I would have had to have a talk with Percy about you, and then he would have to give you a lecture on the importance of punctuality."

"Then I shall have to be thankful that I arrived when I did." Andrew said, laughing as he joined his friend at the table. "Is Percy here yet?"

Tony shook his head. "Not yet. Give him some time. He'll be here."

"Should we wait for him to discuss what we found?"

Tony leaned back and thought for a moment before responding "It couldn't hurt to talk things over now and organize our thoughts. Did you find anything?"

"I'll say." Andrew said cheerfully. "I found Marguerite."

Tony's face darkened. "You saw Marguerite?" he asked sternly.

"Hey, lighten up. I thought that was a good thing." Andrew said defensively and slightly surprised at his friend's reaction.

"Yes, I suppose so." Tony said bitterly. "Did you speak to her?"

"Yes. She told me everything we need to know." Andrew said a bit sadly.

"What did she say?"

"She came here looking for Armand and was captured by Chauvelin. He blackmailed her into his service, and now she and Chauvelin know that Percy is the Pimpernel."

"He blackmailed her?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"Yes. He said he would kill Armand if she failed to obtain the name of the Pimpernel."

Tony laughed bitterly. "Did you ever consider the notion that she was lying to you?"

"What?"

"I talked to Armand, Andrew." Tony said seriously. "He told me that she is in love with Chauvelin."

Andrew stared at his friend in disbelief. "That's impossible!" he shouted. "She loves Percy! You should have seen how worried she was for his safety, and how she perfectly shined when I told her that he was fine!"

"She's an actress, Andrew." Tony said sternly. "It is her job to make people believe what is not true."

"How can you be sure that she's not acting that she's in love with Chauvelin?" Andrew asked outraged.

"Why would she act something like that? It would only hurt her." Tony leaned over and laid his hand on his friend's clenched one. "Think about it, friend. She loves him. She told him the name of the Pimpernel. If she is truly spying for him, it is completely logical for her to act like she loves Percy. Think of how easy it would be for her to get to him if she did."

Andrew's face lost all of its color. Everything slid into place; it all made sense. "What a fool I was to believe her! What's going to happen to Percy when he finds out?" Andrew said under his breath. "He's going to die, Tony. You know how he is. He can't live without her."

"I know, I know, but what can we do? He has to know or he will fall to the Guillotine."

Andrew nodded slowly; he knew Tony was right. He cast a glance at the clock and immediately snapped out of his depression and jumped out of his chair. "Where's Percy, Tony?" he shouted.

"What?" Tony was taken aback by his friend's sudden outburst. "I don't know. Why?"

"It's seven o'clock, Tony." Andrew snapped. "He should have been here an hour ago."

Sudden panic gripped Tony. He quickly pushed himself out of his chair. "Come on. We're going to go look for him. Something must have happened."

Just as Tony and Andrew were about to leave, the door slowly opened and Percy stumbled inside and clung to a nearby chair. His breathing was shallow but labored, and he was in a cold sweat. He kept his eyes cast down at the ground and swayed slightly, shaking terribly.

"Percy, are you alright?" Tony asked with tremendous concern.

"You8 don't look so well, Percy." Andrew said as he went to support his friend, but when he stood two feet before his leader, he recoiled and cried out in horror.

"What? What is it?" Tony cried as he ran forward. "What…Oh my God…" Tony said under his breath as he saw that Percy stood in a small pool of blood that was growing larger by the second.

Percy raised his head and looked at his friends with glazed-over eyes. His eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp as he fell forward.

Tony and Andrew caught their leader just before he hit the floor. "Percy!" Andrew screamed as he gently lowered his leader to the floor and rested Percy's head upon his lap.

"Percy! Percy! Speak to us!" cried Tony as he rolled him on to his back. "My God…" Tony gasped as he caught sight of the profusely bleeding hole in the daring Pimpernel's abdomen

"Percy! Percy! Please, I beg of you, say something!" Andrew shouted, tears choking his words.

Percy slid his eyes open slightly and tried to focus on something, anything, but his vision would not allow it. His sight was horribly blurred and the darkness at the edges of his vision was quickly closing in on the rest of his limited sight.

Stirring slightly, he stiffened and weakly gasped "Marguerite…" before going limp. Everything went black, and then there was nothing.