A/N: It is not okay that I am shipping Eugene and Toothiana because of my own Fic. It's just not. _ SOMEONE SAVE ME! Anyway, I've finally finished it! I hope it's everything you wanted and more. And for all of you who keep asking. Yes, I WILL be revealing tons of background stuff about these kids in this story! Yes, there will be characters from ALL four movies, not just the main for (this includes families, etc.) Jamie will probably even be involved (from RotG). I'm working on fitting them all in now! So look forward to that. Love ya! If I update late, it's because I've been having TONS of personal issues and I can't get my life straight. So please bear with me! As always, THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! Your words give me hope and keep me going. Enjoy!
Museum
May 30th, 2013
4:30 p.m.
The sun was hot and it burned down on anyone who roamed the streets, which were quite a few people. Many of them trailed into the museums to get away from the it or into coffeehouses. On that particular day, a white haired young man, wearing a cap, walked with a lazy stride into a museum. The security guards didn't even spare him a glance as he passed through the doors.
He made his way down a few different halls, browsing pictures here and there until he stopped in front of a huge sign that read: MONA LISA SHOWING FOR A LIMITED TIME ON MAY 31, 2013, DO NOT MISS IT THIS ONCE IN A LIFE-TIME OPPORTUNITY. He smirked quietly at the sign and glanced at the case it would be shown in. It was a high security vault, he knew that better than anyone. Sure, it looked like glass, but with all the lasers and censors that were embedded in it, it was more than just a case.
He continued along in his lackadaisical way until he rounded the corner. From this distance he could see the brunette boy who sat in a corner of the museum playing on his iPhone. He looked like the typical teen you might see in such a place; bored and waiting for his parents to come back. His eyes shifted over the crowd and he nodded.
Without so much as looking up, the brunette boy flicked something on his screen and with a beep the door which the other boy had gone to clicked open. It was a security door that would lead him into the back of the museum where they were currently storing the Mona Lisa. The air was even cooler back there and he tucked his hands into his pockets as he walked. No one ever looked his way, not a single person even noticed his existence.
He paused outside another door, keeping his head down. He heard the lock click open and he pulled the door open and slipped inside. He turned around and face the canvas which was being kept in a temperature controlled environment to keep the paint from peeling. He hesitated for a moment, this was it, this was the moment where everything truly began.
The whole time he had been wearing leather gloves, leaving not a single fingerprint behind as he removed the case which held the Mona Lisa and put the fake on the stand in a case which was also an exact replica of the one holding the famous painting. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. Quickly, he stowed the painting into the pack that had been left right outside the door for him and slipped out of the room again.
He marched down the hall toward the backdoor exit which was used by employees and opened onto a back lot. As he was going, a tingling sensation ran down his spine and he glanced over his shoulder, but there wasn't anyone there. He looked forward again and jerked to a stop, more by force than anything, as a fist collided with his gut. He stumbled back with a cough, his eyes watered as he gazed upon his assailant.
"Nice work, Frost," the feminine voice said from behind a mask of black, "but this is my game. You just got there a second sooner than me." She pulled the mask up, revealing her face and thick blonde hair which curled around her neck as the rest was tied back in a braid. She had a triumphant look in her eyes. "I want you to see my face, and take a nice drink of it. Remember this face. Because you need to know that this is the last time you are going to win." She grinned, flashing her white teeth.
Through his watery vision, he noted a dragon pendant dangling from around her neck, "Who are you?" He said, coughing as air returned to his lungs.
"You're so smart, Frost. Why don't you figure it out?" She yanked the mask over her face and disappeared down the hall. In the distance, he heard the backdoor open and shut. His exit had just been used. He scrambled to his feet, lungs working better as he ran toward the door. He slammed into it and it burst open.
The sun blinded him and he stopped before stumbling down the metal stairs. Squinting, he looked for his attacker, but there was no sign of her or the painting. Cursing under his breath, he ran to the van painted with the museum's name on it and climbed into the back.
"What happened?" Merida asked confusion written all over her face. "Where's the painting?"
He shook his head, "it's gone."
"Gone?" Merida shouted.
"Yes. Now drive." He ordered calmly, his head hurt and his stomach was pulsing with pain. Someone had stolen the painting from them. He closed his eyes, remembering her face and the smug expression there. She was familiar, but he couldn't remember why.
Jack sat quietly the whole ride. He didn't say anything else, and Merida was attempting to control her need to ask a thousand questions. When they pulled up to their hideout, Jack got out and walked into the house with Merida close on his heels.
Jack sat down at the kitchen table, and waited. Hiccup and Rapunzel trailed in eventually and they all stared at him.
"Where's the painting?" Hiccup asked looking around for the bag.
"Gone," Merida said sharply, "and Jack won't say why."
Rapunzel gazed at him, "Jack?" she ventured. "Jack, what happened?"
Slowly Jack raised his head, "someone stole the painting."
Stunned silence filled the room and they all sat frozen, staring at their leader and friend who had never ever lost an item in his whole life. Was it possible someone had out-smarted the Ghost?
"Who were they?" Hiccup dared to ask.
"I don't know, but we are going to find out. And when we do, they are going to pay the piper." Jack's blue eyes glittered with a fierceness that few in the group had seen before. It startled Rapunzel and Hiccup, who both leaned back. Merida though was unfazed and reached across the table.
"How do we find them?" She asked.
A smirk twitched his lips, "she's not the only one with a plan." He placed his phone on the table, and on the screen was a blurry image of the girl who had stolen the painting.
"It's hard to see…" Hiccup muttered.
Jack frowned, "be happy we have something to go off of. Otherwise, we would be having a bit of a problem." He sat back, stretching his legs out under the table, "not that we aren't having a major problem already."
Merida looked at the picture and then at him, "alright, so we find her, then what?"
"Then, we lay a trap."
"A trap?" Merida shook her head, "this girl interfered in our business. She stole something we were going to take. How in the name of Scotland Yard did she know we were going to take it? That is the question I want answered."
Hiccup studied the photo, "give me a few days. Maybe I'll have an answer for you." He took Jack's phone and disappeared upstairs, leaving the other three. Rapunzel cleared her throat, "until Hiccup discovers who it is, what do we do?"
Jack shrugged, "stay clean. We can't afford another risk like that, because if she knows what moves we are making, then there is a huge possibility that others know too."
The implications of that made Rapunzel shiver. "Are we really that well known in the thieving world?"
Jack laughed, "oh, yes, Rapunzel. We really, really are."
Night flashed into being and Jack sat on the roof of their building, his eyes watching the lights shift below as cars drove here and there. He heard the door open behind him. By the scent of the perfume, he knew it was Merida.
"Hey," she sat down next to him, "you okay?"
Jack shifted his head to look at her, "yeah, why?"
Merida rolled her eyes, "don't you 'yeah, why' me. I know you, Jack." She leaned back on her arms, "you haven't lost a single heist in your entire life."
A deep sigh escaped her companion, "that's where you're wrong." He murmured.
Merida's eyes narrowed, "what-"
"It was a long time ago, and I don't want to talk about it," Jack said, cutting her off. "Not right now. Not when we have other things to worry about." His gaze was focused on the distant horizon as he spoke and Merida brushed her curly hair away from her face, "alright. I won't ask. But you don't have to lie to me. I can tell when you aren't okay."
The cool night breeze danced over them and they sat silently, watching the lights twinkle in the city, and for a moment it felt as if they were staring down at the stars.
Eugene blinked hard, walking into work today, a huge stack of case files were on his desk and who should be behind the catastrophe? None other than Ana Fae. He marched to her and watched her over one of the enormous stacks of folders, "so, you enjoying yourself?" He asked casually.
"Mmhm," She replied without looking up. Eugene nodded, his eye twitching as he rounded the desk. "That's good, but I'm just wondering one thing?"
"Yes?"
"What do you think you're doing at my desk?!" He said while giving her a wide-eyed look of annoyance. "I know you're new here, and you're used to having your own desk and blah blah blah! But this is my desk, my work area and I don't like it when other people come in here and mess it up. Now if you will kindly move…"
Ana watched him with a smile, she seemed to enjoy his temper-tantrum, "That was amusing." She chuckled, "I'm sorry, detective. I had no idea you were OCD about your desk. I'll move these things immediately and try to find a place on the floor." She stood, grabbing an armload of folders.
"Thank you," Eugene said, feeling a little smug. But the guilt hit him sooner than he would have liked as he watched her make a circle in a corner of folders, which she sat in. He rolled his eyes and face-planted onto his desk.
"Ana," he called, his voice muffled by his arm. "You can sit across from me, if you want. And I… I can split my desk." He shrugged.
Ana blinked, looking quite taken aback by his offer, but flashed a smile, "no thank you, detective. I don't want to crowd you." Eugene stiffened at her brush-off and sat up straight.
"Fine. I get it, you don't want to share the desk of a detective," he muttered, "snooty little CIA…" He signed onto his computer and missed the tiny smile Ana was trying to conceal behind a folder.
