Masquerade Lovers

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Danger

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Sam took the limo home, stopping shortly at the pharmacy to get a pregnancy kit (not that she told the chauffeur), hoping to drown herself in her studies. She had that test, after all, and even though WOOHP had very kindly asked the university to please excuse Samantha if she is unable to take the tests, now that she was going to have to, she might as well get cracking.

It was all quiet in the penthouse. Sam didn't expect that. Sure, Alex, Britney and Clover were off somewhere, but she was pretty sure Blaine would be around.

Actually she wasn't. With all the wedding arrangements, Clover and Blaine had erratic schedules. She went to the bathroom first to use the pregnancy kit.

She sighed in relief when it displayed negative. At least she wasn't pregnant. It must have been stress. As for being pregnant? That would have been too terrifying. And yet – what if she were? She sighed. It came to a surprise to Sam that if she had the child, she wouldn't have minded. She supposed it was a maternal instinct, not that ridiculous idea that she actually loved the would-have-been father. And yet – she couldn't help wonder what his reaction would have been like. Joy, perhaps? Or hatred? She shuddered. Perhaps some chocolate would soothe her. Yes, some chocolate for her soul. She'd feel better.

She walked into the kitchen and nearly screamed.

There was blood everywhere, and Blaine was bleeding to death. He'd lost too much blood, Sam realized in dismay.

"Oh my goodness, Blaine!" Sam rushed and tried to feel for a pulse. There was a slight, faint one.

"Clover?" Blaine asked.

"No, Blaine, it's Sam," Sam said, relieved. "Who did this to you?"

"I – I – find Clover," Blaine said, in a raspy voice, and groaned. He was too weak. Sam saw bruises on his skin. There had been an intruder, and the intruder must have attacked Blaine – but why?

Oh God, Clover –

She immediately took out her X-powder and tried to get hold of Jerry.

"Sam, what is it?" Jerry asked.

"It's Blaine," she said. "I came home and found him bleeding to death. I think it must have been an intruder. I don't know what happened. I don't think it was a robbery, there doesn't seem to be anything missing. Get WOOHP agents here, please and send for paramedics."

Jerry looked stunned. "Of course. Standby. We'll be there in five."

She tried to get some cloth to stop the bleeding. It seemed like a lost cause. Before five minutes passed, Jerry, accompanied by some agents, one of whom she recognized as Dean, had reached the penthouse, and shouted, "Samantha, where are you?"

"In the kitchen," Sam called back. "Come quickly!"

"Good Lord," Jerry uttered, upon entering the bloody kitchen. Sam carefully stepped away from Blaine's bleeding body and allowed the trained paramedics to do their job. "This was done well, Agent. You're a real hand." They removed Blaine's body and took him to the ambulance, and only then did the scene finally sink in.

Sam couldn't find it in herself to thank them for the compliment. She was too struck by the horror of the whole scene.

Dean said, "Who'd want to do this?"

Sam shook her head. "That's what we have to find out. An agent is compromised; perhaps the person responsible will be trying to get to us."

"Us meaning Agents Alex, Britney, Clover and yourself?" One of the other agents asked. "Why?"

"We have no idea. Of course, we have managed to make plenty of enemies, with all the villains we've captured, but so far, no one has ever been able to overcome an Agent."

"Any sign of forced entry?" Another agent asked. Sam shook her head.

"I haven't had time to check," Sam said. "But Agent Blaine is trained in such situations. He should have been able to overcome any intruder."

"Sir, I think you'd better check this out!" One of the agents, who had been checking the whole of the house called over in the direction of the back door. It had been broken down.

"Sir, right here?" This time it was from the agent checking the girls' rooms. Sam, Jerry and two more agents rushed towards the voice. It lead to Clover's room, which had been ransacked.

"Oh goodness," Sam said, beginning to feel sick. "What about the other rooms?"

"They're equally messed up."

"But nothing seems to be missing, see?" Sam said. "My grandmother's diamond set; the locket and earrings are here."

"But the bracelet is missing," another agent pointed out.

Sam recollected with a jolt that she'd not had it when she got out of her white dress during Blaine and Clover's engagement party (Oh Heavens, must everything always lead back to that night? She thought miserably), but couldn't for the life of her remember what exactly happened, only a feeling of bliss.

"I think I lost it at WOOHP headquarters." For some reason, Sam didn't cry. The set was one of her prized collections and yet – she had a feeling that she couldn't cry, perhaps because it paled in comparison to the event that had just happened.

"We have to tell Clover and Alex – oh God, how are we going to tell Clover?" Sam felt herself shake. Clover would be hysterical, at best.

"We have to wait, Samantha," Jerry told her. This was said in a fatherly manner.

"The thing I don't get," Dean said, "Is why anyone would want to hurt Agent Blaine for no reason. Whoever is doing this must want to send a message to you girls, because there's no point beating up someone close to one of you just for the heck of it. There must be a note, somewhere."

"Let's look for one in the kitchen," Sam suggested. "If we had to start anywhere, here would be the best place to start."

It seemed forever that all the WOOHP agents, including Jerry, Sam and Dean were looking for the paper. Sam was the one to find the missive. The words on the white paper were written with red ink – no, blood. And it seemed as if it were written in blood. It read:

Humanity must be controlled to prevent sins from causing the flow of blood.

You will be mine.

Everyone gathered around as Sam read those words, her body shaking uncontrollably. Some psychostalker was after them –

She shuddered.

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Author's Note

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Do you guys know who the psychostalker is?

That was a scary chapter, actually, IMHO!

What did you guys think? Sam wasn't pregnant; sorry to everyone who thought she was – Clover truly is a bad cook!

Anyway, I'm rewriting the unposted parts because I didn't like the way it was going, but don't worry: it will updated soon, because the unwritten parts are after Chapter 30. I may update it for a bonus after the fic is done, but I don't know.

Anyway, enjoy!

lianneharmony

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References

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I've been watching too many horror movies. It shows when you read Blaine's almost-death scene.

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Shoutouts

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Thanks go to Beth(as always), Guardian of Courage, Redheaded Devil and Yashi Inuzuka. You guys rock, and this chapter is for you.