Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip Girl or the characters.

Chapter 38: High Stakes

Blair was running. Running as fast as her legs would carry her.

She could hear the gun shots and the men yelling—but that didn't scare her—what scared her was the thought of living her life without Dan. What scared her was the thought that she had just made the biggest mistake of her life—that she had just left her husband to die a terrible death.

This moment. This was the moment. The moment in her life that would change everything. She could feel it. Creeping feelings that had started like a rock in the pit of her stomach and was now spreading throughout her body—shock—she was in shock. She couldn't feel her legs anymore and the noises behind her were starting to fade, but she couldn't stop, she had to keep going—something in her told her to keep going.

Images raced through her mind. The first time Dan had kissed her in the loft. The way he had looked at her. The way his hands and lips felt on her skin. Dan's face on their wedding day. His smile as he said "I do". She and Dan laughing as Milo ran around the apartment in his latest super hero costume. Cyrus lying on the floor of the airplane motionless. Dan's face— drained and white, begging her to run…

Another branch caught her in the face—this time sending her crashing to the forest dirt floor.

The force of it made all the feeling come back, and suddenly her legs ached and her head throbbed and the tears she had been crying clouded her vision. She reached up and touched the cut on her head. She was bleeding again, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. She was alone. She had never felt so alone…

Suddenly she heard the rushing sound…what sounded like a…

She fought though her pain and pushed herself to her feet, following the sound and soon she could see the glow of car lights in the distance.

XXXXX

They were too late. Whoever had been here was gone. Erin Lindsey sighed in frustration. They knew that the Humphreys had been here, that wasn't hard to see, but they were long gone.

"Hey Lindsey!"

Erin turned around to see Halstead running towards her.

"We just got a call. Patrol car picked up a disheveled woman 3 miles from here."

"Mrs. Humphrey?"

"They think so!"

XXXXX

As soon as the car came to a stop, Erin was out running towards the patrol car, its lights lighting up the cool night with the colors of red, white, and blue. She waved her badge to the officers who then let her pass.

Mrs. Humphrey didn't look sane. She was sitting in the back of the patrol car, a blanket draping her thin shoulders, and her gaze fixated straight in front of her.

"How long has she been like this?" Erin demanded.

The cops looked up at her.

"She hasn't said a word since we found her."

"What's the ETA on the ambulance?" Erin asked Halstead who finally caught up with her.

"Another 10 minutes at least."

Erin nodded.

"Give me a couple minutes with her."

"She isn't right Erin." Halstead frowned. "I don't think you'll get anything from her tonight."

"We need to find her husband." Erin protested. "Just give me a minute."

Halstead through his hands up in defeat.

"Ok."

Erin walked around the patrol car, opened the car door, and slid in quietly next to Mrs. Humphrey. She couldn't really see that well, but from the flashing lights Erin could make out the cut on her dirt smudged face.

"Hello Mrs. Humphrey." Erin started. "I am Detective Erin Lindsey. I'm on the task force that has been put on your case."

"Cyrus."

It was so faint that for a moment Erin thought she had imagined it.

"What was that Mrs. Humphrey?"

Blair cleared her throat.

"Cyrus…" she started again a little louder.

"He's alive." Erin smiled at her. "It was moved out of critical this morning but they still are monitoring him."

Erin watched as Blair slammed her eyes shut in relief, fresh tears falling on her tear ridden face. Erin felt a pang of sadness at seeing the lines of mascara and dirt down her cheeks. Evidence of what she must have been through.

"Mrs. Humphrey…"

"Blair." Blair spoke up again making Erin stop mid-sentence. "Call me Blair."

"Blair…" Erin started up again in correction. "…do you mind if I ask you some questions? I know you've been through a great ordeal but time is of the essence if we want to find your husba…"

"You have to find him!" Blair cut her off turning towards her. "He was injured in the plane crash and wasn't doing well when they took him…he…he was…"

Erin slid closer to Blair and put her arm around her, feeling the need to comfort her. Blair didn't resist. She turned and sobbed into Erin's shoulder.

"He told me to run."

Blair whispered against her shoulder moments later.

"Mr. Humphrey?" Erin asked gently.

"He said that Dmitri would kill us…that one of us had to survive for Milo…"

Erin's heart gave a pang at that.

"How did you escape?"

Blair took a deep breath before answering her.

"He faked a seizure right after this guy they called Vince untied my hands. They were getting ready to move us…to take us on some chopper to God knows where."

"You have a very brave husband." Erin smiled.

"I know." Blair tried to smile back.

Before Erin could ask any other questions there was a tap at the window. She looked up to see Halstead standing next to the car with two paramedics behind him.

"We need to get you checked out." Erin soothed moving to get out of the car.

Blair grabbed her arm making her stop.

"I'll let them check me out, but get some pictures for me. I can identify the men. I saw their faces."

XXXXX

Blair felt cold. No matter how many blankets the nurses gave her, or how many cups of tea she sipped—she remained chilled to the bone.

She shivered and looked around at the white walls of the hospital room and out the window where the rain had begun to fall on Chicago. Fitting she thought. It fit her mood perfectly.

There was a light tap at her door.

"Can I come in?"

Blair looked up to see Detective Erin Lindsey smiling at her. She tried to smile back.

"Please detective." Blair answered gesturing toward the only empty chair in her tiny hospital room. Erin slid in closing the door behind her.

"Erin." Erin smiled at her. "Call me Erin."

"Come in Erin." Blair corrected smiling politely.

"How are you?" Erin asked walking up to her bed.

"I'm ok." Blair answered shortly. "When can I go?"

"As soon as you are cleared by the doctor."

Blair sighed deeply and let her head fall back on her pillow.

"I've been cooped up her for days while you are out there looking for Dan and Milo. I want to help."

"You are helping." Erin tried to sooth. "You identified 3 men for us. We are now working on new leads and I am confident that…"

"It's been 2 days Erin." Blair cut her off. "We all know that Dan is…"

She stopped herself afraid to say the words. Afraid that if she said them they might be true. Erin sensed it and laid her hand on her arm squeezing gently.

"I know that it's hard sitting in here while we are out there, but I am doing everything in my power to bring them back to you."

Blair nodded, sniffling. She was getting tired of crying.

"Can you do something for me when I get out of here?" Blair asked suddenly.

"Anything." Erin answered with a light smile.

"I want you to teach me how to shoot a gun."

XXXXX

Voight sat quietly, lights off in the small hospital room, studying his longtime friend. It had been a close call. He was sure if he and Erin hadn't found him when they did he would be dead.

The though gave him mixed emotions.

He cared about Cyrus. Always had, though he wouldn't admit it out loud. He and Cy had gone way back…but that was also part of the problem. In the foundation of their history laid a secret that both of them promised to keep. It was now in jeopardy. She was smart he knew it. It wouldn't take her long to figure it out. Cy was never good at playing it cool. He wouldn't' be able to take it eyes away from her.

A light knock at the door drew Voight back to the present.

"Hey." Erin smiled slipping in.

"Hey." Voight smiled back.

"How is he?" She asked walking over to Cyrus's bedside.

"The nurses think any day now."

"That's good." Erin nodded. "Blair is concerned. Said her mother will be here within the hour."

Voight rolled his eyes.

"I'm gonna go get a coffee." He replied standing.

"The nurse at the station said you've been here all day."

It was a simple statement but Voight knew what she was asking behind it. Why had he been there? Why was Cyrus so important and why hadn't she ever heard about him.

"Yeah well, I didn't think he should wake up alone."

She looked up at him a little surprised.

"How far do you guys go back?"

Voight hesitated before answering. He had to tread carefully.

"We grew up together. We went through a lot of shit back then and…well Cy was an ok guy." Voight answered scratching the back of his head.

Erin looked him up and down suspiciously.

"Ok." She accepted looking back at Cyrus. "I can stay with him until you get back."

"Ah…thanks." Voight forced a smile to his lips. "Do you want one?"

"Already had 3." She laughed. "I'm good for now."

"K." Voight nodded. "I'll be back."

With that he left Erin alone with Cyrus.

XXXXX

Dan woke up to a make shift hospital room. It looked like something out of Alias with the tall warehouse ceilings and curtains draw around him and a hospital bed. He wasn't sure how long he had been out. After Blair had run he threw himself on the closest Russian chair and all, and in return the Russian knocked him out cold.

God he hoped she had made it out. He prayed with every fiber of his being that she was safe.

"Mr. Humphrey." A man addressed him pulling back the curtain at the end of his bed. "Your vitals are looking much better."

"Who are you?" Dan demanded. The man didn't have a Russian accent and seemed to be just as nervous as he was.

"My name does not matter." The man frowned at him. "What matters is that you are going to be alright. I managed to stop infection, set your arm, and stabilize your ribs—although you will be uncomfortable for a while due to bruising."

"Thank you." Dan managed to say.

The man looked up at him surprised.

"You're quite welcome Mr. Humphrey."

"Any idea of when I will…"

"A man will be along shortly for you." The man who Dan guessed was a doctor smiled at him, and with that he disappeared behind the curtain again.

XXXXX

Blair woke up to a familiar voice. Her mothers. The low pitch of her booming voice made Blair laugh to herself. Leave it up to Eleanor Waldorf to enter a hospital floor and take immediate control of the situation.

"Blair?" Eleanor's now soft voice filled her dark hospital room. "Honey are you awake?"

Blair turned around in her bed and pulled the light above her bed.

"Hey mom."

The look on her mother's face made Blair start to cry instantly. The look of worry, relief, and then joy at seeing her daughter was safe and sound. She crossed the room in seconds and was holding Blair in her arms.

"Oh my darling!" Eleanor sobbed into Blair's hair. "Oh Blair!"

"I'm ok!" Blair hugged her back tightly. "Really I'm ok."

Eleanor left her embrace and pushed her back inspecting her for herself as if she didn't believe it.

"I knew letting you come here was a mistake!"

"Mother…"

"And Cyrus! My dear Cyrus…" More tears flooded her mother's eyes and Blair pulled her in for another hug.

"He isn't awake yet then?" Blair asked soothingly as she stroked the back of her mother's head.

"No. The nurses just updated me on his medical status but they can't guarantee anything."

Blair pushed her mother back to make eye contact.

"He will come out of it mom. He is a fighter."

Eleanor smiled faintly and cupped Blairs face in her hands.

"My beautiful girl." She smiled.

Blair laid her hands on hers and smiled back.

"Excuse me?"

Blair and Eleanor turned to see Erin standing in the doorway.

"Who are you? This is a private room."

"Mom…"

"I'm Detective Erin Lindsey ma'am."

"Mom this is the Detective who has been trying to help me find Dan and Milo."

"Oh!" Eleanor smiled reaching out her hand. "Sorry dear, you may call me Eleanor."

Erin smiled politely and took Eleanor's out stretched hand and gave it a light shake.

"Eleanor. Very nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise." Eleanor responded kindly. "The nurses tell me you and Detective Voight have been taking turns staying with my husband. Thank you."

"It was really no inconvenience." Erin answered politely. "I actually came to give Blair an update on our progress."

"Have you found Dan?"

"No, but we have a lead on where he might be." Erin smiled taking a step closer to Blair. "We've been paying attention to any medical supplies that might be missing or stolen that Dan would need and we found a local doctor has gone missing. His wife said he left for work but received a call from the hospital an hour later saying he hadn't shone."

"Dan said they would get him medical attention." Blair sighed in relief. "That's a good sign."

"A good sigh that he is alive yes, but it's not clear what Dmitri has planned. It's been clear so far to us that Dmitri is an up close and personal kind of mobster. He likes to do the dirty work himself. Prides himself on it."

Blair shivered.

"You think he made Dan better so he could kill him."

"It's a possibility."

Eleanor took Blairs hand and squeezed it sympathetically.

"What do you need from us dear?" Eleanor asked Erin. "Money is not an option. We have plenty of it."

"Unfortunately I don't think money will solve this problem." Erin frowned. "Blair is there anything else you can remember that you might have forgotten before?"

Blair shook her head sadly.

"I told you everything and I identified all the men I could from your photos."

Erin nodded her head.

"Forget about being held captive." Erin soothed taking another step closer to the bed. "What about anything from the attempted shooting of Rufus in the hospital in New York, or Milo's abduction? Anything that you thought of afterwards that struck a chord with you?"

Blair started to shake her head as memories of firing the officer's gun left tingling tremors of memory in her arms and she felt again the deep ache in her heart as she fell to the sidewalk when Dan told her Milo had been taken…

"Yes!" Blair announced suddenly making her mother jump. "Milo!"

"What about Milo?" Erin asked anxiously.

"When they took him, he dropped his batman cape!" Blair sounded triumphantly. Erin and Eleanor just starred at her unsure what she meant. "Milo couldn't live without it! He was obsessed with it! He went through phases of being obsessed with certain super hero's! Batman was his favorite when they took him. He would have been inconsolable without a batman cape!"

A light lite Erin's eyes as she realized what Blair was saying.

"They would have bought him a new one…We'll put a list together immediately and investigate all the stores that sell child batman capes."

With that she took off leaving Blair and her mother alone once again.

XXXXX

Voight had only been in Cyrus's hospital room 20 minutes when he started to stir. He stood to his feet immediately and crossed the short distance to the bedside.

Cyrus's eyes crept open and he smiled at his old friend.

"Hank."

Voight returned the smile.

"Welcome to Chicago. She missed you."

Cyrus chuckled but instantly regretted it groaning.

"I feel like I've been hit over the head with a hammer."

"You had a close call." Voight nodded. "Blair filled us in on what happened on the plane."

"Blair and Dan. Are they ok?" Cyrus asked anxiously.

"When I got to the plane they were gone, abducted. Blair escaped but Dan…he's MIA. We are working around the clock to find him."

"I'm sure you are." Cyrus nodded in appreciation.

"Erin knows nothing and that's how it's stayin." Voight suddenly said meeting Cyrus's eyes with his. Cyrus nodded his head in sad acknowledgement.

"I figured as much."

"As long as were on the same page." Voight nodded. "I'll get the nurse. Oh and your wife's in town."

XXXXX

Two men came to collect Dan. Two big muscled men. Dan kind of felt honored by it. The walked him down a lengthy hallway and took two lefts and then a right before they sat him in a chair outside fancy wooden French doors.

"Wait here." The Russian guard glared at him.

Dan nodded politely slightly intimidated by the Russian brut.

The man disappeared behind the French doors and left his other scary brut friend behind who didn't take his eyes off of Dan.

By the time the doors opened again Dan was relieved to be released from the man's heated gaze. He was jerked to his feet and pushed through the doors into a stunning office with a grand oak desk that looked bigger than the Oval Office's. Dmitri was sitting, writing, with small reading glasses at the end of his nose. The look of glasses on Dmitri gave Dan a different distinguish impression of the man, something that felt foreign and not real—like he had just walked into an opposite reality.

"Ah…" Dmitri said looking up from his paper. "Dan. Please have a seat."

The Russian man threw Dan recklessly into one of the two chairs in front of the Dmitri's desk.

"Dmitri." Dan said between gritted teeth.

"It was my sincere hope that it would not have to come to this." Dmitri said standing. "After all, I did fore warn you of the consequences if you pursued MY son."

Dan glared at him as Dmitri walked around his desk.

"And tell me Dmitri…how in any way have you been a father to Milo?"

"We are not playing your games." Dmitri scoffed. "Georgina and I trusted you with the care of our son. It has not gone unnoticed that you and Blair did that very well, but the fact that you now have a notion that you have a right to him—that you are his father and not me!"

Dmitri slammed his fist into the top of the desk making Dan jump.

"You left him with me and Blair because you didn't want him to be a part of this world…" Dan started carefully. "Both you and Georgina wanted to protect him from this life…that was right…that instinct to protect your child Dmitri…"

"I was foolish!" Dmitri spat angrily at Dan. "This! This world! This life! It is who WE are! It is who Milo is and will be!"

"Over my dead body!" Dan yelled.

"That might be arranged Mr. Humphrey." Dmitri glared. "But first I have a use for you."

"Use for me?" Dan asked insulted.

"Yes see you will bring Blair to me."

Dan just stared at him in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"You will be released where as you will return to the arms of your beloved wife. I will give you a day with her—call it a mercy—then you will lead her to an abandon warehouse where you say I kept you…"

Dan had never experienced such a strong level of hate for anyone before in his life.

"You can just kill me now." Dan spat. "I'm not bringing Blair to her death—how could you even ASK me THAT?!"

"I could kill you, but Blair would still be out there searching for Milo, and especially if I kill you—Georgina told me that she is ah what do you say…obsessive."

"Kill me." Dan glared at Dmitri.

Dmitri stared back at him for a moment. Then he took out his gun and walked over to Dan, cocked it, and pressed it against Dan's temple, leaning his face close to his.

"You would die for her?" Dmitri whispered. "What makes you so sure that I don't already have her? That this is a test?"

"Because I would already be dead!" Dan smiled.

Dmitri shot back in anger and hit Dan over the head with the butt of the gun. The sheer shock of pain made Dan sick and he fell to the floor.

"Bring her in!"

Those 3 words made Dan's world come crashing down around him. He struggled and fought through the pain to focus on the door. He at least had to see her face one last time…

"DAN! Oh my GOD! What have you done to him!? DAN!"

He had to be hallucinating…it wasn't possible. He squinted his eyes, trying to force himself to concentrate—he had to be losing it—

"Pick him up!" Dmitri shouted. "And tie her to the other chair!"

He couldn't take his eyes off of her as arms lifted him back to his chair. The spinning room started to slow at he locked eyes with his sister.

"Jenny…" He whispered in dread, in anger, and in disbelief.

XXXXX

I know all these cliffhangers! I hope you are still enjoying! Thank you to everyone again who takes the time to comment, favorite, and follow. They inspire me to continue this awesome fun crazy story! Thank you for reading and STAY TUNED!