The Hunt for Sviederbach

Disclaimer: I do not own Shake it Up

A/N: IMPORTANCE-I was informed that various people are using Sviederbach as the country for Gunther and Tinka. I want you to know that 1) Sviederbach is NOT canon, but a country completely made up by me, so if you want to use it, I'd like to be informed. 2) If you do use it, try to remember the laws within Sviederbach, if you need refreshers, I'll be more than happy to provide. It may be just that much easier to make up your own country for them though XD. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 20 (Elation and Suspicion)

Aveline stepped out of the shower, slouching and irritable. Aside from getting cleaned up by Estelle yesterday, this was the first time she attempted a shower. She had been far too nervous to attempt it before, and actually had gone so far as to signal Martin on the collar beforehand and ask about the cameras. He replied that he did not always watch the camera, and would likely turn hers off if she took a shower or undressed. It was good to know he had some amount of decency.

She could tell when he was being honest, due to the fact that the camera on her collar had a tiny light that was lit whenever it was on. During the shower, it was off, and she'd noticed it off at other times as well. "Can't help but wonder what he's doing when he's not looking…"

Aveline grabbed a towel from the shower rod and began to pat herself down and get dressed. It didn't take long, as she didn't want the camera turning on while she was still naked. After all, it was more than just Martin that had access to seeing what was on camera, it was the entire world, and she did not need people seeing what a naked princess looked like. She lifted her eyes towards the sky and curled a smirk. "Oh the scandals to be had there…" She looked down to her side and slowly lifted her shirt, gazing at the bandage wrapped around her stomach. "So close…"

There was no time to mourn over that, Ty and his family needed to be rescued. Aveline made her way outside and walked towards the kitchen table where everyone was eating their breakfast. Astor looked up from his eggs and hash browns with a smile. "Hey sis, want some breakfast before we leave? There's a couple extra pancakes." She put her hand to her stomach and quickly nodded.

"That'd be great. I'm kind of hungry." As difficult as it was to eat in a situation like this, she couldn't turn down food on an empty stomach. She moved to the table and took a seat beside Astor. Estelle and Madeline had gone to the garden before the shower, so they were likely still out there. René was at the stove, cleaning everything up. Karla, Mia, and Michael were also at the table, while Kuno was sitting on the floor beside them, playing with one of his toys. "Where's Rocky at?"

Karla set her fork down and glanced up at her, "Mom went back to bed. Are you sure mom and I can't help you out?" She frowned at the girl and quickly nodded. This was something she could not risk, not with Martin placing such strict rules upon them.

"You guys aren't allowed to help. Maybe if it were an outside, unrelated source, but you guys can't do anything…it's too risky…" She admired Karla's determination, but she still did not want to risk any of her family's life. "Besides, I don't want to put anyone else through some of the dangers we're dealing with, it's bad enough my little brother has to tag along with me." She felt Astor kick her leg and winced slightly. She flashed a smirk at him and rubbed her hand on his head. "Love you too, bro."

"That was not a love tap, sis."

"Oh I know that." She laughed heartily and put one arm around her brother, hugging him close. It was great having him here to help keep her spirits up. "You ready to go get Uncle Ty and Aunt Tinka?"

"Yep. Kind of scared though…but I think it'll be okay. Not sure how, but it's a feeling I have."

"Yeah, we'll see."

After the breakfast, Aveline and Astor used their teleportation device to get as close to Crusty's as they could. They were startled by the number of men in suits that were lining the streets. Aveline searched the many men with her eyes and slowly stepped back, anxiously wondering if these men were part of a trap. "Astor, when I give the word, run…"

"I was thinking the same thing, sis."

"There she is!" A voice cried out. She yelped and turned around to see several men looking her way. "Aveline Hessenheffer, our boss is expecting you." She started to reach for her arrow, uncertain if she would need to attack. Arrows versus bullets probably wouldn't go over too well, though. The man waved his hands in the air and flashed a smile. "Relax, we're just with the mafia, Mr. Martinez wants to see you."

"Mister…Deuce?" She didn't actually expect him to do this, and as pleasant of a surprise as it was, it was nauseating. She glanced to her right and lifted her eyebrows. In front of the apartment building were two crumpled bodies, both highly unrecognizable. "What the…" The man pointed his hand at the bodies and cleared his throat.

"That would be Auda Lamont and one of her relatives. They had this entire place rigged. Our boss went in and made it all the way to the rooftop, they're waiting for you up there. Can you come with me?"

"I…guess…" She felt her stomach reeling with disgust the longer she stared at Auda's body. Astor looked away, gagging. "So he took out Auda? Is Uncle Ty safe?"

"Yes, he rescued your Aunt and Uncle, your cousin as well." Aveline looked down to Astor and shrugged her shoulders. Astor furrowed his brow and held his stomach. "Come with us, Miss Hessenheffer. We'll take you to your family." Less work for her at least, though she wasn't too sure she would have taken Auda out in such a way. It didn't seem avoidable. She was beginning to believe Martin knew what he was doing. After all, he stationed his relatives in some pretty bad areas, and with captives that could easily get them killed. For instance, Rocky and Karla with Steven, Auda here in Chicago, it was all too easy.

The siblings followed the man to the rooftop where Deuce was waiting with Dina, Uncle Frank, and Mr. Garcia. When she saw Ty, Tinka, and August standing with them, tears sprang from her eyes. "Uncle Ty, Aunt Tinka, you're really safe!" She was elated, and astonished to see they actually had their collars completely removed from their necks! Without thinking, she ran for the two and hugged them close. They let out a grunt and moved their arms around her. "I can't believe it…" She looked over to Deuce with a tiny smile. "You did this?"

"Yeah, I heard they were here, so I knew I had to act." Deuce folded his arms over and flashed a smirk. "I know you can handle the rest, but I couldn't let you hog all the fun." She looked over her shoulder to Astor, who casually made his way over, possibly still stunned that they didn't have to do any fighting. He and August shared a quick high-five, and August began his rant.

"You should have seen it!" August threw his hands up into the air from the pure excitement, laughing gaily. "Deuce snuck up here and moved behind one of those vent things over there…" He pointed towards an air vent on the roof. Deuce moved his hand behind his neck and exhaled. "He got up, threw a shoe at the woman who had us, then shot the other bad guys up here. It was so amazing!" His parents exchanged nervous glances. Aveline wiped her eyes and looked to the three bodies on the rooftop. She still didn't know exactly how to react to what occurred here, but part of her didn't care. She looked over to Deuce, thanking him.

"You removed their collars?" Deuce picked up one of the collars from the ground, sighing softly.

"Sure, we recognized these things as something the mafia uses, so we knew how to neutralize and remove them. Funny thing, the explosive part of it wasn't completely activated." Aveline raised an eyebrow and let her lips fall into a flat line as her eyelids fell into narrow slits.

"What was that?" She rubbed her ear and looked over to Astor, who shrugged his shoulders.

"They can still be activated from a remote point," Dina started, "But they haven't been programmed to explode yet. So Martin would have to press two buttons on someone, one to actually activate the explosive, and another to set it off." What was Martin doing then, if the collars weren't set to explode? He wanted something, didn't he? He wanted to kill the royal family, surely. Whatever it was, she could think about it later. She still needed to get Ty and his family back home.

"Okay, I'm just glad they're safe. We need to get them home, thank you so much for saving them." She didn't want to know how bloody it was inside the building, but if she had to guess, she was almost certain it was a mess. She looked up to Ty, he had a worried expression on his face, possibly curious about Rocky's whereabouts. "Uncle Ty, I want you to know Rocky's safe, so is Karla."

"What about Wilbert?"

"He's…" She tensed her fist and narrowed her eyes. "He's in the hospital. That car accident Rocky had put him in a coma." Tinka gasped and Ty started to pale. "Uncle Rolf is…he's been killed…"

"Oh my god! Then I need to see my sister. Now!" Deuce handed her the three collars. She took them and hoisted them over her shoulder.

"Examine those, all right?" Deuce stated. He pat her back and smiled at her. "You can do it Aveline, we all believe in you."

"Yeah…then why doesn't it feel like that?"

"It's a lot of weight on your shoulders. Knowing your family's life is in your hands, it's one of those 'no pressure' moments." He smirked and Aveline rolled her eyes. "Now get going, I need to get my people back to their jobs."

"Right."

When they made it back to Estelle's, Aveline pressed the radio button on her collar and scowled. "Martin, we need to talk." She stepped onto the patio and narrowed her eyes. "You don't have these collars rigged to blow?" Martin's voice came over the radio, calm and collected.

"I can easily activate them anytime I want. Consider it a safety lock, in case I get pissed and throw the remote across the room…the collars won't accidentally explode." Aveline rolled her eyes and growled, malice dripped from her voice as the desire to kill him coursed once more through her veins. "Don't worry Aveline, I do know what I'm doing."

"Why do I feel like you're up to something…" Wasn't this how it was for her parents when dealing with Frankie in the old days? "If you're sneaking around…"

"Oh relax. By the way! I forgot to mention something." She moved her eyes towards Aunt Madeline's garden and leaned back against the wall, watching her Aunt pick away the tomatoes. "You know that little teleporter you have?"

"What of it?"

"I have one too. How do you think my relatives got everywhere? Oh, and just a little something extra for you to chew on…all of this, Aveline? This was actually my father's idea. He forced it. Shoved it down my throat, if you will, but that's my family for you."

"Oh, is that why you're always so angry?"

"Enjoy your next search Aveline. I guarantee it won't be as easy as your Uncle was…you got lucky there. As promised, I'm not a cheap shot, so I won't penalize you for what the mafia did, that was my mother's mistake." He sounded so cold when he spoke of her. His tone sent a chill down her spine. What was it his mother had done to him to make him speak of her with such malice? The father as well. "Goodbye and good luck, Princess."

The feed ended and Aveline let out an angry shout, kicking the patio chair. Madeline looked over suddenly and put her hands to her hips. "Sorry Aunt Madeline." She picked up the chair and moved back into the house. When she sat on the couch, she leaned forward and glared at the television set in front of her. The next clue weighed heavily on her mind as she attempted to decipher it. However, she was also distracted by Martin's words, and felt like there was something more to what he was saying. "I have to wait three hours to do anything, anyway…"

The clue was obviously her grandparents, but the only problem was, it stated opposite of the butcher shop. We met at the butcher, but our fate rests in the very first home we had in America, filled with so many memories. We had to move due to an infection of mold within the walls. After three hours, you have only five hours to find us. She had no idea where the first home they lived in was, but it was likely in Chicago. Someone that might know would be one of her Uncles, so she'd have to start out there. She closed her eyes and tapped her fingertips against each other, then rested them on the bridge of her nose.

"Mark my words, Martin. The next I see you, it's not going to be pretty."

Tell me what you thought, what are your thoughts on Martin here? Something's definitely up, perhaps nothing bad.