Dan got out of the cab and paid the driver. After his sister had been kidnapped, Ian had told him he needed to get back to the mansion. Dan had argued saying he needed to save his sister, but then Ian forwarded him the text.
Vesper one had called Dan a Jester, and Dan fully intended on showing that he was a Ninja lord, not a Jester. But, as much as he loved his sister, if he was going to die being a noble ninja lord fighting the vespers, he wanted to die saving a certain someone.
A certain someone who was currently lying tied up, passed out and yet somehow still beautiful, on his front porch.
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"Natalie?"
"Nat, wake up!"
"Don't call me Nat."
"She won't wake up for her own brother, but wakes up for Daniel. Unbelievable."
Natalie woke up to a pair of bright green eyes, usually full of mischief, now full of worry, and another unreadable emotion. She looked around and realized that she was in The Cahill mansion on a sofa in the command center. She tried to sit up and instantly regretted it.
"Don't get up too fast." Dan handed her a glass of water. The glass had Pokémon on it and Natalie's lip quirked upward slightly.
Ian was still complaining about her waking up for Dan, Ned was checking how healthy she was with a Ekat-thing-a-ma-bob, a ginger girl she'd never seen before was standing awkwardly nearby, Jonah was mumbling something about being woken up early and wanting to go back to his pillow, and Dan was looking at Natalie with relief and that other mystery emotion.
How the hell where so many Cahills in the same room without world war 3 breaking out?
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"And so the punk-nerd prince gave Rain Black an anti-virus program that saved her computer. The end."
"Cool."
"Wanna hear another one?"
"Nah, I'm kinda tired, maybe later?"
"Sure, kiddo. G'night."
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By the time Dan had explained all that had happened after the hostages were kidnapped, it was 7:00 and Ian was all packed up and ready to go save Amy as soon as Vesper One texted.
"I can't believe you all just do whatever the Vespers say."
"If we didn't one of you could have been hurt, or worse killed!" Dan argued, although it was a little hard to take someone wearing Mario pajamas seriously.
"So? The Vespers will try to take over the world, so we would probably die anyway."
"Why do you think they're trying to take over the world?"
"Well what else could they want?"
"I don't know!"
"Whatever. I'm going to bed." Natalie would have liked to pretend that she didn't feel Dan's eyes on her back, and she would have liked to say it didn't make her feel like she'd just swallowed poison number 17.
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Amy was thrown into some kind of room. She didn't know where, what time it was or anything else. She's been thrown into a helicopter and then thrown in a window that was all she knew.
She felt the gag, blindfold, and ropes being removed, but when she opened her eyes the people, who she guessed were Vespers, were gone. Where was she?
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"Ted?"
"Yeah?"
"You don't have to be embarrassed."
"Why not? You know I like you, but you don't like me. I have every right to be embarrassed."
"Ted, for such a brilliant guy you really can be a dumbass some times. (A/N Anyone recognize this? Anyone?)"
"What?"
"I like you, too."
"What?"
"I just said, I like you."
"What?"
"Do you really not understand?"
"No, I understand, I just like hearing you say it."
"I like you, I like you, I like you, I li-Mmmph!"
"I love you."
Ted sings I will follow you into the dark by death cab for cutie
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Vesper one sent a text with a single word:
Seattle
Ian booked the first flight and left, leaving a note telling everyone else where he was going. Vesper one had said he had to be a knight, and while he may not have a sword, he did have every poison, serum, and venom known to man. Take that dragon.
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Elizabeth knew she shouldn't be freaked out, but she was. The Vespers wouldn't hurt her, she was too valuable, but they could emotionally beat her to a pulp via Jonah. Hell, she had become friends with all of the Cahills and they would exploit that. There was also the matter of her brother.
Elizabeth knew she was being a coward, but she liked to think she was leaving for the right reasons. And she was. Mostly. She left a note for the other Cahills and one note just for Jonah.
The hardest parts were her things. What could she afford to take, what clothes would be most practical. In the end she wore a black t-shirt, dark jeans, black converse and a black hoodie. The only thing she took with her was some money and a picture of her and Jonah.
Elizabeth sings The Only Exception by Paramore
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Natalie had no idea what she was doing up so late. It was midnight and any reasonable person would be asleep, but as she passed an open door in the hallway she realized neither her nor Dan were reasonable.
"What are you playing?" She asked and Dan jumped a little, causing his cart to crash.
"Super Mario Cart." He felt himself blush slightly, and inwardly cursed. Since when had he been embarrassed that he was a nerd?
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Ian sat on a plane in first class, quietly hating himself. If he'd told her sooner, then he wouldn't be in this situation. Well, he would, but he would feel better if Amy knew.
He hadn't told anyone about what he said when he thought Amy was listening.
Amy was also thinking about the phone call. She was taken before he'd finished speaking but she had heard the start of his sentence. She had heard three words that if the Vesper hadn't knocked her out, she probably would have fainted anyway.
She may have been trapped, and scared, but that didn't stop her from smiling like an idiot.
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If you had told Dan a year ago that Natalie would kick his ass in Super Mario Cart he would have laughed, but now this video game was no laughing matter.
"Eat my dirt, Mario!"
"Don't you mean, eat my dust?"
"Oh, yeah, thanks. Eat my dust, Mario!"
Dan lost for the fifth time that night and Natalie looked all to pleased with herself.
"Are you sure you've never played this before?"
"I've never even played a video game before. Another round?"
"Sure." Dan said, finally accepting that Natalie was just born a gamer girl.
Dan sings Mario Cart Love Song
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Ned woke up first and walked around the mansion to get the other so they could plan, or something. He passed the game room, and almost thought he was hallucinating.
Dan and Natalie were…cuddling? Snuggling? Whatever you wanna call it, they were close.
Dan was protectively hugging Natalie, with his head on top of hers. Natalie had one arm around Dan, and another was clutching a video game controller. Ned woke them up by shouting,
"LUIGI!"
To which Natalie responded:
"MARIO!"
To which Dan responded:
"PRINCESS PEACH!"
When Dan and Natalie realized the position they were in the untangled from each other and stood blushing while Ned stifled laughs.
"Breakfast in ten minutes."
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So? What'd ya think?