Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters

Black was never a very patient person; he would be the first to tell you that. So it was difficult for him to only sit, waiting for the doctors to allow him to see White. He paced the hall outside the room, fighting the urge to break down the door to see White. But he knew that the nurses were watching him carefully and that he would be kicked out before he could see White.

"Excuse me," A nurse came up to him. "Are you related to Miss. Blanche? The doctor said it's alright for visitors but only for a little while."

"I'm close enough to White," Black said, not wanting to lie but wanting to see her. He saw her skeptical look so he added quickly, "We're engaged. I really want to see her, just to make sure she's okay."

The woman nodded and brought him to White's room, opening the door for him. Black went immediately to White's side and took her hand. It angered him to see her lay lifeless in the white sheets with tubes in her arm and wearing breathing mask. He wanted nothing more than to find the killer and chock the life from him. The man tried to kill her for some stupid treasure that might not even exist!

He suddenly felt weak, sitting next to her. He sighed heavily, it didn't help that her skin was so pale which was made more prominent by her dark brown hair. He turned to the nurse who was staying behind him, taking some notes on White's condition. "When will she wake up?"

"Luckily she was on the ground when the fire started so the smoke didn't reach her but she has some burns, nothing too bad though. She's not going to regain consciousness for a couple hours because we found some drugs in her system."

"Drugs?" Black snapped but then caught himself, knowing that his anger was misdirected. "I've been by her side throughout the day. He had been by White's side most of the week, how could someone drug her without him knowing?

"Just normal prescribed sleeping pills," She explained, seeing the questions in his eyes. "It was probably put into her drink since we didn't find any puncture wounds on her body so it couldn't be injected. It should wear off in an hour or so and she'll be all right. Do you want me to give you some time alone with her?"

"Yes, please." Black nodded but barely heard her close the door softly. He vowed to find the killer and bring him to justice, by his own hands or the law. It was no doubt N trying to destroy his life! The man already drove him away from a job he loved and know he was going to hurt his best friend. It was bad enough that he was running from the law, mostly due to N's work.

He looked back up at the clock and saw that visiting hour was almost over but didn't want to leave her when she would wake up. He wanted her to at least know that he was by her side. He cradled her hand in his, very delicate yet strong and creative. He was glad it wasn't burned, knowing that it would make it more difficult for her to make her screen plays.

He took off his watch and placed it around her waist, hoping that the doctors wouldn't take it from her. He was sure that she would recognize it since she gave to him as a birthday present. He didn't want to take it from her, feeling a little guilty that he was deceiving her and taking advantage of her kindness. Though she could be very manipulative when it came to making her circus the best it could be.

"Mr. Noir? There is a Wally outside looking for you." He looked up when the nurse re-entered. Black nodded and reluctantly left White's side.

"It's safe," Sapphire insisted as she pulled Ruby toward the charred trailer that was once White's office. He hesitated looking at the ashes on the ground and worried about the lingering smell of decay. How could she so easily go into that death trap? The ashes would most likely ruin his clothes beyond repair!

Sapphire made a face at him, puffing her cheeks and placing her hands on her hips. "We need to solve this and there might be some clues on what caused the fire in there! Now come on or I'll take on of your hats, place one speck of dirt on it and you won't know which one. Are you going to help me or not?"

"Never thought you'll actually want me to go with you," Ruby mumbled beneath his breath and followed her into the trailer. He would never understand her changing moods, she would push him away when trying to romance her yet now she was dragging him into this shabby trailer.

He immediately brought his sleeve to his nose at the horrible smell. His eyes caught on a Jack in the Box on White's table which caused him to pause. It wasn't charred as it should've been in the event of a fire. His expert eye saw that the pattern was similar to the one he found with Dia that day. He turned the handle slowly, at the same time he could feel Sapphire lean over his shoulder.

"Do you still have the other Jack in the Box?" Ruby asked her and he felt her nod more than he saw her. He had asked her to keep it since he wanted to build a trust with her and he didn't want Wally to come over it. It wasn't that Ruby didn't trust Wally, he just didn't want to risk it.

"I'll send it to my friend for prints as well as this one. I don't think this belongs to White and by the pattern in the ash, I think it was placed here after the fire was put out." Ruby didn't flinch when the Jack jumped out but something picked his interest. It wasn't a clown like before, but a ringleader. He placed the box into a bag and set it aside, "We should find as much as we can in an hour since we're going to be leaving soon and we need to go into town to send this to Silver."

Ruby pulled on gloves, careful to not leave any prints and saw Sapphire do the same. He looked over the foot prints on the ground. They wouldn't be any use since the firefighters already contaminated the evidence enough and prints were just the beginning. He cursed at it and went through White's desk again, and noticed the glass scattered over the desk among the ashes.

"The firemen said it was caused by a candle." Sapphire said, looking at the broken piece of the candle globe. She moved beyond the desk and looked up at the hole in the roof where it caved in, almost taking White and Black's lives with it. "First Dia, and now White… Who do you think is next?"

"If we want to answer that, we have to figure out why those two were chosen first. What can the killer gain from attacking those two? Besides the obvious, of course." Ruby stated and Sapphire rolled her eyes at his words. Did he have to try to explain everything to her as if she couldn't figure it out for herself? She was used to people underestimating her intelligence but she hoped that Ruby would see more in her.

"Well, beside pissing off Black and making him desperate," Sapphire shrugged. "I don't know why he's trying to make an enemy of him. And this killer seems to have a thing for Jack in the Box and fire since the last two times he tried to kill someone, it was with fire."

"Friendship caught on fire," Ruby muttered to himself and Sapphire turned her eyes up, meeting his. She moved back when he cupped her face and her heart stopped when he looked at her intently. He took a napkin from his pocket and wet it with his tongue, to wipe some soot from her cheek, bringing her closer to him as he did so.

"Friendship caught on fire?" She asked breathlessly and he leaned closer to her but she didn't move away, caught by the fire in his eyes.

"Love," he whispered. "Love is friendship caught on fire. I was thinking about a magic act that was focused on fire that he might've drawn inspiration from. There was an act where a magician told the story of how he fell in love with his best friend and he used that quote. I don't think this killer would just set this place on fire. This is an act to him and we're just props."

"But no one was here to see him, why would he care about putting on an act? It would just be easier for him to light a match to this place," Sapphire pointed out, ducking away from his gaze so she wasn't a captive to her heart. She reminded herself that she had to think with her head if she were to get through this without a broken heart.

"If there isn't anything more here, we should send this to your friend now," She moved quickly around him, taking the bag from his at the same time. He could do nothing more than to stare after her and sighed. He was so close to kissing her again but she turned away. Then again, this probably wasn't the best time to be romancing her but he couldn't help but try to steal a kiss with her so close.

He followed her out of the burnt trailer and to her own, giving her some much wanted space on her part. Her steps were delicate and precise, drawing his gaze to her bare feet. He flinched at the thought of them being marred by dirt or scarred by forgotten rubble but didn't voice it because he knew that she wouldn't listen to them. She was so stubborn sometimes.

She entered her trailer quickly and came out with the Jack in the Box just as quickly. He was glad that she was wearing gloves so that her prints wouldn't appear on the box. He placed that in the bag as well and carried both bags despite Sapphire's protest. He merely hooked his arm around hers and led her toward the truck.

"Can we walk?" She asked, despite knowing that he would most likely say no due to the dirt of the road. "It'll take too much time to unhook the trailers from the truck, and it's only twenty minute walk to town. We can catch a ride with Black to get back to the circus too."

To her surprise, he smiled and brought her away from the truck. He stopped though and suddenly knelt in front of her, taking off his shoes. She had to hold onto his shoulders to keep her balance when he took one of her foot into his hands. She raised her brow when he placed his shoe on her feet and did the same with her other foot. He stood and held out a hand to her again.

"I can't let you walk all the way to town barefoot and let such lovely feet be marred with blisters."

"What about you?" She asked seeing his crisp white socks and wondered how he could bare the dirt that would no doubt ruin his socks. Ruby was thinking of that too but told himself that it would be worth it if he could win her back with the gesture. To show that there could be compromise between them.

"I'm wearing socks, that should be enough," he pulled her toward the old dirt road toward the town. "If I didn't know better, I would think that you were trying to spend more time with me by walking."

She rolled her eyes and eased her hand from his arm. He caught the slight blush on her cheek before she turned away from him. She walked several steps in front of him and followed her. "Why in the world would I want to spend more time with a prissy like ya? Let's just get to town so we can send these to your police friend."

Ruby only smiled as he followed her, several steps behind her. He came into step next to her and linked his arm around hers. They just walked in quiet, neither knowing what to say without causing another argument. So he only pulled her closer to him and she leaned her head against his shoulder, walking toward town in silence. Ruby wanted to whisper that he loved her but didn't want another argument.

He just basked in the silence and walked next to her, basking in feeling her heat next to him. He almost didn't hear the sound of a car coming down the road. He just thought that it was just another car driving into town. Sapphire noticed this too and her noise twitched at the smell of the gas. She turned slightly and looked over her shoulder to see that the car was coming much too quick.

The windows were tinted so she couldn't see who was driving and she didn't like that fact and that the model was so common any number of people can own such a car. At the last moment, the car turned toward them and she reacted just as quickly, pulling on Ruby's arm so that they rolled away from the car. They rolled out of the car's path easily, with her sprawled across him.

She pushed herself to her knees and saw the car drive away. She quickly memorized the license plate of the car. She knew that the car had meant to kill them and cursed, slamming her fist down. Ruby groaned beneath her and she realized that she pounded his chest and was straddling him.

"Sorry," She said quickly, getting to her feet and went to pick up the Jack in Boxes she dropped when she pushed Ruby aside. She blushed to the roots of her hair but held out her hand to Ruby to help him up. Electricity shot up her spine when he took her hand and he stood next to her.

"Did you get the licences?" He asked and she nodded though he was looking after the car frowning so she didn't know if he actually saw her nod. How could he not notice the car coming? Sapphire almost died because of his carelessness! He pulled her into his side, just to feel her next to him. "We need to go see Silver as soon as possible."

"Black?" White whispered when she heard his voice, though her throat was raw and it hurt to speak. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the whiteness of ceiling and turned her head slightly to the side to see Black staring down at her concern etched on his face.

"Are you feeling okay? Do you want me to call the doctor to check on you?" He asked, brushing her hair aside so he could see the colour of her eyes more clearly. Her eyes weren't dilated and they were clear so that reassured him. She wasn't as pale as before either and he couldn't help but run his fingers over her cheek. She's going to be alright, he told his racing heart.

"I'm fine." She said, frowning at the way he fussed over her. She tried to sit up despite Black's protest but she pushed his hands away because she didn't want to look weak to him and have him look down at her, literally and figuratively. She flinched at the weakness in her limbs but her mind was racing back to the blurred events of last night. All she could remember feelings heat and hearing Black call for her.

"What happened? The last thing I remember was closing my eyes for a minute. How did I get here?" She asked and when she saw his hesitation she used a more authoritative voice. "Black Noir, you will tell me what happened no matter how you think that it'll affect me."

"Fine Prez," He took her hand, hoping that it would calm her. "There was a fire while you were in your trailer. I found you on the ground passed out and brought you out. The doctors said that you were given some sleeping pills. I need to know if you took them yourself."

White tried to think of the moments before sleep take over her and only shook her head. Then the thought of her trailer caught up to her, "My trailer! How much were they able to save? Everything of mine is in there and my work can't be gone. Tell me that the firemen were able to save my works!"

"I didn't stay long enough to find out," He frowned that she was more worried about her work than her own safety. "I was too worried about taking you to this hospital and making sure you were okay."

White sighed and turned her face in his hands. "It was him, wasn't it?"

Black didn't need to ask who 'he' was but didn't know how to answer. It could've be the masked or it could be N. While Black could believe that N would set fire to White's trailer as revenge, he couldn't see N being the masked man because their motives didn't match.

Black knew that it would be better if he left and have N follow him but Black didn't know if he could leave, especially with the Masked Killer threatening her. Knowing her, she would most likely try to protect everyone but herself and he had to be there for her.

"Bastard," She cursed him and laid back on the pillow, pulling the blanket over his head, breathing out a frustrated breath. "I'm going to find that man and-"

Black had to smile at the curses and threats White made. It seemed like nothing could break her spirit and he enjoyed that in her. She was so strong, so much stronger than him in her passion that allowed her to never give up. Though that was also why he always hesitated when telling her about his past, only to keep silent. Could she hate his with a passion when she found out that he might've brought all these problems to her circus?

"We're going to work this out," She said, confident in her words. She called out for the doctors and began to get up from the bed, wanting to get back to work on her circus. She couldn't give up or else the killer would've already won! She couldn't let her performers think that she didn't have control over the situation. "When we get back, I want to see GiGi again for the routine I was thinking of."

"I better go with you, I'm still training her so it might be dangerous."

"You brought her?" Silver whispered harshly to Ruby, eyeing Sapphire who was looking at the ordering some breakfast at the counter. Ruby was glad that she wasn't sitting close enough for her to hear Silver whisper, "You're undercover and the less people that know about you, the more likely you'll be discovered. Your job is to find a killer, not play Romeo with an old lover."

"I know what I'm doing," Ruby insisted, though he didn't say that he was planning to do both as well since Silver wouldn't understand and assign someone else to the case. "Thanks for driving into town though. Have these processed for any fingerprints and see if there's anything to the song it plays. Both are different and see where it was made."

Silver nodded, taking the bag from him. "I also want you to put this license plate. The car almost ran us over. I don't think that it's was just another hit and run. Someone was trying to run us over and I want to know who. They must've known that we had the Jack in the Boxes."

"Then why leave them in the first place?" Silver asked.

"Maybe it's a two person's show," Ruby suggested. "The masked magician could just be the performer that did something the ringleader didn't like, like leaving behind some clues. The magician likes tormenting us but if he does this too much, the show will end too soon. Much sooner than the ring leader would like which would push him to get rid of these little boxes."

"The more reason to get this back to the station, don't want that 'ringleader' to come and take it. I'll head back. Thought I told them I didn't want to go anywhere else. I'm trying to raise my sweet little Aries and they tell me that I need to drive hours to meet you. I should've just sent Gold. Who knows what my little Aries is doing right now without me. I could be missing her first words!"

Ruby had to hold himself back from chuckling. Silver could be so melodramatic about his daughter and flaunted to everyone in the station about the 'greatest little girl ever'. Ruby wondered if he would act that way about his and Sapphire's child. He could imagine a little girl with Sapphire's bright eyes.

"Tell little Aries hello for me. Did the dress I make for her fit?" Silver nodded and held out a photo of the little girl. Ruby smiled that the dress looked just as he imagined and that she looked so happy. He was always happy seeing his designs on someone.

Silver was about to leave but stopped for a moment. "Don't get too distracted."

Ruby knew who he was talking about and only nodded to Silver as he walked away. Ruby didn't bother to watch as Silver put the Jack and the Boxes into the trunk of his car. He was more distracted by Sapphire coming to sit in front of him. Was it just coincidence that her order finished once Silver left? Did she hear anything that Silver said?

"So wha' was that all about?" Sapphire asked. "Did he say anything about when we should get results? I just want to know who it was and kick their butt for trying to destroy my circus."

"It usually takes a week or two for the fingerprints to go through our database but that's only assuming if he has a past history. Silver's also going to see if there's anything more to those Jack in the Boxes and where they were made."

"That's good," She nodded and she pushed a cup closer to him and he noticed that it was tasted just as he liked. The tray was full of food, more than she was able to eat and when he reached over and ate some bits. "I can't wait to solve this mystery."

So we can part ways quicker, was the unspoken words and he heart clenched at that. She was still pushing him away after everything they've been through. At least she was opening up a little to him, with these little gestures. He tried not to flinch visibly when she ate, leaving little crumbs on the corner of her lips. He wanted to lean over and kiss her but knew she wouldn't want that.

"Do you want your shoes back?" Sapphire asked him and he shook his head.

"Silver gave me some extra ones he had in his cars," Silver explained. He wouldn't have been able to walk into the diner they were at if not for that. He couldn't help but tease her when she nodded so adorably. He nudged her chin up at him.

"You look adorable, when you eat with the finesse of a child." He leaned over and licked the crumbs from her lips. She jumped back, knocking over her chair and raised her hand to her lips.

"We should go see White in the hospital; I don't want to walk home after what happened today." Sapphire said quickly to run from the eyes they were drawing. Her eyes made contact with someone watching them from the glass but they quickly turned away, running out of sight. A shiver ran up her spine when Ruby put his arm around her waist and leading her away.

Happy Belated Halloween.

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