Yoo. Hi. (:

Yeah, my squirrel brain has failed me and I couldn't come up with a question—therefore I have none. xP

WAIT—did I say favorite actress yet?

Well, if I did, too bad. :P

FAVORITE ACTRESS?

I like Drew Barrymore and Anne Hathaway. (:

Blair was in deep trouble. Again.

[Logan/Gambit/Danny]

It was silent for several moments while the shock settled in. Danny and Logan were looking especially panicked, while Gambit appeared rather annoyed. In order to interrupt the awkward silence, Danny finally choked out, "This sucks."

Logan's face was tomato red as Danny spoke, and he bellowed, "This is your fault!" and shoved Danny to the floor.

Danny didn't stand back up. He stayed down until he was sure it was safe and said in an oddly hollow voice, "My fault? How the hell is it my fault?"

"Yes, your fault, bub—you told her to go wait in the hall! I wouldn't have told her to do that!" Logan shouted, his hands clenched into fists and his whole sweaty body trembling.

"Yes you would have!" Danny spat back angrily. "I did that for her protection! I didn't think that she was gonna—gonna get taken!" Danny's eyes gleamed with fury as he stared at Logan.

"Well—" Logan began harshly, cutting himself off before he'd hardly begun the sentence. "Wait…that must be why Victor left the battle so randomly—to get Blair." His cold eyes darted back and forth between Danny and Gambit for some source of agreement.

"Yeah…that makes sense…" Gambit replied uneasily, his expression of pure puzzlement faltering slightly. "Did you hear that banging on the wall during the battle? That happened right when Victor started acting unusual. What do you think that meant?"

Logan and Danny both exchanged a confused look (that still contained hatred towards each other) before Danny spoke out, "Maybe…maybe it was a signal…."

"A signal?" Logan said gruffly, raising an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Are you trying to say Victor is working with someone else? That doesn't seem like something he'd—"

"No, no, the kid's on to something!" Gambit interrupted understandingly. "Stryker might be forcing Victor to work with someone else."

Thoughts and assumptions swirled around Logan's mind haphazardly as he considered that possibility. "Well…maybe…" he agreed stubbornly. Then he cocked one eyebrow and added, "All right, assuming Victor is working with someone else, who's that 'someone else'?"

"I dunno," Gambit and Danny said at the same time, a new wave of befuddlement flushing their expressions.

"Well, I don't think that's the most important thing right now," Logan said carefully. "We need to catch up to Victor before he—um—does bad things…to Blair…."

Danny and Gambit both shuddered in response to Logan's words.

[Blair/Victor/Emma]

Blair didn't know where she was.

Emma had been quick to rush her out of the motel, hands still bound behind her back, as soon as she'd slammed her fist on the wall to get Victor's attention. They had hurried right out of the motel shortly after, and kept walking for about a half an hour—although it had felt longer. The outside air was sticky and humid, and the sun was just beginning to set as they entered the woods behind the motel.

Now they were inside, what felt like, the heart of the woods. It was black as night within the trees, and Blair wasn't sure if that was because the sun had indeed gone completely down, or if the thick oaks and pines just blocked out any trace of light.

"W-where are we?" Blair demanded, glancing at the darkened outline of her sister leaning up against a tree.

"The woods, smart one," Emma sneered impatiently. "We're meeting Victor here—better than in front of the motel—Logan and the other two would catch us right away…."

So Blair waited in silence, her heart hammering away in her chest faster than it ever had before. She was going to die…she was going to die: That's all she could think about at the moment. Maybe she wouldn't die right away, but she was going to die eventually—Victor wasn't going to let her get out of this situation alive.

It had hardly been three minutes when the outline of Victor Creed showed up in the woods. He hurried over to Emma immediately—completely ignoring Blair for now—and said to her, "It took you long enough to signal me back there."

"Excuse me," Emma snorted carefully. She seemed to feel as comfortable around Victor as Blair did. "Blair and I got caught up in small talk." She smirked weakly before adding, "Do you have the flashlight I asked you to bring? I can't see a thing."

"Funny, I can see perfectly well," Victor replied, fishing a large flashlight out of his coat pocket.

"Of course you can," Emma huffed, snatching the flashlight out of his hands. "And thanks," she added feebly, flicking the switch on so that the flashlight illuminated the darkened woods. "Blair's over there," she told Victor quietly, shining the blinding light in her face.

Blair blinked rapidly and squinted her eyes. "Would you shine that thing away from me?" she hissed.

Victor's eyes trailed over to Blair for a mere second, but his body didn't change position at all. "Great…" he hummed quietly, suddenly striding over to her. "It'll just take me a second to finish her off—" he said threateningly.

Blair's face whitened as his nails grew, and she was actually pleased when Emma interrupted.

"No!" Emma said sharply but still carefully. "Stryker said you have to control yourself until you've got Logan and the other two—you can do what you wish to her after that—"

Victor's viscous grin flickered slightly and his hands fell to his sides. "Well," he mumbled unpleasantly, "looks like I've got something to look forward to…."

The pinkish tint came back to Blair's face as Victor stalked away from her, looking miserable. She sighed quietly in relief.

"How far is the place where Stryker suggested we set up the trap?" Emma asked curiously.

"It's two days' time away from here," Victor replied immediately, sounding confident.

"Two days?" Emma sighed, looking depressed.

Victor shrugged uncaringly. "If it were up to me, I'd set up the trap closer to this motel—but Stryker's got cameras hidden all over that place, so he can watch just in case something happens—then he'll know to send back up—not that he'll need to," Victor explained irritably.

Emma mumbled something that wasn't audible and then said in a falsely cheered-up voice, "Oh, well then, how are we getting there?"

"Car," Victor said, sliding his hand back into the pocket that had contained the flashlight and taking out a single key. "I'd rather go by foot, as always, but you know Stryker…controlling bastard…" he mumbled.

Emma nodded in suppressed agreement and said, "Let's get going before Logan catches up." She came over to Blair and seized her by the shoulder.

"Ouch!" Blair squealed. "Ouch…watch the shoulders!" she snarled.

Emma, being the cruel girl she is, gripped Blair even tighter by the shoulder and shoved her forward, snapping, "Walk!"

Blair stayed silent and did as she was told, not wanting to stir up any more trouble. Victor led the way to the car—it was parked only a mile away from where they were in forest. It only took a few minutes to get there.

Emma quickly shoved Blair into the car and slammed the door behind her. Victor got into the passengers seat—Emma was going to drive. She started the car as soon as she got in and sped through the woods at top speed.

As her sister was speeding through woods and the wind was whipping against her face thanks to an open window, Blair remembered something. Victor had said that it would take two days' time to get to the place Stryker had told them to set up the trap.

She was going to be fourteen in two days—her birthday was in two days—and she was also going to die in two days….

---

Well, that was a shorter-than-usual chapter, I think. :P

I had to write quickly. My stupid lab top is thisclose to dying. xD

Anyway. Review. (: