BluePhantom15: Finally a new chapter! Sorry it's so short, but the next will be more action packed I assure you. Thank you so much to all those who reviewed, they always bring a smile to my face. As usually this story is not beta'd, so sorry for any mistakes you may find while reading.

Disclaimer: I seriously own nothing. Nothing. Seriously.

I crawled back up the stairs, and unto the bed. I had to admit, I was still kinda tired from the multiple near death experiences. I must be getting out of shape. I rested my head back unto the pillow, closing my eyes briefly, before I heard the footsteps.

Henri's footsteps.

I could recognize them from anywhere. The question was did I confront him, or sneak around behind his back? Maybe a little of both, I decided. Finally the door creaked open and Henri walked in with this pompous face like he owned the place. It made my skin crawl when he flashed a grin at me.

"Liking the bed?" He asked in all causality.

"I don't know. It doesn't have all the moisture of dirt, but it will do."

He smiled, grabbing a chair to sit beside me. I sat up in my chair, still unsure of how to go about this whole situation. I was mad as hell at Henri right now but I couldn't let him catch on to that. I had to find a way to bring up the map discreetly.

"You know you should really get some more sleep." Henri commented looking at the bangs under my eyes.

"I could say the same thing to you. If I recall correctly you weren't in the greatest shape getting here either." I retorted.

Henri simply shook his head.

"Don't worry about me. I'm just fine."

"Funny I always feed you that exact same line, yet I can never seem get away with it. However I'm supposed to accept it from you without a second thought."

"It's different. I'm your protector, not the other way around." He stated. "Now sleep. We're going to start heading back to the house once you're bodily able."

"What about the map?" I inquired.

Silence filled the room, and I knew I had caught him off guard. Point number four.

"Like I said, we have to get proper supplies and plan before we go after the map. Once we've gotten the things we need, we'll go after it."

"Liar."

I hadn't meant to say the word aloud, but the anger I was feeling at the moment had now boiled to the surface. How dare he sit there and lie to my face. I thought after all these years together he would have more respect for me then that. I guess once again I had set my expectations too high.

"Pardon me?" Henri asked, his eyes growing slightly wider.

"Shut up. I can't believe you."

"What the hell are you going on about John?" Henri questioned, his voice growing impatient.

"I heard. I overheard your conversation with Malcom. I know the mogs have the map, and that you have no intention of helping me get it. And yet you can sit there and spout lies to me like it's nothing." I snarled, clenching my fists. "What were you going to do when we got to the house huh? Make up so long winded excuse of why we couldn't go back? Or maybe you would feel creative and lock me in my room until I had forgotten the whole thing. You're a bastard I can't believe I actually trusted you, I-"

Suddenly I was cut off by the distinct sound of skin hitting skin. It took me several moments to realize that my right cheek was stinging, and my hand rose to cuff it.

Henri had slapped me. The bastard had actually slapped me.

"Don't ever talk to me like that again." Henri voice practically rattled the room. "Trust me? I've looked after you all your life and you think you can call me a bastard just because I lied to you so you wouldn't chase after some fantasy?"

Anger coursed through me veins.

"Fantasy!?" I shouted. "You don't know-"

"No." Henri growled in a low voice.

Abruptly, Henri's hand jumped out, catching me completely off guard. My injured arm felt a strong grip on its wrist before being pulled out in front of me. I let out a gasp of pain, but before I could recoil, Henri spoke again.

"When the hell are you going to get it through your thick skull that everything I do it to protect you!" His grip intensified. "I lie, I make up stories, I fake emotions, but only to keep you safe. To make sure things like this-" He said, rocking my injured arm in front of my eyes. "-don't happen. And if I have to lie once in a while to make sure that happens, then fine, I'll lie as much as the situation calls for." He spat.

"Going after that map could very well kill you, and I'm not letting that happen. So even if that means hauling your ass back to the house by a rope I'll do it. Don't like it? Fine. I don't wake up every morning to please you. I do it to keep you breathing. I'm your guardian, I'm your protector, this is how I do things, deal with it." He finished throwing my arm back down.

Rage still seeped into my blood, as I stared at the man, walking over to the spare blankets that had been placed earlier in the corner of the room. There was so much I wanted to yell at him for, so much I wanted to scream. Instead I let all my hatred come through a single line.

"I never asked you to be my guardian."

There was a pause, and then Henri turned around, a few blankets piled in his arms.

"Yeah, and I never asked you to get hurt. But I guess we both are anyways huh?"

It stung a little. Those words. I hated how he always knew what to say. I hated it.

"Now I'm not going to say this again, put your head back on that pillow and sleep." He said throwing the extra blankets on top of me then adjusting them so they each covered my feet. I despised Henri at the moment, and him ordering me around and putting sickly warm comforters on me was not helping my mood. Still in an upright position, I griped my end of the blankets, and was about to throw them off, when Henri put a hand in the middle of my chest and pushed me down.

"Don't get up, don't be smart and try to throw the blankets off, and go to sleep." Henri said very slowly, making sure every command was loud and clear. I snarled, smacking away his hand from my chest.

"John, this petty attitude of yours is over. I'm not going to put up with it anymore. Go to sleep or I will force sleeping pills down your throat. Do you understand?"

In response I spit at his feet.

"Fine, act like an immature child. We'll talk more when you have cooled off, and a ready to speak without sounding like a complete brat." And with that Henri turned around, and headed for the door. Turning off the lights, he took one last look at me before closing the door.

I heard a faint 'clink' and I knew I was locked in.

So I sat alone fuming in the darkness, wishing for the first time that it would stay that way.

I hate him.

I hate him.

~Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~

As my anger slowly burned out, I became to form plans in head. Plans to get out of this stupid house, and get my hands on that map. Plans to get as far away from Henri as I possibly could.

First I had to figure out how to get the key so I could access the map. Of course Henri had that tucked away somewhere I'd probably never look. Which is exactly why I knew where to look. Then I'd have to get out without Henri or Malcom seeing me.

But to do any of that, I first had to get out of this room.

The handle was to the door would be easy enough to crack open. It was a small knob, with a miniature hole in its center. All I needed was a thin object like a toothpick and I could pick it no problem. But the door wasn't the issue, it's what lay beyond it.

Currently I had no idea where Henri was in the house. If I opened the door and he was waiting in the hall, I would be screwed. And if Malcom happened to be upstairs, he would call my name and blow my cover. So the question was what to do about it...

Then my head looked over to the window, and a grin formed on my face.

Jackpot.

At the moment, I knew exactly what to do. I just prayed it wouldn't blow up in my face.

Because if it did, Henri was going to kill me.

And as much as I hated to admit it, his wrath scared me a hell of a lot more then the mogs.

And that's just another reason why I really hated him right now.

Taking a deep breath, I began to execute the plan. Making as much noise as I possibly could I opened the window and climbed out, hanging on to the ledge. I then I hosted myself into a standing position on the slim border frame of the window, and climb onto the roof, again making as much noise as possible. Then sitting down on the rough tiles, I waited. It wouldn't be long now.

Sure enough I heard loud footsteps running towards the room I was in.

"John!" And there was Henri's voice.

"John!" I could see Henri poked his head out the window from below, and look around frantically. His head twisted left and right, then down, and then to the forest ahead.

"Tha- That moron! When I drag his ass back here, I'm going to kill him!" Henri fumed, pulling his head back inside. Booming footsteps rattled the house, as he jolted down the steps.

Oh dear, predictable Henri. Revenge was so sweet.

I slowly let myself back down on the window ledge and back inside the empty room, just as Henri and Malcom burst out the front door, headed towards the forest.

Perfect.

By the time those two got back to the house, I would be long gone.

Now all I needed was the key.

And I knew exactly where to look for that.

BluePhantom15: Oh dear, Henri and John are fighting again. I think this is the most mad they've ever been. *Sigh* Those two really need to sort out their issues. And John once again doing something stupid... Oh well XD, I guess that's what gives this story a plot huh?

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