Hello everyone!

Just to answer a few questions from reviewers:

1) Those of you who know the entire saw storyline will know why Amanda is in the game, in my version I have added extra reasoning, Amanda is in the game as punishment for her first inescapable game and then for assisting Ivy and Adam.

2) Ivy cannot assist Detective Matthews in any part of the game, of course she could try bending the rules, but we know what happens to cheaters, plus John is right there with her.

Hope that clears things up! Let's see how Ivy gets on...will she prevail?

Enjoy!

Chapter 18

Allison had decided that since Ivy was not in a position it appeared to help them anymore, the newest Detective was best observing the monitors and looking for any anomalies in that room. She had watched the two men ignore the note which told them to not use the key found by Amanda to get out of the room and witnessed the gunshot blow off the fatter man's head by hitting his eye. It was gruesome but she had not screamed but flinched horribly. Maybe she was finally becoming numb to all the death and destruction around her. Watching Amanda search like a expert, if there could ever be such a thing for that tape concealed in the bricks was like therapy. It made her understand as her fellow players all questioned her. Amanda would have had to lie too, she couldn't tell them she was a Jigsaw apprentice or they'd kill her in a heartbeat. Ivy wondered whether Amanda knew she was going to be put in the game, judging by her reaction when she awoke she hadn't. The countdown which had been ticking away since they arrived was still steadily going, but counting down to what she didn't know. She watched it, it was currently on 1:46 and decreasing every second. Eric had been pacing round wondering what on earth he could do to help his son.

"Eric go and talk to him." Ivy advised, sick of the man's pacing.

"Talk to him about what? He won't tell me anything." His tone was resigned already and the misery in his eyes was beginning to contaminate everyone else. The SWAT team were still vigilant around John and Allison too was stuck for anything to do that could be of assistance.

Ivy frowned, "You can't give up already." She told the Detective who stared at her. She pointed to where her Uncle was sitting once more and Eric slammed his fist into the desk before doing as she had advised.

"I want a tech team in here now." Rigg demanded of Allison who was leaning agains the fencing. "Find out where that feed is coming from."

Ivy followed Eric out and back over to her Uncle who nodded once to her. No one had told Eric about Ivy's secret game although Daniel had taken some convincing. Ivy found herself staring at one of the devices around the workshop and while she was happy with her decision to keep quiet. As Eric's biting comment towards her earlier rang though her mind. Everything was happening so closely together and her Uncle thought she had a problem with wanting to be the hero all the time. She was rather content to let Detective Matthews play his own game, where he would finally be responsible for his actions. However she couldn't deny she wasn't curious about what these little things she was supposed to be noticing actually were. In fact as Ivy battled with her own beliefs and the thoughts in her mind she began to think about John's words in a different light. He had mentioned her contempt for Eric, so surely he wouldn't think she'd try to save him. Perhaps he was hinting once again to the burning desire she could feel building inside of her already to find these little clues and piece together this puzzle. To get the recognition for completing this Jigsaw case and apprehending her Uncle in the process. The survivor who stopped Jigsaw had a favourable ring to it.

"What do you want?" Eric asked surrendering to Jigsaw at last.

"A little of your time Detective." John said adjusting his automated wheelchair to face them all better.

"I don't have time." Eric answered straight away, referring to the time he had left to find his son. "I need time."

"You asked me what I wanted, believe me when I tell you your son is in a lot of trouble." John's voice wasn't contemptuous anymore, he seemed just as concerned about Daniel Matthews as his own father did. It was then Ivy understood that John wasn't trying to ensure Eric couldn't find his son. He was trying to help the Detective to find the only way he could. He wants him to win, just as he wants all his subjects to win. Is that why Adam is going to be punished? It made more sense than anything else they were present with. But was this one of those 'clues' only Ivy would be able to see? That she couldn't tell Eric about?

"And what if I give you a little bit of my time what then?" Eric conceded sadly seeing no other way to bargain with the older man in front of him.

"I only want to talk to you, everyone else must leave those are my conditions." John answered and Eric looked to Ivy. She stared back at him and he raised his eyebrows.

"Well what do you think?"

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"What do you think I should do?" He asked openly and Ivy frowned, perhaps Rigg had said something when she was busy watching the monitors.

Ivy glanced at John, it seemed like her first real test. "Do what he says. Follow the rules." Ivy told him, it seemed obvious to her. She gestured for the SWAT team to go, "Go and see what you can find out about those other people on the monitors." She ordered. "Leave Detective Matthews alone, I'll watch them."

"Fuck no." Eric argued straight away.

"You asked my opinion and I gave it." She retorted quickly.

"I'll listen to his shit for a bit but they aren't leaving." Eric snapped back and Ivy opened her mouth before changing her words.

"He isn't the threat here." Ivy warned pointing at her Uncle.

"This is a crime scene remember Reeves, nobody leaves."

"They don't have to leave the building." John interjected with amusement in his eyes "They just have to leave this area long enough for me to talk to you. Ivy doesn't need to stay here either. She will already know most of what I have to say." Ivy narrowed her eyes and her shoulders understanding that this was John telling her to not interfere, her first warning. "If you both agree to that then you will see your son again." John finished. Now Eric's rules were finally laid out.

"This is about humanity isn't it?" She asked tentatively.

"Remember the rules." John snapped at her quickly, but his eyes answered for her. They spoke of the danger she was in by piecing the puzzle together, yet there was also pride at her deep understanding of his philosophies.

"If I don't see my son again I swear I'll rip your fucking head off." The morose Detective said bluntly his gaze flicking between both of them; enough for Ivy to understand she was included in that threat too. She backed off and walked back towards the monitors deciding to examine some of the pictures in more detail. She wondered how stupid the man could be, his test was simple. Listen to John for the remaining time, sit still and don't act rashly and Daniel Matthews will make it out of his test unharmed. Although how was beyond Ivy, the people on the monitors had entered a new section of the house they were all trapped in and Ivy gasped in shock once back in the room with Allison and Daniel.

"What is it?" They both asked at the same time.

"I know this house." She whispered and Daniel Rigg caught it.

"You know where they are?" He asked quickly grabbing her shoulders.

Fuck. She did know, she had gone through a trapdoor and into one of the bedrooms after her own test. Had first spoken with Amanda before travelling back down. There was a trapdoor hidden somewhere that led down to John's office where she been reporting to him, and the bathroom where Tapp's body would be rotting away in replacement of Adam's. And she had just told the Detectives. She didn't know how she could stop them from trying to find the house now. At least she couldn't tell them much more.

"I remember it from a picture during my game or something. It's in the back of my memory." She lied quickly. "I don't know where it is. Only that it's a lot more dilapidated than I remember it." This was true. Allison frowned at her words. Was Ivy digging her own grave, or at least these people's on those screens? Was this too much information to give away? He she already failed her test before it had begun?

Eric made his presence known. "He said he wants to talk to me alone." He seemed humbled somehow as Allison went to meet him.

"Maybe you should talk to him." Allison said at once and Ivy smirked to herself. The figures on the monitors had gone down into some sort of basement via the cupboard under the stairs, Amanda had stayed near the light however, smart.

"Fuck that. Five minutes old school method." Rigg protested straight away and Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Violence will get you nowhere this time. He's a man of precision and technicality. And he'll be expecting it from you two." She said her voice laced with acid.

"Ivy is right. He's not going to respond to the old phonebook methods and you know that." Allison agreed.

"Oh fuck off running these games with his bloody next of kin knowing all and saying nothin'." Daniel snapped and Ivy turned to shoot him a look filled with daggers and hate. She hadn't expected Daniel to have such a side, a side as nasty as Eric himself. Under her powerful sneer he backed off however, "Sorry Ivy, but hearing how you've gotta stay silent in all of this and I know you know things. It's pretty hard to let you sit there playing all mute." He said apologetically. "But don't underestimate it."

"I have been working on this cases from day one and I have been spending every waking moment piecing it together." Allison argued straight away stating her authority.

"Yeah and Ivy already knows more about all this shit than you do." Daniel retorted while Ivy let Eric watch the monitors alongside her.

"Maybe that's why you ain't got a family yourself and you can't understand what this man is going through." Rigg retorted harshly and Ivy swore under her breath.

"Jesus Christ, one crisis together and you'll all do everything to hurt each other instead of focusing on piecing this thing together. No I can't help you, not without hurting someone else it seems but there are a lot of fucking clues all around us that you just can't see because you're all too busy thinking about what is right in front of you." Ivy ranted nastily. She was sick of them all, they'd be lucky if she'd have anything to do with them after this nightmare; and what was even more worrying to her was that out of all the people Ivy knew would be best for this case was at the station monitoring all other aspects of the Homicide Department right now, Hoffman. Apprentice or not he would know exactly how to handle this and it was precisely why he wasn't present at all. Suddenly Ivy's phone went off, the ringtone blaring out across the workshop and without looking at the caller ID she ignored the call. A SWAT team member found them instantly. "Detective Reeves, he wants you." Was all he said and Ivy followed him back to her Uncle.

"Give me your phone please." John asked her and Ivy recoiled.

"No."

"That was Adam most likely, he's received the note I left at your apartment telling him you'll be working late tonight and he's probably worried. But this isn't about you, this is about Eric Matthews and so I would like your phone to know you won't try and get Adam or any others to help them solve this game." Her Uncle's eyes were hard but shining. Ivy hadn't even thought about it until he said it and she looked at her phone to see it vibrating with a text indeed from Adam.

What the fuck something's come through the door saying you're working late. There's a fucking Jigsaw piece written on the end? Are you okay? 1.04.

"Do not reply to it." John warned her and Ivy panicked.

"Fuck you!" She cried turning away fully intent to let Adam know she was okay right now at least.

"Don't forget the rules." John cautioned once again his voice echoing it's way over to her so she stopped in her tracks. This was mental torture. Adam would start panicking if she didn't reply, he always did and she was worried about him having another panic attack. But she couldn't fail the people on those monitors. Releasing a cry of utter frustration she paced quickly back to John and slammed her phone down onto her desk and walked away. She felt like she was betraying Adam and she had never got an answer out of him, if she was actually his girlfriend or not. It was only further proof that she could no longer deny how she felt about the budding photographer, thinking of him in such dire circumstances. The sudden sound of footsteps broke her out of her revelry as she saw both Eric and Daniel coming to stand in front of her Uncle.

"Clear the room." Rigg ordered and the SWAT men left at once, finally Rigg left and after one final look from John, a raised eyebrow which was a silent question Ivy too left.

"Alright let's talk." Eric's voice echoed as Ivy came to the room with the monitors. She felt exposed without her phone as it went off once again, but she knew far better than to go and answer it.

"I wanna play a game." John's crackly voice made Ivy jumped as it came out of the walkie talkie in Allison's hand. She smiled realising that Eric had hidden one on him somewhere so they could secretly listen in on him. "The rules are simple. All you have to do is sit and talk to me. If you do that long enough you will find your son in a safe and secure place. We haven't been properly introduced. My name's John."

"I heard you like to be called Jigsaw." Eric quipped back with that bored tone Ivy had been treated to so often.

John's laughter came over the talkie, "Oh no, the police and the press coined the nickname Jigsaw I never encouraged or claimed that."

Ivy and Allison looked at each other, John's calm voice was freaking Daniel out whose grip was flexing on his gun. It was unusual for Ivy to hear some of her Uncle's personal life. She hadn't imagined he had penned himself the Jigsaw Killer as some kind of badge of honour and would view him in a different light if he had. She frowned, all he has to do is listen to John? Good luck. She knew how hard this would be for Eric, it would be hard for any father to sit in idleness while their son was fighting for his life in some game and since Eric was the shoot first and ask questions later sort of cop he wouldn't be able to listen to John for long. They certainly weren't going to be talking about the latest romantic comedy that was for sure.

"The Jigsaw piece I cut from my subjects was only ever meant to be a symbol that that subject was missing something; a vital piece of the human puzzle. The survival instinct."

"I never really thought of it that way before." Allison muttered her eyes on Ivy whom shook her head, indicating she hadn't either. A gruesome image of seeing a Jigsaw shaped piece carved into Adam's skin filtered its way into her mind and she grimaced uncomfortably. She decided to train her eyes on the countdown to try and figure out what it was counting down. The subjects time was running out if it signified how much longer their game had to play. Is this how long Eric has to talk to John? She wondered briefly before ignoring the notion. It made far more sense it had something to do with these monitors instead. Maybe if she followed the rules up until this timer ran down then thats when the antidotes would be given to the survivors of these games, however right now it looked like quite a few might actually survive.

"This is all really, really interesting, John." Eric's voice cut through sounding even more monotonous than Ivy had ever heard it, the sarcasm was dripping out of his mouth. "Right now I'd really like to talk to you..." He never got to ask where his son was again for John interrupted him like lightening.

"I am talking to you, your not listening." John warned him. "Don't forget the rules."

Ivy cursed as she came over to stand by Allison, she had given up on the clock and the subjects weren't being interesting on the monitors, Amanda was checking every single scrap of wallpaper for a clue and Ivy was sure she'd come across another insurance trap soon if she wasn't careful. She kept getting sidetracked by John's words because they were actually rather interesting to her. Allison apparently shared her view as the two lent closer to the talkie and Rigg snorted at them. "He's needs to hear this." Ivy told Allison who nodded grimly.

"Maybe one of you two should switch places, you get all this shit he's talking about." Daniel said still watching them.

"Yeah and I wish Mark was here instead of you." Ivy snapped back before she could help herself, regretting it instantly when the SWAT Commander raised his eyebrows at her.

"Stop it the both of you, I can't hear a thing." Allison hissed and the two silenced instantly.

"But all I'm hearing is the same fucking bullshit I hear two seconds into every interview I've ever done with one of you fucking people."

Ivy winced at the harsh words, How can John stand to be spoken to like this? The word karma flashed into Ivy's mind briefly.

"Now thats an interesting approach to police work. Aren't you supposed to be convincing me I'm your friend? Lulling me into a false sense of security so that I'll confide in you?"

"It's a little hard to follow the manual when you've got my son John." Eric answered honestly for the first time and Ivy raised an eyebrow. He was finally listening and he earned her sympathy once again. Ivy's gaze drifted up towards the corners of the room only to see a small camera glaring back at her, the red light gleaming in the dark gloom. She nudged Allison who was still beside her.

"Someone's watching us." She said with a frown wondering who on earth it could be.

"Hang on we're getting somewhere." Allison whispered quickly hushing Ivy.

"Would you have followed the manual then, would you have broken my jaw with a flashlight?" John's voice had a serious manner to it and it was much stronger than before.

"You seem to know a lot about me."

"I know you were once considered a fearless police officer. Do you feel a while lot safer now you only sit behind a desk?"

"I feel a whole lot of things right now." Was Eric's answer and Ivy smiled, it was a good answer too.

"But you feel alive that's what you feel, and that's the point." Her Uncle whispered and there was a bit of crackling that made them both frown and Allison tried to peer through the fencing.

"Allison." Ivy tried again only to be hushed by Allison again and Daniel too this time. He had come to listen in to the talkie.

"Would you... get me a glass of water?" John asked and Allison sighed in disbelief, he wasn't going to give anything too personal away. Rigg backed off too and began pacing, not wanting to look at the new horrors that may be on the monitors. "I would very much appreciate that." John pressed and Ivy stared at the walkie talkie.

"He won't do it?" She asked Allison who was looking sadly doubtful. "What a bastard."

"He will." Allison answered and true to form Eric came in shrugging with the plastic cup and straw in hand.

"Can someone?" Eric began and Ivy took the cup straight away.

"I'll do it." She said quickly leaning into the Detective who now seemed to be the only person capable of listening to her. "And we'll have to abandon the talkie idea because someone is watching us." Ivy advised him and he frowned before nodding tiredly.

She went to one of the SWAT team members who was taking a drink from a water bottle and she held out the cup to him. "Can I get some, for our hostage?" She asked trying to sound authoritative. The young man looked at the straw, glanced over his shoulder at the others before nodding once and sharing the precious liquid with Ivy. She murmured a thanks and brought it over to John who took it gratefully.

"I expected the Detective." He said honestly and Ivy nodded.

"I volunteered for the honour." She said with a smile sitting down in Eric's now vacant seat. Her phone flashed again in front of her.

"He is very persistent." John noted looking down at the phone and silencing it again.

"He's worried." Ivy said forcefully her hand twitching to it.

"Not much longer Ivy." John promised, "I left Adam a message which should calm him."

"Calm him?" Ivy rose to her feet in anger. "Calm him?" She repeated. "You left him a message as the Jigsaw Killer telling him I'm okay? He'll be hunting down every warehouse looking for me!" She snapped angrily as heat rose to her cheeks. She was dismayed and couldn't believe he would have the audacity.

"You have much faith in him." John observed with a frown.

"Yes we...need each other." Ivy said slowly as it dawned on her too. "We keep each other sane." A silence fell as John drunk quietly, coughing occasionally. "Why are you not trying to test him again? How can you be sure he too hasn't gone back to his old ways?"

"I understand the power of attraction and what lies before the two of you. It was clear when I watched the footage of your game back." John answered, "I suppose in an odd way the two of you reminded me of myself and Jill, although far angrier and unstable." He smiled and Ivy smiled back weakly, she felt as if John had just given them his blessing. " But on a different subject, if you could bend down and retrieve that walkie talkie from the floor for me?" John asked and Ivy paled, doing what he said. She showed it to him.

"Tell your fellow colleagues that cheating is not condoned in my games, but they can hear this warning themselves." And he handed her the talkie back, having turned it off.

"Did you really think Amanda wouldn't tell me everything?" John began and Ivy looked up her face turning white at his biting tone.

"I didn't at first." She admitted. "But when nothing happened for a while I began to hope. It was so lovely being just me and Adam."

"Adam and I." John corrected and she broke off to give him a look. "I know all about her attempt to kill him and how you stopped her. This is why I am worried for you, your sheer desperation to not leave Adam behind. Your scheming to replace his body with Detective Tapp's, which was a stroke of brilliance, is what forced me to re examine your instincts.

"The only reason I wanted to save Adam so badly was because I believed Amanda rigged Adam's game." Ivy said numbly. Her eyes were so full of confused innocence that John's expression changed.

"Yes Jill told me of this view and I believe you are correct." John told her with a curt nod. "It is why I decided to let Adam pass through my web unscathed and you have my word he will never face another game of mine." John promised and Ivy smiled weakly.

"The key went down the plug before Adam could have done anything about it, it was unfair. His saw broke too so he couldn't do what Lawrence did." Ivy explained, feeling she had to and her Uncle held his hand up.

"I understand Ivy. It is why Amanda is in the situation she now finds herself in. She is sadly regressing." John lamented and Ivy looked away.

"Ivy we need you." Allison called and Ivy excused herself to join the monitors where yet another victim had been claimed by a deadly furnace trap. She laid the talkie on the desk giving Eric a pointed look before peering closer at the second screen.

"That's another one down now what the fuck are we doing?" Daniel snarled. No one answered him. "How much more time are we gonna waste on..."

"We are not wasting time. We are doing exactly what we should be doing till the tech team comes here." Allison jumped down Rigg's throat instantly as Eric rolled his eyes and went back to join Ivy's Uncle for a little more social time.

"It doesn't feel like it." Rigg whispered his eyes sad, Ivy understood his feeling of helplessness as she turned away to some of the drawings on the wall. One in particular showing a sketch of Amanda in the Reverse Bear Trap made her pull it down sadly and lie it on top of some files. The picture's wide eyes were haunting.

John's voice filled the room again, "Darwin's theory of evolution was that..."

"Wait why can we hear John's voice again?" Ivy asked and Allison and Daniel gave her an odd look. "He knows about the walkie talkie idea he told me he doesn't abide cheaters and I brought it back. How could you not hear that?" Ivy asked very worried now at their disobedience.

"We were a bit busy watching that guy get burnt to a crisp." Daniel answered back sharply gesturing to the screen where the figures had finally moved away from the body and back up the stairs. Ivy wondered when they'd discover the trapdoor. Surely Amanda knew about it?

"This is dangerous Allison." Ivy tried again and the female Detective nodded.

"But there's nothing we can do, remember it's Eric's game not ours." She said simply and Ivy nodded.

"What the fuck do you want?!" Eric cried out in pure frustration.

John said something quietly that Ivy didn't catch but she didn't care too much anymore about Eric and her Uncle's stimulating conversations.

"I told you what I want. Just remember the rules."

"No first you said you wanted to talk, then you said you wanted to play a game but your talking and it means nothing!" Eric shouted his anger steadily building and building.

"What do you think the cure for cancer is Eric?" John asked. That caught Ivy's attention as John had hardly ever talked about his inoperable cancer treatment, only of the self-centred oncologist whom had diagnosed him.

"Oh my god." Daniel moaned looking harassed. "Fuck that."

"I don't, I don't know what it is. But I know it's not killing and torturing people for your own sick fucking pleasure." Eric was exasperated yet that defensive bite was always there.

"I've never killed anyone in my life the decisions are up to them." John said quickly. "Just like Ivy's were."

"Yeah well trapping your own niece in a bathroom with a shackle, a couple of saws and a gun seems like a pretty fucked up way to help someone who will step on anyone to get ahead." Eric said darkly and Ivy scowled at the talkie. So that was why they were unspoken enemies.

"You should be thanking Special Agent Reeves" John corrected to rub the salt better into the wound. "For that is her real title. Itt was my niece who introduced your cry for help to me. It is thanks to her that you are here." He said as every eye in the room turned to Ivy.

Silence fell in the monitor room.

John you little shit-stirrer. Haha we get into the psyche and deeper rules of the game now.

Poor Adam will be at his wits end and Eric is no closer to finding his son. Time to start playing!

Read and review xoxo