Ok, just a brief clarification here…I will be continuing to call the princess "Vivian" even though you now know that is her middle name. I'll get to why later on, so just bear with me for now. Ok…enjoy the chapter!

The Game's Afoot!

Ratigan released Vivian to another henchman as they traveled down into the dungeon area which was really just a series of hollowed out barrels. Once she had been released, Vivian fell back to try and talk to Basil. "Basil?" she whispered.

Basil continued to stare straight ahead as though he hadn't heard her.

"Basil, I'm so sorry," she whispered desperately. "You must understand I had no choice! I was desperate for a taste of adventure and knew I'd never get it as 'Her Royal Highness'. Please listen to me!"

Basil gave no sign that he had registered anything Vivian had said, and Vivian began to cry in despair.

"Don't be a fool, you're Highness," Ratigan sneered. "All he cares about is that he lost; you no longer matter to him. Besides, no amount of makeup can hide who you really are, and we all know how love is so strictly regulated by the Queen." He turned to leer at Basil and Vivian as they moved deeper into the dungeon.

"Now, gentlemen, if you please," Ratigan said in his evil sugary voice. With a nod, the two henchmen holding Basil and Dawson pushed to the center of the room where they tied Basil and Dawson to a mousetrap.

Vivian watched and cried silently in helpless horror as Ratigan explained the method of demise for them. She knew there was no way they would ever escape, and she blamed herself for their misfortune.

"Is everything ready, Fidget?" Ratigan asked upon finishing his description.

"All set boss!" Fidget answered eagerly.

Ratigan opened the lid of the present and laughed manically. "Oh this is wicked! So delightfully wicked! Mr. Flaversham, let me congratulate you on a superb piece of craftsmanship. See what you can do with the proper motivation?" he asked tapping on the glass of Olivia's bottle.

After sending his guards off on his cat, Ratigan crossed back to Basil. "It was my fond hope to stay and witness your final scene, but you were fifteen minutes late…and I do have an important engagement at Buckingham Palace."

"Never," Vivian hissed.

"What was that?" Ratigan snapped at her.

"I would sooner die than marry you," she said firmly.

Ratigan laughed. "Foolish girl, I gave up on that plan days ago. Once you had disappeared it became clear to me that you were no longer of any use to me. Your part in this is now over."

Vivian's face paled as Ratigan seized her arm and pulled her against him. He started the record player, and Vivian struggled to free herself.

"BASIL!" she cried desperately.

Basil lay motionless beside Dawson with a look of blank hopelessness upon his face.

Ratigan grabbed onto the rung of a ladder that had been lowered from his hot air balloon and pulled Vivian up with him.

"BASIL!" she screamed again. "HELP ME!"

Basil continued to stare at nothing as though he couldn't hear her desperate pleas.

"It's useless you know," Ratigan said just loud enough for Basil and Dawson to hear him. "He is incapable of any feeling that doesn't center on himself. As I said, he lost…he no longer cares about you."

Vivian's screams could still be heard as the balloon disappeared from the chamber. Slowly, they faded until the only sound that could be heard was the record player.

"Basil?" Dawson called tentatively.

Basil groaned.

"Basil?!" Dawson called more forcefully.

"Oh how could I have been so blind?" Basil moaned.

"Well, we all make mistakes," Dawson consoled. "But we can't let that stop us. We have to-"

"How could I not have realized who she was?" Basil cried. "It was so painfully obvious!"

"Why does that matter now?" Dawson asked in shock. Basil remained silent. Dawson tried to think about it the way that Basil would.

Vivian was quite pretty, and Basil had seemed to take to her coming along far easier than Olivia, he had always seemed a bit protective of her, and now he was destroyed by the knowledge that Vivian was the princess.

"My word, Basil…" Dawson breathed. "Do you-"

"Besides," Basil interrupted. "Ratigan's proved he's more clever than I. He would never have walked into such an obvious trap or allowed his personal feelings to get in the way."

"Oh pull yourself together!" Dawson snapped. "You can stop him!" He glanced over at the record player as it began to skip. "Basil…the record!"

"Oh it's finally happened I've been outwitted!"

"Oh Basil, please!" Dawson pleaded, rolling his eyes.

"Beaten, duped, made a fool of, ridiculed, belittled-"

"That's enough!" Dawson yelled, and the record jumped back into line and continued to play. "Oh dash it all, Basil!" Dawson continued as Basil's face fell back into its blank expression. "The queen's in danger, Olivia's counting on us, and goodness knows what Ratigan intends for dear Vivian. We're about to be horribly splatted and all you can do is lie there feeling sorry for yourself. Now I know you can save us, but if you've given up why don't we just set it off now and be done with it!"

This seemed to trigger something in Basil's brain. "Set it off now," he repeated dejectedly. "Set…it…off…now…" he said again with a gleam back in his eyes. "Yes that's it! We'll set the trap off now!"

"Basil wait!" Dawson cried in shock. "I didn't mean that we ought to-" He trailed off as the record finally reached the end, and the metal ball began to fall through the pipe.

At once, Basil began talking aloud to himself in a series of complicated math equations that Dawson knew nothing of. Finally, Basil turned to face him.

"Dawson, at the exact moment I tell you we must release the triggering mechanism. Get ready Dawson…steady…NOW!" he commanded, and they both brought their hands down on the trigger.

Dawson watched in amazed panic as all of the traps missed them by inches and instead freed them from their bonds. Even Olivia was freed from her bottle when the weight shook the floor so hard the cork popped out.

Basil pulled Dawson to his side and caught Olivia just in time to smile for the camera. "Now, we must get out of here and get to the palace at once!"

Meanwhile at the palace, Vivian was still trying desperately to get herself loose from Ratigan's death grip on her arm. She was forced to watch, helpless, while the robot of her grandmother chased her real grandmother around the room.

"Amazing likeness isn't it Your Majesty?" Ratigan sneered.

"Professor Ratigan!" the Queen cried. "Guards: seize this despicable creature!"

Fidget laughed as Ratigan pulled Vivian into view and repeated the Queen's order into a microphone. The robot spoke using the Queen's voice, and Ratigan's henchmen seized the arms of the Queen.

"How dare you?!" the Queen accused. "Release my granddaughter this instant!"

"As you wish, Your Highness," Ratigan smirked. "I really have enjoyed our time together, my dear. It's too bad poor Basil won't be here to witness this." He threw Vivian to another guard and pulled a small bell from one of his inner pockets. "Take them away!" he ordered and rang the bell.

"Get off me!" Vivian cried as she attempted to get free.

"Traitors!" the Queen yelled back to the room as both of them were pulled down the hallway.

Basil, Dawson, and Olivia clambered out of the sewer, and Basil wasted no time in whistling for Toby. "The game's afoot, Toby!" he called with the serious gleam back in his eye. "Our royal family is in mortal danger!"

Toby lowered his head at once so they could climb on. "To Buckingham Palace!" Basil cried, and they were off like a shot, tearing through the streets of London and dodging cabs, horses, and pedestrians along the way. Toby seemed to know the streets just as well as his master, for he began taking side streets and alleys that Dawson hadn't even known existed. Within moments, they had pulled to a stop near one of the side entrances to the palace.

Basil leapt off Toby and tore down the hallway before Dawson and Olivia were even off the dog's back. During the ride, Basil had deduced how long Ratigan had had to reach the palace and kidnap the Queen in an attempt to reassure himself there was still a chance of seeing the princess alive. He tore through hallway after hallway until he found the traces of two people being dragged by their peg legged friend and another. With a cry, he set off at an ever quicker pace after the trail followed closely by Dawson and Olivia.

Vivian kicked and struggled as the guard dragging her pulled her towards what she knew was a balcony that opened to outside of the palace. She glanced down the hall and saw Ratigan's cat bouncing up and down outside, waiting for the meal she had been promised. Now Vivian fought even harder, and the guard twisted her wrists painfully in an attempt to make her stop. They were mere feet from the edge of the balcony now, and Vivian shut her eyes tightly against the horror before her.

Basil tore down the last hallway. He could see the opening at the end where Fidget and another crony had both the Queen and the princess waiting to be thrown out the opening to the cat that waited below. "Dawson, Olivia: the Queen!" he ordered. His eyes opened wider in terror as he saw Fidget and the other henchman lift their captives over their heads in preparation for the throw. With a final burst of speed, Basil reached up and just managed to seize Vivian's waist before the mouse threw her over the edge. Glancing to his left, he saw that Dawson and Olivia had been able to do the same with the Queen.

Vivian blinked wildly in surprise. One moment she had been up in the air preparing for death, and the next she was sitting safely on the ground with a familiar pair of arms around her. Looking up, she saw the concerned face of a mouse she swore she'd never see again. "Basil?" she said in surprise, but the gag reduced it to nothing but a mumble.

Basil looked relieved as he pulled the gag from her face. "Are you alright, your Highness?"

"Y-yes…but I don't understand. How did you-"

"There will be time enough for stories later," Basil said shortly as he untied her hands. "Where is he?"

Vivian gasped in horror. "He's in the main audience chamber. He's using a robot of my grandmother to take over the kingdom!"

"Then there's no time to waste. Hurry Dawson!" he called over his shoulder as he took off for the audience chamber.

Dawson and Olivia finished unbinding the Queen before taking off after him.

"Who was that?" the Queen gasped.

"That was Basil of Baker Street," Vivian said with more than a hint of anger behind her voice. "That is the mouse that, if you had called for him when I said, would've been able to stop all of this nonsense!"

"That's where you went!" the Queen exclaimed. "You deliberately disobeyed me! It's a small wonder that fine suitor withdrew his courtship."

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Grandmother?!" Vivian cried in anger as she began to run after Basil. "That 'fine suitor' was Ratigan himself in a disguise!"

The Queen gaped after her granddaughter for a few moments before following her to the audience chamber.

Everyone finally caught up with Basil as he cracked the door to the small room where Mr. Flaversham was busy controlling the robot. As a unit, they all leapt into the room and silently bound the henchmen while Basil took over the controls.

Vivian laughed into her hand as Basil proceeded to insult Ratigan through the mouth of the Queen robot. "You Professor," he said as he worked the controls into a frenzy. "Are none other than a foul Stenchus Rodentus…commonly known as a-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" Ratigan bellowed from the stage.

"SEWER RAT!" Basil concluded as he ran out from behind the curtain. "Arrest that fiend!" he called while Ratigan was busy looking utterly shocked that Basil was even alive.

Basil, Dawson, Mr. Flaversham, Olivia, the Queen, and many of the real palace guards leapt onto Ratigan in an attempt to apprehend him. Vivian was preparing to join them when she suddenly felt someone seize her from behind and drag her forcefully from the small room.

She kicked and flailed, but whoever was pulling her would not let go. It was Fidget. He pulled her up to a balcony just in time to see Ratigan throw everyone off him. Fidget whistled to get his attention.

"Got girl, got girl!" he chanted pulling Vivian up so Ratigan could see.

Basil blanched as Ratigan swung up to the balcony and seized Vivian himself. "Stay where you are!" he warned. "Or her highness dies!"

"BASIL!" Vivian shrieked as Ratigan whisked her away from the palace.

"Hurry Dawson!" Basil commanded as he tore after Ratigan.

"Olivia, stay here with the Queen," Mr. Flaversham ordered as he took off after Dawson.

Once they were outside, they could see Ratigan's hot air balloon already aloft and heading away from the palace. "Dawson, Flaversham: gather up those balloons!" Basil ordered as he himself climbed up the flag pole to take the Union Jack.

Together, they hurriedly made a make-shift flying machine. "Basil, will this work?" Dawson asked dubiously.

"I certainly hope so, Dawson," Basil muttered darkly. "For Vivian's sake as well as ours."

Vivian, meanwhile, was giving Ratigan quite the tongue lashing. "You just wait!" she warned. "Basil won't give up on me! And you'd better hope that the Queen gets to you before he does! The Queen may be just and fair, but Basil knows what you're really capable of. He's not afraid of a big, old, ugly, rat like you!" she finished, making sure to put particular emphasis on "rat".

"Will you kindly sit down and shut up!" Ratigan yelled and knocked Vivian hard against the side of the airship.

Vivian sat up rubbing her head just in time to see Basil's ship come into view. "Basil!" she cried in relief.

Ratigan snarled and jerked the ship in the other direction. Thus began one of the most exciting chases ever to occur in the city of London. Basil took just enough time to recognize that his idol, Sherlock Holmes, would be proud before turning his attention back to saving Vivian. The two ships weaved around statues and under London Bridge as the two greatest minds fought for victory.

Seeing that Basil was at a disadvantage, Vivian threw all her weight to the back of the ship so that Fidget would have a harder time keeping the ship at speed. Sure enough, Fidget soon climbed to the main part of the ship panting.

"We have to lighten the load!" he gasped at Ratigan.

"Oh you want to lighten the load," Ratigan repeated. Fidget looked evilly at Vivian before Ratigan seized his ears. "Excellent idea!" he said before throwing Fidget over the edge and into the river below. Vivian gasped as Ratigan leapt to the back of the ship where the pedals were.

Basil had moved to the very edge of the box just as Ratigan took over at the pedals. "Steady!" he called to Dawson and Flaversham before he leapt into the air and just managed to seize the material on the tail of the ship.

Vivian took one moment to smile in relief before turning her attention forward with a scream. Big Ben was right in front of the air ship and there wasn't enough time to turn.

Ratigan, alerted by her scream, tried desperately to turn the ship but to no avail. Vivian threw her arms over her head and ducked as low as she could just as the ship smashed into the clock face. Her last thoughts were of Basil before her world became darkness.

I know this was kind of a cliffhanger, but I had to break the ending up somewhere. I'm loving all of the reviews; thank you so much for all your comments! I'm glad you all like the story, and I hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Please keep the comments coming, and the clock scene should be out soon mainly because I adore this part which makes it really easy to write! Thanks and see you next chapter!