Dangerous Journey

Disclaimer: Don't own iCarly

A/N: Guys I am terribly sorry I haven't updated this in a while. Things got terribly busy with college graduation, jobs, and whatnot. This continues and is near its end, hopefully you're still reading.

Chapter 19 (One Wrong Move)

"You seem to be troubled today." Sam eyed David, studying him closely. He was calm and relaxed, but not as much as he often was. His index finger was stroking his chin and his brow was wrinkling with each passing second. What more, he was taking forever to make his next move.

"I have a lot of pressing matters on my mind these days, Samantha." He leaned back and Sam dropped her shoulders. Her hand slid away from the chessboard and she looked him in the eyes. "My wife has taken Tori and left, so right now all I've got is my daughter."

He closed his eyes and started to furrow his brow. Sam leaned in, pondering for a moment if this was a sign of something. Sorrow, yes, but she sensed something else. The man slid his hand away from his face and opened his eyes partially. "My daughter, I can't keep her sheltered forever. My wife said something about that."

Without reacting externally, Sam leaned back slowly. She had a horrible feeling in her gut with that, because it could mean Holly let something slip. At the same time, it wouldn't be impossible for that woman to notice how protective David was and said something before leaving.

"It seems my daughter isn't happy, but she won't talk to me." He sighed heavily and crossed his arms. "I am uncertain what is going on with her lately." He raised his eyes to her and she hummed, contemplating her response.

"Do you have any idea what it is she could be upset about? When you say you shelter her, what do you mean?"

"It's no secret that I am overprotective. I wonder if this is what causes the issue, but I know not how to change that."

"Does she think that you are controlling her?" He frowned and glanced downwards. Sam began to move the chess pieces on her side to starting position and flicked her eyes up to him once she was done. "My friend has a mother that, growing up, he had to tell her everything. Wherever he was, who he was with, what he was doing…" David furrowed his brow and his frown grew deeper. "She put so much pressure on him, he struggled so much that I can see he resents her for it. He struggles, and most of his life he wanted to get away from her."

"Do you suppose that could be what is bothering my daughter? Am I too protective?"

"I wouldn't know exactly how your relationship is with her. The best thing I can say is talk to her, find out why she's unhappy. You're reasonable." She looked to the chess game and swept her hand above it. "Shall we?" He smirked and nodded, dropping one hand to his knee and reaching over to his pieces.

"Let's see if this week is the week you will win."

Sam laughed and flashed a smile. "Well be careful, you know in the game of chess, one wrong move can mean total defeat." It was applicable in life as well. David looked to be on a downward slope. There was guilt in his voice, sorrow in his demeanor; so Sam sought to utilize this. "So what is Trina doing now?"

"She's here in the park." Sam's heart stopped for a minute. She almost looked away to try and see Trina, but resisted the urge. "She wanted to get out of the house, so she's here at the lake."

"A little fresh air is always nice. I'm glad she got out of the house, it seemed like she was cooped up in there for a while."

"True, she never got out much unless it was for school or those martial arts courses. I think she's been unhappy since her most recent boyfriend went missing, so her sister and mother taking off like that-it must have hit her hard."

Sam moved a piece on the board after careful consideration, breathing easy and focusing on David's pieces. David hummed and reached for his knight piece. "A recent case I have been working on has me troubled." Sam leaned her head to the right and David shook his head slowly. "It's a child abduction case, it troubles me deeply."

"What troubles you about it? Is it a hard case to work?"

"I'm not certain exactly why." The guilt in his eyes grew, and she knew. She almost smirked when she caught it, but withheld and continued to listen in earnest. David wasn't making a hypocritical statement, he was expressing guilt about his own crime without confessing to it. Or at least, this case was reminding him of the crime which had been committed.

"The child was young," he said calmly. He exhaled and extended his hand, gesturing for her to take her turn on the board. She concentrated on her pieces, stroking her upper lip with her finger. "Around five. Stolen right out of the store."

"Has the child been found yet?"

"Yes." He shut his eyes and Sam caught a slight tremor in his hands. "We found the child's body behind an old arcade, strangled. The poor child will never go back to her family, and they'll always know what it's like to lose a child…"

"I'm sorry to hear that." She moved her chess piece and looked past him when she heard a snapping sound. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a familiar tall man approaching, he wore a dark suit with a red shirt and black tie. When the man's eyes met hers, his expression sank.

It was Mr. Shay. Horror gripped her and she began running through the things she could do or say in this instance. The last thing she needed was for him to show up and spoil the entire operation.

The hatred and anger that burned within his gaze spoke a thousand words. The holster at his him was empty, but the bulge on his chest stole her breath away. David twisted around and Sam stifled a gasp as the two men made eye contact. "Hello, can I help you?"

"I was just passing along," Steven replied. Sam eyed David closely, startled that the man didn't recognize Steven. "I don't mean to interrupt your chess game, but I do love a rousing game of chess." Sam caught the flashes of her own father from her memories, and the murder he committed. Now here, she was terrified that she may witness another. "Perhaps you'd like to play me? I'm the champ at my workplace, sir." David's eyebrows rose high and Sam resisted a groan.

She had to keep the men calm and make sure nothing happened, but at the same time she wanted to ensure she didn't give David any indication that she knew the Colonel. "We were in the middle of a game…" David looked back at her for a second. "Samantha, would you consider pausing our game for a moment?"

"Go right ahead." She stood up against her better judgment. David looked away from her and she shot Steven a cold glare. He ignored her and took a seat across from David. They rearranged the pieces on the board and Sam started to back up.

She wanted to run away, because she knew where this was going to lead. The demeanor in the military man was unmistakable. As the two men started their game, Sam looked to the left and to the right, her heart filling with panic.

"John. I need to contact John." She moved behind David, watching the game closely while sliding her phone from her pocket. Steven scratched at his chest, drawing Sam's watchful eye to his hand. "Don't you do it, don't you do this to yourself. Don't do this to your kids." Steven raised his eyes to hers and furrowed his brow.

"Is this your daughter, sir?" Steven inquired. Sam raised an eyebrow and David chuckled.

"No, she is friends with my two girls." Steven looked slowly back to David, huffing gently. "By the way, I don't believe we introduced ourselves yet. I'm Dave." David extended his hand and Steven shook it, smiling politely.

"You may call me Reginald. Reginald Miller." Sam cupped a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes.

"Well Reginald, do you have any children of your own?"

"I do."

Sam turned around, texting John with quick procession. "Mr. Benson, help! Mr. Shay showed up at the park where I was playing a game of chess with Mr. Vega. I think he's got a gun hidden in his jacket, and the way he looks…I don't want to be witness to another murder." She wasted no time hitting send and looked at Mr. Shay with a heavy heart.

Her phone buzzed within seconds with John's response, when she saw he was on his way there, she put her hand to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing?" She mouthed to Steven. He returned to the game, sliding a piece forward.

"You know," David began, "There's something oddly familiar about you." Steven grunted and retained his smile.

"I have one of those faces, I guess."

"I suppose so." David narrowed his eyes and moved a piece. "Tell me, what do your children do?"

"My oldest is an attorney and my youngest is a teacher…I had another child that passed many years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that." David's gaze dipped and he shook his head slowly. "Losing a child, it must be hard." Steven narrowed his eyes and started to move his hand towards his chest, but hesitated and returned it to the chess pieces.

Sam was holding her breath, praying this wasn't going to turn deadly soon. She could see it clearly in her mind, Steven standing up and firing a single shot into David. It would be a quick end, but open up an entirely new can of worms and destroy everything they were working towards.

"What about you, Dave? Any children of your own."

"Two girls, I love them more than life itself. Couldn't be prouder." David chuckled and appeared to miss the scornful expression growing on Steven's face. "My oldest is my pride and joy. Though, lately we've both been a bit distant, so I'm hoping to work on that…" Steven's nostrils started to flare, stopping only as David began to finish his move and look up.

"I couldn't help but to overhear your conversation with the young woman there. You're working on a child abduction case?"

"Yes, but unfortunately it's a murder now."

"It's too bad that child wasn't saved, that it couldn't be returned to its family." Steven began to shake, almost becoming overwhelmed with the many emotions that must have been going through him. David nodded slowly, breathing a heavy sigh. "What do you think, had the kidnappers returned that child, wouldn't it have been better?"

"It would have been the right decision."

"Could you imagine if they kept the child alive? What kind of monster they'd be to keep it away from the family…" Sam's jaw dropped and she balled up her fists. David furrowed his brow and raised his shoulders.

"It would be a crime, yes. I could see them keeping it if they grew attached, grew to love that child as their own, but it would still be a criminal act." Steven nodded and David studied him, sliding his eyes up and down. "Something seems to be pushing your jacket down, Mr. Miller."

"Oh yes, let me fix that…" Sam whimpered and looked around the park, begging that John would show up soon. Despair and helplessness filled her as she watched Steven's hand move beneath his jacket.

Then suddenly, he stopped. His widening eyes glancing past David. He was frozen, looking as though he'd seen a ghost. Sam pursed her lips and looked to see what it was he was staring at, and was shocked when he saw Trina limping towards them. Her hand was on her right knee, and blood was dripping down her knee, she winced with every step.

David shot up from his chair and rushed to her side. "Trina, what happened?" Sam looked back at Steven, his eyes were swelling with tears.

Trina sucked in a heavy breath and swept her hair back behind her. "I was doing some hiking, thought I'd scale a wall." David guided her to a bench, helping her to sit down. "Slipped and scraped my leg up something bad."

She didn't look too worse for wear. Sam wanted to scold her for not being more careful, but when she saw the blood she was struck with a different feeling. Certainty. If they could get some blood from her, they could use it to make a match with the Shay's.

This was a public place too, which made this incident all the merrier. Trina looked up at Sam. When their eyes met, Sam saw something else in Trina, determination, as though she'd planned this action.

"We need to get this cleaned up," David proclaimed. He looked over to Steven, still awe-struck. "Mr. Miller, do you have anything to clean up this wound with?"

"I have a first aid kit in my car," he replied. "I-I'll go grab it." Steven took off, and for the first time since his arrival, Sam could breathe. David removed his shirt and proceeded to tie it around Trina's leg.

"It's not bleeding that badly," she remarked. "You're worrying too much."

"Can't be too careful." He sniffed and looked into her eyes. She started to frown and when she turned her gaze away, he frowned back. "I'm sorry, whatever it is I'm sorry." Trina shut her eyes and slowly shook her head. Sam crossed her arms and tilted her head to the right. "Talk to me, Trina."

"You're holding on too much. Not letting me live. I feel like you've got me in a bubble…is that any better?" David's eyebrows curled together and Trina looked back at him. "Sometimes you have to let go."

"I…what's this about?"

"My life. I feel like I can't have a life of my own. You've got me so stuck in one place." David started to shake. Sam pushed out her lower lip and raised her eyebrows up, stunned and impressed by the boldness. "I want to go out on my own. Why do I have to tell you everything? Why do you have to dictate everything?"

"Because I worry."

Steven returned with the first aid kit and opened it up. As the two men went about cleaning up Trina's wound, Sam could see John making his approach from the east. She smiled as the man's steady gaze fell onto the group.

"What on earth?" John crossed his arms and David looked back, flinching. "Hello Dave."

"Chief, what are you doing here?"

"Just taking a stroll." Steven froze and turned his head, catching the annoyed glare from Mr. Benson. John motioned to Trina. "What happened?"

Trina chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Would you believe I fell?" She removed a plastic water bottle from her pocket with her blood covered hand and raised it to her lips, gulping down the last bit. With a sigh, she chucked the bottle into an empty trash bin nearby.

Sam smirked and looked to David, who was still focused intensely on cleaning the wound. Exchanging a knowing look with John, she extended her finger towards the bin and he nodded.

After cleaning up the wound, David helped Trina to her feet. "Don't worry about me," she replied, "I can walk on my own. Thanks." He smiled at her and she took a step, wincing. "If only Tori's friends could see me now…"

It was a hell of an act, Sam was impressed. Now they had multiple sources from Trina's DNA. To make things even better, Sam noticed David had forgotten his shirt on the ground as he walked with Trina towards his car.

Sam took a step back, pointing at John and Steven. "I'll leave you two to deal with this." She smirked as Steven ran his hand over the back of his neck and John turned angrily towards the man. "See ya!"

Without missing a beat, she ran after David. She caught up with him just as he was getting into his car. "Mr. Vega!" He looked out the window and flashed a brief smile. "Let's finish our game another time?"

"Gladly Samantha. I'm sorry we couldn't finish today."

"Yeah, go get some rest." She watched, her heart racing, as he drove away. John and Steven approached her and she turned to Steven, her hands on her hips. "What were you thinking?" He hung his head and sighed.

"I don't know. I wanted to look him in the eyes myself, see the man that murdered my wife and stole my daughter. I was expecting something far different than what I saw there."

"What were you expecting, exactly?"

"I'm…honestly not sure. I apologize, I know I nearly put everything in jeopardy."

John placed a hand on Steven's shoulder and drew in a sharp breath. "Don't do it again Steve, I'd have to lock you up until the case is over." Steven paled and looked at John with surprise. "Don't think I wouldn't. You need to be with your family right now. Your son, your daughter, your grandchild."

"I know. I know." Steven walked away slowly and Sam moved beside John to watch the man depart.

She recalled the conversation she had with David beforehand and looked up to her mentor. "I think Mr. Vega's starting to feel some remorse, by the way." John hummed curiously and raised an eyebrow at her. "The way he was talking about a child abduction case he was working on…looked like something was haunting him."

"It wouldn't be improbable. I'm having my people take that water bottle Trina threw away, and David's shirt. If they match her DNA with the family of the missing child…well, then we have solid and confirmed evidence that places her with him. We're moving in on him, but we still need to get her out of there. Whatever comes first."

"I doubt he'd do anything to hurt her. At this point, I just can't see it."

"That's a positive. Not to mention if he were to let her go willingly, then that would make things a world easier."

"Time's ticking. At least we have something more we didn't have before. Thanks to Trina." It was a clever plan, because there was no way in hell that David would have ever let Trina give her own DNA, the man wouldn't even let her donate blood. "That girl's a lot smarter than Tori's friends give her credit for, I think."

"It seems more like she's desperate to get out. She's got that baby on the way, knows her family is nearby, and she knows people are looking. We may be closer, but now we have to choose our next moves very carefully."

Sam chuckled in response, thinking back to her conversation with David. "Like chess." John arched an eyebrow and she crossed her arms. "One wrong move could spell the end." She glanced over her shoulder, towards the area where David's shirt and Trina's water bottle remained. "And David, smart as he is, just missed a crucial play…"

So it looks like Trina's given them something, and David didn't catch it. As for Steven, that could have gone wrong in so many ways, but thankfully nothing too bad happened. What do you suspect will come next? Do tell?