So, Jack is catching up to Sue... I wonder what her reaction will be when he finally finds her. ;)

Enjoy! Linny

Two Worlds

Chapter Sixteen

"I want no stone unturned! I want her found and I want the fiend who did this to pay for his crime," Edward ordered as he spoke to his clutch of generals. Each would travel in a different direction with a group of soldiers at their command, every man given the order to keep an eye out for the Princess and her kidnapper. "No one shall rest until she is brought home safely!"

D watched as Edward paced the floor in front of his men, obviously shaken by this development. As if his night hadn't been bad enough, he'd been awakened with the news that his only daughter and the greatest gift of his life had been taken. D knew he would have reacted the same if it had been his Tanya who'd been taken.

His gaze traveled to Pitts as he stood proudly behind the King as he worriedly paced. There was no emotion on that man's face, it was just a void of propriety as he took notes, adding in his own personal orders he knew the King would not argue with.

How could a man be so absorbed with himself that this would not faze him? The Princess was gone and could very well be dead and yet he could feel nothing? It just wasn't human, then again, Randall Pitts was a poor excuse for a human being as it was.

Swallowing the growl that threatened to escape, he let his eyes glare a burning hatred at the man before moving on. Master Leland stood to the side, his hands folded together at his back as he listened to Edward's orders as well. He would also be leading a team of soldiers to find his future wife, D reluctantly being offered to assist. It wasn't that he didn't like Leland. It was just hard to be friendly to a man who focused more on his family's pride than his own heart when the love of his life was already by his side. You'd have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to see it.

The meeting disbursed and the three generals were already well on their way to assembled their teams, Leland following behind with Lucy at his side. D hung back though, unsure of how to broach the subject of last night's little problem. Before he had the chance to ask, Edward's lips parted, spewing out a question of his own.

"How much more can go wrong, Dimitrius?" he was practically pleading with the man for an answer. He felt so broken inside with Sue gone. He wouldn't be able to live without his little miracle by his side.

"We will find her, sire," D tried to reassure, but how could he be so positive when the outcome could be so negative? "Sire, about last night's… little problem… what are we going to do about that?" Pitts remained in the room, his eyes open to any rumors and gossip he could get his grubby little clutches on. D wouldn't let him have the pleasure of knowing.

Edward's eyes closed as he pinched at the bridge of his nose. He was expected to make a decision when all he wanted to do was search for his daughter? At this moment, he wished he wasn't king. He would happily give up the throne if it meant getting Sue back. He sighed as for the first time since taking the throne, he thought as a father first before thinking as a king. "I can't deal with that, Dimitrius. Perhaps before you and Master Leland set out, you could take care of it?" It wasn't an order, it wasn't a suggestion; it was a plea. From one father to another, King Edward was pleading to have every other stress removed from his shoulders so he could focus on the most important matter.

The only thing D could do was comply, bowing to His Majesty before taking his leave.

It only took him a few moments to reach the door. He hastily reached up to knock, knowing there wasn't a moment to spare. Unfortunately, this talk would have to be precise and to the point and perhaps Jack would join in the search party to find the Princess once he knew every truth.

There was no answer, so he tried again. Once more, no answer.

D felt his heart skip a beat in a bad way as he hurried to undo the latch and push the door open. He was greeted by an empty room, the cover of the empty bed thrown to the floor in what looked like haste. A headache instantly pierced his temples. This was just one more thing to add to the list of what could go wrong.

Jack pulled back on the reins and Quickshot skidded to a stop. A sigh of relief escaped him when his eyes set upon Sue, but his guard remained up when his gaze moved to the woman with the large bat. She was poised and ready to swing and he didn't doubt she'd be able to take his head off with it if given the opportunity. He held up his hand protectively in front of him as he looked at Tara. "Easy. I heard a scream and thought I could be of some assistance." He made it sound like an offer, but he was just making sure he wouldn't get whacked in the head.

"We don't need your help, so move on," Tara demanded with a grin at the sight of the fear of her weapon in his eyes.

Sue remained quiet as she stared at him. A sense of familiarity washed over her as her gaze scanned his face, but her mind was trying to focus on two very different men. One was, reluctantly, Lord Hudson, but the other… "Who are you?" she finally whispered as she watched him dismount from his horse to show Tara that he was neither leaving nor a threat.

"My name is Jack."

Her breath caught in her throat. "All the credit goes to Master Jack, here," she remembered D saying to her when she was presented with Stargazer. Jack… the Stable master… she sighed in relief. He was a friend, but there would be no way for her to convince Tara of that fact.

"Well, Jack, I suggest you get back up on your horse and ride away." She could make sure all it took was one good swing and she could mess up that pretty face of his for good. Her stance relaxed slightly and her brow furrowed in confusion as she felt her newfound friend's hand lightly touch her arm.

"No, wait," she said. Acting much braver than she was actually feeling, Sue took a step toward Jack, closing the gap slowly between them. "We've met before, haven't we?" It didn't hurt to have clarification, but she was surprised by the guilt that shimmered in his eyes because of that question.

"Yes," he whispered throatily and tried to take a step toward her. He jumped back as Tara took a step forward. "Whoa! Easy there!" He held up his hands to show he was still no threat. He didn't even have a sword to defend himself.

"Whoa, easy there," that familiar lip movement formed in her mind as she remembered the fluttering feeling that had engulfed her heart that the moment that Lord Hudson had caught her. Her eyes widened in shock. 'Jack…son... Jackson!' The name formed in her mind like a red hot spike being driven into the ground. A cold chill surrounded her heart as her stare formed into a glare of anger mixed with hatred.

Her small hand ball up into a fist, her fingers clenching together in anger. She surprised herself when she drew that fist back and thrust it forward with a strength she hadn't known she possessed. She felt the force of her blow when her knuckles connected with his jaw and she could only watch in awe as his head snapped back, leading his body the rest of the way to the ground. He didn't move as he landed with a rumbling thud.

"Oh my!" she cried out in disbelief of herself. She felt very proud though she never expected to put D's protective training to use. If he'd seen, she was sure he'd be proud as well.

"Wow!" Tara said, impressed at the way Jack's body just flew back and landed in a heap on the ground. She nodded in encouragement as she checked to see if he was still alive. When she ascertained that he was, she looked back up at Sue. "Nice right hook."

"Oh, I didn't kill him, did I?" She caught her lower lip between her teeth, nervously gnawing at the flesh as she felt the blood drain from her face.

Tara chuckled as she stood back up. "Nah. Of course, he'll be sore when he wakes up."