Author's Note: This chapter is super short... The truth is that there's not much left to this fic! But I hope you enjoy nonetheless (:

...

Discovering the truth had been the start of ineffable bliss for the two redheads. Instead of constantly doubting each other and keeping the other at a distance, they were finally free to love wholeheartedly. And more than that, they were finally a team. But as much as they'd love to stay in each other's arms, they knew they had to attend to their duty.

"Brick, how long have we been in here?" Blossom whispered, lifting her head from his chiseled chest to face him in the near-darkness.

"Too long," the duke said grimly as he shook his head. "Mitchelson got me early this afternoon and it's almost nightfall. Dexter brought you here soon after."

"We need to stop them," the smaller redhead voiced both of their concerns. But locked in this squalid dungeon with neither traitor in sight, their options seemed small. "What do you think they have planned?" she looked at her husband with wide eyes.

He frowned, his crimson eyes hard. "Wellington would've sent word of his troops by now. If they manage to get their hands on my correspondence, the French will know exactly where the British soldiers are, taking away our greatest advantage- surprise."

"Not if we beat them to it," Blossom suddenly straightened, her pink eyes glowing.

Seeing that she was in midst of formulating a plan, a smile tugged on the corner of her husband's mouth. "What are you thinking, love?"

"If we can beat them to the letter, we can switch it with false information. Dexter would hand off the correspondence to the French-"

"But they'll go to the location we specify, not the one where Wellington actually is. And we can warn Wellington and tell him to attack the French right there," Brick eagerly finished her thought, awed by her perspicacity.

"And put an end to this war once and for all," Blossom grinned.

"But first, we need to get out of here," Brick's countenance hardened. But then he smirked, "And I think I know how we'll do it."

...

"I'm worried, Boomie. Blossom would never disappear without letting someone know," Bubbles cried, her hand clutching onto her betrothed's arm.

"Brick wouldn't either," Butch frowned as he looked around at the room, as if it would give him some clue to his brother's location.

"Perhaps they needed a little time together," Boomer supplied weakly, not believing his own excuse.

"They're too responsible to do something reckless like that," Buttercup frowned. "They're in trouble. I know it."

Bubbles swallowed, "You don't think it has anything to do with..." she trailed.

The brunette sister nodded grimly, "Blossom never told us this, but we know she's Lady B. She spies for the crown." She didn't voice the guilt she felt; after she dropped the bombshell that she was in family's way, Blossom disappeared soon after. She hoped her confession hadn't distracted her sister from her own safety. "And I'm afraid she's in trouble."

The brothers' eyebrows shot up at this statement. "Brick leads the foreign embassy. No one is supposed to know, but we do," the brunet confessed.

"Oh no," the petite blonde went white as everyone arrived at the same revelation. "They are in danger."

"At least they've got to be together," the taller blond sighed. "That's-"

"Apologies, my lords, but this note just arrived," a footman bowed and left as quickly as he arrived.

"What does it say?" Buttercup whispered.

"If you ever want to see the Duke and Duchess of York again alive, you'll bring 10,000 pounds to this location," Butch read gravely before pulling out a map behind the ransom note. He swallowed.

"Looks like we have some siblings to save," Bubbles declared.

...

"Was it wise to send that ransom note?" Dexter glowered once he discovered what Mitchelson had done.

The brunet shrugged, "I figured we might as well get the most out of the situation. I could use 10,000 pounds." At the archduke's furious glare, he quickly amended, "I mean 5,000 each, right?"

"I have no intention of releasing those two, Mitchelson. Until you can get Wellington's letter like you promised, we're holding them. And once we get it, I'm disposing of those two thorns in my side once and for all," Dexter growled.

"Who said I would let them go?" Mitchelson asked breezily.

Dexter still wasn't mollified. "This wasn't part of the plan," he scowled. "You best-"

"My lords, there's a commotion below," a servant said breathlessly as he ran into the room. "You need to take care of it!"

...

"They should be here any minute now," Brick whispered impatiently.

"We paid that servant handsomely enough. I'm sure he did his job," his wife smiled reassuringly at him. Her countenance faltered. "Brick, if something happens to one of us..."

"Shh," he took her hands into his own. "Don't talk like that. You know I love you. And once we get out of this hellhole and save the country, I plan on spending the rest of our lives proving that to you."

"Me too," her voice croaked with emotion. She stepped on the tips of her toes to reach up and give him a soft, gentle kiss.

"I hope there's more where that came from," Brick whispered huskily as she reluctantly pulled away. Blossom flushed in response.

"Where's the racket down here? I don't hear anything," a muffled voice grumbled before coming into view. The two pulled away from each other and Blossom slinked into the shadows. Their captors hadn't known she'd waken up yet and she planned on using surprise to her advantage.

It was dark, but the redheads could see that Dexter and Mitchelson had come by themselves. They were confident that duke and duchess were no longer a threat.

They were wrong.

"York, what is the meaning of this?" Dexter frowned, crossing his arms as he glowered across the metal bars separating the two.

Brick shrugged lazily, "I just thought you'd want to know where your, or should I say my, precious letter is currently."

The archduke's malicious blue eyes narrowed, "Where is it?" he scowled.

"I think you need to come inside," the duke suggested, a smug smirk gracing his countenance.

Dexter laughed, "Do you think I'm an imbecile? I won't step foot in your holding cell."

"It's up to you," the stronger redhead said carelessly. "If you don't want it..."

"Oh, fine," he growled as he pulled out a heavy metal key and jammed it in the giant padlock. He swung the door open and came eye to eye with Brick. "Where. Is. It?" he demanded.

"Desperation never suited you, Dexter," Blossom said blithely before stepping out of her hiding place in the shadows and hitting three pressure points, sending the archduke limp to the floor. She grabbed the key from his grasp and quickly unlocked the cell, Brick following behind her.

Mitchelson sprung to action and pulled out a pistol, but Brick had him pinned to the wall before he could shoot. The weapon fell to the ground with a clink.

"Don't hurt me," the brunet wriggled desperately under the duke's grasp.

Brick glared. He had trusted this man with his life and been betrayed. He wanted nothing more than to slam his face into the cold, hard stone, but reason prevented him from indulging in his baser urges.

"You'll hang for what you've done, Mitch," Brick growled.

"Please, please. I'll do anything, just don't hurt me!" Mitch pleaded pathetically.

Brick smirked, "Good. There is one thing you'll do for us."

...

Almost over! :(

Anyways, my contest gets over in TWO WEEKS! And I still have no entries! That means you, yes YOU, could win! Write up some Reds and you could be the brand new owner of a fabulous Reds oneshot written by yours truly.

I want to thank all my reviewers. Y'all are the best, really. I appreciate the reviews, and I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I really like concise commentary and constructive criticism best. The long, detailed reviews that show that my readers really, really care are always the most meaningful to me. That's why I've decided that for all of my long, complicated, detailed and constructive reviews, I'll reply with a special sneak peek of the next chapter!

So if you leave me a thoughtful, considerate, long and wonderful review, I'll show my appreciation with a special preview of what's coming next.

Let me know what you think!