a/n: guys, it's official. i'm in love. srsly. if you're a #Dancy shipper (i know you are), go check out the freaking amazing video by JessR11 above! even if you're not (you totally are), check it out anyway. she's got some major skills! go check out her profile, she has a book for trailer making and stuff like that. it's hella rad. hella.

alSO THE GIF TO THE SIDE IS MAKING ME CRY

-

NANCY SWAN WAS IN A STATE OF panic. What the hell was Damian doing, meeting up with their captors in the middle of the night? Worst of all, why was he being questioned about the captives' plans? Was he working with them?

She hadn't been able to hear the rest of the conversation, which was something that was deeply bothering her. She wouldn't know if Damian gave them valuable information or told them to shove off. She crossed her fingers and hoped that it was the second option. She didn't know what she'd do if it were the first. She had blindly trusted him - and look where that had gotten her.

She had made the mistake of trusting someone out here - on the path to her demise.

-

"I trusted you!" Zoe shouted, hurling a pencil at her younger sister. "You promised you wouldn't tell!"

"I don't remember ever saying that," Nancy replied, taken aback by her sibling's rash anger. "You just threatened to kill me, and I said nothing in return."

"Yeah, well, one part of that statement is correct. I am going to kill you!" Zoe growled menacingly.

"Chill out, Zoe! I only gave them the Peyton one," Nancy pleaded - knowing her sister probably would follow through with her threat, and that she shouldn't have turned her in. "So you can still go around and be Carolyn and Amy."

"I don't care," Zoe confided. "I'm still going to kill you. I'm going to murder you, when you least expect it."

"Take a deep breath," Nancy told her, needing one herself. "You're acting like a total psychopath."

"How are we so sure that I'm the psychopath here?" Zoe countered, not making much sense.

"What is that even supposed to mean? As far as I know, you're showing all the signs. For god's sakes, you're threatening to murder your own sister over blabbing to her parents! Are you on drugs or something?"

"Nancy, just know that in this world it's kill or be killed."

"Zoe, what the actual fuck are you talking about? You don't have to kill to survive. This isn't The Hunger Games. This is everyday life."

"Not really, no."

"Does this have to do with the fact that Britney was killed this month?" Nancy asked, taking a seat at her sister's desk. Britney had been her sister's best friend, but now she was just the victim of a cruel murder.

"No, now get out of my room! I never asked for a sister, especially a nosy one! I wish you were never born! Which is exactly why I won't hesitate when taking your life! And remember, it's when you least expect it. That's when I'll be coming." Zoe shouted threateningly, and Nancy backed out of the room, frightened by the harrowing outburst.

-

Back then, she had laughed it off, told herself it was nothing. Zoe would never hurt anyone on purpose, right?

Now she knew that no one could be trusted - and definitely not her sister. Could this be it? Nancy hadn't been expecting it.

So she added Zoe to the mental list she made of people she couldn't and shouldn't trust. Maybe she couldn't even trust herself.

And if she couldn't trust herself, what the hell was she supposed to do now? Blindly follow her kidnappers through the woods? She didn't think so. Her thoughts were basically being recycled over and over from the past one and a half days - she had to do something, but what? Who could she trust? How was she going to get out? How could she work with the others to escape if she wasn't willing to risk it all?

Nancy was damn tired of being clueless. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now. Starting, with Damian. He was the only one who had seemed to have been genuinely nice to her. And she really, really hoped that wasn't an act. She knew she couldn't afford to slip up and end up trusting him again. But she desperately wanted to. She didn't want to be in this alone. She had to learn how to risk it all. Put everything on the line to make connections with the others and escape.

She opened her eyes, surveying the dingy tent. Everyone was in the same positions they had been when she last closed her eyes - that is, with the exception of Damian. He was no longer snuggled up beside Nancy, but was crouched over in the corner, slowly rocking back and forth. Nancy didn't think that was a good sign - wasn't that what all the crazy people did in the movies?

She hoped Damian hadn't gone crazy. If he had, what was she supposed to do then? Nurse him back to health? He was the Psych major, after all. She knew nothing about the subject, after opting out of taking the AP course.

"Damian," She whispered, not wanting to wake the others - if they were even asleep. Nancy wondered how they could possibly even doze off at a time like this. "Damian, talk to me. Please."

"There's nothing to talk about," He replied shortly, not turning around and continuing to rock back and forth. Nancy didn't like this new Damian.

"Yes, there is," She insisted.

"No, there's really not," He said simply, burying his head in his arms and wincing - Nancy wasn't sure why, though.

"What did you tell our captors?" Nancy hissed.

Damian shook his head slowly, almost miserably.

"I heard you out there, meeting with him," She spat. "Tell me you're not working with them. Please, Damian."

He finally turned around, and Nancy saw blood splattered across his face, and a purplish bruise forming above his left eye. "If you think that I would ever do that," He replied darkly, his voice shaking - not out of fear, but suppressed anger. "Then you don't know me at all."

"I didn't mean to accuse you of anything," Nancy said, and he narrowed his eyes at her almost-condescending tone. "I just-" Her voice cracked - something it hadn't done since she was twelve. "I don't know who to trust."

"Don't trust anyone," Damian advised, heaving a sigh. "Not even me."

"Damian, what did they do to you?" Nancy crawled over, to inspect his face even closer.

"Nothing," He murmured, turning away.

"Please talk to me," She persisted, sitting down next to him, begging. "I don't to want be alone."

"Then talk to the others," She could practically see his wall slowly going up again - and she didn't want that to happen. "I don't want to hurt you, Nancy. That's what seems to happen when I'm around - everyone gets hurt."

"But I want you," Nancy cried. "Not Jess, or Gunnar, or - god forbid - Drew. I want you, Damian. You. So please talk to me."

He turned to face her, and she saw his bruises were already starting to get worse, and the blood was flowing freely down his cheeks, rolling off his defined chin and onto his ratty clothes.

"Will you stay with me?" Nancy asked, feeling more vulnerable than she had ever felt before. She was willing to risk everything just to trust him - she had decided that she was going against her own rules of trusting no one.

"Always." He answered without hesitation, and pulled her into his arms - and that's how they fell asleep.

In each other's arms.

Together.

-

Nancy felt like she had only been asleep for about two seconds before she was rudely awoken by a bucket of ice cold water being unceremoniously dumped on her head.

"No fraternizing with your fellow captives." Came the woman's annoyingly high-pitched voice.

"We were just sleeping, geez." Nancy pushed herself out of Damian's arms, swiping the water off of her face.

"With each other, yes," Damian followed up, but realized what it sounded like, so he rushed out, "But not like that."

"It was more like a friendly cuddle," Nancy added in quickly - but not really helping the situation.

"Do you even know what fraternizing means?" The woman asked in annoyance.

"Mostly." Damian responded, picking himself up from the ground. The crusty blood was now washed off his face, leaving it clean enough for Nancy to make out two long deep-cutting scars in the form of an 'X' on his left cheekbone. Did they cut him? She wondered.

How else would he have gotten the scars?

There were little gashes along his jawline, and scabs forming along his eyebrows. This caused Nancy to glare fiercely at her captor. They did this because he refused them answers? How badly did they want them? And what made them stop? Did Damian actually give them some information?

Nancy attempted to stand up for the first time in more than a day - which was a big mistake. Her leg collapsed beneath her, and she went stumbling into Damian's strong arms.

Which wasn't so bad.

It wasn't really bad at all.

In fact, she kind of liked it.

"Get up, Swan," The woman barked. "No mercy today. Thank this one." She jerked her thumb at Damian.

"And what do you mean by that?" Nancy struggled to her feet, pain swelling up in her right calf muscle, her leg threatening to give out once again.

"Thanks to Mr. Pullman, my partner will not be joining us today." The woman announced, glaring at Damian.

"Oh my god," Jess exclaimed, addressing Damian - Nancy hadn't even realized she was awake. "Did you kill him?"

"No," Damian answered, looking slightly embarrassed by all the attention put on him. "At least, I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" Drew looked at him dubiously, ever the inquisitive one. But not in a good way.

"I did what I had to do to get away!" Damian growled back. "They were probably going to kill me to get answers anyway, so... I just fought back. Is there a problem with that?"

"My partner could possibly be in a coma, but he's not dead," The woman interrupted the intense questioning session. "But we can't afford to waste any time, so we're going to be moving forward without him."

"So you'd just leave your partner behind?" Gunnar asked incredulously.

"It's not like we're blood-related or anything," The woman said, almost like she was trying to convince herself that nothing was wrong, not us. "I barely even know the guy."

"Are you getting paid for this?" Jess wondered aloud.

"No, I just love to go around killing teens," The woman deadpanned. "Of course I'm being paid. And in generous amounts, too."

"How much?"

"Haven't you been taught that it's rude to ask people about their salaries?" She responded vaguely. "Now, get out of here and start hiking."

"How do you know we won't run away?" Gunnar challenged. "After all, there are five of us and only one of you."

"Because you all are going to be walking together, side by side. And if you try to run," The lady pulled out an AK-47 from what seemed like thin air. "I won't hesitate to shoot."

"Um, before we leave," Nancy said awkwardly. "Can we take a break to pee? I seriously have to go."

"Go ahead," The woman agreed wearily, probably tired of the group's antics. Specifically, Damian's.

"I have to go too," Damian followed Nancy out of the tent without waiting for permission to be granted.

"Seriously, Damian, though, I want to talk too," Nancy looked to him. "But I actually have to pee, so turn around. And don't look."

"Why would I look?" Damian teased, back to his usual playful demeanor (at least, it was usual when he was around her). "There's nothing to see."

"Asshole," Nancy grinned, not really meaning it.

"Asswipe."

"Ass."

"Asshat."

"Ass - yeah, I got nothing." Nancy knew that their banter wasn't exactly the most endearing, but somehow it was enough to make her blush. And it was like yesterday - his adorableness (she didn't know if he would appreciate being described as that, but she was going to do it anyway) made her forget the current situation - which made her undeniably happy.

Undeniably happy that she was here. With Damian.

Of all people - Damian Pullman was the one to really rescue her. At least, emotionally. Physically? Well, they would have to wait for tomorrow in order to find out. But at least they had the 'now'. "So, what exactly happened yesterday? I heard like the first two sentences, but the rest I couldn't make out." Nancy clarified.

"That's because we weren't really saying anything," Damian admitted. "Well, you heard him ask me to tell him about our schemes... and then I was all like 'never' and then he pulled out this bigass knife and was like 'talk now' and I refused. So that's when he gave me these," He pointed to the 'X' shaped marks on his cheek. "And then he told me to tell him again and I told him no again so he punched me, which is when I got this," He motioned to the bruise forming above his left eye. "And then he kept punching me, so eventually I fell to the ground, right?"

Nancy signified that she was following along and he pantomimed wildly falling over backwards, making her smile slightly. "Go on."

"When I fell, I found this huge rock on the ground next to my hand, so when he leaned over to come at me again, I smashed it into his temple as hard as I could and stumbled back into the tent. The end."

"Well, apparently you're strong enough to put him into a coma," Nancy nodded appreciatively. "Congrats."

"Nancy, I'm strong enough to carry you up a mountain for about eight hours. This shouldn't come as a surprise to you." Damian reasoned.

"We should probably go back in before she thinks we ran and shoots everyone." Nancy quipped.

"Good idea." She trailed him back to the tent, where the other captives and captor were waiting.

"Off to the third station we go," The woman commanded. "Get in your line and start walking."

The teens did as they were told, quickly scampering outside to form a row. Nancy stumbled, and Damian held her up - but had to let go because of what the woman had ordered earlier.

And then she was sandwiched between him and Drew, much to her dismay. Not the Damian part, just the... Drew.

She couldn't believe that she had ever liked him, much less actually fallen for his "charm". If there even actually was a charm. She was probably just deluded by the fact that she had been sentenced to death. Harshly. For doing nothing.

So, is that why she liked Damian?

Is that why he liked her?

Because they were so desperate to feel again before their lives were taken, they just forced themselves onto each other?

That's an awkward thought.

"Hey, Nancy," Drew nudged her with his elbow. She ignored him, continuing to limp forward - focusing on anything but him. This is going to be a long walk, She thought. It already was in simplicity, but now that Drew had been placed beside her it was going to be especially drawn-out. "I know I've been acting like a total douche lately-"

"I think that's the understatement of the century." She muttered, earning a small snicker out of Damian.

"But this whole 'I'm-about-to-die' thing has really gotten to me," Drew continued without missing a beat.

"Yeah, I think it's gotten to us all," Jess remarked from the other side of Drew. "It's not like you're the only one who's going to be killed tomorrow."

"Actually, in two days," The woman interjected from behind them. "We contain you for one more night in the compound before the deed is done."

Different members of the group reacted to the statement in different ways. "So there's a compound?" Nancy asked, at the same time that Damian sniggered, "The deed is done" and both Gunnar and Jess paled. Drew, however, remained silent - impassive.

Which was kind of suspicious to Nancy. How could he not betray any emotion to this matter? It was a valuable piece of information. It could help them with their escape plan, maybe... if their captor just gave away a little bit more. Either way, it was enough to get Nancy excited. So why hadn't Drew shown any reaction?

Unless he already knew.

No, Nancy chided herself. Don't go there. You have to be able to risk it all to survive. Even if it means blindly trusting the other four.

"We discuss this further tonight," She whispered to Damian, hoping that she was quiet enough so that her captor wouldn't hear.

"I hate being on the end," Gunnar complained loudly. "I feel so left out of everything!"

"You're not alone on that," Damian waved at him from the opposite end of their line. "I'm with you."

"But at least people actually tell you stuff," Gunnar pouted, and Nancy couldn't believe they were actually arguing about this on their way to imminent death. But whatever they had to do to entertain themselves had to be done, she guessed.

"So, Drew," Nancy prompted as quietly as she could. "What do you think about the whole 'compound' thing?"

"Well, it's without a doubt going to be hard to get out of," He answered, still not showing any signs of immediate interest.

"How do you know?" Nancy couldn't help it - the question just slipped out.

"Because, Nancy," Damian came to Drew's defense, surprisingly. "It's a compound. That's basically a prison. You can't just walk out of those like 'see you later'. There's probably going to be all kinds of security measures. We're going to have to make a fairly elaborate plan that might involve a distraction. I just don't know what type, though."

"A damn huge one." Jess leaned around Drew, basically sliding into their conversation. Sliding into our DMs, Nancy smiled.

"Damn straight!" Gunnar chimed in, which made the whole group laugh, though Drew's seemed kind of forced.

What was wrong with him? Nancy realized that she was probably reading too much into it. She was anxious, thinking everyone else was a suspect. After what happened with her sister... She wasn't really eager to rely on anyone else.

Except Damian.

Him, she was willing to trust.

He was the one who told her not to trust him, which, for some reason, just made her want to trust him even more. She knew if her mom were here, she would explain that this was just the way teenagers thought. They did the exact opposite of what they were told.

Her mom. Nancy missed her so much, she kind of just pushed her out of her mind so she wouldn't think about it and break down. For the fear of falling apart.

Nancy couldn't afford to do this. She couldn't afford to think about her mom and dad, who were probably at home, worried sick about where their younger daughter was.

How could Zoe do this to them? How could she just rip her sister away from their loving parents and into this death trap? How could she do this over some stupid fake IDs?

Or was it more than that?

Did Zoe get wrapped up in something so much bigger than that? So much bigger that she needed those IDs to survive?

"My god..." Nancy murmured to herself. Her sister was almost exactly like Alison DiLaurentis from Pretty Little Liars. Except for the fact that she didn't pretend to be dead for like two years.

What did Zoe get herself into?

What did Zoe drag Nancy into?

Who was paying their captors just to get them to the top of a mountain? Who was paying them to be accessories of murder? And how much did they need to be paid to actually follow through with it?

Most importantly, why were they actually wanted dead? Small crimes/slip-ups along the sides didn't seem like good enough reasons to kill someone. Why not just turn them in and have them sentenced some jail time? That seemed like a good enough punishment to Nancy.

No, there had to be something bigger. There had to be a better reason.

Adults had to have committed small, trivial crimes too. So why wasn't this happening to them? Why weren't they getting dragged up to the tops of mountains and thrown into compounds to be murdered the following day?

This couldn't be something like 'eliminating the competition', could it? Only 200 teens went to Moonlark High, and thirty of them were already dead. Soon to be thirty-five, unless Nancy could help it. Did the person want to take out all the people who could cause some turmoil in their rise to the top? Take out all the talent?

Damian was going to Stanford and was supposed to graduate as Valedictorian. He was certainly skilled.

Drew, who was purportedly the next big detective, was sort-of important for that reason, Nancy guessed. He had to be intelligent to be able to solve all the crimes and put together the scattered puzzle pieces.

Gunnar was fiercely loyal. And that was that.

Jess fought for what she believed in, which was a fairly important trait to possess. It meant you had balls. Nancy thought for sure that was something everyone admired in a person. Something that inspired jealousy.

Zoe, who was intended to be here but wasn't, was supposedly the top of their class. But Nancy didn't know that for a fact. Maybe it was just another lie that she had made up to sound good to cover up her mistakes. Nancy wasn't sure what to believe anymore - at least, not when it was coming from her sister.

-

"So, when do I get to meet this mysterious Trenton?" Nancy's mom questioned one night at the dinner table. "He steals you away so much, yet I've never seen the guy."

"I'd have to agree on that," Their dad seconded their mom, as always. "We should invite him over for dinner sometime."

"No, that won't be necessary." Zoe said quickly, smiling her sweetest smile - but Nancy could tell she was panicked. She just didn't know why. If Nancy could ever get a boyfriend, she definitely would flaunt him around the house, proud of her accomplishment.

"Yes it is," Nancy backed up her parents, wanting to please them (she knew it, she was such a kiss-up). "I want to meet him, Z. Why don't I see him in school?"

"Because he's already out."

"How old is this boy?" Their dad jumped in, suddenly even more interested than he was before.

"Not that old, just a little bit older than me." Zoe shot daggers at Nancy, clearly blaming her for the situation she had just stumbled into.

"Define 'a little bit'," Their mom chuckled - Nancy had always appreciated her sense of humor.

"He's nineteen." Zoe mumbled.

"And you're sixteen," Their dad had continued. "And you're also no longer dating this boy."

"But Daddy!" Zoe pleaded. "He's on the police force!"

"That doesn't change anything," Their dad always stuck to what he said, so there was no hope in convince him otherwise. "He's still too old for you."

"This is all your fault! And I don't care! I'll still date him! You can't make me do anything!" Zoe screamed at Nancy, then at her parents, pushing back in her chair and retreating to her room. This was the first time Zoe had ever acted out of character, ever. And it had shocked the entire family. Their parents, more so than Nancy. She had kind of seen it coming.

Eventually, everything good must come to an end. And that includes facades and attitudes or whatever the hell it was that Zoe was trying to pull off.

"I should probably go apologize," Nancy excused herself and wandered down the hall to her sister's room. The door was locked - no surprise there. She knocked.

"Go away," Came the muffled response.

"Let me in," Nancy persisted. "I won't bother you for long, I promise."

"Oh, trust me, you've been bothering me ever since the day you were born." Zoe snarled bitterly.

Nancy sighed, reaching up above the door and feeling along the frame, finding the key. Zoe always forgot it was there, and Nancy totally used that to her advantage. "I'm coming in."

Nancy opened the door, and there was a clanging sound as Zoe shoved something behind her. What it was, Nancy couldn't make out. "I just came to say I'm sorry for getting you in trouble at dinner," She said, sitting down next to her sister on the bed. "I didn't mean to. I didn't know he was older."

"Well, the damage is done, Nancy. Now get out of here before you say something you regret."

"You smell like alcohol," Nancy observed, ignoring Zoe's previous comment. "Have you been drinking?"

"How would you know what alcohol smells like?" Zoe asked sharply, almost mockingly. "You're just the sweet, perfect little daughter, aren't you?"

"I thought you were, up until right about now." Nancy countered, getting tired of her sister's act. "Why are you with Trenton, anyway? And why can't he come over?"

"It's complicated."

"Why don't you just break up with him, then? You know, before things get too complicated and you can't get untangled from the mess it's become?" Nancy asked.

"I can't." Zoe slurred.

"Why not? There's always a choice, Zoe," Nancy reflected wisely. "It may not seem like it, but there is."

"No, there's not," Zoe insisted. "I have to help him before they kill him! I have to help him do it!"

"Do what?" Nancy inquired, leaning forward from her position on the bed. "Why would they kill him for not doing something?"

"I can't tell anyone or they might kill me too," She trailed off, slumping forward into Nancy's lap. Yep, Nancy had decided. She was completely drunk.

"Zoe, what have you gotten yourself into?" She whispered to her sister's passed-out body.

Unsurprisingly, there was no answer.

-

And now, Nancy was back to asking the same question. Before, when she asked her sister about the incident, Zoe either clammed up or lashed out. Either way, there was no clear answer.

"Nancy," Damian's familiar voice called her back to reality, and she came to the realization that:

a] everyone else had stopped walking

b] they were staring at her in confusion as she zombie-walked further into the woods

c] it was already night-time

d] they had arrived at their third station

For exactly how long had she zoned out for? How long had they been trekking through the woods without her noticing time flying by?

Apparently long enough for them to reach the third makeshift camp. "Sorry," She headed back to the group. "I'm just a little out of it."

"Aren't we all?" Jess shrugged, tramping into the tent that was designated for the five of them.

"I guess so," Nancy answered to no one in particular, ducking into the tent after Jess. Damian, Drew, and Gunnar soon followed.

"Guys," Damian spoke to the group as soon as he was sure everyone was settled. "When we get to the compound, we're going to need a huge distraction. Like, huge as in the size of the sun. And it's going to take a miracle to pull it off."

"You got that right." Drew agreed - finally something that they didn't have to argue about.

A loaf of bread was tossed into the tent, temporarily distracting everyone. "That's your dinner," The woman declared from outside the flaps. "And the only food you'll be getting for the next 24 hours, so make it last."

They split the loaf into fifths and hungrily devoured it without even giving it a second glance. After they had finished, Damian and Nancy retreated to outside of tent for some fresh air. Or, at least, that's what they said it was for.

"You know," Nancy remarked, peering through the darkness to hold his gaze. "They could be lying about the compound. This could be the last night we ever live."

He slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. "Wanna do something crazy?" He whispered, and she shivered despite their close proximity and his body heat.

"Hell yes." She responded, as he leaned down to kiss her passionately. Nancy pushed him against the nearest tree, running her hands through his unkempt hair. He had one arm wrapped respectively around her waist, holding her carefully as if she might slip away if he ever let go. The other hand was cupping her chin with assurance, even confidence as he kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

And for them, that was always a possibility.

a/n: #Dancy5ever

dedicated to dysettarose for the amazing comments that made me laugh. thanks!