Just a reminder, I don’t own The Mighty Ducks, Disney does. So nobody sue me! And please don’t plagiarize me either. This story is mine. Thanks.

Tanya was up in her apartment that morning. Her shift had ended (although she’d probably go back by the lab later anyways) and she was ready for bed. Putting her hair up in a high pony tail Tanya walked into her bedroom and was about to slip off her boots.

CRASH!

She jerked her head around towards the sound, something had just toppled over in her living room. She had a bad feeling about this.

“Oh now that’s graceful,” a familiar voice scolded someone else in the next room. Tanya peered out the window. The lights were off in her house, well, except for the one over her kitchen sink. The shadows of four ducks could barely be made out from her standpoint. Oh great, Tanya griped to herself, he’s back again.

Duke l’Orange searched the darkness, which he was so familiar with, and finally spotted a slightly opened door. “Badda bing badda boom baby.” he murmured under his breath. Taking a few steps forward he drew his saber from his shoulder and activated it.

Now what? Tanya thought frantically. She glanced around her room but there was no safe place to hide, if she dashed into her bathroom she’d really be up a frozen creek without skates!

Duke pushed open the door, Ricochet and Hardiron following closely behind him. Entering the room he noticed that the blonde was nowhere in sight, “Spread out guys, she’s hidin’.”

Tanya was curled up at the top of her closet, behind a stack of boxes which fooled the untrained eye into thinking that they were pressed against the back of her closet. She waited there nervously, holding her breath, while Hardiron shoved her garments aside and stuck the tip of his blade between the boxes, narrowly missing her.

Finally he shrugged and closed the door back. “Any sign of her?” he asked his leader and Ricochet.

“Nothin’.” Duke said in amazement. “But I KNOW she was in here!”

Tanya listened to the conversation as best she could. Then she heard footsteps as the thieves left her room and closed the door.

Sighing with relief she decided to wait five minutes and then climb out. Surely they’d be gone by then?

What Tanya had actually heard was Ricochet and Hardiron leaving the room. Duke had purposefully stayed behind after the door closed to make sure that the blonde duck hadn’t pulled a fast one on them. His suspicions were right.

After about five minutes of waiting he heard a faint rustling coming from the closet. Bingo.

Tanya stumbled out a moment later and found her door standing wide open, but she had just heard it close? Hadn’t she?

Moving a little closer to the doorway she glanced outside. The mob members where all climbing out the window and onto the ledge. She even heard one muttered something about her probably not being at home anyway.

Sighing she stepped back into her bedroom and closed the door. As it swung back on its hinges Duke l’Orange stepped forward from behind it.

Tanya gasped.

“Hey there sweetheart, miss me?” he smirked.

She wanted to scream, her natural female instincts told her too. But if she did, she’d only be drawing the attention of the other four mobsters outside. Dealing with this clown would be bad enough.

“Look,” she declared, “you’ll never get that formula. That goon of yours destroyed it.”

“You’ll have to excuse Falcone,” Duke apologized sarcastically, “his blade’s a little quicker than his wit.”

“Obviously…I wonder where he gets it?” Tanya stared at Duke musingly.

Duke’s smirk grew wider, “Aw, now that’s not nice angel. If you don’t play nice and tell me that formula me and my boys might just have to take ya back to the hangout and teach ya some manners.”

“You’re threatening me?” Tanya scoffed, “Please! My brains could beat your bronze any day!”

Duke laughed, “You’ve already proven that once over the past few hours.”

Tanya grinned, He’s kind of cute, when he’s not being a greedy gem hungry pirate.

“Now are you gonna give me that formula?” Duke produced a small writing pad and pen and offered it to Tanya.

She stared at it a moment before accepting the supplies and scribbling something down and handing it back to him. “Here ya go.” Try and charm your way out of this one.

Duke read what she’d written, Not on your life pal!

“Okay,” he took the piece of paper off the pad, wadded it up, and tossed it in the trashcan. “I tried to do this the easy way but-”

With one motion he bent down and swept Tanya off her feet. Slinging her over his shoulder he proceeded out her bedroom and towards the ledge.

Tanya struggled against him in vain. “HEY! What do ya think you’re doin’?!”

“Relax kid,” Duke stepped out onto the ledge and fired the grappling hook on the end of his saber, “you’re coming with us.”

All at once the thieves leapt off the ledge and barely missed splattering themselves on the street below. They swung on their thin wires through the city and came to a stop by an alleyway.

Tanya clawed Duke’s back with her nails. “You’re not getting away with this! By the time they let you outta prison ALL your hair will be white!”

Duke just chuckled and stood her up in front of him. “Sorry sweetheart, but from now on, you’ll have to wear this.”

She tried to pull away as he produced a thick black blindfold and tied it securely around her head. Her struggles proved useless as he once again threw her over his shoulder and hauled her into an abandoned building with a series of hidden passageways in its basement.

When they had neared their location Duke started talking to her again. “Glad to see you’re squirming less now sweetheart.”

Tanya gritted her teeth, “I’m not your sweetheart! My name’s Tanya! And you haven’t seen anything yet buster!”

Duke snickered, along with his companions. “She’s a little firecracker ain’t she?”

Tanya growled. MEN!

Inside the hideout she was tied to a wooden chair with a bright light shining down on her from above and no other light in the room. The light was so bright that it seeped through the blindfold and she was able to feel its heat. Oh yeah! Like I haven’t seen THIS in a million action/adventure movies!

She heard a figure step forward and her blindfold was removed. She scowled upon seeing that it was that arrogant mob leader.

He smiled down at her and gestured grandly around the dark room. “Welcome--Tanya--to the secret hideout of The Brotherhood of the Blade!”

Tanya sneered, “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

“You should slit her tongue for being so brusque.” Falcone commented from somewhere in the darkness.

Duke spun around, as if knowing exactly where the bird stood. “Talk about a lady that way again and I’ll slice out your tongue!”

This warning got Falcone’s attention and he fell silent once again.

Duke turned back around to the bound scientist. “Now angel, last chance, give us the formula.”

“Drop dead!” came her harsh response.

There was a murmur in the darkness. The members were either losing patience, or a bit impressed by her strong will.

Duke leaned forward and got in the blonde’s face. “You got mocksy kid, and I admire that. But play time’s over…”

He made a move as if to turn and walk away but in the blink of an eye he’d whipped back around with his saber activated and the point up against Tanya’s throat. “Now talk!”

Tanya bit her lip.

“I’m losing patience with you doll.” he warned, squinting his good eye, the red pupil in his eye patch glowering fiercely.

Tanya stared at him defiantly.

Duke wasn’t one to harm a lady, even one as stubborn as the scientist before him. The only problem now was, how else would he get her to talk?

“You know kid,” he began softly, keeping the point of his saber in place, “I didn’t go through all the trouble of kidnapping you just so ya could come down here and make me look bad in front of the gang. Now why don’t we make a deal? The formula, for your freedom? I guarantee you won’t hear from us again.”

Yeah right! How stupid does this creep think I am? Silence followed.

The whispering started again from behind the tense mob leader and all around the captive scientist.

“You’re a tough egg to crack, I’ll give ya that much.” he informed her.

She just kept staring at him with those pale blue cocky eyes. Eyes that told him he’d met his match.

So now what Duke? he asked himself, Ya gonna run this girl through?

Tanya watched him with steady eyes but mixed feelings. He held her life in his hands. Cringing inwardly she held her breath and fought back tears as the point was driven deeper into the thin feathers lining her neck.

I can’t do it. Duke admitted to himself. There was just something special about this one. She had so much spirit. He admired that. He’d been young and stubborn once too. There was no way that she could possibly comprehend the amount of danger she was in.

Sighing, he lowered his saber. “You win sweetheart…for now. I can’t run a lady through. And you’ve got a heck of a lot of guts.”

The whispers grew louder. Duke looked around the dark room, challenging anyone to defy his choice. “But the deal stands. You don’t talk, you stay here.”

“I never agreed to anything!” she shouted, her outburst taking him aback.

He smiled down softly at her, “There’s that spirit of yours.”

Tanya struggled against the ropes. Two figures emerged, one stood on either side of her as Duke sliced through her bonds.

The two figures immediately seized her arms and awaited Duke’s orders.

He stood there looking her over. Where could he put her? He didn’t really trust Falcone not to try and pull something, like threatening to slit her throat if he caught her alone. Then again, Falcone could probably weasel his way past most of the other gang members and get to the scientist, and thus the formula. Falcone didn’t have nearly as much skill at sword fighting as he did, but his ambition to be the greatest thief of all made him dangerous.

So the question remained. Where to put this spunky one so that she wouldn’t be harmed by Falcone, yet would be well guarded. “Alright boys, put her in my chambers until I can think up someplace better.”

The two members exchanged puzzled glances but knew better than to question their leader. Bowing slightly with Tanya struggling against them, they turned and dragged her away. Which was no easy task.

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*Please read and review. I need to know what everyone thinks. Suggestions are welcomed and encouraged. Flames are not. The rating will increase in later chapters.*

Part 1

Part 3