●　● Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU

Amelie hadn’t moved ever since lying down on the cot set up against the back wall, keeping herself calm and focused on one collective thought she had constantly running through her head.

One more minute. One more and I know Sam has done or heard something. She forced out thoughts that tried to dwell on her unaware son’s predicament, her daughter’s impending danger, and the regrets of not keeping better relations with their father for when the worst goes wrong. One more minute and I can send it. It’s my only chance before her party would go completely dark.

And after another quiet moment passed, she stirred from her sleeping position to sit upright, leaning forward, arms propped over her knees as she reached down to tug at her socks. She then stood up to stretch, then massaged behind her neck as if it had a crick.

There. All I can do now is wait, and hope Isaiah comes to his senses before he regrets everything. Despite being freed of that one task, she still fought to keep out thoughts of distress, moving to the next thing she could possibly do as she sat back down, taking in deep breaths. To think he’s Bishop now of all things… If Alabaster outsmarted me once all those years back, it only makes sense he’s about to do the same now if I don’t move more carefully.

.

●　● Belgrano District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU

It wasn’t the thought of her mother being in clear and apparent danger that Sam couldn’t stomach, nor was it the insinuation she would be treated as bait in their upcoming operation. It was the sudden outburst of distrust and clashing of negative assumptions that rapidly eroded away her ability to think straight in the face of what would likely be the deadliest dispatch she’d take on, leading her to where she was as she slowly came to.

Her memory of the exchange was still too blurry to remember what lead her to be escorted out of the room by Dani, but the one hand around hers and the other on her shoulder now felt comforting. She was at least now able to figure out where they were headed as a man from Rex’s staff opened the door to a lift that they then entered. Words finally came to mind, but feebly escaped her throat. “I’m sorry, I… I lost it there.”

“I understand,” Dani fought back her frustration with a smile as the lift closed, taking them upward. “Let the boys continue to quarrel. You do not need to listen to… any of that.”

Sam slowly began remembering how the fuss started, recalling Sebastian’s absolute refusal to accept the plans Rex’s contact Remus had set up. With that, the burning in her chest once more quickly returned. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way. It’s not right that… that all because of-”

“Stop,” Dani firmly cut her off as she placed her hands over Sam’s arms. “You need a clear mind now. Everybody here chooses to be here and take this mission. We know what we are doing and we know who you are.”

With controls only managed from the outside, the lift came to an unexpectedly swift stop as door opened, cueing Dani to gently gesture Sam out with where her hands remained. “They said we can go here for a moment,” Dani continued as they stepped into what looked like a half-empty storage room. The lift they used just now was evident to be a completely different one than the one used upon entry to the hidden compound.

Sam began moving on her own, finding a closed tool chest as a place to sit down to regather herself. Upon taking her seat, she finally realized how wet her cheeks were, not remembering crying. And as she felt a minutes-old tear gather at the bottom of one side of her chin, she remembered what caused it. She remembered the text she received just minutes ago on her watch that somehow got through despite being in a jammed location. It wasn’t marked from her mother, yet she knew it had to be her.

-“Run, Samantha. I can’t let you face what I have caused like this. This disaster is mine alone to atone for, and I realize it’s far too late to apologize, but please, I can’t lose you to what was my mistake from the beginning. Run, please. I won’t let anyone else harm you anymore.”

Another pair of hot tears welled up in her eyes as she inadvertently began sniffling, making it evident to Dani she still wasn’t over what overwhelmed her earlier.

“My brother is wrong,” Dani spoke with a softened tone as she sat down next to her. “If this was my mother… my mother in danger, I wouldn’t say no. I couldn’t…” Dani sighed, unable to find the right words, eventually giving into her desires to speak in full what she wanted conveyed. [I couldn’t just turn away knowing I might lose her. Even though my mother never tried to look out for me or my brothers, I still couldn’t let her die. Not knowing I didn’t try.] She then lightly leaned her shoulder against Sam’s, staring through the ground in a similar fashion. [I get why you didn’t reject Rex’s man’s plan to put you in front. I would expect the same, and I will be there right by your side. This is our battle to fight. We all lost someone and we all risk more to lose to Reaper, and I especially refuse to let you suffer this one alone.]

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Sam began finding it hard to keep her breaths stable as her emotions continually took over her rationality by the second. “It’s not that. I realize how much I owe my survival to you, and my feeling like I belong somewhere, thanks to you all, but that’s not it.” She had too much to keep hidden from everyone to prevent the breaking up of their trust all this time, but the one exclusion being Sebastian felt more and more like a mistake as well. Dani and Renzo had done almost as much to keep everyone together, and Sam quickly felt like Dani was the only one she continued to leave out in the dark. And that sense of guilt added to the burn she felt deep down.

“My mother-” Sam choked up a bit as what she pushed past her sense of guilt. But in that same breath, she realized she was about to speak what shouldn’t be heard by all other ears likely listening in. She pulled Dani’s head closer so she could lean into her ear to whisper in as low of a voice as she could: “She’s where she is because she’s trying to save me from my brother.”

“Your brother?” Dani whispered back in Sam’s ear in confusion, frowning upon hearing the unexpected.

Leaning back in, she swallowed her fear of regret, realizing Dani’s ignorance of the fact meant Renzo and Sebastian never broke her trust, not even with their sister. “My brother. Isaiah Knight. Reaper.”

Dani froze in place, but only momentarily before she turned to look her in the eye with what came across to Sam as a motherly look of concern she hadn’t seen before from even her own mother. [You’ve been fighting through something so big all this time?! Why didn’t you tell us sooner- you poor thing!]

The swift and firm hug Sam felt brought out more tears. She knew she didn’t deserve the care or understanding after everything she had held out on everyone near her for so long. “I’m sorry I never told you guys when I should have.” She weakly whimpered as she tried to return the hug. The feelings of remorse and guilt seemingly held her fingers back, but Dani didn’t seem to care as she released her and took her hands into her own.

[Remember what I just told you? This is our fight,] Dani repeated with extra emphasis on that one word, squeezing her hands in an affirming manner with each continuing sentence. [Our fight. We lean on each other. We have become family, and that’s what we do. Do you need to save your mother? So do we. Do you need us to take the steps out front with you? We were already there. And do you need help stopping him? We saw how far you’ve come and we can help you finish this.]

Sam sniffled through her rapidly deteriorating composure, desperately wanting to convey the last doubt on her mind, but the response from Dani was overwhelming. “Even if…”

[Take your time,] Dani responded in a calmer fashion, now pulling at the hair stuck around Sam’s eyes back and tucking it behind her ear. [Those boys can wait if they have to.]

Sam felt the tears being wiped away, using it as strength to finish her sentence, though still unable to look Dani back in the eye. “Even if you knew the truth about me and him, you mean to say you don’t have any doubts about… if I can even-”

[-Cruella,] Dani once more took both hands firmly. [Listen, you have long been doing what you feel is most important to you. You are out to protect those you cherish and you are also trying to stop more of those close to you from dying. Everyone who has lived out such a life sees this and sometimes much worse.] She then let out a sigh as she looked away, remembering a line she once said to Sam months back. [I even remember saying I wish you would never learn how to live like this.]

“But this is the only life I’ve had since then, and I chose it all, somehow.”

[But look.] Dani faced Sam once more with the same resolve. [Trust hasn’t been an issue for any of us before, why now? And if Reaper is who you say he is, and you’ve been trying to end him yourself all this time, why would we suddenly not trust you?]

Dani was right. Sam knew that it wasn’t about anything other than stopping the further loss of those close to her, even if it was her distant mother. Danielle Norris’ words of losing everyone that continued to haunt her daily were becoming more and more apparent and real, and if she were to stop that progress, Isaiah had to be stopped first and foremost before he could claim anyone else.

[Have you known this for long?] Dani was now curious once more of the situation sank in.

Sam was also slowly regaining her composure, feeling the weight of insecurity somewhat lifted through that emotional exchange. “Since we were in Bangladesh… more than a month ago.”

[Well, look, I can promise this,] Dani then spoke in a more comforting tone as she held a pinky finger up. [If any of us Navarre’s get him first, we will let you decide what we’ll do with him. Deal?]

Sam understood the message, and was deeply appreciative of the offer, but was still baffled by what to do about the extended finger.

Dani chuckled, taking Sam’s right hand and pulled her pinky finger open and interlocked it with hers. [You don’t know this kind of promise?] She laughed in reaction once again, and this time it was loud enough to cause Sam to join her despite how awkward it was.

“I see,” Sam felt herself more able to speak normally as she let Dani wag her hand. “Deal. And thanks.” Sam then felt an instant and overpowering urge to hug Dani back, surprising her in the process. “I have so much to thank you for,” she weakly let out as tears began welling up again but for different reason. The thoughts of how much she used to feel targeted, hated, ridiculed, even bullied by her months back immediately vanished along with the guilt she ever had them to begin with as Dani warmly returned the embrace.

“Come on, let’s go back,” Dani gestured in a return to her English as she let go and stood up, seeing Sam was in a better place mentally compared to before the whole ordeal began. “You ready to do this?”

Sam took her hand as she pulled herself up and let out a quick resetting sigh. “Yes, I just had to get over some… things. Let’s all get this done once and for all.”

They then headed back for the lift and buzzed the caller downstairs.

Hang in there, Mom. We’re coming.