Author's note: Hello my wonderful readers! I hope you're enjoying the drama up to this point, it's getting dicey for sure! Just a gentle reminder, review, review, REVIEW! Let me know how I'm doing, do you love it? Do you hate it? Have any questions? I welcome it all! Reviews help me gauge how your feeling, make me push harder for a better story and keep my muse alive. So please, let me know your thoughts! I'd love to hear them. With love, RxS

Sasuke's P.O.V.

"Officer Guy please, I just need to call my fiancé, tell him he and my daughter are in trouble."

"Sasuke, we looked into this, there have been no credible threats to your life or your family's. You can't jump the phone line just because you want to hear their voice. No one is threatening you Sasuke." Ugh I wanted to pull my hair out and scream. Their inability to find evidence or believe someone when they're trying to tell the truth is going to get my family killed. That's the fifth guard I've asked for help and they all think I'm lying, not credible enough, over reacting, or faking it so I can be put into protection. This is absolute crap! What do I have to do to get someone to believe me? I decided I had to go find someone who had no affiliations. Mangetsu.

I went to the rec room and he was putting up chairs, the NA meeting had just ended. "Mangetsu." I said coming up to him quietly.

"Hey Sasuke, bummed I didn't see you at the meeting."

"Yeah well I was busy begging guards to let me warn my fiancé he's in trouble."

"I guess that didn't work out to well for you now did it?"

"Not in the least."

"Look Sasuke, the guards aren't here to help you, they're here to attempt to make sure we don't kill each other and fall in line with their orders so they can feel all high and mighty. The ombu on the outside are much better than the ones on the inside. You're fiancé should be fine, he's the Mayor isn't he, doesn't he have protection twenty four seven?"

"No, he's not a rock star. He has one body guard and that's only when he's being a public figure, at the end of the day he leads a normal life. You've been here forever, do you know how to get messages to the outside?"

"Of course I do, but depending on which way you want to go it could cost you."

"Just tell me."

"Sasuke I don't even know if these ways are true, they could be traps."

"I don't care, I have to try something." He looked around suspiciously.

"There's a box in the shed, third one from the top, by the shovels. Write a letter, address it, then a guard will take them and mail them for you. Gets you around the screening process. It's thirty bucks to send them, fifty to receive letters back."

"Are you kidding me? That's crap!" Not to mention the fact that it will take forever!

"What do you want? A cell phone?"

"Yes." He rolled his eyes at me.

"Not a whole lot of those just floating around. There's one in the bathroom on H-hall, but it's for rainboys only, last one that used it, is six feet under right now. There's another somewhere in the kitchen, but I have no idea where it's hidden."

"There has to be more than that."

"Well… there is one… but Sasuke, it's Yagura's, you're better off just waiting until Monday."

"Monday my family will be dead." He let out a sigh.

"Look you didn't hear it from me, but rumor has it that he hides it in the library. Some hollowed out book he keeps on the top shelf. But Sasuke, that could just be a rumor he started to mess with people, it's probably not even true!" I didn't even hear his last few words, I was already sprinting to the library. I got inside and started looking through every single book on the top shelf. I was amazed by how much people were hiding in books, holy hell! Drugs, shanks, gum, tattoo guns. But no hallowed out book with a cell phone. I kept searching. Just tearing through every book I could find.

"Owe!" No way, no way! I just go stabbed…by a needle. I have a three inch needle jammed into the palm of my hand. Oh my god! No, no, no, no, no. Officer Kureni came running to my side.

"What the hell happened?"

"I was sorting through the books and it just… stuck me." I said taking the needle out. Shit, it's deep. She put on gloves and got out a plastic bag.

"Here, don't move, just put that in the bag." I was bleeding, man that needle got me good. "Officer Kureni to base, we have a contraband needle, possible Hep C exposure, I'm taking the inmate to medical."

"Copy that." Her radio said. Possible Hep C exposure! Oh my god, no! This can't be happening!

"Come on, we gotta get you to medical." She said, grabbing my arm and leading me there. We got in there and Ino was on duty.

"What happened?" She asked as I was put into the bed and cuffed.

"Contraband needle, just falling from the sky. I need you to test it, then test him."

"Sure let me just drain his wound to minimize possible exposure." Ino said putting on gloves and a surgical mask. She then cut open my hand and flushed where the needle went in, Kureni walked out to talk to the other officers.

"How did you get stuck by a needle Sasuke?"

"I was looking for a phone."

"Well I hope it was worth it, almost all the needles we find here are infected with Hep C or HIV."

"Oh my god." I said running my hand through my hair. She flushed my hand one more time, then went and tested the needle.

"Rapid HIV test is positive on the needle." She said, writing it down.

"Oh god!"

"Calm down Sasuke, I flushed your wound. But I'm gonna need to test you now, then have you come back again for more tests." She said, taking some more blood from me. She wrapped my wound while Kureni came back with an incident report. I had to sign a bunch of documents saying it was not the prison's fault I was exposed to HIV. HIV… this is the worst news I could have ever gotten. A death sentence.

"Okay, your rapid is negative, but we still need to test you again in about a month. Come see me again is you start feeling symptoms."

"Okay…" No this is anything but okay. Ino bandaged me up tight and slipped a few pills in my sock when the guards weren't looking. Even pills won't help how freaked out I was. Kurenai took me back to the barracks right as the rest of the guards were tossing bunks, looking for more contraband. Great just great.

"You're the reason for this?" Ukon sneered. I didn't reply.

"What's with the bandage?" Dosu asked.

"Fuckin herion needle." I said not looking at any of them.

"I thought coke was your drug of choice."

"I wasn't doing it, I just got jabbed with it when I was looking for a cell phone in the library."

"A cell phone to call your guy and warn him about me? Nice to know my threat hit home. And by the way, the library is Yagura's turf, he hides needles there so just like what happened to you, he can infect people that are looking where they shouldn't be." Jirobo laughed. For the love of Christ.

"If you were top dog, you could just tell someone to look for you, skip the possibility of something like that happening again." I can't keep getting hurt and messed up like this. I can't let the possibility of my family getting hurt because I'm being too stubborn to do what I need to do to survive here. I have to give in, that's my only option at this point.

"You go any where near my family, or so much as threaten them again, I'm out, I'm selling you and your entire operation out, I don't give a fuck if it gets me killed."

"So you'll do it?" I paused, I can't believe they wore me down that easily, but it's pretty obvious when you mess with my family, I crumble.

"Yeah, I'll do it."

"Good, lets get you a curse mark."

Naruto's P.O.V.

"How was your weekend Naruto?" Hinata asked as we walked down the hall.

"It was great! Thanks for convincing the staff to send me over there. I really needed it."

"Oh it was no trouble, and you deserved it. Completing your first year in office and all."

"Well thank you. It was not an easy one."

"But regardless you did well."

"Thanks Hinata." I opened the door for her and helped her put her files down. We chatted a bit more about my weekend, then I left her to do her work, and went to do mine. As Shikamaru was giving me my morning brief Kiba came in with a letter in his hands.

"What's that?" We both asked.

"Invitation to the president's ball." He said wiggling his eyebrows. "You've been invited as Mayor of Kohona."

"Oh goodie." I said sarcastically.

"Come on Naruto it's a great honor."

"I've been to it like a thousand times."

"As the president's kid, never as Mayor." Shikamaru picked up the letter and read through it.

"Who are you gonna bring as your plus one?"

"Think I can get Sasuke furloughed for the night?" I joked.

"Pretty sure there's a no convicted felons still serving time clause."

"Okay, Shika, be my plus one."

"Can't, the sand village is having their president's ball on the same night, gotta be Temari's arm candy. It's not for a few months, but it will give us a nice break from the baby. I need a break Naruto."

"Lame. I'll go." Kiba laughed. I really don't need to babysit a drunk Kiba for this thing.

"Doesn't your sister have that dog show you have to help her with that weekend?" Shika asked.

"Oh man, yeah, I forgot. Sorry Naruto."

"It's fine, Miko can be my plus one."

"Pretty sure you can't bring a baby to the president's ball."

"Well my mom has to be there, who's gonna watch her?"

"I'm sure Choji can, he'll be stuck at home with his daughter anyway."

"Maybe I just shouldn't go."

"You have to go Naruto, it's non-negotiable."

"Ugh, it'd really rather not."

"Well you have to." I rolled my eyes and Neji walked in.

"I finished the park revamp speech." He said handing it to Shikamaru, not looking at me.

"Thanks Neji, I'll take care of it. What about the food kitchen speech?"

"I thought we bumped that?"

"No they just wanted to change days, right Naruto?" I looked at my calendar. Chicken scratch everywhere, no real clear dates or times for anything.

"I have no idea."

"Maybe Shino knows, proof this for me Naruto." He said handing me the speech and leaving with Kiba. Neji stood there awkwardly.

"Need something?" I asked as I looked over the speech.

"No… I'm good. Hey uh the Hyugas made their famous ramen for the clan meeting last night, I know how much you like it, there's some in the break room fridge if you wanted it." Man… Hyuga ramen is like the best ever. But why is Neji offering me lunch?

"Are you sure?"

"Call it a peace offering? I can heat it up and bring it to you?" Okay this is weird.

"Is there a reason your being so nice to me?"

"I've just been noticing you haven't been eating too much lately. Wanted to cheer you up with a homemade meal. Is that a crime?"

"No… I guess not…" We both audibly heard me stomach growl. "Yeah… I guess I could eat."

"Great, I'll go heat it up." Neji said with a smile. A few minutes later he came back with a travel soup mug filled with the incredible scent of homemade ramen. Wow, I haven't had this since I was a teenager.

"Thank you Neji, it smells great."

"Of course." He bowed and left the room. I quickly gobbled up the ramen, it was just so good, I couldn't resist. I ate the whole thing, then went back to work. The rest of the day went by very smoothly even when my mom brought by Mikoshina.

"How was your weekend love?" She asked as she put Miko in her office crib.

"It was fun, I think Itachi had a good time too."

"That's wonderful. What did Sasuke have to say about it?"

"What?"

"He called you today didn't he? It is Monday."

"No… he… he never called." Why didn't he call me? He calls every Monday unless he's in the SHU or something. Oh god! Is that what he was calling about on Saturday? Is he in the SHU now? Oh no, oh no.

"Baby don't panic, I'm sure he's fine, Jiraiya hasn't called, they probably just moved his call schedule, they do that from time to time you know."

"Ugh I hate not knowing."

"So become a senator and change things."

"Mom I'm not even sure I'm going to get re-elected, there's no way I could run for senator and actually win."

"Stop being so hard on yourself, so Sasuke made a mistake, he's paying for it right now, that doesn't mean you have to spend the next fourteen years paying for it too. The public still have a very positive perception of you, and you are a good leader, they will see that come election time. Don't give up on your dreams because of Sasuke." I hugged my mom, she always knows just what to say. I felt better, I did. I need to just take what goes on with Sasuke in prison with a grain of salt. Have a good life ready for him when he comes back, but not be whole-heartedly dependent on him. I can do that. I can live my life as a strong single parent until Sasuke comes back. I can, I know I can.