A/N: Hi, friends! This is a friendly reminder to NOT piss off Abuelita. Because Abuelita can and will hand your ass to you on a silver platter and then, beat you with that same silver platter. I love her. She's my favorite. We all need Abuelita in our lives. Unfortunately, both of my Abuelitas are gone, but we still have our Abuelita. Anyway, I'm going to shut up now and let you get into this week's chapter. Sound good? Alright then! Let's goooooooooooo!

(And friendly reminder that the prequel is getting an update today, too. Shortly after this one goes out, so if you haven't had your fill of this once you're done, go ahead and hop over to my Tumblr. We'll have something there for you, too.)

I know Abuelita told me to go to my room, but I don't think she wanted me to get any sleep. I'm sure our neighbors underneath us love us right now. Oh yeah. She's pissed. She's definitely pissed. All I could hear was assorted Spanish cursing and I couldn't quite follow any of it. Fortunately, I still had Ritsu in bed with me, so it wasn't quite as frightening. I've only seen Abuelita truly pissed off a couple times in my life and thank God for that.

"Rei…?" Ritsu wondered, "Do you have any idea what she's saying?"

"It's too fast," I shook my head, "Even if I wanted to eavesdrop on this, I don't think I could."

"Remind me to never piss off Abuelita."

"That's just a good rule of thumb," I agreed, "Apparently, there's a story that occasionally gets brought up around the family of the time when Uncle César was little and he was walking with Abuelita. Some asshole tried mugging her. Keyword, tried. And she beat his ass sideways. Abuelita's metal as fuck. We all know it."

"She's also scary when she's pissed," Ritsu pointed out.

"True," I nodded, "But Daddy's her golden child. She wouldn't ever go all out on him."

"Where have I heard that one before?" he teased me.

"No, no, no," I stopped him before he could start, "I'm going to be his golden child. I'm his only child. I don't have any siblings to be compared to. Whereas Daddy had Uncle Tony and Uncle César before him. They already had Abuelita worn down before Daddy was born. Then, Daddy came along and Abuelita knew he'd be the golden child. You know how else I know she wouldn't go all out on him?"

"How?"

"She wouldn't make me an orphan." Daddy and I have had that uncomfortable conversation before. Once. Because after we had it, we never wanted to have it again. If something happened to Daddy while I was still young (like, say, him getting shot and not coming out of it), he had it drawn up in his will that I was to never ever, ever, ever go to Victoria. Chances are, one of my uncles would've taken custody of me, but I might need a little time away from New York after something that catastrophic, "But Ritsu…?"

"Yeah, baby?" Ritsu held me a little tighter as we continued to listen to the carnage ensuing in the living room.

"I may end up moving to Spain…" I winced. Come on, Abuelita. Don't go all out on him. I know you're pissed, but he's still dealing with the aftereffects of that gunshot.

"Well, Rei," he cuddled into me, "I'm going to miss you. It was nice having you in Japan while it lasted. Don't forget to write."

"Not funny, asshole," I shoved him off, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know you're not going anywhere," Ritsu pulled me back into his arms, "We'll be fine. And I'm sure your dad's ok, too."

"Actually…" I listened closely, "Things are quiet. Wasn't Abuelita just yelling at him not ten seconds ago?"

"Maybe things are settled now."

"Dare I go look?" I wondered.

"You're a braver man than I am," Ritsu wasn't having that. He knew what kind of a death sentence that could be.

"I'm going to the kitchen," I got up from my bed, "You want anything while I'm gone?"

"For you to come back in one piece," he begged, "Good luck, Rei."

"Thanks," I got one last kiss, "And if I don't come back, I love you."

"I love you, too," Ritsu awed, "But your ass better come back."

"It will." Well…Here goes nothing.

I walked down the hall and into the kitchen, opening the fridge as inconspicuously as possible. Things were still quiet. Nothing was broken. Nothing was thrown. That I could tell anyway. The only thing that had me concerned were the light sobs coming out of Abuelita on the couch. I grabbed a couple bottles of water and hoped for the best.

"Everything ok in here?" I treaded lightly. God only knows what would set Abuelita off next.

"Things could be better," Daddy filled me in. And I had a feeling he'd tell me more later. But not with Abuelita openly weeping in his shoulder, "But all things considered, everything's going to be ok."

"Ok…" I carefully tiptoed back to my bedroom and crawled back into bed with Ritsu, "It's safe. Good night."

"Wait a second, Rei," Ritsu stopped me, "What do you mean, it's safe? Is everything ok?"

"For the most part, yeah," I killed the lamp, "No bloodshed. No carnage. Other than Abuelita currently in tears, everything's ok. I'm sure that once we wake up tomorrow morning, it will all have blown over and everything will be fine. It sounded pretty open and shut. Good night."

"Your family gives me whiplash."

"My family gives me whiplash," I giggled, "But they're my family. What would I do without them?"

"What will you do with them?" Ritsu grumbled, pulling the blankets over us.

"I don't know," I let out a little yawn, "I'll leave that for future me to deal with. But right now, present me wants to go to sleep. Is that alright with present you?"

"You really think I'm going to stop you?" Ritsu scoffed, kissing my cheek, "Good night, Rei. Thanks for coming back in one piece."

"My pleasure." I shut my eyes and fell straight to sleep. I'm so happy you and I are done being pissed at each other, Ritsu. Really, I am. I love Abuelita dearly, but I don't think I could've handled that on my own. Not knowing you're here to hold my hand through it. And I promise you. Once we get back to Japan, I'll show you how truly grateful I am to have you in my life.

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of…Christmas. That was one hundred percent Christmas. Granted, it wasn't quite Christmas yet, but this was definitely Christmas mornings of the past. When Abuelita would come to town and make breakfast with Mama. Or as it really went, Mama would sit and bullshit with Abuelita while Abuelita did all the cooking. Because Abuelita knew better. Mama grew up with people who would cook for her. She never saw the need to learn how to cook herself. Until she met Daddy. And they were on their own. But if this is the smell of Christmas morning, then…Abuelita's cooking.

I peeled Ritsu off me and went into the kitchen. Dear mother of God, I wish everyone could smell everything I could smell right now. There were no words for Abuelita's cooking. And she seemed to be in high spirits, so sleep must have done her wonders last night. Few things could bring a lightness to my chest better than Abuelita in a good mood and in a kitchen.

"Buenos dias, Abuelita," I joined her.

"Buenos dias, kariña," she kissed my cheek and went back to throwing torrijas together.

"Is everything ok?" There's no way she was so cool after what happened last night. Unless she was on something, but Abuelita wasn't too big on pharmaceuticals.

"Si," she chirped, "Es bien. Por que?"

"You sure?" I winced, "Because if I remember correctly, things were not pretty last time I saw you."

"Yes…" Abuelita sighed out, "I just wish I would've heard sooner. You know as well as I do, Reila, your father and your uncles are all I have left in this world. The last thing I want is for one of them to be taken away from me."

"I know," I rested my head on her shoulder, "Unfortunately, I know that better than I should. But he's alright. He will be anyway."

"I was just coming home from the market when I got the call," Abuelita's voice broke, "That's a call I wouldn't wish on anyone."

"I was in school," I told her, "Homeroom. I had enough on my plate. There was Daddy…and Ritsu…And…"

"Ritsu?" she wondered, "What happened with you and Ritsu?"

"Long story," I brushed her off, "Things have been messy lately, Abuelita."

"But?" Abuelita hoped, "Things are better now?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Things are better. And they'll be better before it's all over. So, how long are you going to be in town?"

"A while," she thought, "Probably until January. Or at least until tu papi's wounds heal. Why?"

"It'd be nice to have you here on my birthday again," I smiled, "And all my friends from Japan are here, too, so you'll get to meet them."

"That sounds wonderful," Abuelita's face lit up, "What did you have planned for today?"

"I need to go take care of some things," I filled her in, "But nothing too exciting. Just some last minute stuff. I'll be back later."

"Cuidado, niña," she worried, "You sound just like him when he'd say he'd be running errands for Gregorio."

"Gregorio…?" I thought for a second, "Is that what the Old Man's name was?"

"Si," Abuelita swooned a bit, "He was a good man. You're not doing anything dangerous, are you, Reila?"

"No," I shook my head, "Like I said, I'll be back later."

"Cuidado…" Abuelita threw her arms around me, "Por favor."

"Si, Abuelita," I promised, "Estaré bien. Tengo un angelito en me hombre."

"Bueno…"

Out of nowhere, I felt a little kiss on top of my head. Hablar del diablo, "Morning, baby."

"Good morning…" I melted inside. Isn't he cute?

"Oh, yeah," Ritsu's brain turned on, "Buenos dias, Abuelita."

"Buenos dias, cariño," Abuelita developed a soft spot for Ritsu over the summer. I'm not saying I had anything to do with it. I'm not saying that the way Daddy and Ritsu are together had anything to do with it. I trusted Abuelita's judge of character. It was usually spot on, "Now, what did you do to my granddaughter?"

Mierda…I saw where this was going. And before Ritsu could open his mouth and ruin it (or worse, go down a spiral of self-depreciation courtesy of his asshole sperm donor), I stepped in, "Abuelita…No necesitamos abrir Viejas heridas. Hoy no."

"Ok…" Abuelita dropped it, "We talk later, Reila."

"Ok," I took Ritsu's hand, "You come with me."

"Where are we going?" Ritsu worried, "Because I don't know about you, but I'd rather not go back to the Narrows."

"No, no, no," I rolled my eyes. Oh, Ritsu. It's a good thing you're pretty. I made sure we were out of Abuelita's earshot. The woman may be pushing eighty, but her hearing is sharp as a fucking tack, "We have some family business to tend to."

"What kind of family business?" he started to sweat a little.

"I'm leaving the blackwood," I promised, "But I'm bringing the knife. That kind of family business."

"Does your…"

"The kind of family business I'm not telling Daddy about," I cut him off, "If you catch my drift."

"Oh!" Ritsu kept his mouth shut. Good boy, "That kind of family business…So, why am I coming with you?"

"I'm going to need all the muscle I can get," I threw my boots on. And a lightbulb turned on in my head, "Ritsu, I got an idea."

"Dare I ask?"

"Nope!" I grabbed him by the hand and the two of us took the elevator down to the parking structure. And bless our regular driver for always hanging around here, "Take us to the Lowell Hotel please."

"Yes, ma'am," the driver gave me a nod.

"Why the Lowell?" Ritsu asked.

"Because," I explained, "If I know the host club the way I think I do, there's no way in hell they're staying in anything less than five stars. The Lowell Hotel is one of the nicest places in the city. Sure, it means going to the Upper East Side, but it'll be worth it. Especially since Aguilar territory is spitting distance away."

"What's Aguilar territory?"

"Red…" Ever since I started learning all about the family business, Daddy made sure to give me code words to help me remember where we could and couldn't go and places I shouldn't go on my own. If somewhere was green, then I could walk there a free man. If it was gray, then I should at least have a little bit of protection keeping an eye on me. But if a territory was red, that was not an ok place for little Reis to go and she should stay away from there. However, I think the circumstances have changed. I was going to take over the family eventually. I didn't think I'd have to make moves this big already. And it wasn't that I didn't trust Ritsu watching my back. Far from it. But if I was going into red territory, I wasn't going to be stupid about it.

When we pulled up to the Lowell Hotel, I left Ritsu in the car and walked in like I owned the place. Mostly because…Well…The Lowell was in our territory. I never had to worry about things here. The lady at the reception desk seemed sweet. A little too cheery for me before coffee, but I wasn't going to complain. She could've been a total bitch and that would've only made things worse for me. And anyone in an immediate radius.

"Good morning!" she greeted me, "Are you checking in?"

"I'm actually looking for someone," I told her, "Can you tell me which room Mr. Morinozuka is staying in?"

"I'm sorry," she winced, "I can't give away that information for the safety of our guests."

"He's a friend of mine," I slipped her a hundred-dollar bill, "It's fine."

"Room 1523," she told me, gladly taking my money, "Would you like me to call his room for you?"

"No need," I shot her down, "Thank you."

I got in the elevator and rode it to the fifteenth floor. This place smelled like class and luxury and unnecessary frivolity. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't make my spoiled little rich kid come out. These were the kinds of places Mama made sure to keep me away from. She didn't want me getting a big head. And I couldn't blame her. I'd definitely get one here. Granted, I loved our penthouse in Williamsburg, but a bitch could get used to something like this.

Now, 1520, 1521, 1522…1523! There's what I'm looking for. I gently knocked on the door. Who's to say Honey and Mori aren't still asleep? Or worse, that Honey's jet lag isn't getting harder. Although, the sudden excited chimes of 'I got it! I got it!' on the other side of the door were promising. I see someone's gotten over his jet lag, "Rei-chan!"

"Hi, Honey," I threw my arms around him. Well, he didn't give me much of a choice. Honey kind of jumped at me. What was I going to do? Drop him? Hell no, "I'm…"

"What are we doing today?" Honey asked, his eyes full of sparkle, "Is there more you can show me? Can we get cake first?"

"Honey," I put him back on the floor, "I have some things I need to handle today, but before I do that, I need to talk to Mori for a second. Is that ok?"

"Oh…Ok!" Honey bounced back into the room, "Takashi! Rei-chan's here for you!"

"Rei…?" Mori apparated in front of the door, "Is everything ok?"

"Are you busy today?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't turn me down. The more unsuspected muscle I could get, the better.

"No," he shook his head, "Why?"

"I need you, Mori," I begged, a tear rolling out of my eye, "Please…"

"Ok," Mori wasn't going to say no to that. He was a sucker for me when I got teary eyed, but in this case, it was honest. I really was going to need him for a while, "Next door."

"Next door?" I wondered, "What's next door?"

"Go next door."

"Ok…" Mori's cryptic orders always confused me, but I suppose it can't be too bad. Mori would never tell me to do something that would deliberately put my life in danger, so this should be alright.

Knock, knock.

"Yes?" Haruhi opened the door. Poor baby was still half asleep, "Oh…Hi, Rei. I wasn't expecting to see you this early."

"Rei's here?!" Just as I suspected. There's no way Tamaki (or more likely Kyoya) would fly all the way to New York, miles and miles away from Ranka, and not share a room with Haruhi.

"Not now, Senpai!" Haruhi snapped at him, "What's up?"

"I'm stealing Mori away for a little while," I told her, "And I'm guessing he needs a sitter for Honey. You think you can keep an eye on him for a bit?"

"That's no problem," Haruhi allowed, "We can watch Honey-senpai for a while. What are you two going to do?"

"I shouldn't talk about it." Haruhi was one of the most understanding people I had ever met. And she knew better than to ask too many questions about things that don't concern her. God bless her.

"Oh!" she nodded, "Ok. I get it. So, watch out for Honey-senpai while Mori-senpai watches out for you."

"Precisely."

"Reila…" Tamaki joined us at the door. Goddammit. I was hoping to get through this without dealing with him, "Are you about to get yourself into a dangerous situation?"

"I promised Abuelita I'd be careful," I rolled my eyes, "This is me being careful. And now, all I need is for you to not be involved with this. Unless you have a death wish."

"Yes, ma'am." Oh, Tamaki. You're so simple. It's lovely.

"Rei," Mori tapped on my shoulder, "I'm ready when you are."

"Ok," I love him. I love Mori so much. He's one of my best friends and I'll keep him close. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep him very close once graduation day comes.

"Haru-chan!" Honey popped up from behind him, "I get to play with you all day!"

"We shouldn't be all day, Honey," I settled him, "We'll just be gone for a little while. Hopefully, things will go smoothly and we'll be in and out."

"Ok!"

Mori and I left Honey with Haruhi and Tamaki and the two of us got in the elevator. In the quiet ride down to the lobby, Mori took my hand. He knew I was about to get us into some sketchy shit. I wouldn't have come to him if I didn't need to. And he knew I already had Ritsu backing me up. Not to mention, I wasn't exactly feeble. I could beat a mother fucker if I wanted to, but without the proper backup, this would be a major case of me biting off more than I can chew. But I had this.

"Where are we going, Rei?" Mori asked as the elevator doors parted.

"The Bronx," I squeezed his hand in need of reassurance, "We're about to go deal with one of the oldest families in the city. If what Daddy told me was true, things are good with us right now. We should be fine."

At least I sure as fuck hope so. When we got back into the car, I fell into Ritsu's side. And things started to make sense to him, "So, this is what we had to come all the way to the Upper East Side for."

"I told you," I cuddled into him, "We're about to walk into red territory. A little backup wouldn't kill me."

If Daddy knew I was going into the Bronx on my own, he'd fucking end me. It's not like he couldn't low jack my phone at any given time and find out where I am. But I had Mori and Ritsu. What more could I want? Honey, maybe, but I wasn't going to put him in the line of fire like that. The driver turned back toward me, "Where to, Miss Mendoza?"

"Piccolo's," I ordered. Piccolo's was a hole in the wall sandwich place in the heart of the Bronx. They made a hell of a sandwich (and an even better pizza bagel, if we're being honest), but not too many knew what went on in the back room of Piccolo's. The back room and in the basement.

"Um…" Even the driver knew better, "Are you sure you want to go to Piccolo's?"

"Yes," I demanded, "We're going to Piccolo's."

"There are better restaurants in the city…"

"I know," I growled, "We're going to Piccolo's."

"Yes, ma'am."

I've gone toe to toe with bosses before. This is nothing new to me. But I've never dealt with one after something like this. I know the incident is almost a couple weeks old already, but I needed to talk with Old Man Aguilar. When we pulled up to the front of the shop, it seemed pretty nondescript. I'm thinking that was by design. I could do this. I've done it before. I can do it again. Why should this be any different than the millions of times Daddy and I have ran through this? Besides, I had Mori on my left and Ritsu on my right and my blackwood back in the Narrows. I'll be fine.

"Hi!" a young girl chirped, "Can I get you a table?"

You can do this, Rei. Just like you and Daddy talked about, "I'd like to seek audience."

"Excuse me?"

"Tonya, take your break," one of the managers ordered, taking over for her, "Did you just say you'd like to seek audience?"

"Yes," I stood my ground.

"Name?"

"You don't need to know my name," I kept my head up, "Look at me. Look at my face. You do not need to know my name. Now, I'd like to seek audience. Please."

Slowly, but surely, he realized exactly who the fuck I was. And that I might have a reason to be a little pissed, "Leave your weapons here."

I can't blame them for being thorough, "I'm not packing."

I'm also not stupid. If he decides to pat me down and finds my knife, it's just a pocketknife. It's not like I could hurt anyone with it. I mean, I make sure it's sharp as hell, but I digress. But he skipped the pat down. We did have a reputation for being honest, so we had a lot of trust in this town. It's comforting. He glanced over my shoulder at the true weapons I brought, "What about them?"

"Boys," I ordered, "If you got anything on you, I suggest leaving it here."

"I got nothing," Ritsu turned out his pockets.

"Me either," Mori did the same.

"Fantastic," I chimed, "Now, if you don't mind?"

"Wait here," he scurried into the back. I don't think this guy's upper management. Aside from managing the sandwich shop. That might be as far as he goes here.

"Hey, Rei…" Ritsu kept his voice down, "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," I nodded, taking his hand, "Don't worry. We'll be fine. If all goes to plan, then we should be quick. I'm just here for a name."

"Why are we here?" Mori asked.

"I know you said no to joining up with me after I take over the family, Mori," I sighed out, "But I didn't know where else to turn. I know I could've asked either one of my uncles to come with me, but I knew I'd just get a lecture. And I don't feel like dealing with that bullshit today. And I have no doubt these guys know what our guys look like. You two are unassuming. Except for Ritsu. He's helped me bash heads in the Narrows before. But for the sake of argument, please don't leave."

"I won't," Mori had my back. Bless him.

The manager came back out, "He said he'd see you now."

"Thank you," I gave him a nod. Well, Rei. Time to prove your worth. Are you the daughter of the biggest mafia syndicate in New York or are you just a little street rat with a pedigree? I guess we'll see, won't we?