The time was 6:00 AM; that day the rain was heavily falling as if the sky was falling apart and without any sign of ending soon. On a lonely road, a black SUV was driving straight, leaving a trail of drops behind it. Behind the wheel was Leni, who contrary to her usual self, was using a pretty simple outfit that consisted in a pair of jeans, a gray hoodie and boots. She wasn't the only one in the vehicle; on the backseat, a ten-years-old girl with dark brown hair was sleeping peacefully with a doll on her hand.

Leni's mind wasn't focused in the road at all. She was thinking about all she's been doing to find out what happened with her brother; in all the people, both innocent and guilty that had been caught in the middle of this senseless pursuit. Ten years have passed since the last time her family heard something about her brother, and in that time she has been the only one who has done something to find him, she alone, because it seemed her sisters gave up time ago…

Just look at them: Lynn is a pro-wrestler or some shit like that, Luna owns a music shop, Luan has a restaurant… they all have gone on with their lives that easy, and she…

No… they didn't love Lincoln just as she did. While they're living a good life in their homes thinking their brother's dead, she's been the only one who hasn't lost hope to find him one day. That's the reason she joined the special ops in the first place, and she wouldn't…

"Mommy…?" The little girl spoke from behind whilst rubbing her eyes and giving a loud yawn.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Leni asked gently, getting back into reality.

"Why are we going to visit Aunt Lori?" The girl asked; her voice slow and sleepy.

"Well…" Leni instantly got nervous. She had to think in something quick. "I-it has been a time since we saw her… besides; don't you miss your cousins?"

"Yes I do, I want to play with Lindsey again." The little girl said with a smile, remembering the times when she and her cousin used to play together with dolls, hide and seek and a bunch of other child games. But then that smile faded. "But I thought you were mad at Aunt Lori"

Leni bit her lit at those words. She was right; last time she saw Lori was a year ago, and they had a big argument.

Leni and Lori were walking down the corridor of Lori's mansion. Leni came to visit her sister after five years of not seeing her; it wasn't that she didn't want to, but her job took a lot of her time. In fact, she was afraid to see her sister became arrogant just like most rich people, but fortunately she was the same caring big sister she knew.

"This place looks beautiful, Lori." Leni said as she admired the elegance of the place; the interior had an old Victorian gothic style design with some old paintings and a few family photographs. The furniture had a very old and elegant style and the floor was made of the finest wood.

"Yeah well, I've always been a fan of this style." Lori said with a smirk on her face. "Please take a seat; I'll bring us some tea." She said, but instead of going herself for it she called one of the maids and told her to do it. Leni did as she said and sat on the sofa.

"Tell me Lori, how's been the family?" Leni asked. "I heard Lucas is going to a very prestigious academy in London next year."

"Indeed." Lori replied as a smile. "Bobby talked to some of his friends who turned out to be shareholders of the academy, and now our son will be attending to one of the best educational institutes in the whole United Kingdom."

"It's really good to hear that." Leni said. After some moments of talking about their children the maid arrived with the tea. As minutes passed, an awkward silence set upon them, only interrupted by the occasional sound of a cup being placed on a plate.

Both of them were just drinking tea and occasionally looking at the other with furtive glances. Silence was like a thick fog that surrounded them, at least until Lori decided to break the ice.

"Leni." The blonde said with a calm voice.

"What?"

"It's time for you to tell me what you've been doing all this time." The friendly sister Leni was talking to moments ago was gone, now in front of her was a person Leni has seen many times when she was young and her parents were out, throwing a glance that intimidated her. The latter was taken aback by the sudden interest of her sister in her life. Her heart skipped a bit at the simple thought of telling Lori the truth; how would she react? Would she believe it? She obviously had to hide it.

"What do you want to hear?" Leni said, trying to hide her nerves behind a face of stone so her sister wouldn't suspect. "I've been working for the government."

"I know, you told mom that the last time you talked to her like five years ago." She said, this time her voice was a little sharper. "But… what exactly do you do?"

Leni was having a hard time trying to paly cool in front of Lori; the more the elder blonde was digging in her life, the more nervous she got.

"Oh, you know… I…" She tried to say but her mind was completely blank. Lori of course noticed this, which did nothing more than confirm her suspicions.

"I knew you were lying." Lori said with a calm voice and an accusatory stare. "You've never been a good liar, dear sister."

Leni now was against the wall; there was no way to escape.

"No I'm not! It's just…"

"Leni, I want the truth." Lori said firmly with a cold stare. From all her siblings, Lori was the one that caused more fear to her; being the oldest she always been an authority figure, someone you wouldn't want to make angry or else there would be consequences.

Leni gathered courage, and standing up she gave her an answer.

"I can't tell you Lori." Leni said, facing her sister and going against her instinct.

"Excuse me?" Lori asked. Honestly that wasn't the answer she was expecting. The blonde stared at Leni with a mix of surprise and worry.

"I said I can't tell you." Leni said again. She was still nervous tho, but she couldn't let Lori find that out. "Sorry Lori, I won't tell you."

Lori was concerned; not because her sister refused to tell her what she was getting into, but because she was afraid it might be something dangerous, something that might threaten hers or even her daughter's life.

"Leni please…" This time Lori's voice came with a worried tone. "I need to know what you're in."

"Why do you want to know?" Leni asked with a daring tone. "That's none of your business."

"Yes it is! You're my sister and I'm worried about you!" Those words hit Leni like a bullet right to the heart. Family was everything for her; even though she distanced from them a time ago, they still were the most important thing for her. The blonde had to fight the urge to cry, the urge to go hug her sister and tell her everything would be alright just like she used to do when someone in the house were in need back when she was a teen. Instead she just got up and walked away, leaving Lori with a concerned look on her face and on the verge of tears.

"I think it's time for me to leave." Leni said in a sharp voice before leaving the house.

"Yes, we did…" Leni said with sorrow in her words. She honestly regretted how things ended back then, but she couldn't risk to be exposed. "But don't worry sweetheart, time heals everything."

"What that means?" The little girl asked at the time she played with her doll.

"Nothing…" Leni replied, taking a quick glance at her daughter from the rearview.

Twenty minutes passed until they finally reached their destination: a big, luxury mansion with an enormous garden in front. The car pulled in front of the entrance where a big gate opened and let them in. She stopped in front of the main door and killed the engine. The woman was really nervous; she knew her sister was mad at her, and in case she was, she had all the reasons to be. Shaking her head to take out all those negative thoughts, she got off the car and went to the passenger backseat for her daughter, who fell asleep again on their way there. Leni grabbed her, being careful not to move her too much, and after closing the door she walked toward the main door.

The blonde rang the bell once and waited for someone to come and open the door, and in a matter of seconds a young blonde woman wearing in a maid dress appeared in front of them.

"Welcome to the Santiago residence, how may I help you?" She said after making a reverence.

"Hello. I'm here to see Lori." Leni said.

"Who I'm talking to?" The maid asked.

"I'm Leni, her sister." Leni said.

"Alright, just…" The maid started to say but was cut by Lori who happened to arrive in time.

"It's ok Anya, let her in." The blonde said and the maid nodded, stepping aside as Leni entered with her daughter in arms.

After leaving the house the way she did a year ago Leni didn't feel comfortable in being there, especially with Lori after the rude way she talked to her last time. However, she didn't have any option.

"So, Leni…" Lori started. By the tone of her voice you could say she was also uncomfortable. "May I offer you something? A glass of water or…"

"Oh, no thanks Lori." Lei said gently. "I'm okay."

"What brings you here?"

"Lori… first of all, I want to apologize for the way I behave last time we saw…" Leni said, looking down with shame. "You were just worried and I had no right to talk you that way."

"Don't worry Len… I should have asked first before talking about something you weren't comfortable."

"I guess we both messed up…" Leni said now more confident, and after leaving her daughter on a couch for her to sleep more comfortable she went to Lori for a hug. Lori gladly accepted and returned the hug.

"Thank you Leni." Lori said breaking the hug and facing her sister. After some moments her smile faded. "But that's not the only reason you're here, is it?"

"I'm afraid you're right…" Leni said after give a heavy sigh. "I need to go in… a business trip and I have no one to look after Ember."

Lori doubted at first; the way Leni hesitated to complete the sentence gave her the impression she was lying. But after what happened last time, she didn't want to risk it and make her sister mad at her again.

"It's just that?" Lori asked. "I'll gladly do it; I'm sure Lindsey will be happy to have her favorite cousin here."

"Thank you very much, sister." Leni happily said, and then she hugged Lori again. After some minutes of talking about their lives and say goodbye to her little girl with a kiss on the forehead, Leni left the house. Lori watched as her sister drove away in the rain and disappeared in the distance. After that she went inside, heading to the couch where her niece was sleeping. Unlike her mother, she didn't have too many children; one boy and five girls was more than enough for her and Bobby, and frankly they weren't planning in have more in the future. However, seeing her niece sleeping this peacefully, without any concern about her surroundings… it made her feel the same inner peace just like when her children were little.

After give a small chuckle she lifted her carefully, caring not to move her too much and wake her. At the same time the same maid who opened the door appeared from the kitchen.

"Do you need anything, Mrs. Santiago?" She asked.

"Yes Anya. Please prepare the guest room for our little girl here." Lori said. With a nod, Anya walked away to do what she was ordered. Meanwhile Lori walked towards her room, but as she was halfway the little Ember started to struggle.

"Aunt Lori…" The little girl said with a sleepy voice and not even opening her eyes.

"What happen, mi niña?" Lori asked gently.

"Where's mommy?" The girl asked as she rubbed her eyes. Lori didn't have an answer, but she knew her niece needed one.

"Your mom will be back in a few days, she is…" Lori tried to say, but Ember interrupted.

"She's on another business trip, isn't she?"

"Well, you're right. But don't worry, she said she will be back soon, and will bring you a lot of new toys for you to play." Lori lied to her niece; last thing she wanted was her to be worried.

"I just want her to come safe. Last business trip she went she returned with a big, ugly scratch in her leg." Ember said with a little bit of concern, causing Lori to stop as a shiver ran down through her spine. After some moments she fixed herself and continued walking until she arrived to hers and Bobby's room. Carefully placed the little girl in the bed and covered her with the blanket.

"Don't worry sweetie, she'll be ok. Now get some sleep." Lori said as she kisses the girl on the forehead, leaving her struggling in the bed to get a comfortable position to sleep. She closed the door slowly and then walked away.

"What are you into, Leni?" she thought with concern.

That morning specially was really cold. The time was about eight o'clock but there was no sun; the sky was covered by a sea of dark clouds, causing the air to feel colder than it really was. A normal person would think that nobody would be out in this conditions; why freeze your ass that early when you can be in bed sleeping or just doing something else? It seems logic.

But for a certain white-haired man things weren't so simple. The park was almost empty, except for some city workers throwing salt to melt the snow off the path and a man in a hoodie, sweatpants, running shoes and a mask covering her face and nose jogging. The man was no other than Lincoln Loud, who woke up at 6:00 A.M. and couldn't think of anything better to do than go out and run. The temperature was about 28°F, but it didn't keep the man from going to the park and run for two hours straight. His hoodie was all wet due to the sweat and thich clouds of steam were coming from the mask every time he exhaled, but he didn't seem to care.

After taking a quick break, he saw the time in his watch and decided that he had enough exercise for today. He decided to run his way home to arrive sooner; if he arrives in time maybe he would eat breakfast with Lucy.

As he was running, Lincoln started thinking in what Paolo told him to do the day they met again. Lincoln thought he would never have to return to his hometown or see his family again, at least not like this. But, heh, looks like life's a bitch.

"Paolo?" Lincoln asked with surprise, not believing what he was seeing. From all the people he expected to meet, Paolo certainly wasn't one of them.

The man took off the mask and revealed his face to the white haired man, confirming his suspicions. "That's correct, kid." Paolo crouched to be at the same height than Lincoln. "Did you miss me? I sure missed you…" The man polled him by the hair, causing Lincoln to groan in pain.

"What the hell do you want this time? I made very clear I would never work with you again." Lincoln struggled to get away from the man, but Paolo had grabbed him tight.

"And you thought that joining the army would save you? Hahahaha!" Paolo laughed mockingly, and after some moments he slapped Lincoln in the face before grab him from the collar of his shirt. "You know there's only one way to get out of this business…"

"I don't care what you do to me…" Lincoln said as he broke free from his grip. Swallowing hard he managed to stand up and face the man. "… I won't do your wet work again…"

Paolo seemed to be unpleased by his words; with a punch right to the guts he forced the white haired man to kneel in pain. The hit took the air out of Lincoln, making him gasp to recover it. Paolo smiled at this; he took his hand to the pocket of his shirt and took what seemed to be a piece of paper, and then he threw it to the floor in front of Lincoln, who managed to regain some air. As Lincoln's vision turned clear again he managed to see the content of the paper, noticing that not only it wasn't a paper but it was a photograph.

A photograph of his family.

Fear and rage built inside Lincoln; the man got up and attempted to kick Paolo right in the head, but the old man saw it coming and dodge it in time to counter with a kick straight to the chest, sending him flying backwards and crashing against a wall.

"I'm afraid you have no choice kid. But just because I'm a good man I'll forget what just happened and offer you a deal." Paolo said. Lincoln coughed a little and got on his feet. He was barely able of hold his wrath; if there was something he hated the most was when people blackmailed him. Well, not this time.

"I told you already you son of a bitch, I won't!" Lincoln yelled. Paolo didn't seem to like his answer; he took a lighter from his pocket, grabbed the photo and lit the lighter.

"Do you want me to remind you what's in the line…?" The old man said as he drew the photo to the flame. Lincoln watched with horror as the photo almost touched the fire.

"Wait!" He yelled. Paolo took away the photo from the fire and looked at him with an arched brow.

"What was that?" He asked.

"What's the deal…?" Lincoln asked. At this, Paolo grinned.

"You do this one job, and you are free from all this shit. Your family is free as well, unless they come to us…"

Lincoln felt an incontrollable urge to beat down the old man until his face was nothing but a bloody red pulp; he wanted to rips his arms and legs from his body, throw them to the wild dogs and watch as they tear his flesh and muscles, leaving nothing but bones behind. But he was handcuffed and tired, so there was nothing he could do.

"I'll do it…" The white haired man said with sorrow in his voice.

"That son of a bitch… just one more job and I'll be free from…" Lincoln couldn't finish the sentence; in a matter of seconds the albino was taken down by a car running at a considerable speed. He didn't feel the hit, but the next thing he knew was that he was in the ground a few yards away from the vehicle. His head was spinning and his stomach attempted with throw out the banana smoothie he drank that morning, but he managed to get on his feet. From the car, an afro-american man and a woman with pale skin that resembled a lot to Lucy came down. Both of them ran towards him; the man with a worried expression and the lady with a dull face.

"Oh my god, I really sorry sir!" The man said. "Are you ok? Please allow me to take you to the hospital!"

Lincoln's sight finally cleared as he saw the man's face. His stomach clutched and his eyes wide open.

"Clyde…" he thought. The afro-american man was practically unrecognizable; the skinny little weenie who used to be his sidekick was gone, now he was a tall, muscular man. He still used his glasses, but now he had a goatee and a mustache. The girl was slim, yet sexy, wearing a long black coat that matched with her boots. One of her eyes was covered by her bangs but it didn't keep her face from show an indifferent glance.

She had to be Haiku.

"Sir?" Clyde said again, seeing that the man was just staring at them.

Lincoln touched his head to reduce the dizziness, but as he touched he felt his hair, instead of the hoodie covering his head. At first he panicked, but then he noticed neither Clyde nor Haiku had realized who he was. Taking advantage of this, and of the fact he was still using the mask to cover his mouth and nose, he acted like an old man.

"Take your hands out of me, you ruffian!" Lincoln said in a faked old man voice. "You kids nowadays think you own the street just because you drive fast cars…"

"Sir I'm really sorry, please let me take you to the hospital; that was a pretty bad hit…" Clyde said with concern at the same time he tried to help Lincoln to walk, but the latter got away from them.

"I'm okay. These bones might be old but still strong." Lincoln said while walking away from the couple, leaving them confused. They decided to leave the man alone and return to the car; if he didn't want to go to the hospital there was nothing they could do.

"Phew… that was close." Lincoln said to himself. It was becoming a ridiculously frequent coincidence; every time he was outside he either meets with one of his childhood friends or his family. Every time is getting harder to hide from his past, but what could he expect? He was in Royal Woods after all. Maybe…

Lincoln was taken out of his thoughts as he felt his cellphone vibrating in his pocket. The white haired boy took it out and saw the caller ID showed 'Private Number'. He immediately thought in Lisa, but something told him she wasn't the one calling this time.

"Who is this?" He asked just as he picked the call.

"This is Zero-two; I'm coming for you, white snake…" A female voice said. It was weird; that voice sounded very familiar for him but he couldn't remember whose it was.

"What?" Lincoln asked with surprise. How did she know his codename? It was something only the most important people inside the organization had access to. Unless…

"Wait… so you're the one who's been causing us troubles, don't you?" Lincoln asked.

"I've done more than that I'd say. I've fought each and every one of the leaders and taken care of them. You're the only one left. It's only a matter of time until I find you…"

"You won't have to look far." Lincoln said, hanging the actual call and sweeping through his contacts looking for one in specific. When he found it he pressed the call icon. Seconds passed until the person picked the call.

"Hello?"

"Plans have changed; take the goods to the meeting place as soon as possible."

"B-but I thought the meeting would be in three days."

"So did I, but I need to take care of something first. Tell the team to be there in two days."

"A-alright sir, as you say." The man said as Lincoln ended the call.

He needed to make his move now.

A/N

Hope you get the reference I put.

Looks like a meeting bewteen Lincoln and Leni is inevitabe. Will they recognize each other?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.