A/N: This story will be told in the present (Post Act 1) with flashbacks to when the characters were younger. While this story is being told with an OC main character, if you want to read it as a Reader insert, I have no issue with that!

A torrential downpour assaulted the streets of the Undercity, forcing everyone that could to find shelter. Olillia collapsed in a chair just inside the door to The Last Drop, pushing her damp hair out of her eyes and letting out a ragged sigh.

Lil, Vi is getting herself into something she has no business being involved in. Could you please stay here and watch the bar? Make sure Powder and the boys stay out of trouble.

Vander's request had seemed like a simple one: watch the bar and keep the kids safe. Her simple task had quickly gotten more difficult once Vi returned alone. There was nothing Lil could have done to stop the kids from rushing to Vander's rescue. Vi and the boys had managed to sneak out, leaving Powder behind. The only reason Lil had discovered their absence was the sound of the young girl's loud sobbing in the kids' shared room below the bar.

Once some of the sobbing had died down, Lil had gone down to offer the girl some comfort, only to find the room empty. She had raced back up the stairs and screamed for Mai, the only other person in the building. Mai had agreed to watch the bar while she searched for Powder. Lil hadn't thought Powder could have gotten very far in the short time she had been gone, but she had been mistaken. After nearly an hour of pacing through the streets calling for the young girl, the downpour had forced her back to the shelter of the bar.

Lil was at a loss as to what she should do. She didn't know what was going on with Vander or where he had disappeared to. When Vi had returned to the drop, she had said that someone had captured him and that Benzo and a few enforcers were dead. That wasn't much information to go on, and she hadn't offered any further details. Lil didn't think three 14-year-olds would be able to handle someone who could take out that many opponents so quickly on their own.

Mai appeared at her side with a glass of water and a towel, distracting Lil from her inner thoughts. She had a questioning expression on her face, but gave Lil a moment to get herself together. She accepted the towel and dried herself off before drinking half of the water in the glass. When she placed it back on the table, Lil sat staring at it for a few minutes, trying to get her thoughts in order and devise some kind of plan.

"Do you want me to get someone to help look for her?" Mai asked.

"Who?" Lil asked in response. "You saw how everyone acted before when Vander stood up for the kids. No one will come help look for one of them, especially since he's missing too. They will probably think that he took the kids and ran to get away from whatever mess they caused topside."

"They've all grown up here," Mai said reassuringly. "I'm sure all of them will be back soon. They managed to get away from a fair number of enforcers the other day. Surely, they can do better on their own turf."

"I wish I shared your optimism."

Their conversation was cut short by someone crashing through the bar's front door. They both looked up to see Huck panting in the doorway.

"There was an explosion by the docks!" he yelled. "I saw a few of the kids heading that way earlier."

"Why didn't you come say something sooner?" Lil shouted, springing to her feet. "Have you seen Powder?"

Huck shook his head as he looked at the floor sheepishly, avoiding her gaze. Then, as quickly as he had entered, he was gone again.

"I need to go find them," Lil said, quickly walking across the bar towards the storage room to grab her staff.

Mai raced after her, grabbing her hand to stop her.

"You're going alone? Towards an explosion and the people that killed Benzo?"

"I'll try and find Sevika. She'll help me out."

"How do you know she's not with these people?"

Lil hesitated at Mai's question. She had a point. When Sevika had left the bar earlier, she had been pretty upset with Vander's decisions. She could have gone to someone that she knew would deal with the problem, even if that meant taking him out of the picture. Lil shuddered at the thought, even more bothered by the fact that she had considered joining her when she left.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing, Mai."

"I'm not asking you to do nothing," Mai said. "Stay here. I'll see who I can round up, and we will stay here at The Drop until morning. By then, we'll have light, numbers, and the rain will likely have stopped."

"Whoever took Vander could be gone by then!" Lil shouted. "He could be dead and who knows what will happen to the kids? Even if they didn't manage to find the people that took him, they're still out there on their own and won't have anyone when they eventually return. We need to act quickly!"

Mai pursed her lips in a frown and simply stared at her. After a few moments, she shook her head and sighed.

"Fine. Give me one hour," she said. "Then we'll go."

"You can have half of that," Lil said. "Then I'm going. With or without you."

Half an hour later, Mai returned with six people. They had followed Vander from the beginning and planned to see things through to the end. Lil couldn't argue that that was an admirable way of thinking. She made a point to leave out the fact that she wasn't doing this for Vander. Over the past few years, they had mended some bridges between them, but some things couldn't be undone. People that couldn't be brought back. But, if she could help save his kids from suffering the fate of so many in the Undercity, she would try her best. He was their best shot. If the chance to help him was available, she would take it, but the kids were her priority.

The small group gathered together carrying various weapons: knives, clubs, a gun or two, or for some, just their fists. Lil had grabbed her extendable staff from the storage room and attached a knife to her belt. Feeling like she was prepared, she turned to face the group.

"I know you all believe in Vander and the things he's done for the Lanes. I don't know what kind of situation we are walking into here. He may already be gone, or he may be still at the mercy of his captors. But we still have to try and see what we can do. These people took him. They killed Benzo. If we can stop them, we have to take our shot. Before anyone else gets hurt."

As she finished speaking, Lil heard a slow clap from someone in the room. She furrowed her brow in confusion and looked to Mai for answers but was only greeted with a shocked expression. Turning towards the source of the sound, it wasn't long before her own face morphed into a similar expression of surprise.

"That was an excellent speech, Lil," a voice she thought she would never hear again said from the doorway of the bar.

"Silco?"

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think!