Chapter 7

Sam didn't know why a shock wave of nervousness suddenly hit him. It wasn't like he was doing anything legitimately terrifying. He was sitting in front of a house, in his car. His regular, non attention seeking, car. No one would know he was part of police, the FBI, anything. And, all he was doing was debriefing before he was, admittedly, going to do something that would either work out well, or…blow up in his face.

That was probably the part that was giving him some abject anxiety that he hadn't felt in a long time. There was nothing more…humanizing than anxiety and worry when working on something he couldn't quite figure out which way it was going to go. Being part of the FBI, Sam worked hard to hone his skills on reading people and understanding potential outcomes to turn events in his favor. (There was a reason he was known for getting confessions out of people the easiest. Or, relatively easy compared to his co-workers).

And it wasn't that things hadn't gone sideways before. Became unexpected. Sam could admit there had been a pattern of things that'd blown up in his face later. Because of his decisions. Because of his actions. First and foremost was allowing his sons to learn ninja from their grandfather. He'd gotten used to it over the years, worried when there was a wayward punch or kick that resulted in a black eye, or a missing tooth, but the brightest smiles on his boys' faces. It was what kept them out of trouble over the summer when he needed to work and Jessica wanted some time to herself rather than be a stay-at-home mom, working to entertain her three sons for three months.

Plus, it was a nice way for them to spend time with their grandparents. That was it, initially. It became a haven, of sorts, for the boys to spend time with their dying grandmother. Then they continued to go and love it, learning the things that their grandfather loved so much and cared for. It was that time that Sam threw himself into his work, chasing down the bad guys and doing his best to put them away.

It was then that he started to gain his reputation as the man who would go to every great length to get his man. To ensure that justice was enacted to those who thought they got away with some of the worst war crimes he could ever imagine. It was a point to him, a goal he had to reach each time. An endgame to getting his man into custody and taken away. One last scumbag to deal with.

It backfired—both parts of it did—spectacularly when both of his worlds collided. His boys thought their ninja training meant they could take on intruders in their house…when said intruders were hired by his worst enemy, who kidnapped his sons to get Sam to leave him alone. If he weren't so worried about what would happen afterward, Sam could admit that it was a smart move.

One of the most sadistic, but smart moves. He would've thought of doing the same if he thought Snyder had any children that he could target. But…that would have him admit there was a part about him that was darker than his wife or his kids ever needed to know. It snuck up on him at times mostly when he spent too much time with his own thoughts.

When he laid awake at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering what it was that would get the most dangerous men he was hunting down to turn themselves in. Wondered what their Achilles heel was. For a lot of them, Sam was sure it was their families, deep down the most insane of the insane were family men. They cared about their children, their wives, or husbands, the things that made them feel they were normal. That's what they cared about.

So, in a way, Sam respected that Snyder had gone after his children. Would've understood if Snyder had gone straight for the jugular and went after his wife, Jessica. It's what he had expected. But he hadn't had been able to figure out what he would've done in the same situation. It's what he did, to set himself apart from the other agents he worked with. He tried to figure out what he would do in the same situation of those that he was chasing after. If his life had started differently, if he had experiences that would've turned him to the other side of the law.

What would he, Sam Douglas, do?

And it worked to figure out motive, worked to figure out where someone was hiding.

But what did it do when the person who you wanted to ask questions to, was someone who was seemingly innocent, in all definitions of the word?

Finally, Sam took himself out of his thoughts and took himself out of his car. He brushed his hair back from his forehead, suddenly reminding himself that if he needed a haircut already, he'd been working too much and too long. Things like that fell by the wayside, other than the personal grooming he had to do to follow the rules and policies of work. But when he let everything else go…work was coming too far into his life.

Jessica had reminded him about it time from time, reminding him it was the real reason as to why he wasn't as close to his boys as he used to be. Not because of ninja. He worked too hard. He knew that. But was it so wrong to want to provide a good life, a safe life to his family?

The thought swirled through his head as he walked up the front drive to the house that he'd only visited once before. For a quick dinner and a night of ice cream that had been ruined by the same ninja antics that'd kicked off everything.

It didn't take long after Sam rang the doorbell for the door to open and reveal Reed's neutral expression looking back at him. Sam glanced into the house behind him, mildly surprised to hear the sound of the full family at home, sounding like they were being lectured on something. Shouldn't they be at school?

Sam's eyes flickered back to Reed's when the Australian man said, "I reckon I was wondering when you'd show up." Reed folded his arms. "Are you coming to arrest me or drive me out of my home?" His blue eyes narrowed briefly. "You've been waiting to do it, yeah?"

"Reed," Sam said slowly. "That's not what I'm here for."

For a moment, Reed looked surprised. Seconds before his head turned, just slightly, toward the house, toward the sound of his family speaking behind him. It was an imperceptive move, but Sam noticed. He noticed everything. There was something to be said when someone was aware there was a chance Sam knew something they didn't want him to know. Reed's movement just made it that much more obvious.

"Then…what are you here for, mate?" Reed asked.

"May I come?" Sam asked evenly. "So we can talk?"

"Cheers."

Reed stepped back, allowing Sam to step inside. Then he closed the door behind him and walked straight for the kitchen. Sam followed him, listening to the sounds of the voices, taking in, before he saw them, that Renee was teaching them something school related. His suspicions were deemed correct when he walked into the kitchen and found Renee standing at the head of a table, a text book resting in her open arms while all five of her children were leaning over the table, notebooks in front of them, scribbling as the seconds passed.

Renee looked over as they entered. Her eyes flickered from her husband to Sam, back to her husband. With a smile, she closed her textbook with a low thump that caught her children's attention, for they all lifted their heads at once and gazed at Sam. It would've been funny if it wasn't so creepy. "It's a surprise to see you, Sam," she greeted him. "What brings you by so early?"

"He wants to talk to us about something, love," Reed replied.

Sam watched Renee as he said the words, noticing the very slight twitch of muscles in her cheek. Nevertheless, she kept her pleasant smile and turned back to her kids. "Just keep reading until I get back. And please, don't try to see how many pens you can cram up your nose again," she added with an amused look to Patrick. "I already question my decision to let you punch some holes in your face and head, but at least earrings can be removed easily."

Patrick grinned, the snakebite piercings in his lips spreading with the movement. Sam had noticed the loop in his ear when he first met the young man as well. Not that he was completely against piercings in any way—it was tattoos he wasn't so jazzed about—but it might've been a better idea to have him make that mistake when he was in his later teens and early twenties rather than high school.

Kids could be cruel.

Sam allowed himself to be led into the living room, where he sat on the opposite couch from the husband and wife. "We like to think that letting them make their own decisions and mistakes at a young age is better to keep them from making them later," Renee said with a shake of her head, and a light roll of her eyes. "But sometimes…" She trailed off, making a vague gesture with her hand.

Sam smiled politely. He knew exactly what she meant. It was a catch-22 when raising kids, have them make their own decisions…or protect them from everything that could come their way. He'd seen what happened both ways…and it never necessarily meant one way was better than the other.

It's why you're here, Sam thought. He cleared his throat, shifting on his seat. Remember, that's why you're here.

"So, what can we help you with Sam?" Reed reached out, placing his hand into Renee's lap, where she laced her fingers within his and squeezed his hand tightly. A unified force. Sam suddenly regretted not having Jessica there, let alone having told her what he was planning on doing that day. It was going to be a tough conversation for both of them, but after what happened with MedoCal…he knew it was the best move to make. "I'm sure it's something important if you're making a house call."

"I'm not in the habit of making house calls unless it's a serious matter," Sam said with a wry smile. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. "And if it weren't for what happened with MedoCal, I don't think I'd have to come today."

Reed raised an eyebrow and gave a half-smile. "I reckon you're arresting me."

A half smile crossed Sam's face as well. "After all the investigations, it's been concluded that you didn't know what was going on with MedoCal and were simply following the instructions you were given. It may be difficult for you to get past the PR nightmare it has become, but there's no reason for you think you're going to find any more trouble."

"Then what's brought you here today?"

Sam sucked in a deep breath through his nose. "My boys," he said seriously. "I've come here on behalf of my boys." He waited to see if they'd speak first, if there was anything that would prove the knew what he was referring to. But their faces continued to stay blank. Okay. He understood that. He would do the same thing if he was on the other side of the conversation. "I just want what's best for my boys and I want to ensure they're protected at all costs."

"I'm sure we can understand that," Renee said slowly.

"Then, in that case, I'm sure you can understand why, I think it's best if your kids stay away from mine. Them getting mixed up with MedoCal has made it clear that it's not a good idea to have them together and I'm afraid their bad influence—"

"—Bad influence?" Reed broke in.

"I specifically asked them to stay away, for their own good, and the next thing I know, I find them in your office and then they're breaking into MedoCal at night, where people legitimately got hurt this time. And I know it's only a matter of time until something worse happens."

Reed and Renee exchanged a glance. Reed sucked in a sharp breath and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. His clenched his jaw, knee starting to bounce up and down. Renee gently rubbed her husband's shoulder. "We knew it was only a matter of time until others found out, and, in this case, it's probably better he's letting us know now." Renee looked Sam in the eye. "How long ago did you find out?"

Sam spread his hands. "You can't work FBI without having the means of being able to see the sort of people you surround yourself with." He reached up and scratched the back of his head. "Truth be told, there were many times I waited to see if you would bring it up first. You have to admit, it's difficult not to be curious as to why a family would suddenly pick up their lives and move across the world."

"Let alone for a new job," Reed said sarcastically. He dropped his hands from his face and looked to his wife. "Right, love, we knew it was going to happen at some point. Just didn't think it'd happen so soon." He bobbed his head. "I'm sure the FBI already has everything we've ever done in our pasts on file somewhere."

"I wouldn't have looked into it if it wasn't for MedoCal and Harding being a point of interest in my life," Sam said honestly. "And, like I said before, my boys' safety is my important to me."

"And you think our kids are unsafe?" Renee looked incredulous. "We left Australia to get away from the danger, it hasn't followed them here! They don't have any contact with any of their old friends—"

"—Gang members have means of keeping tabs on whoever they want," Sam said calmly.

"They didn't even get that far into things, mate," Reed said, a hard edge coming to his tone. "Yes, they bloody stole some things, and may have gotten into some trouble with the local coppas. But we've never heard of BlackBurn13 anywhere out here."

"We came here for a fresh start," Renee added. "And we think your boys are a good part of that fresh start. They've been good for them." She shook her head, looking back towards the kitchen where the sounds of their kids arguing quietly over…something, wafted towards them. "Tearing apart a friendship now isn't going to help them. They're just going to rebel."

"Long work hours?" Jessica turned to Sam with a knowing look, which he ignored. "I know the feeling."

"I reckon as an FBI Director you get called outside of your hours a lot," Reed said, taking a brisket from the oven. He transferred it to a cutting board and grasped a bbq fork to press atop of it. He motioned for Sam to follow him with a tilt of his head and Sam nodded back. He pushed back his seat and followed Reed from the kitchen to the deck that overlooked the backyard.

Sam smiled to himself when he saw Colt juggling a soccer ball on his knees, expertly moving it back and forth from knee to knee, to his feet, even up to his head, balancing it across his forehead, then dropped it back to his feet. Figured he'd find something that would hold his attention and let him get rid of the excess energy he always seemed to exude.

He'd never admit it out loud, but despite how overwhelmed he felt with all his boys shouting at him once about their new names—they were ones that made sense to each boy. Colt being named Colt, apart from being a direct relation to his ninja abilities, was certainly in point for all the energy he was practically screaming to be released. It was part of the reason he and Jessica had decided to stick the boys into sports at such a young age; Rocky, though the calmer of the three, did have his moments of energy that were only eclipsed by his younger brothers once they came along.

Though there was also a point in time—to be specific, the time where he and Jerry had driven away to work on the Snyder case—that Sam held nothing but contempt for their new ninja names. The new names that were excitedly shouted in his face as a beacon of pride that their grandfather had bestowed upon them. What was so wrong with the names they were given at birth? No one ever shouted those from the rooftops, said how excited they were to have them. They were, in part, named after multiple male members of their family and seemed to only be referred to them when called on at school.

Sam took another swig of beer, cleared his throat, and responded to the question, "Yeah, it goes with the job. There's always something going on. Never a dull moment out here."

"I reckon there's even more action and excitement in your house as well," Reed said. He grinned over at Sam, who raised an eyebrow. "Three boys that close in age? I can hardly handle my four."

"Four?" Sam repeated. He was sure he'd only seen Patrick, Noah, and Sydney around, as brief of an introduction he'd had with them. Boys would be boys, they wanted to play video games more than they wanted to sit around and have a decent conversation.

"My oldest, Julius, is in his first year of uni back home," Reed explained. He opened the grill, stepping back as a wave of heat flowed out from the container, squinting amongst the heat wave he saw inside. "We couldn't take him away from school when we decided to come out here. If my girls were in year 12, we would've kept them behind as well."

"Is he staying with anything while out there?"

"With my parents. They live nearby." Reed grinned over his shoulder. "I asked them to keep an eye on him. But he's the least likely one to get in trouble if we're being honest."

Sam immediately clocked into the shift in tone of Reed's voice. It was almost a bit guarded, but something he wanted to get off his chest as well. Sam had come across that sort of person before; the criminals he caught that were so eager to rat someone out, to reduce anything they may go through, but also hated the idea of having a target on their back because of their admission.

"You know how kids can be," Sam said.

He wasn't going to press on the topic unless Reed pushed on it first. Nevertheless, he was a bit curious. He was curious of anyone who moved to the area, you could never be too careful of those that came around him. He'd learned that lesson quickly after not taking Snyder seriously, after taking his presence for granted. After taking his family for granted. It certainly was one of the biggest regrets of his life.

Sam still woke up in a cold sweat on an off day, wondering if, when he went to check on his sons, they'd still be there. (Save for Tum-Tum's early morning wrestling practices).

"Don't I know it, sometimes I wonder why I decided to have six kids, but I wouldn't trade them for anything else." He paused and grinned at Sam. "For a large screen TV and more than five minutes before a shout of 'dad', maybe, but…"

Sam laughed loudly.

He could certainly agree to that.

He loved his children, absolutely loved them, life had become much more interesting once they came around. But, sometimes, he wouldn't mind a bit of normalcy. If that meant he had to leave his job or if they had to move again, maybe out of state that time, well, sacrifices could be made.

He was supposed to protect his family and those decisions weren't always the easiest one. There were many moments where he had to be the bad guy and would gladly take that roll, watching as his sons huffed and puffed, rolled their eyes and raced to their mom to plead with her to overturn any ruling he'd made. He remembered the long fiasco of Rocky arguing for a later curfew, shortly after their return from Japan.

"I know the feeling," he murmured.

And he did. It was a frivolous joke, a conversation topic he and Jerry had every now and then, just to relieve the stress. "What would you be doing right now if you didn't have kids?" That vacation you always wanted to go on? Get an even bigger house? Buy a better car? Work part-time to spend more time with your wife who has, inexplicably been by your side through everything? Take some real time off for yourself?

He could come up with every thought in the book of what he'd do without his kids around but understood the same feelings behind it all the same. They couldn't imagine moving forward in their lives without their kids.

And even if it meant they absolutely hated him; Sam would do anything for his family.

"Like I said." Sam shrugged. "I'm just trying to protect my boys."

"And I respect that, but you're going about it the wrong way. Our kids aren't dangerous. They just made mistakes that they're constantly paying for and are trying to put behind them." Reed was silent for a moment. "I respect you, Sam, and I respect your love for your family. But I saw them when they came to my office and it looked like they were having a good time with my kids. I understand you've all gone through a lot of trouble through your job and ninja adventures that's been happening over the years, but you shouldn't penalize them because of that."

"And it's not like they can avoid each other at school," Renee agreed. "Our boys are best friends."

Sam had to admit, he was proud of the way that Tum-Tum had stood up to him not so long ago. But the truth couldn't be ignored. He was just doing what he thought was right…which was, he could agree, what Reed and Renee were doing as well.

But he couldn't take any more chances.

A/N: Whew, been a little while since I updated! Things are slowing down now (apart from Inventory coming up) but at least I've got a new update out. Now, I went back and forth with Sam in this because part of me thought that he's being very self-righteous, but...he is just trying to protect his children after one of their biggest enemies came back so...I'm happy with it. Lol.

Cheers,

-Riles