A/N: boy howdy was this chapter a doozy

HIF readers got a slight spoiler for this but I was on a Zoey writing kick recently so this chapter is mainly from her perspective. This whole arc of the story is quite complicated(way more so than in the OG base tale) so it's taking more time to get right.

Special thanks to Kitkatkatester for the review last chapter, they always make my day:)

Enjoy!

Zoey knew she would have to be the one to knock first.

She'd insisted on being involved this time when the guys had talked about the plan and mentioned their failure the other day. She hadn't yet made an enemy of Noah, though he'd certainly made an enemy of her after all that he'd done to Mike and what she understood of him from things Duncan had told her, so it was a no brainer. Besides, she still felt guilt over what happened with the royal search party and wanted to make it right. She waited patiently at the door for someone to answer, pushing a loose strand of hair back out of her face.

She heard a cough and shuffling before the door opened…

"Can I help you?" The man who was certainly Mike's stepfather asked stiffly. He was oh so slightly taller than Zoey was, as she'd worn flat shoes for this mission, and reminded her of both Scott(not that she knew it) and Vito with his appearance, albeit in very different ways.

Observational acting training, don't fail me now. "Hello," she greeted him. "I'm working on a new business venture. I've been going around the neighborhood to better understand the needs and wants of any future customers, and was wondering if you'd be open to answering a few questions this afternoon." She forced herself to smile cordially.

Noah raised an eyebrow at her, not entirely focused as his ears were trained behind him. "I don't have all day, but…What sort of business is it, exactly?"

"Clothing. It's still in the planning phase but now's the best time to survey for my purposes."

"Hm. If it's quick then sure, I'll give you some data for your little business project," Noah finally agreed before hesitating. "…would you like to come in?" he asked out of politeness.

"That is so kind of you to offer, yes, if you don't mind," Zoey said with an anxious nod. She probably should have declined, but it was too late to go back.

Not a minute later she found herself sat in the pristine living room across from Noah in a chair. He looked at her expectantly while at the same time having his attention behind her. She found herself glancing towards the back door that was just in her sight as she started her list of fake questions she'd prepared.

In the backyard, her husband and friend were keeping watch while their houseguest picked the lock on the back door. "It's not breaking in if it's your own house," Mal told them wryly. "I used to get locked out back here by accident all the time." He had a weird wistfulness to his expression as he worked, an uncommon look on him as he remembered his childhood. He wore that shapeless black cloak of his over the borrowed clothes from Zoey, and still wasn't wearing shoes over his mismatched socks because they didn't have any that fit him back at the house.

"Did you lock yourself out, or…?" Duncan asked, slightly concerned after seeing the look on his face.

Mal weakly smiled as the click of the lock being undone rang out. "My father would be so tired from his traveling he'd lock all the doors out of habit while I was still outside…he always apologized for it, of course. He was like that." His voice was strained, his shoulders tensed. "Mike…he'd usually be the one to let me back inside if I didn't do it myself." He threw his hood up to hide any emotions that were bubbling to the surface.

"You sure you don't want us coming in with you?" Duncan asked as Mal had his glove on the door handle.

"They'd recognize you two. I'm still a stranger," Mal insisted before his voice darkened. "But they'll know me soon enough." He opened the door silently and slipped inside like a shadow.

"He's gone' do somethin' reckless in there, mate, ain't he," Mani spoke up to Duncan, clearly worried.

"I trust he won't be stupid enough to stray from the plan," Duncan replied, almost anticipating a manly scream to sound off at any moment from inside.

Zoey had to keep herself from giving Mal's presence away as she conversed with Noah, drawing it out as long as she could without him being suspicious. Unfortunately for her, he was running out of patience.

"You said this would be quick," Noah pointed out after the fifth question, his neutral face starting to crack.

"My apologies, I didn't anticipate it taking so long," Zoey apologized nervously. "Just a couple more questions and I'll be out of your hair."

There was a muffled thud behind the office door-not that Zoey knew it was an office-that caused Noah to tense considerably. "Go on then," he said intensely, his eyes completely off of Zoey.

"U-um…" Zoey felt a bead of sweat on her brow as she saw what was most likely Mal'a shadow pointing itself towards that door, completely still. "Could I bother you for some water, or something to drink? It's awful hot in here, and outside. I really don't mean to take your precious time away-"

Noah nearly sighed in annoyance but kept a straight face. "Certainly. I'll be back shortly," he said as he stood and walked over towards the kitchen.

Zoey waited til he was out of sight to stand herself up and keep watch as the shadow that was Mal made it to the office, starting to pick the lock as fast as his gloves would allow. She listened carefully and heard a shaky breath and the soft rustle of papers behind the door. "He's definitely in there," she whispered, unable to see a visual response from Mal, who was dead silent and likely overwhelmed with some sort of emotion he didn't want her to witness-

"I don't care about that, Vito, he had it coming!" Scott's voice stabbed the air from atop the stairs. Zoey felt herself freeze while Mal got the lock to give up.

"Ey, I thought we'd been ova this-" Vito replied, right behind him.

Scott scoffed and turned to face his brother, his back to the living room. "So what would you've done in my position, huh? Let him off without any problem whatsoever? What a joke!" He frowned. "You really have gone soft, at the worst possible time too."

"So ya didn't get to beat a guy up for once, and you're takin' it out on Mike for feeling sad 'bout his bro?" A deep breath. "I'm just tryin' to get this through your thick head, Scott, and you know I'm real thick headed so that's gotta be somethin' comin' from me: if bein' soft means I don't hurt nobody no more and can feel the stuff that I'm feeling, then yeah, bro, I gone soft," Vito said with an equal frown. "And there ain't nothin' wrong with it, yo." He then spotted Zoey out of the corner of his eye and was quite confused seeing her there, but Scott didn't notice so quickly. Zoey put her fingers to her lips as if to say 'don't say anything' and Vito actually got the message.

Scott was taken aback by Vito's steadfastness, having figured this was just a phase his brother was going through to mess with him or something. He once again felt betrayed, his hands tightening into fists. "What am I supposed to say to that, huh?" He wasn't used to Vito talking back to him. "You think you just…why are you…gah!" He grabbed his head like it hurt. "You're not pulling this stunt on me again, Vito."

Zoey checked next to her and found nothing but the shut door of the office. Sighing briefly in relief she turned to go back to her seat-

"Was the chair not suitable enough?" Noah asked with a small frown, a glass in his hand. "Or were you just…poking around my house unprovoked?"

"U-uh, well, I didn't-" Caught completely off guard, Zoey tried and failed to stutter out an explanation.

"Hey, Dad, isn't that the lady who was hidin' the servant in her house?" Scott recognized Zoey's voice from across the room, pushing past Vito with more aggression than usual and walking down the stairs and up to the two adults. Vito now looked very concerned, most likely for Zoey's sake, and followed swiftly behind. "Yeah…got the same red hair, face, and voice…" Scott confirmed for himself, getting uncomfortably close to her.

Zoey froze up. This was the guy who'd wrenched Mike away again, who'd done countless horrible things to him, whom Mike had tried so desperately to keep from hurting anyone else other than himself. This…this was Scott.

And she didn't have a guard or a husband protecting her this time.

Noah's eyebrow raised and his eyes narrowed at Zoey. "Is it really?" he asked, staring her down. "What a bizarre coincidence."

"Th-that can't be right, I'm just a businesswoman d-doing research-" Zoey said with increasingly panicked calmness. The facade was quickly falling apart. She wasn't an actor.

"So you're calling my son a liar? What would he possibly gain from lying about something so serious?" Noah inquired further and with more intensity, his hand squeezing the filled glass. "Stealing others' possessions is a crime, you know."

That got Zoey angry. Not only was he accusing her of a crime, but also completely dehumanizing Mike. "Mike is not your possession," she found herself blurting out, her hands in fists. Her friend-protection instincts were kicking in. "He's his own person, a bright, talented, and kind person, and you trying to take that away from him is the real crime here, Noah." She may have just implicated herself and ruined the plan somehow but she didn't care at that moment. "Not that that's the only thing you should probably be in jail for."

"…she's kinda right, yo," Vito said under his breath for no one else to hear because his dad was being very scary right now and despite everything he'd said before he didn't want to cross him.

Not used to being called out for his actions and having forgotten himself in the heat of the moment, Noah looked about ready to shatter the glass with his hand. His voice trembled with anger and was far more intimidating all of a sudden, even as he really tried to keep his composure. "I think that just about proves your involvement in his disappearance then, miss," he slowly remarked. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, before I send that guard back to your home again to finish the job she forgot the first time." He had a scary look on his face. "Perhaps I'll send Scott with her again too...things might get a bit ugly, though."

Scott grinned in a menacing way.

Zoey stood her ground but felt herself shaking. She'd only ever really heard Mal speak with such intensity, and this was a much older man threatening her to leave immediately. Normally she'd be terrified but she knew if she broke she'd be failing Mike, again. "You can't do anything to me," she said with a hard swallow of air.

"No…but I could do something to him, and I don't think you want that," Noah pointed out.

Just as she was about to say something back, the doorknob of the office door suddenly turned and the portal opened.

"What the-?!" Scott was nearest said door at the time and stumbled back in surprise. Vito looked on in equal shock. Zoey couldn't keep herself from weakly smiling, knowing who'd opened it, even if it hadn't been part of the plan.

"If you think you'll ever lay another finger on my brother again I will personally remove them from you myself."

Two extra-evil Noah chapters in a row? That has to be a new record!

Reviews are always appreciated. Next chapter will come when I think it's ready. School and life and whatnot comes first, though.

Stay safe out there y'all, and I'll see ya next time :)