A/N: *insert joke about Order 66 here*

Hooray for 15700+ views (last chapter got over 100!)

Slight jump back in time here, not by much though. Threw in a sneaky All Stars reference somewhere because I couldn't help myself so good luck finding it.

Special thanks to Kitkatkatester for reviewing the last chapter :)

Enjoy!

While Zoey was distracting Noah with her fake survey, Mike had lowered himself onto the floor of the office, tucking his legs up into his chest and watching the shut door. He anticipated Noah's return with dread, unable to distinguish the voices that spoke on the other side over his own quickened heartbeat and racing thoughts.

There's no way that's true, she would have told me if something was wrong, right? Why would she keep something so important from me? Noah has to be lying…

Sure, his mother hadn't been able to do certain things for very long after his dad disappeared, like the patchy laundress job she had to take, and he'd had to do a lot more of the housework for the both of them when she'd been too tired and he knew how, but…he got used to it and it didn't feel like anything was wrong at the time. She'd still been the same person, and surely she would have said something if she'd been feeling worse than before….

"…maybe…he was but…what else will I have if I do give it to him?" Mike asked himself aloud.

You'll see Ella again.

That wouldn't amount to much, though, surely she wouldn't bat an eyelash at him after learning the truth.

They'd leave you be.

To do what? All he could do was clean and cook, and he couldn't even do that well, apparently.

…nothing. I'd have nothing.

He swallowed dryly. Whichever choice he made would be a bad one…but being indecisive wasn't an option.

Click-click-click

Mike looked up and over at the door. The doorknob was turning back and forth.

click click click click click click

The door's sudden cacophony of clicking prompted him to scramble off the ground and back away, wrenched out of his thoughts, crinkling one of the scattered pages of those blasted forms he still hadn't signed as the lock suddenly began to wobble and shake.

It gave way soon after.

He stood completely still.

A tall shadow swooshed over the threshold and quickly shut it again silently with a gloved hand. It exhaled, like it had been holding its breath, and moved its hand off the doorknob.

Mike's eyes were wide with confusion and fear. Was there a break-in happening? Who was this shadowy figure? It wasn't Noah, that was obvious, and Scott wasn't nearly as tall; if Mike wasn't so fearful he would have stood at equal height with it.

It was only when it turned around, its hood falling to reveal half a face and long dark hair, that Mike's heart nearly stopped; it felt like he was looking in a weird, distorted old mirror.

His face, it's…but it can't be!

"A-am I finally going crazy?" he asked himself shakily, pressing himself against the back wall of the office. "Y-you can't be real, right, they said you'd d-died-" Was this some sort of twisted vision in his head? It couldn't possibly be who he thought it was…

Had his grief become so all consuming without him realizing it that he was now imagining some sort of dark spectre that vaguely resembled himself at his very lowest point, but also didn't, as he was stood locked in a room with a heavy and terrible choice to make about his future? What sort of twisted joke was that?

The shadow interrupted this derailing train of thought by uncloaking himself further and walking towards Mike, showing he did, in fact, exist. He reached a hand out towards him and Mike defensively put his hands in front of his face with a gasp, eyes tightly shut so he didn't get a close look at his face.

"P-please don't hurt me-" Mike pleaded. If he was really hallucinating, it couldn't touch him, and maybe telling it to go away would work? He'd never hallucinated so he didn't know-

"I'm not here to hurt you, Mike." His voice sounded restrained and off kilter because he was feeling emotional, his darkened heart hurting having to see his brother like this. "You're not crazy. I'm as real as you are."

Mike didn't look convinced, as he did not say anything in return. He still looked terrified.

The shadow thought he'd become used to people being afraid of him, but being seen as a threat by his own brother made the shadow feel pain he hadn't felt before. Impulsively, unsure how else to convince him, he took his glove off and wrapped it around one of Mike's wrists to remedy this. "Look at me," he requested with a hint of desperation.

The distantly familiar warm touch of the rough, callous and almost scaly skin of the hand shocked Mike, proving he wasn't dreaming, and he forced himself to move his hands and stare directly at him.

It was undeniable who this was now. The hair, the voice, the hand… it finally clicked. "…Mal?" His voice was barely audible.

Mal, relieved that that worked, smiled his most non-threatening smile in affirmation, his visible eye a bit shiny. "I'm home, Mike," he said as well as he could in the emotional state he was in.

Mike nearly lost his breath and the ability to stand, his eyes watering for the first time in a long while. Mal was…he was right…

He was alive!

Mike was abruptly overwhelmed with a mad jumble of emotions, choking out a sob as his brother kept him from totally collapsing. His heartbeat raced once again, but for the right reasons this time. "…I-I waited so l-long…I-I thought you'd n-never…" he stuttered through gasping and the beginnings of tears-when was the last time he'd cried?-his hands having latched onto Mal's shoulders while his head was pointed down.

"I'm back now," Mal replied, his arms around Mike's torso keeping him upright. His voice wobbled but he stood strong, knowing now was not the time to break just yet. "We're going to get you away from them, they're not going to hurt you anymore." He looked towards the shut office door, listening to the muffled voices outside and realizing this would be much more complicated than would have been preferred…but he was okay with that.

If it were easy, it wouldn't be as rewarding, now would it?

Mike sniffled and breathed in large chunks of air as he tried to calm down. He's here he's alive how is he alive they said he died but he's not dead did anyone know why did know one tell me?! A million thoughts blazed through his mind. The one thing he knew for sure: he hadn't felt…was this happiness he was feeling? It was hard to tell in the jumbled mess…whatever it was, it had been a long time since he'd felt that, even with everything that had happened with Ella and his friends in past years.

"Noah locked you in here, didn't he, when she came to the door…" Mal figured to himself as he noted the papers littering the floor. He was slowly transitioning to his more typical manner of speaking the longer they stood there. He had a mind not to ask about the forms, it was clearly only going to cause more distress if he did.

Mike faintly nodded with a hitched breath. His face had reddened from the crying, angering the skin around his bruises. He wasn't entirely sure who 'she' was in this context, but he'd learn soon enough.

Mal heard multiple new muffled voices outside the office. With eerie calm he took a deep breath in and out. "I guess they can't avoid meeting me any longer," he decided with a darker tone of voice. He moved his arms to put his glove back on and turned towards the door, taking a couple steps towards it.

Mike didn't want to let go so quickly. He reached frantically for Mal's hand and grabbed it tight. "No, you're not meeting them alone I won't let you-" he objected fervently. His voice was dried out and nervous, his breath even.

"But I've been anxious to, ever since I learned exactly what they're like, and the hell they put you through," Mal said as he put his hand on the doorknob, ready to deliver justice that no one had come close to getting for his brother, eager to see and destroy those that had hurt him so much. He'd never felt so angry in his life until now.

"You don't, you really don't, please listen-" Whatever knowledge Mal had was secondhand from Vito and Duncan-not that Mike knew that- but it was definitely not comprehensive enough for Mike to feel okay about him bursting out of that office alone.

Mal looked back at him briefly, but his emotions were finally getting the better of him. "I don't care what they might do to me, Mike," he snapped a little, his voice shaking with rage. "They will pay for what they've done to you, and to our family…whatever it takes." He blinked and a single drop fell from his eye. He really didn't like causing Mike more distress but he had to do this, it was his time to protect his brother.

"Mal-!" Mike wanted to reason with him further, but both of them were close enough to the door now to hear clearly through it:

"You can't do anything to me."

Mike was shocked to hear that voice. "Zoey?! What's she doing here?" he wondered in a hushed voice, clearly very worried and briefly halting his attempts to persuade Mal.

"Story for later, I'm afraid," Mal replied in a harsh whisper, quickly turning the knob. He was not letting Noah do harm to Zoey as well, she'd done a lot for him since he'd escaped prison and also Duncan would not forgive him if something happened to her, Mal was in enough debt to him as it was.

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

Mike froze up, equal parts angry and afraid for his friend. Frankly, he was more bothered by Noah's intimidating voice being thrown in Zoey's direction-he still didn't understand why she was even there- than the thought of harm coming to himself because that was his normal.

Mal, in contrast, did not hesitate to throw open the door at the threat, Mike staying just behind him while still holding onto his hand, perhaps to keep him from doing anything he might regret.

It almost felt like the old days.

"Wow, this place doesn't change much, does it?" Jo remarked as she rode into town ahead of her subordinates. Lucky Shot wasn't slowing down his pace so she felt good about their arrival being soon. No one was really around to notice the group of royal-clad steeds and their riders, as it was still not yet the end of the workday.

"Small towns like this don't have much going on this time of year, Captain," DJ replied with a shrug, catching up to her at the entrance. "The landscape is pretty nice when the leaves start turning, though. My Momma has a tree in her yard that really bursts with color about now, we should visit her before we leave-"

"This place reminds me of my hometown," Devin chimed in. "Miss it everyday." He sighed. "I wonder how Shelly and Carrie are doing…"

"Focus on the task at hand, Devin, now's not the time to be sentimental," Sanders politely suggested.

"That's the right attitude to have, rookie," Jo agreed with Sanders, straightfaced. "Now, let's go get that suitor so we can be home before dark." She cracked the reins once again, not looking back as she left them all in the dust.

"I was hoping we'd get a little break once we got here…we've been riding for hours," Devin admitted to Sanders quietly.

"Should've thought of that before Captain took off," Sanders remarked as she sped up her own horse.

"Heh, I guess that's fair," Devin said with a small laugh, following suit. "Maybe after we pick the guy up."

"Asking for a break on such an important mission makes it sound like you aren't cut out for this work," DJ said in the nicest way possible. "I'd keep those thoughts to yourself if I were you." He could tell that Jo grew more tense the closer they rode to Mike's house. He had a feeling she wouldn't take much more flack from her junior subordinates right now; it was best they all kept their calm until they achieved their goal.

The two young guards glanced at each other for a moment. "Sorry, we'll do better in the future, DJ, we promise!" Devin apologized.

"Good! Let's catch up to Jo," DJ said with a nod before taking off in the same direction she had gone, towards their intended destination. The ride so far had gone well, a bit sweaty but nothing too crazy.

Hopefully the rest of their trip would go just as smoothly.

I have written the reunion of the two siblings a total of four times in this fic's lifespan. Fourth time's the charm I guess. Lemme know how it is.

School's ramping up for me in the next couple months and next chapter is…let's just say I haven't thought about it much. So it'll happen when it happens.

In the meantime, I am working on a new chapter for His Imaginary Friends(you can stop asking now, that one guest who is spamming reviews) and also trying to wrap up the merchant! Tyler fic for the time being(again) so…go read those if you want.

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