A/N: Oh guys! I am so sorry this took so long! I am not going to go into how I got slammed with work and school, so I'll just settle with graveling! Anyways, I wanted to scratch what I said about "Fear" being broken up into 2 or 3 parts, but I promised, that it would be so it just took more time to write it. Lots of things are happening so hang on to your seats, beware of violence and suggestive violent situations, and as always please R and R! Thanks so much for the reviews!

The torture was never ending.

What were only a few days seemed like endless years for Arnold as various guards took turns torturing him left and right with painful beatings and tactics, in an effort to break his will and spirit.

But to no avail…

The ruthless henchmen of Los Diablos were shocked to see that the football headed man still held on to his dignity.

Arnold coughed vehemently as one of the guards yanked his head up by the hair after attempting to drown him in the metal bin full of water once more. Once he caught his breath, he cracked a small smile and chuckled hoarsely.

"Well…On the bright side…I'm not as thirsty as I was…"

One of the men cursed under his breath while growling and roughly kicked Arnold in his already cracked ribcage, making the man yelp in pain, but he bit down on his cracked lips to stop an excruciating howl of agony escape to give them the satisfaction of getting to him.

Before another marathon of pain could begin, the guards noticed their boss beckoning them from outside Arnold's cell. They immediately responded, leaving Arnold to crawl away to the corner in his chains where he took out his journal that he managed to hide from the monstrous men. He then tried to direct his focus from his bruised and battered body that screamed for relief, onto his writing where he vigorously scribbled back and forth in the tattered book, trying not to stain the pages with the blood that flowed from various wounds.

"My dearest Helga, if you're reading this…"

"So? Is he broken yet?" Los Diablos asked calmly.

"Well…we managed to rough him up nicely! He's bleeding and everything!" A guard hesitated in reply.

"He's probably got some concussions and cracked bones here and there too!" Another guard added with pride, only to yelp and hold onto his now bleeding nose as Los Diablos suddenly punched him.

"You didn't answer my question." He responded bluntly, retracting his fist.

"W-well…Ph-physically he-he's definitely not too far long from being in pieces…I-it's j-just…well h-his w-way of d-dealing with things…We haven't gotten him to that exact point of begging for m-mercy yet…" Another guard hesitantly, and fearfully replied with honesty.

Los Diablos nodded. "That is because you idiotas (idiots) fail to see what truly breaks a man." He smirked slightly then went into Arnold's cell, where Arnold's eyes widened as he quickly hid the journal.

"My men have informed me that you are...adapting rather well to your conditions here mi amigo." He smirked.

Arnold glared at the mad man intensely, refusing to say a word.

"Ah, such passion and determination in your eyes. Yes, I see what they mean…You hold on to the hopes of escape and returning back to your life, yes?"

Arnold kept his glare.

"I must say, I am rather impressed at how you keep up your resolve…They definitely did a job on you." Los Diablos circled the chained football headed man and surveyed his many cuts, scars, and bruises. He then dug his finger deeply into one of his open wounds.

Arnold grunted and flinched, but bit down on his lip once more, drawing blood, but kept his peace.

"Hm…The Chosen one is indeed strong…" Los Diablos mused. "But then again, it is merited how your focus is directed towards more important things than your injuries…Thus why your spirit remains intact…"

Los Diablos reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a photograph. "Though I think the credit goes to your greatest influence…After all, I hear that tu Corazon de un Guerrero, esposa (your heart of a warrior, wife) is known to be rather…feisty…" He smirked as he watched Arnold's glare, once void of emotion, widen with horror.

"And on top of that…I can imagine that your little niños (children) would also inherit such strength!"

Arnold's breathing grew heavier as he watched Los Diablos finger the picture of his family, particularly licking his lips sadistically at the image of his beautiful wife.

"That is just something I will have to observe personally…" He ran his tongue across the image and chortled.

"You…" Arnold growled lowly as he shook with anger. "YOU SON OF A BI***! BASTARD! IF YOU EVEN THINK OF FU**ING TOUCHING MY FAMILY I WILL TEAR YOU APART LIMB BY LIMB MY FU**ING SELF! YOU NO GOOD FU**ING BASTARD! I WILL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" He exploded and thrust himself forward, yanking as hard as he could to free himself from the bonds that kept his arms from wrapping around the dark cladded man's neck.

Los Diablos chuckled louder until it grew into a full blown bellowing laughter at Arnold's expense. His sudden explosion of curses, threats, and screaming was music to his ears as if he were a mere puppy barking and yipping with agitation.

"Yes! YES! THAT was what I was looking for! That anger hiding the despair of how you are hopeless to stop me! How magnífico! (Magnificent)" He smiled, then got up in Arnold's face that was now red with fury.

"And what's better…Is that you know it is true…Embrace that hopelessness my friend…For nothing can stop me now. But I assure you…it will be quite the reunion! Having the hated enemies of my father and your precious wife and children see you for the last time, as I put an end to them...slowly and painfully until they beg with their last, dying breath…After having a little divertido (fun) with your wife of course…"

Arnold growled and struggled once more, but then settled with spitting mercilessly into the dark hooded man's face.

Los Diablos glared, but then calmly wiped the sickening saliva from his face.

"Yeah…You think about that mi amigo…It will only be a matter of time…" He smirked slightly once more and walked away from Arnold's cell.

Arnold growled in a loud shout, hurling vicious threats at him left and right, on the verge of begging, but refusing to give in. The evil pirate continued on without looking back, his long black cape flowing behind him.

Once he met up with the guards, who reported to him from earlier, he dusted his hands off and smiled at them in victory, his grin growing wider as they all heard the distant shouting.

"And THAT is how it's done gentlemen. That very sound is the essence of his spirit threatened to be torn to pieces…"

All three guards looked at their master with wide eyes, but nodded.

"Now, onto business. Are we on schedule with the takeover?" Los Diablos asked seriously.

"Ahead of schedule actually sir. You will be pleased to know that we have confiscated most if not all of the ancient treasures and artifacts of the sacred Green Eyes civilization. Not to mention, we have captured nearly all of the most respected leaders and the tribe itself, save for that Roberto fellow." A guard reported.

Los Diablos nodded. "The man is ambitious…but has a weakness like any other. He will come out of hiding soon enough…I trust that any opposition has been taken cared of?"

"No oppositions to report sir. Those that have tried to reach out for help, have been terminated along with their families and their very household name." Another guard reported.

"Excellent. However, we must not get carried away with such worthless accomplishments. I want all units commandeering any form of communication, including the phone lines, telegraphs, postal services, you name it, until I give the word. It is time to be moving into our final phase...And making a quick trip to the States while we're at it…"

His throat sore and raw from shouting and cursing, Arnold let out one last strangling yell of frustration as he punched a nearby wall of cinderblock and crawled back into the corner to scribble furiously in his journal, not bothering to wipe away the salty tears of anger that stung his sweaty face.

Suddenly, he heard a crackling sound along with a few faint grunts. He realized that it was coming from below him and watched as a stone block popped out of the ground, followed by another and finally a dusty yet feminine body crawled up, breathing heavily, as the figure threw what looked like a giant specialized saw and chisel to the side.

Arnold's eyes widened in disbelief, while the figure's eyes widened with shock and relief.

"Arnold! It's you! I have found you at last!"

"Maria?!" Arnold muttered in disbelief.

The Latino Green Eyed member wasted no time in throwing her arms around the football headed man, but Arnold did not share the same excitement.

"What the he** are you doing here?!" He hissed.

She blinked, taken aback from the hostility in his tone, but replied without missing a beat. "I had to find you! I-we are all so worried!"

"You shouldn't have come here! It's too dangerous!" He snapped.

"It was not as if I had a choice in the matter Arnold! All of the Green Eyed people have been taken under siege except for Roberto! He escaped with very few men and they were able to go into hiding. He took me with him before they could get to me, but…I-I could not go in an attempt to save myself, knowing that my people and you are captured and held somewhere going through he** knows what! I had to do something to get on the inside!" Maria snapped back. "! Tuve que tomar una oportunidad de encontrar! Yo ya sabía Roberto estaba a salvo, pero usted fuera el que está en peligro! Si algo le sucedía a ninguno de los dos I-" (I had to take a chance to find you! I already knew Roberto was safe, but you were the one in danger! If anything happened to either of you I-)"

"-Eso no es excusa! (That's no excuse) You were stupid to come here! You don't know what this man is capable of! I found out that this lunatic is La Sombra's son and he has it out for me and everyone I love! Look at what he's done so far! Now he's threatening to go after my family and he's only keeping me alive to watch them suffer at his hands! If he finds you in here, there's no telling what he'll do!" He hissed back.

"Then we best better stop wasting time over this nonsense of a blame game and think of a plan to get out of here and free the Green Eyed people!" Maria stated sternly.

She noticed Arnold's look of disbelief and slight confusion.

"Like I said, this monster not only captured you, but the entire Green Eyed community! He is doing away with us fast and has successfully put a stop to anyone that opposed him. One secret phone call and text message went out to the authorities in a desperate attempt for help, but Los Diablos had men on the inside who intercepted the messages, traced them back to the sender, and sent men out to kill him, his wife, his kids, his extended family, until his very name's existence is now but just a memory…" Maria explained bitterly.

"Da** it…This bastard's untouchable…" Arnold muttered angrily.

"Maybe, but he also has quite the collection of tools needed that should do the trick of retaliating and getting us out of here!" Maria smirked and pointed to the floor below them. "Los Diablos gravely underestimated just how many of us there were, and assigned a few guards to process everyone. While they were locking everyone up, I was able to slip away in the massive crowd in an attempt to find all the exit routes, but got caught. I put up a fight to where one bozo struggled to tie me up and locked me in a dark cell nearby. Little did I know that such a room proved useful since it was loaded with tools, weapons, and ammunition! I am guessing that it was their personal supply room. It has everything we need, state of the art technology, tools, jack hammers, chisels, guns, explosives, you name it. I was able to set myself free and borrow a few necessary tools to find you."

"So that's how you were able to get in here so easily…Nice!" Arnold mused with a small smile.

"Now all we need to do is work on getting you out of these chains and make a bigger hole to fit your rather…enlarged sized head…Once we make enough room, we can escape through the floor, where we'll land right into the weapons and artillery room!" Maria smiled as she picked up the tools once more to work on Arnold's chains.

All of a sudden, footsteps were heard walking near the cell…

Both Arnold and Maria panicked as he hissed at her to drop everything and run. Maria quickly took the tools and rushed to the hole she made in the rocky floor. Arnold's eyes darted back and forth from the footsteps that were coming closer, to his friend as she struggled to replace the floor with the loose cinderblock.

He heaved a sigh of relief once he heard the rock snap back into place and knew that she got away safely.

Los Diablos then came into view with his guards in front of Arnold's cell with a simple smile on his face.

Arnold glared furiously at him.

"At ease mi Amigo…I am here simply to check up on you and say hi. Now is that so wrong?"

Arnold growled at the man.

"Of course. Your actions are understandable. I know that it has not been the most comfortable situation for you physically…So I decided to accommodate your torture on a deeper level. Oh not to worry though, I am not talking about the fate of your loved ones, though they are still listed in my agenda…But something or should I say someone came out of the blue and gave me the most attractive opportunity…" He smiled maliciously as he licked his lips once more.

Arnold's cold eyes widened once more in horror as he shook his head. "Oh no…No…Please don't tell me…"

Arnold's fears were confirmed as the henchmen dragged in a struggling, tied up Maria as they threw her roughly to the ground at their commander's feet.

"Hmm…It is adorable how valiant she was in trying to rescue her former unrequited love…Even more adorable how she failed to realize that we have something called cameras posted around. But then again, people do crazy things when they're in love…Too bad it was all in vain. Not to worry though, I plan on giving her everything you can't…"

Maria snarled at Los Diablos, spitting in his face.

"Geesh! What is with all the spit takes today! No matter, that just means she's also a feisty one! Good. This should be fun then…though if it helps, I doubt that she'll be as fun as your esposa (wife). Well, practice makes perfect I guess!" The evil man laughed and with the snap of his fingers, Maria was suddenly tied to a nearby cot.

"No…NO! MARIA DON'T YOU DARE! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Arnold shouted and struggled until one of the chains that Maria loosened earlier snapped, giving Arnold the leeway to swing it with all his might at him, knocking him to the ground as he clutched his eye.

The guards were quick to jump Arnold however, and punished him accordingly.

The beating was finally too much for Arnold and as he blacked out from the pain, he wondered if it was a blessing or a curse as he watched Los Diablos make his way to Maria once more…

Later on, Arnold felt his eyes twitched painfully as they adjusted to the darkness of his cell. He could already tell that one of his eyes was severely swollen.

He did not want to move…

He couldn't move…

He was in too much pain…

He just wanted to sleep…

He just wanted to dream…

He just wanted to dream that this nightmare was over and that he was once again nestled in the warmth of his beloved as he basked in the subtle yet enchanting floral scented perfume she always wore, along with the innocent fresh scents of baby powder and mushed baby food as he thought of cuddling the twins…

But a faint whimper and groan snapped him out of such fantasies.

"M-Maria?" He muttered, trying to keep the pain and exhaustion out of his voice.

"A-Arnold? Are you alright?" He heard the voice near him ask in reply.

"I should be asking you that! I can't believe you're alive I-"Arnold replied softly as he tried to make his way over to the dark corner where he heard her voice.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! Please...Just-please just stay where you are." Maria called out sternly, but then broke as she choked a sob.

"Maria…"

"C-can I borrow your shirt? I-I'm cold…" Maria sniffed, trying to keep the trembling out of her simple request.

"Y-yeah of course. Hold on." Arnold removed his tattered and soiled plaid over shirt and walked over to the corner.

"N-NO! STAY WHERE YOU ARE! I CAN GET IT MYSEL-"

Before Maria could finish her sentence, she knew it was too late as Arnold dropped the shirt to the ground in horror and gasped at the sight before him.

"M-Maria! Oh my go-W-what did he do to you?!"

Maria refused to answer as she buttoned up the shirt over her battered form and snuggled into the warm material as she curled up in the corner, trying to erase her former crush's look of terror from her mind.

But the blood running down her legs was etched in both of their minds…

"Oh Maria…Maria…" Arnold's eyes watered. "I'm so sorry! I'M SO SORRY!" He sobbed. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Word of advice…If you are hoping for me to be okay…it would be best not to blame yourself for something that is not even your fault to begin with…" She stated softly yet seriously.

"But this is my fault! I-It is! That monster he-he!" He choked with sobs once more.

"I am aware…And he will pay for this on top of all the other crimes he has committed." She stated once more.

"Ven, tenemos que nuestro descansar (Come, we must get our rest). We have much to plan if we ever hope of getting out of here…" She stated with strain in her voice.

"H-how the he** can we-"Arnold started.

"-He may have cameras posted all around, but he has to have men around to observe them…Such a task cannot be completed if the men are absent. I overheard his plans of gathering all his men, both here, on the inside of wherever organizations he planted them, every commander, everyone from his army, they must attend a meeting discussing the final phase of their takeover. He expects everyone that has any part of his rule and army to attend or face a fate worse than death. No one is allowed to miss. No one. Therefore, this will provide the perfect opportunity for us to strike. But time will be of the essence. We will need to be extra diligent." She whispered.

Arnold took in the information and nodded. "I-I know this is a stupid question…I'm not going to ask it…"

"You mean if I am okay?" She asked bluntly with a small knowing smile. "Of course."

"Maria…W-what happened was very traumatic…You can't just brush it off like nothing…It's not healthy and-"

"I can. And I will." She snapped bluntly, fighting the sting of tears. "At least…until we get out of here…we must both be strong through this…If we crumble…we give the enemy what he wants…If we give in to the torture of our fears…He wins…I refuse for him to take that from me…I have been through worse in my lifetime…This is nothing…My only regret is…Roberto…" Maria replied.

"Maria…"

"Goodnight Arnold." She turned from him and curled in the corner once more.

Arnold sighed heavily and went back over to his side where he pulled out his journal once more to review everything he wrote so far. He wrote to quite a few people, mainly his family and loved ones…

He wrote to his wife…

To his son…

And to his daughter…

Once he was done scribbling more messages, he reflected back on everything that's happened. He observed the many scars and wounds on his body that were now smeared and mixed with fresh and dried blood. He observed his shackles and dreary atmosphere of the small secluded cell. He observed the woman in the corner who just so happened to be one of his best and closest friends as she lied broken in the corner…

There was much to fear…

What if they couldn't get out alive?

What if this maniac got hold of his family and friends?

What if he got hold of his daughter and son?

What if he got Helga?

He couldn't let that happen.

He wouldn't.

A plan was already burning inside of Arnold's mind. He stayed up studying every possible room he could from his line of sight, considering the information Maria gave him, and the weapons they had at their disposal, along with any disadvantage he could think of possible.

It was a scary situation to say the least.

But there was one distinctive fear that stood out from all the rest…

He thought about the dream he had prior to coming to San Lorenzo. He thought about how his children were crawling helplessly on their own, seeking their father as he was helpless to reach out to them…He thought of the loneliness he felt when he once thought he was all alone in the world, without his parents who promised their return…

It took him back to a time in his life…

He was 9 years old…It was a normal, ordinary day. Nothing special or anything out of the usual adventures he would have with his friends. If any of them were fighting or in a jam, he served as the voice of reason. He went to school, laughed with Gerald, glared at Helga with annoyance as she threw another spitball at his head, played with the gang, got turned down by Lila, smirked at his grandparents and their shenanigans, ate lunch with the borders, greeted his neighbors and people of the community, walked Abner, and just had an all-around average, typical day.

Until that night…

That night, when he was all alone in his room, he pulled out a crumpled picture of his parents.

His mind began to wander…

His heart began to question…

And finally, when it all became too much for the boy who was known for his optimism, he cried.

And cried.

And cried…

No one knew about it. It was just him…alone in his room…grieving for the absence of his mom and dad…

It was a dark time he did not like to remember…But once the thought of that moment repeating itself came to mind, only with his son and daughter in his place instead, Arnold couldn't hold it anymore.

The football headed man put his face into his hands and wept bitterly.

But during his sobbing, he turned his blood shot eyes towards the journals, and afterwards towards the corner where Maria slept, and finally to the photograph that Los Diablos left earlier.

Once he saw the happy, peaceful, and loving expressions of his family altogether, emotions burned within his chest.

The innocence and bliss that shined brightly in the twins' toothless smiles, and Helga's loving yet sly gaze towards all of them and the prideful half-lidded smile he gave as he wrapped one arm around his wife as he held their daughter, and she their son.

It was in that moment Arnold knew that he couldn't let his fears get the better of him.

He be da**ed if he let that twisted sicko come near his loved ones, like he did with Maria…

No, he knew it was time to fight.

Arnold clenched the picture to his chest tightly, as his swollen yet piercing green eyes burned with determination in the darkness.

He would do anything, whatever it took to get rid of that bastard.

Fearful for his life or not, Arnold knew that one way or another, he was going to take Los Diablos down for good…