Well, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't come back for this update XD. It's been five flippin' weeks! BUT it was for a really, really good purpose. Well, you guys can be the judge of that. I spent the entirety of those five weeks deeply studying the mafia and revising my plot. After seeing that you guys actually liked my half-baked attempt at writing, I decided that I would devote a crap ton of effort for you guys. I don't know if that's worth the wait for you guys but I tried my absolute best to make this story worth every minute it's taken of your life. Anyways, thank you all for the support! AprilStar2169, MadamQuill, and Siah1 for the favorites and AprilStar2169, ICantThinkofanOriginalName, MadamQuill, Siah1, dark-angel Luna 13 for the follows. And thank you for all of the kind and insightful comments from AprilStar2169, ICantThinkofanOrigianlName, Siah, and CandyLuv99. Seriously, you guys are scary how closely you read my plot and asked the most accurate questions. I apologize but I have a rule of thumb: never answer questions in an author note. What kind of author am I if I can't even answer your questions with my writing? So expect answers within the texts. But that doesn't mean stop asking questions! Expressing notes and theories and critiques in the reviews really develop the faces I can put on you guys so never stop! And I see how much you guys have been paying attention ;). Just a quick note: I will be updating every other Saturday! I'm sort of running out of time here so I hope you enjoy this! This chapter's not that epic but it's the second to last 'flashback' chapter so you can feel relieved that the torture's almost over XD. Have fun!

My father's alive and he wants to meet at my mother's grave! Blossom thought excitedly. She wasn't so much happy about going to her mother's resting place than she was seeing her father again. Then again, I was absolutely ridiculous to even fret in the first place. The man's forty-eight, plenty in his prime. There's no way he would die to something as trivial as G.O.O.D. She granted herself a tiny smile. The man was almost as un-killable as the Mrs. Ricci herself, after all. She sprinted down the tunnel, the tunnel going farther and farther down as she progressed. As she continued on, she passed all sorts of insignificant entrances that lead to irrelevant places. One entrance. Another door. A third opening…

She skidded to a smooth stop when she reached a particular spot; the particular place. A blank stone wall. She paid no heed to the seemingly solidity of it and shot her hand out to meet the middle of the wall. The tremendous amount of force she sent into the wall activated a small, indistinct light beam scanning her eye. She wouldn't have noticed it if she didn't know it was there. But she did so…

"I am a made-man," Despite the sexism that exists in the promise, she thought offhandedly, as she always did, as she made her oath, "And my promise is this: posso bruciare come un santo in un inferno se tradisco la mia famiglia." She finished confidently. The door let out a small 'click' as it moved back, recognizing both her hand-print and her voice, sliding to the right, and opening into a room-sized chamber. She waltzed into the chamber, not sparing the keypad to her left a glance before she repeated the Italian phrase again. Hm, 'may I burn like a saint in hell if I betray my family' is a bit cheesy, isn't it? It's too religious, exactly what the old mafia would do… I should talk to dad about that, she mused as the chamber resealed itself and started moving down. Then again, those words protect me from a horrible death every time I enter this rigged chamber, so… Oh, the memories.

The steady 'chug' that followed her descent suddenly stopped, signaling her arrival. "Oh goodie," she couldn't help but grumble to herself, "now I join the rest of idiot kind." The wall that she faced, the room's back wall, opened, almost politely. Blossom allowed herself a small grimace at the sudden change of light. The dimly lit, almost dank, chamber contrasted heavily with the bright white light coming from the outside. She took a small glance at the polished marble floors and the brilliant white walls and columns of the station. Must the damn Colombos have to be so goddamn gaudy all the time?

Once she got past the ungodly amount of glaring light, she could finally see the sleek white machine forty feet in front of her, rushing past at the speed of sound. She stepped out of the box, the wall sealing shut behind her once her human temperature could no longer be detected. She looked around the large station, stretching out for at least another one hundred and thirty feet on either side of her. She could see more people exit similar rooms like hers – or more importantly, who wasn't exiting the Trams.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Miss High-and-Mighty. It's not often that a Genovese joins us on the Colombo Terminal."

Ugh, she knew that slimy voice anywhere. "Oh, andare dare un pompino con il culo, Jenovah."

"Oh, touchy touchy, I see, Miss Blossom. I don't see why since, if I remember correctly, it was your father who insulted my family." His familiar smart-ass grin slide off his face when he remembered the insult to his family. His dark eyes darkened further as he took in the loudmouth big-shot heir in front of him. The very sight of her made his blood boil! Especially since the incident two weeks ago… Oh! If only she wasn't the Genovese boss's daughter! Wait 'til he got his hands on her!

She sniffed in that same damn aloof manner he hated so much. "Tch, your father didn't want to listen to logic so my father simply had to make him. It's not my fault your father is…averse to logic."

A vein popped at her jab, making him even more furious than he already was. "Did you just call my father stupid?" Jenovah Colombo was many things: rich, angry, and insecure, but he was not stupid. He knew an attempt at provocation when he saw one. Oh, but this time, he couldn't help but take the bait.

Blossom saw the second he took the bait. The man was many things: bratty, bitter, and cowardly, but he was no fool. I must be really getting to him today. "Hm, if you say so." She saw his teeth gnash together.

She waltzed away, seeing the smooth Transrapid train slow to a stop, hovering above the magnetic rails complacently.

"Wait, come back here!" His hoarse voice shook as he shouted for her to stop, "Stop! You have to answer to your insult!"

"Ciao," she called back without looking back as she boarded the Tran. His shouting was cut off as the Tran's doors closed with a finality that made her collapse exhaustedly onto the comfortable seating.

She knew it. She knew how dangerous insulting another family was. The Mafia's almost thirty years of united peace still came with the same family divides that lead to their demise in the first two wars. She – she was stressed out, okay? Jenovah was an asshole, the Government came way too close for comfort, and she still needed to see with her own two eyes if her father was okay. Overall, it had been an extremely bad day for her. Not that she would admit it. She was the leader, the main boss's daughter; people put her on a pedestal and expected her to lead with elegance and grace every moment of the day. She couldn't admit that she would even be capable of having a bad day. That would make her human.

She warily looked around the Tran. It was startlingly empty. Everyone must be on other trains, going home already. She felt tired; she wanted to be home like the rest of the Commission representatives. The day had taken its toll.

She did some quick and simple math. Speed of sound divided by 4475263.8 meters…gah, why did former-Washington state have to be so far away from former-New York? That's what I get for choosing to host the Commission meeting in the Colombo's territory in an attempt to patch up relations… Not that I helped any… She closed her eyes and leaned back into the comfy cushions, prepping for the upcoming long, four hour ride.

"We have arrived to the Main Genovese Terminal. Please exit safely and take all arms off of the Transrapid train. The Terminal is not liable for any injuries suffered from fellow passengers. Thank you for your time and have a nice day."

Blossom blinked slowly as she looked blearily at her watch. 6:00 o'clock p.m. Her arm impulsively shot to her head and was alarmed to find nothing but loose hair. Oh, yeah, that's right; I left my lucky hat at home. She sighed inaudibly. Maybe that's why everything seemed to be going wrong today…

Ah well, she didn't want to pretend that she was fine but she dragged a smile onto her face anyway and stood up. She exited the Tran and was met with the most beautiful sight in the world: the Capital. Home, sweet, home, she thought wryly, a small, genuine smile settling on her face as a small bit of happiness fluttered in her chest at the sight of her home. She reveled in its beauty for a moment.

The Tran-station was positioned on one of the higher ledges of the underground city. No, that description wasn't really right. The word 'underground' was far too cramped and dim to describe the awesome behemoth of a city. The vibrant lights shone merrily as the city stretched on for hundreds of miles, the giant city designed with the Mafia's Italian roots in mind. The great expanse dipped lower and lower into a single point directly in the middle of the city, the pride and joy of the Mafia: the Intelligence Center.

The giant, spiraling black building, like a warped needle from afar but really a humongous multi-level building up close, connected the sky of their world with the bottom, becoming the very lifeblood of the Mafia. The Intel connected the Capital with the rest of the Mafia cities, with all of the data they held, and all of the spies they employed. It was magnificent. And dangerous if in the wrong hands but…what better hands than the Mafia's?

Blossom gave a sigh of bliss looking upon the magnificence of the city. She gave a nod to her ancestors' forethought. The Genovese had always been an intelligent breed, if the city wasn't enough proof already. There was a reason why they were the most powerful family of the Five, after all. What was impressive still was how her ancestors managed to build such a powerful city and complex concoction of tunnels and technology within only the thirty-two-year span between the Second and Third Criminal Wars. It was finished twenty-two years ago yet it still screams modern 23rd century. It impresses me every time.

She, however, couldn't stay for long. She had a responsibility. No matter how much she wanted to just curl up in her soft bed and have Lisette brush her hair… She signed forlornly. Lisette would tell her that her responsibility was to her family first, the Mafia second and only then was she allowed to relax… Damn mother figures, who needed them anyways? She grinned tiredly. Lisette would yell at me if I said that. No need to then.

She mechanically started walking down a stone path that circled the entire perimeter of the city. Eventually the path would conjoin with the intricate system of roads and canals in the massive city but Blossom was not aiming for the inner-city.

It wasn't long before she reached the Lift. Walking the entire perimeter would have taken at least a day. Taking the Lift, however… The Conveyor Lift was basically just simple system of open-air boxes hanging on transposal tracks that dropped you off anywhere on the perimeter. A far faster method of transportation, for sure, than walking, but it was a real pain to use if you needed to get anywhere but the outermost buildings or the catacombs, but it did its job well enough. She boarded the Lift and activated the control panel imprinted on the side of the open box. She typed in her coordinates and the Lift started up with renewed life. The Lift box's path of tracks re-coordinated itself towards her destination and began moving.

She walked slowly towards the edge of the moving box, reaching the railing before the Lift actually started its motion. She didn't bother looking up at the moving, living "ceiling" above her and the Lift, constantly re-coordinating and shifting to the wishes and wills of its passengers. The "roof" of the city was almost as grand and complex as the city itself. The belly of its mechanics was constantly cleaned, repaired, and sustained to prevent malfunctions. The Mafia has become more of a civilization than an underground organized crime community, Blossom mused. Employing wise guys with more skills than just following orders, maintaining a capital, annexing other countries… I guess taking over the world was just the next logical step.

She stood straighter, the thought bothering her. All her life – hell, all of the Mafia's existence revolved around money. The entirety of the mafia existed to earn money. They had stopped just aiming for money sometime in her childhood but when would it stop? Why did it stop? They had essentially created a society, a social contract, anything to keep themselves from falling apart again but – did they lose their purpose by doing so? She had a sudden, gripping desire to argue with her father, question his decision.

The world. Many countries and many individuals, in many ways and times, had tried to take over the world. Hitler, Napoleon, and, the most recently, Sua Hong. Yet all failed. They had all failed. There was a reason why one did not try to take over the world. A frown crossed her face. She wasn't just happy to see him anymore – she was pissed.

Why didn't he tell her, his daughter, his under-boss, his only family, about his plans to take over the world!? The whole thing was bullshit – had to be. He would have told her any solid plans he had had. He called her to her mother's grave to explain to her his fraud, his plan to trick the Commission into agreeing to another social contract, or something…right?

But…he never gave her a straight answer as to why the Mafia switched to societal building and reform instead of thinking of the best scheme for scamming the Government's tax dollars or something… He never explained why or how mom died or anything… It was possible that this was a just another piece of a giant puzzle, her dad loved puzzles. Well, it was hard to believe that taking over the world was anything but a giant mistake but a puzzle piece would do. She, however, was still frustrated. Why was any of this happening? What was going on?

She hated, hated, not knowing things and she hated things not going per. Fect. Ly. As this day dragged through, she realized exactly how much she hated those things. Her razor-sharp mind pinged painfully as she hit a mental wall. Well, now she knew that her dad wasn't going to be getting a warm welcome party.

The Lift blinked, indicating that her ride was over. Her heart panged painfully as she realized that she never got the chance to see the beauty of her city from the Lift. It would have been fantastic – if she had ignored the others in the air, of course. That was another strike to her father's sin list today. If she could find one more…boy, he would be screwed.

She hopped off. Thank goodness the catacombs were located near the Lift. She was itching with questions and if they weren't answered soon – well, what would happen was to be determined. But be sure…she would definitely draw inspiration from her raven-haired friend… And she already knew what – or specifically, who – would be her first target.

She started walking down the stone path again, creating a mental map in her head of her desired destination.

The catacombs consisted of graves and urns sitting in hidden chambers lining the upper perimeter of the city, as there was little room left for the dead. Right? It's…been a long time since she'd last been here… Each chamber had many lower levels to each but Blossom was only interested in the lowest floor, specifically of the Genovese family's, a spot reserved only for the most powerful of ancestors.

She kept walking, passing the small entrances to other family graves. She gave a small nod of respect to each entrance. The dead were just as important to the Mafia as the living were. Only traitors and government spies were not buried with respect.

It wasn't long before she reached a simple, practical steel opening. It was beautiful in a hauntingly cold and pragmatic way. Of course, it was her family's. Despite a warm light throwing warmth on the dark interior, Blossom couldn't help but feel a shivering chill when she stepped inside.

She couldn't decide whether she was angry at her dad or grateful; both for his escape and his decision to end her family's tradition of estrangement… The indifferent and cold atmosphere here was only a fraction of her family's old lack of familial bonds. The atmosphere seemed to suggest that the dead were buried here, with great respect, yes, but with no love. Nothing. Brothers laid down their dead sisters here without a blink. It was…disturbing.

Even to Blossom. She was a Genovese through and through but she was raised with her father's laughing and teasing personality and awkward warmth. She wasn't bothered by the dead so much the uncomfortable atmosphere.

Nonetheless, she passed by her ancestors' urns and tombs, going all the way to the back elevator. The first floor wasn't very big, only big enough to hold a dozen or so extremely old-fashioned graves, the first users of the great catacombs. She glided into the elevator, grateful for the escape from the chill and inputted the level she desired. She knew she was lucky; only a few families, the most powerful ones, could grant enough space for an elevator, the rest had stairs.

In the olden days, you could become hopelessly lost in the maze of the dead, before the ancestors had the idea to separate it by family and expand downward and underneath the underground city. But, as it is for so many societies, only the most powerful received luxuries.

She mentally counted the seconds and their meanings as the elevator descended. She ticked off six floors, knowing that if she had stopped at any other floor, she would have been greeted by a sprawling labyrinth of graves, full of long-past friends, relatives near and far, and empty spaces waiting for an occupant. The negative seventh floor: her mother's.

These graves were different from the rest. Large chambers rested, nestled together with only a few small, snaking trails of separation. She ignored the filled chambers in the front, most likely holding her maternal grandmother and grandfather and a dozen of other important relatives who never gave a damn about her and her outsider father until they were dead and he was handed the title of 'Boss'.

She passed a few rows before she reached the very heart of the graves. Her hand rested on the thick stone slab in front of the chamber. She knew that whatever happened next would be very important.