Last time, Castleton and Koch finally talk things out (or rather duke things out), and Koch finally sides with Castleton again as they take up arms and fight their way back to Alex's hideout. As this was going on, Lucy had managed to sneak into the barn and free Lola from certain pain before both of them joined up with Lincoln and Rita along with Deidre, Joseph, and Lang in their effort to free everyone else. Their plan was nearly successful, but Alex (now abandoned by his gang) managed to escape with Ronnie Anne as the cabin went up in flames, forcing Lincoln to go after him along with Luna and Lynn. Joseph and Lang had also lost their lives during the chaos that ensued. And as that weren't enough, Lori has finally gone into labor, and it was only a matter of time before the baby finally arrives.

As usual, I want to thank DukeyDukeyDoo and Maikoh Locklear for helping me proofread. And now, on to the next chapter.

Chapter 42: Taming the Beast and Breaking the Cycle

Six years ago, at Casa Santiago...

[A six-year-old Ronnie Anne sat behind the living room couch with her 12-year-old brother as they heard loud noises coming from the kitchen. Glass was being broken and a man's voice bellowed mean and hurtful things as a woman pleaded and sobbed. Her father was in another one of his bad moods and he was taking his anger out on her mother again. Both kids were hiding simply to avoid the man's wrath.]

Ronnie Anne: "I'm scared, Bobby."

[Ronnie Anne trembled as her big brother pulled her close to him.]

Bobby: "So am I, Ronnie Anne. But it'll be okay as long as he doesn't see us."

[Bobby then whispered into Ronnie Anne's ear.]

Bobby: "We'll just go back to our rooms as quietly as we can. Okay?"

Ronnie Anne: "Okay."

[Bobby and Ronnie Anne moved out from their hiding place as quietly as possible before they started to make their way to their bedrooms. But as they were half-way down the hall, they heard a familiar gravelly voice speak from behind them.]

Alex: "Just where are you two going?"

[Ronnie Anne gasped in fear and hid behind her brother as Alex tried to see her past the boy.]

Alex: "The fuck you looking at?"

[Ronnie Anne continued to hide behind Bobby as the Hispanic boy stood his ground whilst putting on his best brave face, even though he wasn't doing a very good job at it. Bobby knew that his sister got the worst of his father's punishments, so he wanted to make sure she made it back to her room safely this time.]

Alex: "Hey! I'm talking to you, puta!"

Bobby: "Papi, don't you think you're being a little too hard on Ronnie Anne?"

[Alex turned his attention to his eldest child.]

Alex: "A little too hard? Are you assuming that you can walk through life just by being soft? That'll be the day when pigs start to fly!"

Bobby: "Well, I just think that... Well..."

[Alex grabbed his son's arm tightly and stared right into the boy's eyes. Alex's grip was so tight that Bobby's eyes began to well up with tears from the pain.]

Alex: "Now you listen here, Junior! I'll show you harder if you don't get out of my fuckin' way right this minuto!"

Bobby: "Okay, okay! It was my fault! I dragged Ronnie Anne into this! Just don't hurt me! Please! I'll be good!"

[And with that, Bobby started crying out of fear, much to his father's disdain. The big man gave Bobby a smack on the forehead, forcing the boy to stifle.]

Alex: "Oh get over it, you pelele! You're never going to get a girl with that pathetic attitude."

[By the time Alex looked ahead, he saw Ronnie Anne trying to sneak away from the altercation.]

Alex: "Hey! I'm not finished with you!"

[And with that, Alex shoved Bobby out of the way and went after Ronnie Anne like a game of cat and mouse as the girl started running. Things were being knocked over and broken as Alex chased the girl around the house. At one point, she turned a corner and hid under the dining room table just before her father came in. Alex walked slowly around the room trying to find his daughter, who did her best to keep quiet as her father continued to scan the room. The moment Alex was done searching, he grunted and left the room to search elsewhere in the house.]

Alex: "You have to come out of hiding soon, Ronalda! You're only prolonging the inevitable."

[When the coast was clear, Ronnie Anne came out of her hiding place and began to tiptoe to her bedroom, hoping to avoid her father this time. However, as soon as her hand grabbed the doorknob, a pair of large hands grabbed Ronnie Anne, making the girl scream.]

Alex: "I'm through playing games, Ronalda! Now you're coming with me!"

[Alex then carried Ronnie Anne in his left arm before opening the door with his right hand and taking the girl into her room. Upon entering the room and shutting the door, Alex dropped Ronnie Anne on the floor and the girl immediately got up to face her father.]

Alex: "Just what the fuck were you trying to accomplish by hiding? This is a cruel world out here, Ronalda, and if we want to survive, we have to toughen up, because those who cower end up being crushed. That's just how it works. Now turn around and lift your shirt..."

[Ronnie Anne's lips quivered as she looked up at her father.]

Ronnie Anne: "But Papi... I wasn't..."

[Alex raised his fist at his daughter, making her flinch with fear.]

Alex: "Now or you'll get much worse than your hermano!"

[Ronnie Anne immediately did as Alex demanded and leaned over her bed with a whimper as the patriarch took a belt out of his pocket. Then, after tightening the belt in his hands, Alex swung it at Ronnie Anne's exposed back, causing her to yelp with pain as tears started to form in her eyes. Long red marks formed on Ronnie Anne's back as her father whipped her continuously. She didn't like what she was going through, but all she could do was close her eyes and hope that it would all be over soon. Not today, not tomorrow, but someday, somehow...it would all come to an end...and she would finally be free.]

Present day...

Oh, fate... If the sun and moon said "Marco", what else could the universe say but "Polo"? It was here on the very top of these wooded hills where Lincoln Loud and two of his sisters, Luna and Lynn, would face off with Alex Santiago one last time in their effort to save Ronnie Anne. They knew that if they failed to stop him, lives would be at risk. And not just Ronnie Anne's life, but the lives of their family, Clyde, Bobby, and the baby as well. Whatever was going to happen next, one thing was for certain: Once they come face to face with Alex, the three Loud siblings would have to be ready for anything.

[As the hard rain continued to pour down, Lincoln, Luna, and Lynn continued running through the woods hoping to find any trace of Alex and Ronnie Anne. Luna had taken the lead as she was the oldest out of the three.]

Luna: "Where, oh where could Ronnie Anne be?! It's pourin' like a damn monsoon out here!"

Lynn: "I hate to admit it, but I kinda wish we still had Lisa's tracker right about now."

Luna: "It's a shame it's busted, dude!"

Lincoln: "And what if Ronnie Anne wasn't actually planted with one of them?"

Lynn: "Well..."

[Before she could finish, Lynn spotted Alex with Ronnie Anne on his shoulder.]

Lynn: "There's the bastard now! Hold it right there, asshole!"

[Alex saw his pursuers and growled angrily as he ran deeper into the woods while Lincoln, Luna, and Lynn gave chase. The three Loud kids ran past trees and branches trying to keep up with the big man.]

Luna: "Goddamn, he's fast for a big dude!"

Lynn: "Well, not fast enough, as far as I'm concerned!"

Ronnie Anne: "Hurry, Lincoln! Don't let him take me!"

Alex: "Shut the fuck up!"

[As the chase went on, Alex started running up a grade and began to slow down.]

Luna: "He's running up that hill, dudes! Now, we'll catch him for sure!"

[The three Loud kids charged up the hill as they continued their pursuit. As Alex kept running up the grade, he turned his head for a brief moment to see the Loud kids gaining up on him before he began to pick up speed slightly.]

Alex: "Persistent little fuckers, aren't you?! Well, come and get me!"

[Finally, after running up the hill for what seemed like minutes, the three Loud kids had an exhausted Alex cornered near a cliff.]

Luna: "You got nowhere to run to, Buddy! And nowhere to hide!"

[Alex dropped Ronnie Anne on the ground and turned around to see the three kids marching over to him. But before Ronnie Anne could run straight to them, the big man grabbed his daughter by the back of her hoodie, dragged her back over, and put the shank up to her neck, forcing the three Louds to stop in their tracks.]

Alex: "Stop! You three take one more step...and I will slice her fuckin' neck wide open!"

[Lynn let out a short chuckle as she started marching towards Alex again.]

Lynn: "Oh, really? If you had the balls, you would've done so already."

[Lynn continued to march towards Alex, but the big man gripped the shank in his hand and left a small cut on Ronnie Anne's right cheek to emphasize his point. Tears leaked from Ronnie Anne's eyes as she winced in pain. Lynn froze in her tracks when she saw the display in front of her. Lincoln had the urge to lose his lunch upon seeing what happened, but he regained his bearings.]

Alex: "You still think I'm fuckin' around?! You want me to pull one of her eyes out? Open her head to expose her entire brain?! You might want to think twice before you run your fuckin' mouth, you cocky little shit!"

[Lynn remained frozen in place, unable to move any further. She was struggling to hold back the tears that were threatening to leak from her eyes as she continued to glare at Alex, powerless to do anything.]

[Just then, Lincoln spoke up.]

Lincoln: "Please, Mr. Santiago... Just let her go. She's already been through enough as it is. Why would you even want to come after us anyway?"

[Alex shifted his attention towards Lincoln.]

Alex: "Have you seriously forgotten already?! Are you kids really that dense?! You have been the root of my troubles for a very long time! Ever since the day my good-for-nothing son invited every single one of you to my house, everything began to fall apart at the seams! I had to survive through abandonment, abuse, loss and everything else in this fucked-up world to finally settle down and raise a family of my own. Everything in my life was so perfect before you had to ruin it for me! ALL of you! You force me to fight! Force me to kidnap! Force me to KILL! You could've just kept your mouths shut and let me go about my daily life, but no! You just had to keep on digging like the little ratos that you are and tear my familia apart piece by piece! Well, you're gonna be digging your own graves once I'm finished with you!"

[Lincoln's expression changed from pleading to determination as he spoke firmly to Alex.]

Lincoln: "Listen to yourself! Is this really the answer to your problem? Trying to kill a family of kids just to keep your own? What would you do next after you've ended every single one of us? Where would you even go now that you're all alone?"

[Alex raised an eyebrow as he stared at the Loud boy.]

Alex: "And just... What exactly is your point?"

Lincoln: "You told me back in Fernville that you suffered under your abusive foster family. I even watched you bring them up on your trial last week."

Lynn: "Oh my God- Do you actually believe that load of shit?!"

Luna: "Shush!"

Lincoln: "And the reason why Ronnie Anne was so rough on me was because of YOUR abuse. Everything that has happened to you has been a long cycle of violence and neglect. You were being mistreated by the family that was supposed to raise and protect you, so you ended up doing the very same thing to your own family because that's all you were used to."

[Alex thought for a moment as he lowered his shank and looked down at the ground.]

[Luna then knelt between Lincoln and Lynn before whispering into their ears.]

Luna: "Get ready, dudes... We might have to turn the volume up to eleven if it all goes south."

[Lynn simply nodded, getting her sister's drift.]

Lincoln: "I know that life is rough, but your children are not just possessions. You could have their respect if you thought about what they want. What they want to do are their choices, not yours. Yes, your son may have messed up when he got my sister pregnant at their age, but have you not noticed how much he's willing to sacrifice to take care of his unborn child despite those circumstances? How much he's been growing as a person since all this started?"

Alex: "Well..."

Lincoln: "And what about Ronnie Anne over there? Me and her might've started on rough terms, but she was willing to improve her ways during Lori's pregnancy and she's been making good progress since December. Maybe there's still a shred of humanity left in that tough outlook of yours as well? Something that you're too afraid to let out. Maybe you can just stop blaming all of your shortcomings on your family and own up to it. Stop all this violence and face up to your demons head-on. But if there isn't... If you're really too far gone... then... I don't know what else there is to say."

[Ronnie Anne smiled upon hearing Lincoln's words of wisdom.]

[Alex looked down at the ground for a moment and lowered his shank as he continued to think about what Lincoln had said before he started to choke up a little.]

[At first, Lincoln thought he had gotten through to Alex. But his hopes were dashed as the Santiago patriarch burst into laughter.]

Alex: "Do you honestly think some pathetic heartfelt speech is gonna make me release Ronalda?! That has got to be the dumbest cliche I have ever heard in my entire fuckin' life! You see, this is why you will never be called 'The Man with the Plan'! You're just a fucking delusional little boy who always relies on his slutty sisters who do absolutely NOTHING for you!"

[Lynn raised her fist at the big man in response.]

Lynn: "Hey! SHUT UP, SHITHEAD!"

Alex: "Nice try, Loud! But you're living in your own little fantasy world! And in this terrible, terrible reality, I am irrompible! Unbreakable! I can find another woman! Maybe even a dozen! Make more kids with them! Hundreds! Thousands of them! But for now, you will all see what happens when you interfere with a REAL man's business! Hold still, Ronalda!"

[Alex raised his shank and prepared to deliver the fatal blow into Ronnie Anne's head. Lincoln covered his ears and shut his eyes, not wanting to see what could happen next. Lynn also did the same.]

Lincoln: "RONNIE ANNE!"

Lynn: "NO!"

[Suddenly, Luna began screaming at the top of her lungs. Her cacophony was so loud that it caused Alex to drop Ronnie Anne and the shank in order to shield his own ears in an attempt to block out the noise before he could strike Ronnie Anne. Ronnie Anne herself got down on the ground and shielded her own ears as all this happened.]

Alex: "ARRGH! MIERDA! MY FUCKIN' EARS!"

[Lincoln and Lynn saw their chance and ran straight towards Alex. Whilst the big man was distracted by Luna's screaming, Lynn ran up to Alex and tackled him to the ground with a karate kick to the stomach. While Lynn laid numerous punches to Alex's face, Lincoln ran over to Ronnie Anne and helped her back to her feet.]

Lincoln: "C'mon, Ronnie Anne! We have to get out of here!"

Ronnie Anne: "What did you say?! My ears are ringing!"

Lincoln: "LET'S GO!"

[Lincoln took Ronnie Anne's hand and they both started running back to the clearing. By that time, Luna was out of breath from the screaming and called out to the two kids.]

Luna: "Dudes! Wait! What about Lynn?!"

[Lynn was still punching Alex's face until the big man regained his bearings and had the jock pinned. As Lynn struggled against Alex, she looked at her third oldest sister.]

Lynn: "Are you still standing there, Lunes! Just go! I'll be fine!"

Luna: "Are you nuts, L.J.?! That dude's gotta be ten times your size!"

Lynn: "JUST MOVE IT!"

[Perplexed, Luna followed the two twelve-year-olds back to the forest edge while Lynn kept Alex busy.]

[At that moment, Alex tried to stab Lynn in the chest with his shank, but the jock grabbed onto it, resulting in a struggle with the sharp object as it was mere inches from her chest.]

Alex: "You probably haven't already figured it out, but I was top tier lucha libre champion while your papi was shitting in his diapers!"

Lynn: "Don't you talk about my dad that way, you hatemongering piece of crap!"

[Finally, Lynn managed to get the upper hand on the shank before throwing it a few feet from Alex. But the former biker wrapped his hands around her neck and began to strangle her.]

Lynn: "Ack! Time out! Time out!"

[Lynn started to choke and put her hands on Alex's face in an attempt to push him away, but the big man opened his mouth and bit down hard on the athlete's right middle and index fingers, causing her to scream. Alex's teeth sunk deeper into the skin and flesh until both fingers were bitten off. Blood squirted from Lynn's severed areas as she continued to scream bloody murder.]

[Alex let go of Lynn's neck and spat the athlete's dismembered fingers at her face before looking down at her with a laugh.]

Alex: "Not so tough now, are ya, perdedor?!"

[Alex then bent down, grabbed both of Lynn's legs, and began to spin her around like an Italian plumber swinging a giant dragon-turtle hybrid by the tail. Lynn screamed as she spun faster and faster until Alex finally let go of her legs. The athlete flew towards a tree and smacked into it face first, knocking out two of her teeth and breaking her nose. Upon seeing the blood on her hand, she looked back up to see Alex staring down at her.]

Alex: "Overachieving ass-lete!"

[And just like that, Alex raised his fist and socked Lynn in the face, knocking her out. The former biker picked up his shank and stood up as he began to wander around the forest like a crazed madman in a hedge maze.]

Alex: "I know you're around here, Louds! And I know you have Ronalda! You can run...and you can hide... But rest assured... There's no escape from El Grande Jefe!"

[At that moment, Luna, Lincoln, and Ronnie Anne stopped running as they heard Lynn's screaming and were now worried for the athletic Loud.]

Luna: "We better split, Linc! You get Ronnie Anne back to the others while I try and help Lynn!"

Lincoln: "But, Luna, you'll get killed!"

Luna: "Just do it, Bro! Our family's gotta stick together no matter what, don't they?"

[With that, Luna ran back into the woods while Lincoln and Ronnie Anne begrudgingly went in a different direction, as they didn't want to risk leading Alex back to the others. Luna could only hope that Lynn was alright when she found her.]

Meanwhile, at the forest edge...

[Bobby, Clyde, Deidre, and the remaining Louds kept their eyes on Lori in case the baby was ready to be born. Albert and Mr. Dupree also kept an eye out for Lincoln, Luna, Lynn, Ronnie Anne, or T-Bone, hoping that all of them would make it back in one piece. Lori started walking around the area for some exercise whilst Bobby walked beside her, holding his jacket over his girlfriend to keep her mostly dry. Lisa didn't take her eyes off her eldest sister for a single second as she timed her contractions whilst holding her stopwatch.]

Lisa: "Just try to remain calm and remember your breathing exercises, Eldest Sibling. You are doing an outstanding job."

Lori: "Oh, this is just great! I am literally getting patronized by a five-year old! Where the hell is that- Ah! Ambulance?!"

[Bobby gripped Lori's shoulders as she had another contraction.]

Lisa: "Though, I am quite concerned that the baby might be facing the wrong way."

Lucy: "We could try a C-Section."

Luan: "A C-Section? Puh-leeze! That idea would NEVER make the cut!"

[Luan laughed while her sisters groaned, unsurprisingly. Once again, Lynn Sr. and Albert didn't feel like laughing.]

Luan: "Get it?"

Lori: "NOT HELPING, LUAN!"

Luan: "Right...sorry."

"Mrs. Loud!"

[Everyone turned towards the dirt path to see Castleton running towards them with (much to everyone's disgust) Koch following behind. Castleton grabbed his knees as he stopped to catch his breath while Lynn Sr. and Rita glared at Koch.]

Lynn Sr.: "What the hell is HE doing here?"

Rita: "Haven't you done enough damage to my family?!"

Luan: "Yeah! Why don't you do everyone else a favor and cop out?!"

[Luan laughed.]

Luan: "Get it? But seriously, I think you've helped enough."

Deidre: "How long did it take for you to realize your girlfriend's scheme, Kockner?"

Koch: "Alright! I get it! I screwed you guys over and there's nothing I can do to atone for my actions! But right now, I am on your side, and I wish to see Alex buried in the ground as well. So, the least you can do is give me the benefit of the doubt, right?"

[Everyone in the group looked at one another, unsure of how to respond to the former detective before Castleton spoke next.]

Castleton: "You leave Koch to me, everyone. I'm not taking my eyes off him for a second."

Deidre: "Good thinking on your part, Castleton."

Castleton: "Thank you. Now, does anyone know where Alex went?"

Lana: "He ran into the woods with Ronnie Anne! Lincoln, Luna, and Lynn are going after him! I think they're all heading for the hillside!"

[Lana pointed towards the forest and Castleton looked in that direction. The R.W.P.D. sergeant had fears on how badly this could end if he didn't do anything at this very moment.]

[In any case, he turned his attention back to the group.]

Castleton: "Alright, you all stay here. Koch and I are going after Alex! Where's Wes at?"

Rita: "Wait a minute! You're not going out there unarmed."

[Castleton looked over at Rita, who took the revolver out of her shirt and showed it to Castleton.]

Rita: "I think this belongs to you, Sergeant. And in case you're wondering, no, I have not used it once."

[Castleton took the gun from Rita before holstering it.]

Castleton: "Thanks, Mrs. Loud. I owe you one. Now where's Wes?"

Luan: "He just went in that black van over there, and Katherine Mulligan's with him."

[Luan pointed her thumb at the van that once belonged to Katrina's group.]

Castleton: "What?!"

[Castleton rushed over to the van while Koch followed behind. As he marched over to the van, he felt some relief knowing that the group that his late father hunted down was now gone for good. But as soon as he made it to the van, he heard the sounds of two people moaning coming from it. He then looked in the back to see Wes laying on his back with his pants down to his ankles while Katherine was on top of him with her hair down, and the both of them were sweating like crazy. Castleton was not happy when he saw this display.]

Castleton: "Wesley!"

[Both Wes and Katherine gasped in shock while the latter put her hands over her chest. Her shirt was halfway unbuttoned, revealing her cleavage which was being held by a black bra.]

Castleton: "What in God's name were you doing?!"

Wes: "Sergeant Castleton, I was just-"

Katherine: "It's actually my fault, Sergeant Castleton! I was just so stressed out from everything that's happened and-"

[Castleton raised his hand to quiet Katherine down.]

Castleton: "Forget it! Wes, get dressed, grab your camera, and come with me! I want everyone to see Alex finally get what's coming to him, so keep that camera rolling!"

[Wes immediately got dressed and grabbed his camera before getting out of the van while Castleton glared at Katherine.]

Castleton: "And as for you Mulligan, you better get yourself covered as well! There are children out here, for God's sake!"

[Katherine lowered her head in shame while Castleton moved away from the van before speaking to Wes.]

Wes: "Sergeant, I-"

Castleton: "We'll talk about this later, Wes. Right now, there is a maniac running loose in those woods and four kids who are at risk of being killed by said maniac! You have any idea how much Joseph and Lang sacrificed to protect those kids?! To protect ME?! Now you follow me and Koch and make sure you get every single bit of Alex's capture on tape! Am I clear?!"

[Wes bit his lower lip and shook with fear. He knew how dangerous it would be following Castleton into the forest, considering that there's a psychopath roaming the area, but he knew he had to get footage for Castleton's program.]

Wes: "Yes, sir!"

Mr. Dupree: "You go save the rest of Albert's grandkids, Ian! We'll keep the others safe in case any more of Alex's stragglers show up!"

Castleton: "Much obliged, old man! Alright, Ladies! Let's move out!"

[And so, Castleton, Koch, and Wes raced into the forest to catch Alex while Albert and Dupree continued to watch over the rest of the group.]

Albert: "Don't you worry, kids. Nothing can get past us."

[Lori felt another painful contraction in her stomach before putting her hands on it.]

Lori: "Ow!"

Albert: "Poor Lori. I just hope that ambulance makes it in time..."

Meanwhile, in the forest...

[Luna had arrived back at the place where Lynn fought Alex and started searching the area for her sister. Upon finding her, Luna gasped in shock and horror when she saw the 14-year-old athlete badly beaten on the ground with blood coming out of her hand and two of her fingers beside her. Lynn also looked as if she were dead...but she was still breathing.]

Luna: "Holy shit, man!"

[Luna ran over to Lynn and lifted her by the shoulders before dragging her to a nearby bush. She thought it best to hide Lynn somewhere until she woke up. As soon as Lynn was behind the bush, Luna ran over to her sister's fingers and picked them off the ground.]

Luna: "Can't forget about these little piggies."

[As Luna returned to her sister's side, the jock groaned as she started to open her eyes.]

Lynn: "Wuh...? What happened?"

Luna: "You kinda zoned out for a moment?"

[Lynn then looked at her own hand and saw two of her fingers still missing. The jock started to hyperventilate while Luna tried to calm her down.]

Lynn: "Oh, God! My fingers are off! Luna, I'm down two fingers! I don't know if I can play hands-on sports again!"

[Luna started shushing her athletic sister in an attempt to calm her down.]

Luna: "Lynn, calm down before the big guy hears you!"

Lynn: "I don't know if I can! I've never lost a single limb in my whole life!"

Luna: "We'll see if we can't get Lisa to fix you up! But right now, we gotta get outta this place if it's the last thing we ever do!"

Alex: "Think again, Louds!"

[Luna and Lynn saw Alex slash his shank at them. Luna raised her right arm to defend herself, but Alex left a nasty cut across her forearm before the rocker fell to the ground. Luna tried to crawl to safety, but the large Latino grabbed her by the leg before turning her on her back. He then knelt down and raised the blade to the girl's neck, causing her to flinch.]

Alex: "I oughta just cut out your fuckin' vocal cords, you deafening cunt! That way, no one will ever have to put up with that horrible fuckin' smoker voice of yours again!"

[Lynn got up and started banging her fists on Alex.]

Lynn: "Let her go, you big cheater!"

[Alex simply responded by throwing his fist at Lynn, knocking her down to the ground and leaving a bruise on her chin left. Alex then put his foot on the girl's head as if he were ready to crush it like a melon.]

Alex: "And just what are YOU going to do about it, you eight-fingered fucker?!"

[Lynn couldn't say anything as she continued to stare up at Alex with tears running down her face.]

Alex: "I figured as much! Fucking pathetic!"

[Before Alex could inflict more pain on Lynn, a distant masculine voice called out.]

"I know you're out here, Santiago! Just turn yourself in and I might go easy on you!"

[Alex smirked and grabbed Luna by the arm as he proceeded to find the owner of the voice with the leverage he had.]

Alex: "You're coming with me now!"

Luna: "Fuck you! I won't do what you tell me!"

[Lynn then crawled a few feet as Alex carried the teen rocker away from her sister.]

Lynn: "Stop! Let her go! You're gonna die for this! I swear to God that you will!"

[Lynn growled in frustration and got back on her feet as she went to find a place to hide. She desperately wanted to save her sister from Alex, but there was no way she was going to fight that big man with two fingers missing.]

Elsewhere in the forest...

[T-Bone was searching around for the rest of the kids as he held his sawn-off in his hand. He knew that he had to save all of them, or he'd never forgive himself, and Albert most likely wouldn't forgive him either if even one of his grandkids is dead.]

T-Bone: "Damn! Where are they?! I swear to God, if Alex managed to kill even one of those kids, I'm going to-"

"Freeze!"

[Instinctively, T-Bone dropped the gun and put his hands up. Then, he slowly turned around to see Castleton aiming his revolver at him while Koch stood beside his former partner. Wes was also standing behind the two men as he held the camera in his hands.]

T-Bone: "Sarge! We really gotta stop meeting like this."

[Castleton lowered his gun as he kept his focus on the former BoEMC rider.]

Castleton: "Bonneville! Thank God you're alright! Where are the kids?! Have you seen any of them?!"

T-Bone: "Not yet, but I've got a feeling they're close..."

Koch: "Well, are we going to just keep standing here?! Or are we going to put an end to that murdering shithead?!"

[It was then that T-Bone recognized Koch's voice. When he looked at Koch, he saw that masked man back in Rodd's basement, the same one who stood beside Rodd's corpse and his despairing family before T-Bone got knocked unconscious. With his blood now boiling, the biker growled as he shoved Castleton aside and marched over to Koch before grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pinning him against a tree. Wes stood where he was, filming the whole thing on his camera.]

T-Bone: "It was YOU! You killed Rodd and got me framed for it! Give me one good reason not to knock you into next springtime!"

Koch: "Wait a minute, Bonneville! It wasn't my fault! That fat dumbass Bearl told me to kill him under Alex's orders! I didn't even ASK to kill anyone in the first place! Alex is the one you want!"

T-Bone: "Enough bullshit! I know what I saw, and you're as much to blame as Alex and his goons were!"

[Koch simply closed his eyes and waited for whatever T-Bone was going to do to him. Before T-Bone could do anything however, the stout biker felt the barrel of Castleton's revolver touching the side of his head.]

Castleton: "Let him go, Bonneville."

T-Bone: "Stay out of this, Sarge! This asshole's working for Outlaw Al!"

Castleton: "You have every right to be angry at him, Bonneville. But right now, he is on our side. Now, unless you want me to shoot, you will let him go. We'll decide what happens to him after we take care of Alex."

[T-Bone glared at Koch as he slowly and begrudgingly let go of the former detective.]

T-Bone: "Fine... But if he tries any quick moves, I'll be the first to deal with him."

Koch: "Jesus. Hold a grudge much?"

T-Bone: "Shut up..."

Castleton: "Alright, now that we're all done killing each other, we have to keep searching. Alex and the kids could be anywhere in these woods. Now, move it!"

[And with that, Castleton, Koch, T-Bone, and Wes continued their search. T-Bone continued to show resentment towards Koch, but he knew it wouldn't end well for himself if he dealt with Koch on his own, and he knew that he had to hurry to save Ronnie Anne and the rest of Albert's grandchildren from Alex. For now, they just had to work together if they were going to find Alex and stop him before any of the Loud kids and Ronnie Anne meet their doom by his hand.]

Meanwhile, back at the road...

[The group continued to wait for any signs of the remaining kids and T-Bone. Lori was back in Vanzilla doing her breathing exercises and keeping dry from the rain as Bobby sat by her side while Rita stood near the van. Luan was also standing beside Albert, helping him keep an eye out for the others.]

Albert: "Any sign of them, Luan?"

Luan: "No, I don't think they're quite out of the woods just yet."

[Luan laughed, much to everyone else's annoyance.]

Luan: "Get it? But seriously, there's still no sign of them."

Lisa: "I think we'd prefer not to state the obvious, Luan."

[As Rita kept watching over her eldest daughter, she couldn't help but wonder about Deidre and what she did in the past. She looked over at the African-American woman, who was now standing over Katrina's corpse with a look of disgust.]

Deidre: "I hope you're with your pals in Hell, you bitch."

[And with that, Deidre gave Katrina's corpse a hard kick. It was clear to Rita that her best friend wasn't exactly over whatever beef she had with Katrina.]

Rita: "Could everybody give me and Deidre some space? I need to talk to her about something. Lisa, you watch over Lori for me."

[The group looked at each other and nodded in agreement before Rita walked over to Deidre. As soon as she was right beside Deidre, the police detective turned her head and noticed her.]

Deidre: "What's going on, Rita?"

Rita: "Deidre... This might not be the best time, but... Why exactly did you lose control during our teen years?"

[Deidre looked back down at Katrina's lifeless body.]

Deidre: "I already told you why. They wanted to strip that boy of his innocence. Turn him into their little plaything."

Rita: "Yeah, but... I think there's more to it than just that one boy."

Deidre: "What else is there, Rita? They were just sick girls."

[Rita sighed, still unconvinced by what Deidre had just said.]

Rita: "Deidre... If there's something else that you're trying to keep secret, something that you're not telling me, I want to help. Can't you be honest with me?"

[Deidre crossed her arms, still not willing to look at Rita.]

Deidre: "It's... I don't know if I can..."

Rita: "It's okay, Dee. Just take a deep breath and explain as best you can. I'm right here."

[Deidre took a deep breath and slowly turned around to look Rita in the eyes before speaking.]

Deidre: "When I was eight years old, my older brother and I went for a drive with our aunt...except that she wasn't our aunt. Just some woman my mother knew for about a year."

Rita: "You never told me about your brother before."

Deidre: "That's because I was afraid. I felt like I wasn't ready to tell you yet. It was a very painful experience for me."

[Deidre held back tears as she continued to explain her story.]

Deidre: "Anyway, our aunt took us to a rest stop. As my brother and I waited, these two young women approached us. That one down there was among them."

[Deidre pointed down at Katrina's corpse. She struggled to hold back her tears as she came to a very gut-wrenching moment.]

Deidre: "As it turned out, those girls were with our aunt. She wanted to have her way with my brother...and she wanted to kill me... It was horrible."

Rita: "Oh my God! How did you survive that encounter?"

Deidre: "Thanks to my brother, I managed to escape before my aunt went after me. As I ran, my aunt got attacked by a bear in the woods and was killed. But when I got back...my brother...he was already gone. Those women...had gotten away with him... They're both gone for good now, but... It's not going to bring my big brother back, is it?"

[And with that, Deidre allowed her tears to flow again as she thought about her brother.]

Deidre: "I just want to dig myself a hole and die in it! Why did he have to die young?!"

[Rita embraced the woman again, allowing her to cry on her shoulder.]

Rita: "Oh, Deidre... I am so sorry. I can only imagine how hard it must've been for you."

[Deidre sniffled before she spoke again.]

Deidre: "It's okay, Rita. This wasn't your fault."

Rita: "I know, but... I just wish there was some way to help you."

"Maybe I can help out."

[The two women turned their heads and saw Clyde looking up at them.]

Rita: "Clyde?"

Clyde: "I know this isn't any of my business, but my therapist says that the best way to deal with grief and tragedy is to find the tunnel and move on through when it's found. The search for that tunnel might be a hard one, but once it is found, you can let go of your pain on the other side."

[Clyde then took Deidre's hand and looked up at the woman, whose eyes were welling up with tears again at the McBride boy.]

Clyde: "It's going to be okay, ma'am. As someone who's had his own experiences with grief in the past, I know what I'm doing. I'm sure your brother would've been very proud of you as well."

[And just like that, Deidre pulled Clyde into a hug and cried again, much to the boy's confusion.]

Deidre: "You're such a sweet little boy."

Clyde: "Uh... Thanks?"

[Rita looked on at the scene, unable to find the right words. Seeing how Deidre was interacting with Clyde raised more questions in her mind, but she had to stop thinking about it when she heard her eldest daughter yell in pain.]

Rita: "I better go check on Lori. Let me know when Deidre's feeling better, Clyde."

Clyde: "You got it, Mrs. Loud, though I may be a while."

[And with that, Rita walked back to the others as Clyde continued to comfort Deidre. As Deidre continued to hold Clyde, he couldn't help but sense a motherly warmth in her embrace. As the McBride boy returned the hug, Deidre was inclined to tell him the truth. But she knew this wasn't the right time to do so. But maybe... When they return to Royal Woods, if things have calmed down by then, maybe she'll finally be able to tell Clyde everything.]

Meanwhile, in the forest...

[Castleton, Koch, and T-Bone continued their search for Alex or any of the kids in the downpour while Wes followed them with his camera in hand.]

Koch: "Where the hell is he? It's so difficult to find him in this crazy-ass weather."

T-Bone: "Nobody asked for your opinion, hitman."

Koch: "Hey! Lay off me, you fat asshole! I'm trying my hardest here!"

[T-Bone turned to face Koch and pointed a taser at him, causing the former detective to put his hands up.]

T-Bone: "You want to repeat that, you murderer?!"

[Koch took one glance at the taser, noticing something familiar about it. But before he could say another word, Castleton intervened.]

Castleton: "Will you both be quiet already? The lives of four kids are on the line, and we'll never catch that son of a bitch if you keep acting like that!"

[Both Koch and T-Bone stopped their argument and huffed.]

T-Bone: "Sorry... I lost my cool for a second."

Wes: "Should I cut this part out, Sergeant?"

Castleton: "No! Keep it rolling. We're going to need all the footage we can get out here. Now let's keep moving."

[And with that, the group resumed their trek through the woods. After a few minutes of walking, Koch spoke again.]

Koch: "You wouldn't happen to know where you got that taser from, would you? Because I think it belongs to me."

[Before T-Bone could answer, all four men heard a feminine yell coming from nearby, which was soon followed by Luna running out of the bushes and into Castleton's arms. T-Bone was so startled by this that he dropped the taser.]

Luna: "Run for your lives! That big bad dude's-a comin'!"

[Suddenly, Alex jumped out of the bushes with his shank in hand and ran towards Castleton and Luna. Castleton then shoved Luna out of the way before something sharp went right through his right shoulder. The police sergeant screamed before he dropped down to the ground and clutched his wound while Luna hid behind T-Bone.]

Alex: "Did you miss me, Castleton?!"

[Wes was so shocked that he dropped the camera and it fell to the ground. Since he wasn't the fighting type, Wes had no choice but to run back to the clearing as fast as his legs could carry him. Alex just watched the cameraman run off without a second thought as he was too busy dealing with Castleton, who looked over at T-Bone.]

Castleton: "I'll take care of Alex, Bonneville! You find the kids and get them to safety! Get going! Now!"

[With no other choice, T-Bone took Luna's hand and ran off with her, leaving Castleton to deal with Alex. The former motorcycle salesman grabbed the shank and yanked it out of Castleton's shoulder, causing the latter to scream in pain again and clutch his now bleeding wound.]

Alex: "Fuck your little reunion, copper! You and your ex-partner are both as fuckin' good as dead! I don't need him or any of those worthless lackeys now!"

[Suddenly, Alex felt a shock going through his body and got down on one knee. Castleton looked up and saw Koch using his taser on Alex.]

Koch: "Worthless, huh?! They were all just expendable to you! Just like I was to you...and to Yuri!"

[Despite the shock going through his body, Alex still had enough strength to start crawling over to Koch, who looked over at Castleton.]

Koch: "Get on your feet, Cass! Get your ass away from here and save those kids! I'll hold him off for as long as I can!"

[Castleton rolled on his stomach and slowly stood up before he started to walk away. But at that moment, Alex grabbed his shank and stabbed it into Koch's stomach. Castleton turned around for a moment and was shocked at what was happening before his eyes.]

[Alex gritted his teeth as he looked Koch directly in the eyes while the former detective let go of the taser, allowing it to fall to the ground.]

Alex: "Matthew Kochner... A gutless pig to the very end..."

[Immediately, Alex slid his shank left, slicing Koch's stomach open and allowing the ex-detective's intestines to spill out. Koch started coughing blood and dropped to his knees before attempting to keep his remaining insides from falling out. However, Koch started to grow weaker and weaker as Alex slowly got back on his feet before looking directly into the eyes of his former ally once again.]

Alex: "You made a very poor choice, mi amigo. And now... No one's gonna even remember you for this."

[Finally, Alex gave Koch a backhand punch to his face, knocking the former detective down to the ground. As Koch was close to death, he spoke to Castleton, who looked back at his former partner.]

Koch: "I guess...this makes us...*cough*...even now...huh, Cass? Go...k-kick...his ass...hck...part...ner..."

[With that, Koch's eyes rolled back as he finally succumbed to his injuries and died right before Castleton's eyes. Alex simply kicked the dead man in the face as Castleton's expression turned to anger at the sight. Instinctively, Castleton tried to reach for his gun...only to find it missing.]

Alex: "Looking for something, Sergento?"

[Castleton looked over at Alex and saw that the big man held Castleton's revolver in his right hand and twirled the gun once before aiming it at the police sergeant. Castleton tried to run, but Alex shot him in the left thigh, causing him to fall over. Alex then marched over to the wounded Castleton with the gun in hand, and the moment he was close enough, Alex slammed the gun on Castleton's head, knocking him out.]

Alex: "Let's see you save those kids now, copper! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some unfinished business to deal with. But I'll be back to finish you off."

[After picking a few revolver bullets off the police sergeant, Alex walked off with Castleton's revolver as he went searching for the Louds again. He wanted to do away with all of them and Ronnie Anne before doing the same to Castleton and the rest of the group. Castleton remained unconscious on the ground a few feet from Koch's disemboweled corpse as the camera remained on the ground facing in the direction of the two men.]

Meanwhile...

[T-Bone and Luna managed to get far enough from the fight before stopping to catch their breath.]

Luna: "Woah man, that was a close one! Thanks for saving me, Mister...?"

T-Bone: "Call me T-Bone."

Luna: "Well thanks, T-Dude. You really saved my ass back there."

T-Bone: "You're welcome, little lady. Now how about we get you back to your family before Outlaw Al finds us?"

[T-Bone proceeded to take Luna back to the group with him, but the rocker objected.]

Luna: "Wait up, big guy! We can't leave! Not without Lynn! She's seriously hurt!"

T-Bone: "I'll get to her real soon! Just let me take you back to safety first."

Luna: "No, man! Now! She could be dying out there!"

[T-Bone raised both of his hands in defense.]

T-Bone: "Alright, alright, alright! Just tell me where you last saw your sister and we'll go get her."

[Luna nodded and took the lead as T-Bone followed her. After traversing through the woods for about a minute, they arrived at the spot where Lynn was last seen. But when Luna looked at the bush, she couldn't find any sign of her.]

Luna: "Oh man! Where is she? I thought I left her here! Are we too late?!"

[T-Bone then grabbed Luna's shoulders and started to shake her in an attempt to calm her down.]

T-Bone: "Calm down, kid! We'll find her! There's no way she could've gotten far."

[Just then, T-Bone felt a branch hit him on the face, knocking him down on his back. Lynn then came out of a bush holding a branch in her hands before pointing the sharp end of it at the biker's chest.]

Lynn: "Take that, asshole! Yeah! Not so rough and tough now, are ya?!"

[Luna then marched over to Lynn and pushed the branch away from T-Bone.]

Luna: "Lynn, wait! This guy's friendly! He's not with Alex!"

[Lynn calmed down and stared at her sister with a look of confusion.]

Lynn: "He's not? But it looked like he was strangling you."

Luna: "Did you not see his hands on my shoulders? He was only trying to calm me down. I was just so damn worried about you!"

Lynn: "Oh... Right..."

[T-Bone groaned and sat back up before rubbing his forehead.]

T-Bone: "Jesus... First your mom and now you?"

Lynn: "Hey! We got pummeled by a bunch of brainwashed biker punks, so I was a little bit on edge. Can you blame me for knocking you down?"

[T-Bone got back on his feet.]

T-Bone: "I guess not."

[It was at this very moment when T-Bone caught a glimpse of Lynn's injured hand.]

T-Bone: "Jesus! When your sister said you were seriously hurt, I didn't think it was THAT serious!"

Lynn: "Yeah? Well, the next time I see that animal again, he's going to get what's coming to him!"

T-Bone: "You let me worry about Alex, kid. Now let's just get you and your sister out of this place before the big guy catches us."

Lynn: "But what about Lincoln and Ronnie Anne? They could be lost!"

Luna: "She's got a point, T. What if Alex catches them in the woods? We have to find them!"

T-Bone: "But what if we run into Outlaw Al? You could die out here!"

Lynn: "We're willing to take that risk for our younger siblings."

[T-Bone sighed.]

T-Bone: "Alright, but we need to hurry. Your Pop-Pop will never speak to me again if one of you is dead meat. Now, come on!"

[Luna and Lynn nodded and the group of three went deeper into the woods, hoping that Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were still okay.]

Meanwhile...

[Not a whole lot has changed as the group continued to wait for any sign of their loved ones. Bobby and Lori remained in Vanzilla as Rita and Deidre continued to monitor them. Bobby looked over at his girlfriend and thought he should say something.]

Bobby: "Lori... I never mentioned this earlier, but... When I got to your house... I found your locket broken in the driveway."

[Lori closed her eyes as she thought back to that moment when Alex took the locket and destroyed it.]

Lori: "I'm sorry, Bobby. I know how much it cost you to get that for me. But that stupid asshole had to go and ruin it."

Bobby: "You know that wasn't your fault, Babe. Besides, I think I still have it with me... What's left of it, at least."

[Bobby reached into his pockets to make sure the broken locket was still there, and sure enough, it was. Bobby pulled the pieces out of the left pocket and showed them to Lori, who smiled lovingly as she held it to her chest.]

Lori: "I can't believe you got that after what your father did to it. It's practically broken beyond repair now."

[Bobby put his hand on Lori's hair and lovingly rubbed his fingers through it.]

Bobby: "I can always get another locket for you, Babe. But I can never get anyone else to love but you."

[Lori's heart melted again upon hearing her boyfriend's words, even though she was still in pain from the contractions. She then put her other hand on her boyfriend's head as he leaned on her stomach.]

Bobby: "I promise you that all the pain will be over before long."

[Bobby then kissed Lori on the lips and then kissed her baby bump before laying his head on it again. The sight alone was enough to bring a smile to Rita's face while Deidre felt a tear run down her own face and turned around.]

[Everyone else was still waiting near the clearing when Wes ran out of the woods with fear on his face before stopping to catch his breath. Katherine (now fully dressed, but with her hair still down) exited the overturned van and walked up to the cameraman.]

Katherine: "Wesley, you're back! Where is Sergeant Castleton?! And where is the camera?!"

[Wes looked up at Katherine for a moment before answering her.]

Wes: "Aw, crap! I must've dropped it back in the woods!"

[Katherine's expression turned angry upon hearing what Wes had said.]

Katherine: "You lost the footage?! You idiot! Do you realize how much proof you've lost?! It could've contributed to putting that lunatic away! It could've even helped you rise to fame!"

Wes: "You expected me to risk my life to get it?! I could hardly run with that camera! Alex Santiago is as huge as a bull! I don't even care about fame right now!"

[Wes breathed heavily for a few minutes as Katherine went silent. The cameraman calmed down and spoke to Katherine again.]

Wes: "I'm sorry, Katherine. I'm just worried about the sergeant."

Katherine: "It's fine, Wes. I was kind of asking for it anyway."

[Katherine sighed in frustration before putting her hands over her face.]

Katherine: "Damn it! All the footage is gone now, my career is going to be over soon, and I have nothing to show for my final report! How can things get any worse?!"

"NOBODY MOVE!"

[All of a sudden, a group of about 10 bikers arrived from the camp and surrounded everyone. All of them were disillusioned, lost, and had nothing left to live for. Reduced to nothing but marauders with only death on their minds as their supposed savior had abandoned them. Albert and Mr. Dupree shot back but were only able to take out one biker and injure another before they were both disarmed. Deidre pulled out her pistol and attempted to shoot, but almost immediately, the gun was shot out of her hand by one of the stragglers. The ringleader of this group held an AA-12 shotgun in his hands as he and the others rounded everybody up to Vanzilla.]

Biker: "Alright! That's everybody!"

Leni: "Like, what do you want from us?!"

Lori: "She has a point! Your boss has literally up and- Ah! Abandoned you!"

[The ringleader aimed his shotgun at Lori.]

Biker: "We want nothing from you, bitch! Do you hear me?! Nothing but the sight of your lifeless bodies on this pavement! Starting with you!"

[Bobby stood in front of Lori as he looked up at the ringleader.]

Bobby: "No, you can't! She's having a baby over here!"

[One of the few female bikers in the group looked over at Lori and lowered her gun.]

Female Biker: "I think he's got a point, Jord! We shouldn't be shooting pregnant women. In fact, we shouldn't even be shooting kids!"

Jord: "It ain't our fault this is bound to happen, Resa. They can't be allowed to tell everyone about us!"

[Another male biker holding an axe in his hand walked over to Katherine before ripping her shirt open, exposing her cleavage and bra. Katherine screamed as she put her arms over her chest before giving the biker a hard slap across the face.]

Katherine: "You sick pervert!"

[The biker put his hand on his sore cheek as he smirked before grabbing the reporter's wrist, clearly not going to let a woman boss her around. This display also started to enrage Wes.]

Wes: "You son of a-"

[Wes tried to run over to the biker, only to be hit in the face by the butt of another biker's shotgun, knocking the cameraman down to the ground.]

Biker: "I think we better keep this woman around, Jord. She clearly likes me."

Jord: "Maybe we will, Marko, but I think you better start with lover-boy while I handle the pregnant one. They'll make good examples."

[Marko walked over to Wes, who managed to get on all fours before looking up at the axe-wielding biker.]

Marko: "Anything you want to say before Miss B meets the back of your neck?"

Wes: "You named your axe? That's a good one... How long did take to come up with that?"

Marko: "No one makes fun of my pride and joy, asshole. Now it's time to die."

[Marko raised his axe and prepared to chop off Wes' head while the cameraman closed his eyes and waited for the end. At the same time, Jord gave Bobby a backhand punch to the face, knocking him aside before the biker ringleader aimed his gun at Lori again. Katherine gasped in shock as she watched Wes about to be killed while Bobby did the same for Lori as she closed her eyes and put her hands on her baby bump.]

Katherine: "No! Don't!"

Bobby: "Don't kill them!"

[Suddenly, a hail of gunfire came out of the woods and hit the bikers, killing most of them and injuring a few more. The first bullet struck Marko in the chest while the second one went right through Jord's head before both men dropped dead. No sooner had the gunfire ceased when a group of tactical units ran out of the woods bearing the FBI patch on their vests and began to secure the area, some of which ran over to the injured bikers before arresting them, including Resa. What came out of the woods next was a dark-haired man in his mid 30s with a medium build wearing a green suit and sunglasses. He then walked onto the road and raised his hand as he looked over everyone.]

Man: "Hey... I hope I'm not too late for the party."

[Bobby then rushed back over to Lori and embraced her tightly.]

Bobby: "Are you alright, Lori?"

Lori: "Literally... I thought neither of us would make it."

[Lori hugged Bobby back before kissing him again while Mr. Dupree spoke to the man in the green suit.]

Mr. Dupree: "What the hell took you so long, Trent?"

Trent: "Sorry about that, Uncle Lester. Things are crazy in town, so I sent my partner and her teams to assist the D.P.D. in the area. It'll be a long process, but I think order will be restored in a matter of hours."

Mr. Dupree: "Good to hear. Here's hoping that every rampaging biker in Royal Woods will be dealt with by the time we get back."

[As Katherine crawled over to Wes and hugged him tightly, Trent turned his attention to his teams and started ordering them about.]

Trent: "Alright, Bravo Team, move ahead and infiltrate the hideout! Charlie Team, search the woods and locate Santiago! The rest of you stay here with me and help clean up the mess!"

[As two of the FBI SWAT teams ran up the dirt path and the rest of them began the cleanup process, Dupree introduced the suited young man to the others.]

Mr. Dupree: "Everyone, this is my nephew, Agent Trenton Kenn. He's from the Bureau."

[Trent lowered his shades as he looked over at the rest of the group.]

Trent: "Hey there... My uncle said that you needed help."

Rita: "Thank you very much, Sir. I just hope your people can find the rest of my kids."

Trent: "Don't you worry, Mrs. Loud. We'll make sure your kids are back here safe and sound. I can assure you that. And you can thank my uncle for giving me the coordinates."

Mr. Dupree: "My nephew is quite a professional. Is he not?"

[And with that, Trent took out his portable radio to keep in touch with the other two teams while the remaining units continued to remove the dead bodies and secure the area.]

Meanwhile, in the forest...

[In another part of the forest, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were hiding in a tree. Apart from the sound of the pouring rain and occasional rumbling of thunder, everything had been quiet for about five minutes.]

Ronnie Anne: "Okay... I think we lost him."

Lincoln: "Jeez! Your dad is not screwing around!"

Ronnie Anne: "Just look around and make sure the coast is clear."

[Lincoln walked out of the tree and looked around but did not see any sign of Alex anywhere.]

Lincoln: "I think we're clear, Ronnie Anne. You can come on out."

[And with that, Ronnie Anne came out into the open.]

Ronnie Anne: "Alright, so what do we do now?"

Lincoln: "We better find Lynn and Luna before we get back to the others."

Ronnie Anne: "Agreed."

"Freeze, you little shits!"

[Both kids screamed and quickly turned around to see Alex pointing a revolver at them before putting their hands up. Alex laughed as he marched over to his daughter and the Loud boy while keeping the gun aimed at them.]

Alex: "You really thought you could hide from El Jefe? I'm in control of this little argument here, and I get to decide what happens to you! I think I'll take care of you first, and then I'll deal with the rest of this white one's familia and that man-child bum I once called a son when I find them. You got any last words before I blow the boy's brains out?"

[Ronnie Anne took Lincoln's hand as the Santiago patriarch kept the gun aimed at them. T-Bone was hiding behind a nearby bush with Luna and Lynn when he saw Alex holding Lincoln and Ronnie Anne at gunpoint. Lynn felt her eyes starting to water as she saw Ronnie Anne hold Lincoln's hand, but immediately wiped them.]

Alex: "Want to go down like this, do you?! Oh, isn't that just sweet? Just fucking dulce. Now say your fucking prayers, 'cuz this is where your time fuckin' comes!"

[Before either Lincoln or Ronnie Anne could meet their end, T-Bone ran over to them and shoved Alex aside. Immediately, the stout biker grabbed both of the kids, held them in his arms, and ran from Alex like an ogre escaping from a dragon's castle while Luna and Lynn followed behind them.]

Alex: "Bonneville!"

Lincoln: "Mr. Bone! What are you doing here?!"

Ronnie Anne: "You know this guy?!"

T-Bone: "Let's just say we had a few interactions in the past!"

Lynn: "Can we save the catching up for later?! We gotta get back to the others before Alex finds us!"

T-Bone: "Don't worry, kid! Your bro and his girlfriend are in good hands!"

[Both Lincoln and Ronnie Anne wanted to respond to T-Bone, but they knew that it wasn't the time to do so.]

Luna: "All right! I think we're gonna make it!"

[Suddenly, there was a loud gunshot and T-Bone felt a pain in his left thigh. The stout biker stumbled for a bit and dropped the kids before getting down on one knee. Ronnie Anne managed to quickly get back on her feet and hide behind a tree upon hitting the ground. Luna and Lynn also stopped in their tracks and turned around to see who pulled the trigger.]

[Lincoln looked over and there was Alex with the revolver in his hand as he marched over to the injured biker.]

Alex: "You gordo joder! I should've just killed you myself when I had the chance back then! Oh well... Never trust a bunch of incompetent lackeys to do your work!"

[T-Bone looked back at Alex with anger in his eyes as the big man stopped beside him and pointed the gun to his head.]

Alex: "If you have any last remarks, now's the time to spit them out."

Lincoln: "T-Bone!"

[Alex turned the gun at Lincoln, allowing T-Bone to immediately grab onto it, resulting in a scuffle between the two men over the weapon. Lincoln went prone as he didn't want to risk getting shot in case the gun suddenly went off. Finally, both men threw the gun a few feet away from them and it landed right by Ronnie Anne's hiding place. The two bikers then fought one another, laying down hit after hit.]

T-Bone: "You killed Rodd! He was your best friend and you killed him like a dog!"

[Alex responded with another punch to T-Bone's face before pinning him to the ground.]

Alex: "Hardly, Bonneville! He killed himself with the choices he made! He, BoEMC, Las Hermanas, Kochner, and Yuri are nothing more than degenerate scum! The world is better off without any of them!"

[In a fit of rage, T-Bone grabbed Alex's head and dug his thumbs into the Hispanic man's eyes, causing him to scream in agony. Blood started leaking from Alex's eye sockets as T-Bone dug his thumbs in them.]

T-Bone: "And the same don't apply to you, you demon?!"

[However, Alex managed to grab the shank and stabbed it into T-Bone's thigh, right next to his bullet wound, causing T-Bone to ease on his grip. Alex then grabbed T-Bone by his head and threw him aside before he began to breathe heavily, much to Lincoln's unease. After a few seconds, Alex quickly turned his head to look at Lincoln with bleeding red bloodshot eyes that were enough to scare a lone wolf as another flash of lightning appeared followed by loud thunder. It was quite clear at this point that Alex was through playing around.]

Alex: "YOU!"

[Lincoln yelled out his girlish yell and started to run away while Alex immediately got back on his feet and chased after him. The boy hoped that would be enough for Ronnie Anne and his sisters to get out of the woods as quickly as they could and make it back to the others. However, Luna and Lynn ran after Alex while T-Bone pulled the shank out of his though and got back up before limping after the kids. Ronnie Anne watched all of them go before looking down at the gun on the ground.]

[Further ahead, Lincoln ran through the woods as fast as he could as Alex was hot on his tail.]

Alex: "Get your ass over here, Whitey! You can't run forever! I will catch you and I will squash you like the little rato that you are!"

[Finally, after running for about another few seconds, Lincoln yelled as he tripped on a twig and fell to the ground. He flipped onto his back and sat up to look at Alex, who was now marching over to the boy with that menacing, blood-shot look on his face.]

Alex: "Looks like you're outgunned, Lincoln Loud! You've got no familia or friends to help you out of this one!"

Lincoln: "Please...don't hurt me."

[Lincoln started scooting backwards as Alex got closer to him whilst cracking his own neck.]

Alex: "It's hopeless, kid! Your days of corrupting influence are coming to an end! But don't worry... It's all going to be over real soon!"

[Just as Alex caught up to Lincoln, the boy tried to get up and run, only to be grabbed by the collar of his shirt by Alex and slammed against another tree. The back of Lincoln's head hit the tree as Alex slammed him into it. He then punched Lincoln in the face two times, resulting in a bruised cheek and a black eye. He then grabbed the boy's neck with both hands and began to strangle him intensely while looking him right in the eyes. Lincoln choked as he looked at the menacing man that was cutting off his oxygen supply.]

Alex: "You think you're so smart?! You think you can survive that little shithole of yours? Fuckin' think again, kid!"

[By that time, T-Bone, Luna, and Lynn had arrived to see what was happening to Lincoln.]

T-Bone: "Don't you hurt that boy, Alex!"

Alex: "You're just like the rest of your familia! Always caring about what YOU want and not what other people think!"

[Lynn ran over to Alex in an effort to try and save her only brother.]

Lynn: "Let him go, you son of a bitch!"

[However, just as she got close to Alex, she was met with a backhand punch to the face and fell down to the ground.]

Alex: "Well, prepare to be Loud no more, you selfish, thieving, manipulative, little albino fuck!"

[Luna started running over to Alex before getting down on her knees as tears started leaking from her eyes.]

Luna: "Stop! You're gonna kill him! You're killing my brother!"

Alex: "And when I'm done with you, your little girlfriend, her pathetic hermano, and your entire familia are next!"

[Lincoln's eyes went red from the strangulation, and he was on the verge of closing them as he continued to stare at the menacing, bleeding eyes of Alex. Just before Lincoln could stop struggling...]

BANG!

[With a loud gunshot echoing in the rain, Alex's eyes widened as he felt a pain in his upper arm, causing him to ease his grip on Lincoln's neck and put his hands over his own right shoulder. Lincoln slid down to the ground and put his hands over his neck as he began to breathe intensely. Alex clutched his right hand over the sore in his shoulder and carefully moved it to see blood. Somebody had shot him.]

BANG!

[Another gunshot and Alex immediately felt another pain in his back and stomach as he quickly clutched his hand on the exit wound before breathing heavily. A second bullet had gone out his stomach through his back. It was then that he looked over and saw Ronnie Anne seething with fury as she held Castleton's revolver in both hands and aimed it directly at him. Luna, Lynn, and T-Bone looked on in shock as they saw all this transpire.]

Lynn: "Woah..."

T-Bone: "Holy shit!"

[Alex growled at the armed girl as Lincoln started to ease on his breathing.]

Alex: "You...little...puta!"

[Alex snorted and charged at Ronnie Anne like a bull looking for blood, but the Hispanic tomboy fired another shot at Alex, hitting him in his right kneecap, which caused the big man to fall over. Alex groaned as he slowly got on his good knee before looking right at his daughter while letting out pained laughs.]

Alex: "You really think that will stop me?!"

[Ronnie Anne fired yet another shot at Alex, this time in the left kneecap, causing him to scream again as he fell on his side. The big man was now immobile and could not get away without the use of his legs. All he could do now was crawl over to a nearby tree before sitting up and leaning his back against it. He then looked over at Ronnie Anne again as she slowly approached her father with the revolver still aimed at him.]

Alex: "Well...*cough* Looks like you're finally showing some balls after all these years."

Ronnie Anne: "Shut up! You don't get to speak anymore! Twelve years... I have spent twelve, very long, and very FUCKING hard years of being under your roof with no love or support from you! I have received nothing but hatred and ridicule towards me and my familia! Always treating me like your own personal punching bag! Having me take the worst of your abuse! And now you had the gall to try and kill my friends?! To risk other people's lives for your own psychotic vendetta?! You are finished here! So, how about you take your defeat like a man and DIE like one?!"

[Alex groaned before speaking again.]

Alex: "Whatever you say, Ronalda. I'm not long for this world, anyway. So go ahead... Do what you have to do..."

[Ronnie Anne slowly walked over to her father and aimed the gun at his forehead, much to the unease of Lincoln, T-Bone, and Luna.]

Ronnie Anne: "You have any last words, you pathetic excuse of a man? Go on! Tell me!"

[Alex thought for a moment. This could be his chance to destroy his daughter's spirit for good, even if it meant dying by her hand. And he clearly wasn't afraid to die.]

[Lynn kept glaring daggers at Alex while Luna showed fear at what Ronnie Anne could do as she stood by her younger sister.]

Lynn: "KILL HIM!"

[Luna covered Lynn's mouth to stifle her as Alex looked over at the Loud jock when he heard her.]

T-Bone: "He's not your problem, kid! Just put it down!"

[Finally, Alex smirked at Ronnie Anne as he gave her his answer.]

Alex: "What else is there...? I'll see you in fuckin' hell, Ronalda..."

[Ronnie Anne got ready to pull the trigger as she continued to stare straight at the man who abused her for all these years, the man who abused Bobby for all these years, the man who abused her mother for all these years...and ending her life early as well. Finally, she'll be rid of him...this time for good. One more shot, and it would all be over.]

Lincoln: "Don't do it!"

[Before Ronnie Anne could shoot, Lincoln ran over to the Santiago tomboy and stood right between her and her father, much to everyone's surprise.]

Ronnie Anne: "What the hell are you doing, Lame-O?! Get out of the way!"

Lynn: "What is he, crazy?"

T-Bone: "Hold on, kids! Let's just see where this goes."

Lincoln: "I'm not going to let you do this, Ronnie Anne!"

Ronnie Anne: "Are you being serious right now?! That man right there tried to kill you... Twice!"

Lynn: "Not to mention, he bit my damn fingers off, the crazy bastard! Look at them!"

[Lynn waved her hand to her brother, showing him the injuries.]

Luna: "You'll get them back soon enough, Lynn! Let's hope Lisa can see to that!"

Lincoln: "I know what he did, Ronnie Anne, but is killing him really necessary?"

Alex: "Go on, Ronalda! Shoot me!"

Lynn: "Get out of the way, Stinkcoln! That son of a bitch deserves to die!"

Luna: "The man's had enough, Ronnie Anne! It's all over!"

Lincoln: "Ronnie Anne...if you kill him...you'll kill me as well...in more ways than one... And you don't want to do that...do you?"

[Ronnie Anne looked down at the ground, perplexed by the moral dilemma she was now faced with.]

Ronnie Anne: "Why are you making this so hard for me?!"

Lincoln: "Because as your friend, I care about you, Ronnie Anne!"

Alex: "No, he doesn't! The only thing he cares about is himself! Just like all of his hermanas! You're all selfish putas! FUCKING ADMIT IT!"

Lynn: "Can you just shut that bastard up, Ronnie Anne?!"

Luna: "Would you stop encouraging her, Lynn?! It's not helping anybody!"

[Ronnie Anne was tempted to pull the trigger upon hearing her father's ugly words. But then, another voice called out to her.]

"Ronnie Anne! Stop!"

[T-Bone and the kids turned their heads and saw Castleton limping over to them as he had his hand over his wounded leg. The former police sergeant then stopped to catch his breath while Alex smirked at him.]

Alex: "Well... Look who's back..."

Lincoln: "Castleton, you're alive!"

Castleton: "Yeah... So, I am."

[Castleton then turned his attention to the 12-year-old girl while raising his free hand for reassurance.]

Castleton: "Ronnie Anne, you have to stop this!"

[Ronnie Anne did not turn her head for a second as she kept her focus on Alex.]

Ronnie Anne: "Why should I?!"

Castleton: "I am trying to save your life here! Do you really want to do this?"

[Ronnie Anne looked down for a moment before looking at Alex again.]

Ronnie Anne: "I don't have a choice, do I? This...hijo de puta has threatened my life AND my familia's lives for far too long! Everything he did up to this point has been nothing but trouble. But now...it's all finally catching up to him. Oh yes..."

Castleton: "Ronnie Anne...it's over now. Just let me call the authorities and they'll put him away for good."

Alex: "They can't kill me! This chickenshit state hasn't had the balls for the death penalty since '76! Not before I came along! But my daughter has more of a spine than everyone else!"

Ronnie Anne: "NO! This bastard has threatened my familia one time too many! What if he decides to keep on doing this to other innocent people?! He deserves to pay for his crimes!"

Castleton: "Think about what you're doing, Ronnie Anne... Is this what your mother would've wanted? For her own daughter to turn into a psychotic killer like Alex?"

Ronnie Anne: "My mother is dead! This fucking sociopath made sure of it! I just want to see him buried deep in the ground!"

Castleton: "But what about your brother? He's waiting for you right outside the forest. How is he going to respond if he finds out you murdered somebody in cold blood?!"

[Ronnie Anne's expression slowly changed to confusion and worry upon hearing the mention of her brother.]

Ronnie Anne: "My...my brother?"

Alex: "Come on, Ronalda! Finish it already! You know you want to! Shoot through that little fuck if you have to!"

Luna: "Don't do it, Ronnie Anne! That's just what he wants!"

Alex: "Like you're one to talk! These hypocrites over there want that boy dead anyway! It's a dog-eat-dog world out here and everyone's only brought in it to survive!"

Lynn: "Will you shut the fuck up, you filthy animal?!"

[Castleton stopped next to Ronnie Anne and took a knee as he looked down at the young Latina.]

Castleton: "Ronnie Anne, listen to me... I know how you feel. I know how much you want to make Alex suffer for what he did, but it's not going to end the way you're expecting it to end... When I lost my family...I ended up killing the guy responsible on that day. He was around 18 years old when it happened. That poor kid never intended on killing anybody, though. I could've just left him alone back then, maybe turn him over to the police, but after seeing my wife and children die in such a horrific way...I couldn't handle my emotions and... I shot him numerous times. I just let all the pain get the better of me and I've regretted that moment ever since. I don't want to see you go down that path, especially at your age."

[Ronnie Anne's face returned to being angry as she kept her sights on her father.]

Ronnie Anne: "But...this bastard... He has no right...to live... This isn't murder...it's retribution..."

[Castleton looked away for a moment before speaking to Ronnie Anne in a sterner tone.]

Castleton: "Retribution? So, what would you do after that? What will you have left after you kill Alex? What about your brother's child? Will you be able to watch them grow from inside a padded room? Will you?"

[The look on Ronnie Anne's face slowly started to change from angry to scared as she tried to process what Castleton just told her.]

Ronnie Anne: "My brother's...child?"

Castleton: "Think about this, Ronnie Anne. You won't be able to spend any quality time with the baby if you go through with this. Think about all the precious moments you'll miss out on if you destroy yourself over Alex."

[Ronnie Anne kept trying to process everything. Could Castleton really have her taken away if she killed Alex? She then began to think of her nephew and all the things she could miss out on. Ronnie Anne began to tear up at the thought of not being involved in her nephew's life. All the birthdays he'll have without her. The looks of sadness and disappointment on her brother's face and that of Lincoln's while they look at her from behind a glass window. Ronnie Anne's face began to crumble, and her hands shook as she continued to think.]

Ronnie Anne: "But he... This man... He..."

Lincoln: "Listen to what he says, Ronnie Anne. I've heard this kind of thing happen with my mom's friend and she doesn't feel proud of doing it. Don't let him get under your skin again... Please... You have to fight it... Think about Bobby and the baby..."

[At that moment, tears started to leak from Ronnie Anne's eyes before streaming down her face. Lincoln started to feel hurt inside as he watched the look of sadness on his friend's face.]

Ronnie Anne: "I...I... I just want the nightmares to go away! I just want all of it to go away! Is that so hard?!"

Castleton: "And they will, Ronnie Anne. You have every right to hate this man, especially after everything he did... But if you kill him...you'll be no better than he is... I know all this hurts...but you can still have a normal life. You can still have those precious moments with the baby... But please...let go... It's all over now."

[Castleton extended his hand to Ronnie Anne as the girl's hands trembled.]

[As the rain began to slow down, Ronnie Anne's decision became clear as she lowered the gun. The girl then dropped the revolver as she began to feel weak in the knees before Lincoln ran over and caught her. The young Latina buried her face in Lincoln's shirt and sobbed as the white-haired boy rubbed his fingers through his friend's hair to comfort her.]

[Castleton bent down and picked his revolver up off the ground as the rain finally came to a stop. Luna and Lynn simply stared at the younger kids, not knowing what else to say. Lynn also started to feel very guilty about pressuring Ronnie Anne to kill Alex, especially after hearing Castleton's words about her being taken away. Luna put her arm around her younger sister to comfort her while T-Bone smiled at Lincoln for his part in stopping Ronnie Anne before slowly getting back on his feet.]

[Alex simply scowled at everything that transpired before him, having been denied his last chance to break Ronnie Anne.]

Alex: "You fucking, useless puta! You goddamn, weak-minded, little girl! I brought you into my little familia! I gave you the food off of my table! Provided to your every fucking need! And you pull this shit on me?! You ARE just like your madre! A STUPID! FUCKING! COWAAAAAAAAAARD!"

[Lincoln simply glared at Alex as he continued to comfort his crying friend. Castleton marched over to Alex and aimed his revolver at him while T-Bone limped over to Alex and cracked his knuckles as he looked down at the big man.]

Castleton: "The show's over, Alex! It's time to turn yourself in."

Alex: "Yeah! You think it's all over! But I'm not turning my ass in! I'd rather die right here and now than see this story have a happy ending! Oh wait, it DOESN'T! Because your own boss is now my bitch! So go ahead and fuckin' shoot me, pig! I'm right here waiting for it!"

Castleton: "I don't want to kill you, Alex... I'm not like you..."

Alex: "Like you killed half of my men and women? Oh, that is sad. Just fuckin' sad. You know what else saddens me? The fact that Ronalda has no mami or papi to protect her! The fact that she is now an orphan because of her and Junior's mistakes! Mistakes they could've easily prevented long ago! But those fucking Louds had to keep on exaggerating them!"

[Luna scoffed at Alex as he said those absurd words. The fact that he was still blaming his own children for everything that happened made her want to throw up.]

Luna: "C'mon, Lynn. Let's get out of here. There's a toxic meltdown brewin'."

[With that, Luna stood up and helped Lynn on her feet before both of them started to walk back to the forest edge. Alex then turned his attention to the two Loud girls as he kept running his mouth.]

Alex: "You think all of you are special?! You call yourselves women! You say that you've worked hard to get to where you are! The world basically bends down to your fuckin' knee and you can make it a better place! That's what you all think! But the sad truth is, you're all just hypocrites! Fuckin' hypocrites who use their own egos to get by! This world will NEVER get any better as long as people like you exist!"

Lynn: "I see what you mean... This guy's getting on my nerves."

[The jock shot a glare at the shell of a man as he continued his tirade.]

Alex: "People call me unhinged! Well, who's to say that these little girls fuckin' aren't?! Huh?! You can never change your ways! You're all nothing but a bunch of fuckin' misandrists! Do you hear me?! MISANDRISTS! ALL OF YOU! YOU CREATED THIS FUCKIN' MONSTER!"

[Getting fed up with Alex's demonizing words, Lynn stopped and turned around to yell at the man.]

Lynn: "Will you just shut up and BLOW IT OUT YOUR ASS ALREADY?! YOU ARE DONE! FINISHED! F-I-N, FIN! GOD!"

[Luna grabbed Lynn's shoulders to hold her back.]

Luna: "Let's just beat it, Lynn... That bastard's not worth it."

[The two girls shot one last glare at Alex before they kept on walking away from him. Castleton looked over at Lincoln and Ronnie Anne.]

Castleton: "You kids better join them. We'll take it from here."

T-Bone: "You heard the man, Lincoln. No need for you two to see any more of this. Just take your friend and head on back to your family. We'll meet with you as soon as we wrap this up."

[Lincoln nodded before wrapping his arm around Ronnie Anne and they began to follow Luna and Lynn back to the campground.]

Alex: "Ronalda! Where would you be if it weren't for me?! Where would you and your hermano be right now if it weren't for my guidance? Stop and answer me right his minute!"

[Of course, Ronnie Anne paid her father no mind as Lincoln slowly guided her back to the clearing. By this point, Alex was getting desperate.]

Alex: "You think you can be better under the roof of those fuckin' lowlifes?! Nobody can change their ways! Especially not that fuckin' temptress puta or those wasteful excuses she calls familia! They can NEVER change their ways! Ronalda? Don't you leave me here! Ronalda?! RONALDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

[Alex put his hands over his eyes as he screamed his daughter's name in despair. Almost immediately, Alex felt a fist ram into his face, knocking him out cold. T-Bone then shook his hand and spat on Alex's face after giving the man what was coming to him.]

T-Bone: "I'm sorry, Sarge, but he was really starting to piss me off. Besides... I did what I had to do."

[Castleton said nothing as he rolled the unconscious Alex onto his stomach, put his hands behind his back, and cuffed them. He was able to arrest Alex a second time, and it seems like it would be his last. But he also couldn't help but think about that moment when he saw Koch get gutted. In his final moments, his ex-partner actually tried to help Castleton instead of running away. He may have betted on the losing side, but in the end, Koch went down like a hero. But Castleton wasn't sure if he should forgive Koch because of it. He had a lot to think about once the dust had finally settled.]

Meanwhile...

[A little further from where Alex was beaten, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne managed to catch up with Luna and Lynn. As the four kids made their way back to the camp, they decided to stop and take a breather by the river. Lincoln sat by a tree with his sisters as Ronnie Anne kneeled in front of the river all by herself. As soon as the three Louds settled by the tree, Lincoln spoke to his sisters.]

Lincoln: "Luna? Lynn?"

Luna: "Yeah, bro?"

Lynn: "What's up?"

Lincoln: "You guys aren't going to tell anyone else what you saw, right? I'm afraid of how Bobby would react if he found out what Ronnie Anne almost did, and I'm pretty sure Ronnie Anne doesn't want him to know either."

[The two girls looked at each other before turning their attention back to their only brother.]

Luna: "Don't you worry about it, Lincoln. Bobsled won't know a thing."

Lynn: "For Ronnie Anne's sake, we won't say a word about it."

Lincoln: "Thanks. I really appreciate it... And I think Ronnie Anne would as well."

[As the kids were resting, a group of FBI operatives in tactical gear stopped right beside them. The team's leader took out his radio and spoke to someone on the other end.]

Bravo Leader: "Sir, this is Bravo Leader. We have just located all four remaining kids, safe and sound. Further orders, sir?"

[The voice spoke to the team leader for a few seconds before the leader replied.]

Bravo Leader: "Solid copy, sir. Continuing sweep for the suspect."

[The team leader holstered his radio before giving orders to his subordinates.]

Bravo Leader: "Varney, Jensen, escort the kids back to their family. Esai, you keep up with me. We'll catch that son of a bitch yet."

[And with that, the team leader and his first subordinate went ahead while the other two stayed with the kids.]

Varney: "Come with us, kids. We're going to take you back to your family."

Lynn: "Can it wait? We're really exhausted after what we just been through."

[Varney and Jensen looked at one another before the latter spoke to the team leader via his radio.]

Jensen: "Bravo Leader, this is Jensen. The kids are with us, but they're wanting to rest before they can return to their family. What should we do, sir?"

[As Jensen continued to speak with his commander, Lincoln took another look at Ronnie Anne as she continued to stare into the river. He then turned to look at his two sisters and asked them another question.]

Lincoln: "Luna, could you and Lynn give us some space? I want to see how Ronnie Anne is holding up."

[Luna smiled as she tousled her little brother's white hair.]

Luna: "Of course, brah. Take all the time you need. We'll just be kickin' it right here."

Lynn: "Just don't take too long, or I'll have to get used to having only eight fingers."

Luna: "Hush! Hush!"

[Lincoln stood up and approached Ronnie Anne before looking down at her.]

Lincoln: "How are you feeling, Ronnie Anne?"

[Ronnie Anne slowly looked up at Lincoln for a brief moment before turning her attention back to the river.]

Ronnie Anne: "I'm f-fine..."

[Ronnie Anne wiped her eyes while Lincoln sat right next to her for comfort, staring down at the river as well.]

Lincoln: "Are you sure about that?"

[Ronnie Anne sighed as she continued to stare down at the water.]

Ronnie Anne: "Actually... I don't know."

[Ronnie Anne looked over at Lincoln again.]

Ronnie Anne: "Why did you have to do that, Lincoln? You could've been shot."

[Lincoln wrapped his arm around Ronnie Anne and pulled her closer to him. He took one glance back at the FBI operatives standing beside Luna and Lynn before speaking softly to Ronnie Anne so the operatives wouldn't hear them.]

Lincoln: "I couldn't just let you destroy yourself like that, Ronnie Anne. I mean, you're still so young."

Ronnie Anne: "But... I could've killed you. That was a really risky move you did to try and stop me. I don't want you to die because of me."

[Ronnie Anne looked into Lincoln's eyes as she put her hand over his.]

Ronnie Anne: "You were the reason I was finally free...and I don't want all that to be for nothing."

Lincoln: "It's okay, Ronnie Anne... I know how angry you are at your father for everything he's done to you, but that doesn't mean you have to destroy who you are just to be rid of him. I'm just glad that you stopped. Goodness only knows how I'd feel if you were locked away again... I can't even imagine how Bobby would've felt as well. You're just as much a part of his world as Lori is."

[Lincoln touched Ronnie Anne's cheek with his other hand, causing the Hispanic girl to blush.]

Lincoln: "And I am glad to be a part of your world too."

[Ronnie Anne smiled at Lincoln's words and let out a small chuckle before placing her hands on Lincoln's shoulders.]

Ronnie Anne: "You are such a sap, Lame-O."

Lincoln: "Yeah... And you are such a punk, Ronnie Anne."

[And with that, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne's faces inched closer and closer to one another before they both closed their eyes. Luna and Lynn watched with awe as their brother and Ronnie Anne were about to kiss.]

[Just as their lips were about to make contact...they stopped when they heard a familiar feminine scream coming from the distance.]

Lynn: "Woah! What the hell was that?"

Luna: "Well, it ain't no songbird, that's for sure."

Lincoln: "I think that sounded like... Lori!"

Ronnie Anne: "Yeah, it sounds to me like she's in pain."

Lincoln: "And I think I might know why."

[After a couple of seconds, the two brunettes looked at each other and gasped, figuring out what their brother and honorary sister were getting at.]

Luna: "Holy smokes, brah! The baby! She's gone into labor! We gotta hurry back to the fam, dudes! Let's go!"

[Luna then stood up and ran towards the clearing while Lynn looked over at her brother and Ronnie Anne.]

Lynn: "You heard the girl, guys! There's no time to waste! Now let's punch it!"

[Lynn hopped to her feet and ran after Luna before Lincoln and Ronnie Anne followed suit. All four kids ran towards the clearing at a faster pace while the two FBI operatives escorted them. They just had to hope that Lori and her baby were doing okay by the time they got back.]

Well, the battle has been won. Good has triumphed over evil, Alex has finally been beaten, Ronnie Anne has been saved, and now things can slowly go back to normal. Except for one crucial detail... Lori is still in labor and could start giving birth at any moment. With time being of the essence, can Lincoln, Luna, Lynn, and Ronnie Anne make it back to their family in time? Will Clyde ever discover the truth about Deidre? Will the rest of the group help Lori pull through her hard labor? But most of all, will Bobby and Lori's story finally have the happy ending it deserves? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out. Until then, have a Merry Christmas.

I also want to give thanks to DarthWill3 for the idea of Alex being crippled.

boygenius2020: The final chapter isn't quite there yet.

Gamelover41592: Thanks.

MoreABoutThomas: I think Alex currently has his eyes set on Ronnie Anne. Also, the final chapter is still a long way away.

wollyworld: Thank you.

Sogg1Dog: Alex never planned on doing what he was rambling about in the basement. All that mattered to him was making the Louds suffer. His henchmen were pretty much expendable.

Guest: Maybe Clyde will know about Palmer, maybe Clyde won't.

DarthWill3: I think most of the "hyenas" will be too busy fighting amongst themselves in this case. As for Koch, he's just looking to atone for his actions.

Mike The Red Engine: Thank you.

Guest 2: I bet you can't.