~In places that we've never been,

For reasons we don't understand~

SEPTEMBER 2ND

The reception had been going on for at least an hour at this point, with no real time table to connect it. Nicholas and his new wife, Skylar, wandered around talking to guests while people ate from the buffet. Love-dovey music played in the background of all conversation.

Niall was slumped in his chair, trying to avoid the stairs from people who would eventually recognize him. He was someone who had broken out of a maximum security prison twice, and had been on the news once or twice. Zayn sat up the moment the cameras went off with a quiet - click - and even Simon began to look around expectantly.

Then loud popping noises filled the air - something that the older guests would have thought were fireworks, maybe. But panic soon swept through the crowd when people saw the confusion on Nicholas' face. After a moment, when the gunshots ceased, the brother's line of eye contact crossed. Simon leaned back in his chair with a smug look on his face.

"What's going on?" Someone finally stood and asked.

Nicholas turned to Gemma, who was inches away from him already. "If you could please call the police, that would be pleasant." Then he rose his voice. "Guests, it looks like there may be an issue with our security, so if you could all please accompany me to our state-of-the-art panic room." Skylar began helping guests and leading the way while Nicholas talked business with the rest of his team. "Bella, Gigi, in the room, keep the plan and mingling. Gemma, inside! Eleanor, inside!" For a moment, he touched his ear like he was talking into a communications device. "Nick, James, deal with this."

At hearing one of the names that the host said, Louis looked up in surprise. Simon started moving instantly, so he followed, leaving Zayn to carry the carrier and catch up quickly. Niall stayed in his seat and looked down at the lock-picking tools in his lap and the diaper bag by his feet - it was finally time.

The commotion caused Fin to start crying, and once they were in the room, Louis broke from Simon's side to walk towards Zayn, where the girl with the long brown hair worried about her baby crying was also headed. "Oh hello, Eleanor," He said with a hiss. "So, you work for Nicholas? And Simon lied to me?"

"Let me calm her down," She growled at him. Zayn kept a neutral expression, and then finally took Fin out of the carrier so that the two of them could fight without her getting into the middle of it. "Yes, I work for Nicholas."

"How could you do this to Fin?" The screaming match has started. "Obviously, you know that I work for Simon, and you've really let our daughter have two parents involved in crime? You're on the side that's tried to kill my friends!"

"Well you brought Fin into the middle of a war zone!' There was enough chaos going on with everyone being crammed into a small room, that the screaming match drew most of the attention.

Meanwhile, Gemma sat at her desk and looked up at the monitors displaying cameras. "Trying to get the cameras up now." As Simon approached, she tried not to look up and betray where her loyalties lay - while she'd always have her memories attached to Nicholas, something with their relationship had really broken when he'd sent the twins and Eleanor after her brother.

Nicholas finally tore his attention away from her screen to address the guests. "Everyone will be alright, folks. Nothing to worry about. We are completely safe in here. The police will be here and then my dear friend Gemma can open the doors from the inside."

"Well, well, well, this is certainly the most interesting wedding reception I've ever been too," Simon noted, leaning against Gemma's metal desk. "I love the decor - steel walls and thrift-store chairs."

Nicholas' gaze was lethal. "You're putting Aunt Susan in danger. She's 93."

"Just blanks, Nicholas. We didn't bring any lethal weapons." That was true. Even the weapons inside of the diaper bag that was now in Niall's possession outside of the door had tranquilizer darts inside of them - enough to take out every member of the opposite team and then some.

He was angry at any part of his plan being changed. But at the end of the day, Nicholas didn't make his own plans like his brother did - he relied on Nick, and that was going to be his downfall. "How'd you even get weapons in at all?"

"The diaper bag!" Simon smiled at him and straightened his sleeves as Gemma typed away behind him.

Fin still hadn't stopped crying, prompting Zayn to get as far away from her parent's argument as possible. Their screaming was only going higher in decibels as the anger came through. Neither of them was going to yield until their voices were gone. He approached Simon, trying to catch Gemma's eyes to confirm that she wasn't going to hack his firewall on the security cameras. The reflection on her stylish sunglasses did show that she was playing Sugar Sugar and Zayn would have married her on the spot if he wasn't already mentally engaged to Liam. Till death do them part.

Nicholas began massaging his temples, trying to physically de-stress himself. The other members of his team who weren't occupied, meaning Bella and Gigi, were pulling the limited stack of chairs out of the storage closet, where there were also other supplies. Just in case the apocalypse occured, or if, like now, there was a security breach. Whomever need the chairs the most was getting them - the old and the young alike.

Eleanor's anger was derived from the fact that Louis had brought their daughter into the middle of what both of them knew was a two-sided job. His anger was exclusively based on the fact that she had lied to him - lied to him about being in the crime world and being on a side that killed people, and probably wouldn't mind about killing a baby.

There was no telling which one of them had become a criminal first with all of the nonsensical yelling. "You tried to kill my boyfriend!" Louis screeched, being the drama queen that he has always been.

"And we've all been reprimanded for it! Extensively!" Hearing that her baby was still crying, Eleanor walked over to Zayn and held out her hands to take Infinity back. He didn't argue and passed the blanketed infant back over.

Looking over at Simon he said, "I wish we could have snuck communicators through the metal detectors. The plan could be falling apart out there!" The panic came through his voice, and it almost broke his boss' calm exterior. Hopefully the team was prepared.

---

Niall was listening to music to help him focus, and by now - the third safe - he was positive that SImon was right. He really didn't need to open every safe in ten seconds. Besides, this wasn't exactly his safe, and there were unique catches and clicks on every single one. This one was the fastest, with fifteen seconds. "Three!" He yelled out.

Harry appeared from around the corner, right on schedule. His chest moved up and down like he was panting, but no noise came out of his mouth - he was focused. The two of them switched places as Harry reached in to grab bracelets and wallets. Niall was onto the fourth safe after taking a mental second to bring up the map in his head.

The plan was going remarkably well. No characteristic mishaps like with Liam collapsing in the first job and Harry breaking his arm in the second. Third time's the charm, maybe?

There was a service door with access to the house through a thin gap. That must have been Nicholas' attempt to limit outside doors into his humble abode. It was probably good thinking on his part, since he was well-versed in the crime world and knew how often bad people posed as ordinary workers. Even now, Luke and Liam were on the other side of the gap, taking the items that Harry was carrying from each safe. Then everything was being stored in buckets and slowly being organized by the two of them - it was kind of the most boring part of the job.

Hailee and Palmer had just descended from the roof and were promptly sliding through the gap with Perrie's help. The girl in the purple dress was through first. She straightened herself out quickly and said, "That's tighter than Simon's grip on the steering wheel probably was."

Perrie quickly nodded, confirming her suspicions. What could she say? Simon had certain predictable behaviors. She pulled Palmer out, noticing that he barely made it through. "Getting a little beefy there, Palmie?"

He smiled at her once he was steady on his feet. "I know you like a guy with a little cake," Palmer winked and all of the blood drained out of her face in embarrassment. "Just kidding. You know that I like sprinkle cookies." He had eaten all of the cookies that Zayn had brought home the night before.

"Hello?" Hailee chirped. "The guns, ma'am?"

"Right!" Perrie picked up the diaper bag from her feet. Once her and Harry had met up with Mr. Safe-Cracker, she had taken command of the supplies. Reaching inside, she produced two tranquilizer guns. "Don't know how many hostiles there are. Assume everyone is armed. Two were in the garage and will be recovering from the blast right about now."

The two snipers smiled at each other and took off running - Palmer with a lanky gait that showed that he only had one working leg. But Simon's prosthetic had been state-of-the-art. Better than the last one he had, so now he could run with no hesitation on his part. Perrie's heart panged as she watched him go - whether with jealousy that he was working with a pretty girl, or with agony that she might never see him again, she knew not. There was no way she'd ever tell him that she had feelings for him though.

Harry sprinted around the corner and practically slammed into another wall. "What's it this time, Styles?" Liam leaned his arm on the gap like he was a bartender.

"Seems like this one had a lot of wallets. Couple of Rolex's."

Luke looked up at his teammate before he turned away. "Drink some water." Harry looked up in alarm at the tender comment. "That's what Louis would want you to do. And my name starts with L. So we're technically dating."

Harry looked at Perrie instead of Luke, deciding to ignore the weird statement. "Come on and help me now. No time to waste." She rolled her eyes and followed him off.

"You don't apply that logic to Zayn, do you?" Liam's narrowed his eyes and picked up the conversation.

Luke snickered. "Of course not." The two began sorting the recent pile that had just been brought to them. "Only on the days where you slam his head into a shelf. Then I'm his hero." It took all Liam had in his bones to not strangle him on the spot.